Losing Weight with Hypothyroidism

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DeirdreRice
DeirdreRice Posts: 2
in Introduce Yourself
Hello, I'm new to this site and have begun a "Biggest Loser" contest at my workplace. While I'm not terrible overweight (in my opinion), I have a difficult time losing weight because of my hypothyroidism (underactive/slow). I workout at the gym 2-3 times per week and walk my two dogs in between. Any suggestions on how to get the ball rolling to show a little progress, at least? Thanks all and continued success with your goals.

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  • __flexylexi
    __flexylexi Posts: 154 Member
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    Have you talked to your doctor about adjusting your synthroid or whatever med you are taking to be appropriate for your activity level?
  • ana70
    ana70 Posts: 93
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    My friend has the same problem but her attitude was like this: I don't want to gain weight, and since it is so hard to lose, I'll take my time"....she lost 17 pounds in 7 months and went to a specialist. She also went to the local health food store and got supplements. She is healthy now and is still trying to lose ten more pounds, but she is taking her time, and being patient. I think it is possible despite your condition, but it came off my friend 2 pounds per month. And that is with persitance and hard work. I wish you all the best with this. It can be done. I have seen it with my own eyes.

    ana
  • Glamourpuss15
    Glamourpuss15 Posts: 1
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    I totally understand. I have been hypothyroid for 8 years now. My synthroid is at the appropriate level, my Dr. checks regularly, but I still feel lethargic. It is very frustrating. I wish I had suggestions to help, but I can only sympathize.
  • nomex
    nomex Posts: 142 Member
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    bump... I look forward to hearing any suggestions. I too have hypothyroidism and this weight loss thing is VERY SLOOOOOW for me. Others have suggested green tea extract. I use this in my smoothies regularly. I don't think that is has helped with weight loss, but it has helped with my energy levels it seems.
  • nomex
    nomex Posts: 142 Member
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    My friend has the same problem but her attitude was like this: I don't want to gain weight, and since it is so hard to lose, I'll take my time"....she lost 17 pounds in 7 months and went to a specialist. She also went to the local health food store and got supplements. She is healthy now and is still trying to lose ten more pounds, but she is taking her time, and being patient. I think it is possible despite your condition, but it came off my friend 2 pounds per month. And that is with persitance and hard work. I wish you all the best with this. It can be done. I have seen it with my own eyes.

    ana

    that is VERY interesting to me. That is almost exactly the same rate as I have lost. I have been eating quite well and exercising regularly. If FEEL quite a bit better (lethargy wise), but the weight loss is frustrating. Especially when you see other people losing 2 lbs per week! The other part is that you have to be VERY diligent. If you CHEAT, it comes back on EXTREMELY fast. It is just not fair.... but it is what it is. Good LUCK, stay strong!
  • kbanzhaf
    kbanzhaf Posts: 601 Member
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    I have taken synthroid for Hypothyroidism for almost 10 years, yet I've lost (and kept off) 60 pounds. I began my weight loss journey almost five years ago, and was at my lowest weight in November 2007. Lost 70, gained back 20, and have lost 10 again.

    I would like to lose 5-10 again....however I am happy anytime the scale says less than 140. My point? It is possible to lose weight and keep it off even if your thyroid is 'funky.' :wink:

    Try not to get discouraged, and remember that you are making a lifestyle change, not pursuing a quick fix. It may be harder for those of us who have Hypothyroidism, but it DOES NOT mean we cannot be successful!

    Kaye
  • ysamatar
    ysamatar Posts: 484 Member
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    I have the same condition and the meds my dr prescribed weren't helping at all. She then suggest I take Kelp (suppmlement) it helped me alot and last time check my blood work it was within the border. Good luck and try to take it easy it is very frustrating but, then the same time the slower it gets off the harder it is to get back on.
  • halphord
    halphord Posts: 379 Member
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    I have hypothyroidism as well and take synthroid. Even when just doing synthroid, the doctor said "oh the weight will start to fall off". Not so much....never happened. I now work out two times a day (45 minute circuit training in the am and 30 minute cardio in the pm) and watch my calories, etc...I've lost 15 lbs since Jan 31st and feel great. I still get pretty tired right in the middle of the day, and often times need to take at least a 30 minute nap...but, that's a huge improvement from when I would crash in the middle of the day and take a 3 hour nap!
  • jessicaboepple
    jessicaboepple Posts: 6
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    I have hypothyroidism as well! I found out I had it almost 3 years ago when I was 16. My doctor thought it was just depression because of my age, but it runs in my family, sadly. I have to work hard to keep eating healthy and exercising because it takes a long time to lose weight after allowing it to accumulate, which can be discouraging. To help motivate myself to stay in shape, I sign up for 10k's and triathlons. Having a specific goal really helps you to stay in the right mindset and to not fall off the health bandwagon, especially when it costs money to sign up for the events! Not to mention that it feels great when you've finished something challenging, especially if you do it with a friend. :) good luck!
  • healthy1215
    healthy1215 Posts: 54
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    I too have this issue and I take synthroid, but still battle fatigue. I am going to take some advise from Dr. Oz, he recommends insuring you get adequate water daily as that adds to fatigue, plus take 400 mg magnesium and 600 mg calcium daily. Then the kicker is to take a 500mg capsules of tyrosine 3 times daily (open the capsules and let the powder disolve under your tongue). This vitamin cocktail is part of a 7 step plan to "naturally" oversome fatigue. Check it out in detail:

