Losing weight with Hashimotos thyroiditis?

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Lynz_Bruce
Lynz_Bruce Posts: 7 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone on here have hashimotos diease?

" Hashimotos is an autoimmune disease in which the thyroid gland is attacked by a variety of cell- and antibody-mediated immune processes, causing primary hypothyroidism"

I find it very difficult to loose weight because of this, even with a healthy diet and lots of exercise. I take medication (synthroid) but it doesn't seem to help with my metabolism. I guess my question is- if anyone has this, what are you doing to loose weight? What's your advice?
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Replies

  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    If you're finding it difficult to lose weight, there are two areas you need to examine.

    First, make sure that you're on the right dose of thyroid medication. Every person with Hashi's has a sweet spot they need to be corrected to. You might be testing within normal range, but still not be corrected enough. Are you still having any symptoms like fatigue or dry skin? I'll give an example. I could test to 2.8, which is normal, but I'd feel terrible. I don't feel well until I'm on a dose that corrects me to the point where I test to around 1.2 or lower.

    The second place to look when you're not losing is how you're going about losing weight. Are you logging everything you eat? Are you using a food scale? Weighing all your solid foods? Measuring all your liquids? Are you selecting the correct data base entries when you log your foods? Are you verifying them through an independent website like the USDA or nutritiondata.self.com?

    How about exercise? Are you logging that? Are you eating back all of your exercise calories? What method are you using to measure your exercise burns? A lot of times those burns can be exaggerated and eating all of those calories back can result in eating too many calories to lose weight effectively.

    A person with Hashimoto's can lose weight just fine if they are properly medicated and creating a calorie deficit.
  • Cking1162
    Cking1162 Posts: 65 Member
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    ^What she said.

    I would add...that I found it a little easier to lose weight when my dr added Cytomel to my Synthroid dose. I still have to work really hard to lose weight but I am now seeing results. Might be worth bringing up to your endocrinologist.

    Feel free to add me if you want too--always love to support fellow hashi friends!
  • kjac1992
    kjac1992 Posts: 16 Member
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    I just started eating better and working out, I'm worried about my Hashi's hindering my progress.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    mamapeach910 wrote: »

    A person with Hashimoto's can lose weight just fine if they are properly medicated and creating a calorie deficit.

    This. I am hypothyroid (not hashimotos though) and have taken synthroid, armour, and tirosint. Definitely find one that makes you feel your best and make sure you're taking your supplements for any deficiencies you may have. I take a b vitamin, iron, and vitamin d due to poor absorption.


    Other than that, with deficit and exercise i have no problems losing whatsoever. I actually didnt find out i was hypo until i had already lost my initial 25 pounds (and got to my goal weight). It just took consistency, hard work, and dedication.

    you can do it! :)
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
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    I have Hashi's and primary hypothroidism.

    It can be done!
  • cheezels83
    cheezels83 Posts: 62 Member
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    Hi like Cking said above sometimes Cytomel (T3) can help.

    Sometimes taking only the T4 meds don't work so well for everyone. I put on a massive amount of weight in a very short time, twice! After around 15 years of complaining to my doctors that I still didn't feel well and so on, (it's a very long complicated story), I changed to a new doctor who did listen.
    He did one simple blood test for Free T3 THAT NOONE HAD EVER DONE AND I HAD NO IDEA ABOUT and found that I didn't actually convert the T4 meds into the active hormone T3 which is what our body uses. I was on 275mcg Levoxine (T4) but the blood test showed I had very very low T3 in my blood. Even on that massive dose I could barely function.
    I got my life back with T3 (Where I am its called something different that Cytomel)

    It is harder but not impossible to lose weight but you need to "optimally medicated" for you and that can take time to find the right dose. When you get a blood test make sure that you also ask for the ranges so you can see where you fall. You still might be not at the right level for you to feel well and for your body to respond to good food and exercise like a "normal" (haha) person.

    Are you:
    1. Taking your medication either 1 hour before food or 2 hours after food?
    2. Not taking it with any supplements that can affect the absorption?
    3. Eating or drinking any Soy products, if so get rid of them now!!!!

