Hypothyroidism/menopause

mroseharris

Been taking in 1200 calories a day and working out - mainly cardio at the mo - 3/4 times a week and all I’ve managed to do is either put lbs on then back down to where I started. I’m 5’6” weigh 11st. I’ve been taking medication for hypothyroidism for many years and now on HRT and I’ve put almost 1st on in the last 12 months.
Anyone else been ‘stuck’ like this and found a solution? Feeling sooooo frustrated

middlehaitch

As you have your thyroid under control, and you are on hrt, your calorie deficit, and rate of loss, should be the same as that for most with your stats.

As you are just inside the normal range BMI you would do well to be looking at a weight loss of around 0.5 lbs a week. Adjust your deficit to reflect that.

Put your stats in for that rate of loss and use a food scale for everything solid and semi solid, fresh or packaged (liquids= cups and spoons).

Exercise cals should be eaten back, be consistent it will give you better trouble shooting info than random.
Because websites and devices are only estimates, take time to find your personal burn.

Accuracy in logging is a skill, there are 'most helpful' threads at the top of each sub-forum, reading those will help you.

Cheers, h.

GottaBurnEmAll

There are quite a few of us with hypo post menopause who have lost weight on these boards.

As middlehaitch said, as long as you are properly medicated, you should lose weight like everyone else.

The key is accurate tracking. If you're not using a food scale and verifying your data base entries, it's likely the cause of your frustrations.

Using a food scale and verifying data base entries, I had no problem losing 90 pounds as expected and am maintaining that loss. I started losing the weight when I was 52 and am now 56.

AnnPT77

Agree with the above, speaking as someone who lost 50ish pounds at age 59-60 while postmenopausal and hypothyroid, and has atayed at a healthy weight for going on 3 years since.

If your thyroid levels haven't been retested lately (T3/T4 as well as TSH), consider that, though clinical research suggests a caloric effect only around 5% if completely untreated. Weight changes from thyroid insufficiency are mostly down to water retention and fatigue that causes reduced daily life activity thus lower calorie expenditure. Not sure about the effects of HRT: As a breast cancer survivor, and knowing the increased breast cancer risk, I wouldn't touch that stuff.

Haitch's and GottaBurn's advice is good, as usual: Tighten up logging, and if that yields no insight, see your doctor. Adding some strength training to your regimen could be a good (but long run) strategy for a lot of reasons, too: Strength, bone health, fitness that supports better daily life activity levels, etc.

Best wishes!

cmriverside

Also checking in as post menopausal and hypothyroid. I'm not on HRT, I chose not to go that route.

I lost 70+ pounds at age 54 at just about the rate expected once I logged accurately.

Like middlehaitch said, those last few pounds take time and consistency. You'll get there.

collectingblues

I'm not menopausal, but I'm hypothyroid. If your hypo is medicated correctly and adequately, you will lose weight the same as anyone else. You need to weigh, log, and track *correctly*.

amy19355

cmriverside wrote: »

Also checking in as post menopausal and hypothyroid. I'm not on HRT, I chose not to go that route.

I lost 70+ pounds at age 54 at just about the rate expected once I logged accurately.

Like middlehaitch said, those last few pounds take time and consistency. You'll get there.

I am 62, post menopausal, hypothyroid, no HRT.
Using scale for accurate Food logging is the reason for the ongoing success in my own weight loss journey.

I think the scale is possibly the most useful kitchen appliance I own anymore. (used to be I'd say it was my Instant Pot)

GottaBurnEmAll

Add me to the no HRT crowd.

workinonit1956

GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »

Add me to the no HRT crowd.

Me too. I’m post menopausal but not hypothyroid. I don’t have trouble losing as long as I stick to my calorie goals.

It’s harder once you’re close to goal/have a healthy BMI- weight loss can slow down but it’ll happen with a lot of patience.

