Mary J. Shomon
1 Really Helpful!!
I just wanted to say how much I appreciate everything that Mary Shomon does for those of us with thyroid disease. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism about a year and a half ago. I bought her hypothyroidism book to help me learn more about this disease and what it's all about. I found out that there are even people in my family who had it, and didn't know it! It probably explains why most of us are overweight, too. There is tons of valuable information that most doctors don't even know about in her books, but the hardest part for me is finding a decent doctor to help me with my thyroid problem. But hopefully, with the information I have, it's going to be different from now on.
So now, I'm tackling that part, and doing the Thyroid Diet. I'm so glad to know that I am not the only one having trouble losing weight since my thyroid problem. I finally feel validated. No matter what I did I haven't been able to lose the weight, but I've started the diet, and began a weight program and walking exercise schedule, and FINALLY began losing weight.I started in March, and just in a month, I lost 6 lbs, which is unheard of for me. I also started the CLA, Lean for Less, hoodea and cinammon that she talks about, and am taking them faithfully...I do believe the combination of products have given me an added boost.
I am glad to finally find someone who understands my frustrations! I will continue reading and I like getting all of the info I can on thyroid issues.
--KK
2 First Time I've Been Able to Lose Weight in Years!
I really am glad I found Mary Shoman's "Thyroid Diet" book. I have been hypothyroid for a few years, and I never had a weight problem in the past. But the weight creeped up and by the time they diagnosed me, I had gained something like 40 pounds. (I never found out the final #, cause I wouldn't even look at the scale at my highest. UGH!) I felt awful, and I tried every single diet program out there, I did no-carb, I did low-fat, I did low-cal, and I just kept gaining weight, or I didn't lose anything.
It was ridiculous. My doctor said that my thyroid had nothing to do with anything, but I knew, I just KNEW that my thyroid had something to do with it, because, for goodness sake, I never had an extra pound on me until the thyroid problems started up and I started with hypothyroidism.
A friend of mine who is also hypothyroid told me that she had some success following some things she'd read from Mary Shoman at her website, and so I decided to get this book. It's been a real godsend, because for the first time in about 5 years, I've actually been consistently losing weight. First it was just a few pounds, really slow, but I LOST!!! I've started taking a couple of vitamins that she recommends, and I think that's helping too, but the overall diet is what's making the difference. I'm eating, but I finally feel like I'm eating the RIGHT things, and believe me, you can go spend 7 a week, or 20 a month, or 2000 a year at a local weight loss program, but if you don't lose weight and you tell them you have a thyroid problem, they're going to tell you you're not "doing the program right." And Shoman doesn't tell you that...she knows how the thyroid affects weight, and she explains it, she interviewed doctors who also talk about leptin, and metabolism, and the impact of thyroid on blood sugar, timing of food, and the best thyroid medicines and such...all things I think are what helped me sort of break the "losing streak" I had at weight loss! I even had a blood sugar test I read about in the book, and the doctor says I could be headed for pre-diabetes, so I definitely am doing the right thing by losing weight!
There is definitely no magic diet cure -- wish there WAS!! -- with a thyroid problem or otherwise, but I feel like with Thyroid Diet, I at least have a fighting chance to figure out what foods, calorie levels, supplements, and other sorts of approaches might actually make a difference for me.
I really recommend this book. I got it January of 2005, and as of April, I'm already down 20 pounds!!!
Can't argue with success, right? ;-)
3 Pls DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK
This is not a book for people who have gained weight due to a thyroid condition. I had my entire Thyroid removed a year ago and have gained twenty five pounds prior to the operation and that was in less than six months.
This book only offers popular diet plans that are already available to the general public that have gained weight the old fashion way, through eating too much and not exercising enough or at all. Needless to say I am very dissapointed.
In my entire life I have never gained so much weight and it's not due to my diet or lack of exercise. For me this is not a normal condition that can be cured with a low carb salad.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone with a REAL THYROID CONDITION and plan on donating it to the Library.
I saw a news story about a Veterinarian who totally cured a monkey of any thyroid symptoms and I'm hoping that one day a human Doctor will be smart enough to figure out something for humans because there's nothing in this book that will.
4 a misrepresentation
DIET
I have been diagnosed as a borderline hypothyroid about 14 years ago! I've lived with this condition without any treatment and I considered my life pretty "normal", I never thought it was a dibilitating condition at all, infact I was surprised that it can be that extreme! About 3 months ago I thought I should stop procrastinating and do something about it, I had a checkup, had some tests and started taking some thyroid medication as the doctor ordered. I also bought a couple of books about hypothyroidism, one of which is this one.
