hypothyroidism weight loss help

annie_things

Hi, I'm new here... I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism a few years ago when I was 19. I was 5'4 and weighed around 90 lbs, which was only maintained through disordered eating. I gained a ton of weight AFTER beginning thyroid meds (weirdly) , putting me suddenly at 130, then 140, now 160. I have gotten my levels under control and have gotten back down to 150, but my weight stops there. I am now 24 and have spent the last 5 years trying healthy diet after diet, exercise after exercise, cutting out gluten and sugar but I'll just lose maybe up to 7 lbs and it stops. I eat healthy, and have an active job, but the weight won't budge except with extreme dieting to the point of anorexia. I have been through a lot of therapy to help me come to terms with the weight, and I now want to lose weight for health reasons rather than just the desire to be skinny. My doctors just tell me my levels are normal and kind of shrug their shoulders. Should I just give up? Is this the weight I was meant to be?

cmriverside

Have you seen an endocrinologist? There are other things to try...are you just taking levothyroxine?

dlkfox

I have two friends on meds for hypothyroidism, and separately they both swear by heavy lifting. One does kettlebells. The other one does very specific weight lifting. Muscle burns more calories at rest, which I am guessing why they find success with it. Perhaps give that a try? (BTW women don't bulk up...they just get stronger.)

Fuzzipeg

I hope you will look into the website Stop the thyroid Madness it was set up some 20 years ago to help people who are hitting a brick wall with their symptoms not responding to convention. It explains the numbers game and much much more. It also has a list of doctors who are prepared to listen and help thyroid patients. Having a thyroid condition can be complicated. I hope my post will not be too complicated for anyone. I hope it will be a basic background.

Simply being hypothyroid means ones metabolism is slowed, eating at a deficit also slows the metabolism so it can be a loose loose situation and for some over exercising can be counter productive. I hope you can find a doctor who really knows his/her stuff.

Conventional treatment is t4 supplementation it is considered this will be enough. Unfortunately not everyone can convert this supplement into the active form t3, sometimes referred to as the "spark of life", or a "three pin plug" looking for its socket needed by each and every cell. The conversion problems can be genetic but are most likely dietary - inadequate mineral levels, sometimes interactions within the endocrine system can also be involved.

I strongly recommend that you try yet another doctor who will test you for t4, t3, reverse forms of t4 and t3, tsh-thyroid stimulating hormone, antibodies to see if you have the more common immune problem, Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Most physicians in any country or system are reluctant to prescribe t3 for fear of causing more problems. The Natural thyroid, NDT is also not favoured because its old fashioned but for many it actually helps even though the combination does not have quite the same balance as we should have.

I hope you will find STTM interesting. I suggest you read up as much as you can so you can link symptoms if necessary and advocate for yourself to achieve better support. One site gives a list of 300 possible symptoms, we have a personal combination. There are many points of information on line, you can even access papers from Hospitals. There are also other reputable thyroid support sites too, Thyroid Mom comes to mind but there are more. Ordinary peoples postings can be concerning.

All the very best, please know you are not alone.

Bhlinebee

What helped me was getting my free T4 at least in the middle of the range and free T3 numbers into the 2/3 of the range; TSH was meaningless as a guide for me.

ronjsteele1

Fuzzipeg wrote: »

I hope you will look into the website Stop the thyroid Madness it was set up some 20 years ago to help people who are hitting a brick wall with their symptoms not responding to convention. It explains the numbers game and much much more. It also has a list of doctors who are prepared to listen and help thyroid patients. Having a thyroid condition can be complicated. I hope my post will not be too complicated for anyone. I hope it will be a basic background.

Simply being hypothyroid means ones metabolism is slowed, eating at a deficit also slows the metabolism so it can be a loose loose situation and for some over exercising can be counter productive. I hope you can find a doctor who really knows his/her stuff.

Conventional treatment is t4 supplementation it is considered this will be enough. Unfortunately not everyone can convert this supplement into the active form t3, sometimes referred to as the "spark of life", or a "three pin plug" looking for its socket needed by each and every cell. The conversion problems can be genetic but are most likely dietary - inadequate mineral levels, sometimes interactions within the endocrine system can also be involved.

I strongly recommend that you try yet another doctor who will test you for t4, t3, reverse forms of t4 and t3, tsh-thyroid stimulating hormone, antibodies to see if you have the more common immune problem, Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Most physicians in any country or system are reluctant to prescribe t3 for fear of causing more problems. The Natural thyroid, NDT is also not favoured because its old fashioned but for many it actually helps even though the combination does not have quite the same balance as we should have.

I hope you will find STTM interesting. I suggest you read up as much as you can so you can link symptoms if necessary and advocate for yourself to achieve better support. One site gives a list of 300 possible symptoms, we have a personal combination. There are many points of information on line, you can even access papers from Hospitals. There are also other reputable thyroid support sites too, Thyroid Mom comes to mind but there are more. Ordinary peoples postings can be concerning.

All the very best, please know you are not alone.

This. 100% this. Finding a doctor to treat you correctly can be so frustrating. I'm on armour thyroid and still have to make sure I get enough selenium and vit. C because pituitary damage precludes me from converting inactive hormone to active hormone.

I cannot stress enough how much STTM website can help you with info that will increase your understanding and allow you a more in depth, knowledgeable conversation with your doctor.

Best wishes.

candiinprogress

I came looking for info and will now have a good look into STTM - thanks for that!!

SCoil123

I have thyroid disease and am in recovery for an eating disorder. I know how frustrating it is. I agree with a lot of what has been posted. I follow "Stop the thyroid madness" on Facebook and love the info they post. Its very helpful.

I had the best luck with weight loss when I cut out soy, reduced simple carbs, and increased water and strength training. That was my magic combo. Now that I'm better from a recent injury I'm ready to start building strength again.