Hypothyroid friends......HELP!

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kriswigg
kriswigg Posts: 95
in Health and Weight Loss
I am a thyroid cancer survivor, and started on MFP almost two months ago. DId great for the first few weeks, but the last couple I've been stuck. I've been staying below my calorie goals (a couple off days, but we all have those) and have really upped my excercise, but I've been stuck at the same weight for almost two weeks now. Haven't lost a pound. Any of you have the same issues? What worked for you? I've accepted that weight loss is going to be tougher with my thyroid issues, but it is so frustrating to be doing so well (lost 11 pounds) then come to a screeching halt. :grumble:

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  • cardbucfan
    cardbucfan Posts: 10,396 Member
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    I didn't have thyroid cancer but did have 3/4 of my thyroid removed and am on medicine for it so I'm somewhat in the same boat as you. I can't see your diary to see if you are too far below your calorie goals each day or to see what you are eating. Plateau's are normal and depending on what type of exercise you are doing, you will sometimes gain weight. Have your measurements changed? For me, I am at my goal weight now and working on toning now. It's just a long, slow process. Don't give up when the scale stops moving. Use something else as your means of telling if it's working-how fast can you run/walk?, how do your pants feel?, how much can you lift now? When I would hit a rut, I'd be especially mindful of what I ate and meticulous in my measuring. Good luck, if I can lose 23 lbs. at 47 on thyroid medicine, you can too!!
  • jsoaper01
    jsoaper01 Posts: 99 Member
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    I dont know this as a fact but you should ask your doctor to check your vitamin levels. Maybe you are deficient somewhere. I have a b12 deficiency and that helped me start loosing. I also have thyroid problems.
  • sam363
    sam363 Posts: 204 Member
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    Have you read The Zone diet? it's a balance between carbs, protein, and fat. It has really helped me eat the correct foods and lose weight. I also feel better having this type of balance in my meals and snacks plus more energy.

    Also, when is the last time you had your thyroid levels checked? You may need a dosage change. If you are only taking meds for your T4 you could talked to your doctor about adding a T3 drug too.
  • bigmamma56
    bigmamma56 Posts: 41
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    I'm hypo too..I was first diagnosed back in Feb 2008...this was after a quick weight gain of three stone and many many other health symptoms including extreme fatigue which my GP put down to the menopause! Anyway...to cut a long story short they finally decided to test my thyroid function and I was found to have a high level of thyroid antibodies hence a diagnosis of hashimoto's. I was immediately started on levothyroxine and over 2 years on this medication I slowly got my weight down from 15stone 9lb to 13stone 9lb.

    I joined MFP in January because I too hit a plateau and did not shift a pound for six months.....I had also been warned that my glucose levels were border line for diabetes so I knew I needed to do something fast. I was told that I needed to lose 10% of my body weight to reduce my chances of getting diabetes by 50%.

    I believe my weight loss has been helped not only by taking the thyroid medication but a determined effort to increase my exercise output (I have always been an active person) and eat more healthily. I now strive to eat 1700 calories a day and I adhere to the principal that 3500 calories burned equals one pound in weight loss....so I WALK WALK WALK to try and burn these calories off. I also do water aerobics twice a week, and swiss ball and pilates exercise when I can.

    Since joining MFP I have picked up many helpful tips and have lost a further 9lbs... I seem to be losing at the rate of 2lbs a month which is good enough for me. I now need to get down to under 12stone to be classified as normal weight/BMI for my height so hopefully I can reach this by the end of the year. I think for us hypo's it is definitely a slower process...but never despair or give up...we can do it. :smile:
  • Capone007
    Capone007 Posts: 33 Member
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    I have hypothyroidism (still have my thyroid though), and I also have fibromyalgia. Meds for the fibro can cause weight gain (or water weight too, depends on the person), I am on synthroid for the thyroid. I've had my levels checked recently. I haven't lost any weight now since 4/2, and I haven't lost any inches since 2/18/11. I wear a HRM when doing any activites (horse riding, tennis, or DVD workouts) and record what I eat. To say I'm frustrated is putting it lightly. I'm reading this thread with interest to see if there is anything I can take from it and try out.

    Going to the doctor for several reasons tomorrow, and this is one of them. He can read my MFP diary if he wants! ha ha
  • Fitfreak199
    Fitfreak199 Posts: 11 Member
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    It sounds like you've hit a plateau which happens to us all for various reasons. There's too many variables to predict what your "plateau" is caused from. But it may not be a bad thing. You can get to a point where, if you are eating a good diet and working out intensely, you will be losing same amount of body fat, but also gaining muscle which would be a net......gain of weight. This is the transformation you want!! If you reduce the calories at this point, your body will stop growing lean muscle and start storing fat. The better measurement is bodyfat percent or just measurements. You may need to stay off the scale for a while during this transition.

    Another possibility is if you aren't eating often enough, or not eating the right foods at the right times, you could be slowing down your metabolism.

    If you aren't already, with your thyroid condition, you should se a hormone replacement therapy doctor for a thorough check of all your hormone functions and find your exact basic metabolic rate (BMR).
  • bigmamma56
    bigmamma56 Posts: 41
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    By the way I forgot to mention that if you type 'Hypothyroid' in the search box on the Home page it will throw up lots more information from previous threads on this subject matter. There are clearly quite a few of us with thryoid disorders and it is very interesting to read how other people cope with their condition.

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