Hypothyroidism and Weight Loss?!!

JesusChristLives4All

Hey Everyone!
I have hypothyroidism and I'm finding harder to lose weight and especially keep weight off the older I get. (I'm 26 now!) Would love to know if anyone had this disease and how you manage to lose weight! Also looking for some motivation! God bless everyone!! Thanks for reading

not_a_runner

I'm also hypo, I lost 65 lbs a few years ago by calorie counting and exercise. I'm currently down about 20 again in the last few months, eating about 2000 calories a day. If your medication is where it should be, you should have no problem losing as long as your calories in/out synch up (which goes for everyone, hypo or not).

Intrinsicat

I am in the same boat as you... This has been the most challenging weight to shed yet (and it's not shed yet!) I have learned a few things.

1) While most docs including my own say wait a half hour in the morning to eat anything after taking the medication, I wait a full hour

2) If you take ANY other supplements, especially calcium - take them at least 4 hours later. They impede the absorption of the synthetic thyroid

3) Recently someone here shared with me that there is a potential correlation between the artificial sweeteners in sodas, etc. and thyroid functioning - I've started reading up on that as I'm a diet coke-ahaulic. It's my biggest vice and the hardest thing to give up

Good luck!!

SCoil123

I'm 36 with hashimoto. Its definitely harder but possible. I lost over 80lb and maintained it for years until getting lax and gaining 30lb back. I'm gluten and soy free which helps. You should also check with your doctor about medication because proper meds make a world of difference.

The most important thing I've learned is that I can't cheat or take a day off ever. I gain faster than friends and lose much slower so I can't afford to risk it. I do Insanity every other day and track everything. I'm down 10lb with 20 to go...it took 4 months but I am seeing progress.

JesusChristLives4All

Thanks so much for the advice! I love my diet sundrop so it's going to be hard to give it up but if it's messing with my thyroid is got to go! I try to wait an hour after I take my Levo before I eat. And I wait until the evening to take vitamins. Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

JesusChristLives4All

SCoil123 wrote: »

I have Hashimoto as well. This time has definitely been more challenging. Because I'm not seeing the results as quickly, it just makes me want to give up! And cheat days are definitely out of the question. Thanks so much for the help and good luck on your weight loss journey! Congrats on the weight lost so far!!

rebel_26

I also suffer from a Hypo diagnosis as well and take levo. I am 50 (soon to be 51)

If your levo is the proper strength than this medical "condition" shouldn't be holding you back as your re-leveling things out through medication daily. I assume you get the blood work done every 6-8 weeks or at least twice a year to make sure the meds are putting you back in the "normal" mode?

I thought I could beat it through diet and exercise and stopped taking the meds and the levels returned back to where they were in 90 days later so I suppose I'm stuck taking it the rest of my life unfortunately.

Track your calories and exercise and you should be able to take off or add weight just as someone who isn't hypo would. I have no issues maintaining my desired weight, but I also realize there are more chronic level s of hypo as well.

LisaKay91

I am hypo and only when my levels were corrected was I able to drop weight in a healthy manner.
I have no thyroid and take 300mcg of levo and 50mg of cytomel each day along with 10k vitamin D. My levels were in the 150.00-275.00 for over 3 years which caused a host of other health issues.

Pawsforme

I'm 53 and have lost about 25 pounds in the last year (since I was diagnosed). Once my levels were in a good range I had little problem losing (no more than normal) I lost the weight the tried-and-true, old fashioned way -- by weighing everything I ate and logging all my calories.

Intrinsicat

All this is very uplifting news, thanks guys. @rebel_26 I have a friend who has been taking hypothyroid medication since she was in her early 30's - she has always had to take it and she just celebrated her 90th birthday - so no worse for the wear!

RoseTheWarrior

I'm 47 yrs old and been hypo for over a decade; I take Synthroid. I've lost 84 lbs since Sept 1/15 using MFP for calorie counting and a moderate amount of exercise.

JennifrClaire

I am also low thyroid, but the tablets made me so sick I won't take them again. I keep to 1200 calories, and exercise at least 30 minutes a day. I'm struggling lose these last 20 pounds though. I've recently been diagnosed with lipo-lymphedema, too, and that doesn't help.
Best thing is to remember that giving up will only make things worse. It's worth battling on.

