I got married back in 1997 to my first husband. Not yet in the world of natural health, I got on the Depo shot. If you’ve ever been on the Depo shot, you know my story. I know you know my story, because out of the hundreds of women I’ve spoken to over the years who’ve been on the Depo shot, almost all of them had the same story to share. They told me I may gain about five pounds. I promptly gained about forty.
When I complained about it to the doctors, they explained that your metabolism slows as you age. Granted, that’s true. But, as I learned, your metabolism also slows as you start messing with the hormones that are intertwined with your thyroid functioning too.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist, or even a doctor, to figure out that when you gain forty pounds in just over six months at age 20, it’s not the aging process at fault. So, I realized I was being lied to. But there was really not much I could do. Dieting never helped. Yoga didn’t help. Jogging didn’t help. I joined a gym, but kept getting fatter, so I quit. I resigned, for awhile to being unhealthy.
After my pregnancy with my son, I tossed on another ten pounds. Then, I was tired all the time and so I tossed on another ten. It was getting out of hand. Then, I started praying for help and visualizing myself thin. Not long after that, I stumbled upon a product that was completely natural: A. Vogel Bioforce Thyroid Support Tabs. The name sounded so clinical, but the ingredients listed only sea kelp and an agent used to keep the sea kelp in tablet form. That’s all that was in it.
I had tried other sea kelp before, but it didn’t work. This brand however is processed minimally as soon as it is harvested and it retains all its nutrients. Sea kelp contains iodine (as opposed to the fake iodide added to table salt that barely gets us by, and yet we crave) and bromine (as opposed to nothing added to table salt.) What’s so crucial about this is that our thyroids can’t use iodine sufficiently if it’s not in its natural pairing with bromine. Yet again, Mother Nature wins.
So, finally, as quickly as it went on, the weight came off. The very week I started taking the sea kelp supplements to help my thyroid get healthy again, I lost three pounds. At a rate of two to three pounds a week (EVERY WEEK,) I gradually but steadily began to recognize myself in the mirror and in photos again. Before long, I had lost over fifty pounds. Check out the photos I offer as proof.
To answer the ever looming question of how much iodine is in the tabs: The suggested daily dose (which is all I took) is not even a mcg over the RDA of iodine. No overdosing on iodine here, just making sure my engine has the fuel it needs.
Thanks for writing this, it gives me hope, so far I am down 16 pounds and counting thanks to this supplement. I love that it is all natural. I have tried slim-fast in the past, which I tend to gain weight on, cause I still ate like normal and drank the slim-fast cause it never made me feel full. I looked at the new FDA approved (silently laughs at that remark) diet pill Alli, did you kbnow that if you take Alli and happen to eat too much fat in a day you will have oily anal leakage. (sounds like fun, whose going to buy that?) I tried the ‘all-natural’ version of slim-quick. which even on the starter dose I was dizzy, nautious, shaky, and just didn’t feel right.
With the A. Vogel Bioforce Thyroid Support Tabs I feel normal and I just loose a little weight each week, the biggest difference I notice is I have more energy when I take the supplement 3 times a day than when I forget to take it. Good luck to everyone else!
Dawn, I am NOT even kidding when I tell you that I just told my mom LAST NIGHT I was going to PM you on the Diaper Parties Rep Forum about Depo. I haven’t gained any weight by being on it (this time after I had LC in June and once before in college several years ago), but I have had a VERY bad feeling about being on the shot. What birth control DO you recommend, esp since I’m nursing LC until next June? Feel free to PM me on the Rep Forum (LCsMommy) if you’re not comfy posting back here!
I have a question! I had a complete thyroidectomy last October. I have been on thyroid replacement for over a year now…can I still take this? I have about 30lbs. I’m toying w/ over here that I’d like…GONE! This is incredible..
I do not feel comfortable with any form of birth control hormones actually. I do not feel comfortable with the Merina IUD…. though I’m comfortable with the copper one which has been around for ages.
If you go to TCOYF’s site, it teaches you how to TTA by charting your cycle. Though you will have to be off Depo for a few months if you do that.
In those cases, you can use a condom or the sponge when you are anywhere near fertile.
I really like the sponge, but you have to actually use it. If you’re senistive to spermicide, then I guess you’d obstain (and have other kinds of sexual encounters during your fertile phase to be close to your husband) or else take your chances with a regular condom.
Diaphrams are another route.
I know this is just my opinion, but since you asked, I’m telling you. If you were my daughter, I’d adamantly protest any kind of hormonal birth control methods. It’s not healthy… it’s not the way we’re supposed to be.
It’s not just weight either. When I was on birthcontrol, I lost my feminine power. I had almost no sex drive and I just didn’t feel like a woman.
Tana, the only people who cannot take this would be people who are highly allergic to natural iodine. It’s simply the RDA of iodine, but it’s in it’s natural state, so we can actually use it.