Attention Hypothyroids! What do you eat???

BarbaraCarr1981 · July 2013

Hello, just wondering if other people who have hypothyroid for over 20 years and are controlled on synthroid or levothyroxin are having to eat less to lose weight due to their condition even though the disease is controlled....

I am 5'9" and at about 150lbs. Before pregnancy i lost 15lbs (155lb to 140lb) in 4 months by eating roughly 1200cals a day and doing light weights/cardio 3-4 times a week.

Postpregnancy Im 150lbs trying to get to 140lb or just fit into my pants i wore when I weighed 140lb by doing 1700cals and heavy lifting and a bit of cardio. It's NOT working. I've been on here since November 2012. I also tried 1500cals for a period. Still nothing.

I think I best try 1200cals, heavylifting/cardio 3-4 times a week.

What's ur story?
PS - Please don't reply if ur NOT hypothyroid. Many thanks!

Corinne_Howland · July 2013

If your level is right, it's really tough to lose weight. I have a double wammy with being type 1 diabetic. I was told by my doctor to have my levels rechecked every 5 lbs of weightloss. she said the amount of meds I need will change according to my weight. Hopefully, we'll see if she's right. haven't managed to lose another 5 since I saw her in May!

kcvance · July 2013

My hypothyroidism was not well controlled AT ALL on synthroid/levothyroxine. I had all the same symptoms as pre-diagnosis, and continued to gain weight. My cholesterol was also totally out of control, even with the synthroid regimen. You may not be converting the T4 (levothyroxine) you are taking to T3 (usable hormone), which is very common, and may be why you are still having symptoms and unable to lose any weight. Check out http://stopthethyroidmadness.com for some great info. There is a great group of people on MFP with hypo and hyperthyroidism: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/753-hypothyroidism-and-hyperthyroidism

I currently take 120 mg of Armour each day. Other than low temperature, most of my other symptoms are minimized, if not gone.

I lost 50 pounds about 7 years ago by 1) getting my meds adjusted for my symptoms, not just into a "good" TSH range (on a T4/T3 regimen) 2) dialing back on the carb intake. I try to get about the same % of carbs and protein in my diet each day - the protein helps me feel full, and the reduction in carbs has helped prevent some of my afternoon fatigue/sugar crash. I am still having some cholesterol issues, so my doctor has me at 1200-ish calories a day after eating back exercise cals (your caloric needs may vary - talk to your doctor!).

Hope that helps - good luck to you.

jentris · July 2013

I struggled losing weight with just synthroid as well. The weight has been slowly coming off since adding a T3 medication - in my case Cytomel. I only take 5 mg mid-afternoon. Once my endocrinologist put that on the regimen it has been possible to lose weight.

Like the previous poster I too have dialed way back on the carbs. It makes sense that carbs are a problem for hypothyroid folks, as many of us are probably insulin resistant as well (either due to being overweight or the autoimmune stuff going on in our bodies making us hypothyroid to begin with).

I try to eat like a diabetic. I don't eat a lot of sugar (hardly any really). I pair all carbs with a protein to try to slow their digestion.

I eat 1230 calories a day to lose 1 pound a week (which actually comes out to .5 a week in my case.) I eat back my extra exercise calories - which amounts to about 1500/day.

It is difficult but I do think it is possible with a great doctor (Mine's a nontraditional woman endocrinologist who focuses primarily on middle age women) and a lot of hard work.

HTH!

jentris · July 2013

duplicate post

mariposa224 · July 2013

Apparently my experience has been very different from the others who've responded. I take Synthroid, am well-regulated, and can lose weight. I also ate a decent amount while losing, have been in maintenance for almost a year and can eat between 1800-2200 calories per day without having an real gains. I worked out 6 days per week while losing, and for a couple months after. I then went down to 3-4 days per week. But my workouts were HIIT type resistance training, for about 30-40 minutes per day, not really "light" anything. I upped my proteins, which helped me retain more lean body mass, which also allows me to eat more in maintenance. I've found that I *have* to workout several times per week in order to maintain. I can take a week off every couple of months, but other than that, yes, probably forever, I will have to work out at least 3 days per week.

