New to MFP

shanee_s

Hi everyone I been on mfp for almost two weeks now and lost 6 lbs that's that most I ever lost and a short time so I finally decided to go to the community and see what it's about I found this group and I had to join I have hypothyroidism am 27 now but found out when I was 18 and i been dieting off and on for 1 year now only losing 20 lbs and i kno i need to do something different and having ppl like me help me and me helping them stay motivated is what i need so any tip, workouts, or food anyone can help me with will be appreciate greatly thank

bametels

Hello Shanee, welcome to the group. Unfortunately, it's not been very active recently. I too have hypothyroidism. I had thyroiditis about 15 years ago, which weakened my thyroid. Then about 4 years ago it started to give out leading to hypothyroidism. I'm glad to hear that you're having success using MFP to support your weight loss goals. I started using it after my thyroid starting crashing and my weight just kept going up and up. I find it enormously helpful. For me, pre-planning my daily food intake (most times the night before) has been really helpful. Sometimes, I switch things up from what I had planned depending on my mood but having a plan to turn to helps me avoid overeating or eating less healthful foods when hunger strikes. I have problems with my spine that limits how I workout. I ride my recumbent exercise bike almost every day and also walk some days. I aim to do at least 40 minutes of exercise each day but I vary from 30 (or occasionally none) to 90 minutes. Barbara

CSARdiver

Welcome aboard!

First of all it is important to understand what hypothyroidism is and is not. Your thyroid isn't sending sufficient signal processing hormone, resulting in a slight drop in metabolic activity. The direct impact on your Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) is ~5% from clinical observation. That is going from a fully treated patient with a total thyroidectomy to untreated, so the most extreme situation. This equates to 80 kcals/day on a 1600 kcal/day calorie budget - this highlights the minimal impact this has.

What this hormone imbalance may do is cause an increase in appetite signals. Not hunger signals. This results in overeating and a lack of satiety. Now learning the difference between hunger and appetite is critical for anyone trying to manage their weight, but even more so in those with thyroid disorders.

Bottom line there really isn't much to do differently. Track your calories, track your exercise, and make slow gradual changes that generate momentum and get you to a healthier state.