Hypothyroidism and Weightloss

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mysonsmama
mysonsmama Posts: 9
in Motivation and Support
I was losing weight, feeling good and motivated until I started gaining weight. I went from 1500 calories to 700, but still gained weight. I started working out in the gym and still gained weight. I am back to 1500 calories a day and staying active. Are their any tips on how to lose weight when your thyroid is out of whack?

Nancy
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  • NanaWubbie
    NanaWubbie Posts: 248 Member
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    Work closely with your doc. Document what you are doing. Weigh and/or measure food. Get those meds under control and your thyroid levels straight and things will work out.
  • mysonsmama
    mysonsmama Posts: 9
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    Thank you NanaWubbie! I made an appointment with my doc for next week to discuss my thyroid levels and probably more blood work.
  • grdaze
    grdaze Posts: 195 Member
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    I really feel like with my hypo, I have to work harder to lose weight and it's easier for me to put it back on.

    Having said that, I definitely make sure to eat at least 1900 cal a day ... I've lost 52 lbs, so that seems to be working. When I am completely sedentary - like, sit on the couch all day depressed and do literally nothing - that's when I'm eating 1400. But moving around after the kids, walking, grocery shopping, etc .... plus adding real exercise to that!! ... maybe you aren't eating enough?

    What kind of exercise are you doing? I found the stuff that's really helped me is circuit training - like the jillian michael's dvds, for example
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
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    I'm hypothyroid and have successfully lost over 20 kg twice, and putting it back on in the middle had nothing to do with the thyroid.

    My best advice is this: don't buy into the crap about thyroid patients being unable to do things. If your thyroid is balanced and your lifestyle is healthy you should be okay. Getting a healthy lifestyle can be harder and you have to fight through the exhaustion barrier, but I'm fitter and healthier than many people I know, thyroid issues or no thyroid issues.
  • mysonsmama
    mysonsmama Posts: 9
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    Hi grdaze,

    I never thought that I wasn't eating enough. A few years back I was eating 1500 calories a day and I was losing weight, about 40 pounds, but then it stopped. It came back with a force! I gained all the weight back within 6 months and I was still eating 1500 calories or less. For exercise, I like to walk and do some yoga, though I am thinking that I need to kick it up a notch.

    Nancy
  • mysonsmama
    mysonsmama Posts: 9
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    Thanks Trudijoy. I have been making many changes to my diet and have hope that it will help me lose the weight. The first was to have my hubby hide my scale because I kept getting depresses when I saw it :) Is there a natural way to increase one's metabolism?

    Nancy
  • amaysngrace
    amaysngrace Posts: 742 Member
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    I have hypothyroidism and I take levothyroxine 50 mg daily. What I do is I set my alarm clock for 5:00am every morning and I take my thyroid pill at the same time every day, then I wait 3 hours after taking it before I eat my first meal, so that nothing interferes with it. So, I usually eat breakfast around 8:00am. I have been zigzagging my calories and leaving different deficits daily all within my calorie range that MFP sets for me. Right now, I eat 1520 calories, but everyday I leave different deficit. It looks something like this: Monday, I might eat 1490 calories, Tuesday 1515, Wednesday 1780, Thursday 1800, Friday 1519, and Saturday 1517.

    So, 2 days out of the week, I will purposely eat over my calories by an extra 200 or 300 calories. I started at 238 pounds, 5 ft 3 inches tall. I now weigh 182 pounds, and I have been doing this for almost 7 months and have not hit a plateau as of yet. I am steadily losing weight. I workout 3 days a week, Mon, Wed, and Fri. I do 90 air squats from home, then I go to the gym and do 30 minutes worth of heavy weight lifting, 3 sets of 10 on each weight machine, for arms and legs, going back and forth between arm weights, then leg weights, then back to arm weights.
    Then I do 35 minutes on the treadmill on an incline of 6, on a cross-country course. Then I end my workout with 10 minutes of sit-ups on a mat with a big exercise ball.

