Hypothyroidism and Weight Loss?

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Replies

  • fittocycle
    fittocycle Posts: 827 Member
    Does anyone know if hypothyroidism will affect TDEE calculations? I wonder if it would change the final TDEE estimate? Thanks for any input!z
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,111 Member
    fittocycle wrote: »
    Does anyone know if hypothyroidism will affect TDEE calculations? I wonder if it would change the final TDEE estimate? Thanks for any input!z

    I have found mine seems to be a little lower but not substantial
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    @SaraLynnFiske You're diary is inaccurate and you're eating more than you think, plain and simple!

    When i first started on here I thought that weighing every thing i ate was crazy and obsessive, but i eventually came around. My diary in those first few months, before i started weighing, is laughably inaccurate! I was eating way more than i thought, but i thought my guesstimating was perfect...
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    fittocycle wrote: »
    Does anyone know if hypothyroidism will affect TDEE calculations? I wonder if it would change the final TDEE estimate? Thanks for any input!z

    BMR maybe, TDEE, depends on activity.
  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
    fittocycle wrote: »
    Does anyone know if hypothyroidism will affect TDEE calculations? I wonder if it would change the final TDEE estimate? Thanks for any input!z

    I have found I lose faster than MFP suggests/average the same weight (say 1 lbs per week) loss but on higher calories. Basically my TDEE is actually higher than the estimate I'm given.
    Of course it's only an estimate, even people without hypo are going to find that it is not always spot on. (It's hard to judge "spot on" anyway. Too many variances.) and like @GottaBurnEmAll said, depends on activity. Maybe some of the variance comes down to selecting the appropriate activity level.

    I also think a lot of people are not consistent enough with their calorie goal/logging to really determine how close the estimate is. (Example - a few months ago I *thought* I was eating 2000 calories a day, and I didn't lose any weight that month. Then I thought back to all the untracked days that month, my calorie average was definitely way more than 2000. Of course I didn't lose as predicted.)
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,111 Member
    fittocycle wrote: »
    Does anyone know if hypothyroidism will affect TDEE calculations? I wonder if it would change the final TDEE estimate? Thanks for any input!z

    BMR maybe, TDEE, depends on activity.

    My TDEE is approximately 200-400 cals less a day than it should be based on calculators for a 37 year old woman who does Insanity 5 days a week and averages 8k steps a day. I have to work longer and harder to burn what a healthy woman my age would. On the bright side I've never been one to shy away from hard work and enjoy the process
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    @GottaBurnEmAll if you actually read anything i said you would know thats not true. I add extra things so it looks like i eat more. I always choose things based off what im actually eating. Im not choosing the lowest calorie options. Idk if youre all from a different country, but nobody around here has a food scale. Not one person. So im not sure who these "everybody" people are but i guess everyone around here doesnt count. And its the fact that a limited few people here are actually listening and responding to what im actually saying. Theres like a ton of people bitching about a scale. But oh not the fact that i need my meds adjusted still. Not the fact that i eat very little and only once a day. Not the fact that i have digestive problems and acid reflux and hypothyroidism. Not the fact that ive suffered with an eating disorder. Not the fact that this is only my second week eating right and that i have just starte back on my thyroid meds a week ago. Oh but when my nutritionist tells me im not eating enough shes just a big fat liar because she didnt shove a food scale up my *kitten*. Im sure all my problems are because im not using a *kitten* scale so my entries are just slightly inaccurate. Kk. Ill remember not to ask for help on this site because its full of *kitten* who want to not listen and not care.

    Do you realize that anyone can call themselves a Nutritionist?

    If it's real nutritional advice you're looking for, you need to see a Registered Dietician. They have the schooling and the knowledge and the training and the degree to back them up. :)
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    @GottaBurnEmAll I got down to "You may need to investigate further" :/ The only things wrong with me, digestion and food related are : Hypothyroidism, Acid Reflux Disease, Caffeine intolerance, and a general intolerance of most water based foods like lettuce, watermelon, and celery...

    While skipping over "weigh your food"... :/

    Well, I can see in the quotes what I missed, even though her posts were edited.

    Good luck OP, you'll need it.

    You're eating more than you think, that's why you're not losing weight. You're choosing entries to give you lower calorie counts than what you're really eating, it's as simple as that.

    People in this thread have tried to show you how to be accurate so that you'll actually lose weight, but you seem to think this is disordered behavior. It's not, it's measuring things properly and using the system correctly.

