Female, twenties, hypothyroid, hashimoto's disease

jleighmull

Hello, my name is Jenna I am 25 years old and I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, hashimotos, and my endo noticed a nodular goiter which was benign on June 12, 2013. I have family hx of thyroid issues. I first had lab work (TSH) done 07/01/2008 which the doctor had told my mom it came back alright and wasn't anything to worry about. I then decided to ask my family doctor (which I work in a doctor’s office) on 04/16/2013 due to my excessive sweating, depression, weight gain, and tiredness: which then I was referred to my endocrinologist from the lab results. Since June 2013 I have been on Synthroid 50 mg, I have tried to be on a diet several times and been on myfitnesspal several different times. I am struggling to lose weight. I am now going to try and start a new lifestyle, with no fast food no pop…and trying to eat healthy with some cheat days here and there along with trying to make it to the gym a couple times a week.
If there is anyone else that struggles or has been through this struggle please feel free to add me or discuss on here your struggle or journey!

JojoEffeckt164

Welcome back to mfp!

I´ve been on here since 3 months and have incredible results! So try to give it a real try this time. Start and NEVER QUIT AGAIN.
You are very welcome to add me if you like. You will recognize soon. I´m not a clean eater! I like processed food and I eat it. For me it´s all about portion control.

I do the food diary every single day since I´ve started and recently I startet getting into sports again.

Sounds good to you? Add me if you want :flowerforyou:

iAmStarStuff27

Identical to my fiancé.

editorgrrl

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

I have Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease) and take 88mcg Synthroid. I lost way more slowly than most MFPers, but I lost.

coreymay22

Hi!

I would be happy if you want to add me for support.

I am a 27 yr old female with Hypothyroidism as well. I understand the struggles this may cause! Do not give up though, our diets simply need a little more "refining" and patience

Happy to have support as well!

fitatanyage

Hi Jenna,

I too was tested and diagnosed with Hypothyroidism in 2011. You have taken the first step to a healthier life! Congratulations!

Feel free to follow my daily Nutrition and Fitness lifestyle.

ericanom

Hi! I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism when I was 20 and I'd had some of the symptoms for a couple of years before that. I take levothyroxine and I still get some symptoms. I've managed to lose a bit of weight since starting my meds but it comes off really slowly and I gain it back so easily!

tneimar

Hi! Im 25 and ive been diagnosed with Hashimoto's since i was 18. Ive always struggled to shed a few lbs... and I definitely know the struggle! I was on Levothyroxin 75 mg and still felt sluggish... tired.... and really couldnt drop a pound for the life of me (without going on an 800 cal a day diet, which i did a couple of years ago). Recently I started lifting weights 3 days a week and do cardio 3 days and was on a 1300 cal a day diet. I want to prep for a competition (bikini) but after two months of a rigorous lifestyle ( and being exceptionally hungry) i had gained 6 lbs and my body fat % didnt change much. (I should have been losing at least 1.5 lbs a week). So i became EXTREMELY frustrated, as you can imagine. So i got my blood tested for my TSH levels and did some research... Here is what I have found and I hope you will find it useful:

1. Levothyroxin (or any other brand for your T4 supplement) breaks down SLOWLY. I was taking my pill first thing in the morning, 20 min before breakfast and vitamins. Guess what? thats not enough. AND you arent supposed to consume calcium, iron, or zinc within 4 hours of taking it! not to mention, it takes longer than 20 min for it to be fully absorbed in the stomach. So even though my TSH came out on the "high" end, 0.357, I was still feeling tired all the time and drinking a TON of coffee on the daily.

2. The "normal" range is huge. But everyone is different. TSH is not an accurate enough test to see how well your thyroid is functioning due to the autoimmune response we have. When you go to your endo, ask to do a Free T4/T3 test (see how much free T3 and T4 is floating in your body). go to an endo that isnt an old guy, stuck in his ways, but one who is forward thinnking and wants to treat your symptoms. Personally, I needed a boost in my T4 dose to feel better. I know this will drop my TSH, but I FEEL BETTER. That to me is more important.

3. I found that a good actual range for women is 0.1-0.3. A bit higher for men. (Credible source, from an endocrinologist's website). :But your doctor would say "thats too high". I would tell them, Look, I STILL feel like **** when it's lower. Expain that to me. Talk to your doctor about doing a trial with a higher dose... if you lose sleep, get jittery, or have too high of a heart beat, then its too much. simple.

4. YOUR DIET. BIG. Do you know that when we consume gluten, it mimics the tissue structure of the thyroid, and the autoimmune response flares up?? I had no clue! I stopped eating gluten awhile ago, bc it made me feel sick. this could be why. Stay away from it, there are plenty of alternatives these days. Drink a ton of H2O...vital for everything.

As for the Levothyroxin (#1), I started taking it at night, right before i go to sleep. 2 hours after I eat. that way, i guarantee full absorption. Not to mention its a hell of a lot easier to function in the morning. (i do my workouts at 6 am, so i am up at 5). I also decided to ditch the 1300 cal per day diet bc I would feel light headed, etc. So i went to iifym.com and put in all my data (i received the most accurate reading for my body fat % via thebodyfattest.com.) and it spit out 1784 cal per day for me to lose weight! woo hoo! that extra 484 cal has changed my life, let me tell you. Im still training, and i just started iifym.... so I am hoping to see some definite changes over the nxt few weeks. if you'd like to know, just let me know! I love sharing about my roller coaster journey... I am hoping to find some answers and improvments and share it with others. There isn't a lot of information out there for us, so we have to do a lot of trial and error.

and in case your thinking, what does she know, she isn't adoctor, I just got accepted to dental school for the fall. So i took my bio, biochem, orgo, and gen chem and I will be a doctor. (we still have to learn physiology and endocrinology as part of our basic sciences for the national board exam). I know where to do my research and i am very passionate about all of this bc ive struggled for so many years.