Underactive thyroid!! Feel like I can't lose weight.. Pleas

Hello everyone! I'm a 23 year old female with an underactive thyroid.. I'm currently on 75mcg of levothyroxine. I eat less than 1470 calories a day and try to work out as much as possible. Ever since I was diagnosed with this thyroid condition I have been struggling to lose weight. If anyone else has had this problem, any tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!

Not a whole lot to go on, but if your thyroid is underactive your metabolic rate is likely to be lower than normal so you'll have to eat less than others to get the same outcome.

I also have hypothyroidism, taking same level of meds. Unfortunately, hypothyroid patients will usually have very slow metabolisms - even if FT4/TSH levels have normalised as far as blood tests are concerned. Here are a few things that I have picked up since I have been diagnosed, learned through online resources, my GP, and my Endocrinologist [during pregnancy - don't normally get that level of attention!]:

1. Avoid consumption of goitrogenic foods both excessively and uncooked. Goitrogenic foods include a lot of cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower but also includes things like peaches, strawberries and almonds. The same applies to soy-based foods including supplements such as isoflavones.
> fortunately, cooking inactivates most of the goitregenic properties of these foods. So as long as they're steamed/roasted/baked etc they should be fine. And also have a variety so that each is taken in moderation - eg if you like broccoli, try not to have it at every meal

2. Go wholegrain, reduce red meat consumption. This helps with your energy and the absorption of your meds. Have white meat and fish at least 4:3 against red meats. Frontload - ie have larger meals earlier in your day and avoid carb-heavy meals at night. Have breakfast - ie eat within a few hours of waking. Other things that help include onion, garlic, some seeds (eg sesame, pumpkin) and some nuts (eg brazils). You can find a lot of these things by doing an online search for goitregenic foods and thyroid info.

3. On the topic of absorption... make sure you're taking your meds 'right'. Optimal 'med-taking' is when you get up, with a glass of water, and don't eat or drink anything other than water for an hour. Do not take within 4 hours of supplements containing iron or calcium. Limit your coffee intake - there isn't a general rule for how much, but I don't have coffee every day and on the days that I do, I max out at 2 cups (but usually just have 1). Hypothyroid patients often mistakenly rely on high sugar, caffeine and energy drinks for a boost but this actually leads to feeling worse due to the interaction with medication.

4. Supplement. Once you've got a healthy way of eating - balanced, wholegrains, etc - you are better able to improve absorption and energy through supplementation. CoQ10 is good for your energy levels anyway but boosts absorption of your meds. High strength B Complexes and D3 are also beneficial for energy and absorption. Likewise EPA & DHA, best when they jointly total at least 300mg, will boost your metabolism a good amount (some say by 400cals). Avoid regular consumption of green tea or green tea extract - it is good for absorption in general, but actually inhibits the absorption of Levothyroxine.

5. Regular blood tests. I get mine done every 3-6 months, depending on how I feel and what my last results were like. I tend to have the 'key 4' deficiencies screened at the same time as having the thyroid function done - ie D3, iron, folic acid, B12 - as hypothyroid patients tend to lag in these also (as above - you can supplement to help correct). If you don't do this yet, just ask your GP. If they're a bit hesitant (for some reason, GP-reaction to this varies a lot), just explain that you still have lingering hypothyroid issues and need to work out what is wrong. If they still won't provide it, I would recommend a new GP...

6. Still on that point... make sure you can read your bloods, even if it's just the basic levels. And do read them! Some GPs are using old guidelines - your TSH should be between 0.3 and 3.0, but ideally between 1.0 and 2.0. FT4 I'm always hazier on, but it's roughly between 11 and 20. Again, in the middle is best. Essentially the higher your TSH and the lower your FT4, the more hypo you are and the tougher things get.

7. When you're hungry in the day and need a boost, snack on some of the 'good foods' like above. Dairy products like low fat yoghurts are good overall, but don't make them you're constant/regular 'go to' snacks as the seeds, veg, fruit and wholegrains work better at improving absorption and overall wellbeing and energy.

8. Exercise type. Functional exercise and weight lifting/training work better for weight loss and improved shape, on anecdotal evidence, compared with something like running. However if you don't want to/can't do the former but, eg, you love to run, then run! Exercising regularly is obviously beneficial so this isn't to put you off any existing exercise routine.

9. Salt and water. Have salt in your diet (not sure how you'd eliminate it tbh), it actually helps your thyroid, but in moderation of course. Also drink plenty of water - aim for the recommended 2 litres / 8 cups per day.

10. Follow the advice on MFP re: BMR, TDEE and starvation. Don't try to have a super restricted calorie diet, as this will cause your metabolism to slow even more and you won't lose weight. But you'll probably feel miserable! Make sure you account for any extra calories you can have through exercise also. Check your current activity levels and calorie intake (<1470) against the calculators referenced on here - eg http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ - to optimise your cals. If you haven't read it already, often you need to actually eat more in order to lose weight.

11. Sleep well!

A number of these things count as being good for your regardless of your thyroid, but these particularly come into play when you have an underactive thyroid.

The list looks a bit long, but I have been following most of these and saw a big difference in as little as two weeks from when I begun. Overall I have more energy, I feel better and I am able to lose weight which I struggled with before a lot. The only stages I haven't met yet are the exercise (oops! I have my reasons) and full supplementation (I take a high D3 and B Complex, but no EPA/DHA or CoQ10 yet - getting advice on levels for the latter from my GP. However improved diet means I get more of these naturally anwyay). I also don't sleep as much as I should, but I have a baby so that's par for the course!

Good luck!

PS: I'm not a medical professional or trained in nutrition or similar

I'm hypo. Until my levels were optimized, I couldn't lose weight. I always ask for a copy of my TSH, FT4 and T3 results. Normal is too vague - normal for whom? The doctor? My doc's idea of normal meant brain fog, muscle pain, lethargy and ongoing weight gain to name a few symptoms. My normal meant a dose high enough to alleviate all of my symptoms.

Do you still suffer from hypo symptoms? Do you know what your levels are? You may need to request an increase.

This was very helpful! Thank you so much for posting this! I have an underactive thyroid and was directed to avoid certain items but didn't realize what else could also be affecting my meds. Wrote all this down and plan on spending some time on google tonight!

Thanks again

Hey I also have low thyroid, and Im on 125mcg of Synthroid..... feels like an uphill battle!