    If you make something yourself, you measure each ingredient, enter it in the recipe builder, and work from there. You don't search the data base for something you think might be close because you have no idea what went into making that.

    What you're doing isn't working. When you're ready, at least you've read what has worked for people who have had success.

    This.

    No one can help you if you won't accept help from the experienced. Just sayin'.
  • thunder1982
    thunder1982 Posts: 280 Member
    [quote This year I've been stuck at 230, with no real changes to my weight, even though I'm eating 10x better than I was, and eating under my caloric goals each day. I didn't take my thyroid medications until like..2 weeks ago, I'm not sure when the medications kick in. But I assume that's a factor in all this too. I also didn't start tracking calories or thinking about what I'm eating until 2 weeks ago. I'm not sure how long you should wait for results. I assumed 2 weeks was long enough for my pills to kick in and weight loss to be noticed?[/quote]

    I've seen 3 drs about my hypothyroidism, I've only been diagnosed for a year. I also have Hashimotos. The first dr didnt really diagnose me, I went to her specifically for the testing. She did it only because I asked for it. Then had to do follow up testing as she didnt run the full testing the first time (because she had expected normal results). What was considered normal TSH varied greatly between drs. The first said I wasnt high enough for medication, the second put me on a low dose but accepted a much higher number as normal. The 3rd has changed my medication 3 times until I finally get into the normal range.

    I had to take medication for 6 weeks before restesting (with all 3 drs). So it may take a little while before you get the right dosage.

    2 weeks isnt long enough for medication to fully take effect, nor to really see a change in weight. In hindsight I was quite depressed just before I got diagnosed. At the time I was doing a really strict weight loss program and was religiously weighing out food and exercising for 1hr a day. I didnt cheat once for 10 weeks but I also didnt see results as good as I expected. I was killing myself for 1pd a week weight loss. It has taken quite some time to move on from my depression, the tiredness that plagued me. I am actually back to where I was weight wise but I am still not as tired and depressed as I was before. My husband has agreed to a new food program in the new year as we both need to lose weight and it is easier if he's on board with me. So 2017 is about weight focus after 2016 was just about getting myself back to normal.

    Its a long ramble but the point is try not to stress about your weight if its not going down, as long as its not going up. I am sure you will feel a lot better when your hormone levels get to normal and you might find you can tackle the weight loss better. While you can enjoy weight loss success without weighing food as you lose weight you will probably find you do need to weigh as the margin for error is smaller when you are smaller. It is painful to begin with, I never quite got the knack of it but is does get easier.


    Good luck with it all.
  • SaraLynnFiske
    SaraLynnFiske Posts: 38 Member
    @thunder1982 thank you for your answer. Really means a lot that other people with hypothyroidism understand and know information about this.
  • SaraLynnFiske
    SaraLynnFiske Posts: 38 Member
    + Of course I'm going to be mad. Not a single person around here uses a food scale and I'm being told I eat too much even though I eat one small meal a day and a small drink. but okay.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    + Of course I'm going to be mad. Not a single person around here uses a food scale and I'm being told I eat too much even though I eat one small meal a day and a small drink. but okay.

    What do you mean "around here", where's here?
    I dont know anyone personally who uses a food scale either, or maybe they do for all i know and just don't go around telling people... Why would they? Nobody in my family/friends circle knows that i weigh what i eat, it's never actually come up in conversation :wink:
  • SaraLynnFiske
    SaraLynnFiske Posts: 38 Member
    @Christine_72 Around here is Massachusetts, USA. I've never heard anyone talk about food scales. And if nobody is talking about food scales, or doing anything like that, in at least one conversation at one point, it's a pretty uncommon thing. They don't even really sell them around here. So I'm not sure what the hell everyone is shoving food scales up my butt for, but it's really getting on my last nerve. Tonight I entered in exactly what I ate, weighed it and everything (with a general-use gram scale my grandfather has), and would you look at that, still under my calorie goals for the day! But no, it's all because I need a food scale.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    When someone isnt losing weight, food logging accuracy is the first and most simple place to start.
  • jbb86
    jbb86 Posts: 39 Member
    birdtobe wrote: »
    I know a lot of people here might not agree with me, but I think cutting carbs will make a huge difference. I also have hypothyroidism--have for 12 years--and struggle to lose. 5 weeks ago I cut out sugar and carbs and have lots 14 pounds so far. I know it sounds very difficult (believe me, I was the word's biggest sugar fiend) but once you don't eat it, you stop craving it. There's a lot of research out there about what carbs do to your insulin levels and I found it compelling enough to give it a try. Might be worth it a try?

