Hashimotos, Hypothyroid and not losing weight.

tinaski3

I have been tracking my food for 3 weeks now and have only lost 1 lb. My goal is to lose 2 lbs a week and I can have 1300 calories per day to meet that goal. I have been pretty close to right no my calorie goal every day for 3 weeks. I have been doing cardio 2-3x a week and strength 2-3x a week with stretching. I drink at least 64 oz of water daily and although I have not been perfect with my eating, I am eating 90% better than I have the past year. I have at least 40lbs to lose and its just not coming off.
I DO NOT want to go on a fad diet, but if there is anything I can do to encourage weight loss, I need it!!!

Thanks for any help!

deannalfisher

1) can you open up your diary - that will help us to help you?
2) with hashi's - how is your blood work? TSH, T4, T3, Free T4 etc levels

tinaski3

deannalfisher wrote: »

1) can you open up your diary - that will help us to help you?
2) with hashi's - how is your blood work? TSH, T4, T3, Free T4 etc levels

I have my blood drawn yearly by my regular doctor and I have never been to an internal medicine dr to get those specific results. Is that something I should do?

alyssa0061

If you're having your blood drawn yearly does that mean your levels are stabilized? I have mine checked every three months. My mom goes every 6 weeks. I've never made it past 6 months in between.

CSARdiver

tinaski3 wrote: »

I have been tracking my food for 3 weeks now and have only lost 1 lb. My goal is to lose 2 lbs a week and I can have 1300 calories per day to meet that goal. I have been pretty close to right no my calorie goal every day for 3 weeks. I have been doing cardio 2-3x a week and strength 2-3x a week with stretching. I drink at least 64 oz of water daily and although I have not been perfect with my eating, I am eating 90% better than I have the past year. I have at least 40lbs to lose and its just not coming off.
I DO NOT want to go on a fad diet, but if there is anything I can do to encourage weight loss, I need it!!!

Thanks for any help!

Were you diagnosed by an endocrinologist? Are you taking levothyroxine?

All your answers are in your post. Re-read this as a reader and not the writer. The only thing that matters in weight loss is maintaining a caloric deficit, which you are in if you lost a pound, but now this is a matter of the degree of loss. Bottom line is that you lost 1lb - still movement in the desired direction.

How much are you trying to lose? Your goal of 2lbs /week loss is probably unrealistic. Reset this to 1lb and see where this takes you. Ensure you weigh your food and read all the stickied forum threads on calorie tracking and the importance of weighing your food.

There is nothing else you can do other than maintain a caloric deficit. Anything else will give you short term results, but long term failure.

CSARdiver

Crediting whoever came up with this flowchart - brilliant tool:

Duchy82

deannalfisher wrote: »

1) can you open up your diary - that will help us to help you?
2) with hashi's - how is your blood work? TSH, T4, T3, Free T4 etc levels

^^Point 2 is important here, if you are 100% sure that your logging is accurate (weighing your solids in g and liquids in ml/cups/spoons) and you are only losing a lb over 3 weeks then I can only assume that your medication isn't optimised for you and it may be worth going back to the doctors. You want your TSH below 1 and your T4 at the top end of normal in an ideal world.

tinaski3

alyssa0061 wrote: »

If you're having your blood drawn yearly does that mean your levels are stabilized? I have mine checked every three months. My mom goes every 6 weeks. I've never made it past 6 months in between.

Yes I have had my levels stabilized for 10 years now but I notice the fatigue seems to be getting worse. I just had my blood tested in December and no issues. I also have depression which exacerbates the fatigue.

HG210

I am having the exact same problem (Thyroid issues as well) and I am trying to figure out what the issue is as well. I have been doing a lot of research over the weekend and right up until today. I don't know if this is right but I tried the 3 day military diet and it worked. I lost about 7 lbs when I did it. That was last year(and a temporary fix) and this time I am just trying to change my eating habits all together. No soda, no sugar, no rice or bread. I have been doing good...I think. However I lost two lbs and seemingly gained it right back in a matter of a week. So I was trying to figure out what the heck is it about that diet that made me lose 7 lbs and I seem to have eaten a lot more. I looked at the foods I logged in and compared them to what is in the military diet. Seemingly the difference is protein. I should have a lot more protein than I am taken in to boost my metabolism. So I have read (this is all my opinion). I am going to try it (boosting my protein intake) and see if it changes anything.

boystennismom

I feel your pain. I really struggled with my losing as well (If you're stable with your Levothyroxine) I read Anthony Williams book Life changing foods and followed a few of his tips, cut out all artificial sweetener, all corn products and wheat. It's the first thing that really worked for me. Slowly I've added a little bit back and have keep the weight off. Good luck it can be done just be patient

tinaski3

HG210 wrote: »