    http://www.drozfans.com/dr-ozs-advice/dr-oz-7-day-energy-surge-plan-jim-karas-tyrosine-wheat-grass/
  • tamicline
    tamicline Posts: 1
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    This is so encouraging to know that there are so many of us dealing with hypothyroidism. I had my thyroid radiated when I was 21, so I have been dealing with it for almost 13 years. I was not aware of some of the supplements available, but I will start researching it. Weight loss has been a constant battle for me since becoming hypo. It seems that the only thing that would work was diet pills, but as we all know, it always comes back and more. So this time I am really trying to do it the right way, with diet and exercise. So I can use all of you as friends! Good luck!!
  • Just1forMe
    Just1forMe Posts: 624 Member
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    My friend has the same problem but her attitude was like this: I don't want to gain weight, and since it is so hard to lose, I'll take my time"....she lost 17 pounds in 7 months and went to a specialist. She also went to the local health food store and got supplements. She is healthy now and is still trying to lose ten more pounds, but she is taking her time, and being patient. I think it is possible despite your condition, but it came off my friend 2 pounds per month. And that is with persitance and hard work. I wish you all the best with this. It can be done. I have seen it with my own eyes.

    ana

    that is VERY interesting to me. That is almost exactly the same rate as I have lost. I have been eating quite well and exercising regularly. If FEEL quite a bit better (lethargy wise), but the weight loss is frustrating. Especially when you see other people losing 2 lbs per week! The other part is that you have to be VERY diligent. If you CHEAT, it comes back on EXTREMELY fast. It is just not fair.... but it is what it is. Good LUCK, stay strong!

    All of the above has been my experience as well...about 1/2 lb per week. Although when I started MFP, I lost 1 lb the first and 2nd week and none the 3rd. Still waiting to see about this week, but I have a feeling it will level off back to 1/2 lb. Kind of stinks, but it's definitely better than the alternative--gaining!
  • jessicaboepple
    jessicaboepple Posts: 6
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    I found a decent article if anyone's interested: http://thyroid.about.com/cs/dietweightloss/a/losingweight.htm

    This is the important part:
    Weight loss is the most important method of eliminating insulin resistance. So it's one of those chicken and egg situations. The less you weigh, the less insulin resistant you will be. But insulin resistance makes it difficult to lose weight.

    So, for people who are insulin resistant, one of the only effective methods is by eating a low fat, low carbohydrate, protein sufficient diet. This means that in addition to the usual restrictions of a low-fat diet, you also need to seriously limit intake of sugar and starches, cutting back on pasta, rice, potatoes, white flour breads, cereal, corn, peas, sweet potatoes, desserts, dairy products, meats, and fruit with a high sugar content.

    You may feel frustrated that there's nothing left to eat. But you need to rethink your eating habits, shifting to a diet of chicken, turkey, fish, non-starchy vegetables, legumes, and certain grains. And for those who are insulin resistant, once you start eating this way, you'll find it easier, as your carbohydrate cravings will subside dramatically.

    Exercise

    Finally, according to Jean-Pierre Despres, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Physical Education and Director of the Lipid Research Center at Laval University Hospital in Quebec, "Exercise is probably the best medication on the market to treat insulin resistance syndrome." "Our studies show that low intensity, prolonged exercise -- such as a daily brisk walk of 45 minutes to an hour -- will substantially reduce insulin levels," says Dr. Despres.
  • DeirdreRice
    DeirdreRice Posts: 2
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    Thank you all for your words of encouragement. I was first diagnosed about 15 years ago and currently take synthroid like many of you. My doctor (an Endocrinologist) checks my thyroid levels about every 4-6 months and they have been pretty consistent. I've tried, with my doctor's permission, adjusting the dosage to help with the weight loss and the only thing that did for me was to really throw my levels out of whack. Most recently, with the help of my chiropractor, I've started a nutrition program (Nutrition Response Testing along with Designed Clinical Nutrition) which incorporates the use of "whole food" supplements. I've only been on the program for about 2 weeks now and, while the supplements have begun to help with the fatigue and other issues, I have not seen any more than 1 pound weight loss (slow and steady wins the race). But my eating habits have not been that great lately (which I'm working on). Now mind you, I am not a health food or chiropractic fanatic but he has help me for years, through chiropractic, with other issues. So, at this point, I'm willing to give it a try. It can only help my overall health. If you'd like to learn more about the NRT and DCN you can Google it and read some very interesting information. Continued success and thanks for the input.
  • bcweisen
    bcweisen Posts: 118 Member
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    Sympathy all around. Even after getting on synthroid and working out 4-5 days a week.... still really struggle to lose weight now.

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