hypothyroid = can't lose, right?

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trudijoy
trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
in Motivation and Support
Wrong.

I just want to remind all the hypothryoid patients out there that having a crappy thyroid doesn't condemn you to a life of not being able to control your weight.

I was diagnosed in 2007 and i've lost weight twice (including this time) since then. last time i lost about 25 kg, so far this time i've lost 15 and guess what - the regain had NOTHING to do with my thyroid.

So don't hang onto being hypothyroid as an excuse not to lose. If you're not, either your meds or method aren't right for you.

you can do it. If i can, you can....and i am.

Replies

  • fitnessbuilding
    fitnessbuilding Posts: 25
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    Hi Trudijoy,
    I would like to know, whether this diagnosis effects the health future.
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
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    Hi Trudijoy,
    I would like to know, whether this diagnosis effects the health future.

    no idea what you mean? once you're hypothyroid you have it for life. it's medication every day and managing symptoms. but it's not a death sentence. I look at it more like asthma...it'll pop up time and time again, but it's manageable.
  • iDYG
    iDYG Posts: 15 Member
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    Hi Trudijoy,
    I would like to know, whether this diagnosis effects the health future.

    no idea what you mean? once you're hypothyroid you have it for life. it's medication every day and managing symptoms. but it's not a death sentence. I look at it more like asthma...it'll pop up time and time again, but it's manageable.

    My mom had thyroid also and she was also using pills everyday which she was told she had to use everyday, forever. The doctor actually took her off of it and she hasn't been using them for a couple of years now!
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
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    Hi Trudijoy,
    I would like to know, whether this diagnosis effects the health future.

    no idea what you mean? once you're hypothyroid you have it for life. it's medication every day and managing symptoms. but it's not a death sentence. I look at it more like asthma...it'll pop up time and time again, but it's manageable.

    My mom had thyroid also and she was also using pills everyday which she was told she had to use everyday, forever. The doctor actually took her off of it and she hasn't been using them for a couple of years now!

    then she'd be the one person ever that's happened to. hypothyroid means your body isn't producing a necessary chemical. So either her levels were borderline when she got diagnosed or she started producing again, coz otherwise i can't see how that's possible.

    good for her, don't get me wrong, but.....
  • lwagnitz
    lwagnitz Posts: 1,321 Member
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    I don't have any thyroid issues...but my Grandma did. She was hyperthyroid, actually. She was a twig and ate a ton. So could it be the same? That she just wasn't doing it right?...Gaining weight, anyway.
  • iDYG
    iDYG Posts: 15 Member
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    Hi Trudijoy,
    I would like to know, whether this diagnosis effects the health future.

    no idea what you mean? once you're hypothyroid you have it for life. it's medication every day and managing symptoms. but it's not a death sentence. I look at it more like asthma...it'll pop up time and time again, but it's manageable.

    My mom had thyroid also and she was also using pills everyday which she was told she had to use everyday, forever. The doctor actually took her off of it and she hasn't been using them for a couple of years now!

    then she'd be the one person ever that's happened to. hypothyroid means your body isn't producing a necessary chemical. So either her levels were borderline when she got diagnosed or she started producing again, coz otherwise i can't see how that's possible.

    good for her, don't get me wrong, but.....

    I know what you mean, it is kind of like a miracle.
    I have a lot of other family members that are also diagnosed and they are so much younger but they will probably be on the pill forever.
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
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    I don't have any thyroid issues...but my Grandma did. She was hyperthyroid, actually. She was a twig and ate a ton. So could it be the same? That she just wasn't doing it right?...Gaining weight, anyway.

    not sure about hyperthyroid sorry!
  • greenihlonde
    greenihlonde Posts: 337
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    I've been severely hypo since I was 13 and take both T3 and T4. We may have to work harder than the average person but you CAN TOTALLY lose and keep off weight!
  • usernamesilly
    usernamesilly Posts: 1
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    My GP said I would have to eat half as much, exercise twice as much, just to lose half as much as an unaffected person trying to lose weight. I have found this to be true! It's not an excuse, but even with medication, the metabolism is sluggish. But still on I plod!
  • Sharonks
    Sharonks Posts: 884 Member
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    Hyperthyroid means you are making too much. People who have it tend to be thin. The dr. told me that it also will cause you to age faster and can ultimately wear on your organs so heart attacks are common. Anymore, the cure is removal of part or all of the thyroid gland. If the gland is removed then you need to take pills to replace your thyroid hormone. If part is removed you may or may not need to depending on what your remaining glad is producing.

