Suuuuper frustrated. Post Thyroidectomy Blues.

peasantsong

Let me preface this by giving you a little background on me:
1.) I have no thyroid. I had a total thyroidectomy 2 months ago and I am on replacement therapy.
2.) I have only been on my meds 2 month and while I am testing in the normal range, I don't feel quite right. My endo said it is normal to feel this way since I was hyper before. I am scheduled to come in every 3 months to re-check my levels until I feel better
3.) I am vitamin D deficient, but I am taking prescription vitamin D to bring me back up to normal.
4.) I'm a vegetarian and that is not changing. I know all about the soy / thyroid medication interaction and I do not eat any soy products until well at least 4 hours after I've taken my meds.
5.) I recently changed my macros to 30% Carbs / 40% Protien / 30% Fat. I rarely meet my protein intake because my calories are too low, but I try to get at least 100g a day.
6.) I am tracking measurements. No changes so far.

So I've been reading all over MFP about this road map and BMR and increasing calories to lose weight and I am just so frustrated! I love hearing about how this works for everyone and I would be very interested in trying it myself since I'm pretty sick of restricting to 1330-1350 cals/day, but since I am so new to this hypothyroidism thing, I honestly have no clue how to go about finding my BMR. I don't know how accurate all these road maps and calculators are for someone like me. I've been following the NROLFW plan for the past 3 weeks and apparently a "normal" person should be eating more than I do, but should I? I'm losing weight... kind of. It just feels different. Harder. Much much harder than it ever was before to lose weight. I feel like I am losing and gaining the same 5 lbs over and over again. Maybe it's because I'm weight lifting? Maybe I'm retaining water (common with hypothyroidism)? Maybe I'm actually eating too much because my metabolism is low due to the hypothyroidism? Maybe I'm not eating enough? There's just so many variables and I feel confused and alone in funky thyroid land.

So, my diary is open if you want to check it out. I am hoping that this awesome community has some insight or advice for someone like me. And if you don't have any advice, just some plain old encouragement would be awesome, too. Thanks so much!

JessyJ03

My uncle had a complete removal a few months ago as well (he has Thyroid cancer). The weight will be an issue until you get your meds in the correct place. The doctors will slowly start to increase you as they test to see where your levels are. I know being hyperthyroid before makes it a lot easier to lose weight (my uncle had no problem dropping 5+ lbs a week), but now that you are hypothyroid the process is going to be considerably slower.

Just stick with it and remember to check in with your doctors often. If they think it's important for you to lose the weight they may increase your meds to help move you forward (they did this for my uncle).

Good luck.

cindygretz

My family practitioner and I had a nice long talk about my TSH levels, my weight and other hypothyroid symptoms, and how I felt in general when she wanted to lower my dose of synthroid. I knew what would happen if she did lower it (I'd feel like crap!) and I was determined to fight her tooth and nail on it.

She did some research and called me back into her office to tell me that there is a 'growing trend' in the train of thought that TSH 'normal' isn't the same for every woman, and many women don't find relief from they hypothyroid symptoms until their TSH is well below 'accepted' normal. Maybe have this discussion with your endo?

peasantsong

Cindy, I'm pretty sure that keeping my TSH at the low end of normal and keeping my free T3 and T4 at the upper end of normal is what my doc has planned. Unfortunately, since I was hyper before my TT, and because my surgery was only 2 months ago, my TSH is still reading below normal so there's not much we can do to get my levels corrected until my body stabilizes from the surgery. Which will take a few months, I think. Regardless, I agree with your sound advice and I will continue to be an advocate for my body and not let the doctor use my lab work to tell me how I should feel.

gaylaworrell

I was diagnosed with Graves' in 2000 and had my thyroid completely removed in 2010. During those 10 years, I lost and gained about 100 lbs, twice. I'm quite a bit older than you and, I imagine, have different weight issues, but I have many of the same reference points when it comes to some of this.

One of the big advantages that I think we have with all of this is that we're really very good at listening to what our bodies are telling us. I can usually come pretty close to guessing what my TSH is just by the way I feel! Because of that, I've also gotten pretty good and listening to what my body is telling me when it comes to diet and exercise.

If your levels are testing normal, I would say go with the standard BMR that the calculators say, adjust your calorie intake based the on NROLFW plan and see how you feel. Don't just use the numbers on the scale or your measurements. Use a combination of how your clothes feel, if you're moving easier, if you *feel* stronger and your actual weight and measurements.

