Hypothyroidism and weight loss!

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maggie_teacher
maggie_teacher Posts: 18 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Help! I stick to a fairly healthy diet which is 1200-1300 and I'm not losing ANY weight. I suffer from underactive thyroid and my doctor said it's normal. No! It isn't! Any tips?
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Replies

  • katyconn123
    katyconn123 Posts: 24 Member
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    Hi Maggie I too have hypothyroidism, I have managed to lose 10lbs since end of Feb til now, I'm feeling much better and I still have my tired days but I push myself to go to fit camp 3 times a wk because I know I wake up sore but now at least I'm fighting back I've dropped a dress size too , it is very hard but definitely worth it to get back to the old me :)
  • katyconn123
    katyconn123 Posts: 24 Member
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    You can add me as a friend if u want , help each other along this journey
  • maggie_teacher
    maggie_teacher Posts: 18 Member
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    Hi Katy, wow, that's extremely impressive. I'm sure you are very proud of yourself.
    You sound very motivated as well. I think I'm losing my spirits at the moment. I know how hard exercising can be as well with our condition, but look at you, you've made it and managed to lose so much so far. I'd be over the moon to lose have of what you've had!
  • cheezels83
    cheezels83 Posts: 62 Member
    edited May 2015
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    When you get your blood tests do you get free t3 as well as Vit D, B12 and ferritin?

    After 15 years of complaining to various doctors when my weight sky rocketed in a few months (happened a few times during the years) and no amount of exercise or eating less helped. Then one doc did a blood test for my T3 levels. I was on 275mcg levoxine (T4) which is a very high dose but my T3 levels were rock bottom. So I couldn't convert the meds to the active T3 which regulates everything! Now I feel a lot better and the weight is now slowly coming off with eating well and exercising.
    There are people on here that say no it doesn't matter, CICO but when your meds are not working optimally for you then it doesn't work.
    Some people need a little more and for the prescribes dose to not always go straight off what the TSH level is. You need to get your levels with the ranges to see where you fall.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    Okay, you're right, a corrected thyroid will enable a person to lose weight just fine.

    Now as to why you haven't lost weight?

    1. How long have you been at this?
    2. What are your current stats? Height, weight, pounds to lose? You look awfully tall ... and you're young.. only 29...to only be eating 1200 calories
    3. Do you use a food scale?
    4. Are you selecting correct data base entries and verifying them with the USDA website or nutritiondata.self.com?
    5. What, if anything, are you doing for exercise/training and when did you start that program/activity?
  • maggie_teacher
    maggie_teacher Posts: 18 Member
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    Thank you for your detailed response!
    1) I started using MFP to gain more understanding about the quality of food I eat and macros. At some point I noticed that I started to gain weight.

    2) I am only 5'3', weight: 9.9. To lose, I'm taking in slowly now 6lbs and after achieving it another 6lbs. In a long run:12lbs will be perfect. I seem to be storing most fat around my belly (stomach) and love handles. My arms and legs are quite toned and I used to be swimmer and a dance teacher. I was slightly concerned about that 1200 but a dietician I saw said it was fine.

    3) I don't use scales

    4) I don't verify anything as I have no clue about it

    5) I try and do some dancing on xbox kinnect as well as fitness with Mel B. I do 6k steps on average daily.

    Heeeelp!
  • maggie_teacher
    maggie_teacher Posts: 18 Member
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    Cheezels, I get my blood tests done very regularly and if there are any concerns the dose is being adjusted. At the moment I'm on levothyroxine 50. Although I'm feeling better (still wouldn't say energetic though) it doesn't seem to help with weight loss. It's frustrating and demotivating. I believe that medication is crucial. I heard that caffeine may slow down the process of thyroxine absorption so I cut down on coffee.
    Do you exercise a lot?
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    Can you open your food diary? If you don't use a food scale, you don't really know your calorie intake. You don't have a lot of weight to lose, so the margin of error for you is pretty slim. Here, watch this.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    Also, I plugged your stats into scooby's calculator and you should be eating 1400 calories to lose weight. You're eating more than you think in the first place by not accurately assessing your intake, and 1200 is too low a goal for you once you do tighten things up.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
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    I agree with mamapeach.

    I have hypothyroidism (Hashimoto's) and have lost weight effectively. But it does mean that there's little/no room for error so weighing your food is a must.

    There's also a special group here at MFP for members with thyroid issues:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/753-hypothyroidism-and-hyperthyroidism

    Lots of relevant info there.

    :)

  • cheezels83
    cheezels83 Posts: 62 Member
    edited May 2015
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    There are a couple of things to be aware of.
    1. Take it one hour before food or two hours after food.
    2. Avoid soya products. They affected me greatly and I had to stop drinking soya milk and shakes.
    3. Don't drink coffee to close to when you take it but otherwise it should be fine.
    4. Don't take any supplements 4 hours on either side of taking meds. This is not for all supplements but there are a few that I can't remember right now. So I just have a blanket rule for all.

