My name is Danielle,I'm eighteen years old and a senior in high school just about to graduate. I stay really busy with school and other activities. I'm also the very proud girlfriend of a Sailor.

For most of life I was very active, when I was kid I was outside almost every day, and my parents didn't raise me with video games or computers early on and tv was limited, so I was a fairly slim, very healthy kid that rarely got sick. When I was around eleven I started experiencing unusual fatigue and fast weight gain. I went from a size 4 to finally reaching a size 14 three years later. A summer trip to the beach was a big motivation to lose weight. I cut out junk food and sodas and began working out by walking and lifting weights. I dropped several pounds before the trip and continued to lose weight on vacation. By next summer I was down to a size 10. My weight pretty much stayed the same till last year when I began working out consistently and eating healthier, I went down to a size 6 which I stayed at consistently. Over the holidays, with the excitement of a new relationship and the stress of some family problems, my healthy eating was replaced with a lot more fast food and less wise choices in meals and snacks. My excuse was..."I'll work it off later" Around this time, some symptoms that I had had for a while suddenly got worse, extreme fatigue, loss of concentration, mood swings, muscle and joint pain, and my hair was coming out in clumps. My weight was also ballooning. In two months I had gone from a 6 to an 8 and then I was fitting into a size 10. I was getting scared and three weeks ago visited my doctor. She took blood tests and diagnosed me with hypothyroidism. Healthy TSH levels are between 0.5 and 5.5 and mine were 265. I went on Synthroid a couple days later and immediately started changing my eating habits. My goal has been to have at least one fruit or veggie at each meal. I've been eating whole grains, fat free dairy, chicken turkey and seafood, fruits, veggies, and a protein shake every day. I added some supplements like vitamin B,C,D, and E, and Omega 3's. I take a low dose multi that covers all my needs and Calcium/Magnesium. Not only have I changed the way I eat, but I began working out. Slowly at first, because hypo patients suffer from fatigue it was hard to find the energy to work out. So I started out with yoga, and have moved up to weights and just today I did a full hour of kickboxing cardio/strength training. In the past three weeks, I've lost 7 lbs, been able to button my size 8 jeans again, gained energy and a better outlook on life. For the first time in my life, I am really enjoying working out and eating healthier and looking forward to meeting my fitness goals.