    Good luck!
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    Azulvioleta, Hashimoto's IS primary hypothyroidism.
  • cms023
    cms023 Posts: 10 Member
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    I am hypo. I have always been heavier and had to nearly starve to get any weight off. Back in November I was put on Armour by a doctor without any blood work done. He just said from my symptoms (weight loss resistant, fatigue, dry skin, hair loss, etc.) that I was hypo and told me to keep upping my dose till I felt good. Well, he didn't say Armour has a loop and before I knew it I was severely hyper and scared to death. Heart racing, sweating, irritable.

    I switched doctors who did run my blood and I am just barely below normal in T3 and T4. He started me on 50 mcg of Synthroid, but I felt horrible for 6 weeks. I mean almost as bad as I used to feel. All I wanted to do was sit because I had no energy. I went for my last labs and visit a few weeks ago and he added 5 mcg Cytomel. It helps a little with the energy but by 1 p.m. I feel the fatigue coming on. I get labs in a few more weeks. Hoping he will adjust my Cytomel up a little more.

    Now, while I haven't eaten perfect, I would say 50% of the time is eating good. Since November when I started the Armour and then the Synthroid, I have put on 15 pounds! Even when I was eating 100% junk food I never put on weight this fast. It is so frustrating. I have been eating well and within my limits for over a week and have gained another pound!

    Does anyone have issues with the medication doing this to them? Happy that I have more energy again, but so hard to lose weight!!
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
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    Ditto on the cytomel! While medical studies are mixed about its actual impact on TSH, most of the studies I've read talk about quality of life being improved.

    I function better at the lower end of the normal range. And my insurance uses 4 as the threshold for TSH. Make sure you know all your numbers and don't just accept them telling you "You're in the normal range." You need to be your own best advocate. The About.com Thyroid site is really helpful. Tons of good, up-to-date information.

    I'm lucky that Kaiser puts all my results into a little graph. :smiley:

    I put on about 90 pounds. And I'm 5'3. UGH!!!! :neutral: Lost it all and then some. At 44, I'm in better shape than I was at 35 when it hit. But it took time. The T4s take about 8 weeks to integrate into your system and really affect your TSH. Cytomel is fast-acting, in and out quick.

    I changed the way I eat, which helps. I eat mini-meals usually (during the work week). I cut out most grains and refined carbs. Lots of protein for me has worked well.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    Psychgrrl raises a good point. For a subset of people who are hypothyroid, cutting carbs can be helpful. I moderate mine, but haven't eliminated anything completely.
  • Lynz_Bruce
    Lynz_Bruce Posts: 7 Member
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    Thanks everyone for your advice! Next time I see my endocrinologist I'll be sure to talk to her about my current medication and definitely ask about cytomel. I'm very good at watching what I eat. I was a vegan for three years but when I found out that I had hashimotos I new I couldn't depend on soy as a source of protein for me. I am now a pescetarian- I can't stand red meats or chicken/turkey but don't mind fish. And I've been exercising a lot more lately. I'm even doing a 5k this up coming Friday!!!
    Again, thanks to everyone who took their time to reply. I appreciate it!
  • emily9423
    emily9423 Posts: 42 Member
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    So this might step on some toes so I want to make it clear that I understand hashimotos can make it a little bit more challenging to lose weight. I've had hashimotos since I was 12 and in my opinion so long as you're properly medicated, eat to your calorie deficit, and stay active you shouldn't have much trouble. I cheat with my diet a lot and I still manage to lose about 1.5 pounds a week (I keep my diary open if you want to check it out). I think sometimes there's a bit of a placebo effect where because we know it could possibly make weigh loss harder it can make us a little less motivated and give us a bit of a crutch or an excuse even for being overweight. It's not it just takes hard work and dedication.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    edited April 2015
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    Hashi's here, 88mcg of plain old non-cool Levo, DXd...I can't remember...five years ago? Six? - with an insane TPO result (1850 - max for neg. for the test was 5) and high TSH. Even before I was medicated, I DID lose weight if I ate at a deficit and was strict about everything that was going into my mouth.

