Lossing weight with hypothyroid
olly_naty02
Posts: 8 Member
having such a hard time lossing any weight ! Have been battleing hypothyroid for 3 years now!!!! Anyone have food suggestions that might help! Desperate!!!
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Replies
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How many calories a day are you eating ?0
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I am also hypothyroid. Do you take the synthetic thyroid hormone synthroid or the generic levothyroxine? When was the last time they checked your TSH level? The new guidelines I have read are .3-3 but some people who are a 2-3 may need to be lower to lose weight and feel more energetic. I was on 75 mcg for a few years when I was first diagnosed but then asked for a higher dose because I had absolutely no energy even though I was in a normal range, so they put me on 100 mcg. I am about to go back to the doctor next week to see about raising it again because my TSH is about a 2.5 and I feel better when it is closer to a 1. I was told by a nurse who is also on 150 mcg that I would probably have to eventually be on 150 mcg (when I was first starting my supplements and I started at 75) because of my build (I am a small frame). I am going to fight for that because I have been kind of stuck for a few weeks now, before that I was stuck for two months, then lost about 5-6 pounds over the course of two months. I have lost about 39 pounds total since last July, but as I am getting closer to my goal it is getting increasingly more difficult. I don't expect to lose more than .5 pound per week and I can't even do that usually.
So don't be afraid to argue for a dosage that works for you because you know your body. They are only going by guidelines if/when they tell you that your TSH is fine. It may be within the "normal" range but may not be fine for you.0 -
I have Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease), and I lost just like everybody else—by eating fewer calories than I burn.
I followed the advice in the Sexypants post: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p10 -
Make sure you have a good endo.
Don't compare yourself to what some online math calculator says you should be losing and don't get down if others lose faster.
I don't have a thyroid, so I lose slowly. But there was a time I couldn't lose at all, so I'm very happy about being able to lose! Every pound that comes off is like a dang gift.
If it's slow, so what? Progress is progress!0 -
I have never actually counted my calories. Since january i stop drinking soda! Which is a plus for me . Thought that would help and hasnt have been working out twice a day some times. For an hr each time. I try not to beat on my self for not lossing weight ! I got alittle down because some one(family) pointed out i was the fatest in the fam! Really brought me down! N wish it were as easy!!!!!!!0
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I just got my dosage bumped up to 100mcgs n energy wise feeling alittle better . So i hope that helps some:)
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olly_naty02 wrote: »I have never actually counted my calories. Since january i stop drinking soda! Which is a plus for me . Thought that would help and hasnt have been working out twice a day some times. For an hr each time.
You lose weight by eating fewer calories than you burn—period. If you aren't logging everything you eat & drink accurately & honestly, then you have no idea how much you're eating.
Logging works.0 -
Yes i see that! I will commit my self to logging every day!!!!!0
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If your body doesn't burn calories like other people's bodies do, then you might have to eat 700-900 calories/day in order to lose. This is especially difficult when your body is also sluggish and craving more and more food for energy as well as nutrients. You might even say that it can't be done.editorgrrl wrote: »olly_naty02 wrote: »I have never actually counted my calories. Since january i stop drinking soda! Which is a plus for me . Thought that would help and hasnt have been working out twice a day some times. For an hr each time.
You lose weight by eating fewer calories than you burn—period. If you aren't logging everything you eat & drink accurately & honestly, then you have no idea how much you're eating.
Logging works.
That's just the tip of the hypothyroid iceberg.
Some people really and truly cannot lose weight and all the logging in the world won't help.
There are those who just accept no excuses. Even if you're dead, you should be able to lose. There are those who had a thyroid issue and lost weight and say, "Everyone must be just like me, so if I can lose, everyone else can, too!" But different people have different issues. Even the same person can have changes that affect their ability to gain or lose weight when it comes to thyroid issues.
You will choose to believe whatever you want and I'm not going to harp on it or argue it. But I wanted to say it, all the same.
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Your right! We are not all the same !!! Nor will we all get the same results as others ! Thats a fact. I guess when people metion my excess weight gain then has me worry! But deff not giving up!!!!!!!!0
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While I agree that logging does work and I'm proof of that with my slow thyroid, it may take you longer to lose and you need to be very careful with your logging.
