Hypothyroid and Frustrated!!!!!

bandit5125

my thyroid is constantly going up and down. I get labs done every 8 weeks. People say if you are on meds you are fine but that is not the case for everyone. My endo keeps a very close eye on me. We talked and she suggested 1000 calories a day for 3 months, I did that and lost 25 pounds and had to change my meds again. then we went to 1200 calories. I am now down 93 pounds since February 24, 2014. I workout everyday. I walk 8-10 miles a day with Leslie Sansone. I now do between 1200-1400 calories a day. I can not lose weight going over 1400 calories. Some people can, I can't. I also drink a minimum of 15 glasses of water a day. I weigh and measure all of my food.

you can lose the weight but you will have to be more diligent about weighing things and keeping track of things and your activity level. I can't lose weight by food deficit alone, I need the workouts. Some people are lucky enough to just lose weight by watching their food intake, it doesn't work for me, I have tried. Everyone is different and there is no one thing that works for everyone. Talk to your endo and set up a plan.

trbkjb

Being hypothyroid you deduct 200 calories from whatever a goal for a normal person would be in order to lose weight.

huh??? I'm hypothyroid and this is the first time I'm hearing this...

I've been doing a ton of hypothyroid research. I found some website that had a calorie calculator for people with hypothyroidism. Not sure how accurate it is. However, I did see results this past summer using that method and the exercise until I hit a pleateau.

If I end up having to do that I would only be able to eat 1100 calories a day - barely enough to function

your'e right.. I've had under 1,000 calories every day and i feel like crap, but i'm desperate to lose weight.

Kalikel

To everyone who gave sound advice. Thank you. It was a rough day yesterday. To all of you who decided to cast judgment on me and how hard I try, I'd like to let you know you made a hard day even harder. Congrats on kicking someone when they're feeling down.

Some people are very nasty or cruel or hurl childish insults when they're online. Consider what leads a person to this sort of behavior and you'll probably feel a whole lot better. Also, make use of that ignore thing.

Some of it is just ignorance, too. People do not understand that it's a real thing and think it's just an excuse. They really believe that. They're trying to be motivating, lol.

Don't sweat it.

dannyxtyler

Hypothyroidism effects people's weight/metabolism differently. My numbers are where they "should" be, thanks to my medication, but if I eat my recommended number of calories to maintain my weight AND get in 5k steps a day, I gain a pound or so a week instead of maintaining. So, that means I have to cut/burn 500 calories/day in order to just maintain. I understand your frustration and how difficult this is. Right now, I've found something that is working for me, and I have been losing weight pretty well. Now, you've just gotta play around with different things and find what works for you. A very honest log of what you're eating, weighing everything that goes into your mouth, might be completely necessary for you... but eating so little that you're barely making it through the day MIGHT let you lose some weight, but that weight loss will be muscle loss, and WHEN it comes back on, it will come back on as fat. I learned this the hard way, so please don't make that same mistake. Try different methods, look around on this site and see what others are doing... Add friends (feel free to add me) to help motivate you! Best of luck; I KNOW how tough this is, but we can do it!!!

Lizzy622

I carried sneakers in my car so I could get a quick 10 minute walk in between dropping off one child and picking up the next. Every bit of exercise helps even 10 minutes. Yes hypothyroidism sucks but you need to move past it. Don't let the depression rule your life. Finding the 10 minutes here and there for you helps.

phobiep

I never have time to exercise any more.

But you had the time to tell us the vacation story about your daughter. You could have spent that time jumping rope, running, doing push-ups, etc. Most people can fit in lots of short bursts of exercise each day if they give up activities that aren't productive - TV, Facebook, phone gossip, manicures, whatever. Lifestyle changes are hard for everyone, hypothyroid or not.

How many calories do you average per day?

Wow. This was NOT helpful to the OP at all.
I am also hypothyroid and have some age-related hormonal issues as well. I'm struggling, too, but I do have some advice. Check what you're eating. Do you eat alot of wheat? Rice? White flour/sugar? My doc told me that alot of people who are hypo are sensitive to gluten and carbs. Make sure your carbs are GOOD, like the occasional fruit or veggies like sweet potatoes (not white). My doc also told me that hypo people should be EATING, not starving themselves. So perhaps you need to add back those 200 calories and breaking up your food so that you can have some kind of little snack between meals. I've NEVER heard that hypo people should subtract 200 calories!
Maybe I missed it, but what medication are you on? I'm sure there are people that do fine on Synthroid, but you might consider changing to Armour. It is natural and people seem to do better on it. If you still have hypo symptoms, your dose needs to be adjusted. I do better when my numbers are almost nothing, but it can be difficult to talk a doctor into upping your dose if your numbers are in the "normal" range. But normal is vastly different for everyone.