I can say, without a doubt, that 1330-1350 is way too low no matter your size. If you're following NROLFW, take a closer look at the nutrition section. Don't be afraid to eat more, you need the fuel. Follow what the program says for a few weeks and see what the results are. If it's not good, come back and ask more questions. There are a ton of people here who like to tell folks what to do!

Also, I don't know how long you've had Graves' but if it's been any length of time, there's a good possibility that you've suffered some muscle loss. As you work to build those up again through lifting, you will probably see some weird numbers on the scale.

Most importantly, be patient. I have to remind myself often that the process of rehabbing myself is not a short term project. It took awhile to get here, it will take a while to get back.

peasantsong

Gayla,

Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply! It was super helpful and informative and it really is a relief to have someone who can understand my situation! I was diagnosed with Graves in April 2011 and I definitely felt the muscle wasting happen to me. That is actually the reason I decided on to begin the NROLFW plan in the first place – because I feel weak. I could barely walk up the stairs to my apartment. I couldn’t open a water bottle to save my life. I expected there to be some fluctuations in my weight due to lifting but I didn’t expect to basically not lose any weight (I haven’t logged my weight today, but I’ve gained a few lbs this week and now I’m basically back at my starting weight). My levels are indeed testing normal, but I’ve only had them tested once since my TT so I’m not sure if they’re holding steady or if they’re going down. I suspect they’re going down since I feel pretty icky. I don’t feel comfortable going up to the 1800-2000 cal that NROLFW and the other calculators tell me to do. I am afraid! I straight up gained 15lbs in the 6 weeks following my TT. I am traumatized from that experience. I felt out of control and I don’t want to gain any more weight. I suppose I should concede though that if what I’m doing isn’t working, I need to try something else. Additionally, even if it meant that I would never lose a pound in my life, I am unwilling to eat less than what I am eating now so I guess the only place I have to go is up. I will take your advice and try increasing my intake for a little bit.

And thank you for reminding me to be patient. I felt like I had a handle on how I was feeling and what it meant when I was hyper, but life after a TT is a whole new world for me and I must be patient. My husband feels like I’m being too hard on myself and maybe he’s right…

peasantsong

Ok. So I decided to raise my intake to 1500/ day after thinking about the replies here and going through all those neato calculators again. The Scooby's workshop one is the one I used. I remain skeptical that this will work for me, but I'm willing to try. We'll see how this goes!

kelaya00

Hi

I also had a total thyroidectomy on Jan 30 and although I gained allot of weight prior to the surgery. I am always tired and do not have any energy. I have not been released by the doctor yet to go back to work or to workout so I feel like I am stuck. I really need to lose weight and soon.... I am looking for suggestions.

peasantsong

Hi Kelaya! You just had surgery and I remember how I felt after surgery so I would really just recommend you relax and take it easy. You can start working on your diet for sure, in fact I recommend that! I gained weight like crazy fast right after my surgery! But I would ease into a workout routine slowly over time. I had my surgery 8 weeks ago and I only started working out 2 weeks ago. About the weight loss - I'm just as lost as you are. But hopefully we can figure it out. I think I've figured out how to stop GAINING weight so there's a plus at least!

laughter91

First off, hang in there! I have not had a thyroidectomy, but I have been hypothyroid for about 12 years, navigating through numerous dosage changes during and after the three pregnancies I had during that time. It will get easier! FWIW, when my hormones have been in flux, my doc usually checks every 6-8 weeks, so that we can make dosage changes more quickly. I've been amazed at how much my TSH can change in that time. I'd want to be a little more aggressive with the blood draws if you are not feeling like the levels are right. For me, extra low early morning temps, numbness in my arms when sleeping and hair loss are good indicators that I need a higher dose and hearing my pulse when I'm trying to fall asleep is a good indicator that my dose is too high. I'm sure you'll start to pick up on your own signs.

(Not sure if this is helpful, but I'm at a similar weight to you and am on 137 mcg right now and have been going back and forth between that and 150 mcg ever since my last pregnancy. I have also done the combo of T3 and T4, which worked really well for a few years. My doc tries to keep my TSH between 0.25 and 0.5, since I seem to feel the best when I'm in that range, although of course T3 and T4 levels are also a factor.) Great job on your weight loss so far! Seems like you are super determined!