    I agree, I had stalled for 2 weeks up until today with a stubborn 5 pounds no matter the calorie deficit or how much I was working out. After 3 days of eating fairly low carbs (I have to take baby steps.. lol) My scale finally went down almost 2 pounds even though I cut about 40 minutes (usually 90 min. workout) from my workout. So I say all of that to say I would definitely try the low/no carb diet. Ruled.me has really good recipes.

  • JessicaMcB
    JessicaMcB Posts: 1,503 Member
    edited December 2016
    @Christine_72 Around here is Massachusetts, USA. I've never heard anyone talk about food scales. And if nobody is talking about food scales, or doing anything like that, in at least one conversation at one point, it's a pretty uncommon thing. They don't even really sell them around here. So I'm not sure what the hell everyone is shoving food scales up my butt for, but it's really getting on my last nerve. Tonight I entered in exactly what I ate, weighed it and everything (with a general-use gram scale my grandfather has), and would you look at that, still under my calorie goals for the day! But no, it's all because I need a food scale.

    Are you using legitimate entries to go with those gram values this time though? Because as pointed out earlier at least some of the entries you were using (the large quantity of cheese for oddly low cals, etc.) are very likely wrong and having accurate gram weights against incorrect macronutrient values isn't going to help you any more than not weighing would. Cross checking generic entries against databases like the USDA is a good accuracy fail-safe imo.

    Knowledge is power OP, make the most of all that has been made available to you here and I'm sure you'll become successful.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    OP, maybe take a deep breath and figure out WHY you are hesitant to tighten up your logging.
    Is it really because you don't know anybody who uses a food scale? (How well do you know other people's bathroom habits?)
    Or is it because it would mean that you have to admit that you've been wrong (and angry at the wrong people)?
    Do you really believe weighing food is obsessive (in a bad way)?
    Or is it because you know that you have been eating too much, and tightening up inevitably means that you will be eating less? The good news is that you are just going to eat slightly less, and when you are in control, you can decide what to cut down on, and how much. You are NOT going to feel deprived or hungry.
  • wan_ashraff
    wan_ashraff Posts: 3 Member
    Hye guys..plis add me..i want u guide me about calorie intake
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    Hye guys..plis add me..i want u guide me about calorie intake

    Hey! I would suggest starting your own thread with a little more information for people to help you out. Age, height, weight, gender, daily activity, exercise, what your goals are, and if there are any special considerations (such as medical limitations, or if you have specific questions). It would help you get more targeted information.
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,301 Member
    edited December 2016
    Hi Sara. I've just come back to this thread, so much going on...

    From this distance, as someone who is trying to work through my own myriad of thyroid related issues I am concerned that you already have acid re-flux and food sensitivities which are rather restricting. I would wish you could find a doctor who knows his/her stuff or even a dietitian or nutritionist who has prescribing in their qualifications. Thyroid problems can be very complicated to unearth. Hi-polorie (sp) as someone mentioned is quite common in people with thyroid problems but doctors do not make the connection. There are mountains of information available from many qualified persons on line who show you the scientific facts, its so different for everyone.

    Your sensitivities to water based foods could be related to salicylate or histamine intolerance which is beyond most people and doctors I've met. One highly thought of local endo told me I was wrong none of this would make any difference but following a low salicylate diet, which is also by coincidence lower in histamine, but possibly not enough, did give me a life worth living. The site, Healing Histamine, could help, there are others. I've been trying to work this thing out for 20 and more years and the information is getting out there to fill the medical gap. Salicylate Sensitivity.com, if I remember correctly, is more a chat forum but there is so much information in there too but it can take some finding.

    Most doctors see thyroid related issues as totally thyroid, which is not strictly true, if the pituitary or adrenal glands are slightly out of wack these can impact on the thyroid causing hypo symptoms. From my old age with so many dietary supplements available to you younger people, I recommend taking a good thyroid support product containing a very long list of micro nutrients.

    One thing which goes past most people is our need for at least 150 microns of iodine in our daily diet. In these days of conscientious eating, eggs are off but a medium one has 24 micron, milk and dairy products have a good level as do fish like cod with, I think it was 70 micron per 100 g, salmon is better because it also has good selenium levels too. Dark green veg provide about 3 or 4 micron per 100 grams. What I am saying is we often eat a diet deficient in the micro things to support our thyroids.

