Struggling to loose weight w/ under active thyroid! tips?

hazstar

Im 20 and a couple of months ago I was diagnosed with an under active thyroid. I take medication every day and have regular check ups to see if my levels are okay. They said the pills would help (nope they don't).

I eat 1200-1400 calories a day with 4 1 hour gym sessions a week.

I am 220lbs and 5'7. I've read that for my weight I should eat more but when I do that I put even more weight on! I always loose weight better when I don't incorporate exercise, but I want to be fit!

I've not lost any weight. I've lost an inch off my waist and that is it. I think you should all be able to view my diary.

Does anyone else have an under active thryroid and can give me tips for weight loss?

Thanks

JenniTheVeggie

I do! Do you know your TSH level? A lot of doctors feel/think that 5 and under is a good level. My doctor and I aim for me to be between a 1 and 2.

QuietBloom

I have been on thyroid replacement hormone for over 15 years. If your thyroid levels have been corrected, there is no reason you should be having trouble losing weight.

Eat at a reasonable deficit.
Use a food scale and measuring cups
Eat about 1 g protein/lb of lean body mass (for me that is about 100g/day).

hazstar

If I'm going to be honest all my doctor told me was that I was above what was considered normal and that I should take Levothyroxin tablets. I had a blood test a couple of weeks back and I am now taking 50mg pills.

Last time I went to the doctors showing her my food diary and exercise levels I was made to have a diabetes test? That came back negative though x

hastingsmassage

If you take right medication, there is no problem with weight . eat less, buy a scale, avoid processed food.

happycauseIride

I have had an under active thyroid since 2006. The best tip I can give you to watch your carbs, especially the sweets. Stick to fruits and veggies and protein. I'm not saying to go low carb because I don't, but I do limit them. I am struggling with that right now.

1200 calories is not enough for anyone if they are exercising. I've been there done that. 1400 would be ok but even closer to 1500 or 1600 would be better.

Also find a doctor who will treat you based on how you feel, not what the blood work says. My doc keeps my levels close to hyper level but that is where I feel better at and that's ok.

You can do this. Good luck.

editorgrrl

MFP has a Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism group: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/770-hypothyroidism-and-hyperthyroidism

I have Hashimoto's and take Synthroid. What worked for me was setting my goal to .5 lb. per week and being very, very patient. (It took me a year to lose 20 lb.)

I use MFP's protein & fiber goals as minimums and ignore carbs & fat. It will take trial & error to find what works for you.

hazstar

Thank you! I eat as much fruit and vegetables as I can possibly afford (£10.00 student budget for food!). I weigh everything and I am very careful. I guess I'm going to have to stay strong and not give up

establishingaplace

Do you eat a lot of soy products? If so, stop immediately. I was vegetarian-at-home for awhile and consumed a fair amount of soy (tofu, tempeh, soy sauce, Earth Balance, etc.). I stopped and lost 5 pounds in a month and have found since that when I try, losing weight is easier than it used to be. But it still takes patience and exercise.

I do my best when my diet is lighter on the carbs (~100g per day) and higher in fat and protein. Try different macro ratios and see what works for you.

For reference, I take 112mcg of Levothyroxine.

heybales

Your body has a disease and is under stress already for that.

Frequent intense exercise is a stress to the body - especially if it can't recover as much as it would like to, and under a diet and with a disease that is more so.

A diet is a stress on your body.

Lack of sleep, life stress, food sensitivities or allergies, all stresses.

Pile those stresses up, and your body can adapt to that lower calorie eating level by burning less, by making you move less and becoming more metabolically efficient, you can make a thyroid problem worse, basically fighting against what the meds are trying to do.

You likely will need to decrease the amount of deficit, or as suggested above, weight loss goal, by eating more.
Couple weeks of totally no diet would likely be useful too, always a good idea no matter what, especially in your case.

