Thyroid

burgervnlady

Hi all,
Sorry in advance if this subject been posted before.
I have hypothyroidism due to having half my thyroid removed. I am on 75mg off thyroxine and at the moment feel good however my weight is terrible. It has crept uo to 13-7 lbs and being 5.1 talk i look like a umpa lumpa with ginger hair. I know that before op i was nt slim but i wasn't this huge either. I was about 10 stone. I have mentioned it to the doctor and he says healthy eating.
Has any one here got hypothyroidism and did you win the battle of the bulge. Would love to hear what you ate. Any tips advice. Big thanks in advance x

Kalikel

I lost lots of weight after starting the levothyroxine. Lots and lots. I was an Oompa Loompa, too, sans the hair.

My first forty pounds were dropped doing nothing but eating better and taking the drug.

Make sure you're seeing an endo, not just a doctor. A good doctor will send you to an endo! They get your levels straightened out - if you're good with 75 mcg, yay!

A lot of people with sluggish thyroids lose slowly, but they can lose! I hope you can, too. Stick with it!

CSARdiver

Several people on here with thyroid disorders of some sort.

Your doctor is partially correct that it boils down to eating, well eating less and moving more as long as you create a caloric deficit you will lose weight. If you thyroid panel is within range you should have no issues. It may be more difficult, but still doable.

My diary is open and you are welcome to it. Nothing extreme, I don't eliminate any foods and just stay within my limit. I'm on 175/200mcg Synthroid and have lost >50lbs since using MFP a year ago.

Welcome!

mmnv79

I have hypothyroidism + PCOS and never been overweight until few years back and the reason I put weight on is because I wasn't taking care of myself. Since January I have been eating 1300 - 1800 calories and exercising more. I lost 24lbs and need to lose another 24lbs. Personally, the Fitbit was a great motivator and a reality check on how inactive I was before. It's hard, but it's possible.

editorgrrl

burgervnlady wrote: »

I have mentioned it to the doctor and he says healthy eating.
Has any one here got hypothyroidism and did you win the battle of the bulge.

I have Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease). Thyroid meds reduce the fatigue so I can be more active. But I still kept gaining until I learned to log everything I eat & drink accurately & honestly. Logging works.

I lost the weight long before my thyroid levels ever entered the "normal" range by following the advice in the Sexypants post: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

arb037

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

Here's some info to educate yourself on thyroid..
Hypo/ Hashi here as well..

robertf57

Also hypothyroid and have been for years. Correcting hypothyroidism with medications is not difficult and your family doctor should be quite capable of prescribing. They will measure the thyroid hormone and the thyroid stimulating hormone and follow your symptoms. Keep track of your own lab test.

Trust me. You can lose weight while on thyroid replacement.

fleurhaus

I've been hypothyroid since I was 17, I'm 26 now. I suddenly went from 88 pounds at 5'0 to over 145 in a matter of a few months. I think the key is to find a qualified endocrinologist who truly listens to you and focuses more on your symptoms rather than relying merely on lab results. Some people need both T4 and T3 medication, so keep that in mind. It took me a very long time to find a good doctor and for that reason I was stuck at a higher weight until about a year ago. Right when I was given the correct medication (Tirosint) and dosage my weight began to decrease with a calorie deficit and regular exercise. Listen to your intuition and find the right doctor for you. For a long long time I thought that weight loss was nearly impossible with hypothyroidism. But, now, I know that it is truly possible to lose weight while being hypothyroid.

I hope that it gets easier for you and that you find the right medication/dosage

burgervnlady

Kalikel wrote: »

I lost lots of weight after starting the levothyroxine. Lots and lots. I was an Oompa Loompa, too, sans the hair.

My first forty pounds were dropped doing nothing but eating better and taking the drug.

Make sure you're seeing an endo, not just a doctor. A good doctor will send you to an endo! They get your levels straightened out - if you're good with 75 mcg, yay!

A lot of people with sluggish thyroids lose slowly, but they can lose! I hope you can, too. Stick with it!

Thanks for your reply.. Hope i liose soon heard some people take extra thyroxine

burgervnlady

Cheers for the replys

ruqayyahsmum

burgervnlady wrote: »

Kalikel wrote: »

I lost lots of weight after starting the levothyroxine. Lots and lots. I was an Oompa Loompa, too, sans the hair.

My first forty pounds were dropped doing nothing but eating better and taking the drug.

Make sure you're seeing an endo, not just a doctor. A good doctor will send you to an endo! They get your levels straightened out - if you're good with 75 mcg, yay!

A lot of people with sluggish thyroids lose slowly, but they can lose! I hope you can, too. Stick with it!

Thanks for your reply.. Hope i liose soon heard some people take extra thyroxine

DO NOT take extra thyroxine to try and lose weight. you can then push yourself into the hyperthyroid catagory which comes with its own set of health implications. consult your doctor to make sure you are on the correct dosage for you and have your levels checked regularly

im hypothyroid, ive lost 170lb so far. my docs ignored my levels for a long time, i couldnt string together a sentence, constantly slumping over and falling asleep and was in horrific pain

the rhumatologist cc'ed me into a letter one day asking my gp if they intended to address my thyroid problems since the numbers were so out of line and maybe they should consider treating the high uric acid levels that had caused crystals to form round my joints

i now ALWAYS ask them for a copy of my test results instead of accepting "within acceptable levels" crap
my last test she said were a little higher than liked but they dont treat till higher. i reminded her i was on levothroxine "oh well since your tsh is 5.6 we will increase your meds"

DaniWhis

I just want to chime in and say I feel your pain! I work out every day and eat relatively well (splurges now and then, of course), but my weight keeps climbing. I've recently been put on medication to correct my low thyroid levels. I know the frustration! Just wanted to let you know you're not alone!

burgervnlady

Cheers for all for your replies. I have to say its a shocker when you write down everything you eat. I have tried to eat heakthy the last few days and feel better. I haven't weighed myself yet but i am hoping i have a small loss this week.

