Under Active Thyroid

Chrissy2049

Is anybody out there trying to diet with an under active Thyroid problem. Would love any tips you may have.

JustSomeEm

Welcome to MFP! I don't have an under active thyroid, but have heard it said that as long as you continue to eat fewer calories than you use the weight will slowly come off. Those with under active thyroids seem to lose weight a bit slower than those with a normal thyroid, but it does still come off. Good luck! :flowerforyou:

allison4224

See an endocrinologist and take medication for it? I take synthroid for my under active thyroid problem. And, because of that, It hasn't had any negative effect on my weight loss. I lost 60 pounds over a year ago. (working on 40 now.) I get my blood levels check every year to make sure everything's ok. I found that for me to lose, I have to eat at 1200 calories and stay pretty active. I don't know if this has anything to do with my thyroid problem, though.

deannalfisher

No thyroid here (surgery in 2014) but if your levels are optimized through your medicine then losing weight should be the same as a normal person. In fact for me a sign my meds may need to be adjusted in that my weight starts creeping up

Chrissy2049

Thank you for your replies. I am on medication but all my old symptoms are coming back so I think I may need my medication altering.

bonniebelle80

I was diagnosed with hashimoto's thyroiditis about 10 years ago. I still have symptoms of my disease such as severe lethargy, depression, edema, weight gain, hair loss, sensitivity to cold, even with "ideal" lab work. About 6 months ago I switched to a T3 (Cytomel) and T4 (Synthroid) regimen to attempt to combat the symptoms. I finally found an Endocrinologist who will listen to me and not just go by the lab work. Perhaps this is something you could entertain with your Dr? Thyroid disease is easy to dismiss for those who don't have it or don't understand that it's more than just taking a pill and we're not always "lazy."

SuperStepper408

I have had an underactive thyroid for 19 years and have been taking medication for it. A week ago, I was also diagnosed with Hashimoto's. I see the specialist next week. I also have MS (11 years). I would also like any tips anyone has for losing weight as nothing is working at the moment, lol.

AnnPT77

Chrissy2049 wrote: »

Thank you for your replies. I am on medication but all my old symptoms are coming back so I think I may need my medication altering.

Sounds like time for re-evaluation. My doctor does blood tests every 6 months, and I've needed a few adjustments in the 16(ish) years I've been hypo, even after my initial level was found.

With a correct dosage of thyroid meds, I found that I lost weight just as anyone else does - keeping calories consumed less than calories expended in daily life/exercise.

If your medication is now inadequate, it still should be the same basic process for you, but you may find that the calculators (like the one built into MFP) over-estimate how many calories you can eat to achieve a given rate of weight loss. I'd suggest using the MFP settings for a first estimate, sticking with that faithfully for a month, and seeing what your loss rate has been. Then you can adjust if necessary.

If you have some over-calorie-goal eating days along the way, don't sweat it, just log those accurately like any other day, and you can still compare your eating to your weight loss and estimate what calorie level you personally need for a given rate of weight loss, then go on from there.

Some people with hypothyroidism have reported here that they do better with lower carbohydrate eating. I didn't find that to be necessary, for me.

Best wishes!

Chrissy2049

Thank you for taking the time to give me advice, well appreciated. I am going for a battery of tests this Thursday to see what medication level I should now be on.