Slower weight loss is better because of purposeful choices.
Slower because the body forced it on you is not better, it's the results of a bunch of negatives. And the exercise will have less than potential positive changes too.

Now, you may indeed be eating more than you think, though you mention weighing all food - so we'll say the calorie in part of the equation is as good as it gets.

But you may not be burning as much as you think, and when you correctly eat back exercise calories to keep a reasonable deficit, you are eating more than you think.
Though, that would have to be some massively inflated figures probably to overcome a deficit. But possible.

Honest with activity level too, like really a 45 hr desk job and commute weekly for sedentary, or more correctly Lightly Active with on the feet job and walking between classes and around to other stuff all week long?

You'll know how bad your deficit to potential maintenance really is by how fast water weight gain comes back when you eat at maintenance.

If fast, it just means you were massively depleted with glycogen stores along with the water. That's not good, that means less LBM and smaller metabolism, as dealing with stored water takes energy.

But really, if you are not losing weight, then you are eating at maintenance right now.
Since you think the eating side is correctly known, that leaves the burning side.

So the question is, is that eating at a suppressed maintenance because body adapted lower, or full potential maintenance and it's just sadly where it's at, meaning you have to eat even less?

The inch lost would seem to indicate you lost fat, and the body obviously made some improvements with storing more glycogen, so that's positive. If doing any lifting to really use the muscles, perhaps a very small amount of muscle, but neglible there.
But depending on how long and how far back, that means you were probably eating near potential maintenance for some time.

Don't answer wrong, because if it is suppressed, eating even less can get very interesting with what further changes the body will do to adapt, and what happens whenever you do eat more than suppressed levels.

MissFortune11

You really have to dig to find accurate info on the net for people with hypothyroidism, and GP’s and gym guides don’t seem to know enough.

When I was 21: size 6, 8st 7lbs (too skinny at 5ft 7'') and had an epic metabolism - I could eat anything and not put on weight. When I first fell ill, I put on 2 stone in about 2-3 weeks, fell asleep for 18 hours at a time and woke like I hadn’t slept for days, and had to change my whole wardrobe because nothing fit anymore. It was horrible at first, with all the symptoms and years to get the meds 'right' and that doesn’t even cover half of it, as you would all know. I was half way through my degree, and had to repeat the year, 3 times, due to my health – I wasn’t able to stay awake enough to finish the work! I fought my health and for my degree, and finally I got there :happy:

Since then, despite being on a massive 225mg of levothyroxiene (being told 'it replaces EXACTLY what I’m missing' which is perhaps questionable, I don’t feel great but I do feel better than if I don’t take them), I cook healthy food at home, walk/power walk everywhere (at least an hour daily), try to gym it twice a week (when I have the energy to), and only eat about 1200-1500 calories a day - I did gain a further 2st or so but I have stayed level for about a year. It fluctuates a bit, but I’m currently stuck at almost 13st.
I now also have IBS (my stressful last job triggered it, and the fodmap diet is recommended for IBS), although I’ve still not received much help for the hypothyroidism. I resorted to doing exhausting, extensive research of my own – without actually making much progress, as seemingly a lot of info out there is contradictory or incorrect.

The doctor used to say to me 'to lose weight you must either eat less or exercise more' - it made sense for a HEALTHY person, but evidently, it wasn’t that simple for me. I have been to gyms where I have been told to 'just walk around a bit', do only 5 star jumps not 50, or do very low impact work outs because it 'could be dangerous' to do anything more, with little or no explanation as to why. I’ve tried doing a lot and burned out. How was I going to lose weight that way?! I don’t want to be a size 6 again, I actually liked the first stone or two, it was the 2st+ after that affecting my confidence that I want to get back. I can’t feel confident when people are often asking me if I’m pregnant (I’m not by the way :laugh: just squishy and often bloated haha). My weight only became steady since about a year ago, and so now (finally) I aim to lose a bit, slowly.