I hate my thyroid problem as i only got it after growth and right side of thyroid was removed. Again thanks all x

Kalikel

burgervnlady wrote: »

Kalikel wrote: »

I lost lots of weight after starting the levothyroxine. Lots and lots. I was an Oompa Loompa, too, sans the hair.

My first forty pounds were dropped doing nothing but eating better and taking the drug.

Make sure you're seeing an endo, not just a doctor. A good doctor will send you to an endo! They get your levels straightened out - if you're good with 75 mcg, yay!

A lot of people with sluggish thyroids lose slowly, but they can lose! I hope you can, too. Stick with it!

Thanks for your reply.. Hope i liose soon heard some people take extra thyroxine

I'm sure they do. People do all manner of foolish stuff because they think it will be the secret to more/faster weight loss or bigger muscles.

Taking drugs to get bigger muscles or less fat is just stupid. People's choice and I support their right to do it! But it's stupid and dangerous and not something I want to be lumped in with. I very much encourage you to stay safe and healthy.

Take what you're supposed to take and keep your appointments at the endo because the amount you need may change.

Carachama

One thing to know with hypothyroidism is that the normal range isn't what you are shooting for. What you want to do is almost shut down your endogenous production (that which your faltering thyroid is still producing). This means getting your TSH down below 1 but not into the hyperthyroid category. Having read the horror stories from so many people, I was happy when I was sent to an endocrinologist, and he explained it to me. It is extremely rare to have problems with conversion from T4 to T3, and I think the problem that so many people have is that their doctor is shooting for a TSH below 5 or 3, but when you think about the physiology, you want it actually below what most people have (1.5), because only then do you know that the drug is working. As long as you still have some TSH, you know you haven't passed into hyperthyroid condition.

Because your thyroid is not likely completely gone, taking more thyroid hormone will not likely do anything for you unless you take so much that you become hyperthyroid, and that gas a whole suite of other problems you don't want. Also, because hypothyroidism is usually an autoimmune disorder, your thyroid is slowly dissolving away. That means that you will likely need to increase your thyroid hormones as the disease progresses. Unfortunately it is an always moving bar. Should have known that I needed an increase when my face started getting puffy again.

AnnPT77

I hope your doc is doing ongoing monitoring of your thyroid hormone levels, and that you are staying on top of getting it tested as recommended? I've been hypothyroid for around 15 years now, get blood tests at least every 6 months to check levels, and the levothyroxine dosage has been adjusted several times over that period to keep things where they should be. I'm at 175mcg now.

If I recall, the testing was more frequent at first, though it can't be *too* frequent as your body needs some time to adapt to a new dosage.

And, with experience, I've learned to recognize the symptoms (which can vary a bit by person) of when my dosage needs adjustment.

89GermanG

I do and I'm struggling to lose weight. I can lose a few pounds but then it stops. It is very frustrating

editorgrrl

mops89 wrote: »

I do and I'm struggling to lose weight. I can lose a few pounds but then it stops. It is very frustrating.

That's what weight loss is like for everyone—with or without thyroid disease. Some weeks you do everything right but maintain—or even gain. Others you lose a whole lot in a "whoosh."

Every plateau I ever had (and there were several) was broken by tightening up my logging. Logging works.

burgervnlady wrote: »

Hope I lose soon. Heard some people take extra thyroxine.

Thyroid hormones are not weight-loss drugs. You lose weight by eating fewer calories than you burn—period.

arb037

Carachama wrote: »

One thing to know with hypothyroidism is that the normal range isn't what you are shooting for. What you want to do is almost shut down your endogenous production (that which your faltering thyroid is still producing). This means getting your TSH down below 1 but not into the hyperthyroid category. Having read the horror stories from so many people, I was happy when I was sent to an endocrinologist, and he explained it to me. It is extremely rare to have problems with conversion from T4 to T3, and I think the problem that so many people have is that their doctor is shooting for a TSH below 5 or 3, but when you think about the physiology, you want it actually below what most people have (1.5), because only then do you know that the drug is working. As long as you still have some TSH, you know you haven't passed into hyperthyroid condition.

Because your thyroid is not likely completely gone, taking more thyroid hormone will not likely do anything for you unless you take so much that you become hyperthyroid, and that gas a whole suite of other problems you don't want. Also, because hypothyroidism is usually an autoimmune disorder, your thyroid is slowly dissolving away. That means that you will likely need to increase your thyroid hormones as the disease progresses. Unfortunately it is an always moving bar. Should have known that I needed an increase when my face started getting puffy again.

I wouldnt say it is "extremely rare" as far as people not converting T4-T3. I fall in that category, the body needs more than the highly pushed "T4 only" med. The thyroid makes T1-T4 and we need am all.

CSARdiver

In the 2009 WATTS study ~16% of the test population (those diagnosed with hypothyroidism) possessed a flaw in the deiodinase gene - produces the protein aiding in the conversion of T4 to T3.

Source - Panicker et al in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2009, 94(5): 1623-1629

http://joe.endocrinology-journals.org/content/209/3/261.full.pdf

Why anyone searching for diagnosis requires a full thyroid panel and not just TSH.

burgervnlady

Now I am considered with in range i have a years worth of prescriptions. I go once every two months to collect. Only if i feel ill do i need to go back. Also regarding ent i saw one weeks after my op and nothing since.
At the moment my remaining thyroid feels swollen and at times as though its having needles stuck in it