Does this sound like hypothyroid or am I just looking for excuse?

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cmbx2mom
cmbx2mom Posts: 56 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I've been having a very hard time recently with losing weight. Just a bit of background:
I'm 40 year old female, 5'7" and currently ~180 lbs.
Have been doing crossfit 3-5 times a week for about 1.5 years
Before kids, never had a problem with weight, but was VERY active
Some current symptoms: Fatigue, trouble falling and staying asleep, very dry skin, weight gain, and my outer eyebrows are almost gone

The last 10 years or so (after 1st kid) I've yo-yo'ed with my weight but nothing too extreme (+/- 10 pounds or so)
The last few years I've been struggling with being a little heavier and having a harder time losing weight (I use "weight" here but I don't always go by scale weight, it's how my clothes fit/measurements)

I did a paleo challenge(8 weeks) last fall and lost a few pounds(5ish, but also lost strength). I was VERY strict. As soon as challenge was over I started adding some carbs back in diet and had regained that weight within 3 weeks. Decided to try Eat To Perform (increase calories) at beginning of year to "reset" metabolism and quickly gained about 10 pounds (I stopped the scale because I was too depressed). I couldn't fit into my clothes so I stopped after ~2 months as it was not working.

I then tried IF followed by lowering calories and increasing exercise and had almost no results. About 4 weeks ago I dug out my Fitbit and really focused on on counting calories and increasing exercise. I got on the scale this morning and am 1 pound heavier than 25 days ago (and today is not an anomally). According to fitbit I should be down almost 6 lbs. My more conservative calculations say down about 3 pounds.

I do not eat perfect. I have dark chocolate almonds almost daily. Ice cream is allowed. I do try to limit my grains/gluten. But overall I try to eat "decent". I'm trying to decide if I just need to eat perfectly clean to finally see wight loss, or if I might have a thyroid issue that is making this harder than it should be. I had a TSH test done a couple years ago and was told it was normal. I don't want to sound like someone who is looking for excuses for weight loss with a thyroid issue. Just want make sure if I ask Dr for additional testing I"m not fooling myself.....

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Replies

  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    That was me two years ago...

    seriously.

    I bought a food scale, logged accurately and consistently and stayed in goal and hit maintenance last summer...145lbs...I eat chocolate, drink, ice cream, deep fried stuff...as long as it fits in my goal.

    Exercise is for fitness not weight loss.

    Do you log? use a food scale?
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    Get tested. Hair doesn't thin for no reason. Get the TSH, free T3 and free T4 (both free's should be in the 50-75% range of your lab's normal limit - for most people).

    Good luck.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    edited July 2015
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    I'd normally say you're making excuses (and you may be) but since you have other symptoms (the hair loss stood out to me specifically), it might be worth checking out. You're 40 years old, so many of those symptoms could be hormone related. I would definitely make sure you're logging accurately and staying in a deficit, but a trip to your doctor is not out of the question. Won't hurt anything to get it checked out.
  • cmbx2mom
    cmbx2mom Posts: 56 Member
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    I've been logging fairly consistently the past month. I had a food scale but it broke. I used it for a long time so I have a good idea of my portion sizes. I mention exercise specifically as I hear all the time about increasing muscle mass to up metabolism. I have a lot of muscle mass (I lift pretty heavy) but I also have a fair amount of belly fat.
  • choppie70
    choppie70 Posts: 544 Member
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    They are most likely hormone related, but I would go to a Dr. to be sure. Hair loss can start happening before menopause.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    What is your calorie goal (before exercise)?
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
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    What sezxystef said.... Do you log? Do you use a food scale? You don't have to eat paleo or IF (unless you totally want to) to lose weight. You do HAVE to eat less than you burn, you have to create a deficit. You also have to be consistent and accurate with your method. You don't do it for a week or two and then decide "Oh this isn't working fast enough" and then jump onto another method.
  • cmbx2mom
    cmbx2mom Posts: 56 Member
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    Forgot to mention that my knees had been bothering me and I had cortisone injection in each knee back in February. Dr assured me no impact to weight, but I'm wondering if that is also playing a part....
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    During those 25 days did you weigh your food using a digital scale, use measuring cups/spoons only when that was impossible, or estimate really well when even that was impossible?

    A lot of your working about tracking your diet is wishy washy/vague. You counted calories. But did you actually use the proper tools to be sure you were assigning correct calorie counts? You eat "decent." What does that mean? You weigh yourself but not with a scale. See what I mean? There's no way to tell what is going on with you without actually using concrete means to assess what you're doing. Just like there's no way for us to diagnose you with hypothyroid issues since we are not doctors who can do the proper tests.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    cmbx2mom wrote: »
    Forgot to mention that my knees had been bothering me and I had cortisone injection in each knee back in February. Dr assured me no impact to weight, but I'm wondering if that is also playing a part....

    Your doctor is correct, cortisone shots would not impact fat gain/loss.
  • engmomma1
    engmomma1 Posts: 2 Member
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    I lift heavy but also have alot of belly fat. I eat too much. When I really watch what I eat, I know I can lose. I am also in my 40's.

    Fact of life. Exercise does not negate a chitty diet. Heavy weights will reshape the muscles and help your metabolism but it is not the holy grail.

    Get control of your intake.