    Being on the right dose won't make you lose weight. All it should so is help you lose weight like a "normal" person with eating right and exercise. (Exercise optional)
    :-)
    Also 50 is quite a low dose! :-)

    I don't exercise a lot now, only a few times a week. But when I was desperate to lose weight when nothing was happening, I was doing double classes at the gym like body pump, zumba and so on and I lost nothing. This was one of the red flags for my new doc as my "burn" was much higher than what I was eating in a day but nothing was happening. Add to that my hair falling out, barley able to keep awake, having no memory at all and writing massive lists of things to remember, no nails, dry skin, the list goes on and on.
    Now I am on meds that are good for me and I am getting my life back now. Going to take a long time, but that's fine!
  • cortney876
    cortney876 Posts: 35 Member
    edited May 2015
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    I had my thyroids removed and have to take a supplement for the rest of my life and have been battling with weight all my life. I have tried every diet in the book and it worked for anfew days and all of the diets are restricting me from soemthing. I tried this app here 3 days ago today and i haven't lost a thing. My husband is really counting on me to stick to it seeing that i quit every time.i really need some motivation well i got plenty you just to live i got a family but the support is almost i need someone to walk with with me in life being encouraging not literally but u kniw what im saying
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    Maggie, I looked at your diary and there are entries in grams. If you aren't weighing your food, how are you measuring it?
  • maggie_teacher
    maggie_teacher Posts: 18 Member
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    Cheers Guys! I have already picked myself up from the misery. Hashimoto is my issue too (gluten free and all sorts of things).
    Mamapeach I don't measure it. It's mostly bar codes scanning, info from boxes and packets or info from MFP.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    maggie_teacher wrote: »
    Cheers Guys! I have already picked myself up from the misery. Hashimoto is my issue too (gluten free and all sorts of things).
    Mamapeach I don't measure it. It's mostly bar codes scanning, info from boxes and packets or info from MFP.

    I have celiac disease, so I'm Hashi's and gluten free too.

    Okay, first thing... get a food scale.

    Second thing, start verifying your data base entries.

    You could be eating a lot more calories than you think and that might very well be where the problem is.

    Even items in packages often weigh more than what is stated and contain more calories than what they say. I've weighed out slices of bread that weighed 50% more than what a serving size was listed as.

  • maggie_teacher
    maggie_teacher Posts: 18 Member
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    Mamapeach, that's super helpful! Thanks a lot! Will get a scale asap. You've just opened my eyes. I would never think that even the packages are dodgy to the point that we overeat.

    I really struggle to stick to gluten free and even if I do I'm just constantly hungry.

    Thank you ever so much for essential info!
  • cblue315
    cblue315 Posts: 3,836 Member
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    Great information here. I have been dealing with thyroid issues for 37 years. In the last three years I have lost 114 pounds. It is possible. I do weigh and measure everything, even prepackaged foods. Protein bars and things like that are often up to 10% larger than stated on the package.
    The calorie burns stated in the database are often overestimated, in my head I reduce them by a third and that is generally accurate for me.
    When you take your medication drink a least 8 oz of water with it. That will help you break it down and absorb it better.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    Hunger can be an issue with dieting. I looked at your intake. Usually, people find protein and fat pretty sating. Your protein intake looks pretty good, it could be a teeny bit higher, but it's not bad. Your fat intake is a little low. When I was struggling with being hungry, I lowered my carb intake and upped my fat intake and it helped a LOT with keeping me feeling more full.

    I'm a lot older than you and shorter and do 1200 calories, so I know how it goes.
  • maggie_teacher
    maggie_teacher Posts: 18 Member
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    Cblue thanks for that. I guess I feel too proud of any type of physical activity during a day so I just add it and never question anything. I guess it's the way forward, I thought adding stuff that is roughly what it should be was still fine. I guess it's where I have been mistaken.

    Mamapeach, with carbs I guess they are my habit from the time when I was extremely active. I literally crave them ALL the time. Sometimes I nibble on dry cerial. I'm not really informed in terms of fats. I do eat nuts, sometimes a chunk of fish but that's it. What are the best sources?
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    Whatever you like best really. I don't understand the language of some of the foods in your diary, so it would be hard to make specific suggestions. I can only tell you what I did.

    I had been eating low fat/fat free dairy, I changed to higher fat version. I started adding a pat of butter to my vegetables. I had been using cooking spray, I switched to using a teaspoon of oil. I even manage to get in a small serving of gelato here and there. And yes, I also have nuts sometimes and small servings of cheese to help keep my fat content higher. Sometimes I'll add almond butter to a smoothie if I'm having one.

    The bits of fat you add don't have to be large to make a big difference on their effect on your appetite.

    I do understand the carb thing. Some people find them more filling, especially when they're more active. I find that finding just the right balance helps with both energy levels and satiety.

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