Its impossible for me to lose weight with hypothyroidism

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Replies

  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
    edited July 2015
    Idk how that could be possible. Im starving.

    You rely on a lot of low protein foods and not much that adds bulk like green vegetables. You don't have to go low carb, but include some greens and add more lean protein and you will likely feel more full.
  • kristinhull1
    kristinhull1 Posts: 294 Member
    It cant be. Im eating 3 meals a day. Very small meals. Even if im not weighing the meals im still logging in at 1100 cals a day. I have 700 more I can eat without exercising. Thats 700 more calories I could have accidently used without weighing foods. Im still at a defecit.
  • kristinhull1
    kristinhull1 Posts: 294 Member
    @bpetrosky you have any suggestions. I thought chicken and egg whites were protein
  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
    edited July 2015
    @bpetrosky you have any suggestions. I thought chicken and egg whites were protein

    Yes, they are, but you don't have much of them. Other meals are packaged, which aren't bad on their own, but you can be eating more because the packages can be 5%-20% more than the label says.

    Can you get chicken breast, instead of the canned chicken? Personally, I like chicken thighs better for flavor, but they are higher calorie.

    Also, some sort of vegetables add bulk for low calories and lots of nutrients. You'll feel more full if you're a volume eater. Frozen veggie blends can be very convenient.

    Also, lots of breads and sweets. I wouldn't say you have to give them up, but you can cut back and make more room for proteins and vegetables.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    edited July 2015
    kristin sweety listen
    it is possible to lose with a bad or not functioning thyroid.

    But sometimes ( not always) it can be slower.

    Now for the eating part. Look at your diary and look at mine

    I eat almost 4 times as much as you, and really hun you have to start weighing EVERYTHING.
    Your foods are very calorie dense while you cant eat much of it. Plus more salt which makes you hold water weight.

    So your weight fluctuate more...those 5lbs are not FAT!
    Start using your scale and WEIGH everything
    introduce more veggies and fruit in your daily intake.

    This is why people say you can eat everything....but... some foods you have to eat far less off. So when you dont want to feel hungry you have to swap some things for veggies and fruits.
  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
    Oh, and I love pizza, but any time I have it I get a bump for a day or two on the scale. Sodium is a very harsh mistress sometimes.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    @bpetrosky you have any suggestions. I thought chicken and egg whites were protein
    Greek yogurt, nuts, beans, cheese, milk, MEAT.
  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
    This is a good video about how it is very helpful to weigh your food accurately.

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    If im doing anything im eating too low of calories.

    No, you're not.

    Your logging is completely broken - you are eating way more than you think.

    If her hypothyroidism is not under control, this is not necessarily true.

    Yes, it is. OP's diary is a morass of unweighed, calorie-dense items.

    Other conditions or not, OP is eating more than she thinks - that's a lock.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Im still at a defecit.

    If you were at a deficit, you would be losing weight.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    ht
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    If im doing anything im eating too low of calories.

    No, you're not.

    Your logging is completely broken - you are eating way more than you think.

    Agreed. Your diet, as much as you are tracking it, is not appropriate for someone with metabolic issues. Just today, in one day, you have had:

    bread
    pasta
    candy
    oats
    donuts

    You should be eating a lower-carb diet. Your eating is lacking in protein and vegetables.

    As for working hard with exercise, stop kidding yourself. You are, very occasionally, doing leisurely walking. It does't seem that you are working out at ALL.

    Certainly get a proper diagnosis and start medications. The treatment is very simple--just a small pill once a day. You really do have to take it every day though.

    You also have to get serious with yourself. When you do, you will find that progress is slow, but possible.
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    I had a previous Dr tell me I was hypo. He gave me iodine supplements. Which did nothing for me. So I switched Drs. Just had blood work done and am getting a ultrasound done of my thyroid this week. Hoping he can tell me why I cant lose this weight. I lose the same 5-15lbs then gain it back. And I dont do anything different.

    Iodine supplements are not a treatment for hypothyroidism. That's why they did not work for you. You DO need a second medical opinion. From an endocrinologist or a GP who understands the endocrine system. In the meantime, you can't give up. It's your life and your health, too important!
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    ht
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    If im doing anything im eating too low of calories.

    No, you're not.

    Your logging is completely broken - you are eating way more than you think.