    Regarding the thyroid, have it checked out but that alone does not account for retention of weight.
  • rushfive
    rushfive Posts: 603 Member
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    nvsmomketo wrote: »
    Get tested. Hair doesn't thin for no reason. Get the TSH, free T3 and free T4 (both free's should be in the 50-75% range of your lab's normal limit - for most people).

    Good luck.

    2 years is a long time. To put your mind at ease I would get these number^ checked. can't hurt. All you lose is a little time and money (well spent). I started symptoms in my late 30's.
    Once you find out then you can move on confident in what steps you are taking in weight loss. jmo
  • SharonBrobst
    SharonBrobst Posts: 62 Member
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    I started peri-menopausal symptoms in my early 40's. It could be that...hormonal changes can affect weight loss/gain. But I would get checked too. Thyroid issues run in my family and I have been tested every so often. I've never had an issue until recently, it's low, but not low enough to worry about just low enough to watch. According to my doctor our thyroid can often change during menopause.

    So right now it just makes losing weight more difficult....but NOT impossible. :wink:
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    cmbx2mom wrote: »
    I'm 40 year old female, 5'7" and currently ~180 lbs.

    Some current symptoms: Fatigue, trouble falling and staying asleep, very dry skin, weight gain, and my outer eyebrows are almost gone.

    About 4 weeks ago I dug out my Fitbit and really focused on on counting calories and increasing exercise. According to fitbit I should be down almost 6 lbs. My more conservative calculations say down about 3 pounds.

    I'm in my 40s and have Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease). The only way to be diagnosed is a blood test. Thyroid meds reduce the fatigue so I can be more active, but they had zero effect on my weight. Logging accurately & honestly did—I lost the weight & have maintained for a year thanks to MFP + Fitbit.

    You're doing better than you think. A healthy, sustainable loss is .5 lb. per week for every 25 lbs. you're overweight. Undereating will not get you to goal any more quickly. The less you have to lose, the more slowly it comes off. That's just the way the human body works.

    And weight loss is not linear. Some weeks you do everything right but maintain—or even gain. Others you lose a whole lot in a "whoosh." All that matters is a downward trend.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    Connect your accounts at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/fitbit

    Set your goal to .5 lb. for every 25 lbs. you're overweight: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided

    Enable negative calorie adjustments: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

    Ignore your Fitbit calorie goal and follow MFP's, eating back your adjustments. No need to log any step-based activity—your Fitbit is tracking it for you. Log non-step exercise (like swimming or biking) either in Fitbit or in MFP—never both.

    You can learn more in the Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users
  • SkinnyCat39
    SkinnyCat39 Posts: 122 Member
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    There are a couple of groups on MFP with loads of information. Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism is one group. The other is Hypothyroidism & Hard At Work. Hope this helps.

    I started on Synthroid at your age.

    Also the if you are border line on your 'levels' from your blood work, these numbers are subjective and one doctor may not agree with another doctor's opinion.
  • cmbx2mom
    cmbx2mom Posts: 56 Member
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    What I said was that while I do weigh myself on a scale I also take into consideration how my body looks as I believe that the scale is not the end all. I stopped weighing myself during my metabolism "rest" stage because it was too depressing.
    When I say "decent", I mean that I am not 100% clean. I do have cheats, but I try to focus on mostly eating meats, nuts, fruits and veggies along with protein powder. I do allow some treats such as ice cream and almost daily dark chocolate almonds.
    When I lost during the paleo challenge my calorie intake was low (~1200-1500 calories daily). I was starving even though I was eating nutritional food. I just couldn't deal with eating any more meat or veggies during the day so I would just stop eating. This calorie deficit resulted in the ~5 pound weight loss in 8 weeks. However I believe that loss was also muscle as I was weaker at the end of the challenge.
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
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    cmbx2mom wrote: »
    I've been logging fairly consistently the past month. I had a food scale but it broke. I used it for a long time so I have a good idea of my portion sizes. I mention exercise specifically as I hear all the time about increasing muscle mass to up metabolism. I have a lot of muscle mass (I lift pretty heavy) but I also have a fair amount of belly fat.

    Buy a new food scale - use it religiously for a month, if nothing changes then go to the Dr.
  • cmbx2mom
    cmbx2mom Posts: 56 Member
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    My fitbit is connected to my MFP account. I have set my calories in MFP according to sedentary (1630 for 0.5 lb loss per week). I allow fitbit to use the steps to add in my exercise calories but do not only use that info determining my calorie intake. Some workouts don't register well, and I think some steps are over calculated. Instead I look at my exercise during the day (did I take a long walk at lunch, Crossfit- and what level of exertion etc?). My general goal is to average about 1800 calories a day. Typically on the higher side on workout days and lower on rest days.
  • lc355
    lc355 Posts: 91 Member
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    cmbx2mom wrote: »
    Have been doing crossfit 3-5 times a week for about 1.5 years.

    Before I was finally diagnosed and treated (Drs were reluctant because my bloods were just about still in range) I would sometimes sit down for a rest on the stairs because I didn't have enough energy to get all the way up or down in one go. Now I'm treated I always run up the stairs (why walk when you can run?). The fact that you can still do crossfit 3 x weekly makes me think it's unlikely that it's thyroid which is preventing weight loss.

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