I have Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease), and I lost and have maintained for six months just like everybody else—by eating fewer calories than I burn. No special "hypo math" needed.

If you're not losing, you may be underestimating your food &/or overestimating your burns. That has nothing to do with your thyroid.

You also may have accessory issues to the thyroid. I just learned the hard way how important it was to keep DHEA levels up in addition to my thyroid. How are your DHEA levels? Does your doc look at the thyroid accessory stuff too (magnesium, iodine, Vitamin D, sugar levels like A1C, etc.)? Almost all women that have hypothyroid issues also have low DHEA (don't remember why it seems to correlate so highly with women but not as much with men).

I literally stopped taking my DHEA for a while -- I can't explain why but for some crazy idea I just thought I didn't need it or it wasn't that important. And my weight loss totally stopped, despite the exact same exercise and calorie deficits. I thought I was going crazy again. Blood tests came back and doc was like "what's up with your DHEA -- have you stopped taking it?!!" I just didn't realize how important it was.

I started taking it again, got my levels back up into the good range, and the weight started coming off again, just like before -- exactly in line with my calculated deficits.

So, sometimes, it's really not about the food, but about other things going on in your body. Hormones are very, very powerful and a delicate balance.

@lindsey - my doctor put me on DHEA last fall when I was diagnosed (along with quite a list of other vitamins).

I about fell out of my chair when he explained it to me. He said, and I quote: "you need DHEA to support and keep your adrenals functioning. Your adrenals give you testosterone. I am a man. I get my testosterone from my balls. You get yours from your adrenals. You fix the adrenals, you won't need the bioidentical testosterone you are putting in your hip". Sorry if that offends anyone but it's a true story. Also, he was right! I do feel freakin fantastic, however, I've not lost any weight. He asked me if I was eating less and exercising more? Since I had not been doing either of these things at the time this is sadly, also a true story lol. At least now I have enough energy and feel well enough to start exercising again. Before I got sick I used to run 2-3 miles a day and do yoga twice a week. This is my goal again but maybe I'll start out with yoga and just walking!

Fuzzipeg wrote: »

It is so very difficult and disheartening trying to discover "what is best for you" when it comes to these thyroid symptoms. Finding a thyroid condition specialist is the greatest obstacle anyone has to overcome particularly in the UK and Europe where we have a one size fits all testing and medication regime which fails many of us, unless we find an open minded medic who is prepared to cover all our angles and treat as a "named patient", a very rare person. Becoming our own thyroid specialist by listening and reading is probably the best many of us can do but it is not without risks.

It's hard to be a thyroid patient in the US, too. Doctors here (including endocrinologists) are very resistant to prescribe Armour (dessicated pig or pig & cow thyroid glands) or Cytomel (liothyronine). But Synthroid (levothyroxine) is not right for everyone.

I agree 100% about educating yourself. Get your information from reliable sources, like the NHS, NIH, and Mayo Clinic.

And shop around for a good endocrinologist who will adjust your meds based on symptoms, too—not just your levels. Find a doctor who will listen to you.

As far as I am concerned, I welcome any information I can come across which I can read and consider for myself because I have been failed hands down by all but one modern medic, and a fresher I've encountered in my 65 years. I have to confess an underlying problem salicylate intolerance and the immunologist agreed. My symptoms are sometimes similar to some of those experienced by someone having taken an aspirin overdose but coming out of it, sometimes it is not quite so bad, mine are probably on the worse side of average with continuous, no relief tinnitus.

The Australians were the first to try to get to grips with the problem though it had been noted from times past. The FDA registered, agreed the work many years ago, in the '70's. I think the UK was not as interested. The thyroid link. Up shot, the thyroid becomes stressed in its attempt to eliminate salicylate from foods especially those now deemed so good and the environment particularly perfumes and household cleaners and plants, this also adds chemical sensitivity. This puts myself and fellow sufferers as the immunologist said, "At the edge of science". The exact cause of the sensitivity is not known.

