Exercise and Stalled Weight Loss with Hypothyroidism

not_a_runner

I'm 23 and hypo, never been tested beyond TSH. I've been on meds for close to 10 years now though..
When I was 17/18 I lost 65+ lbs doing fairly rigorous exercise 1-2 times a day, lots of running and circuit training. Unfortunately I gained the weight back as I got into a bad habit of binge eating and not exercising after I reached my lowest weight.
I'm currently down about 35 lbs, doing mostly weight lifting at a high intensity. Heavy and often to failure, a mix of powerlifting and bodybuilding.
The past 5 weeks I've also done cardio for 30 min 5x a week, and I've been losing consistently while eating more than before.
I'm no elite athlete by any means, but I would say I train pretty hard. I've never found it to hinder my weightloss. I am able to eat a good amount to maintain and/or lose because of it.

gelenerun

PLEASE do not compare having a thyroidectomy with hashimoto's ! And please do NOT assume that just because you work in a scientific community and have some personal experience with thyroid issues that you understand anything about hashimoto's ... it is WELL documented that Western Medicine / conventional medicine is not well informed re: Hashimoto's ... Functional or Integrative Medicine Doctors that treat the root cause of disease understand that you have to treat the underlying auto-immune aspect of the disease as well ... please don't spread misinformation about an illness that you do not understand ... that is such a disservice to those that are struggling with a very complex disease!!

Fuzzipeg

Exercise for some is not a good idea when the adrenals are performing poorly, please refer to STTM or other thyroid site for the facts. UK doctors are not permitted to recognise this as a problem.

Someone said they are euthyroid on 200 levo. I wonder if your tsh is low but you are not converting the t4 supliment to t3 as effectivly as the medical profession expect. There is a condition known as sick thyroid, it seems the t3 remains low even though there is sufficient t4 in the body and the tsh is within .5, often seen as perfect. Then at the time of writing there is no method of knowing if the t3 is being taken up by the cells which is another issue. People are left to suffer not knowing what is wrong.

There are a myriad of causes for poor conversion rates. Some are even genetically predisposed not to make the conversion or make it poorly. Selenium and various vitamins are essential for conversion. Regrettably when the thyroid is performing poorly for a long period it slows the digestive transit which depletes the ability to take up the vitamins and minerals up properly which eventually restricts the enzymes we can make, need to make. Part of the problem is because the digestive microbes we need are also depleted by poor diet, excess carbs or even antibiotic use.

As for the iodine is bad for hashi. I've heard it but I really doubt that it is bad in every situation. Under a nutritionist I'm taking 4 times the rda of 150 micron a day and I'm getting my life back, I do use other supplements. I've read several medical sites where it is said the doctors treat with 1000 or higher with other vitamins and minerals to support/facilitate conversion. I think this is just one of the many ways we are failed by a short-sighted medical profession. When you do not fit the boxes provided there is little help.

rheddmobile

Re: cortisol. Cortisol may predispose weight to be stored around the midsection but by itself will not necessarily cause weight gain - I recently had issues with an ovarian tumor and had to wait a month to have it removed due to our lovely health care system - during that month my cortisol levels were sky high, and I lost 25 lbs in one month while eating everything that wasn't nailed down, because the excess cortisol made my insulin resistance so high that I basically wasn't getting any food. Ovary removed, stress levels dropped, started gaining weight back.

trjjoy

Sooooooo much bro science in this thread. Weigh/measure your calorie intake accurately and stay within your caloric allowance to lose weight. End of.

Fuzzipeg

If you are referring to what I wrote, this is far from bro science. How your hormones etc work depends on how long your system has been kaput. If you are one of the people for whom t4 supplementation actually works, that is, is sufficient for your needs, I'm so very pleased, no relieved for you.

I have it on the authority of a Professor in Immunology at a respected UK regional hospital that the cause of all my health issues, the joint pain to the point of using sticks and crutches, digestive problems, culminating in food intolerances and sensitivities, also my respiratory problems culminating in my being virtually house bound by other peoples laundry residues, perfumes and general cleaning products and the other obligatory internal stuff were directly related to my Hashimoto's thyroiditis being undiagnosed and untreated for years. Even my dentist can see the thyroid damage in the alignment of my teeth. This misalignment was present from the time they came through.

For the record. Being hypo does reduce your metabolism. If you are one who this has not happened to thank your lucky stars that you were listened to and treated promptly. Be thankful your symptoms meekly disappeared.