I did not learn anything new about dieting which is specific to people with hypothyroidism, I used to be chubby when I was a kid and hence I have always been very "health conscious", as in one of those people who spends 10-12 hours a week exercising and doing all sorts of outdoor activities for fun, I have managed to have a healthy BMI level of 21 as far as I can remember, way before I was diagnosed, I do not follow a specific diet, "all in moderation" is the motto I adhere to the most, out of curiousity I have read about Atkins, Southbeach, Weightwatchers and all these other diet articles and books, I did not see anything special or additional info in this book at all.
The "Thyroid Diet" title is a misrepresentation in my opinion, the diet portion only gives a "high-level" description of the various commercial diets out there. I could not figure out which of the diet tips is specific to people with hypothyroidism.
SYMPTOMS
I do have some of the symptoms that were described in the book but rather on a milder level, I am quite skeptical about all of my symptoms related to hypothyroidism e.g.
-forgetfulness (not to the point where I cannot function or do my work, it could be in my genes)
-dry skin (I thought it was in my genes! nothing a little moisturizer can fix)
-brittle hair (which I thought was attributed to the products that I use!)
-oversleeping (i thought i was just lazy)
-mild fatigue (not often, once in a while, this usually happens when I over-exercise)
-irregular menstrual period (the only symptom which i thought is related to my thyroid problem)
The book does not offer any explanation how to "differentiate" between symptoms that may be caused by hypothyrodism not something else. I thought this was a bit frustrating.
I think this book is more for people with extreme symtoms who has never been diagnosed before. This book was very helpful in highligthing the extreme symptoms of hypothyroidism, since I am a borderline hypothyroid the examples in this book are not applicable to me or if they are it is something that in my opinion is not detrimental to my lifestyle and relationships.
5 TheThyroid Diet
I was extremely disappointed with this book. It is about how to know if you have hypo- thyroid, (why would you buy it if you didn't know) how to get doctors to give you the appropriate tests, and then how hard it is to loose weight if you are hypothyroid. I expected a book that described types of food or exercise that would be helpful for people who have hypothyroid. Instead, this author basically said,' Different diets work for different people, try Atkins, weight watchers, counting calories, whatever you think might work, and stick to whatever works for you'
Thanks for the tip! I never would have thought of that.
The bottom line is: Don't bother getting this book.
6 Glad to Have This Book in My Effort to Lose Weight
I have had my copy of "The Thyroid Diet" for three weeks, and I've already lost a few pounds. But even better, I'm actually beginning to feel like I may finally have some control over this mess that I've been battling for a long time.
I gained about 25 pounds before I found out that I had a thyroid problem. (If I'd had some of this advice, I have a feeling I would have figured it out much sooner and saved myself major grief.)
I've been doing pretty much every sort of diet and not losing weight -- I could scream-- so I could totally relate to this book. I made a few of the changes suggested right way, I already felt less bloated, and felt my hunger level reduce (and I'm one of those people who has a really good appetite.) Now, if only I could actually start to do some exercise--not my favorite thing.
I'm really psyched about the ideas for supplements, and am going to start trying some of those, but i'm giving my body a chance to get used to the diet for a while before I start. Since I'm actually slowly losing right now, I don't want to mess things up and stop losing.
One thing is I wished that there were more recipes in the book. There are some really good recipes in here, but I could have used even more ideas. But the ones she has in here are good. I've made a few things from the book and they were delicious.
I'm getting a copy of this for my 2 sisters (I'm pretty sure one of them has a thyroid problem, and the other is gaining weight all of a sudden after being thin all her life). Like I said, I wish I'd had book this when I started blimping up a few years ago, and didn't know that my thyroid was totally messed up. Maybe I can save them some of the frustration I had.
I really think this is a helpful book, and recommend it to people who have thyroid problems, and people who are gaining weight fast and don't know why.
--Carina
7 The Thyroid Diet - " A Must Have"
The Thyroid diet is an essential book to buy for anyone who has, would or like to diet or even anyone who is interested in how their metabolism works. As a health care professional and a thyroid patient, I can say that it is helpful for people with or without a thyroid problem. Ms. Shomon's writing is very clear and concise. She also has many years of experience with thyroid problems herself in addition to her wealth of knowledge on the subject so you know you are getting the best advice.
8 A very happy reader
I am a big fan of Mary Shomon. She has no idea who I am, but I have read her books, and I just have to say here how much they have helped me. I had such awful issues with my hyperthyroidism, and my doctor recommended me to Mary's other two books. When I saw this new book, I cannot tell you enough how it made my day. I love Mary's writing, the way she expresses things, etc. I guess this is more of a thank you note, but for those who are wondering if they should buy Mary's diet book, you should buy it. This woman knows her stuff.
9 Excellent - right on target!
Finally, someone has written a book to help me with my issues as a thyroid patient. It's not just another old diet book that is written for the masses. This book is tailor made for me (and for everyone with thyroid problems) and I am thrilled that Ms Shomon has shown such an interest in thyroid patients!
