Hypothyroidism and Weight Loss?!!

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Replies

  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    I'm 45 and have been on Synthroid since 2000 following a total thyroidectomy. During that time I basically quit working out transitioning from the military to a cushy civilian job and ended up about 60 lbs overweight. About two years ago I had enough and discovered MFP - started tracking my intake and increasing my activity and lost 60 lbs in about a year. I've been in maintenance ever since.

  • StacyChrz
    StacyChrz Posts: 865 Member
    I was diagnosed with hypothyroid when I was 8 years old. I am now 40. I have moved around New England a few times in my adult life and have had knowledgeable and not so knowledgeable doctors. I am back to working with a great doc who checks my levels every 3 months. I have been in a great range for a couple of years and when I decided to start working on weight loss it did happen. I do have to log accurately and the weight does come off. I learned, as mentioned above, that eating at least an hour after taking my meds is the best way to take them. I also wait at least 2 hours or more before I take any kind of vitamin or mineral supplement. I also do much better when I exercise regularly at a moderate level or more.
    I also have polycystic ovary syndrome and a gluten allergy. I have learned that I am sensitive to the hormones that naturally occur in dairy products and try to avoid them most of the time. I recently switched to LCHF and although I had been losing weight before, I just feel so much better now.

    Feel free to add me as a friend and ask any questions you may have.
  • brendak76
    brendak76 Posts: 241 Member
    edited August 2016
    I have hashimotos and had no trouble losing a few vanity pounds 2 years ago with MFP and weighing my food. But this last year, despite weighing my food and calorie counting, I've gained almost 15 pounds. I went to the dr yesterday and was SO relieved to find my thyroid levels were way off and I needed a medication adjustment for the first time in 13 years. I thought I'd been feeling off because I gained weight, and I felt like a failure because weight loss is CICO and even though I was trying my hardest I was gaining weight for the first time since my youngest was born 13 years ago. Im relieved to know I'm not crazy and there really was a problem, not just "you're eating more than you think."
  • ssamanthag8s
    ssamanthag8s Posts: 1 Member
    As a child I was always over weight. When I turned 18 I lost 100 pounds and was body building. I would burn 2,000 calories at the gym a day and typically eat 3,500. In 2014 I felt a change with my energy and noticed myself gaining weight despite my diet and workouts. Eventually I was so exhausted I couldn't maintain the life style anymore. I was diagnosed with hashimotos 5/22/16 at the age of almost 21. I found out in April of 2016 that I'm dairy intolerant, gluten intolerant, soy sensitive and have a wheat allergy. So as of April 14th 2016 I've been dairy, gluten, soy, grain & sugar free and have lost 87 pounds as of today. I'm on a 2,500 calorie diet and besides my job and daily activities I'm not working out.
  • JennifrClaire
    JennifrClaire Posts: 141 Member
    How do you approach a doctor on the matter of changing your meds? I had a similar issue 15 years ago with steroids for my asthma. This had terrible side effects (I looked it up in the BMJ ) including a 70 pound weight gain- and my asthma got steadily worse, but they insisted it was fine.
    I took myself off it and lost the weight and control the asthma without steroids but they still -after all these years without a single attack- pressure me to take them no matter what I'm in for.
    I'm afraid of the same battle all over again with the levothyroxine.
  • jenfitnessmama
    jenfitnessmama Posts: 138 Member
    I'm hypothyroid and also struggling to lose weight! Hang in there!
  • JennifrClaire
    JennifrClaire Posts: 141 Member
    I've made an appointment to see my doctor about trying some other thyroid meds or at least a smaller dose or something.
    It's not for few weeks yet.
    In the mean time, I have given up artificial sweeteners.
  • JennifrClaire
    JennifrClaire Posts: 141 Member
    Have been to see Doctor about thyroid. He says levothyroxine is the only game in town, take it or leave it.
    And: no smaller dose, either. He says normally for people like me its 175mcgs not just the 100 that I was given. He reckons an even smaller dose would be pointless. But he wanted to take more blood tests- kidney, liver, cholesterol, etc
    So in the interim, I ordered some natural thyroid on the internet.
    Has any one here tried that?
  • 11win1420
    11win1420 Posts: 3 Member
    please let me add my 2 cents here. I am 60 and have been on thyroid meds for 27 years. If the dose is wrong, your levels won't be right and you will be sick. I take 125mc of Levo and have lost over 100 lbs since October. My doctor isn't happy cuz she says I should be taking 150mc. I have tried that but got nervous, agitated, weepy, shaky and just plain nuts!! But at that dose, my levels are perfect. I prefer to be a little less than perfect and mentally stable.(some discussion about stability might be appropriate here, if you ask my family!)

