Can't loose weight due to Thyroidectomy

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Replies

  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    edited May 2015
    I see you're logging daily but are you using a food scale? That one tool can make all the difference. :)
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    Do you have other endocrinologists available in your network? That was one big problem I experienced - trying to find one willing to work with me rather than just rely on TSH levels. I'm on .175/.200 alternating daily. Very high dosage, but my TSH levels are consistently below 3.0.

    You mention you're a former body builder so probably much more in tune with your body than most of us here.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    Arliah wrote: »
    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).

    6.8 is high enough that you should seek out a good endocrinologist. There was a study published in 2003 adjusting the TSH range from 0.3 - 3.0, which I personally believe is much more accurate. While I normally recommend generics, Synthroid is the one drug I swear by the branded name due to the complications in potency (I work in pharma). Congrats on the success!
  • kattom
    kattom Posts: 12 Member
    Is anyone on Armor Thyroid ?
  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,668 Member
    Thyroidectomy in 2005, now cancer free for 10 years. I'm on Synthroid and have been stable for quite some time (except during and immediately after pregnancy). I have lost a significant amount of weight twice now with no real issues. Make sure your thyroid is stabilized and be patient. It can be done.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    kattom wrote: »
    Is anyone on Armor Thyroid ?

    We've tested this out of curiosity and there is tremendous variability in potency. The amount of API is not enough to have meaningful impact and could not pass double blind clinical evaluation.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    It sounds like it might be time for a new endocrinologist and a full work-up.

    If I were you, I would go to the biggest medical school in your region and make an appointment with the best endocrinologist/thyroid specialist that you can find.
  • Arliah
    Arliah Posts: 266 Member
    CSARdiver wrote: »
    Arliah wrote: »
    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).

    6.8 is high enough that you should seek out a good endocrinologist. There was a study published in 2003 adjusting the TSH range from 0.3 - 3.0, which I personally believe is much more accurate. While I normally recommend generics, Synthroid is the one drug I swear by the branded name due to the complications in potency (I work in pharma). Congrats on the success!
    I think I found a pretty good endocrinologist. She put me on Synthroid, 88mg for now. Just started today, taking 44mg for three days and then going up to the full dose. I am kind of curious what, if anything, I will notice.

  • kattom
    kattom Posts: 12 Member
    Over the past 3 yrs I gained 30lbs. And I have been on synthroid 112mg so hopefully this won't happen to you, but it does happen to most :s
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    kattom wrote: »
    Over the past 3 yrs I gained 30lbs. And I have been on synthroid 112mg so hopefully this won't happen to you, but it does happen to most.

    Synthroid & Cytomel reduce the fatigue, so I can be more active. But I kept gaining until I learned to log everything I eat & drink accurately & honestly. Logging works.

    I lost the weight before my thyroid levels ever entered the "normal" range. But I think Hashimoto's has messed up my hunger cues. Logging showed me I wasn't gaining weight "for no reason," like I thought—I was eating too much.
  • fidangul
    fidangul Posts: 673 Member
    From reading the discussion above it actually sounds like you have the answer to your question anyway. You say; Your meds are supervised by your dr, you more or less know what to eat and how to log it and as an "ex body builder" you know the importance of sport... I think just don't give up and allow your body to adjust to its new form you should be fine
  • Arliah
    Arliah Posts: 266 Member
    edited May 2015
    kattom wrote: »
    Over the past 3 yrs I gained 30lbs. And I have been on synthroid 112mg so hopefully this won't happen to you, but it does happen to most :s
    Do you think you gained weight because of the medication? I am just asking because it seems counterintuitive to me. Ideally, Synthroid helps to restore the balance of T4/T3 again, and with that you should be able to lose weight easier again. I have never stopped losing weight, even with my very underactive thyroid over the past few months, so it seems logical to me that with a normally functioning metabolism and proper T3 levels, the weight loss should be at least the same rate, if not a little more (and easier, due to the normalized metabolism). Note: I am not saying that Synthroid will dramatically speed up my weight loss, of course, and I am not expecting that! Maybe I just misunderstood you though?


  • thyroidless74
    thyroidless74 Posts: 9 Member
    I had my thyroid removed in 2008 and am now 25 lbs heavier. I am also 40 years old and our metabolism slows down as we get older. I simply cannot eat whatever I want and not track. Once I did start tracking, I lost 13 lbs in a month a half! That was the FIRST time I ever started losing weight since my thyroid was removed. I guess I became too confident and stopped tracking and in a matter of 3 months, I gained it all back. So for me, it's eating. I have to eat very little, around 1,500 calories a day. Never in my life did I have to do this, but thyroidless and 40 years old, I do.

    Also, have you had your Free T4 and Free T3 levels checked? You mentioned Armour. Armour has both T4 and T3. I take Tirosint (BIG improvement since I switched from Synthroid to Tirosint, but expensive) and generic Cytomel. T3 is super-important for a proper metabolism.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    edited June 2015
    I don't have a thyroid. It's harder for me to lose weight than it is for most people. I don't lose as fast. But I can lose. I'm not saying, "I can lose, so you can, too!" but am hoping it offers you some hope.

    Keep working with the doctor. Gotta adjust the levels as you go.

    Do not compare your weight loss to other people's. It's just discouraging. Focus on YOU and only you.

    Good luck!
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    kattom wrote: »
    Lol I post my food everyday. I am just very frustrated. I don't even know what u r talking about. I ask for help as I wasn't finding it in the other posts. If u want to attack some one or take out some kind of frustrations please do it with someone else as u r wasting your time on me as I am already depressed and u can't make me feel any worse.

    @kattom No one is attacking you. You came here seeking advice and that's what everyone is giving you.

    If you are logging your food every day, please open your diary.
    OP does not wish to open her diary. She is entitled to her privacy.

    It is against the MFP rules to badger people into it.
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