Losing weight with hypothyroidism

chunt87
chunt87 Posts: 161 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hello all,

I am a newbie here but not so new to losing weight, I have in the past lost 60 pounds so I could become part of the military.
I love my career and everything as far as that goes is excellent and has been for the past few years.

However, and this is a big however, in September I had been diagnosed with hypothyroid, and had some uncontrollable weight gain that I was unable to manage even with calorie restriction and exercise, I wasn't really eating because I was sleeping for 14 hours a day. Since then I have gained a total of 30 pounds from this condition while my doctors were in the process of adjusting dosages.

My doctor said my levels are almost normal and I really really want more than anything for this extra weight to go away, other than the fact it has to go away (weight and fitness standards) I just dont feel like myself in my own skin. I have been seeing a nutritionist for the past 3 months and while seeing that person has helped maybe putting a wrangle on what the weight potentially could have been (worse) I have not lost any weight.

Before finding out what was wrong with me I did try some of the fad diets and found that they hurt more than helped (not enough nutritional support to do large amounts of PT). I really would like some kind of advice from others on here that might have had hypothyroid issues and see what maybe helped them.

Replies

  • emhunter
    emhunter Posts: 1,212 Member
    I have the same issue...I have no answers at this point. I hope you get some clarity and will be checking back in for some updates! Best of luck!
  • Otterluv
    Otterluv Posts: 9,083 Member
    As long as my levels are managed I lose fine by accurately logging my intake. I use a food scale to make sure that my portions are right and I'm careful to not overestimate my exercise calorie burns.

    When I first got on my thyroid meds, my appetite went up. It was only when I started logging that I started losing.
  • CompressedCarbon
    CompressedCarbon Posts: 357 Member
    What Otter said. Once your levels are managed, sadly but truly, you have to do what everyone else has to do: less food/more exercise. I had been promised a "magical pounds will just start melting off" but they LIED. I had to count calories and move. But the good news is that counting calories and moving does work!
  • luckygohappy
    luckygohappy Posts: 80 Member
    As long as my levels are managed I lose fine by accurately logging my intake.

    This. I also found that I had to cut soy out of my diet to keep my thyroid under control.
  • sunshinemouse34
    sunshinemouse34 Posts: 17 Member
    Did your doctors do an ultrasound? For years, doctors thought I had a mild form of hypothyroidism. I struggled with weight and slept all the time. What I had was Hashimoto's disease - a version of hypothyroidism that needed different monitoring. The meds really are the key to your feeling better. The sooner the doctors figure out your dose the better.

    A balanced diet heavy on vegetables and whole foods will help a lot.
    Weight training is great when you are ready to tone muscle.
    To lose the weight you will want to hit the cardio daily.
  • Shalini_15
    Shalini_15 Posts: 160 Member
    I have hypothyroidism and I take medications for that. Well, you can consider the below points:

    1. Take your meds regularly. And have a test done regularly to monitor your thyroid levels. I generally get it done every 6 weeks. For me the symptoms get quite evident, so I know I need to get myself tested.

    2. Cut down on Caffeine. If you can't avoid atleast cut down to 1-2 cups. They say you should not have coffee for atleast 60mins post taking the meds.

    3. High fibrous foods - fruits, vegetables etc. Frequent small meals

    4. Avoid - Soy, Cabbage, strawberries, broccoli, spinach etc. You can look up for foods that contain Goitrogens and avoid them. People say you can eat them once you are on meds and your thyroid levels are normal, but I generally avoid them.

    5. If feasible take multivitamin n calcium supplements that boost thyroid function

    6. Exercise regularly - HIIT, Weight training all required

    7. Cut down on Sugar n processed food (even the ones with HEALTHY labels)

    8. Be happy. Avoid stress, coz stress releases a hormone called Cortisol and this in turn affects your thyroid

    All this, I have learnt from my experience and mistakes. It might not be true and correct for you, but just my suggestions.

    All the best :)
  • chunt87
    chunt87 Posts: 161 Member
    well altogether I have lost 4 or 5 pounds. I am going to try this week to just log food on here (mfp) to see if theres caloric discrepancies between the two applications. I tried my first trx workout yesterday, and boy am I sore. I had been running 3-5x a week going about 2.5 miles at a clip. So supplementing that with how much I walk around at work and the running should make a difference.

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