    You and your doctor have to work together to find the right balance. Your doctor works for you, so you call the shots. I think 175mc of Levo is a lot. but I don't know all the details. You can suggest to your doctor that he needs to work with you on this as you are currently not taking anything and that's really really unwise.

    once your meds are balanced and barring any other condition there is no reason to attribute the lack of weight loss on your thyroid. Its easy to point to an external influence as a scapegoat when in fact the problem is bad logging, over eating and self delusion.

    To my knowledge, unless you don't like them or have a reaction to them, artificial sweeteners have nothing to do with your thyroid. I use Splenda all the time. Still lost weight. Lots.

    so battle on with the weight and arrogant patronizing doctors. Literally, your life is at stake.

  • JennifrClaire
    JennifrClaire Posts: 141 Member
    I hate having to shop around for a helpful GP, but when I ring the surgery to see about my test results -it should be Friday- I'll ask for a different doctor and see what that one has to say.
    It should be me and the medical profession vs The Illness, not me vs the medical profession.
  • JennifrClaire
    JennifrClaire Posts: 141 Member
    edited September 2016
    Its easy to point to an external influence as a scapegoat when in fact the problem is bad logging, over eating and self delusion.

    To my knowledge, unless you don't like them or have a reaction to them, artificial sweeteners have nothing to do with your thyroid.

    I did lose 50 pounds even with the 'external influences' of lipodema, lymphedema and the hypothyroid issue.
    But I still have 20 to lose and even on 1200 calories a day plus daily exercise, I can't shift it

    As for the sweetners: I have read quite a few people who have had issues with them,and I'm taking a break from them to see how that goes.
    I don't imagine they are thyroid related.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,932 Member
    JennifrClaire wrote: »
    Have been to see Doctor about thyroid. He says levothyroxine is the only game in town, take it or leave it.
    And: no smaller dose, either. He says normally for people like me its 175mcgs not just the 100 that I was given. He reckons an even smaller dose would be pointless. But he wanted to take more blood tests- kidney, liver, cholesterol, etc
    So in the interim, I ordered some natural thyroid on the internet.
    Has any one here tried that?

    Find another doctor.

    I've been on levo for twenty years. I've been as high as 125mcg, now I'm at 88mcg. The pill I take is 88mcg.

    DON'T SELF MEDICATE!!! Buying that stuff online is fine if it is prescribed. Getting the dose wrong is not good...and can be dangerous.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,932 Member
    Jennifer, why don't you start your own thread instead of hijacking this one? There are forum guidelines against this.

    To the OP, JesusChristLives4All, I lost weight just fine while taking levothyroxine. It doesn't affect weight loss if you are at the right dose, so keep getting monitored as you lose. My dose went down considerably as I lost weight. You'll know if you are under or over medicated. You will feel "off."

    Weight loss is just about eating a little less than you need to maintain your current weight so your body will use its stored fat.

    Welcome to the site. :)
  • kbsangel1986
    kbsangel1986 Posts: 153 Member
    JennifrClaire wrote: »
    Have been to see Doctor about thyroid. He says levothyroxine is the only game in town, take it or leave it.
    And: no smaller dose, either. He says normally for people like me its 175mcgs not just the 100 that I was given. He reckons an even smaller dose would be pointless. But he wanted to take more blood tests- kidney, liver, cholesterol, etc
    So in the interim, I ordered some natural thyroid on the internet.
    Has any one here tried that?

    I call bullcrap on your doctor! If he is not willing to help you and be honest with you, it is time to switch. Yes, I know that is a big PITA, but it is worth it.

    Levothyroxine/synthroid/levoxyl are synthetic thyroid. There are natural thyroid options as well, with the most common being Armor. Some folks can't handle the synthetic (my sister in law couldn't) and switch to the natural kind. The only downfall that I can see with the natural kind is that it can't be measured as exactly as the synthetic, so you may have to have it adjusted more often
  • 11win1420
    11win1420 Posts: 3 Member
    JennifrClaire wrote: »
    I hate having to shop around for a helpful GP, but when I ring the surgery to see about my test results -it should be Friday- I'll ask for a different doctor and see what that one has to say.
    It should be me and the medical profession vs The Illness, not me vs the medical profession.

    Exactly!!!

