I'm Hypothyroid and Finding it impossible to lose weight?

Meeva87

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for all your replies, I've been reading them all, and jotting down tips to help me. You really are wonderful people for being so positive and helpful. I'm buying a diary tomorrow when I go shopping, and I'm going to start writing down everything I eat in a day, and how much I'm drinking and then log it in on this website, and then I'll be able to judge what I'm doing wrong and what I can do to make things better. Thank you again everyone!

Duchy82

Give the meds time to work be prepared for needing a few increases and once on the right dose you should be able to lose the weight. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in Apr 2010 got to my heaviest at 237lb and have lost 73lbs altogether so it most definitely can be done. I'm on the home stretch now trying to get to around 155lb. I lost the weight by eating what I liked, you don't need to follow anything special if you don't want to. For now get the meds right and try and get the cravings under control and the rest will follow.

Some great advice has already been given so I won't repeat what has already been said. Good luck.

not_a_runner

Meeva87 wrote: »

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for all your replies, I've been reading them all, and jotting down tips to help me. You really are wonderful people for being so positive and helpful. I'm buying a diary tomorrow when I go shopping, and I'm going to start writing down everything I eat in a day, and how much I'm drinking and then log it in on this website, and then I'll be able to judge what I'm doing wrong and what I can do to make things better. Thank you again everyone!

Writing it down and then logging later might be a good way to get the hang of things, but if you can log directly to MFP you'll save yourself the extra step of writing it down.

I've found it works much better to log as you go throughout your day, or even log your day in advance if possible. That way you can keep an eye on where you're at and not realize you've gone over when you finally do log everything.

mmmpork

When it comes to diet, do not do anything too extreme like low-carb until you've established a baseline. Use the dietary advice you get from your doctor as a base for experimentation (sometimes their advice isn't always the best) and try to stick to a relatively balanced macro distribution. Note that You can lose weight on any diet as long as there is a calorie deficit and other metabolic factors have been accounted for.

Regarding the sweets craving, I often find I get those when my macros are out of balance, particularly if I'm not eating enough saturated fat. It can also be linked to a vitamin deficiency or even a brain chemical dysfunction (eg, low serotonin). Whole fat dairy usually resolves the craving in my case but you'll need to experiment for yourself.

For eating healthy on a budget, my biggest advice is to cook as much from scratch as is feasible. You'll not only reduce your calories, but also increase the overall nutrition density of the foods you are eating. I'm a huge fan of America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Illustrated. They have vegetarian cookbooks and vegetarian options in most of their cookbooks. You can find their cookbooks at the library or even used. They are also very budget conscious and recommend cheaper options. One of my favorite recipes is a simple linguine with tomato sauce. It is literally about 6 oz of linguine, a can of whole tomatoes, basil, olive oil, and salt. You use a food processor to chop the tomatoes for the sauce and you can cook the linguine directly in it without having to boil it separately. Their recipes are well written and well tested so they will come out perfectly as long as you follow the directions. My favorite cookbooks of theirs are Cooking for Two, Cook's Illustrated Cookbook, and Make Ahead Meals. I also recently got One Pan Wonders and Cook it in Cast Iron and I'm enjoying those a lot as well.

CSARdiver

Check out the work of Jeffrey Brown, MD. He's an endocrinologist who revolutionized the treatment of hypothyroidism and one of the key reasons the TSH "normal" range is established at 0.2-2.0. He clients are some of the world's elite endurance athletes and has a theory that endurance competitions may cause a higher risk of hypothyroidism.

Another point that has worked for me is hydration. I get up at 5am to take 200 mcg Synthroid and drink 16 oz water. I drink 16 oz water 30 mins prior to every meal, which also helps with hunger signaling and satiety.

Meeva87

Thanks again to the other replies, I've been writing down all your tips and sticking them to my 'wall of inspiration', it is going to help me. You are all really wonderful for being so supportive and helpful, honestly, thank you!

Psychgrrl

StaciMarie1974 wrote: »

You may need to give it more than 2 days for the medication to start working. The thyroid condition will affect your energy levels and your body's metabolism.

THIS! Eight weeks for the T4 medication to fully integrate and then retest and adjust as needed. If you're on a T3 or combo, the T3 is fast acting, but not the T4. It's a process to get the levels right and then they may shift again.

Hang in there!

ajmccurley

I'm hypothyroid too! Echoing some other advice in the thread, it takes months for you and your physician to get the dosage right, and at least one month of consistent medication use for it to properly absorb into your body. When I was diagnosed I had a year of follow up appointments every one to three months with blood tests to adjust my dose.
The best thing you can do, above all else, is BE DILIGENT about taking your medicine. Take it at the same time every day - set an alarm on your phone if you need to. This will ensure that the TSH levels they get from the blood tests are accurate and your docor can find the right dose for you as quickly as possible. At your next appointment, let them know you're trying to lose weight. Ask what kind of changes you can expect to feel as a result of the medication and what they recommend you do with your diet. You're on the right track, just give it time.

jadedone

Would you share more about your experience with specific medications? I'm interested in knowing what my options are and the internet seems to say "try stuff at random until something works for you" which isn't very helpful.

I have found that when my thyroid and hormones are out of whack, losing is impossible and gaining is easy.

