Thyroid disease and weight loss

I started on my journey 2 weeks ago. I have Hasimotos thyroiditis. I'm not even thinking about the thyroid anymore. Its not my throat that's my problem, it's what I'm shoving down it! :-)

I've had thyroid problems since I was 18 (22) now and my daughter only made things worse. Before I had her I was taking .5 mg and while pregnant I never had to take any meds for my levels to be right on track. While pregnant I gained about 60 lbs and an additional 10 after her. My doctor and I found out after having her my levels went crazy. I'm now on 250 mcg and still don't have my levels under control. She's almost 2 and I don't want her to see my as unhealthy as I am. If anyone has any tips I would love to hear them as well!

Do any of you know what foods are the worst for people with thyroid problems?

I also have Hasimotos thyroiditis. I have had throid problems for almost 30 yrs and have been on drugs that long. I have had weight problems since, and other medical stuff which caused a bunch of weight gain. I too am going to work past it. I have read a couple things about iodine/iodide supplementation, so I am contemplating it... Dr Oz had a blurb about raspberry concentrate, I am looking in to that too.
Good luck to all of us!

Yuppers! I had hypothyroid when I was 23 years old (Hoshimoto's diease)...then last summer I had thyroid cancer. My entire thyroid was removed. I continue to stay on synthroid (I will not do generic for my thyroid).... One thing I have in my corner is an awesome endocronologist... I am also a diabetic... Both are controlled very well.

I have lost 44 pounds since March... So weightloss is achievable....I may say its a little harder, but it can be done!

I would suggest having your levels checked regularly and have a thyroid ultrasound done every other year (if no problems).

You can friend me if you like (anyone else can as well)

I also have Hachimoto's and apparently have since I hit puberty... at least according to the doctor who diagnosed me at 19. All the signs were there but instead of having me checked out... I became the family joke/pariah due to sleep issues & erratic behaviour. FUN FUN!

Just an FYI if you don't know... caffeine prevents the absorption of the thyroid meds. I take mine when I got to bed, roughly 2 hours after I've eaten and at least 7/8 hours before my VERY important morning coffee... aaaahhhh....

I've also read that soy, in all forms, disrupts the absorption of the meds but then my current doctor (she's the best doc on the planet. I SWEAR!!) told me to take them on an empty stomach. Hence the bedtime routine.

When I became a patient of my current doctor I was 4.5 months pregnant with my daughter (16 now). I told her about the thyroid problem, she tested me and it had completely disappeared... until my daughter was 4 months old and it came back with a vengeance! UGH!!

Since I hit puberty my weight has steadily increased some of it due to 2 pregnancies and the difficulties that came after them. Some of it due to the fact that my thyroid levels are constantly in flux... some of it due to the lack of routine in my life during my late teens to mid-twenties resulting in my not remembering to take my meds... some due to the freedom of being able to eat whatever I want once I left home... and finally the remainder of it due to... believe it or not... NOT eating on a regular basis.

I'm trying not to watch the scale even though I'd like it to move OUT of the 290s and into the 150s, instead I'm concentrating on losing inches and just getting healthier. Having the thyroid issues for as long as I have puts me at high risk for heart & liver disease and all the other fun stuff that goes along with hypothyroidism... and it's all made worse by the excessive weight.

In the past three weeks I've lost 3 pounds and 6 inches all over. I've been to the gym everyday for the past 9 days and am currently in a "100 days in the gym" challenge with a gf of mine.

I would love to exchange exercise and diet tips as well as words of encouragement with you ladies! Feel free to add me.

Best wishes to all of you!

I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis, diagnosed in '07. I assumed that my Dr. knew exactly how to take care of me, I took my med's in the morning, but was never told about other med's interfering, so I wasn't doing it right until just recently. It turns out that I haven't been given the best care possible for this disease/condition. So I've decided that it's time for me to take control and become my own advocate. Thanks to Mary Shomon - thyroid.about.com, I am learning more about my condition and how to take care of myself.

I highly recommend all of you check out this website. It's packed with information. I've been suffering with symptoms for years now that I didn't know were a direct result of my thyroid not functioning. My med's have NEVER relieved all of my symptoms, just lessened some of them, and others are still raging out of control. I thought I was just getting older and that I would just have to get used to not feeling good anymore. After reading almost every single thing about this disease I can get my hands on, I'm about to start a campaign on my behalf to get the care I NEED.