I also agree with Kalikel- hypothyroidism is a medical issue and it's not so simple as some make it sound- people with low thyroid function do have a slower metabolism, which is why I suggest you work with your doctor to get your TSH to the right level for you.0 -
Find a good endo. A good primary should be able to refer you to a good one.olly_naty02 wrote: »Your right! We are not all the same !!! Nor will we all get the same results as others ! Thats a fact. I guess when people metion my excess weight gain then has me worry! But deff not giving up!!!!!!!!
A good endo will fix you! It takes time, lots of screwing around with dosages (and that never ends, that's a lifelong thing, checking back in to see how you're doing), but with any luck at all, they'll get you to a point where you lose weight. Until then, try to eat a healthy diet and do your best with the exercising.
I went decades being unable to lose and after they fixed me, I dropped 80 pounds and am still going along. Slowly! But surely.
Not saying that if I can do it, everyone must be able to...but I say it to give you some hope...and because I wish someone had encouraged me to keep seeking better doctors!!
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I take Levothyrozxine as well. I was diagnosed about 8 years ago.0
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Regularly take your meds and start counting calories. Use a food scale set to grams to help your accuracy.
Only after this truly doesn't work do you need to address doom and gloom. I'm hypothyroid and have lost ~60 pounds by taking my meds and logging regularly for a little over two years. Don't use it as an excuse. Get out there and go get it!
ETA: Accurate logs can be invaluable when determining proper dosage. At the beginning while getting mine figured out, there was a 3 month span that ended in "normal" blood work but I had gained and lost the same 3-5 pounds over and over so I knew something was wrong. Just remember that all of this is estimates based on population data so you may not lose exactly the predicted amount every week, but that doesn't mean it isn't working or that eating less calories than your burning won't work.0 -
I, also, don't have a functioning thyroid and lose weight VERY slowly, but it can be done. And, no, I didn't go below 1200 calories/day to do it. Just keep plugging along and, as many have said, weigh/measure your food carefully and get the exercise in.
Make sure you take your measurements, too, especially if you're exercising; I've had many times when the scale didn't move down, but the inches on the tape measure did. That helped a lot.0 -
If your body doesn't burn calories like other people's bodies do, then you might have to eat 700-900 calories/day in order to lose. This is especially difficult when your body is also sluggish and craving more and more food for energy as well as nutrients. You might even say that it can't be done.
That's just the tip of the hypothyroid iceberg.
Some people really and truly cannot lose weight and all the logging in the world won't help.
There are those who just accept no excuses. Even if you're dead, you should be able to lose. There are those who had a thyroid issue and lost weight and say, "Everyone must be just like me, so if I can lose, everyone else can, too!" But different people have different issues. Even the same person can have changes that affect their ability to gain or lose weight when it comes to thyroid issues.
You will choose to believe whatever you want and I'm not going to harp on it or argue it. But I wanted to say it, all the same.
A woman should eat 1000 calories per day as a bare minimum. 1200 is the recommended norm. Advocating a diet of less than 1000 is dangerous and should only ever be attempted under close medical supervision.
I have Hashimoto's, so I understand your concerns, OP. If you are properly medicated, you can lose weight, albeit perhaps at a slower rate. Please don't risk your body and your health by starving yourself. That's just plain stupid.0 -
snickerscharlie wrote: »If your body doesn't burn calories like other people's bodies do, then you might have to eat 700-900 calories/day in order to lose. This is especially difficult when your body is also sluggish and craving more and more food for energy as well as nutrients. You might even say that it can't be done.
That's just the tip of the hypothyroid iceberg.
Some people really and truly cannot lose weight and all the logging in the world won't help.
There are those who just accept no excuses. Even if you're dead, you should be able to lose. There are those who had a thyroid issue and lost weight and say, "Everyone must be just like me, so if I can lose, everyone else can, too!" But different people have different issues. Even the same person can have changes that affect their ability to gain or lose weight when it comes to thyroid issues.
You will choose to believe whatever you want and I'm not going to harp on it or argue it. But I wanted to say it, all the same.