DRGrazie

Just want to add a bit to this. I am perimenopausal and have thyroid problems. What I learned recently, after a pretty big scare, is that leaning more toward the mediterranean and even Keto diet (more specifically this one) not only helps with weight loss after menopause (or even before) but also can greatly reduce liver complications later (not because of saturated fat but more from 'whites' and lack of Omega 3 in your diet. I was recently diagnosed with fatty liver disease and increased fat in the liver. However, the liver has the largest problem passing anything that is excess carbs over what your body can process. Keto and low carb win on this but Mediterranean including some protein from fish and grass-fed animals (chicken, turkey, etc) lower risks. That also includes exercise 5 days a week. Lowering body fat, etc. Take a page from one whom learned the hard way. I got diagnosed because of a blood test in the er for something completely unrelated so it is still reverse able. Also, however, add your walnuts and fiber.

AnnPT77

DRGrazie wrote: »

Just want to add a bit to this. I am perimenopausal and have thyroid problems. What I learned recently, after a pretty big scare, is that leaning more toward the mediterranean and even Keto diet (more specifically this one) not only helps with weight loss after menopause (or even before) but also can greatly reduce liver complications later (not because of saturated fat but more from 'whites' and lack of Omega 3 in your diet. I was recently diagnosed with fatty liver disease and increased fat in the liver. However, the liver has the largest problem passing anything that is excess carbs over what your body can process. Keto and low carb win on this but Mediterranean including some protein from fish and grass-fed animals (chicken, turkey, etc) lower risks. That also includes exercise 5 days a week. Lowering body fat, etc. Take a page from one whom learned the hard way. I got diagnosed because of a blood test in the er for something completely unrelated so it is still reverse able. Also, however, add your walnuts and fiber.

I'm very glad that you've found a way of eating that really works for you, with your particular health issues and goals. Reduced carbs or even keto seem to help some people, anecdotally speaking, and it's worth a try for those who've hit a brick wall with other approaches, who can see low carb as being workable for them. And I'd expect that the mediterranean diet's emphasis on plenty of fruits and veggies, plus other nutritious foods, would be a good basis for many people's balanced & nutritious eating.

I want to come back into this thread to clarify, after my initial post, that that experience is not univeral.

Post-menopausally and with pretty severe hypothyroidism, my weight loss resulted from eating pretty much as I had for decades of obesity, but smaller portions, and in somewhat different proportions. While I reduced carbs somewhat, I continued eating 150-200g carbs most of the time during weight loss, made sure to get enough protein (75-100g for me), and also had a daily minimum for fats (40+g) - as many of them as possible as MUFAs/PUFAs and with a good portion of Omega-3s (i.e., emphasizing nuts, avocados, olive oil, etc. as fat sources). Those are things that mainstream authorities (USDA, WHO, etc.) would encourage in a balanced, healthy diet. I didn't bother to manage carbs at all; I just let them fall wherever they ended up, with my calories, protein, and fats hitting my goals.

Reduced carbs can be a great option for some, for either health or appetite-management reasons. For many, low carb is optional. For a few, low carb results in poor energy level or reduced satiation. There's a lot of individual variation!

P.S. I didn't "woo" your post. I think you may've overgeneralized a bit, but I didn't find it magically unscientific or anything.

GottaBurnEmAll

I also didn't low carb. When I first started, I was sedentary and walking with a cane.

With ensuring that I met minimums for protein and fat while still eating within a low calorie goal, my carbs were somewhat limited, but I didn't limit my food choices to what most low carbers would normally limit their own to. Even with eating plenty of veg, I still ate beans, grains, and potatoes and had room for small treats here and there.

As I grew more active and no longer needed my cane, I needed more carbs to fuel my activity. I also found I needed them for satiety.

Low carbing is a fine option for several reasons for many people, but it's not the only option that works for people post-menopause.

nowine4me

I’m post menopausal, and have chosen not to do HRT, no thyroid issues that I know of. I’m WFPB, so very high carb and have lost and maintained fine. There are many approaches, you need to find which is best for your body.