Alamo0809

Everyone is different... and it is so darn frustrating!! Although it is good that you have this forum to ask the question about hypothyroidism... individuals will have experiences different from your own.

The exercise issue is important. But... if I watch calories and try to burn them via exercise... I do NOT lost weight.

Your body will adjust to the lower calories and exercise and go into starvation mode... hanging on to every calorie for your survival.

It matters what you eat. In my case, if I follow a kind of low carb-paleo eating plan I lose weight, especially if I take at least a short walk every day... which I kind of need to do for my dog. Then, when a special event comes along I allow myself to share a dessert or taste a few french fries. Waitresses have been so good to me... they literally have added 4 french fries to my salad! From tracking nutrients on this site it appears I am eating about 100 carbs a day.

The key is to be honest with yourself... if you have been on a 4-5 day or week vacation from healthy eating for weight loss be honest with yourself about that, don't make excuses and get back to making healthy choices. If you get into the habit of making good choices it won't be disastrous when there is a party or holiday... just get back on the health boat when the party is over.

And the really sad news is... it gets harder to lose weight when you get older so getting honest about what you have to do regardless of hypothyroidism or menopause or age or injury... I am thinking of all the excuses I am tempted to use, and just eat healthy.

PBS did a great science series on exercise and weight loss .... you can google it, and one of the pieces addressed the issue of "low responders"... not everyone responds to diet and exercise the same way... and the program explained how "low responders" needed to kick start the development of muscle and metabolism of calories. Worth looking at.

sadiebrawl

A lot of us that are hypo definitely seem to struggle more. One of the things that really helped me was discovering that in addition to the hypo, I had other issues -- I'd developed insulin resistance (which my doc said is common for those with long untreated or undertreated thyroid problems as it's a way the body compensates) as well as huge vitamin deficiencies in both magnesium and Vitamin D (which has also been linked to difficulty losing weight when you're deficient). So, I'd ask if you know if all your other systems are good -- insulin resistance/glucose metabolism, adrenals, liver, vitamin deficiencies (D, magnesium, iron, iodine, etc.).

I also eat Primal (less restrictive version of Paleo where dairy is permitted if it agrees with you) and I found that when I got all my stuff worked out and ate Primally, the weight started coming off. A little slower than average, but within the realm of normal. But if I add back in grains or too many carbs, I totally stall. The grains are likely setting of my thyroid since I have Hashi's and gluten is a common trigger for it. And the carbs are probably due to the insulin resistance -- it's getting better with the weight loss and I hope when I get to my goal weight that I'm back to normal levels and can incorporate more carbs into my diet (right now, I keep them below 100/day, so low-ish but not keto low).

I also find that when I'm working out fairly hard, I need to take a recovery week more often or I start seeing hypo signs again. So every 4-6 weeks, I step back from the heavy lifting and weekly or bi-weekly sprint sessions and just walk. That seems to reset things and I start losing again. Another one of my hypo friends suggested this since she discovered it about herself and I found it to be true for me too.

this was very helpful to me I just recently found out this is why my weight loss stalled. I was running 15-20 miles a day. eating 1200 + a little for the running and sometimes gaining weight. When I get my numbers back I'm going to try playing around with primal eating.

sadiebrawl

A lot of us that are hypo definitely seem to struggle more. One of the things that really helped me was discovering that in addition to the hypo, I had other issues -- I'd developed insulin resistance (which my doc said is common for those with long untreated or undertreated thyroid problems as it's a way the body compensates) as well as huge vitamin deficiencies in both magnesium and Vitamin D (which has also been linked to difficulty losing weight when you're deficient). So, I'd ask if you know if all your other systems are good -- insulin resistance/glucose metabolism, adrenals, liver, vitamin deficiencies (D, magnesium, iron, iodine, etc.).

I also eat Primal (less restrictive version of Paleo where dairy is permitted if it agrees with you) and I found that when I got all my stuff worked out and ate Primally, the weight started coming off. A little slower than average, but within the realm of normal. But if I add back in grains or too many carbs, I totally stall. The grains are likely setting of my thyroid since I have Hashi's and gluten is a common trigger for it. And the carbs are probably due to the insulin resistance -- it's getting better with the weight loss and I hope when I get to my goal weight that I'm back to normal levels and can incorporate more carbs into my diet (right now, I keep them below 100/day, so low-ish but not keto low).

I also find that when I'm working out fairly hard, I need to take a recovery week more often or I start seeing hypo signs again. So every 4-6 weeks, I step back from the heavy lifting and weekly or bi-weekly sprint sessions and just walk. That seems to reset things and I start losing again. Another one of my hypo friends suggested this since she discovered it about herself and I found it to be true for me too.

