hypothyroidism and still gaining

leahcollett1 wrote: »

once its balanced out can i expect to begin losing weight normally? i dont get it, i cant keep gaining every week like this ill be the size of a house!

yes, although i've found that i must eat less calories than those of my same height/weight to lose.

AND- i must be incredibly strict in reaching that goal every day. AND- it will take longer than expected.

When i was still hypo and trying to figure out a good range for my medication i was still able to lose weight. But i think it took me 6 months to lose... like... 10 pounds? And that's of being consistent every single day, 1200 calories, no cheat days, consistent effort in the gym, etc.

P.S. When i became hypo i went up to 139 pounds from 110 in a really short period of time. It took me nearly a year to lose the weight. I'm 5'4.

leahcollett1 wrote: »

do you think 1400 calories is too much then? im 5.7, 32 female, and 15stone 12? i think im on that to make me lose 1.5lbs a week, anything less and i struggle too be honest

No, i think for your height this is a good calorie goal. That being said, you better be damn accurate in your counting. There were a few months where i was eyeballing things like "Oh, i ate about 1/3 of that" and "oh, i had about a cup of this" and i didn't lose a single thing.

It took me getting a food scale and weighing out my food in order to start seeing losses. And believe me, i was definitely eating more than 1200 before i was weighing stuff. Just so you know, packaged items can have a 20% range of error (+ or -) in the calories they contain. This DOESN'T include how many items are heavier or lighter than the package states


For example, say you have a snickers bar:
Package says one bar is 52.7 grams
total calories says 250

The calories can be as high as 300 calories or as low as 200 calories for 52.7 grams of product. BUT WAIT! Your snickers bar actually weighs 60 grams. etc. etc. etc. you get the point here.

There's nothing we can do about this as the FDA allows a range of error in both the weight and the calories claimed. The only thing we can do is be diligent about logging it as accurately as possible.



My suggestion to you is to:
1.) get a food scale and measure all dry ingredients, packaged products, meats, produce, grains, breads, etc.
2.) check and double check the entries you're using are accurate and match all product nutrition labels
3.) be consistent and hit your goal EVERY DAY
4.) give it time


I know first hand how frustrating it can be. Yet here i am 5 years later, thyroid controlled, and i've maintained my weight loss this entire time. Don't let it get to you, it'll take as long as it takes, and in 5 years you can either have given up and (likely) weigh more than you do now, or you can have reached your goals and maintained them.

What is your TSH and what is your full thyroid panel? ...and for shame on your physician for not responding. If this continues look eslewhere. Ask for copies of your thyroid panel and keep track of this - you may want to even add your results to the comments in MFP as a reference. Docs don't want to raise thyroid meds too quickly for fear of atrial fibrillation.

@rainbowbow makes some excellent points on nutritional labeling and why I overestimate my food and underestimate or simply do not log my workouts.

I had a total thyroidectomy in 2000 and on .175/.200mcg alternating daily. Since finding MFP I lost the extra weight and in maintenance mode for about a year now.

Hang in there and don't get frustrated. Give it time and look to that which you have control over first - your logging, intake and output. Dig into the data and find any possible issues. Find a friend on MFP and have them review your intake.

Ugh!! Why does MFP cut off half my message!!

Leah, long story short: after a year, I think my levels are stable.
I started MFP again last week
I'm down 2lbs

T3 and T4 will not tell you anything. You need TSH, Free T3 and Free T4. If you're on synthroid it's VERY possible that your body does not convert T4 to T3 well (inactive hormone to active hormone). I am one of those that does not. I have to take selenium every day to help this process. If I don't, even taking armour (which has all of thyroid hormones in it as opposed to synthroid) my meds don't work well. I would encourage you to do a TON of reading at Stopthethyroidmadness.com to get a better understanding of thyroid hormone. Generally speaking, people will feel overall much better on a dessicated thyroid hormone like armour or naturethroid. STTM gives a really good guide for where a person's thyroid numbers should be for feeling their best (it is usually very different from what your doctor will tell you). It usually takes about 2 weeks for me to really feel the difference when we change my prescription. It probably takes 6 to be fully optimized in your body. I hear you on the weight gain. When my thyroid tanked I gained 20#'s in one month doing nothing different. Made me darn mad. Hang in there and give it some time. Just be strict with your logging and do the best you can while you wait for your body to settle out.

I would echo the potential T3 issue. I am also on cytomel (T3) in addition to synthroid (T4). My TSH didn't change much, but my quality of life did after I started on the T3. The T3 is fast acting, the T4 takes 8 weeks to fully integrate. Unfortunately it is one of those "wait and see" games. I know, I've been there. Armour does contain both T4 and T3.

Personally, I don't care for "Stop The Thyroid Madness" as an information site. I find it's presentation to be too slanted and sensationalist for my taste. I prefer the Mayo Clinic and medical journals for my info. However, it is critical to know and understand not just what your numbers are, but where they fall on the range of what your doctor and lab are using as "normal."

There's a normal range for a reason--just because you're in the "normal range" doesn't mean it's the best spot for you. You're your own best advocate.