I take t3 and t4 meds now. The generic synthroid didn't work for me at all, I felt like crap. I need to be on brand. I was also overmedicated at some point and couldn't sleep and my digestive system was a mess. I thought about doing a natural thyroid replacement medicine but I have been feeling pretty good lately. So much so I felt ready to tackle weight loss again. I also need a daily multivitamin to feel energetic.

I seem to lose much slower than other people and meal timing and composition seem to matter as well. I think my adrenals are fatigued and that is the next area I want to research.

I am experimenting with the right exercise. It seems that lower impact is the right way to go for me.

Good luck, I know it is frustrating.

Psychgrrl

jadedone wrote: »

I take t3 and t4 meds now. The generic synthroid didn't work for me at all, I felt like crap.

The reason for this may be the fact that there are hundreds of brands of generic synthroid out there and while the medication is the same, the binders, fillers, coatings, and colorings all differ from brand to brand. Most pharmacies stock whatever brand is cheapest when the order is placed. This means you could be getting a different brand each time you fill your prescription. And that can really mess with people.

I was on a brand name until I changed to Kaiser. They make their own generics, so it's the same every time. I've been really good off-brand for the first-time.

I take 88 mg T4 (levoxyl) and 15mg T3 (cytomel) every morning.

spiriteagle99

I am also hypothyroid and have been on Levoxyl for over 10 years. Once I got my dosage right, I had no problem losing weight. I have always been active (walking, hiking/backpacking and biking) and 6 years ago started running so keeping my weight fairly stable hasn't been a problem. (I usually gain when I travel, but once I'm home again, cooking for myself, I lose the weight quickly.)

Find an activity you enjoy doing and then just do it. No excuses. Start with 15 minutes and see if you can increase as you start feeling better. You don't have to eat organic if you can't afford it. Just try to make healthy choices, most of the time. You can eat chocolate, as long as it fits in your calories. One piece of good dark chocolate is a nice way to end a meal. You don't have to forego the foods you enjoy, just control the amount you eat.

crystald911

Hello! I was diagnosed in January of this year with hypothyroidism about the same time I started my weight loss journey. I have lost 40lbs since then. (Started at 233lbs and now 193lbs) and I am 45 years old. With my medication my once irregular periods have now become very regular and I have more energy which I am not sure if that is due to my medication or losing the weight or both. I haven't restricted any food, I just make sure it fits into my calories. Also, I don't go the gym, I do walk away the pounds
( three miles with weights) that is on YouTube There are lots and lots of threads on this subject here you can search for and you have been given lots of great advice here already. I wish you nothing but the best of luck!

LKArgh

Meeva87 wrote: »

Hi, I'm new here. I've recently been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism, and started a 50mcg Eltroxin medication 2 days ago. So far, I'm okay on them, but even before I was diagnosed with Hypothyroid, I noticed I couldn't get rid of the weight and not only that; I have an insatiable appetite for sweet things, more so chocolate and if I can't eat chocolate I'll binge on whatever I can get my hands on.

I'm 29, don't drink or smoke, only eat fish, not other meat. I weigh 167 lbs and this is the heaviest I've been in over 5 years, and I'm now terrified of putting weight back on that I lost those years ago.

I'm finding it hard to find food that I can make meals from, I also don't have the funds to buy expensive foods and organic stuff to make fancy meals either. So I need help, advice, tips, if anyone has this condition and lost weight with it, please help me. I'm going to log on here everyday, and try keep track, because since I was diagnosed with this, I've found it impossible to shift any weight whatesoever.

I also find exercising like trying to climb Everest lol! Seriously, everything is exhausting, and I've no energy, and I feel down all the time, I also have irregular periods which are causing bad mood swings and not wanting to do anything. I really just want to get off about 20 pounds, and I'll be happy for now.

I've no real friends to go walking with, as I'm socially anxious, it makes it difficult to go exercise on my own outside or in a gym, so yeah...I'm struggling real bad.

Sorry for rambling, I just want to hear how others lost weight with this condition, and symptoms, and what advice you can give me, what I can do differently, how I can help myself etc. I really appreciate anyone who can help me.

Treated hypothyroidism does not affect your weight, untreated hypothyroidism causes a ton of issues, with a slight weight gain, in the range of 10 -20 lbs being the smaller concern. Your problem is the "insatiable appetite", not the hypothyroidism

GlassAngyl

I know the frustration. I'm hypothyroid and as much as I would love to blame the disease, my obesity is my fault. Everyone in my household and inner circle has always told me that I never eat and I should eat more (mainly because I may skip every meal or snack until dinner time and then binge.) I usually just don't feel hungry until then and then I'm VERY hungry! So even to me it looked like it had to be the fault of the disease and not that I could be possibly taking in to many calories. Out of curiosity I decided to eat as I normally do and then after I did a quick mental calculation of everything I ate and calorie estimation of it. 3200 calories.. in one meal. I thought back over a few days and estimated. It was anywhere from 2600-3300 calories. It didn't seem like it as the portions weren't too horrible, but the foods I crave because of the disease just happen to be LOADED with calories. The disease can be blamed on robbing us of energy and tricking our bodies into thinking it needs sugars and salts and junk.. but we are responsible for caving. And I know it is NOT easy controlling these cravings. I fail daily and hate my weakness for it.. It is an addiction. I make excuses when I feel deprived and ultimately revert back to old habits time and time again. It isn't the disease I must fight.. it is myself.