A woman should eat 1000 calories per day as a bare minimum. 1200 is the recommended norm. Advocating a diet of less than 1000 is dangerous and should only ever be attempted under close medical supervision.
I have Hashimoto's, so I understand your concerns, OP. If you are properly medicated, you can lose weight, albeit perhaps at a slower rate. Please don't risk your body and your health by starving yourself. That's just plain stupid.
THIS!!!!!
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Make sure you know what your numbers are, not just that you're "normal." Just because your TSH is in the "normal" range (and if the lab is still using the outdated one, they could say you're "normal" when you're still clinically hypothyroid), doesn't mean it's at a level that is optimal for you.
Ask about TSH, Free T3, Free T4. Your body is supposed to convert T4 (the medication you're on) to T3. But some of us don't do it very well. There's another medication for that: Cytomel. I started to really improve after taking it. There are mixed peer-reviewed studies on TSH due to T3 supplementation, but what they did note was an increase in quality of life for patients, even if their change in TSH was not statistically significant.
I lose weight slowly, but I've lost it and kept it off. Macros were important for me. As was a fitness tracker to keep me accountable for how much I was actually burning. And logging.
My BMR is supposed to be 1296. It's probably closer to 1100. Over the course of a day, without exercise, walking to meetings, to and from my remote lot (at least 10,000 steps every day) and using my standing desk most of the day, I burn about 1350. But at least I know. And knowing is half the battle.
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snickerscharlie wrote: »If your body doesn't burn calories like other people's bodies do, then you might have to eat 700-900 calories/day in order to lose. This is especially difficult when your body is also sluggish and craving more and more food for energy as well as nutrients. You might even say that it can't be done.
That's just the tip of the hypothyroid iceberg.
Some people really and truly cannot lose weight and all the logging in the world won't help.
There are those who just accept no excuses. Even if you're dead, you should be able to lose. There are those who had a thyroid issue and lost weight and say, "Everyone must be just like me, so if I can lose, everyone else can, too!" But different people have different issues. Even the same person can have changes that affect their ability to gain or lose weight when it comes to thyroid issues.
You will choose to believe whatever you want and I'm not going to harp on it or argue it. But I wanted to say it, all the same.
A woman should eat 1000 calories per day as a bare minimum. 1200 is the recommended norm. Advocating a diet of less than 1000 is dangerous and should only ever be attempted under close medical supervision.
I have Hashimoto's, so I understand your concerns, OP. If you are properly medicated, you can lose weight, albeit perhaps at a slower rate. Please don't risk your body and your health by starving yourself. That's just plain stupid.
I'm not advocating it.
I'm explaining the facts; it's why some people are unable to lose. They cannot lose when eating an appropriate amount of food.
If it sounded like I was saying that was a good thin, I'll be very clear: it's not a good thing. I lived it. It stinks.0 -
Make sure you know what your numbers are, not just that you're "normal." Just because your TSH is in the "normal" range (and if the lab is still using the outdated one, they could say you're "normal" when you're still clinically hypothyroid), doesn't mean it's at a level that is optimal for you.
Ask about TSH, Free T3, Free T4. Your body is supposed to convert T4 (the medication you're on) to T3. But some of us don't do it very well. There's another medication for that: Cytomel. I started to really improve after taking it. There are mixed peer-reviewed studies on TSH due to T3 supplementation, but what they did note was an increase in quality of life for patients, even if their change in TSH was not statistically significant.
I lose weight slowly, but I've lost it and kept it off. Macros were important for me. As was a fitness tracker to keep me accountable for how much I was actually burning. And logging.
My BMR is supposed to be 1296. It's probably closer to 1100. Over the course of a day, without exercise, walking to meetings, to and from my remote lot (at least 10,000 steps every day) and using my standing desk most of the day, I burn about 1350. But at least I know. And knowing is half the battle.
I second the recommendation to get TSH, free T3, and free T4 tested.
There are three types of hypothyroidism:
1. Primary: elevated TSH and low T3 and T4
2. Secondary: normal TSH and T4 with low T3 (body doesn't convert T4 to T3)
3. Tertiary: normal TSH, T3, and T4 with symptoms of hypothyroidism. The thyroid makes hormone normally, but the uptake and the cellular level is inefficient.