10 She did it again!
Mary Shomon demonstrates once again why she is arguably the most widely read and influential patient advocate on the topic of thyroid disease. I wait for every one of her books impatiently --I have them all -- And this one does not disappoint! Her strength is her vantage point as a thyroid sufferer who knows the frustration of faithfully following every fad diet with no weight loss to show for. She answers the conundrum by talking about 'managing' our metabolism, not crash-and-burning it. It's slow, it's methodical and "one size does not fit all"(excuse the pun). If you want a sensible approach to MANAGING your metabolism, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU (especially if you're interested in a discussion of alternative supplements and approaches out there). If you want the 23-second miracle recipe for shedding 67lbs......... get real!
11 Answer to Many Questions
The Thyroid Diet is not just the same old theories rehashed and trotted out for each new "diet craze." The author, Mary Shomon, uses a very straight-forward, conversational writing style to examine the intricacies of being a thyroid patient interested in weight management. I found the book to be very thorough and inspirational. I felt like I finally had a diet specific to my needs as a thyroid patient.
12 A Great Book for Peo w/Thyroid and Those Who Don't Know Yet!
I was thrilled to finally get my copy of "The Thyroid Diet." I have a thyroid condition, so I'm one of those people who already knows that I'm facing an uphill battle in getting rid of my extra pounds. No kidding! But I'm actually going to get a few extra copies to pass around to some of my friends who are furious that they can't seem to lose on diets they try -- I've been telling a few of them for years that they have a thyroid problem, and I think this book might finally get through to them to have it checked out. I'm convinced that undiagnosed thyroid conditions are a problems for some of the people who can't seem to lose weight, no matter what they do.
I know I gained a lot of weight before my thyroid condition was diagnosed, and I never had a problem before. I've been following Mary Shoman's advice for several years, thanks to her newsletters and website, and have managed to lose most of the extra weight, but am really excited to see her ideas pulled together into this book, which includes many ideas I'd never seen her talk about before. Gives me incentive to tackle the last 15 pounds! Really good advice on various supplements -- everywhere I go, someone is pushing some miracle pill at me as a thyroid patient who needs to lose weight, so Shoman's clear advice on whether or not I need things like iodine and information on fatty acids and Cla and evening primrose, and this new herb hoodia, are very welcome.
There are some great recipes that look very healthy and I'm really looking to trying them out as well.
Mary Shoman makes things understandable, and she even gets into info that relates to the whole insulin resistance problem. She believes that many thyroid patients may be insulin resistent or have that metabolic syndrome x problem -- and she explains how all that works.
Honestly, I think if a thyroid patient is having trouble losing weight, they should get this book, because it has a lot of ideas that can save them years of messing around trying various things that probably won't work. And if someone doesn't know if they have a thyroid problem but can't lose weight, if they have thyroid symptoms, or thyroid in the family, then it's worth the money just to sort out whether or not there really is a thyroid condition making it harder to lose weight. Why bother with a diet if it's not going to work at all until you get the thyroid sorted out? (I learned this the hard way before I found Mary's website).
I'm really glad that this book is out, and happy to recommend it to others with thyroidism, or who can't lose weight and might have thyroid themselves. -- Pat
13 Just another diet book!
I've been taking Armour thyroid for the past year and have been very happy with the results. I have also been eating low carb Protein Power/South Beach style for 2 years. This book told me absolutely NOTHING I did not already know, and the "diet" was a mish mash of information and mis-information from all the popular diets currently circulating. What a disappointment. Don't bother with this book-even used. Not worth the money.
14 Manage your mind
This book is a gem; with thyroid disease i feel we are all diamonds in the rough, trying hard to feel, look and function
like we did before thyroid disease. There is a lot of information, in this book. Supplementation, diet guidelines
and tests to take to help determine which one to try, exercise
tips and suggestions.
Real people's accounts of what they did, tried...etc.
One line stands out "Remember riding a bike?" "Did you ride
perfectly, the first time?" it is the try, try again mentality that pushes and motivates you to began again.
The author has done her research and given us a gold mine or
i should say diamond mine or information. She has thryoid disease, as well. Her website is www.thyroid-info.com
15 Very Informative, Well Written, Easy to understand...
Mary Shomon has outdone herself again. In her EASY to understand book that covers the details of how we digest our food, to the MANY herbs and minerals that can help Thyroid disease sufferers lose weight and what are just a waste of time or potentially dangerous. She doesn't just focus on HYPO-thyroid patients, she discusses the whole spectrum of Thyroid Diseases, including Thyroid Cancer Patients. There are also Many many valuable resources listed in the back of her book as well.
Don't pass this book up, if you are suffering Thyroid Disease and cannot seem to lose weight this book will definitely give you hope and insight as to why.