    Agreed. Your diet, as much as you are tracking it, is not appropriate for someone with metabolic issues. Just today, in one day, you have had:

    bread
    pasta
    candy
    oats
    donuts

    You should be eating a lower-carb diet. Your eating is lacking in protein and vegetables.

    As for working hard with exercise, stop kidding yourself. You are, very occasionally, doing leisurely walking. It does't seem that you are working out at ALL.

    Certainly get a proper diagnosis and start medications. The treatment is very simple--just a small pill once a day. You really do have to take it every day though.

    You also have to get serious with yourself. When you do, you will find that progress is slow, but possible.

    It doesn't matter WHAT she is eating, she just needs to weigh her food and eat less. And quit knocking her exercise, at least she's moving. She doesn't need to exercise to lose weight, she just needs to eat in a calorie deficit.

    Being negative is not going to help.
  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
    edited July 2015
    Aw, sweetie, I know it's hard! I don't have hypothyriodism, but I have a disease that causes fatigue. Get the hypothyroidism treated ASAP to improve your quality of life, decrease depression, and decrease your appetite.

    Also, get a scale and weigh absolutely everything you put in your mouth. :)

    Hypothyroidism mostly makes you gain weight because it increases hunger and decreases your energy. If you go work out, you might unconsciously "balance" it because you have low energy, by doing less the rest of the day.

    And that hunger? It makes you play tricks with your brain. It makes you add just a LITTLE more of this, a LITTLE more of that. And if you're not weighing, you get fooled by it. You REALLY do. I've been playing games where I try to put the same amount in each time and I don't look at the scale.

    When I'm hungry, I cheat EVEN THOUGH I KNOW I'LL CATCH MYSELF. My brain tells me that a larger amount IS the smaller amount I thought it was. It tries to trick me up.

    If you're super-hungry, look for low-density items to add. :)
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    edited July 2015
    Please join the hypothyroid group. Many people there understand the challenges hypothyroid conditions can bring.

    Call the endo. Tell them you can't lose. If you have other symptoms, tell them that. Don't give up. If this endo can't fix you, try another.

    I was unable to lose for decades, but I got fixed. Maybe you can, too. I'm not saying, "If I can do it, you can, too!" But offer it up as a little hope for you. I went decades struggling. Had an idiot doctor tell me to diet and exercise. Then he determined I was depressed, lol. Kept saying I should eat less and move more. Had he done his dang job, I'd have had a very different life. If I'd have kept trying new doctors and not given up on that, I'd have had a different life.

    I continue to struggle with thyroid issues and the problems related to the surgery. It's like it will never end, lol. But I've lost a lot of weight, which was just impossible before.

    Hang in there. :)
  • flamingblades
    flamingblades Posts: 311 Member
    I have hypothyroidism, and with all of my working out, eating rabbit food and shunning bread I was bouncing up and down by 5 lbs. and felt all of my efforts were in vain. I am seeing a Nutritionist now, and working on reversing my type 2 diabetes by greatly limiting my carbs. The results over the past 2 weeks have been interesting. I have to remember to eat breakfast because I get busy with life and next thing you know it's 2 or 3 o'clock and I still haven't eaten. Anyhow, the lower carb life style and my rabbit food stews are beginning to pay off. I see my Nutritionist next Tuesday, and when I am at the clinic I will weigh myself. It has been suggested to me that if I don't eat enough calories, my metabolism suffers even more, so I really need to get more disciplined in remembering to eat. SOOOOoooo...You could be eating too much OR not enough.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    I have hypothyroidism, and with all of my working out, eating rabbit food and shunning bread I was bouncing up and down by 5 lbs. and felt all of my efforts were in vain. I am seeing a Nutritionist now, and working on reversing my type 2 diabetes by greatly limiting my carbs. The results over the past 2 weeks have been interesting. I have to remember to eat breakfast because I get busy with life and next thing you know it's 2 or 3 o'clock and I still haven't eaten. Anyhow, the lower carb life style and my rabbit food stews are beginning to pay off. I see my Nutritionist next Tuesday, and when I am at the clinic I will weigh myself. It has been suggested to me that if I don't eat enough calories, my metabolism suffers even more, so I really need to get more disciplined in remembering to eat. SOOOOoooo...You could be eating too much OR not enough.

    by whom? Come on, people. Not eating enough leads to weight loss. Period. You might lose lean muscle mass instead of fat, but you still lose weight. All those anorexics can't be wrong.
  • flamingblades
    flamingblades Posts: 311 Member
    I will give a certain gym employee credit for that one. I am diabetic, so I need to follow different guidelines than healthier people.
  • SBRRepeat
    SBRRepeat Posts: 384 Member
    edited July 2015
    It has been suggested to me that if I don't eat enough calories, my metabolism suffers even more, so I really need to get more disciplined in remembering to eat. SOOOOoooo...You could be eating too much OR not enough.