    Good luck!
  • sarahthes
    sarahthes Posts: 3,252 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    JennifrClaire wrote: »
    Have been to see Doctor about thyroid. He says levothyroxine is the only game in town, take it or leave it.
    And: no smaller dose, either. He says normally for people like me its 175mcgs not just the 100 that I was given. He reckons an even smaller dose would be pointless. But he wanted to take more blood tests- kidney, liver, cholesterol, etc
    So in the interim, I ordered some natural thyroid on the internet.
    Has any one here tried that?

    Find another doctor.

    I've been on levo for twenty years. I've been as high as 125mcg, now I'm at 88mcg. The pill I take is 88mcg.

    DON'T SELF MEDICATE!!! Buying that stuff online is fine if it is prescribed. Getting the dose wrong is not good...and can be dangerous.

    Yup, this. I've only been on it for 3 years but I started at 12.5 mcg and I'm now at 37.5. Requesting blood work again next week because I've got a combo of hair loss/exhaustion and super fast weight loss the past few weeks. Want to make sure my dose is still appropriate!
  • detradearmas202
    detradearmas202 Posts: 1 Member
    LauraCoth wrote: »
    JennifrClaire wrote: »
    I am also low thyroid, but the tablets made me so sick I won't take them again. I keep to 1200 calories, and exercise at least 30 minutes a day. I'm struggling lose these last 20 pounds though. I've recently been diagnosed with lipo-lymphedema, too, and that doesn't help.
    Best thing is to remember that giving up will only make things worse. It's
    If you are hypothyroid you can't give up your medication. It's dangerous in the long term. Your body needs to have adequate thyroid levels for virtually every function. You'll just make yourself sick if you don't treat your thyroid disease. And yes, not taking your meds will make it very difficult to lose weight.

    If the meds you were given made you sick, you should insist on getting a different medication. Most doctors automatically prescribe Synthroid, but there are others out there.
    I have no thyroid. A general practitioner thought I wanted thyroid meds to lose weight and almost killed me according to my endocrinologist I have now by taking away all my levothyroxine. No thyroid equals no fire in your cells. no meds for me is ice cold dead.
    my autoimmune system destroyed it so no one knew until things went bad and someone ordered a sonogram.
  • ronjsteele1
    ronjsteele1 Posts: 1,064 Member
    Synthroid (levoxy) is not the best med for thyroid. It requires your body to convert T4 to T3 but what if your body is not efficient at doing so like many people's? I have to use selenium even using natural thyroid hormones b/c I convert so poorly. Armour and naturethroid both provide all of the thyroid hormones. It way more closely mimics your body's natural hormone setup then synthroid does. They push synthroid b/c compared to armour and naturethroid it is very expensive. The others are so old that they are really really cheap. Not to mention they work ten times better. You have to find a doctor to work with you. I tell my doctor what dose of armour I will take - not the other way around. And I do not use TSH as my guide. I use Free T3 and Free T4. TSH is a horrible guide. I would highly recommend spending a lot of time at www.stopthethyroidmadness.com. Great site to learn everything you need to know about thyroid and thyroid replacement hormones.
  • JennifrClaire
    JennifrClaire Posts: 141 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    Jennifer, why don't you start your own thread instead of hijacking this one? There are forum guidelines against this.

    I wasnt aware that I was "hijacking" a thread. Apologies to all the sensitive souls offended by whatever way my posts deviate from the accepted norm.

    I have been on levothyroxine, it didnt agree with me, and I thought this discussion was the right place for me.
  • Pawsforme
    Pawsforme Posts: 645 Member
    JennifrClaire wrote: »
    Have been to see Doctor about thyroid. He says levothyroxine is the only game in town, take it or leave it.
    And: no smaller dose, either. He says normally for people like me its 175mcgs not just the 100 that I was given. He reckons an even smaller dose would be pointless. But he wanted to take more blood tests- kidney, liver, cholesterol, etc
    So in the interim, I ordered some natural thyroid on the internet.
    Has any one here tried that?

    I'm confused -- why would you want a smaller dosage of levothyroxine? Are you having overactive thyroid symptoms? What symptoms are you having? What are your numbers?

    If you're wanting to try Armour or one of the other natural dessicated thyroid medications then IME the best route for that may be to try to find an integrative medicine doctor. I visited one a few weeks ago and he was all too wiling to change my meds--w/o doing any blood work at all! He was pushing the stuff like candy. It was rather scary, and I decided I'd rather stay on levo with a rational doctor.

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