You know that is very helpful. I do not know that all of my systems are in good shape. They keep testing me for diabetes so the insulin thing may be an avenue I need to pursue. I have 3 leaky heart valves and will need to have them replaced in a couple of years or so they say, I also need knee surgery which I keep putting off from an old dance injury. I have a bunch of health issues I didn't include in my post b/c I was afraid of being told I was making excuses and low and behold I was accused of that anyway. I left out that while I did exercise in the summer I'd have to ice my knee b/c it is extremely painful and swells. I have to wear a knee brace.

I have leaky valves, hypo and atrophied muscles in my knees... we have a lot in common. Feel free to add me, maybe we can help in each other if we find something that helps.

mrsmcmo

My apologies to the OP, I didn't mean to make you feel bad at all, just trying to offer a bit of perspective. We all have tough days, and I'm truly sorry that you had one yesterday. I'm sure you can agree that we all have priorities in life. Sometimes exercising is one, sometimes it isn't - for everyone! My advice would be just to do what you can as far as exercise is concerned, when you have the time and energy to get it done. All we can do is give our best. The small things make a difference - parking farther away from the door, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking to the store instead of driving, whatever you can do.

lindsey1979

Wow. Looking for support not to be knocked down further. I do that enough to myself thanks. Also, I typed that while at work. I think the people around me would think I was crazy if I started doing jumping jacks next to my desk in a skirt and heels. You don't know me or how hard I do try to find time to exercise.

Unfortunately, knocking people down on the forums is a fun past time for some. I don't understand that behavior either. But, there are some good people out here too. Just find those good folks, friend them, and stick to the friend feed/groups (which are much kinder and supportive in general) rather than the forums. Unless you're a masochist like me

lindsey1979

A lot of us that are hypo definitely seem to struggle more. One of the things that really helped me was discovering that in addition to the hypo, I had other issues -- I'd developed insulin resistance (which my doc said is common for those with long untreated or undertreated thyroid problems as it's a way the body compensates) as well as huge vitamin deficiencies in both magnesium and Vitamin D (which has also been linked to difficulty losing weight when you're deficient). So, I'd ask if you know if all your other systems are good -- insulin resistance/glucose metabolism, adrenals, liver, vitamin deficiencies (D, magnesium, iron, iodine, etc.).

I also eat Primal (less restrictive version of Paleo where dairy is permitted if it agrees with you) and I found that when I got all my stuff worked out and ate Primally, the weight started coming off. A little slower than average, but within the realm of normal. But if I add back in grains or too many carbs, I totally stall. The grains are likely setting of my thyroid since I have Hashi's and gluten is a common trigger for it. And the carbs are probably due to the insulin resistance -- it's getting better with the weight loss and I hope when I get to my goal weight that I'm back to normal levels and can incorporate more carbs into my diet (right now, I keep them below 100/day, so low-ish but not keto low).

I also find that when I'm working out fairly hard, I need to take a recovery week more often or I start seeing hypo signs again. So every 4-6 weeks, I step back from the heavy lifting and weekly or bi-weekly sprint sessions and just walk. That seems to reset things and I start losing again. Another one of my hypo friends suggested this since she discovered it about herself and I found it to be true for me too.

this was very helpful to me I just recently found out this is why my weight loss stalled. I was running 15-20 miles a day. eating 1200 + a little for the running and sometimes gaining weight. When I get my numbers back I'm going to try playing around with primal eating.

I had that same experience. I've seen talk about how chronic high end cardio can cause inflammation and that can stall weight loss. I trained for and ran a half marathon and didn't lose a lb, while averaging less than 1500 calories per day (that's below my expected BMR). I ran it with the extra 40 lbs the whole time. Super frustrating.

I ditched the running and put in similar miles walking/hiking (took much longer obviously) along with once or twice weekly hill sprints (HIIT) along with the 2-3 times of heavy lifting (which I was doing while also running) and the weight start to come off normally...finally. A little slower than average, but it was going. So, it made a huge difference for me.

CherylOMY

I have hypothyroidism and am post menopausal, so I can safely say my metabolism is pretty slow. With that said, I went from 158 to 127. It was slow, but I definitely didn't have to go under 1200 cals per day. I think if you do, you aren't doing your metabolism any favors. I don't eat all my excersize cals back tho.
I would recommend that you build muscle to help and try to incorporate exercise into your daily routine,

CherylOMY

I've also personally found that I *NEED* to exercise to lose the weight. Just creating a calorie deficit through diet alone doesn't work for me unless the calories are dangerously low, and that's not a good solution to the problem. But when I'm consistently exercising -- even if it's just walks -- I'll see more results from the same deficit. I'm not sure if it's tied to the thyroid specifically or the insulin resistance (since exercise increases insulin sensitivity). This may be your issue as well.

So, I know some here love to say it's all about the deficit and it doesn't matter how you create it (i.e. you don't need to exercise but just eat less). I've found that not to be the case for me. And I started with 35 lbs or so to lose (and only have 12 more to go or so). So you may be in that same spot.

