WEIGHT LOSS AND THYROID???

Foxxylady86
Foxxylady86 Posts: 10
in Health and Weight Loss
Long story short. I'm 27, 5'8 and my starting weight was 280 and I've cut my calories to 1400 and have been working out like a mad woman running about 10 miles a week. 2 miles/5 days out of the week and I do cardio lift on wednesday. However, I have lost hardly any weight by the scale. I started out around the beginning of Sept. and my numbers have been almost the same. I don't drink soda only water and I figured that since I have a lot of weight to lose I would perhaps lose faster initially, but the first 3 weeks nothing. I am on .25mg of synthroid for my thyroid not sure if that has anything to do with it. But just looking for inspiration and answers maybe thanks :-) or advice, pointers etc. Thanks

Replies

  • Christi102012
    Christi102012 Posts: 87 Member
    How long have you been on the synthroid? If you've just recently been diagnosed it could be that your levels aren't normalized yet.
  • Foxxylady86
    Foxxylady86 Posts: 10
    About a year.
  • Ruzuki
    Ruzuki Posts: 136 Member
    Im on synthroid and Im losing. What kind of food are you eating?
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
    edited October 2014
    u should be getting your levels tested often....like every few months..im hypo on levo..its possible the dose needs adjusting
  • Foxxylady86
    Foxxylady86 Posts: 10
    well Mon-Fri normal day usually

    BF- 2 pieces of bacon
    1/2-1 cup of egg whites
    Coffee

    Snack
    2 egg whites
    pretzels

    Lunch
    Chicken breast
    broccoli
    pretzels

    Snack
    Quest bar
    or 1/2 oatmeal
    1 veggie Protein shake

    WORKOUT

    Dinner
    Egg whites
    veggie protein shake

    *1 tootsie roll occasionally
    I only drink water or tea not even diet soda.
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  • Foxxylady86
    Foxxylady86 Posts: 10
    vinegar_husbands wrote: »
    Ruzuki wrote: »
    Im on synthroid and Im losing. What kind of food are you eating?

    Seconding this. OP should open her diary, if she wants to be honest with us. :\ Weight loss isn't impossible with thyroid problems.

    Sorry though my diary was open. Opening now ^_^
  • TrainerLB
    TrainerLB Posts: 42 Member
    You need to build muscle mass to burn calories. Cardio (in your case running) won't do the trick alone. If you have high bodyfat mass, you're not burning enough calories when you're not exercising. Running only burns calories AT THE TIME, but muscle burns calories ALL THE TIME. Take my word for it, increase your weight training sessions and you'll see some metabolic changes = weight loss.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    How do you know you are eating 1400--do you weigh food and log everything you eat?

    Do you eat your exercise calories back? If so, where do you get the burn estimates from?
  • Foxxylady86
    Foxxylady86 Posts: 10
    I log down to a piece of hard candy. I am usually consuming 1400 approx. and then exercising. And I know 1400 is below what my adjusted allowance is for the day. I usually just try to eat clean for the most part, but I always keep it light in the afternoons and night with shakes. As far as exercise I get the estimates from the treadmill I use and other times my hr monitor and fit bit.
  • Foxxylady86
    Foxxylady86 Posts: 10
    My goal weight is under 200, or a sz 12. As far as my thyroid I have a goiter but the doctor swears my levels were within the normal range but decided to put me on synthroid at the lowest of .25mg. IDK why to prevent further growth I guess.
  • catb58
    catb58 Posts: 239 Member
    I'm on synthroid and have lost a total of 45 lbs in less than 6 months...and am still going. So it can be done :)


    I see a LOT of sodium on your food diary, no water. How are you measuring your food? Are you using a scale? That's the best way to get an accurate calorie count.
  • Foxxylady86
    Foxxylady86 Posts: 10
    catb58 wrote: »
    I'm on synthroid and have lost a total of 45 lbs in less than 6 months...and am still going. So it can be done :)


    I see a LOT of sodium on your food diary, no water. How are you measuring your food? Are you using a scale? That's the best way to get an accurate calorie count.

    WOW Thanks ^_^ and I have a food scale for my lean meats I weigh them. I will watch my sodium now. I had been focused on the carbs. Also, I think it may be time for a visit to the doc, just to check my levels again . I never track my water because its the only thing i drink but I always make sure I get at least 64-120 ounces a day. Thanks
  • catb58
    catb58 Posts: 239 Member
    Weigh your veggies, fruit, butter, everything! It makes a difference. :)
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    edited October 2014
    My goiter was so big it was strangling my trachea and pushing on my lungs, filling up my chest. It was ginormous.