This week I decided I’m so fed up with lack of support, that I’m trying to make my OWN way to a healthier 10st-10st 7lbs again (my 'feeling good' weight), taking what little good info I have got and experimenting with the rest. I know my current problem is stress and working too hard, and therefore it’s difficult to eat little and frequent healthy mini meals, and as a result get tired, and feel unwell, go home, and cook late. I’m determined to change this, reduce stress on my mind and body, and plan better. It wont be easy with the IBS diet too!

Anyway, the point of me telling my story, is to let you know its all still achievable, I've seen it in myself. Don’t lose faith in yourself, besides, it could be a lot worse! I get times when I lose half a stone in a week, and I don’t even know what I have done! We are all different, I haven’t yet figured out what works for me, but I will get there. If my story helps you at all, then it was worth telling.

My advice? (and plan! :laugh: )
1) Experiment – the more you learn about your own body, the quicker you can learn what helps. I’ve finally stopped gaining weight, and I’m proud of that next step is to lose a bit, slowly!
2) Give the tablets time, they may not make you feel EPIC, but they will help you be and feel better than you did, and eventually you will notice that. (Particularly if you forget a few)
3) The dose you are on is fairly low. This may be increased by your doctor over time, but unfortunately this is a slow process. Be patient.
4) Relax; stress is bad for your health in so many ways. Don’t let others put you down, spend time with good friends. Laugh
5) Alcohol – have soft drinks between alcoholic ones or try to have a spritzer instead of a large glass of wine or stick to spirits to cut down on empty calories
6) Research, and discuss the findings with your doctor. It could be beneficial
7) Eat healthily, little and often where possible. Don’t exclude anything or you will crave it, and of course avoid excess particularly carbs
8) Pay attention to how you feel. Maybe start a diary to record exercise, what you weigh and what you eat, look for patterns
9) And finally, weight is just a number; don’t worry so much about it. I’m just aiming to feel and look good, in my own opinion

Other than that, it seems pretty individual, and like you, I welcome any tips that I can add to my experiment list

phred_52

I too have underactive thyroid. Finally had TSH checked end of January after 3 months of zero energy. Level was at 4.87, now take 25mcg levothyroxine I gained 22 or so pounds in those 3 months of no excercise. Since med start on 2/3/2014 I've now lost appx 15 or so.

I really pay no attention to carb or protein intake, even calories at times. My main concern(?) is no more than 30% fat content. Though sometimes I'm sure I'm over.

My workout is probably a might crazy for you, even me based on friends at gym. I do, or really try for 2hrs bike and 30min strength daily for 5 days.

Imagine it don't matter much, but from 2/03 to present my calorie intake high is 2520, lowest is 0 (not good), and avg is 1478

Best advice I 'spose, is what you said in post, ".... I'm going to have to stay strong and not give up" May you have great success.

Squishyhead

Thyroid is tricky, yes finding the right med balance is hard and doesn't mean it wont change, keep aware of yourself and your symptoms and if you notice them coming back get your levels checked. ask to try a different brand you might need the armour brand.

SOY is the worst for thyroid, dont eat it at all. ever. there is also a surprising list of fruits and veggies that can inhibit thyroid function. these are foods I avoid and only eat in moderation. I have noticed if I eat any of these I notice symptoms within that day or within a day or two.

avoid artificial sweeteners of any kind they will not do you any favours when losing weight.

Here is a list of foods to avoid they are called goitrogenic foods. check it out if you don't believe me, I am not a doctor, I wont be offended. and I highly recommend reading some books on thyroid management and symptoms.

Caffeine
Soybeans (and soybean products such as tofu, soybean oil, soy flour, soy lecithin)
Pine nuts
Peanuts
Millet
Strawberries
Pears
Peaches
Spinach
Bamboo shoots
Sweet Potatoes
Bok choy
Broccoli
Broccolini
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Canola
Cauliflower
Chinese cabbage
Choy sum
Collard greens
Horseradish
Kai-lan (Chinese broccoli)
Kale
Kohlrabi
Mizuna
Mustard greens
Radishes
Rapeseed (yu choy)
Rapini
Rutabagas
Tatsi
Turnips

Horrible list I know, I was eating a lot of these and felt so so so much better when I stopped. If I eat them, I notice the symptoms get much worse, depending on the food and how much I eat.