LauraCoth

JennifrClaire wrote: »

I am also low thyroid, but the tablets made me so sick I won't take them again. I keep to 1200 calories, and exercise at least 30 minutes a day. I'm struggling lose these last 20 pounds though. I've recently been diagnosed with lipo-lymphedema, too, and that doesn't help.
Best thing is to remember that giving up will only make things worse. It's worth battling on.

If you are hypothyroid you can't give up your medication. It's dangerous in the long term. Your body needs to have adequate thyroid levels for virtually every function. You'll just make yourself sick if you don't treat your thyroid disease. And yes, not taking your meds will make it very difficult to lose weight.

If the meds you were given made you sick, you should insist on getting a different medication. Most doctors automatically prescribe Synthroid, but there are others out there.

mrs_sjlarsen

I have Hashimoto's and have been incredibly cautious to not use it as a "crutch". When I am taking my meds I can lose weight at 2 lbs per week. If I am off my meds it is slower, but still moves. But definetely notice if I don't carefully weigh measure and watch my calories, fatigue creeps in... this week has been especially difficult and symptomatic for me... I just hold out hope that when I reach my goal weight I will feel better overall!

Gisel2015

JennifrClaire wrote: »

I am also low thyroid, but the tablets made me so sick I won't take them again. I keep to 1200 calories, and exercise at least 30 minutes a day. I'm struggling lose these last 20 pounds though. I've recently been diagnosed with lipo-lymphedema, too, and that doesn't help.
Best thing is to remember that giving up will only make things worse. It's worth battling on.

BAD decision stopping your thyroid meds, you are heading for a health disaster, and in the long run weight gain will be the least of your problems. Please go back to the doctor and explain your reaction to the meds that he gave you, have your TSH T3/T4 levels checked again and either ask him to manage your dose or change what ever medication he gave you before. If needed, ask for a referral to an endocrinologist.
This is a very friendly recommendation.

sugom2

If your tyroid is low, will it show up when you go for routine bloodwork? I have my bloodwork done every 6 months so they can monitor my cholestrol. Will it show in that type of bloodwork.

AnnPT77

I've been hypothyroid since chemotherapy 16 years ago (not sure that the chemo caused it; my father was also hypothyroid). I'm now 60 y/o.

My hypothyroidism is well controlled on levothyroxine, and I had no special difficulties - beyond what anyone else with normal thyroid levels seems to experience - while losing weight. I used MFP's calorie recommendation, and a reasonable weight loss rate goal, to start, then adjusted my calorie level to maintain the target weight loss rate (I had to go *up* in calories a bit from what MFP said, personally) to actually lose at that healthy rate.

I started last April (2015), and by February/March this year was at my goal weight, 120 pounds (plus or minus 3 as a maintenance range) at 5'5" tall, having lost 63 pounds.

Some people can have a normal TSH, but still have difficulties with T3/T4 conversion, so their metabolism not what it should be. If your TSH is stable, and you still have symptoms, then perhaps ask your doctor to check T3/T4 levels if she/he hasn't done so already.

AnnPT77

sugom2 wrote: »

If your tyroid is low, will it show up when you go for routine bloodwork? I have my bloodwork done every 6 months so they can monitor my cholestrol. Will it show in that type of bloodwork.

No, the basic cholesterol tests don't include this. Talk to your doctor about symptoms, and see whether a thyroid panel should be done.

AJF230

My wife is hypo. She's 5'1 and 112 lb, and they check her levels often and tweak her dosage when needed, and she has no issue maintaining weight. Chasing twins around doesn't hurt for exercise either. But if you're hypo, definitely monitor it close so you can avoid it as a barrier to a healthy normal weight.

gothchiq

I have hypothyroidism. I take my meds, I eat only light carb portions, and I work out as hard as I can stand to (also arthritic, so this may not be too impressive.) If I don't work out, I seem to just slow down to match the low calorie level, and never lose fat. Only by working out hard can I lose. Every other day I put in an hour at the gym. Even so, be aware that for us weight loss will be slower. You have to be very stubborn in sticking to your diet and workout routine.

gothchiq

And if levothyroxine makes you sick there are other meds. For me it just plain did not work. So now I take Armour Thyroid, which does work.