    Things which can help people with hypo thyroid symptoms, as someone else suggested is going lower carb. Digesting carbs/sugars can be a strain on the whole endocrine system and the usual western diet tends to be very high in carbs. Avoiding dairy is often given as a must do. Dairy can be difficult to digest for two reasons Lactose intolerance (milk sugar) is thought to be the most common problem but casein intolerance (milk protein) is more common. Gluten is one protein in wheat and is seen as the worst problem by many but as only one of the many proteins in wheat and other grains it is not necessarily a problem to everyone. Soy can be a real problem for many. Soy gets itself into many processed foods and even medicines for vitamin supplements. I discovered textured vegetable protein was an issue for me. TVP also known as quorn in the UK is micro organism grown on the Soy bean. Fat is a funny one, for years we have been told fat is bad and not to eat too much of it. The problem with this advice is that "fat" is the cornerstone of all hormones. With hypo conditions eating low fat could restrict the thyroid hormones our systems are able to make!

    This brings me to the information on our digestive microbes and healing our gut. We depend greatly on the availability of antibiotics unfortunately while they kill off the problematic microbes of what ever it is which is ailing you at the time you take them, they also permit the yeasts to become out of balance by killing off the most beneficial bacteria in our guts. I did a protracted yeast avoidance diet for 9 months (for extremely high inflammation markers) those months were over the Christmas season too, this helped me greatly, again there is advice on line. I had/have food and chemical sensitivities which only improved when I added, low histamine probiotics directed at replacing microbes obliterated by antibiotics. I continue to take every day extra strength ones.

    This winter I've found relief taking digestive enzymes to ease my histamine intolerance and different ones to ease my casein, salicylate and other problems. I still take, will probably always take my HCI and pepsin to improve/maintain my digestion. After 30 years of increasing health problems I think I deserve a slice of normality.

    I strongly suggest anyone with hypothyroid problems, which in our modern day and age is probably hashimotos thyroidits, for which the best remedy is, discover the cause of your specific antibodies and do everything you can to reduce them. T4 supplements let the damage continue which is why so many of us continue to feel ill when the medical profession tell us we have our numbers it the "normal range", so we are well, have to be and just get on with it.............. I am not saying one needs to have t3 though this can ease many peoples problems. Most people will be helped by taking the broad spectrum thyroid support supplements and reducing those antibodies which general medicine do not see as a problem but for every other health problem with antibodies they try to remove them. Please take a look at the 300 possible symptoms which can effect people thyroid problems and identify those you would not have linked with it.

    Science is indicating regaining good digestive microbe levels can help those with depressive illnesses. Low mood is a common issue among those with hypothyroid symptoms.

    Good Luck to anyone who tries to take on this battle with or without help. It is possible to get your health and well being back but it takes so much hard work. Weight loss for me is a side effect of healing my body nothing more. For the first time in 30 years I actually feel well and happy and am building my stamina.

    Edit to add, if you are able to use organic foods this can also help because these foods do not expose ones body to the additional chemicals often uses in the wider agricultural realms. This means the endocrine system particularly the liver, has less chemical load to remove.
  • dv3177
    dv3177 Posts: 30 Member
    edited December 2016
    Sorry but your issue isn't the hypothyroidism, really it's not.
    Few things for you...

    Yes hypothyroidism can slow your weight loss. It's a bum deal. But it doesn't completely stop it. Great you're on levothyroxine. It'll take weeks from starting to see any changes in anything. You probably wont lose like everyone else until your medication dosage is at the right levels which can take weeks or months.

    So you need patience and proper expectations.

    Secondly, though you're incredibly defensive, is that you really have no idea how much you are eating. Eyeballing, using measuring cups, suggesting accuracy of a food scale is ridiculous are all getting in your way. Know EXACTLY what you're eating. What is there to lose?

    You either wish to lose weight or you don't. Looking for answers that give you excuses why you're not losing (defensive people call these explanations or reasons) won't get it done.

    Organic food, low carb, no sugar is not required.