I am having the exact same problem (Thyroid issues as well) and I am trying to figure out what the issue is as well. I have been doing a lot of research over the weekend and right up until today. I don't know if this is right but I tried the 3 day military diet and it worked. I lost about 7 lbs when I did it. That was last year(and a temporary fix) and this time I am just trying to change my eating habits all together. No soda, no sugar, no rice or bread. I have been doing good...I think. However I lost two lbs and seemingly gained it right back in a matter of a week. So I was trying to figure out what the heck is it about that diet that made me lose 7 lbs and I seem to have eaten a lot more. I looked at the foods I logged in and compared them to what is in the military diet. Seemingly the difference is protein. I should have a lot more protein than I am taken in to boost my metabolism. So I have read (this is all my opinion). I am going to try it (boosting my protein intake) and see if it changes anything.

Thank you so much for this. I will look at boosting my protein intake as well. I'm so glad Im not alone!

tinaski3

boystennismom wrote: »

I feel your pain. I really struggled with my losing as well (If you're stable with your Levothyroxine) I read Anthony Williams book Life changing foods and followed a few of his tips, cut out all artificial sweetener, all corn products and wheat. It's the first thing that really worked for me. Slowly I've added a little bit back and have keep the weight off. Good luck it can be done just be patient

thank you very much! I am determined, so I appreciate your ideas! I just want to feel good when I look in the mirror and know that I am trying and not giving up!

tinaski3

Duchy82 wrote: »

deannalfisher wrote: »

1) can you open up your diary - that will help us to help you?
2) with hashi's - how is your blood work? TSH, T4, T3, Free T4 etc levels

^^Point 2 is important here, if you are 100% sure that your logging is accurate (weighing your solids in g and liquids in ml/cups/spoons) and you are only losing a lb over 3 weeks then I can only assume that your medication isn't optimised for you and it may be worth going back to the doctors. You want your TSH below 1 and your T4 at the top end of normal in an ideal world.

Thank you for your information. When I was diagnosed 15 years ago, I did not question anything and just started taking Synthroid. After feeling terrible for a few months I was on a dosage that seemed to work for me. I wish I would have asked more questions, and looked for other alternatives to taking a pill because I am not sure I really have Hashi's. But I was desperate to feel better. Now I am on such a low dosage of Levothyroxine but know that I couldnt just go off of it now because it would cause my body problems. So now I am hypothyroid, have other symptoms, but my blood work is always in the "normal" range.

Duchy82

tinaski3 wrote: »

Duchy82 wrote: »

deannalfisher wrote: »

1) can you open up your diary - that will help us to help you?
2) with hashi's - how is your blood work? TSH, T4, T3, Free T4 etc levels

^^Point 2 is important here, if you are 100% sure that your logging is accurate (weighing your solids in g and liquids in ml/cups/spoons) and you are only losing a lb over 3 weeks then I can only assume that your medication isn't optimised for you and it may be worth going back to the doctors. You want your TSH below 1 and your T4 at the top end of normal in an ideal world.

Thank you for your information. When I was diagnosed 15 years ago, I did not question anything and just started taking Synthroid. After feeling terrible for a few months I was on a dosage that seemed to work for me. I wish I would have asked more questions, and looked for other alternatives to taking a pill because I am not sure I really have Hashi's. But I was desperate to feel better. Now I am on such a low dosage of Levothyroxine but know that I couldnt just go off of it now because it would cause my body problems. So now I am hypothyroid, have other symptoms, but my blood work is always in the "normal" range.

From my perspective "normal range" is relative. For me normal is a TSH of 0.1 (just below the normal range) with a T4 of 19 (22 being the top). I feel normal and have lost quite a bit of weight over the years I have lost 5st/31kg/68lbs so you can definitely lose weight whilst hypothyroid but meds need to be optimal for you.

Like I said if you are sure you are 100% accurate with your logging then you should be losing more weight than 1/3lb a week so it may be worth going back to your doctor and asking for an increase. I know I have no thyroid function of my own and take 175mcg of levothyroxine a day.
It may be that your immune system has completely destroyed your thyroid tissues and you need an increase, active hashi's is not by any means stable and you can swing from hyper to normal to hypo, so would require more than annual monitoring. There aren't really any alternatives to taking a pill really when the thyroid is affected especially when hashi as this is an autoimmune disease, there is not much that can be done to stop it.

CSARdiver

tinaski3 wrote: »

Duchy82 wrote: »

deannalfisher wrote: »

1) can you open up your diary - that will help us to help you?
2) with hashi's - how is your blood work? TSH, T4, T3, Free T4 etc levels

^^Point 2 is important here, if you are 100% sure that your logging is accurate (weighing your solids in g and liquids in ml/cups/spoons) and you are only losing a lb over 3 weeks then I can only assume that your medication isn't optimised for you and it may be worth going back to the doctors. You want your TSH below 1 and your T4 at the top end of normal in an ideal world.