    Hypothyroid is actually easier to control since usually people are fine once they find the proper dose of supplemental thyroid meds. Hypo will affect your weight loss until you get your hormone level balanced. Once that is done you will lose weight like anyone else who doesn't have a thyroid imbalance (since you are no longer imbalanced).

    For some people, their thyroid will start working better. Many times it is because they lose weight but sometimes it is just because. Usually they were very borderline to begin with.

    I currently am borderline. The endo has not figured out what is going on with me. He actually thinks that something else is wrong with my gland. Anyway, I have been off meds for 2 years. I can't seem to lose weight. I have battled off a few lbs over the last year and half. My starting weight on MFP means I lost 8 lbs but about 5 of those were surgical water bloat since I had major surgery a few weeks before signing up. so that means I have lost about 3 lbs in over a year. I suspect my low thyroid which is causing a goiter is the culprit. I just moved and will be getting new insurance soon. When that happens I'm going to get it checked again and hope this endo puts me back on meds. Normally my goiter responds to a low dose and will unswell.
  • Hi_Im_Jess
    Hi_Im_Jess Posts: 347 Member
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    I was diagnosed almost a year and a half ago with hypothyroidism and honestly it was like a wakeup call for me. It made me realize how delicate health is. My uncle gained 60 lbs in a year by ignoring directions, not taking medication and eating what he wanted. I refuse to let that be me. I may not have lost a lot of weight (yet) but I feel better now than I did before. Sure we may have to work a little bit harder but that just makes it even more worth it in the end :smile:
  • sarcosis1
    sarcosis1 Posts: 42
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    I've had hypothyroidism since I was 15, and I've lost over 70lbs...it has been a struggle but it's possible.
  • Hi_Im_Jess
    Hi_Im_Jess Posts: 347 Member
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    I've had hypothyroidism since I was 15, and I've lost over 70lbs...it has been a struggle but it's possible.

    You are my hero :heart:
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
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    I'm hypothyroid, and was always within my healthy weight range, even though I was undiagnosed for years. So hypothyroidism doesn't necessarily mean that you'll need to lose weight.
  • wink77
    wink77 Posts: 55 Member
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    I've been Hypothyroid since I was 10 years old (26 years) and I definitely think it has affected my weight. I know it's possible to lose because I have, but, I think it makes it more difficult. And blood tests as you are losing are very important as my dosage changed about every 20 lbs.
  • jeannemarie333
    jeannemarie333 Posts: 214 Member
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    Wonderful!!
  • snwilliams3
    snwilliams3 Posts: 34 Member
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    I've had hypothyroidism and have been taking medication for 15 yrs. during that time I frequently used it for an excuse as to why I couldn't lose weight. The truth was, for me, I wasn't really trying or commuting to changing my eating habits or exercising enough. In the last year and a half I've lost 110lbs despite my having this condition. Since losing weight my prescription has reduced slightly. Not sure if losing weight effected that or not.

    Sarah W
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
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    I've been Hypothyroid since I was 10 years old (26 years) and I definitely think it has affected my weight. I know it's possible to lose because I have, but, I think it makes it more difficult. And blood tests as you are losing are very important as my dosage changed about every 20 lbs.

    oh it definitely makes it more difficult but there are things you can do to alleviate most of the difficulties.

    Too tired to excercise because of hypo fatigue? Just do a little bit of something light when you can. and eat right.

    Metabolism not working so great? Take supplements, check your levels, and eat right....

    immune system screwing you over? When you're healthy, excercise when you can and eat right. . .

    The only times I've been big it's had nothing to do with my thyroid other than that i wasn't excercising or eating right and so the weight didn't move on itself because of my crappy metabolism.

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