Weight loss and Hypothyroidism

There is a Discussion group for Hypothyroidism. Check that out because there is a ton of info there.

I was diagnosed as Hypo in 2006. I'm on 125 mcg of Levothyroxine and have been for about a year and a half. Losing weight is hard, but it can be done. There are a few things that you can do to help.

Keep your calories low exercise with lots of Cardio and weight lifting. The exercise will also help with the depression. I know it did for me. You will have to work twice as hard as anyone else will, but if you are willing to do the work it can be done. Stay away from carbs from anything with sugar or white bread, potatoes and things like that. Watch your sodium intake to reduce water retention, too. Drink lots of water.

I started at 284 three months ago. I have been at that weight for almost 3 years. I lost about 70 lbs in 2005, before I was diagnosed, by working out like a crazy woman and starving myself. Then I got burned out and quit and gained the 70 back in 6 months! No joke there, I have it documented. Plus added 50 more on top of that over the next year. I felt miserable for years. Mad at myself for getting that way, scared to lose a few because I lose 5 and gain 10 and couldn't afford do do that anymore.

You can do this. You just have to do the work, be prepared and stay committed. You can send me a friend request if you want, too.

It can be hard to get your levels balanced and what might look right by the numbers might still not be quite right for you. Not only that, but in my opinion, balanced thyroxine levels will only bring you back to 'normal', back on par with the general population. And they all struggle to lose weight too.

What the others said, and congratulations for fighting so hard!
My medication is on par with my levels (or so it seems) i feel quite normal but i do have some symptoms and losing weight is a huge everyday battle! Fortunately i learned to love eating healthy and exercising! I am enjoying the journey and the slow results, even my rollercoaster-type weightloss.

Maybe your body just needs to get adjusted. When i plateaued (sorry for any spelling mistakes) in february i felt like it was the end of the world, my doctor didn't listen to me and nothing seemed to work. Two months after and up until know i have been seeing slow progress.

Be careeful with what you eat, some products could affect your medication dose, check the info on the case or label and see if there is something you have to stay away from. I'm on levothyroxine and I have to stay away from soy, iron supplements and I don't remember what else. I read yesterday here that broccoli, brussels sprouts and spinach aren't a good idea either (left me stunned! I have to check if that applies to my medication).

Best of luck!

what hmvanwink said is so good!!! So totally right on spot! I had problems for years and find that the only way even with medication that I can loose is low carbs. It sounds crazy, what ever else that I try I still do not loose any weight. Best of luck to you in this lifestyle it's hard but it can be done. I added sodium to my tickler that I can see I was blown away!


"Keep your calories low exercise with lots of Cardio and weight lifting. The exercise will also help with the depression. I know it did for me. You will have to work twice as hard as anyone else will, but if you are willing to do the work it can be done. Stay away from carbs from anything with sugar or white bread, potatoes and things like that. Watch your sodium intake to reduce water retention, too. Drink lots of water. "

Maybe I am abnormal, or maybe I just don't use my hypothyroidism as an excuse, but I think I can lose weight just like anyone else. I used to say it was so difficult for me to lose weight and would blame it on my thyroid, when really I was just lazy and wasn't doing anything about my eating or exercising. I was diagnosed at 13 with hypothyroidism and it was the lowest levels the doctors had seen, they got me regulated and struggled with my weight up until I actually took control. I am eating 1500 calories a day, I'm not cutting out anything specific from my diet. I try to keep my macros at 40/30/30. I am doing heavy lifting 3 days a week, and right now RI30 3 days a week. I have lost 24 lbs since August. I am meticulous about keeping my diary and I work my *kitten* off. It is totally possible to lose weight with an under active thyroid and I don't think it is any harder than any other person that actually stays dedicated.

You can do this! The weight you have gained in the last few days could just be your muscles retaining water. Give it time and you will see results! Add me if you would like

bump

A couple things I learned after being on Synthroid for over a year, which at least one person somewhat mentioned, you have to watch what you take with your meds. I have acid reflux and take prescription strength Prilosec, I also take a multivitamin which contains iron. My doctor also had me start taking ferrous sulfate 325 mg (an iron supplement) about a year after I started on the Synthroid. She never told me that I couldn't take all these things together, that was something I learned on my own. You shouldn't take iron or any type of antacids WITH your Synthroid. You *can,* however still take these other meds, you just have to wait at least 4 hours. So I take my Synthroid when I get up in the morning (on an empty stomach, as directed), I take my Prilosec at work, around lunch time, and I take my multivitamin and iron at night before bed (because you also can't take iron at the same time as antacid type meds). The iron (even the iron in the multivitamin) and the antacids can both interfere with the effectiveness of the Synthroid. And Synthroid can actually mess up your ferritin (iron retention) and iron levels, which is why many people on these medications need to take extra iron supplements.

I was diagnosed in 2010. I lost 40 lbs that year by working out 4-5 days per week and watching my calories. I have never really low-carbed, but I know a lot of hypo folks say they can't lose weight otherwise. Since we are each different, you may find you need to do lower carb, or you may not. After I lost the 40 lbs, I got busy and stopped working out. I gained back 15 of those lbs. I started watching my calories again (on this site this time) in January 2012. I started working out again on April 3. I was on a 6 days/week workout schedule (I have worked through 4 Jillian Michaels DVDs and I used to walk a lot as well) until a couple weeks ago, when I dropped down to 3-4 times/week. I reached my goal of 25 lbs lost August 18. Granted, I had a lot less to lose than you do currently, but I'm telling you all this so that you know that it CAN be done. It took me just over 19 weeks to lose 25 lbs, so that's an average of 1.3 lbs per week, which is a goodish pace. And there were weeks where I didn't record a loss, sometimes it went up. Seriously, just keep working at it, strive to have a better day each day. I also subscribe to the "eat more to weigh less" philosophy, which is another group to check into here on MFP. I have my maintenance calories set at 1800 now, may still need to tweak that a bit, we shall see... But I was eating around 1600 per day and still losing.

Congratulations on beating cancer! I wish you much success on this road. You can do it!

Maybe I am abnormal, or maybe I just don't use my hypothyroidism as an excuse, but I think I can lose weight just like anyone else. I used to say it was so difficult for me to lose weight and would blame it on my thyroid, when really I was just lazy and wasn't doing anything about my eating or exercising. I was diagnosed at 13 with hypothyroidism and it was the lowest levels the doctors had seen, they got me regulated and struggled with my weight up until I actually took control. I am eating 1500 calories a day, I'm not cutting out anything specific from my diet. I try to keep my macros at 40/30/30. I am doing heavy lifting 3 days a week, and right now RI30 3 days a week. I have lost 24 lbs since August. I am meticulous about keeping my diary and I work my *kitten* off. It is totally possible to lose weight with an under active thyroid and I don't think it is any harder than any other person that actually stays dedicated.

You can do this! The weight you have gained in the last few days could just be your muscles retaining water. Give it time and you will see results! Add me if you would like

You are not abnormal, you are one of those people who doesnt use it as an excuse. A lot of people use it as just an excuse for being lazy and not wanting to WORK at it.

GREAT JOB!!!! :-)