^^^^^ YES!! I think this totally applies to me as well. The scale doesn't budge if I don't exercise (and I don't eat my exercise calories back). I attribute it to age, and hormones. I do have to add that when I started this, I really didn't think it would work. In fact, the first week or so, I gained .8 of a lb, but I stuck with it and it did work (much to my surprise).

CarKiller2013

I would definitely suggest a FULL thyroid panel. If your endocrinologist won't do it (many old school doctors won't), find a integrative doctor that will. Taking all the synthroid in the world won't help if you don't convert it right. There are probably underlying issues other than no time to exercise. You should still be able to take off weight by cutting calories if your thyroid is working properly. I take liothyronine, synthroid, D3 and selenium all for my hypo issues. Granted, losing still isn't a piece of cake, but I just need to stop taking nibbles of things here and there. Because every bite counts! You can do it...good luck.

^^^THIS

Make sure you're getting a COMPLETE thyroid panel, not just TSH. I am hypo due to Hashimoto's and ended up firing my endo and switching to an osteopath. She not only makes sure my numbers are optimal, not only "in normal range", she also had me do a elimination diet to figure out food sensitivities. I'm on Levothyroxine, liothyroine, selenium, zinc, and curcumin and am finally beginning to feel normal. Good luck to you!

dawniee

I'm with you!! Just found out I've been Hypo for a long time, I also tapped out my adrenals. I have severe low cortisol on top of hypothyroid. I just getting on Armour and MANY other things. I would do to FULL THYROID PANEL, TEST MINERAL DEFICIANCYS, MTHRF Mutation, Adrenal test. Take your temp~~~ test your temp for 5 days at 3pm and see if your temp is between 98.2-98.6. if not your definitely not on enough meds or you need to support those adrenals too~ if your temp varies within .2 degrees on the 5 days you DO have weak adrenals. If the temp is low and steady its just a thyroid issue. But if you temp isn't where it should be your still hypo.


I've been going thru a nightmare of health issues for 3 years. I finally just found Stop the Thyroid Madness book and it changed my life! Check out her website. Her book helped me to truly figure out all of what my body needs to recover. I am still really weak right now but I have cut Gluten, SOY ( attacks your thyroid), and corn. I did cut out dairy but find I'm not sensitive to it thru an elimination diet. I take 3000 mg of vitamin C, 250 mg selenium,23 mg iron supplement, 5000 iu;s Vitamin D, and Iodine drops.

Do not take ANY Iron, calcium, magnesium or zinc within 4 hours of taking your thyroid meds or it literally steals for the it. I take them at lunch and dinner.

I still am trying to lose weight but nothing is happening except going up I been trying to lose 25 lbs for 2 years~ I'm praying with the thyroid and andrenal support it will start going in the right direction.

JenMc14

Sneak in any extra movement when you can. There are lots of 10 minute videos out there as well. Log your food. Don't so this so your husband things you're hot, do it for you, for your owns reasons. I don't know a ton about hypothyroidism, but I follow Molly Galbraith on Facebook, she's a fitness professional who progresses body positivity, and she has Hashimotos, and mentions it now and then. You might find her inspiring. Mollygalbraith.com.

trbkjb

Update: In September 2014 when I first wrote this post i was seeking help and several comments were just plain rude. As a result it sent me into tears and I totally gave up. I was in all honesty doing my absolute best at that time and seeking some genuine advice. Fast forward to now last May I decided i would try again and i did. i saw some weight loss, but not as much as i had hoped. My doctor decided to prescribe Phentermine to assist me. I have had some success on my own, but it is difficult to say the least and according to my doctor a qualified physician and not someone sitting behind a computer looking to tear people apart, my health conditions are what has been hindering my weight loss. Although I didn't want to turn to a drug to help me my doctor felt that i had done everything i could on my own. So far I have been able to lose weight. My doctor is very pleased. The reason I am updating this is because I am hopeful that the person/persons who discouraged me will realize that your words really do affect people sometimes negatively. Emotionally i was extremely fragile and your comments utterly devastated me. This should be a place of encouragement not discouragement. The challenges of losing weight may be specific to my individual health issues, but they are real and shouldn't be dismissed so easily. To everyone who spoke words of encouragement i sincerely thank you. You may never read this, but your words meant a lot. Also anyone suffering with hypothyroidism i strongly suggest looking up Dr. Wentz. She is totally awesome and adrenal fatigue is very real. I am taking vitamins to not only support my thyroid, but also to help my adrenal glands. I am positive and happy and well on my way to reaching my healthy weight. Good luck to everyone still trying. You can do it and do not be discouraged by negative people. And to anyone who does not suffer from hypothyroidism or adrenal fatigue you really shouldn't respond to posts you know nothing about. Only people who have these issues can relate to the struggle and believe me the struggle is real. God bless.