Can't loose weight due to Thyroidectomy

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kattom
kattom Posts: 12 Member
I absolutely have not been able to loose weight!!! I am considering a water only diet. It's seems anything I put in my mouth is the enemy. I went from 126lbs to over 150 in just 3 years. It's terrible to be like this. I excessive everyday and watch what I eat and....nothing!!! I can't take this....water seems to be the only thing to consume. :'(
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  • kattom
    kattom Posts: 12 Member
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    I will check it out. Thanks
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
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    I know it can be difficult, but please don't blame the TT. My wife had one several years ago and is able to maintain and control her weight. Are your medications and blood work all in order?
  • bluepotatoes66
    bluepotatoes66 Posts: 45 Member
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    Might also be worth checking out the hyper/hypothyroidism group on here. There are a lot of people on there with theirs removed.
  • amyrenestone
    amyrenestone Posts: 3 Member
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    Go to your doctor and have your blood levels checked and meds adjusted. Starvation won't work long term.
  • scotvalkyrie
    scotvalkyrie Posts: 22 Member
    edited May 2015
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    Do you take medication to counteract your thyroidectomy? I would hope that you would be on some sort of medication for your hypothyroidism.

    That aside, I know some of how you feel. I have sarcoidosis, and I have to take prednisone everyday for the rest of my life or my lungs fill up with crap, and I kind of like breathing. :) Prednisone tends to make one lose the ability to feel full, so I can't rely on my body telling me I have eaten enough, and in the ten years I have taken the prednisone, I gained 75 pounds (and I was overweight to start with), lost 70, and then gained 50 back. So I have to track every single bit of food that I eat, and I have to be very careful about making sure that I'm being both honest and accurate about the amount of food I'm eating. I have to weigh and measure. You may have to do this too.

    It's also hard to make time to do some exercise, but it really helps with the weight loss too. I'm one of those people who thinks that exercise is a sort of punishment, but I still try to walk as much as possible. I'm the youngest mall walker at my local mall! I also make sure I get up from my desk every hour or so and do 2 or 3 laps walking around the inside of my building. I make myself remember that exercise gives me more calories during the day, and I can eat some and save some to make sure I don't go my daily calories!

    Please try not to despair. Losing weight because of medical reasons is really really really hard, which is so unfair. And sometimes you're just not going to lose weight because your hormones are out of whack (which they would be with the hypothyroid), or you're retaining water, or a butterfly farted in China. It's all about the HONEST tracking of food and getting some exercise in ... Unfortunately. But you can do it! But I would talk to your doctor too.
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,711 Member
    edited May 2015
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    kattom wrote: »
    I absolutely have not been able to loose weight!!! I am considering a water only diet. It's seems anything I put in my mouth is the enemy. I went from 126lbs to over 150 in just 3 years. It's terrible to be like this. I excessive everyday and watch what I eat and....nothing!!! I can't take this....water seems to be the only thing to consume. :'(

    I know it can be difficult to lose weight, but it is not impossible. You just need more willingness to try all kinds of things until you find what works for you. I had my thyroid removed due to cancer and it took two years or even a bit more before my meds were correctly adjusted. During that time I gained a lot of weight. At the time I blemed it all on my health problems, but now know that most of my weight gain was because I ate more calories than I burned and which now I call "cancer induced self pity eating", because my doctor encouraged me to eat to keep my strength up). That is often difficult to see and accept, because one could say that 1700 calories is really not all that much. At the time I was in my early 60's and since I am under five feet tall that was just too much for me to lose weight under the circumstances. Once I had my meds adjusted, I stopped gaining and when I started MFP in April 2013 and ate 1200 calories a day, I started to lose. I am set to lose .5 pound a week and have so far lost 55 pounds.
    Since apart from not having a thyroid I battle with problems like many people do ( being more hungry at night than during the day, preferring vegetables and pulses/legumes over all not caring much for meat, not liking anything sweet including sweet fruit) I had to accomodate this in my lifestyle and now do 18:6 ( give or take an hour ) IF and it has helped me a lot.
    I know, it seem unfair, but often people with certain health problems have to make extra efforts to find ways to reach their goals. I hope you also find what works for you.
    Good Luck !

    PS: From what I can see in your profile picture, you don't look overweight and might keep in mind that if you only want to lose vanity pounds that that will be even more difficult than true overweight.
  • Arliah
    Arliah Posts: 266 Member
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    Correct me if I am wrong, but you can't function period without your thyroid (at least not in the long run), whether it's been removed or simply not working. So if you had it removed (or partially removed), I assume you are taking replacement hormones (TSH and maybe also T4 and T3). That's the place to start...it sounds to me that your meds are not adjusted properly. If you are not on meds at all, you will have a much bigger problem than just not being able to lose weight in the long run. Good luck!
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    Had mine removed 15 years ago and put on about 70 lbs. Lost 50 so far, so it can be done. You need to get your Synthroid dosage under control and just apply CICO. There's a mental side to hypothyroidism, which is difficult to quantify and not really medically recognized - what helped me get over this was to be interested in everything! I had to force myself at first, but now it has become part of me.