I know logging and weighing religiously disregarding activity calories, after a week or three stops working for me my weight will not drop any more. The more precise I become, were it possible to be so, the more resistant my body becomes. I admit to drifting for a while and gaining. Knowing I am still 6 stone down from my worst, over several years gives me some comfort and hope. It comes to something when one has to tell the top endo at the local hospital that salicylate is a toxin!

On my own I overcame many problems including severe joint and muscle pain, to the point I needed crutches, bladder problems and chronic fatigue (this is gone for the most part, but I can get caught out, even in my own garden). I'm still restricted to the briefest of visits to a supermarket to do essential shopping. The laundry isle is a definite no no. However it depends on the amount of perfume on others in the store as to how long I can stay, often I leave my husband to pay.

I'm due another blood test soon because I say the 50 mg of liquid levo (without maize, full of salicylate) I am allowed is not enough and because a year ago the immunologist told me my thyroid was too far off for where it should be and this probably accounted for all my disregarded health issues, I had achieved relief for myself by reducing salicylate and pressure on my thyroid, not using medication which was never considered relivant. One person could see by looking at me what my problem was, simple over eating! not. The immunologist considered my respiratory system so compromised. I don't remember the name of the condition, he thought I might have at worst, my condition was as if I lived all my life in the mountains of darkest Peru as against mostly 200 ft above sea level. My current doctor disregarded this and may need to back track. There is no point in changing practices because I know the other doctors and the principal who had "cared" for me in theory for 10 years preferring to label me depressive. It is known in medical circles, to put a person who's mental health condition does not respond to the usual medication on thyroid medications and they probably will see an improvement in that person..............

I have no idea if I will make my three score years and ten not but the last 5 years are counting down daily and I need to make the best of them. If I want to live rather than just exist, I must take my care into my onw hands. This next blood test. I will visit the hospital early in the morning, masked in an attempt not to be made ill again, it was not overly successfully last time because I was seen way after time. It may reveal I would benefit from DHEA, it may not even be being tested. If nothing else is considered helpful as the outcome I will do my best to find some DHEA to see if it addresses any issues. If not I will keep trying.

I have my husband, 2 adult children and partners, 9 grandchildren 2 with partners, and a cat, (in the year she has been with us she has lost the needed 16% of her body weight, so I can get it right) all of who's company I want to enjoy on family holidays, at school plays, out of school activity, family days out, attending concerts or films, I have ordinary days to enjoy, and holidays I want to take. In short, I want to live, having lost 30 years of what should have been good quality life to problems which were dismissed all the way along as nothing, even hypochondria. I even had a cancer operation which might well have been avoided had I been listened to in my 20's and 30's.

So I will grasp any information I can, Oriental, alternative or orthodox, web sites too, "stop the thyroid madness", Salicylate Sensitivity site, accredited medical papers, Thyroid UK, Thyroid anywhere English speaking just in case, (the NHS site has old news as do some supposedly good clinics), I listen, read, consider then act in what I consider to be the best way for me. I would encourage any other person to use their intelligence and do what is right for them. If you are not "active" at the centre of your life, life may not be all you want it to be. I give thanks to my husband who knows how far I have come and would like me to achieve all that is available to me. I only say this worked for me, consider, and do your own thing.

Only you can make your life work, others don't have the same agenda or incentives.

Not eating back your exercise calories reduces the margin of error on your logging. If you're not weighing everything you eat (even packaged foods), then you're underestimating your calories.

People with thyroid disease do not have a "broken metabolism" nor need fewer calories than anybody else.

slieber wrote: »

I am very lucky. My doctor checks the adrenals with every blood test. She reduced some of my meds due to the vigilance.

How can you check it? Is there a test for it? What's its name? I always thought that the whole "adrenal fatigue" was dismissed by traditional medicine so never bothered to ask for a test.

I've also discovered Dr Hedberg, on line. His work is very interesting. I wish he was UK based.

Thanks @slieber. I'll check my printouts.

Allaboutthecake. You have it. It is like trying to get all your personal stars in alignment. I hope we can all find our way to stop "crying for the moon"