Thank you for your information. When I was diagnosed 15 years ago, I did not question anything and just started taking Synthroid. After feeling terrible for a few months I was on a dosage that seemed to work for me. I wish I would have asked more questions, and looked for other alternatives to taking a pill because I am not sure I really have Hashi's. But I was desperate to feel better. Now I am on such a low dosage of Levothyroxine but know that I couldnt just go off of it now because it would cause my body problems. So now I am hypothyroid, have other symptoms, but my blood work is always in the "normal" range.

What is normal? Do you know your numbers or trusting your physician that these are normal.

There are a lot of physicians who have failed to recognize the revisions to thyroid panel in 2002.

AnnPT77

That flowchart is pure gold.

Another possibility: If your workout routine is as recent as your reduced-calorie eating, you may be holding onto a bit of extra water weight to help your body with muscle repair. That can temporarily mask fat loss, but if you stay the course the fat loss would outpace the water weight gain (which is limited in amount) quite soon.

Furthermore, if you're premenopausal: Some women hold onto up to a few pounds of extra water weight at some time during their monthly cycle. The exact timing seems to vary by person, anywhere from ovulation to end of menses.

For any of these water weight issues, even though it seems counterintuitive, the best strategy is to drink sufficient water routinely - it kind of washes things out.

Though I understand that not seeing loss is frustrating, I'd suggest two things: (1) take a serious look at that flowchart, and (2) if you don't find an answer there, stay on your current course for at least a full month before doing anything radical.

Weight loss is definitely one of those races where "slow and steady" wins.

danipals1

Duchy82 wrote: »

deannalfisher wrote: »

1) can you open up your diary - that will help us to help you?
2) with hashi's - how is your blood work? TSH, T4, T3, Free T4 etc levels

^^Point 2 is important here, if you are 100% sure that your logging is accurate (weighing your solids in g and liquids in ml/cups/spoons) and you are only losing a lb over 3 weeks then I can only assume that your medication isn't optimised for you and it may be worth going back to the doctors. You want your TSH below 1 and your T4 at the top end of normal in an ideal world.

Unfortunately, finding a doctor to follow this guideline is virtually impossible. I.still can't find one that will go by the max TSH of 3.5 rather than the old 5.5 much less have a goal for *optimal*. I have been at 3.4 for a year and won't adjust because it is in the range of normal. Most frustrating condition to deal with.

fittocycle

Danipals1 said:
Unfortunately, finding a doctor to follow this guideline is virtually impossible. I.still can't find one that will go by the max TSH of 3.5 rather than the old 5.5 much less have a goal for *optimal*. I have been at 3.4 for a year and won't adjust because it is in the range of normal. Most frustrating condition to deal with.[/quote]

I agree with you. I had a great endocrinologist in Colorado but we moved out of state. The doctor here follows the range but won't address symptoms at all, even though I've talked to her about an optimal level for me. Very frustrating to watch my hair thin, skin become drier, and the weight pile on while still in the "normal" TSH range. I don't even think she checked the T3 numbers last time. I'm going next week and requesting she do a full thyroid panel and give me a copy of the results

leahcollett1

my current levels are stabilized at 0.13 TSH. this for me ( so far) has been the golden number. lost 9lbs in 2 weeks ( 7lbs of that was water from Christmas) nevertheless its coming off after about a whole year of gains and little losses.
you need to work with your dr and learn about your condition and where you feel optimal on. if your tired then your levels are still out of whack.
only once you have good levels can you calorie count successfully

deannalfisher

fittocycle wrote: »

Danipals1 said:
Unfortunately, finding a doctor to follow this guideline is virtually impossible. I.still can't find one that will go by the max TSH of 3.5 rather than the old 5.5 much less have a goal for *optimal*. I have been at 3.4 for a year and won't adjust because it is in the range of normal. Most frustrating condition to deal with.

I agree with you. I had a great endocrinologist in Colorado but we moved out of state. The doctor here follows the range but won't address symptoms at all, even though I've talked to her about an optimal level for me. Very frustrating to watch my hair thin, skin become drier, and the weight pile on while still in the "normal" TSH range. I don't even think she checked the T3 numbers last time. I'm going next week and requesting she do a full thyroid panel and give me a copy of the results
[/quote]

ditto! I switched insurance and doctors, and on the look for a new endo right now - but the doc tried to tell me that my TSH of 4.5 was fine even though I have a history of thyroid cancer and didn't order a full panel of tests...which she did when I asked her to - ugh, need my insurance to kick in so I can get a new endo!

deannalfisher

i pretty told my doc that I was changing my dose to 137 7 days a week (I'd been on a split dosage) because I know how my body feels and if it isn't right - but I've been dealing with this for several years

deannalfisher

tinaski3 wrote: »

Duchy82 wrote: »

deannalfisher wrote: »

1) can you open up your diary - that will help us to help you?
2) with hashi's - how is your blood work? TSH, T4, T3, Free T4 etc levels

^^Point 2 is important here, if you are 100% sure that your logging is accurate (weighing your solids in g and liquids in ml/cups/spoons) and you are only losing a lb over 3 weeks then I can only assume that your medication isn't optimised for you and it may be worth going back to the doctors. You want your TSH below 1 and your T4 at the top end of normal in an ideal world.