    Yep I'm a hard *kitten*. Also I have no thyroid at all so completely dependent on levothyroxine. Down 112lbs. Weighing my darn food
  • Pawsforme
    Pawsforme Posts: 645 Member
    edited December 2016
    @GottaBurnEmAll if you actually read anything i said you would know thats not true. I add extra things so it looks like i eat more. I always choose things based off what im actually eating. Im not choosing the lowest calorie options. Idk if youre all from a different country, but nobody around here has a food scale. Not one person. So im not sure who these "everybody" people are but i guess everyone around here doesnt count. And its the fact that a limited few people here are actually listening and responding to what im actually saying. Theres like a ton of people bitching about a scale. But oh not the fact that i need my meds adjusted still. Not the fact that i eat very little and only once a day. Not the fact that i have digestive problems and acid reflux and hypothyroidism. Not the fact that ive suffered with an eating disorder. Not the fact that this is only my second week eating right and that i have just starte back on my thyroid meds a week ago. Oh but when my nutritionist tells me im not eating enough shes just a big fat liar because she didnt shove a food scale up my *kitten*. Im sure all my problems are because im not using a *kitten* scale so my entries are just slightly inaccurate. Kk. Ill remember not to ask for help on this site because its full of *kitten* who want to not listen and not care.

    Bless your heart.

    It's interesting how we humans often fight the thing we need to do the most.

    Let me see here -- I'm in my 50's (so post-menopausal, when weight loss is supposedly very difficult). I have Hashimoto's. I had an eating disorder when I was in my late 20's. I have IBS. I used to have acid reflux. I lost about 25 pounds in 2014 and have maintained it. So I think that all qualifies me to reply.

    You need to weigh your food. At least for awhile. Measuring can be highly inaccurate. You can over-estimate and under-estimate. I'm one of those apparently weird people who tends to under measure. So weighing actually "allowed" me to eat more. But most people tend to over measure and are gobsmacked when they start weighing their food and calculating how many calories they're consuming.

    It doesn't matter whether you eat once a day at breakfast or once a day right before bed or if you divide your food into 10,000 individual bites throughout the day. Total calorie consumption over time is what results in weight loss, gain or maintenance. Anything else is just making excuses.

    You may (likely will) find that getting your thyroid properly medicated and losing some weight will help greatly with your digestive issues and acid reflux. It did mine.

    There's no denying that it will be critically important to get your thyroid properly medicated. Before I was diagnosed I was very slowly gaining weight on 1100-1200 calories a day. About six weeks after starting medication I was able to rather easily lose about 1.5 pounds a week on that intake. Keep in mind I'm super short. Most people will be able to eat more calories than that and still lose a decent amount per week.

    If you think you have Hashimoto's you may want to consider a trial run of a gluten free diet. There is a small correlation between Hashimoto's and celiac disease. It is very small, but it exists. Some people who have Hashimoto's but not celiac still seem to do better on a gluten free diet. I would especially consider it if your digestive issues and acid reflux don't improve after you've been on medication a few more weeks.

    I haven't read the whole thread, so maybe I missed it -- Why did you "just start back" on your thyroid medication? It's for life. To get the optimum benefit you need to take it every day, at about the same time of day, with water and wait 30 to 60 minutes before consuming anything else.

    And to repeat -- you need to weigh (and log) your food. Those of us with hypothyroidism have even less room for error than normal people. Shoot, I still weigh a lot of my food and keep a ballpark tally of my calories in my head each day even though I've been in (successful) maintenance for about a year. I figure if I keep tabs on my calorie intake I'll know what my weight should be doing. If it starts to creep up unexpectedly then it'll be an early warning that my medication needs adjusting.

    Weighing your food is no big deal at all. It's just not.

    Do all those things. Be honest with yourself. Getting mad at the people on here may make you feel better but it's not helping. You're just making things worse if you don't listen. But it's ultimately your choice, of course.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    + Of course I'm going to be mad. Not a single person around here uses a food scale and I'm being told I eat too much even though I eat one small meal a day and a small drink. but okay.

    How frequently you eat isn't what matters. It's how many calories are in the food you're eating.

    And your food log shows you eat too many calories and aren't accounting for them correctly.
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,301 Member
    I don't think anyone other than possibly a doctor can tell someone their thyroid is not their problem. My systems abilities or lack of them made it impossible or me to loose weight.

    Living at a calorific restriction reduces your metabolism, having a hypothyroid condition reduces your metabolism as well, this is well documented in medical papers. Some people respond well to t4 supplements others do not, this is also well documented.

    Probably, how long one has been living with a thyroid health problem dictates how one responds to the treatment options. I do not understand, for the life in me why, when t3 is the active thyroid hormone the medical profession here in the UK and elsewhere are not permitted to test the t3 level more than once if ever. Low t3 is a clinical condition which can be life threatening. It can be treated by diet and supplements but the "word" is only t4 will work and this leaves so many diminished and demoralised.
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