To answer one question I saw, yes you can take your med's at night, as long as you have a "mostly" empty stomach for better absorption. I'm taking such a broad range of vitamins, herbs and other med's, that I too was having to eat breakfast at almost lunch time in order for me to get all my drugs in me before eating. So, I'm now switching things up a bit and taking my Synthyroid just before I go to sleep. I'm pretty positive that this is going to help me a great deal.

I do have a question for any of you with a thyroid problem. Do you find that you don't just plateau after a short period of time on a new diet, but that you hit a wall and can't get around it? Since 2001 I have tried repeatedly to lose weight. Every single diet I have tried will only work for about 2 or 3 months then I slam into that WALL, hard. I continue dieting with no results for months more until I finally get so frustrated that I quit eating healthy and fall back into my bad eating habits. Many times I have maintained the initial weight loss for up to a year, but eventually I gain it back again, though I have never gone back to my all time highest weight of 245 lbs.

I suspect that my thyroid is what makes me hit that wall and just won't budge once it's there. I can't even recall all the different diet plans I have tried in the last 12 years. Off the top of my head I would guess at least 8. Same exact results, lose weight for 2 to 3 months, then it stops. Today is my second day on a diet that my new Dr recommended called the 17 day diet. I'm down 2 lbs in just one day, and I can only hope that it continues.

Thanks for listening...I just needed to vent a little because I'm so frustrated with my raging out of control symptoms and a Dr that will only prescribe drugs based on a stupid blood test instead of how I feel. I'm currently seeking a new Dr that will listen.

I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis, diagnosed in '07. I assumed that my Dr. knew exactly how to take care of me, I took my med's in the morning, but was never told about other med's interfering, so I wasn't doing it right until just recently. It turns out that I haven't been given the best care possible for this disease/condition. So I've decided that it's time for me to take control and become my own advocate. Thanks to Mary Shomon - thyroid.about.com, I am learning more about my condition and how to take care of myself.

I highly recommend all of you check out this website. It's packed with information. I've been suffering with symptoms for years now that I didn't know were a direct result of my thyroid not functioning. My med's have NEVER relieved all of my symptoms, just lessened some of them, and others are still raging out of control. I thought I was just getting older and that I would just have to get used to not feeling good anymore. After reading almost every single thing about this disease I can get my hands on, I'm about to start a campaign on my behalf to get the care I NEED.

To answer one question I saw, yes you can take your med's at night, as long as you have a "mostly" empty stomach for better absorption. I'm taking such a broad range of vitamins, herbs and other med's, that I too was having to eat breakfast at almost lunch time in order for me to get all my drugs in me before eating. So, I'm now switching things up a bit and taking my Synthyroid just before I go to sleep. I'm pretty positive that this is going to help me a great deal.

I do have a question for any of you with a thyroid problem. Do you find that you don't just plateau after a short period of time on a new diet, but that you hit a wall and can't get around it? Since 2001 I have tried repeatedly to lose weight. Every single diet I have tried will only work for about 2 or 3 months then I slam into that WALL, hard. I continue dieting with no results for months more until I finally get so frustrated that I quit eating healthy and fall back into my bad eating habits. Many times I have maintained the initial weight loss for up to a year, but eventually I gain it back again, though I have never gone back to my all time highest weight of 245 lbs.

I suspect that my thyroid is what makes me hit that wall and just won't budge once it's there. I can't even recall all the different diet plans I have tried in the last 12 years. Off the top of my head I would guess at least 8. Same exact results, lose weight for 2 to 3 months, then it stops. Today is my second day on a diet that my new Dr recommended called the 17 day diet. I'm down 2 lbs in just one day, and I can only hope that it continues.

Thanks for listening...I just needed to vent a little because I'm so frustrated with my raging out of control symptoms and a Dr that will only prescribe drugs based on a stupid blood test instead of how I feel. I'm currently seeking a new Dr that will listen.

I experience that stall ALL THE TIME!! Then when I stop writing down everything that goes into my mouth my weight skyrockets... AGAIN!! The only time I didn't hit that wall was when I was grazing... little bits all day long and going out dancing three days a week (not a big drinker).