    You have to realize that its an excuse. Do not allow it to be anything more or you will never be able to get the weight under control.
  • Arliah
    Arliah Posts: 266 Member
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    CSARdiver wrote: »
    Had mine removed 15 years ago and put on about 70 lbs. Lost 50 so far, so it can be done. You need to get your Synthroid dosage under control and just apply CICO. There's a mental side to hypothyroidism, which is difficult to quantify and not really medically recognized - what helped me get over this was to be interested in everything! I had to force myself at first, but now it has become part of me.

    You have to realize that its an excuse. Do not allow it to be anything more or you will never be able to get the weight under control.

    Nicely said! My last labs came back with a TSH level of 6.8, so I have a feeling I will have to go on Synthroid and maybe T4/T3 stuff soon if it won't normalize itself. But even with that value (and the corresponding T4/T3 levels) I've been able to lose 41lbs since last February. So it can be done, as you said. I am not quite sure when my thyroid decided to act up in the past year, but I am still dropping weight even now (about 0.5lbs a week, averaged over the course of a month).
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    I can relate being hypo myself but I can tell you that you probably need to add more cardio I had to workout like 1.5 to 2hrs daily it doesnt have to hardcore just walking or riding a bike...and my cals were 1200-1400 and no eating back workout cals ..but thats from my experience. Re-check your meds/levels like every 3mths.
  • kattom
    kattom Posts: 12 Member
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    I have my levels check every 3 months. I am on thyroid medication. My Drs don't say much to me about loosing weight. They tell me to cut back my calories. I have for a long time now and I exercise. And I just don't know what to do anymore. I just want to cry when I look at myself.
  • Arliah
    Arliah Posts: 266 Member
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    You can also try to switch your exercise routine. If you don't lift weights: Start! Don't bother with more cardio if you are already doing some. Lifting weights and paying attention to my macros has helped me a lot when I felt stuck.
  • Maleficent0241
    Maleficent0241 Posts: 386 Member
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    how many calories are you eating per day? with your medical condition, your calorie needs may be less right now. maybe talking to your doctor to make sure everything is ok there is a good place to start.

    In the meantime, I did the math, and 24 pounds over 3 years is only an excess of 77 calories a day approximately. with your thyroid condition, your margin of error is probably smaller than a healthy person so make sure you are really accurately counting everything. keep track and bring it to your doctor when you see them. it can be a big help for them to see the data.
  • kattom
    kattom Posts: 12 Member
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    I have talk to my Drs and they really aren't much help.
  • Arliah
    Arliah Posts: 266 Member
    edited May 2015
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    kattom wrote: »
    I have talk to my Drs and they really aren't much help.
    Try another doctor, and/or go to a nutritionist or registered dietitian who focuses on thyroid issues.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    edited June 2015
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    kattom wrote: »
    I absolutely have not been able to loose weight!!! I am considering a water only diet. It's seems anything I put in my mouth is the enemy. I went from 126lbs to over 150 in just 3 years. It's terrible to be like this. I excessive everyday and watch what I eat and....nothing!!! I can't take this....water seems to be the only thing to consume. :'(

    What does your endocrinologist say? What does your TSH look like? Your endocrinologist may be unaware that they lowered the TSH threshold--which may mean that you need to be supplied at a higher level. You should join the thyroid group here.

    [Edited by MFP Mods]
  • kattom
    kattom Posts: 12 Member
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    I had a total hysterectomy in 2003 due to breast cancers which was hormonal.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    edited May 2015
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    kattom wrote: »
    I absolutely have not been able to loose weight!!! I am considering a water only diet. It's seems anything I put in my mouth is the enemy. I went from 126lbs to over 150 in just 3 years. It's terrible to be like this. I excessive everyday and watch what I eat and....nothing!!! I can't take this....water seems to be the only thing to consume. :'(

    Thyroidectomy isn't the reason you aren't losing weight. That's an excuse, to be honest.

    You aren't losing weight because you aren't in a calorie deficit (meaning you are eating more than you are burning).

    Do you consistently and honestly log EVERY single piece of food you eat?

    Do you use a food scale to weigh EVERY single piece of food you eat?

    If the answer is no to either or both of those questions, that's the problem.

    Also, please open your diary.
  • kattom
    kattom Posts: 12 Member
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    Lol I know u r trying to help but I do weigh my food. I am a former female body builder and have tried everything I know. I am so frustrated.