Oprah Gains Weight From Thyroid
October 22, 2007 by Claire
Filed under Women's Health
Oprah recently announced on her talk show that she had been feeling tired and sluggish as a result of an underactive thyroid (she had also gained 20 pounds). Apparently she used to have hyperthyroidism, a condition where your metabolism, heart rate etc are extremely high, and then she “blew out” her thyroid and had the opposite problem.
This surprised me, because we know Oprah has had a history of yo-yo dieting and bingeing that has been responsible for her weight gain in the past. One incident in particular comes to mind, where Oprah had reportedly binged on 2-year-old frozen hot dog buns and maple syrup for “comfort food” (NY Times)
She mentioned on her show that one in four perimenopausal or menopausal woman will end up having an issue with their thyroid. Symptoms include feeling tired and sluggish, sleeping an excessive amount, inability to lose weight or weight gain and feeling cold.
If you suspect something is wrong with your thyroid, be sure to go to the doctor and have a blood test done. It’s worth noting that the same symptoms could be the result of an iron deficiency, which is much easier and cheaper to treat. Either way, it’s always good to know what’s going on with your body.
Claire
(image from Findittmusic)
I thought Oprah looked like she had gained weight again, didn’t know she was stating it was because of her thyroid. That’s interesting because I’ve read of other women who have had problems with their thyroid, were taking medication for it, and still lost weight. It was all about how and what they were eating and the exercise they were getting.
That’s true - she was also diagnosed with the problem back in May. Seems like she would have had adequate time to get on some of the right medication?
Obviusly the comments on the message board about Oprah & her weight lets us know none of you have thyroid issues, otherwise you would know that it takes MONTHS for the doctor’s to get the right dosage - that is if you are even ON the RIGHT MEDS in the first place. It is a horrible battle that a lot of women over age 50 go through! I recommend ALL women Google: “stop the thyroid madness” OR “stop the thyroid insanity.” Many women go undiagnosed for YEARS & is a crisis!