Thank you for your information. When I was diagnosed 15 years ago, I did not question anything and just started taking Synthroid. After feeling terrible for a few months I was on a dosage that seemed to work for me. I wish I would have asked more questions, and looked for other alternatives to taking a pill because I am not sure I really have Hashi's. But I was desperate to feel better. Now I am on such a low dosage of Levothyroxine but know that I couldnt just go off of it now because it would cause my body problems. So now I am hypothyroid, have other symptoms, but my blood work is always in the "normal" range.

did you recently switch from synthroid to levo? while they are chemically the same, thyroid meds are one of those ones where they don't advise switching because the fillers can be different and cause issues...

I was on levo, got switched to synthroid and just went back to levo - and its night and day difference

CSARdiver

danipals1 wrote: »

Duchy82 wrote: »

deannalfisher wrote: »

1) can you open up your diary - that will help us to help you?
2) with hashi's - how is your blood work? TSH, T4, T3, Free T4 etc levels

^^Point 2 is important here, if you are 100% sure that your logging is accurate (weighing your solids in g and liquids in ml/cups/spoons) and you are only losing a lb over 3 weeks then I can only assume that your medication isn't optimised for you and it may be worth going back to the doctors. You want your TSH below 1 and your T4 at the top end of normal in an ideal world.

Unfortunately, finding a doctor to follow this guideline is virtually impossible. I.still can't find one that will go by the max TSH of 3.5 rather than the old 5.5 much less have a goal for *optimal*. I have been at 3.4 for a year and won't adjust because it is in the range of normal. Most frustrating condition to deal with.

Sadly this is true, and all the more reason why we need to fire the bad physicians and promote the good ones. I went through ~10 endocrinologists until I found one willing to work with me and get my TSH down. This is especially disturbing as I had a total thyroidectomy due to cancer and best practices dictates that TSH is kept below 0.2 to minimize risk of recurrence.

Doctors work better with data that how an individual feels, so hit them with peer reviewed articles such as:

https://www.aace.com/files/hypothyroidism_guidelines.pdf

It's a bit difficult to reject this when confronted with the best practices of the endocrinology board.

I will also say that it is nearly impossible to maintain hormonal balance if you are overweight. Hormones a free cycling and simply being overweight can cause imbalance. The best thing you can do is weight loss through safe and moderate diet and exercise.

AnnPT77

Also: Don't be afraid to be polite, but very, very assertive with your doctor. This may or may not be an issue for (any of) you, and some doctors respond poorly to polite assertiveness . . . but it's also true that some people, perhaps especially women, don't push back when the doctor says "your test results are normal so you should stay on this drug at this dosage".

One of the conversational tactics I've found most effective is "The current situation is hindering my everyday life in the following ways . . . (list)." Use the pithiest things you can think of that are true, even beyond "don't feel good": Difficulty concentrating at work so productivity is suffering and may threaten employment; too tired to take best, most active care of children; unable to effectively complete chores at home; etc.

deannalfisher

even things you think may be unrelated - like for me, after working out I felt like I wasn't recovering properly - legs felt heavy and just sluggish...but a tweak in my meds helped

Duchy82

danipals1 wrote: »

Duchy82 wrote: »

deannalfisher wrote: »

1) can you open up your diary - that will help us to help you?
2) with hashi's - how is your blood work? TSH, T4, T3, Free T4 etc levels

^^Point 2 is important here, if you are 100% sure that your logging is accurate (weighing your solids in g and liquids in ml/cups/spoons) and you are only losing a lb over 3 weeks then I can only assume that your medication isn't optimised for you and it may be worth going back to the doctors. You want your TSH below 1 and your T4 at the top end of normal in an ideal world.

Unfortunately, finding a doctor to follow this guideline is virtually impossible. I.still can't find one that will go by the max TSH of 3.5 rather than the old 5.5 much less have a goal for *optimal*. I have been at 3.4 for a year and won't adjust because it is in the range of normal. Most frustrating condition to deal with.

Oh I agree fully you have to find a doctor that is willing to work with you and that can be very difficult. I have been very lucky that I have a gp (not even and endo) who is happy for me to control my dosage based on symptoms as well as blood tests and wasn't remotely bothered my TSH was low out of range as long as I felt my symptoms were controlled. Unfortunately I never get FT3 tested as that seems and near impossibility in the UK unless you pay for it privately but I have never felt I needed to.