I have had hypothyroid for a little over a year, and have had no success losing the 20 lbs gained prior to diagnosis until I went to a nutritionist. She suggested this site, and a few changes in diet and exercise. So far, I have lost two lbs in about three weeks, so my response to you would be that yes, you can lose weight, but you may find it more difficult than you previously did.

CindyScaccia wrote: »

I just started taking levothyroxine for hypothyroidism and I already feel a difference in my energy level (it's been about a week). Should I expect to be able to shed some belly fat faster now that my thyroid will be "right"?

I have Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease). Thyroid meds (in my case, Synthroid & Cytomel) reduce the fatigue so I can be more active. But I still kept gaining until I learned to log everything I eat & drink accurately & honestly.

Logging works.

Taking my L-Thyro makes absolutely no difference for me. Yes I have more energy but no I am not losing weight. Recently I was overmedicated for a couple of weeks before my doc corrected the dosage. I was hyperactive and suffered from anxiety attacks but it made no impact on the scale.

I have also been taking the same med for a week too. I am still very tired. I have a LOT of weight to loose. I brought in my food diary and my Endo said I am not eating nearly enough calories and that that she sees that a lot with obese thyroid patients. She is having me see her nutritionist. I upped my calories this week and have lost a bit. I think though that the medicine is helping to ease the edema I have problems with b/c of my thryroid, so hard to say what kind of "weight" it is. xoxo

FoxyMoxi wrote: »

She really drilled into me how important it is to not eat or take any suppliments that have calcium within 4 hours of the thyroid med or it won't be absorbed properly. Just wanted to share that in case it's helpful!

Synthroid & Cytomel should be taken with a full glass of water on an empty stomach—2 hours after eating or drinking anything but water and 4 hours after taking any supplements (including vitamins, minerals, and fiber.)

Then take nothing but water for at least a half hour.

These precautions help ensure your meds are properly absorbed.

ramsounds wrote: »

I don't lose at the rate MFP says I should be (2 lbs per week), but when I am really good about logging, I can average 1-1.5 lbs per week (this is with my goals set to 2 lbs per week). I know it will always be harder to lose the weight and I may not ever have a "normal" BMI. That's OK.

A healthy, sustainable loss with a "normal" thyroid is .5 lb. per week for every 25 lbs. you're overweight.

I have Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease), and it took me a year & a half to lose 30 lbs. So be patient! But I did it all before my levels ever reached the "normal" range.

editorgrrl wrote: »

ramsounds wrote: »

I don't lose at the rate MFP says I should be (2 lbs per week), but when I am really good about logging, I can average 1-1.5 lbs per week (this is with my goals set to 2 lbs per week). I know it will always be harder to lose the weight and I may not ever have a "normal" BMI. That's OK.

A healthy, sustainable loss with a "normal" thyroid is .5 lb. per week for every 25 lbs. you're overweight.

I have Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease), and it took me a year & a half to lose 30 lbs. So be patient! But I did it all before my levels ever reached the "normal" range.

This seems a little austere. I know a lot of people that have to go down to that rate when they're in the last 10 lbs or so, but I think most can drop 1-1.5 lbs per week who have 20+ lbs to lose, not 50-75 lbs to lose.

It took me a long time to get my meds to the point where I felt good- I've had hypo for 10 years or so. Some people get the right meds/dose and are good to go, others need more tinkering.

After I had my son, I was around 250 and I lost 70 lbs over 2 years or so. I did WW, watched what I ate and stayed active. At some point, I stopped losing on WW, maintained for a long time. Got discouraged that I wasn't losing, stopped paying as much attention/ate too much, got more thyroid symptoms, gained 20 lbs and readjusted my meds. The weight is still on. I did not magically lose it when I readjusted my meds (wouldn't have minded, though!)

Since then, my commitment has been up and down. I eat too little, get hungry, then eat too much- I tend to net at maintenance mode. I finally sucked it up and did very intense charting of how much I eat everyday and my calorie range. Looks like my metabolism is still lower than a "normal" person. (Probably should have guessed that.) Just means I have to eat a bit less in order to lose weight.