Everyone has a different journey, even with the same disease. Don't let anyone pigeon-hole you and tell you you *can't* do this or you *must* do that. I didn't go truly "low carb" (45% of my calories come from carbs daily) or "low glycemic," though those things work for some. Eating in moderation and a bit more protein (25% of my daily calories) worked fine for me. I'm smaller in size than I've ever been, even when I weighed 20 lbs less in High School, I wore a bigger size than I do. That's what muscle does, changes your body composition.

Best wishes for much success. Hypothyroidism can definitely make it more difficult to lose, but it doesn't mean you CAN'T lose.

Lizajayne23 · July 2013

Not much. LOL

Seriously, I didn't start losing until I cut calories to 1200 (though I eat a little over on exercise days). I was exercising 1 to 1-1/2 hours a day, 5-6 days a week using beginner levels of Jillian Michaels, Slim in 6, and Biggest Loser plus a 2-4 mile walk workout from Leslie Sansone (always the ones with weights, boosts or jogging) or the Biggest Loser Power Walk (which I LOVE). I did that for a year before cutting calories down and was still slowly gaining so that's the only thing that I could do. And I wasn't really, heavily overeating before, mainly a few hundred calories from tea/coffee had to be cut in favor of food and portion sizes are a little smaller for some things. I drank calories more than I ate them.

I believe that I went undiagnosed for years. About 10 years ago, one doctor said my levels were in the high normal range. Which I now know was high by new standards so I've suffered and gotten steadily worse for nothing. My thyroid levels are supposedly normal now but I'm still having lots of symptoms like still sleeping more, feeling waves of exhaustion, and feeling like my throat is closing up all of the time. My triglycerides have suddenly shot up after being perfect for years and with a better diet...less red meat and casseroles, more baked/grilled white meats and salads. I have a bad doctor who only cares about getting my T4 number to turn "black" on his little Ipad screen so that he knows it's normal range. He ignores everything I say, brushes me off, and tells me that I haven't lost weight because I'm getting old (41) and to eat less and exercise more (really? see above) and take this antidepressant for energy (um, no) and this $200 prescription that insurance doesn't cover for the triglyceride problem. (I can't...trying MegaRed).

This is the most frustrating thing ever. I want to just bash him over the head with his Ipad. LOL

Back to the question, I eat Cheerios or other low sugar cereal, either dry or with milk for breakfast/lunch. I usually eat a lunch/afternoon snack around 300 calories of leftovers or a sandwich or salad. Our biggest meal is in the evening and it's usually some kind of baked/grilled chicken/pork with vegetables and potatoes/rice but if I want to make a casserole or pasta, I do and just fit my portion size into my daily limits. Usually, I still have room for a little treat...mostly frozen fruit bars or frozen yogurt. If I want something, I'm going to have it in moderation, as long as it fits into my day. At this point, nothing is "off limits" unless it doesn't fit, then I just make room another day if I want it that badly. It helps that I'll often plan my whole day, putting everything that I'd like to have into MFP so that I can adjust as necessary throughout the day.

Since I'm in the south and my in-laws are seriously bad cooks from a health standpoint (food is GOOD), I allow myself what some call a cheat day on those Sundays (2-3 a month) where I eat whatever and don't exercise. I don't go crazy overboard and that's typically the only calories for the day except for my morning coffee treat and a snack after we get home at night so that helps. We Southerners love our Sunday dinners and desserts and even a little of everything winds up high in calories so no breakfast or supper. LOL I do still make an effort to stay close to 1200 but if it's 1400, I don't beat myself up, just get back to normal the next day. I don't like seeing those red numbers so sometimes that encourages me to fit in a little workout and sometimes not. Besides, I've noticed I've lost more after some of those Sundays so I guess that bad food is giving me a little boost in metabolism, feel good hormones, and my body recovers from exercise stress. LOL

sirrahsim · July 2013

I am currently clinically euthyroid and off all of my meds, but a couple of years ago when i was on synthroid I managed to lose 40 lbs. 177 down to 137. I started off just trying to eat at maintenance but exercise like a fiend 5 or 6 days a week. The only thing that managed to do was make me hungry all of the time.

When I finally reduced my exercise to 3x a week and started eating no more than 10k calories of nutrition dense foods a week, the scale started to move. If I worked out more than that I would be STARVING and would have to eat in order to keep from passing out, which made it impossible to keep a high enough deficit to make a difference.

Focusing on food as fuel helps me to avoid empty calories like pop tarts and soda. They may fit in your calorie count but if they aren't good fuel you will be left hungry and miserable all of the time.