The op may be able to bring her weight-loss in line by tighter weighing and logging but many of us have problems much greater than that.

When you know you are doing everything the approved way, the science is not being applied properly and its time to look at other ways of finding relief. Its do what is right for you. I do not trust my local health system.

There are reputable sites out there STTM, Mary Solomon was she, the hypothyroidmom, the thyroidpharmacist and more national support sites, doctors who offer free online information.

Psychgrrl

Lyrica7 wrote: »

Stopthethyroidmadness.com and Mary Shoman's website are good places to start researching.

Personally, I like Mary Shoman's site aboutthyroid.com (their message boards are super-helpful), however, stopthethyroidmadness.com is way too sensationalist and one-sided for me. I am one for whom natural thyroid didn't work. But I think folks should be aware of all their options and work with their doctor to find out what works best for them.

Benn hypo/hashi for 16 years. It took years for me to get my levels figured out. And it took much longer to lose the 100+ pounds I put on. I've been in maintenance (and have hair on my head again) for almost two years.

You need to be your own best advocate and try to find a doc who will listen--they are out there. With patience and persistence, you won't be stuck where you are forever! Hang in there!

Psychgrrl

Fuzzipeg wrote: »

If you are referring to what I wrote, this is far from bro science. How your hormones etc work depends on how long your system has been kaput. If you are one of the people for whom t4 supplementation actually works, that is, is sufficient for your needs, I'm so very pleased, no relieved for you.

I have it on the authority of a Professor in Immunology at a respected UK regional hospital that the cause of all my health issues, the joint pain to the point of using sticks and crutches, digestive problems, culminating in food intolerances and sensitivities, also my respiratory problems culminating in my being virtually house bound by other peoples laundry residues, perfumes and general cleaning products and the other obligatory internal stuff were directly related to my Hashimoto's thyroiditis being undiagnosed and untreated for years. Even my dentist can see the thyroid damage in the alignment of my teeth. This misalignment was present from the time they came through.

For the record. Being hypo does reduce your metabolism. If you are one who this has not happened to thank your lucky stars that you were listened to and treated promptly. Be thankful your symptoms meekly disappeared.

The op may be able to bring her weight-loss in line by tighter weighing and logging but many of us have problems much greater than that.

When you know you are doing everything the approved way, the science is not being applied properly and its time to look at other ways of finding relief. Its do what is right for you. I do not trust my local health system.

There are reputable sites out there STTM, Mary Solomon was she, the hypothyroidmom, the thyroidpharmacist and more national support sites, doctors who offer free online information.

What professor?

Fuzzipeg

A professor in Immunology.

if you had actually read what I had written you would have realised. One of his colleagues has posted on the Salicylate Sensitivity website saying omeg3 can be helpful for SS sufferers.

Thank you

I suggest you look immunology.

Hashimoto's thyroiditis it an autoimmune illness when the immune systems reacts to food particles which are not fine enough and pass through the lining of the gut etc and in some cases the immune system goes further and attacked our own cells as in the thyroid. The immune system can attack other cells also by mistake.

CSARdiver

gelenerun wrote: »

PLEASE do not compare having a thyroidectomy with hashimoto's ! And please do NOT assume that just because you work in a scientific community and have some personal experience with thyroid issues that you understand anything about hashimoto's ... it is WELL documented that Western Medicine / conventional medicine is not well informed re: Hashimoto's ... Functional or Integrative Medicine Doctors that treat the root cause of disease understand that you have to treat the underlying auto-immune aspect of the disease as well ... please don't spread misinformation about an illness that you do not understand ... that is such a disservice to those that are struggling with a very complex disease!!

I'm not in the business of making assumptions. There is no dominating force with hypothyroidism, Hashimoto's or otherwise, that overrides CICO in reference to weight management.

If you have reproducible data to the contrary I welcome the citation.

jacquih2981

I have autoimmune hypothyroidism and take T3. I have a Garmain HR do-dad (I think that is the technical term ...) and I have found that when I go to the gym regularly my resting heart rate is up in the 60s and I burn around 100 calories an hour whilst asleep. However when I miss my 1hr cardio and strength on a Saturday morning for 2 sessions my HR seems to drop to the 50s and if I miss a month my resting HR drops into the 40s. My calorie consumption whilst asleep also drops to around 700 calories an hour.