    Oy. Your body suffers because you are a type II diabetic who needs to be eating regularly to manage your blood sugar. That's likely not our OP's problem.
    ETA: by suffer, I mean it is bad for your health, not that it's affecting your weight loss.

    Please, OP do not get it into your head that you are not losing because you're not eating enough. That's the opposite of the issue here. Follow the advice of all the people telling you to weigh your food and eat more veg and lean protein to fill you up.
    It wasn't clear from your original post- how long have you been logging consistently and how long have you been gaining weight? It may not be long enough to be reliable data. I just weighed myself out of curiosity and I weigh 6 pounds more than I did on Friday. It happens. Your weight will fluctuate- you need to come to terms with seeing the scale go up sometimes.
    Good luck with your treatment! I'm sure it will help. Just don't expect it to be a miracle cure to all your weight problems.
  • fattymcrunnerpants
    fattymcrunnerpants Posts: 311 Member
    Hey, I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and am hypo. In 2012 I gained 60lbs out of the blue in 3 months. It was horrible I felt horrible. It took a while to get a proper diagnosis and even with my levels in the optimal range the weight loss has been slow as hell. I'll lose 5 to gain 10 the next week but then I'll lose it again. But over the space of a year I've lost 30 of the pounds I gained (I was chubby to begin with). So my suggestion to you is to continue to make healthy choices but you need to get your thyroid levels under control. It's extremely hard to lose when they're not under control.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    I will second slow weight loss!!! Very slow!

    I eat less than most and still lose slower.

    Patience is huge. It takes time.
  • klmnumbers
    klmnumbers Posts: 213 Member
    Don't be discouraged! I suffer from thyroid disease myself. Sometimes it can be a little more of a struggle for us, but you just need to make sure your levels are well maintained and focus on logging accurately. I've been through thyroid ablation and synthroid ever since (levels always keep moving.. just changed my dosage again a few months ago) for about 10 years now.

    And I have successfully lost over 50 lbs. If I can do it, you certainly can.

    Just buy a food scale and really make sure your portions are the size you think they are and make sure your TSH/T3, etc levels are correctly regulated.
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  • JustMe2C
    JustMe2C Posts: 101 Member
    The most important thing at the moment is your health. Read everything you can on hypothyroidism. Write down all your symptoms to take to the doctor, along with any questions you may have. If you are diagnosed as being hypo but don't think you are being treated properly for it, seek another doctor.

    Being hypothyroid without being on the correct dosage of hormone meds can mess with your metabolism and losing weight can be a tremendous struggle...but it can be done. Not only have I had to watch my calorie intake, but also adjustments to my macros several times to find a balance where some pounds started to come off.

    The best thing I can tell you (apart from all the good advice others have given here) is to not let it control you, but rather be determined to control it instead.

    Best wishes and good luck!
  • Chomper76
    Chomper76 Posts: 6 Member
    edited July 2015
    Idk how that could be possible. Im starving.

