hypothyroidism bites

libramoon1575
libramoon1575 Posts: 2 Member
edited November 19 in Getting Started
Slow metabolism is making this weight loss goal seem impossible. Loosing steam but still trying.I keep on getting different results for my bar so feeling a little clueless as to how many calories to consume everyday.Ughhh so annoying.
Anybody have any suggestions

Replies

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    yes it does so what is your doctor doing about medications?

    it basically doesn't negate the CICO equation it just makes it more difficult because your Calories Out part is lower which means to take a cut from it you need to reduce your Calories in

    I would suggest establishing how many calories you do burn over time by logging everything you're eating accurately (use a scale) to a presumed defecit then judging your weight loss over 6-8 weeks and adjusting accordingly .. aim for a cut of 500 calories a day to hit 1lb a week on average

    In addition you should move more - walking is good - get a pedometer

    And start a heavy lifting programme to preserve your LBM and make your CO in general higher

    It makes it tougher, it doesn't make it impossible
  • russkiballerina
    russkiballerina Posts: 53 Member
    edited June 2015
    Are you on synthroid? Maybe ask your endocrinologist to run some extra tests to find out exactly how hypo you are and how much it affects your BMR. I don't produce TSH/3/4 any longer (I'm pan-hypopituitary/Addison's) so, effectively, I don't have the organ, it's pretty useless - I never had issues losing weight after my endo figured out how much that + the catabolic steroids I take daily affect my BMR (it was around 450cals on my case) and then adjusted it accordingly. It was a pain in the beginning, though. Sorry you're going through that.
  • CPhelps89
    CPhelps89 Posts: 34 Member
    Also have them look into running an ANA panel for you to make sure your Hypo isn't the result of something Autoimmune (like Hashimoto's Thyroiditis). Make sure you're treating the fire, not just the smoke!!
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    libramoon1575 wrote: »
    Slow metabolism is making this weight loss goal seem impossible. Loosing steam but still trying.I keep on getting different results for my bar so feeling a little clueless as to how many calories to consume everyday.Ughhh so annoying.
    Anybody have any suggestions

    If you are on medication, you should be able to lose. Are you sure your meds do not need adjsutment? Are you sure you are accurately calculating calories?
  • kbunn06
    kbunn06 Posts: 18 Member
    There is unfortunately so much more to hypothyroidism than just the TSH results, and so many doctors rely on only that. Are you seeing an Endocrinologist or just a family doctor who is only checking TSH? I'm asking monday for a referral to an endocrinologist because my weight has only been going up with consistent workout and diet. It's driving me insane. I hope you find results soon. I'm still searching also! good luck.
  • CrimsonSunset
    CrimsonSunset Posts: 1 Member
    I have no thyroid. I had Graves disease and so it was removed. My current endocrinologist told me that to lose weight I need to eat a thousand calories a day. I was swayed by this site to go up to 1200. I have lost nothing for 2 weeks now. I'm going back to what the doctor said, hard as it is. Why diet and go to all the trouble to lose nothing?
  • danchezwifey
    danchezwifey Posts: 4 Member
    CrimsonSunset wrote: »
    I have no thyroid. I had Graves disease and so it was removed. My current endocrinologist told me that to lose weight I need to eat a thousand calories a day. I was swayed by this site to go up to 1200. I have lost nothing for 2 weeks now. I'm going back to what the doctor said, hard as it is. Why diet and go to all the trouble to lose nothing?

    I too had graves disease, and had a total thyroidectomy. I am just starting out on this journey. I don't often hear of others who have had this condition, and also had to remove the gland.
  • L0vAnj
    L0vAnj Posts: 45 Member
    Have you thought about taking B Complex to help support your metabolism? I am taking it right now and it is doing miracles for me :)
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    If your thyroid levels are properly managed, they will not stop weight loss. If you are using a food scale and logging accurately, and in a deficit and not losing over an extended period of time (8 weeks) then I would suggest getting blood work done including your free t3 and free t4 levels. What a lab test will show as normal may not actually be in the optimal range, just means it is outside of the abnormal range.

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  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,301 Member
    For those who have not had surgical interventions Hypothyroidism is about so much more than tsh and low functioning thyroid. (Some who have had surgical interventions may also have these issues but it is less likely.) Unfortunately even endocrinologists do not see any reason, not, to treat with levo or other synthetic or even natural products. Unfortunately for many these do not reduce all the problems because the problems are caused by a breakdown in communication within the persons systems which could be the adrenal or pituitary glands for a start. To make things worse a person may also have antibodies which are destroying the thyroid making the issue an autoimmune problem. The diagnosis may be the same but the causes are totally individual. What helps you may not be right for the person next door and so on.

    I would suggest doing a search for your nations thyroid support sites, these will give you all the information you should need to point you in the right direction to find real help, the tests you should be having to define the area or areas where you are experiencing problems and any deficiency in various vitamins or minerals for the different stages in t4 and t3 production in which things can go wrong. Another good place to look is Stop the Thyroid Madness, based in the US this site also has a book though the site is comprehensive giving those in the US information on where to find knowledgeable practitioners. Unfortunately this is more difficult in many other countries.

    There is also a support group on here for all those with thyroid issues.
  • otter_kat
    otter_kat Posts: 11 Member
    Fuzzipeg wrote: »
    For those who have not had surgical interventions Hypothyroidism is about so much more than tsh and low functioning thyroid. (Some who have had surgical interventions may also have these issues but it is less likely.)