I have lost weight before on a carb free diet, however without the exercise and carbs I have felt so cold and tired. I have started this journey of diet and exercise on 1 May and have so far lost 7 pounds, a little slower than previous times but I am happy with the direction of travel :-)

bluets2011

jacquih2981 wrote: »

I have autoimmune hypothyroidism and take T3. I have a Garmain HR do-dad (I think that is the technical term ...) and I have found that when I go to the gym regularly my resting heart rate is up in the 60s and I burn around 100 calories an hour whilst asleep. However when I miss my 1hr cardio and strength on a Saturday morning for 2 sessions my HR seems to drop to the 50s and if I miss a month my resting HR drops into the 40s. My calorie consumption whilst asleep also drops to around 700 calories an hour.

I have lost weight before on a carb free diet, however without the exercise and carbs I have felt so cold and tired. I have started this journey of diet and exercise on 1 May and have so far lost 7 pounds, a little slower than previous times but I am happy with the direction of travel :-)

I'd love to hear more about your journey. I'm on T3 only. My diary is open. I haven't lost anything since I started. Doing low carb as well

skonger

So I've been living with Hashimoto for over 30 years now, it's a love-hate relationship where you constantly have to watch your diet and exercise. It gets harder as you age and things slow down and the weight takes more time to come off, that is to be expected. I never use Hashimoto as a reason to why I can't lose weight, it's just a 'road block' that I have to overcome physically but more emotionally. If I use it as reason why I can't lose weight, then in my mind, I'm already defeated.

Here are some of the things I do to help lose weight.

TRACK everything!! Get the Garmain HR do-dad which is a great tech term and I also have the do-dad. Get those steps in and climb those stairs, never take elevators! Compete against yourself and make the next day better then the day before.

You need to be more active then the non-Hashimoto person. Non-hash person walks half an hour, you walk 40 minutes and slightly quicker pace. Even going for walks more often will help, go at lunch, go in the evening, hell get yourself a dog to make you walk more!

You know those 'free' exercise calories you get from being active, don't eat those back. Those are freebies to help you lose weight and get to your goal. Also eat less carbs, and gluten free carbs cause supposedly Hashimoto needs to be gluten free but I don't want to get into the scientific arguments. I try to stay gluten free as much as I can.

Also, I take my thyroid pill first thing in the morning same time all the time and I don't eat anything for at least an hour or two after the thyroid pill.

Now this may not work for everyone, I understand that but this has been working for me and I thought I would share as it might just help.

Sophannah2017

Hi, I have Graves' disease...very recently diagnosed. I read horror stories of massive weight gains whilst on the medication as it reduces the metabolism to a very slow pace. I was determined not to gain weight...! I have seriously been logging everything I eat, cut out pasta (white), bread, crisps and everything else that has a high fat and not so good content. I'm at the gym 5 nights a week, doing cardio and weights...and all I've lost in the last 3 weeks is 1 pound. I eat between 1200-1400 calories per day. I've lost a pound and only a pound after a massive amount of effort.....BUT I haven't gained in the 7 weeks I've been doing this, which according to the thyroid forum is impossible on this medication.

I'm down in the dumps as 1 pound is nothing compared to how I once was, but this is the new me...I have Graves, I need to deal with it. So I'll badger on losing a pound every three weeks, and eventually I'll get to my weight goal....might take a few years!!! Lol, but don't give up.

Oh I probably should mention I've also recently stopped smoking, which can (i think) also slow the metabolism, apparently my resting heart rate isn't as fast now as it was when I smoked.

Fuzzipeg

Sophannah2. Graves like Hashi is identified by antiibodies. I wonder if you could benefit from food allergy/ intolerance testing this was how I identified my hashi triggers. Doing this would probably be easier in the US because the tests we used, provided through a BANT registered nutritionist were made in the US. This probably is a more functional approach, they look for underlying causes rather than something as a stop gap. Something causes a body to make these antibodies and if it possible to reduce them like I have the hashi ones, I'm sure you would achieve some relief.

Any problem related to the thyroid is, in my view, about the very worst thing to get treated well.