    I am a 6' 225lb male. I lift weights and do 30-60 min cardio, both 6× a week. I have been eating between 1300-1500 calories a day and I am not hungry at all. You are seriously lacking in low calorie veggies like broccoli. Those will help fill you up, are nutritious and won't hurt the waist line. Also, you may be low on water intake which mimics hunger. I drink 1.5 gallons of water on my rest day and add to that on the 6 days I exercise.
  • fattymcrunnerpants
    fattymcrunnerpants Posts: 311 Member
    I just looked at your diary and here are a few suggestions. I know I'm far from perfect but it's important to integrate more protein (meat, yogurt, high protein carbs) into your diet. You eat a lot of prepared processed foods. For those with hypothyroidism, my doctor and my nutritionist, have told me we do better on lower carb diets. You don't have a lot of veggies or fruit in your diet. Try cooking more at home with lean meats, steamed veggies, etc. I've found that it's easy to buy a box of pre washed greens and then throw them into everything. Smoothies, with chicken... This will help you feel fuller. Protein and fiber are an important part of planning your meals. Start looking at the macros on the nutrition labels of what you're eating. You don't have to throw out the foods you like but realize if you're eating a high calorie foods for every meal but they're not filling you're going to feel hungrier than if you're eating lower calorie foods. So it you eat a slice of pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and it equals 1200 calories you're going to feel a lot more hungry than if you mix it up with lower calorie foods that have more protein and fiber.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Chomper76 wrote: »
    Idk how that could be possible. Im starving.

    I am a 6' 225lb male. I lift weights and do 30-60 min cardio, both 6× a week. I have been eating between 1300-1500 calories a day and I am not hungry at all. You are seriously lacking in low calorie veggies like broccoli. Those will help fill you up, are nutritious and won't hurt the waist line. Also, you may be low on water intake which mimics hunger. I drink 1.5 gallons of water on my rest day and add to that on the 6 days I exercise.

    Why are you eating less than the recommended nutritional minimum for men

    You are seriously lacking in calories there and risking long term issues ...how are you fuelling your body to exercise? How are you hitting your protein and fats macros...144g protein and 78g fat as minimum targets to hit in defecit would be your 1300 calories to start with

    Wow @chomper76. You will be decimating your LBM eating so few ...strongly advise you fix that
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    edited July 2015
    ht
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    If im doing anything im eating too low of calories.

    No, you're not.

    Your logging is completely broken - you are eating way more than you think.

    Agreed. Your diet, as much as you are tracking it, is not appropriate for someone with metabolic issues. Just today, in one day, you have had:

    bread
    pasta
    candy
    oats
    donuts

    You should be eating a lower-carb diet. Your eating is lacking in protein and vegetables.

    As for working hard with exercise, stop kidding yourself. You are, very occasionally, doing leisurely walking. It does't seem that you are working out at ALL.

    Certainly get a proper diagnosis and start medications. The treatment is very simple--just a small pill once a day. You really do have to take it every day though.

    You also have to get serious with yourself. When you do, you will find that progress is slow, but possible.

    I think this advice is premature.

    It is up to preference with thyroid issues whether or not to low carb. Some people find it easier, some people find it makes no difference at all. Even at that moderating carbs is often enough to matter, if "matter" is even the right word. The OP might do just fine once on medication.

    The OP needs to first get a handle on her condition, then her logging, then adding fresh produce and upping her protein intake.

    Also? You have absolutely no room to accuse anyone of "kidding" themselves when it comes to perceived effort concerning exercise.

  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    Aw, sweetie, I know it's hard! I don't have hypothyriodism, but I have a disease that causes fatigue. Get the hypothyroidism treated ASAP to improve your quality of life, decrease depression, and decrease your appetite.

    Also, get a scale and weigh absolutely everything you put in your mouth. :)

    Hypothyroidism mostly makes you gain weight because it increases hunger and decreases your energy. If you go work out, you might unconsciously "balance" it because you have low energy, by doing less the rest of the day.

    And that hunger? It makes you play tricks with your brain. It makes you add just a LITTLE more of this, a LITTLE more of that. And if you're not weighing, you get fooled by it. You REALLY do. I've been playing games where I try to put the same amount in each time and I don't look at the scale.

    When I'm hungry, I cheat EVEN THOUGH I KNOW I'LL CATCH MYSELF. My brain tells me that a larger amount IS the smaller amount I thought it was. It tries to trick me up.

    If you're super-hungry, look for low-density items to add. :)

    No. Hypothyroidism does not increase your hunger. It slows your metabolism when it's not treated properly. It does decrease your energy -- because you're metabolism has been slowed down.

    Once again, you're posting about yourself.

  • LiftAndBalance
    LiftAndBalance Posts: 960 Member
    The OP needs to first get a handle on her condition, then her logging, then adding fresh produce and upping her protein intake.

    This.
    Make sure to see an endocrinologist about your thyroid, not just a GP. Iodine supplementation is NOT a valid treatment for hypothyroidism, it can actually make it worse.
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