I have hashis. I am more than 5 stone overweight. I lost a little weight when initially on medication, but then put on when it clearly needed raised and the docs wouldn't. Now I am NDT and finally have enough energy to make some effort and am losing weight - plus nearly all my other symptoms have gone too

They key when you have lots to lose is not to try to lose as much as possible as fast as possible, but to work out how much you can eat and still lose a bit. So, I still eat some yummy foods and as long as I do exercise I lose a pound a week. (Mind you with my new Fitbit increasing my motivation I lost 3 pound this week - and ate really well!) I am going to be doing this over a few years, so I may as well enjoy it as much as possible

CSARdiver wrote: »

Levothyroxine won't help anyone lose weight, just as hypothyroidism won't cause anyone to gain weight. What it will do is drive the metabolic chain so that you can exercise, which will burn calories. Continue to track your TSH and work with your endocrinologist to get in the range of 0.3 - 3.0.

Think long term strategy - small changes which have dramatic impact over time.

You do realize that one of the symptoms of hypothyroidism is unexplained weight gain?

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hypothyroidism/basics/symptoms/con-20021179

Also, you can't out train a bad diet.

editorgrrl wrote: »

lindsey1979 wrote: »

CSARdiver wrote: »

Levothyroxine won't help anyone lose weight, just as hypothyroidism won't cause anyone to gain weight.

You do realize that one of the symptoms of hypothyroidism is unexplained weight gain?
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hypothyroidism/basics/symptoms/con-20021179

I honestly thought I gained 35 lbs. for no good reason. Then I learned to log everything I eat and drink accurately and honestly—and saw that I was eating too much. I think Hashimoto's messed up my hunger cues.

I lost the weight long before my thyroid levels ever reached the "normal" range. I lost more slowly than most MFPers, but I did it just like everybody else—by eating fewer calories than I burn.

Yes, you can also starve yourself and lose weight. But, it's not exactly a good strategy for hypothyroidism and weight management.

Being hypo affects your metabolism, and one of those ways can be altering your calorie burn. So you're doing the same things and eating the same things and gaining weight whereas before you didn't -- that's unexplained weight gain.

Gaining weight because you're overeating and didn't realize it isn't the same thing. That's EXPLAINED weight gain. That's not a true symptom -- you just were in error. Two very different things.

Perhaps you're right in that your hunger cues were screwed up -- that could definitely be due to fatigue as one of the body's reaction to fatigue is to eat more. Or it could be due to a whole bunch of other things -- stress, lack of sleep, other deficiencies. So, that's definitely a possibility. But, either way, you're eating more -- and just didn't realize it.

Hypothyroidism has been known to cause depression since the late 1800's. Before 1960/70 people would be given natural thyroid and all became well when the level was "right for them". In all, hypothyroidism plays havoc with many of the body's systems it slows them. There's no one cause of hypothyroidism. There are are some 300 possible thyroid related symptoms many doctors don't even recognise the most common ones let alone the rarer ones and particularly in the female. Probably the longer standing the thyroid problem the greater the number of symptoms as the systems are challenged. Depression can be free standing as can all conditions.

We all know the rout of hysterical! Male ignorance, sorry, historically men were the only medics who looked for the principal difference between men an women and came up with the uterus as an explanation of all "women's ailments". Anyone with Hashimoto's or Graves, may well, (not to be assumed) may have other autoimmune problems going on too, then who knows what way they interact they may not even be diagnosed or diagnosable at this time. I really wish thyroid function and the endocrine system were as simple the the general public seem to think.

Simple and complicated cell replication and function even in the brain is dependant on adequate t3 levels, as does our circadian rhythm, toxin elimination, digestive transit sometimes with fluid retention (instant weight gain) to mention a few. When the t3 level is good from diet, medication usually t4, without complications, and other organs are synchronised, all works well.

The female reproductive system is fraught with problems which are taken as "normal" in society, when adequate thyroid medication is provided, as if by magic, regular 4 weeks and gentle is achieved. The contraceptive pill used for menstrual regulatory issues can upset many even more systems than the problem it set out to cure. Enforced hormonal changes without understanding the whole put additional strain on the thyroid. It is there in the science if you look.

The medical profession accept soy puts the thyroid under pressure they disagree on the extent and the degree of separation from the seed to cause problems. The cutting edge of science now recognise Maize starch as problem perhaps an antagonist to the thyroid. It is used as filler/binder in many common pills even the common thyroid ones, not in the hypo-allergenic varieties. Other foods can cause issues in the individual.

