Hypothyroidism Hinders Weight Loss.. Thoughts?

angelica31316

I've been on fad diets, counted calories (which I currently do) and I have went so far as to take interest in the Blood Type Diet and I've had very little results. I am around 238 right now and this is the most I've weighed even after 2 pregnancies. My thyroid is out of wack and my iron is consistently lower than normal. After researching this I've read that the iron deficiency could be the culprit. Has anyone had anything similar to this and what did you do to correct the problem?

catolerico

I don’t know anything about iron deficiency but if your thyroid is underactive that can definitely make it difficult to lose weight because your thyroid hormones affect your metabolism. You need to have your levels checked by your doc and will mostly likely need to take meds to regulate it. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism about 6 months ago. Since I’ve started meds I’ve lost ~25 lbs and definitely notice a difference in my energy levels. It can take a while to get the right dose of meds so my progress has been slower than I’d like. I’m hoping once we get the right dose of meds and my metabolism is where it should be I’ll see more and faster progress.

yarwell

the solution to iron deficiency is to take iron tablets, and/or eat more iron rich foods.

Hypothyroidism reduces metabolic rate which means you have to eat less than healthy people to get the same weight loss / calorie deficit. A low calorie intake may be required - what have you tried ?

rainbowbow

What do you mean by "out of whack"? Has this been tested? Are you taking thyroid medication? I know that having your thyroid low can also interact with the way that your body processes and absorbs certain nutrients. Before mine was leveled out i was consistently low in: Iron, B6 & B12, Folate, Vitamin D. Even with supplements these were not improving.

Once thyroid was leveled out i didn't need to supplement at all.

Cheers!

lcfairbairn74

I am severely hypothyroid and am losing weight! Yay!! Are you on medication? If you are well stabilised you should be able to lose the pounds. I do think that it will probably take me longer than some but so far my average is 2 pounds a week (just) - I was morbidly obese hence the large losses.

Best of luck! You can do this! :flowerforyou:

courtneywiens

I am hypothyroid and take medicine for it. My doctor said the levels I was at likely wasn't responsible for my weight, but ever since I started the meds I have lost 90 lbs. But I've also become extremely active and totally changed my eating habits, so I think it's a combination, but I do think the meds have made it partially possible. Having your levels where they should be definitely helps!

fit4lifeUcan2

my daughter was just dxed with hypothyroid. She was able to lose 10 pounds in one month without meds. She has to wait till she sees her endocrinologist before she can start on meds for it but even without meds she was able to lose weight. She eats clean, counts calories and exercises every day. She walks a lot more now than before and uses my stationary bike. It can be done. Our daughter is proof. Shes has other medical problems where the meds make it harder for her to lose weight yet with all of this stacked against her she said to hell with what they say I'm doing this and she has.

puddleduck16

I am also hypothyroid and even with correct medication I find that I struggle to loose. This is with calorie counting and with regular gym.

On googling this several months ago I've found some articles that show research into this and showing how even with controlled meds its difficult due to insulin resistance as the thyroxine only regulates the T3 thyroid hormone while some of the other thyroid hormones are still low.

Even then the recommendation is still eat clean, count calories and exercise. No miracle cure yet!!!

Scorchy

I'm hypothryoid and take Synthroid for it. Never had any effect on my ability to lose weight though.

Lochlyn_D

It hasn't bothered me since I started dieting and exercising. I've lost 12 pounds in a month and a half. I'm not on any pills. The doctor suggested some but it was for life. If I started them, I could never go off them. SO I said no and Ive been doing it on my own. SO far so good.

2aycocks

I've been on fad diets, counted calories (which I currently do) and I have went so far as to take interest in the Blood Type Diet and I've had very little results. I am around 238 right now and this is the most I've weighed even after 2 pregnancies. My thyroid is out of wack and my iron is consistently lower than normal. After researching this I've read that the iron deficiency could be the culprit. Has anyone had anything similar to this and what did you do to correct the problem?