    They yanked that bad boy out and put me on the Synthroid and for the first time ever, I was able to lose. It took a while to get the levels right and they are still adjusted now and then...125, then 150, then 125...whatthehellever.

    I have to eat less than most people and I still lose slower. But I lose.

    I lost my parathyroids with the thyroid surgery, so am dependent on Calcium supplements to try to regulate calcium, which is an issue with the Synthroid. But I'm still losing.

    I know not everyone is able to lose, but just wanted to let you know that some people can, if it's gives you any hope. :)

    If you live in the states, see an endocrinologist. Do not settle for less.

    I hope they get it sorted out for you.
  • janiceclark08
    janiceclark08 Posts: 1,341 Member
    Several years as go my thyroid medicine was off and I gained alot of weight before my medicine was changed, after the fact I was told it should have been changed earlier, I'm on 175 mg of levyrythroxine which is similar to your medicine, .25 is not very much, but I would get my levels checked.

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  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    not to mention the "benefits" of muscle caloric burn are generally overestimated. I believe I read a study positing it was 10 calories more per pound of muscle. considering the effort it takes to make that pound of muscle...
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  • chellebublz
    chellebublz Posts: 568 Member
    Oh my goodness. She is not going to bulk just from adding some weight lifting into her routine. Not unless she is consuming mega calories. I did P90X while running and watched my calorie intake and I did not bulk up, just lost weight more steadily.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    Foxxylady86 wrote: »
    I have a food scale for my lean meats I weigh them.
    Need to weigh more than just your meats.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjKPIcI51lU&feature=youtu.be
  • ScottDowell
    ScottDowell Posts: 95 Member
    How long you had this problem of thyroid?
  • Allisonfitness99
    Allisonfitness99 Posts: 128 Member
    You should have the levels checked, I had to change mine a few times before I saw any weight loss..
  • Foxxylady86
    Foxxylady86 Posts: 10
    Ok so. The only time I really lost weight fast was when I tried Medifast. Other than that when I used to do this insanely hard bootcamp outside, lifted on wednesdays and steadily ate only 1400 calories even then I only lost about 7 pounds in 6 weeks. Which it seems most of it came off in a clump. From what I've heard people with thyroid issues most likely need to stay away from carbs in general. I don't even eat fruit because of the extra carbs and sugar. I just stick to protein eggs, chicken ground turkey, and veggies brown rice, brown rice noodles, spaghetti squash, etc salad, spinach, pretzels and occasionally chips.

    Also to clarify I do lift with a trainer on wednesdays but I also lift throughout the week by myself. I wish I could be one of those people that lose every week but doesn't seem to be my case. I do have a scale that supposedly tells me how much body fat I have. I do remember it telling me my body fat was 57% a few weeks ago and yesterday I stepped on it and it said my body fat was 51%, but I'm not sure how it gets those number just from me stepping on a scale so I'm a bit skeptic. Does anyone else have one of those?

    Also, when i went to my endocrinologist she said my levels were normal, but I was busting my hiney to lose weight and gaining too easy. However I do have a goiter so she relented and put me on the meds. I don't believe that you can have a goiter and your levels be 100% of the time correct but hey thats me.
  • blairwithredhair
    blairwithredhair Posts: 11 Member
    edited October 2014
    Have you been taking measurements? I'm also hypothyroid, and sometimes the scale doesn't move but your body is actually changing. Muscle is more dense than fat! You may want to try cutting down on the cardio, upping your weight training to at least 2x a week, and incorporating something relaxing like yoga in to your routine. Adrenal fatigue is a thing.

    Others react better to medications like Armour, but you should try being on Syntheroid longer. I've also found a huge difference in how I feel between the name brand Syntheroid and the generic, levothyroixine. My thyroid wasn't convertingT4 to T3, so on to Cytomel I went. Many doctors don't look at the whole picture though, too concerned with TSH. Don't be afraid to keep going back to your doctor, keep getting checked, and to be your own advocate. Don't be afraid to find a new endocrinologist if you think yours isn't listening to you (I've been to four since 2012 - my first doctor said "TSH is fine" when I still had allllllll these symptoms). From what you are saying, I do think you need to give yourself more time on Syntheroid though.

    Also, if you are recently diagnosed, I highly recommend the Thyroid Diet Revolution by Mary Shomon. Sometimes the "calories in vs. calories out" model simply doesn't work for us, and she gives several different dietary plans to experiment with and see what works. One example is that sometimes hypothyroid patients have a harder time using carbohydrates efficiently. That seems to be my case. I calorie count and exercise and nothing. I only seem to lose weight when I cut out all sugars and starches from my diet, which is really freaking hard in today's society!

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