I've restarted logging everything I eat just 10 days ago and I now hit the gym everyday and log that as well. I would love to lose weight... and I'm talking a LOT of weight but right now I'd just concentrating on getting fit. I'm hoping that as I get fitter and my shape changes that the weight will look after itself... wishful thinking maybe? :happy:

My weight went all wonky after my daughter was born. It just piled on, regardless of what I did. Up until an accident I suffered 5 years ago I was very active and walked every day and went to the gym 4-5 times a week. I have done no exercise for the last 2 years. I did go back and did a workout I had been doing before and found that I could easily keep up with the group and felt good during and after the workout.

A year ago I was diagnosed with cancer and my thyroid was removed. Have been on meds since. My meds have not stabilized my condition and my levels are all over the place. Due to the thyroid meds I suffered a very deep dark depression for about 6 months. Won't go there.

I take my synthroid in the morning along with my other meds. It is convenient for me even if sometimes I was them down with coffee. I sometimes take more meds in the afternoon (not thyroid) and then take my bedtime meds. So, after listening to all of you, the best thing I can do is take my synthroid at bedtime. I drink coffee in the morning and that is all.

I find it hard to get motivated due to the meds, depression, and pain. I am also a Type 2 diabetic and have been since 2000. I take no diabetic meds and have always controlled it by diet and exercise. My glucose levels are very good, as is my BP, pulse, hear rate, etc. The only thing out of whack is my weight. I am trying to deal with issue now.

I have been at the same plateau for the last 4-5 years. I waffle with 5 lbs up and 5 lbs down. What I have noticed is that my clothes fit differently and need altering. Last summer I bought a new wardrobe and had many pieces altered. This summer I through out most of last years clothing and had the rest altered, again. And I bought more clothing in a smaller size. My body is shrinking but my scale number is staying the same.

I too have hypothyroidism and struggle with weight loss, I cannot seem to loose the weight, no matter how hard I try. I even had the gastric sleeve! But it can be done, I feel for you! Add me if you need some encouragement!

So well said......and true for me, too!

I also struggle with hypothyroid. Add me if you like

It's nice to know there are other people going thru the same thing! I was diagnosed w/hypothyroidism a little over a year ago. They had me on Sythroid until recently, when they were kind enough to switch me to a generic that is way more affordable (otherwise, I wouldn't be able to take it!). BC started my weight gain, but I have had the worst time trying to lose weight in the last 11 years. I seem to have found what works using MFP, eating better, and making myself stop listening to my own excuses.

I'm so glad to know I can take my meds at night! I exercise first thing in the morning, but if I take my pill-with the amount of water I'm supposed to-I get so sick when I work out. It's like a belly full of jiggly water...UGH! And I've slacked off on taking my Vitamin B-which helps with my migraines-because I can't take the two at the same time! I'm going to try taking it at night (thanks to all the fabulous suggestions) and see if that helps!

Thank you ALL so much for the responses you've left...I seem to be a little newer to thyroid issues than most here, and it helps to know I have so many people I can ask my questions to now!

I was diagnosed with Graves disease which causes hyperthyroidism 7 years ago, however, gained weight at the site of food. While I agree that the Graves disease was not the sole cause of my weight gain (even though with hyPER thryroid I should've been a rail) it was and still is a contributing factor. I find difficult to lose weight and hit hard, hard walls on my plateaus. My condition still has not stablized; my tests are different every quarter. However, I do set my morning pill alarm to minimize instability! I have to take my pill at the same time every day or my levels are really whacked.

I've also read the same thing about the caffine affecting the absorbstion.

I'll send you a friend request. Any others out there struggling with weightloss and thyroid disease, feel free to friend me.

I have the same problem. My endocrinologist put me on a no carb diet consisting mostly of fruits, veggies and protien. I managed to loose 25 lbs in little more than a month. Ask your doc about it. It has worked for me

I have hypothyroid, and I'm on levoxyl. I also have PCOS, so I have a double whammy to deal with.

Stay away from soy has been a good tip for me.

I've lost 46 pounds since March, so you can certainly lose if you are properly medicated. I don't have health insurance, so I have a doctor who can barely get the blood work read, let alone work diligently with me to beat this. I've seemed to be doing pretty well on my own though.

Feel free to add me!