    IMO the main point for the newly DXd is to feel better. To feel mobile, feel human again. I didn't suddenly lose weight once I got on meds, though everyone is different. As I said, I only lost weight when I ate at a deficit. But I DID lose weight.

    Be careful of falling into the "why me?" trap. Not saying the OP is doing this (she doesn't give any indication of it) but I have seen it quite a bit in the Hashi's community. The viewpoint is that "other" people "don't have to" be as strict about calorie counting as non-hypo-T people. This is NOT TRUE. It simply isn't. Not that I've seen in actual experience, anyway (not just myself but others). It's hard to get a lifelong DX, but everyone deals with something. This is our "thing," or one of them.

    Get to the right dosage of whatever medication you and your doctor decide upon, start to feel better, start to live again and use what you DO have - probably two good legs, the ability to get around...access to medicine. And the ability to decide what goes into your mouth. ;)

    Hoping you feel better very soon.
  • cheezels83
    cheezels83 Posts: 62 Member
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    Re T3 Are you taking just one dose? I take 3 doses throughout the day and that has changed over time through trial and error. I can feel it wearing off sometimes, especially when the dose was too low at the beginning. Everyone is different and some people only need a tiny dose but over time mine rose quite a bit.

    I take 100 T4 (levo) and 60 T3 split into 3 doses. (I started on 20 but very quickly crashed and needed more. have been stable now on this dose for 5 months or so.
    Mt blood tests show that my T3 is still within range even with this higher dose. Everyone's bodies are different.

  • Lynz_Bruce
    Lynz_Bruce Posts: 7 Member
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    I'm just taking one does of synthroid (25 mg) a day. I need to schedule another appointment with my endocrinologist. It's takes a little while to get in with mine? And LAWoman72, I'll try not to fall into the "why me?!" Trap. Haha. I'm majority Native American ( kiowa and Cheyenne Indian ) and natives tend to usually have thyroid problems and so I wouldn't be surprised there.
  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,416 Member
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    To re-emphasize what LawWoman72 said, my lowest weight was when my TSH was 10... (It's gotten to 25...) So it is entirely possible to lose weight with hypoT, the problem isn't so much your eating so much as it is the way your body ends up feeling - and the resulting laying around not burning calories, and occasionally epic levels of water retention.

    Walking is usually enough movement to keep me trim, and it's sufficiently low impact that I can get out and do it, even if I'm feeling a bit "off." The key is consistency. Take your meds at the same time every day. Do your fitness regimen every time. etc. etc. It's all easier to do when you don't feel like something the cat dragged in, so make sure your doctor treats you with respect and listens to you every time as well. :)
  • Lynz_Bruce
    Lynz_Bruce Posts: 7 Member
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    ^^ I'm actually very active now. I walk/run about 3 miles and go to the gym everyday. As for my medication, My doctor told me to take it separate from my other medication.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    Lynz_Bruce wrote: »
    ^^ I'm actually very active now. I walk/run about 3 miles and go to the gym everyday. As for my medication, My doctor told me to take it separate from my other medication.

    It's interesting you said that native americans are more likely to have thyroid issues. I am 25% comanche and 12.5% arapaho.

    Is this a legitimate correlation?
  • emklsu
    emklsu Posts: 4 Member
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    Try going gluten free. Gluten intolerance/sensitivity and Hashi's can be correlated. No matter how few calories I get and how much I exercise, I cannot lose weight if I'm eating gluten (plus, my thyroid swells to a goiter and I feel like crap.). I'm on Armour and the combo of that and gluten free finally has me losing weight like I used to be able to.

    Supposedly, gluten has a similar structure to the thyroid, which is attacked when you have Hashi's. So gluten makes your body think there's more thyroid tissue that needs to be attacked and it ups the autoimmune response.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
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    mamapeach910 wrote: »
    Azulvioleta, Hashimoto's IS primary hypothyroidism.

    Not according to my endocrinologist and neuroendocrinologist, but of whom list them as separate diagnoses.

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