Losing weight after a complete thyroidectomy

LillyBoots

I am about to have my thyroid removed, all reports indicate gaining 10-20pounds after. I'm already taking thyroid medication. What can I do to not gain weight after surgery.

Thanks in advance for any help.

ImpulsiveDaydreamer

Hi @LillyBoots, You’ve probably had your surgery already so hope this information still helps. I didn’t gain or lose any significant weight post total thyroidectomy. I mainly just hovered around the same weight for a good month or two before I returned to normal eating habits. I would suggest to take it easy with sugars and bad carbs as i stayed away from these for as long as I possibly could and feel this helped me not gain the 10-20lbs that post-thyroidectomy patients complain of, also trying to resume a normal pattern as soon as possible helps. However saying this I had hyperthyroidism and suffered extreme weight loss prior to being diagnosed; whereas my friend had hypothyroid and she did gain weight post surgery which she said was out of her control regardless of dieting. I think it really is dependent on the person and finding what works for you through trial and error.

deannalfisher

I lost weight after my thyroudectomy - if your levels are optimized you should have no issues losing weight

@CSARdiver can talk more about all the science

CSARdiver

Hey fellow thyroidless friend!

You may experience a temporary gain (water weight) immediately after once your body adjusts to the hormonal imbalance. That is the weight gain due to hypothyroidism. You do not gain fat other than typical storage as a result of CICO.

Be wary of your hunger and satiety signals as these are tremendously impacted by thyroid, so log carefully. Your metabolism worst case will be impacted by ~5%. That equates to 80 kcals/day out of a 1600 kcal/day budget.

For keys to success - stay active, follow a routine, take your supplementation at the same time on an empty stomach, and stay well hydrated.