Good luck

editorgrrl

Talk to your endocrinologist before cutting foods from your diet. Everybody's different, but my doctor told me I could eat anything, and I lost just fine.

Bianca42

If it's only been a few months, give it some time. It took me almost a year of tweaking the dosage and retesting to get my levels under control when I was first diagnosed. Once things were under control, then I was able to lose weight. (But as a plus I stopped GAINING weight right away.)

WarriorCupcakeBlydnsr

If it's only been a few months, give it some time. It took me almost a year of tweaking the dosage and retesting to get my levels under control when I was first diagnosed. Once things were under control, then I was able to lose weight. (But as a plus I stopped GAINING weight right away.)

I agree with this, I was diagnosed hypothyroid (and insulin resistant) in July of last year, it took my endo tweaking my dose until last month to get the dose that seems to have me under control. I stopped gaining when she first put me on the meds, but I've only started losing in the last two months, it's slow progress, but it's progress (I've only lost 5 lbs in two months)

LKArgh

For hypothyroidism to cause significant weight gain, your levels need to be really off, and I doubt 50mg of levothyroxin would be where you would be starting if this was the case. Of course this is just a guess, I do not know your medical history and I am not a dr. Also hypothyroidism does not magically destroy your metabolism to not burn calories, it makes you sleepy and unable to exercise or even do normal activities, when it is completely out of control and not treated. So, contrary to popular belief, while an underactive hypothyroid when untreated can lead to a small weight gain, gaining big amounts of weight is not a symptom of hypothyroidism, unless things are really bad and not treated at all, in which case you would be experiencing other symptoms, ;like chronic fatigue to the point of having no energy and falling asleep constantly. So, give the meds some time, and expect some readjustment, but do not expect losing 100 pounds because of meds. Also, again contrary to popular belief and internet urban legends, there is no such thing as special diet for hypothyroid patients. Just take your meds on an empty stomach, do not eat naything for 20 minutes afterwards and make sure to ask your dr which other meds interfere with levothyroxine.

And open your diary, this will help you get more advice.

editorgrrl

Just take your meds on an empty stomach, do not eat naything for 20 minutes afterwards and make sure to ask your dr which other meds interfere with levothyroxine.

Take Synthroid on an empty stomach with a full glass of water. Wait an hour before eating or drinking anything but water. Wait 4 hours before taking any vitamin or mineral supplements.

I keep my meds & a glass of water on my nightstand. If I wake during the night, I take my Synthroid. Then it's a treat to wake up & eat or drink anything I want!

atisenhour

I too was diagnosed with an under active thyroid in December. Normal for my doctor is a 4, my level came back at 17. I was put on 0.05mcg or 50mg of medication and then re-tested 6 weeks later. I went in for my blood work on Monday and it went up again to 19! The nurse and the doctor both questioned if I was taking the medicine and doing it as instructed-in the morning, empty stomach, waiting an hour to eat. I've taken it religiously. Also, sitting hand-in-hand with thyroid issues is my cholesterol. i'll tell you this I am 23 yr old, 5'6"-155lbs. I work out 4-5 times a week. I eat healthy-no red meat lots of fruit and veggies. I am actually a High School nutrition teacher so I FEEL YOUR FRUSTRATION. My scale will not BUDGE! After my apt on Monday they upped my dosage to 100mg. I'm only seeing a family doctor now but am planning to schedule an apt with an endocrinologist.

GOOD LUCK!
And don't stop what you're doing eating healthy, keeping track using MFP and exercising or the thyroid will just get worse. Keep your chin up!