    I like to eat 3 square meals a day, and will fit snacks in, if need be. I keep an eye on my sodium, sugar, and cholesterol levels, so I don't go over!
  • garber6th
    garber6th Posts: 1,894 Member
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    I'm hypothyroid and have successfully lost over 20 kg twice, and putting it back on in the middle had nothing to do with the thyroid.

    My best advice is this: don't buy into the crap about thyroid patients being unable to do things. If your thyroid is balanced and your lifestyle is healthy you should be okay. Getting a healthy lifestyle can be harder and you have to fight through the exhaustion barrier, but I'm fitter and healthier than many people I know, thyroid issues or no thyroid issues.

    ^^This. I am hypothyroid too and I am losing weight just fine. I also have way more energy. I thought I was destined to feel tired forever. Unless your thyroid is ridiculously out of whack you should be able to lose weight fine, but make sure you get your thyroid checked regularly to make sure you are getting the right dosage of medication.
  • csheltra26
    csheltra26 Posts: 272 Member
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    I did the same as you - lost 50 pounds pretty quick then gained it all back. I think I ruined my metabolism by undereating/over exercising - it is possible!

    Check out your BMR (should not eat below that) and find out your TDEE and subtract 20% from that to get your daily intake goals. if you have kids, running around, etc I would use lightly active, if you exercise a few days a week change that to moderate. This is a great calculator to use:

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    Also, you can naturally increase your metabolism - lift weights!! And I'm not talking about 5 pounds (your purse probably weighs more than that). You want 6-8 reps to be challenging.

    good luck!
  • amaysngrace
    amaysngrace Posts: 742 Member
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    I'm hypothyroid and have successfully lost over 20 kg twice, and putting it back on in the middle had nothing to do with the thyroid.

    My best advice is this: don't buy into the crap about thyroid patients being unable to do things. If your thyroid is balanced and your lifestyle is healthy you should be okay. Getting a healthy lifestyle can be harder and you have to fight through the exhaustion barrier, but I'm fitter and healthier than many people I know, thyroid issues or no thyroid issues.

    ^^This. I am hypothyroid too and I am losing weight just fine. I also have way more energy. I thought I was destined to feel tired forever. Unless your thyroid is ridiculously out of whack you should be able to lose weight fine, but make sure you get your thyroid checked regularly to make sure you are getting the right dosage of medication.



    Agree, I get mine checked about every 6 months, to make sure it is functioning well!
  • socajam
    socajam Posts: 2,530 Member
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    I'm hypothyroid and have successfully lost over 20 kg twice, and putting it back on in the middle had nothing to do with the thyroid.

    My best advice is this: don't buy into the crap about thyroid patients being unable to do things. If your thyroid is balanced and your lifestyle is healthy you should be okay. Getting a healthy lifestyle can be harder and you have to fight through the exhaustion barrier, but I'm fitter and healthier than many people I know, thyroid issues or no thyroid issues.

