Hypothyroid- Now what??

I only have half a thyroid due to cancer, so I'm on medication too. It takes a while to figure out the right dose, and the dose may change as you lose weight (esp if you have a lot to lose). I'm not aware of any non-medication ways to control this so not sure what you mean by controlling it naturally?

Your hypothyroidism doesn't really change your method of weight loss, it may just slow it very slightly. Only in extreme cases does hypothyroidism cause sever weight issues. A caloric deficit is still the right way to go.

That being said, there are some foods that we are supposed to avoid, such as dark green leafy veggies (kale, etc). Not sure why but I believe it has something to do with medication absorption. I still eat those things though because I love them and I feel like a little shouldn't hurt.

Hi, I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which is an auto-immune disease that results in hypothyroidism.

I know of no peer-reviewed, double blind studies that suggest a "natural" way of controlling hypothyroidism. I am a retired RN (due to health reasons), and unless things have changed since I left my nursing practice in 2011, thyroid replacement therapy is still the gold standard, as well as having your thyroid level checked regularly (each doctor I've been to has given me different ranges on how often the thyroid level should be checked.)

I do think that untreated hypothyroidism would make it difficult to lose weight at the same pace as someone with a healthy thyroid function, but otherwise, if your thyroid levels are within normal range on synthetic thyroid replacement, then I think some people tend to use it as an excuse. Just my personal opinion, so no haters, please!

I have 50 pounds to lose, and it is not my thyroid's fault. It is the result of being depressed and therefore lazy and staying in bed all day, eating humongous portions, eating junk, and not getting up and exercising. End of story.

once you find the right dosage with meds, it makes no difference for weight loss... unless, of course, you aren't ready to actually do the work to lose weight and are looking to point a finger as an excuse.

I would definitely have an appointment with an endocrinologist since you seem to still have a lot of questions. I've been on medication for hypothyroid for years now and it's the only thing that works. The only side effect I have ever experienced is that I seem to pee more often, and my sister (who also has hypothyroid) has noticed this too. I agree with everyone's advice to stick with your medication. This is a lifelong issue dear, I'm sorry.

There are alternative options for you but you shouldn't NOT take a medication. Personally, I've chosen to take an alternative medication, Armour Thyroid. You should talk with your doctor about your options. I've decided to limit my intake of certain foods like raw broccoli and cauliflower as they are considered goiterogen (?sp) as well as Soy. Can't say that I've researched this extensively but enough for me to make a decision and my dr to go along with it even though she doesn't normally prescribe this medication.

I'm not sure there's a natural remedy for hypothyroidism but I think there are more natural/alternative ways to treat it and to support yoru thyroid.

Once you're regulated on hormone replacement, you shouldn't have any problems losing weight just like everyone else.

:flowerforyou:

agreed with ^^^^

Im not saying you will, but Some people use this as an excuse to not lose weight and give up. Like the comment above says, taking the proper dosage will ensure your thyroid funtions just like everyone elses and wont hinder weight loss at all. I was diagnosed when I was 25 (9 years ago)and have taken Levythroxine daily with zero side effects. Its a very small easy to swallow pill and you need to take first thing in the morning wihout food.

I also suffer from hypothyroidism and was diagnosed pretty late - by which time plenty of weight had been gained! Since then I've been stable (in terms of treatment levels and blood results) with levothyroxine and agree with a couple of the posters that once stabilised any weight gain is likely my own issue and not that of the disease. In my case I'm absolutely certain of it.

However, on saying that there is an aspect that a couple of the other posters have mentioned that really does need looking at and that is the absorption of levothyroxine and how it's affected by certain foods. Most of these are well documented, so avoid kale and so on, but the food that was affecting my absorption of levothyroxine was coffee. I like my coffee in the morning however I found by experimentation that I felt much better either not having coffee in the morning until over an hour after my tablets (not the thirty minutes advised) or by taking my tablets at bedtime on an empty stomach with GP's consent.

So in a roundabout way, some people could be blaming hypothyroidism for continued weight gain or difficulty in losing weight and technically they could be correct, but the cause could actually be lowered absorption of levothyroxine which is avoidable.

Depending on your type of hypothyroidism I'd imagine you'd be on thyroid supplements for the remainder of your life with annual blood tests to check levels once they've stabilised from your initial diagnosis.

Another option is natural thyroid extract from dessicated thyroid glands (usually from pigs) and that's branded as Armour Thyroid. In the US it's certainly available via normal medical prescription routes comparatively easier than in the UK where it seems to be much more of a struggle to get. The main difference between Levothyroxine (synthroid) and Armour is that Synthroid is synthetically produced T4 whereas Armour is natural T4 and also has a measure of T3.

I'm quite happy with my Levothyroxine and look back fondly on those heady days where I felt like I was coming alive at the beginning of my treatment. Untreated I felt like death warmed up... and with hypothyroidism being as insidious as it is took years for me to be diagnosed. You are lucky you got it diagnosed early.