Grave's Disease/Thyroidectomy

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hisgirl86
hisgirl86 Posts: 142 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I was diagnosed with Grave's Disease when I was 19, and had a thyroidectomy at 20. I was always chubby (5'6'' and ranged from 160-170), but with in three months of surgery I was at 200, and over the next five years topped out at 267, and now currently at 252. My levels are finally normal at 300mcg of Synthroid, (I tried Levothyroxin, but my body didn't respond to it).

Anyone else out there who's had a thyroidectomy and experienced significant weight gain, and have successfully managed to lose it? I need some inspiration because I feel that I'm doomed to a life of being fat.

I currently eat at 1800 Cal/day and I rotate cardio and body weight exercises every other day.

Replies

  • hisgirl86
    hisgirl86 Posts: 142 Member
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    Dang, no body? : (
  • kathyalbrecht79
    kathyalbrecht79 Posts: 7 Member
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    Keep up the good work. I have thyroid issues and have been taking medication for a year. You rock!!!
  • hisgirl86
    hisgirl86 Posts: 142 Member
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    :smile: Thanks
  • hisgirl86
    hisgirl86 Posts: 142 Member
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    Bump...
  • sammarie3625
    sammarie3625 Posts: 1
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    Hi there! I felt really bad for you when I read this post. I have hypothyroidism and certainly understand the struggles...especially the weight. Never having been over 160 as a healthy individual, my weight shot up to 200 within a matter of just a few years. I didn't even know what was wrong with me until I started having muscle spasms, legs refused to work properly (total muscle exhaustion), bone dead tired, etc. Finally went to the doctor and got tested - the levels are supposed to be between 0.4 and 4.5 and mine came back with an 87!!!

    I am currently taking Levothyroxin 100mcg. I lost weight immediately when I reached my ideal dosage but not nearly enough. It is hanging on for dear life!!! I am trying to find a good doctor because my current one is behind the times as far as thyroid disorders go, (ignores me when I ask WHY I'm hypo...what is the reason my body is attacking the thyroid, refuses to prescribe anything other than Synthroid or generic Synthroid, etc.) but I've started taking Primrose oil supplements. I've read that they were a really great boost for thyroid disorder patients.

    Hang in there and I would suggest talking to your doctor about supplements that may help. I've heard that a lot of people lost weight with dessicated thyroid when they switched from Synthroid to that - could be worth a try?
  • misegypt
    misegypt Posts: 1
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    I have been an athlete and thin all of my life until...I was diagnosed with Graves Disease with Hyperthyroidism 4 years ago. That wasn't the start of my struggles. My levels were off the charts, most of my hair fell out, had heart problems, argumentative (almost ruined my marriage), felt sick all of the time, blah blah. I went on heart meds and an alternative medication (I don't remember what it was-brain fog LOL) and after 1 1/2 years I decided that the medication wasn't working to help my symptoms. I was done with feeling the way I did and had nodules on my thyroid (non-cancerous). I was concerned about risks of cancer, etc and decided to get a full thyroidectomy. I had my surgery 2 1/2 years ago. I was at 145 pounds at the time of the surgery and at my highest I weighed 195 and I am 5 '11. I became hypothyroid. It took a year and a half to find the right dosage of synthroid. I had zero energy to work out or do much. In January of this year I decided that I was going to take charge and get myself back in shape. Well that is hysterical because I have gained 15 pounds since I have started working out. I started going to the gym 2-3 times a week. In March I started to workout no less than 5 days a week. I make sure that I am active every day. I do kickboxing, hot yoga, running, and weights. I have transitioned to a clean diet. I am down to 187 and that can change by the hour due to frequent bloating and constipation. I suffer from adrenal fatigue (which absolutely sucks). I feel like garbage but I refuse to stop going. I just had my labs checked and I am meeting with my doctor to come up with a plan to feel better and shed some lbs. I don't have much positive to say, sorry this has just been my experience. If I could do it all over again, I would do RAI, continue to workout regularly the entire time, and eat clean. Good luck to anyone with this condition it is a horrible disease and disrupts your life more than you might acknowledge. If anyone has any weight loss and exercise tips that have worked I would love to know.
  • jessica154
    jessica154 Posts: 1
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    I have graves disease, and had a total thyroidectomy 4 weeks ago! I'm 22 years old and have never really exercised (heart palpitations stopped me) but now I want get fit and healthy.

    How long did people wait before starting cardio? I'm wanting to start running, starting off slow to begin with :)

    Any advice would be great!

    Thanks, Jessica :)
  • 4theking
    4theking Posts: 1,196 Member
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    T4 medications are not the answer for thyroid replacement. Your body produces both T4 and T3. To replace with just T3 is only giving your body part of what it needs. You either need to add in some T3 with your T4 or better yet, seek a natural desiccated thyroid drug such as armour. No one with a thyroid problem should be overweight because of it. If it is treated right, you should be able to eat a decent amount and still maintain/lose weight.
  • caramammal
    caramammal Posts: 147 Member
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    Yep, me. Diagnosed with Hyperthryroidism many years ago, it was borderline and after many attempts to 'cure' it using block and replace therapy it didnt work, ended up having radioactive iodine which basically kills some of your thyroid, now i'm on Thyroxince for the rest of my life. All this happened before i had a clue about nutrition, if i could turn the clock back and try other ways to manage my condition i would, rather than listening to the doctors.

    Anyway, long story short, it took about a year or so to get the right balance with my thyroixine, im taking 100mcg a day and have been for many years, i'm now classed as euthyroid which means my thyroid levels are stable.

    As for weight, i probably gained about 20lbs while i was trying to get the thyroxine balance right, but i doubt even half of that was due to my thyroid, i was just eating crap and not exercising.

    A few years later i decided to drop some pounds, i easily shifted the weight through a combination of exercise and calorie control. The past 5 years or so i've been a stable 120-125lbs, maintaing this by eating at maintenance and exercise, just as part of my daily routine. I then had a year 'off' as i did some travel and dropped a lot of weight so i wanted to gain some. I ate unhealthy all last year and gained 16lbs..it took over a year to gain all that. 8 weeks ago i decided to get back to around 125lbs, and ive been losing steadily at around 1 to 2 lbs per week on a 1200 calorie (or thereabouts) diet. I run every other day and mostly always eat exercise calories back.

    Sorry long story short...if your thyroid is within the normal range, losing weight the usual way is entriely possible.

    Good luck to you.
    x:smooched:

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