low thyroid suggestions?

CrudeKitten
CrudeKitten Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So, back history: I started this in June 2013 and lost 45 lbs (189-142 lbs...a tight 14 to a 9 in jeans) from them to November and then decided to take a hiatus until after the holidays. I went to the doc and confirmed I had a low thyroid on 1/20 and on 1/21 started my regime back up...now was at 147.4 lb. I thought I would lose a couple lbs from my thyroid meds, water weight I put on, and my diet and excercise....I mean, my weightloss was always steady and would lose 1lb a week at the end....so if anything I would lose slightly more this week, right? WRONG. I am not losing even .1 lb and Im eating 1200-1400 cals with 20-30 min of excercise! This is frustrating! I think Im going to set my alarm clock at 3am to take my thyroid med since you have to take on an empty stomach and you cant eat until an hour after and no calcium, soy, etc for 4 hours. Maybe that will help?

Replies

  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    If you have a thyroid issue and are new-ish on meds, I think not gaining or losing is a good place to be. I wouldn't try to lose ANY weight until they've determined the correct amount of sythroid or whatever. Have you had labs done since you started taking the meds?

    Truly. Let your T3, T4, TRH and TSH stabilize on your medication level. Just eat at maintenance for a couple months, ok?
  • SpottyGurgle
    SpottyGurgle Posts: 5 Member
    I have been struggling with Hashi's for a few years. Are you taking levo/Synthroid? I never experienced any weight loss while taking it. I'm on dessicated thyroid now which works much better for me. Also do you know your TSH level (and range)? If your thyroid problems are autoimmune then you probably will experience weight gain or at best plateau unless your TSH is at the very bottom of the normal range (sometimes even lower) and your T3 is near the very top of the normal range. I usually eat dinner around 6 and take my thyroid meds around 11 before I go to sleep which works fine for me.
  • CrudeKitten
    CrudeKitten Posts: 8 Member
    Im taking 50 mg of levo. My twin sister is on 150 though, so im guessing i will get a higher dose when i retake my bloodwork in 5 weeks.... I didnt ask what my levels were, but i will be sure to when i go in again! It just is frustrating that without the med i was able to lose weight and with it, nada. I would think it would be reversed.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    Are you taking the meds in order to lose weight? or are you taking the meds to have a properly functioning endocrine system?

    Edit to add: that probably sounded mean. What I'm saying is, just let your body chillax for a bit. They thyroid system isn't like one scale where if you take more thyroid, your metabolism increases. It's a bunch of scales. As you take more synthetic thyroid one scale goes up. But then your body senses that scale going up and says "OMG Scale A is going up. Better lower THIS OTHER SCALE over here, Scale B, to balance things out." It's a bunch of positive and negative feedback cycles that have to stabilize each other.
  • maracuya23
    maracuya23 Posts: 122
    It's frustrating, for sure.

    The best thing you can do is get your levels stable, and focus on getting the best nutrition you can so that your medication can work as well as possible. Trying to quickly lose weight, seriously cut calories, or seriously step up exercise all can impact your thyroid function and cause cortisol levels to rise (which has an effect on your thyroid). Those things will work against you while you're trying to get your levels stable, and just prolong the process overall.

    Keep logging, eat enough, get enough sleep, see if you have any tag-along nutritional deficiencies (low iron, low vit D, low B-12 are just a few common ones with hypothyroid folks) and work to correct them if you do, and aim to get stable.

    Long-term, you'll end up in a better place for losing weight and staying healthy. Autoimmune thyroid issues are super-frustrating- hang in there- it does get better!
  • BQJohns
    BQJohns Posts: 15 Member
    You should stay away from soy if you have thyroid issues. Soy can alter the way your medication is absorbed, and therefore makes the medication less effective. I had a partial thyroidectomy last February, and since then my TSH has been all over the place (doc won't put me on meds because I fluctuate so much). My symptoms are always the opposite of what my levels are showing. I was stuck at the same weight for over a year before my surgery, lost 10 pounds after surgery by cutting out dairy, and am just now starting to lose again from diet modification and exercise. My advice is to be patient. Your thyroid can change from one day to the next, so focus on leveling out your hormones. Then you can focus on other aspects of your health. Good luck!
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    Good info here. The meds can take a month or more to really kick in. I have been struggling with dosage issues for over a year and am finally stable again. Brazil nuts are a good source of selenium which you need a bit more of and as said before don't eat too much soy or tofu. A bit of soy sauce is not too bad but stay away from soy milk and tofu dishes. Good luck :smile:
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    So, back history: I started this in June 2013 and lost 45 lbs (189-142 lbs...a tight 14 to a 9 in jeans) from them to November and then decided to take a hiatus until after the holidays. I went to the doc and confirmed I had a low thyroid on 1/20 and on 1/21 started my regime back up...now was at 147.4 lb. I thought I would lose a couple lbs from my thyroid meds, water weight I put on, and my diet and excercise....I mean, my weightloss was always steady and would lose 1lb a week at the end....so if anything I would lose slightly more this week, right? WRONG. I am not losing even .1 lb and Im eating 1200-1400 cals with 20-30 min of excercise! This is frustrating! I think Im going to set my alarm clock at 3am to take my thyroid med since you have to take on an empty stomach and you cant eat until an hour after and no calcium, soy, etc for 4 hours. Maybe that will help?