BarbaraCarr1981 · July 2013

Errrr! thyroid!

Lizajayne23 · July 2013

I forgot to mention, I've actually done better also, by not killing myself exercising anymore. I still workout 6 days a week, but instead of an hour walk plus interval workouts, I do shorter walks with 20-30 minutes of the interval type for 4 days a week then just longer walk workouts the other 2 days. I also throw in some hula hooping that I don't count for a little more cushion in my activity. My main problem with exercise is that I can't do a lot of high impact due to severe pains in my legs that started with my thyroid treatment but I do as much as I can and modify as needed. I don't obsess too much, but know that if I workout, I get to eat a bit more so that keeps me on track, even if some days are just a 35 minute walk dvd.

I don't have many problems with hunger and often wind up with more calories left to make up in the evening, which is why I started planning ahead. If I'm hungry, most of the time it isn't real hunger. It is boredom hunger or hunger from sleep deprivation which is my big problem. Since I work at home, I tend to work late or long hours at times.

I don't drink soda, but I don't deny myself the occasional planned Pop Tart. Damn them for finally making peanut butter!

I'm certainly not saying to eat or drink 1200 calories of junk every day even if technically some people will still lose weight doing that. I was saying what works for me, helped me lose 10 lbs so far and helps me keep it up and not be miserable, if I eat 1000 calories of good foods then a 100 calorie treat is ok. I'm not going to deny myself if I'm craving a Pop Tart. I'm going to eat well enough for the rest of the day that I can have a Pop Tart. If I have to fix a casserole that my family wants, then I'll make a better choice of cereal and a salad for lunch to offset the meat, cheese, pasta, etc for supper. I'd be a heck of a lot more miserable if I could never have a frozen yogurt bar or family dinner. So far, this system is working for me and except for the ridiculously low sugar limit (coffee and fruit wipe that out quickly even on my best days), most of the time, my other numbers are in range. I started off tending to limit food to put it all into one meal because that's how I've eaten for many years. Now, I'm choosing better foods for other meals and smaller portions when something isn't an ideal meal, like the casseroles or red meat and potatoes that my husband demands. I've made some changes family wide, but I'm pushing his limits as it is. LOL I look at it as a work in progress and make the best choices I can while dealing with familial, budget and other constraints like those occasional insane cravings for a peanut butter pop tart.

LaureeSolberg · July 2013

I am 45 and have been hypothyroid since I was diagnosed at 7-8 years of age. As I get older it is harder to regulate my thyroid. I am on Synthroid and have been for years! I can't lose weight. If I do, I seem to gain it back and then about 5 lbs more. This has gone on since 2005. I am exercising 5 days a week with a 1200 calorie diet. Right now it is working. I have been reading alot about Armour and may see if my doctor will switch me and maybe try Cytomel (sp?). I absolutely hate it! I am on 112 mcg Synthroid. Every single time they test my meds get adjusted. Pain in the butt! :-)

LaureeSolberg · July 2013

Oops forgot the eating. I'm avoiding processed sugars and as much in foods as possible because of labwork that came back. I eat 1 serving of fruit (typically grapes right now), maybe 2 if it won't throw me over in sugars with exercising. I eat lower carbs and try to up my protein. My go to breakfast right now is a slice of toasted low calorie bread (50 Kcals and 1 gm of sugar) with 1-1/2 tablespoon on nut butter. I eat popcorn for snacks or a cheesestick.

BarbaraCarr1981 · July 2013

Thanks for the replies. Any suggestions on what i should try? Does my idea of 1200cals should good, like it will work?

ashleyapplewhite · July 2013

I'm hypo and regulated with levothyroxine and Cytomel. I also have PCOS. I could NEVER lose weight prior to beginning a whole foods, plant based, vegan diet. I instantly began losing 2 pounds per week, eating a lot more volume. My body likes this way of eating. I feel awesome, and most of my hypo symptoms have disappeared. My endocrinologist is the one who suggested it for me, so I thought I'd give it a try. Now I'm hooked, and I Feel that it's the easiest "diet" I've ever tried. I eat roughly 1200-1400 calories per day, with bigger days on Friday/Saturday nights. FYI, I also cut out all white flour and all white sugar. I started reading labels and it's horrifying once you start noticing what is in your food. If it has more than 5 ingredients, we don't eat it.

Attention Hypothyroids! What do you eat???

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