Quite simply having learned all this, I think, I may wish, I had been born a boy. I would have been saved so much frustration been told "live with it", told years ago at 38, I'm past it by a young male doctor too, as if I'd be dead soon. As a boy I would have had far fewer demands made on my thyroid etal. then add to the equation only 1 in 10 or so have thyroid problems. I accept male or female, if I have the DI02 gene mutation this would, it is possible with my family history be X2, this would increase the probability of 4-3 conversion being lower but there are also many many more reasons for this.

Thyroid problems are personal. What works for me will probably not work for you. I believe the afflicted person knows what is going on better in their body better than anyone else. If you are fortunate you will achieve good health sooner rather than like me very very much later and I'm still pushing at the frontiers of science, teaching my latest doctor, (lost count) as we go endocrinology department as we. So one has to do what works for you.

lindsey1979 wrote: »

The hard work was being done, but my body chemistry was off.

This is exactly what happened to me. I was an athlete (dance) who practiced three times per week with competitions on the weekends and gym class at school 5 days per week. So, lots of running, jumping, leaping, and bodyweight strength training. What actually tipped my doctor off to my thyroid condition was that I suddenly gained about 30 lbs in the space of one to two months with no change of activity level or diet. I got on levo pretty much immediately once that was noted, but it has taken me this long to find a good dose.

I will say that it took me a while to get over my pity party of, "Oh, the weight gain wasn't my fault per se, so I shouldn't have to work to get rid of it." I know that's ridiculous, but it's the way I thought. Now I acknowledge that it's not exactly "fair" because I was working my butt off and I still gained weight, but it's my responsibility to work with my body to get back in shape.

CSARdiver wrote: »

lindsey1979 wrote: »

I know it's convenient to think you have control over everything and so take a "this is an excuse thing", but it's very demeaning to people that have actually struggled with such issues. They aren't necessarily making excuses -- som may be but many are not. Their bodies have something abnormal going on. Sometimes it's hypothyroidism and sometimes that snowballs into a bunch of other issues. Just because you used it as an excuse doesn't mean that's the case for everyone else.

I don't know where this is coming from, but you are reading far more into these posts than I have written.

It was due to your quotes such as:

Levothyroxine won't help anyone lose weight, just as hypothyroidism won't cause anyone to gain weight.

and

Weight gain is unexplained because patients aren't locked up in a room with every detail of their lives controlled. Hence the lack of scientific evidence.

Those are simply incorrect. Unexplained weight gain is a known symptom, and for good reason, not for lack of patients being "locked up in a room with every detail of their lives controlled."

You also explained in another post (not on this thread) how you used it as an excuse when you gained 75 lbs and as soon as you stopped using it as an excuse, eating better and exercising, you lost the weight. That's great for you. But, it doesn't mean that it's an excuse for everyone else. For some, perhaps. For many, not at all.

Am I missing something here. What CSAR seems to be saying seems to be only half the story. That Thyroid hormones impact at a cellular level can not be disputed. What I'm in dispute with is what/how that cellular impact has on the related systems in some hypothyroid persons. The assumption is always, all treated persons have the right amount or the correct balance of replacement to ensure optimum, well-being in that subject. Much of what I read elsewhere indicates most hypothyroid persons principally Hassimoto's sufferers are on far from adequate medication. See Thyroid UK, STTM, Australian and Canadian sites and many many more.

Many of us females recognise the need to have a "normal" BMI, which means most of us have been stressing our bodies to be near or to comply with the media perception of acceptable femininity. Men until more recently have not been subjected to such pressures. For those of us with wider health issues Optimum personal medication should in our best interests. I have seen it suggested that t3 (from what ever medicinal starting point) needs to be in adequate volumes to produce a wave or few through the day, above the usual to bring wider relief when it can extend its range beyond immediate need functions.

CSAR. Now what do you suggest for those disillusioned persons who are desperately trying to loose weight as an indication that they value themselves, their medication is working and for whom rigorous calorie counting and activity to their personal level is simply just not working. Also it is insulting to suggest that living with a potentially life restricting problem is not impetus enough to be accurate in your accounting. It is disingenuous to conclude we all are deluding ourselves.