First question: Have you been to your doctor for blood work lately?
Second: How long ago did you have your last baby? Are you nursing?

My daughter has had a problem with low iron for years. Her doc has her take daily iron pills for it.
How do you know you have a thyroid problem? Did you doc tell you that?

When I discovered I was Hypothyroid, I was so exhausted I could barely get out of bed. I would get out of breath just walking around, and my weight shot up very quickly. I went up from about 165 to 215 which was the highest I had ever been. When I got on thyroid meds and they had time to start working, I quickly dropped to 195. The rest I have to do on my own.

If you are just assuming you have these problems, go see your doctor. They have medication to help you!!

2aycocks

I am hypothyroid and take medicine for it. My doctor said the levels I was at likely wasn't responsible for my weight, but ever since I started the meds I have lost 90 lbs. But I've also become extremely active and totally changed my eating habits, so I think it's a combination, but I do think the meds have made it partially possible. Having your levels where they should be definitely helps!

You've become extremely active because you FEEL better!! And yes it does too effect your weight. Silly doctor!

xelakann

I have hypothroidism and find it really difficult to lose weight. I'm also in my later 30's which could also play a role. I consistently get my blood work tested and take 2 different meds for my thyroid and vitamin supplements. I use a BodyMedia arm band so I know how many calories I burn in a day, however, I notice I have eat less that 1500 calories to even maintain, anything more and I gain. Like even if I burn 2500 calories and eat 1800 (so a 700 calorie deficit) I still won't lose weight. It's very frustrating.

Graelwyn75

I would say it hinders weight loss if left untreated, or incorrectly treated. I went to my highest weight when I spent about a year with undiagnosed hypothyroidism (but was still not overweight, BMI wise), but the weight came off once I was medicated. I do not have issues losing weight now, and my metabolism seems to be pretty efficient, so I do not think it hinders weight loss unless it is untreated or wrongly managed. I think it would be easy to use it as an excuse though.

gracekelli

I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis which is essentially the same as hypothyroid for weight loss purposes. I am trying to lose and not get discouraged by slow results. I am on Levothyroxine, but my thyroid levels are still off. My PCP tells me the thyroid is hard to regulate. Going for another lab draw tomorrow to see what my levels are. Add me as a friend and I'll share my progress with you. Maybe it will help you.

mathey96

Can you go into detail about your diet changes to lose the weight? Low carb or low fat? Please give us an idea on how you ate when you lost weight.

dnunny70

I've had hypothyroidism for 14 years. When I try to lose weight, I do. This time around, I know it will go slow, I'm also 43 with irregular monthly cycles.

I do have to watch my calories, exercise, and water.

cavia

Untreated or undertreated hypothyroidism hinders weight loss. Your energy levels suck, you feel horrible and your metabolism is crippled.

Once my Synthroid dosage was titrated to an appropriate dosage and I began weighing my food and eating at a moderate caloric deficit, I saw the scale start to move down instead of up.

jamielynas

Untreated or undertreated hypothyroidism hinders weight loss. Your energy levels suck, you feel horrible and your metabolism is crippled.

Once my Synthroid dosage was titrated to an appropriate dosage and I began weighing my food and eating at a moderate caloric deficit, I saw the scale start to move down instead of up.

This, my problem was more feeling too rough to train, once your meds balance out it's amazing how different you feel

grimm1974

My entire family has an iron deficiency problem. A nice little trick to adding more iron is to invest in a few cast iron skillets. Cooking your food with cast iron adds significant amounts of iron to the food.

pkul85

It honestly depends on HOW low your thyroid hormone levels are. But, its possible to still loose weight while being hypothyroid, it will just take a little longer and your journey will be somewhat harder because you'll feel lethargic a lot and you will basically feel like you're slowing down all around. But, please get your t4 levels formally checked and start with your meds Hypothyroidism can lead to a bunch of other complications when left untreated that are way more important- goiter, depression, nerve damage.. but im sure you can google them get checked out , good luck!!