    That is so true and I find a lot of people use this excuse to stay fat. Also they eat a lot of junk. I am hypothyroid also, taking snythroid, have to exercise extremely hard, stay focused and eat healthy to lose weight. So it can be done. I do not eat any soy products, tofu and pay particular attention to my sodium intake.
  • chaoticrunner
    chaoticrunner Posts: 32 Member
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    Hey there! So, I've been dealing with the thyroid thing for two years now. I was originally placed on levothyroxine for 6 months. Then my endo decided to take me off to see if my thyroid had bounced back since I didn't have hashi's. During that time, I was able to lose 20 lbs with hardly any effort. Unfortunately that didn't last for me! Thyroid levels dipped, weight shot back up. Even eating at a calorie deficit, I just keep gaining weight! As soon as my levels are back in check, I expect that I'll be able to lose that weight again no problem. Be sure that your levels are right for you, not just that they fit into the range your doctor says is right.
  • purplesoulkari
    purplesoulkari Posts: 7 Member
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    I'm hypo too and it's a struggle. So comforting to know I'm not the only one. I need to get mine checked very soon!
  • mysonsmama
    mysonsmama Posts: 9
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    I checked out that calculator and my TDEE is 2987, after 20% off, its 2390. I limit myself calories to 1500, I'm starting to wonder if I an not consuming enough calories. I think I might start writing down what I do and monitor my weight again, maybe even alternate my calories like amaysngrace does. I am currently taking levothyroxine 50 mcg daily, I think I will wait a little longer before having breakfast and start taking it earlier. I really need to discipline myself and put together a better plan of action.
  • bmskid
    bmskid Posts: 153 Member
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    My thyroid has been completely dead since I was 11. I take 250 mcg per day. I have the same advice as others...if your medicine is regulated correctly, it is as if you dnt have hypothyroidism. It shouldn't effect your weight loss. I suspect if you're having trouble, it's from something else. :) glad to see you have an appt to make sure your dose is right.
  • mysonsmama
    mysonsmama Posts: 9
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    This was the first time my thyroid was actually tested. I have only been on the meds for almost 4 months and go in tomorrow for a follow up. I do look forward to finding out what's going on :)
  • bmskid
    bmskid Posts: 153 Member
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    Oh, I see!
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,449 Member
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    I am hypo, and it is not easy. I am basically 9 months into being off, and I gained and then I have been holding steady for a while.

    If there was a chart of weight loss to thyroid levels, then the closer I am to 1.5 the better.
  • Coyoteldy
    Coyoteldy Posts: 219 Member
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    I have to jump in here.. I have hypothyroidism and it is important to find a level that works for you... also take GOOD multivitamins and a B complex supplement too it will help keep your system in balance. dropping to 700 calories will only unbalance your body more because now its convinced you are trying to starve it!! Make sure you are eating enough for your activity level.. Hang in there the docs will get you on a good level!!
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
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    if you're looking for thyroid management.... here ya go:

    - DO NOT supplement until your meds are okay as it will screw with your testing a bit
    - kelp and pretty much all seaweed. Nori (the one on sushi), aonori (powdered nori), wakame, konbu in soup stock. Theres a reason that thyroid conditions don't exist in Japan and that reason is called IODINE! Seaweed is full of it. Eat it, it's yum
    - coconut oil - this can be used instead of any other cooking oil and instead of butter. Tastes fine, and is a natural thyroid support like the kelp
    - if something makes you feel gross, cut it. Too much garlic screws with me. I'm allergic to seaweed too.
    - get muscle tested. A naturopath will soon be able to find out what, if anything, is lacking. Magnesium, Kelp, tissue salts, EPO, St John's Wort...just some of the things that can help with symptoms.
    - ignore the 'thyroid patients must/can't eat' charts and do your own experimentation. Cutting coffee might work for some, but if I cut coffee I get lethargic. The minor lift from coffee in the morning helps me more than the thyroid effect stops me.
    - eat well. Eat veges. Eat fruit. Eat lean meat. Eat rice and pasta. If you're not eating well, then your body is having to overcome that as well. Treat yourself too, but try for 5+ a day fruit and veg, and smarter choices a few times a day - then have the damn wine/choc/ etc.
    - find your mood points and learn to work with them. I know when i'm getting down, and thyroid chicas are way more prone to this - so I have my never-fail pick me ups.
    - de-stress. Stress + thyroid = not good.
    - find a doc who trusts you to know your own body. Negotiate your meds up until you feel 'normal'. I take about 40% more than I was initially prescribed, and my doc is fine with that after seeing my results. Do not do this without your doctors approval or cooperation. If they won't tell you why they won't cooperate, get a new doctor.
    - if you feel your meds aren't working, ask to try a different brand. Goldshield don't work for me, eltroxin are gold. Everyone is different. Be in tune with your body.

    If I think of any more I'll add, but this is what I've learned - and why my thyroid behaves now :)

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