So for someone with secondary or tertiary hypothyroidism, synthroid or levothyroxine can make symptoms worse.
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Hi I have hypothyroidism, diagnosed 3 yrs ago, was on 100gm levothyroxine, I get vitamin b12 injections every three months, Im also on 75grm of fluoxitine which was increased at start of the yr I have been on iron tablets , vitamin c tablets in the past gained 2stone + ,,, since Feb this yr I have lost 1 stone 2lbs it's coming off slowly, but it is coming off since last month I'm on 150gms levothyroxine has helped with exhaustion and fatigue, I must admit I'm having many more better days0
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snickerscharlie wrote: »If your body doesn't burn calories like other people's bodies do, then you might have to eat 700-900 calories/day in order to lose. This is especially difficult when your body is also sluggish and craving more and more food for energy as well as nutrients. You might even say that it can't be done.
That's just the tip of the hypothyroid iceberg.
Some people really and truly cannot lose weight and all the logging in the world won't help.
There are those who just accept no excuses. Even if you're dead, you should be able to lose. There are those who had a thyroid issue and lost weight and say, "Everyone must be just like me, so if I can lose, everyone else can, too!" But different people have different issues. Even the same person can have changes that affect their ability to gain or lose weight when it comes to thyroid issues.
You will choose to believe whatever you want and I'm not going to harp on it or argue it. But I wanted to say it, all the same.
A woman should eat 1000 calories per day as a bare minimum. 1200 is the recommended norm. Advocating a diet of less than 1000 is dangerous and should only ever be attempted under close medical supervision.
I have Hashimoto's, so I understand your concerns, OP. If you are properly medicated, you can lose weight, albeit perhaps at a slower rate. Please don't risk your body and your health by starving yourself. That's just plain stupid.
This. All thryoid issues, even in people without thryoids, come down to this. Your particular sweet spot might be really low. I know mine is. I need to be medicated to a very low TSH value to feel my best and do my best.... to near hyperthyroid levels. Fortunately, I have an endo who understands that this is sometimes normal for some of her patients.
People who don't weigh their food saying they lose slowly should step back from giving advice on things and consider other reasons why their weight loss might be slow.
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I have hashimotos, and have has varying success a few times. The key thing is to get your thyroid into optimal range (for me that's 0.3 - 1 on 175mcg levothyroxine).
Then create a deficit and stick to it. Log everything. That's the only thing that works for me. Admittedly it does come off slower than others but don't be discouraged! As long as you don't gain more, that week is a good week (I.e don't give up if the scales don't move). I'm starting again cos of various reasons but honestly, calorie counting is the only thing that works for me.
You can do this!
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Hi peachycarol
I weigh my food and my weight loss varies. Some weeks I lose, some weeks I don't. But then the following week I lose more. I think the main reason people are saying the weight loss may be slow is because they don't want OP to get discouraged.0 -
Log your activity. This is proven to be more critical than diet or exercise - highlighting the fact that awareness of your activity is key.
There is no limiting factor of hypothyroidism and losing weight. There may be another competing hormone or some other factor at play, but never consign yourself to thinking you can't lose weight due to having hypothyroidism.
An issue seldom discussed is that being overweight will limit your ability to regulate hormones, so acting as a terminal cascade. Hormone T4 is inadequate, making it easier to gain weight -> excess weight exacerbates inadequacy of T4.
When communicating with your health care provider hit them with data, keep a log of your diet, exercise, vitals, feelings, etc. and hit them with data! It's easy to dismiss a casual comment, but difficult to dismiss a volume of logged activity. Make a copy for your HCP and update them every visit.
As TSH is the primary concern for most, push to whatever range feels right for you. In my case I was likely hyperthyroid the majority of my life and undiagnosed; however this feels normal to me, so I push my TSH level more towards hyper. If you've had cancer and a thyroidectomy this is what your HCP should be pushing you towards.0 -
I have Hashi's too. I know untreated hypothyroidism can lower your metabolism by up to 15%. If you are treated it should not slow your metabolism by much.
It can be hard to lose weight on Hashi's but if you find something that works for you, it gets easier. Good luck.0
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