    There is also a support group on here for all those with thyroid issues.

    What is the link to the support group?
  • odasfashionfinds
    odasfashionfinds Posts: 11 Member
    I too suffer from hypothyroidism. My levels are constantly changing and I seem to finally be on a high enough dosage to take away my extreme fatigue.
  • carolusholman
    carolusholman Posts: 8 Member
    I have had Hypo-Thyroid for years, I can confirm that it does at time seem impossible to shed an ounce. I did the quick calculation of my Base Metabolic Rate (BMR) and went from there. I have been consuming about 1700-1800 Calories per day, in 15 days I am down 6 pounds (Starting at 260 or so). I have done some rough calcs and figure I was consuming between 4000-6000 calories per day before MFP! Seems insane when I really look at it. I purchased a scale off of Amazon, it was very cheap and does Grams/Kilo and Ounces/Pounds. One thing I have read on the boards is that a Scale makes a lot of difference, I will assure you that as soon as I started weighing my food, I started dropping immediately. I have to say that without a doubt food in itself is not the enemy, it is our distortion (as a society) of what constitutes a portion. I have been eating whatever I want, it is the quantity of what I want that is restricted. Good luck and add me if you want!
  • otter_kat
    otter_kat Posts: 11 Member
    I could sleep pretty much 12 hrs a day and still want a nap.
  • 3AAnn3
    3AAnn3 Posts: 3,054 Member
    I've got hypo-thyroid. I remember many days in my late teens and early 20's not being able to get out of bed. Sometimes doctors aren't much help at all. It's not hopeless though, just don't give up. I was on Synthroid for years and it helped a bit, but not greatly (after finally being diagnosed). At one point my insurance switched my med to Levothyroxine without letting me know and my thyroid function went to about zero and I literally couldn't get out of bed. So I went back to Synthroid. Years later, I fired my doc and after calling about 15 doctors finally found one who would put me on Natural Thyroid Replacement - Armour. It didn't fix everything, but worked better than Synthroid and much better than Levothyroxine. When I was between docs and when Armour was out of stock for 6 whole months, I purchased Iodoral, and begun to take 1-2 tablets of that per day. That got me through all those times, not with vibrant health, but enough to get by. Then, later in life, I added all sorts of things like kelp, dulse, iodized salt, coconut oil, selenium, and others which further aided my thyroid. I don't lose weight quickly, but with a lot of hard work, I can lose. I also feel pretty darn good now too. I also cleaned up my diet a ton in the last 5 years - tons of vegetables, lots of lean proteins or grass fed pastured meats and good healthy fats like coconut, olive, avocado, macadamia, pastured eggs. Hopefully some of these suggestions might help you. I know it's miserable to feel tired and miserable.
  • 3AAnn3
    3AAnn3 Posts: 3,054 Member
    I've got hypo-thyroid. I remember many days in my late teens and early 20's not being able to get out of bed. Sometimes doctors aren't much help at all. It's not hopeless though, just don't give up. I was on Synthroid for years and it helped a bit, but not greatly (after finally being diagnosed). At one point my insurance switched my med to Levothyroxine without letting me know and my thyroid function went to about zero and I literally couldn't get out of bed. So I went back to Synthroid. Years later, I fired my doc and after calling about 15 doctors finally found one who would put me on Natural Thyroid Replacement - Armour. It didn't fix everything, but worked better than Synthroid and much better than Levothyroxine. When I was between docs and when Armour was out of stock for 6 whole months, I purchased Iodoral, and begun to take 1-2 tablets of that per day. That got me through all those times, not with vibrant health, but enough to get by. Then, later in life, I added all sorts of things like kelp, dulse, iodized salt, coconut oil, selenium, and others which further aided my thyroid. I don't lose weight quickly, but with a lot of hard work, I can lose. I also feel pretty darn good now too. I also cleaned up my diet a ton in the last 5 years - tons of vegetables, lots of lean proteins or grass fed pastured meats and good healthy fats like coconut, olive, avocado, macadamia, pastured eggs. Hopefully some of these suggestions might help you. I know it's miserable to feel tired and miserable.
  • stargirl85
    stargirl85 Posts: 50 Member
    It is interesting to read this thread. I am on levothyroxin and have been for...Im not sure,2 or 3 yrs. Same with my mum altho she did have graves disease a few years before that so it swung one way then the other.
    Im not sure where people here are from. Im guessing america.
    I have had m.e much much longer than this (thyroid levels were fine most of that time altho they apparently dont test for t3. Also what classes as normal in uk can be hi or lo in u.s).

    I have read on a forum about people taking armor thyroid and it helping though. I havent had personal experience of it.

    Im not sure of the effect levothyroxin has on me if any. I hardly ever weigh myself...mostly im too ill dizzy etc etc to stand up on any scales anyway. Im not sure if it helped me in otherways but not obviously.

    I did think with treatment that it would not be a cause for weight gain though.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    otter_kat wrote: »
    Fuzzipeg wrote: »
    For those who have not had surgical interventions Hypothyroidism is about so much more than tsh and low functioning thyroid. (Some who have had surgical interventions may also have these issues but it is less likely.)

    There is also a support group on here for all those with thyroid issues.

    What is the link to the support group?

    Here you go!

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

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