Thyroid disease and weight loss

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24

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  • The_New_Christina
    The_New_Christina Posts: 818 Member
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    I also struggle with hypothyroid. Add me if you like
  • CleanEatingLlama
    CleanEatingLlama Posts: 10 Member
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    Hashimoto's diagnosed at age 16 (13 years ago). Poor eating choices and lack of exercise (and a failing thyroid) ALL contributed to my 60-pound weight gain.

    It took about 2 years to get most of it off, but now the last 15 pounds is really tough. I've had to make a lot of "quality changes" to my diet, like eating mostly "clean" foods (that is, trying to avoid too many processed foods, sugar, and flour). Reducing my intake of those types of foods has helped me tremendously in getting leaner and feeling more energetic.

    See my blog: http://clean-eating-llama.blogspot.com/

    It hasn't been updated in about six months (I have a very sick family member), but I will update it again soon. My story is written on there pretty clearly.
  • cmpollard01
    cmpollard01 Posts: 246
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    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!
  • Michelle_Marie1
    Michelle_Marie1 Posts: 1
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    Hi,
    I also have had hypothyroidism since I was 16 years old. (18 years old now) My medicine says to be taken 30 minutes before I have breakfast in the morning, so I try to do that as much as possible since it is supposed to give me more energy. More energy...more calories I am likely to burn!
    Please feel free to add me!
  • Majunta
    Majunta Posts: 575
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    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.
  • mittensofdoom
    mittensofdoom Posts: 69 Member
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    When to take your levothyroxine:

    You can take it whenever you want. It's recommended to take it in the AM since it might boost your energy and keep you up but that's not a requirement. It is a requirement to take it on an empty stomach for absorption. Soy can affect absorption so they key is making sure you eat more or less the same amount of soy. Taking it 30-60 minutes before your morning caffeine is fine.
  • melgurrl
    melgurrl Posts: 1
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    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 :)
  • nance1109
    nance1109 Posts: 25 Member
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    You can take your meds whenever you are going to remember to take them. Here is the key...you must take them around the same time every day (it your a little late or early once in awhile that is fine). You can take them an hour before a meal or at least 2 hours after. Do not eat or drink grapefruit juice any time close to when you take you thyroid meds.

    I take mine as soon as I wake when I brush my teeth in the morning. Then by the time I am ready for work it has been about 45 minutes. I pack my breakfast and lunch and eat when I get to the office. Sometimes I do forget :( and then I just wait until 2 hours after eating and take the meds.

    You will get used to taking them when it works for you. Good Luck!
  • kmm7309
    kmm7309 Posts: 802 Member
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    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!
  • FindingFit127
    FindingFit127 Posts: 69 Member
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    I have hypothyroidism.. It runs in my family my grandpa, mom, Aunt renee, and cousin tracey all have it and I got diagnosed with it when i was 16! After i had my son it really went out of whack and my meds had to be increased a ton..
    Feel free to add me!
  • linz1125
    linz1125 Posts: 441 Member
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    I have been dealing with thyroid problems for about 10 years now. When I was 19 I was diagnosed hashi motos hypothyroid with goiters. I finally begged to have my thyroid removed and it was a good thing I did, because it was cancerous.

    I did need to adjust during my pregnancy and while breastfeeding. I am no longer BF'ing so we are working on getting my levels right. Please add me if you want - the thyroid is a tricky thing to control!
  • dingodango
    dingodango Posts: 2 Member
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    I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis about 20 years ago. As much as I would like to blame my thyroid for my weight issues, I cannot. If you can get your thyroid levels corrected through medication, and then you are honest with yourself and follow a healthy diet and make exercise part of your daily routine...just like brushing your teeth, you will see a change.
  • KCtoCapeCod
    KCtoCapeCod Posts: 17
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    I have hypo and it wasn't until this past year that I was finally able to get all my levels to get within normal range. Since then I've lost 40 pounds. It took YEARS to figure out the correct dose for my body. Now I feel better than ever!
  • dholloway115
    dholloway115 Posts: 3
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    I'm glad a lot of other women have more problems with their thyroid after babies. Does it get worse and worse after each baby? I want to have another after I reach my goal weight. :D
  • dramstad
    dramstad Posts: 3 Member
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    MFPs,

