40's and Hypothyroidism

handkeswife
handkeswife Posts: 7 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Recently had 40+ weight gain, and diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I've been told basically to take my medicine and just deal with the thought that I'll be 200 lbs soon and there will be nothing that anyone can do. I refuse to believe that. I WILL be a size 8 again, and hopefully taking control of my diet and exercise will help my thyroid kick back in.
I am going to be a daily logger (hopefully--I've already set reminders), I use Fitbit and I've already got 2 gallons of weight watchers veggie soup in my freezer that I made today.. lol.
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Replies

  • tmaryam
    tmaryam Posts: 289 Member
    Hello! I have hypothyroidism too, I found out when I rapidly gained 20 lbs in 4 months (many years ago). The best advice I can offer is to get a GOOD Endocrinologist. A family practitioner will not do. Have the doctor help you titrate your thyroid medicine until your TSH is lower than 3. The lab report will say anything from [1-5] is within normal range, but that doesn't mean you won't feel like crap with a TSH of 5. I feel very tired and sluggish when mine is above 2 and my hair falls out. (At least it grows back!) I read that a good Endo will consider any TSH over 3 as hypothyroidism. I take 75mcg Synthroid and my TSH is usually between 1-2, that's where I feel best.

    Also, green tea is supposed to help your thyroid and metabolism. I had a friend who couldn't afford to see a doctor for his thyroid, so I suggested green tea, and he said felt much better and was able to lose some weight as well. Avoid soy like the plague. And Synthroid is one of the few drugs where taking the brand name makes a difference. My Endo and my pharmacist pointed this out. Generic brands can vary anywhere between 5-10%, and that can make a big difference when dealing with hormones. (It's an insignificant difference for most other drugs.) Luckily brand name Synthroid is fairly cheap so you're only going to spend a few bucks more, and it's worth it to have the right concentration of hormones.

    Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • NotAResolution
    NotAResolution Posts: 58 Member
    I'm on the other side of this coin. I was diagnosed with Graves disease (hyperthyroid) a few years ago. I lost a ton of weight, was hot all the time, and was easily agitated. Since then I was put on meds to control my thyroid and the did too good a job. I went from 160's to 200+ in no time and lost all motivation to do anything. Now, I'm finally in a good place and I'm starting to lose weight again. Thyroid issues are tough, no doubt about it. I wish you the best of luck.
  • handkeswife
    handkeswife Posts: 7 Member
    My TSH was 19. I've been having issues for a long time, but the 3 doctors I saw this past year blew it off as being over 40, pre-menopausal, etc. My "new" doc finally ran some tests and here we are. She put me on 50mcg of Synthroid to start. Everything is the same so far... moody, fatigue, achy, etc. Hopefully it starts picking up.
    Thanks for the response, and keep up the good work!
  • Jesea
    Jesea Posts: 376 Member
    I was diagnosed about 14 years ago, but didn't really see a weight gain until after I had my kids. My levels have always been monitored and under control, I was just eating too much and not moving enough. 2 years ago, I found MFP, and haven't looked back. I do find that I lose more when I eat more protein than carbs, although fruit and vegetables are good, just not breads and pastas,etc.

    My weight loss has been very gradual, and I've got about 12 pounds to reach my ultimate goal weight. I wish you all the best. It may be hard, but it's definitely worth it!
  • tmaryam
    tmaryam Posts: 289 Member
    My TSH was 19. I've been having issues for a long time, but the 3 doctors I saw this past year blew it off as being over 40, pre-menopausal, etc. My "new" doc finally ran some tests and here we are. She put me on 50mcg of Synthroid to start. Everything is the same so far... moody, fatigue, achy, etc. Hopefully it starts picking up.
    Thanks for the response, and keep up the good work!

    The highest my TSH went was around 9. It was 5.9 when they finally decided to treat it because I lost so much hair. Synthroid was a Godsend for me, I had forgotten what energy was like. Please do keep at them to increase your dose periodically because as my Endo says, "50mcg is a spit in the ocean." I pray you feel better soon.

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