Congratulation on giving up smoking.

jacquih2981

bluets2011 wrote: »

I'd love to hear more about your journey. I'm on T3 only. My diary is open. I haven't lost anything since I started. Doing low carb as well

A bit of saga really. Autoimmune runs in the family, i quit smoking in my 30s and gained around 6 st in 18 months which finally got me my diagnosis and treatment. I got T4 regularly felt cold and exhausted, my hair fell out and I gained 3 stone over the next 4 years. I finally got a trial on Armour and then had a little more energy and went on Atkins, lost 3 stone but was always cold and exhausted - so much I would sleep for 10-11 hours a night and still nod off mid afternoon. went back to eating carbs and all the weight came back but I wasn't constantly cold

Armour was scarce so I got T3 and only needed around 9-10 hours sleep a night. 18 months ago I got a Garmain HR do-dad and my resting heart rate was in the early to mid 40s and my hands would regularly go blue with cold. However being on T3 meant I stopped having the racing heart rate that I get with T4. I had enough energy to go to the gym so cracked on with cardio and noticed my resting heart rate creeping up to the mid 60s and I had more energy (my weight didn't change though, maybe a couple of pounds down) I got an injury and stopped the gym for a couple of months and my heart rate plummeted again to the 40s so when I recovered I got back into cardio and heart rate increased.

9 months ago I followed an exclusion diet (bloating, gas, horrendous heartburn and icky stuff) and discovered I was lactose intolerant. This has meant a complete change in diet and has thrown me for a loop - I lost 18 pounds, discovered coconut puddings and gain 18 pounds.

I do cardio and strength at the gym - cardio for the heart and weights for the bones (middle aged, lactose intolerant woman who is clumsy as heck - i don't need any of them kind of breaks!) For the last 19 days I have been recording on here and slowly increasing my steps (gone from 5k daily to 8k daily and working up to 10k by the end of the month). I have kept an eye on my calories and lost 7 pounds so far, I have now joined weight watchers so I can learn about nutrition and next month is where I start looking at my nutrition. My weight is going down - not fast but certainly in the right direction. I know me and I need to make small changes one at a time and once one is embedded start on the next one but above all in the very short time I have been here and recorded everything past my lips I have realised that my diet is nutritionally lacking and exercise makes me feel good. Oh and slow and steady is not what I want but, realistically, is what is going to happen

bluets2011

@jacquih2981 thank you for sharing your "saga" with me. I've just sent you a friend request. Maybe we can support each other. I've got my own saga too, mostly mental and hormonal issues but much better on T3 only. We are going to do it! Hashi or not

missuswife

jne79 wrote: »

I've had Hashimoto's since I was 21 (16 years). I was in the Navy at diagnosis and my weight, with a very defined, athletic body was 138 (at 5'6"). My heaviest post-Hashi's weight was 220. Anyway, I've tried SO many times to lose weight, have had a few successes and many failures with a lot of yo-yo weight along the way. I have 4 children and my weight has predictably inched up with each kid.

Recently, I discovered that intermittent fasting combined with calorie recording and ketosis has made me move past a point I haven't been to in 8 years. I'm at 181 right now. Previously (in the last 8 years), 193 was the best I could do. I have been losing steadily with IF for about 6 weeks now. This past week, I decided to add in an honest exercise routine and went to the gym 3 times. Total stall, plus a pound of gain.

At first I reminded myself that muscle weighs more than fat (even though 3 workouts logically haven't made me gain muscle weight). Then I remembered back over the last 8 years or so during many efforts to lose weight - including 2 times working with frustrated personal trainers that, no matter how hard they worked me and tweaked my diet, could not produce a pound of result. I thought of the summer I ate whistle clean paleo and did kettlebell swings religiously every day to no avail. The ONE time I've lost a significant amount of weight between children (50 lbs) I was eating low calorie/carb and only walking my dog and doing some yoga.

I've come to the conclusion that even a regular workout routine must be producing a lot of cortisol in my body that prevents me from losing weight. Has anyone else experienced this? I think I need to go back to what was working and maybe just try taking low impact walks to keep moving but not break too much of a sweat until I'm (hopefully) able to hit goal (155 lbs which is considered a normal weight for my height). This seems so counter-intuitive, but I guess following my body's patterns is the smartest thing to do right now.

missuswife

It's such a relief to read so many others having this problem. I also have hypothyroidism. I stay within calories but never lose weight. The only time I ever had success consistently losing weight was when I lived in a big city and walked everywhere. Proper exercise never worked, although I got fitter and stronger. It's so frustrating to always be the one eating a salad and never lose weight.

Lyrica7

Op you are on a T4 med only which could be your problem. What are your free T3 and free T4 levels? Many of us need Cytomel a T3 med because of poor conversion issues of T4 into T3. Check out those links I posted on why some don't do well on a T4 med only.