    1. Are you going in regularly to get the thyroid bloodwork done and adjustments on your meds?

    2. Thyroid meds don't make you lose weight, that's a misconception. What they do is allow you to be able to lose weight again once the thyroid is stabilized- which can take 6mo-1yr, or it could be sooner. Unfortunately the reality is, even with the medication once your thyroid is stabilized, weight loss will still be slower than the average healthy person because of daily thyroid fluctuations. You have to have patience and dedication- but it will work.

    3. I used to set an alarm to take my meds like that, now I just don't eat anything until later. But yeah, taking the medicine on an empty stomach to avoid interactions will help it work best.

    4. I found that I HAD to get 15 minutes or more of exercise a day, every single day, no exceptions, to get the scale moving. I'm not saying this is the right balance for you, but it's what helped me. Even if it was just a brisk walk- the exercise helped a LOT.

    5. Make sure you're eating some saturated fat. Coconut oil is good, whole eggs, whatever. Iodized salt, too. These things are common for people on diets to eliminate but they're actually beneficial for thyroid function.
  • Bianca42
    Bianca42 Posts: 310 Member
    When my alarm goes off, I head to the kitchen and take my meds...then jump in the shower. By the time my shower is done it's been 30-45 minutes. I'll have a cup of coffee and then eat breakfast at about 45-60 minutes post meds.

    I take all my vitamins with lunch, so I know it's been 4 hours.

    That said, when I started taking the meds in 2002, it took a bit to stabilize and when it did all the meds did was stop me from gaining weight while eating healthy. They don't make it easy to lose weight.
  • caro1275
    caro1275 Posts: 198 Member
    Hi,

    Maybe you can learn from my example. Two summer ago I tried to lose weight- to no avail. Which was strange for me- I never had a problem losing weight in the past. I had a healthydiet, gym daily etc. I had some other symtoms as well, and so I saw my doctor. Turns out I had an underactive thyroid. So, she put me on Synthroid. Now, after about a month I did start losing weight - (and pretty rapidly too). However, once I stopped my gym regimen most of it crept back on. Lesson learned: synthroid is not a "weight loss" pill.

    Fast forward to about a month ago; I visited a dietician who told me to NOT eat back all of my calories when I work out. What a revelation after all I heard on here (which was to eat back your calories.). Next, I bought myselft a fitbit zip. It is amazing. I realize now that I was not working out as hard as I thought I was, and was overestimating the calories I burned. I am now losing weight.

    So, long story short: see you doctor and see what they recommend in terms of calories each day. Also- work out harder and longer than you think you have to :)

    Caro
  • oldestteenagerever
    oldestteenagerever Posts: 7
    Woah, this is exactly what I'm dealing with... I have just been put on synthroid and my doctor said my levels are so low that even trying to lose weight right now probably won't work.. I burst into tears in the office, because according to my scale at home it says I've lost a little since I've started using this app. She did however tell me not to stop eating healthy and don't let her words discourage me, because doing this is obviously just a good decision all around. But reading all these comments made me worry less about all the hard work I've been putting in this past month!!
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    MFP has a "Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism" group: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/770-hypothyroidism-and-hyperthyroidism

    I have Hashimoto's, take 88mcg Synthroid & lost really, really slowly (20 lb. in one year). You have to take Synthoid on an empty stomach w/ a full glass of water. Wait 1 hour before eating or drinking anything but water. Wait 4 hours before taking any vitamins or minerals.

    To lose weight, you have to eat at a deficit. Log everything you eat accurately & honestly. Find reliable database entries. (There's a lot of incorrect data in there.) Weigh your food. If you're still not losing, eat back half your exercise calories.

    Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    Patience seems to be the hardest part of weight lose and even more so when dealing with a medical issue.
  • heatherjanson
    heatherjanson Posts: 2 Member
    I've been on Synthroid for about 2 years now after having an ablation due to Graves Disease.

    Over the 2 years I've gained about 30 lbs, however most of it was due to my own inactivity and poor eating habits. The Graves disease left me very weak and I didn't change any eating habits from having high thyroid.

    I will have to say the weight comes off S-L-O-W-L-Y. I find if I eat low glycemic low carb and really truly track my calories I can get the scale to move a little. There is no forgiveness for "cheat days" however. One day can ruin 2 weeks worth of work.

    I am super frustrated with the progress, but my dr says I am doing wonderfully at dropping some weight.

    Keep at it! One day (and meal!) at a time!! :)

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