    Thank you so much for sharing. I learned one new thing and was reminded of one important thing. Someone mentioned the impact of coffee on thyroid med absorbtion which was a new learning. I was able to read about on Mary Shomon's about page (thyroid.about.com) which is what needed to be reminded to do. :smile:

    In reading about coffee and synthyroid, I learned that it wasn't tested to determine if decaf made a difference. Because I have strong circadian rhythms, I haven't needed morning caffine for years so I wait until lunch for my caffinated 2 cups--afternoon sluggishness is a real problem for me--and sip decaf for pleasure in the morning while I do the writing part of my job. I will be switching to water in that first hour and saving my first cup of the day to go with my oatmeal. Maybe I will even figure out how to sip water instead of coffee as I write!

    There was also quite a bit of discussion about switching to bed time meds, but I couldn't find anything about how long after eating dinner or an evening snack/dessert one should wait before taking night time meds. Therefore, I am going to wait on that until after my next labs and see if switching out how I enjoy my coffee doesn't help the food tracking and exercize result in that 1-2 pounds per week.

    BTW, morning routines that I learned about from the FlyLady (www.flylady.net) help that hour between meds and eating go pretty quickly since I use that time to dress, make the bed, do my laundry, and walk the dog. None of that requires being at all alert. I use the timer on my cell phone to track when it is done.

    Finally, did you hear that Mary Shomon is offering a free four week course on diet and hypothyroid at her about page? I signed up, don't know how it will go, but it is worth a try.
  • jbriscoe9480
    jbriscoe9480 Posts: 17 Member
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    Ooohh!!! ME ME ME!!! I had this crazy reverse Graves disease that caused me to gain 60lbs!! I hated it!! But now im under control and trying to lose weight. I have zero motivation to exercise though. :yawn:
  • jbriscoe9480
    jbriscoe9480 Posts: 17 Member
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    How do you stay motivated?
  • wtlos4me
    wtlos4me Posts: 39 Member
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    I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's recently and have been on thyroid meds for about 7 years. The doctor's don't really tell you what to expect, or how your body gets messed up with an imbalanced thyroid. So I agree with some of the other comments, read everthing you can and become your own advocate.

    I will say that weight loss is possible if you do the work, staying with your goals on calorie intake and exercise. Also, eliminating sugar's and increasing proteins, and low carb veggies with additional exercise has been my magic bullet for getting past the slumps in weight loss.

    Feel free to add me as a friend, and good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • kaotik26
    kaotik26 Posts: 590 Member
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    No tricks, no excuses. Take your meds and do what the doc told you to do. Otherwise the weight loss is all the same.
  • runzalot81
    runzalot81 Posts: 782 Member
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    Can we take the meds at night? I have always been told to take it first thing in the morning and not to eat until an hour after. That seems to throw off all my meals though b/c I'm not having breakfast till 10 or 11. A friend and I were today were talking about taking it at night but I just wasn't sure if it would still work. Has anyone had a doctor say it was ok? I know they say morning b/c it keeps some people up but it doesn't cause me any sleep problems. I have also considered setting an alarm at 6am taking it and going back to bed. Any ideas?

    My doctor ok'd it years ago. I had been taking it in the morning for years and my levels were fluctuating all the time.She asked me a bunch of questions like when I ate in the morning... did I drink coffee & when. She told me I needed to take the meds on an empty stomach and no caffeine for at least an hour. I asked if I could take them at bedtime and she said it may interfere with my sleep, but it didn't and my levels began to level out.

    It helped a lot!
    I take mine at night.

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