Hypothyroidism and Weight Loss?

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  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    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
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    Hye guys..plis add me..i want u guide me about calorie intake
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
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    wan_ashraff wrote: »
    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: 2,298 Member
    edited December 2016
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    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
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    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
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    SaraLynnFiske wrote: »
    @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
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    SaraLynnFiske wrote: »
    + 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: 2,298 Member
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    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.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    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

    Laboratory results put REE/BMR at around 5% decrease. If your caloric intake is budgeted at 1500 and you are in an unmedicated hypothyroid state, then your CI would be ~1425.

    TDEE is more reliant on activity and the only influence would be from the change to REE (still ~5%).
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    SaraLynnFiske wrote: »
    @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.

    Hi! From down the road, in Connecticut, food scales are easy to come by. They're literally in every major supermarket and chain store that has kitchen equipment. Such as Stop and Shop - which is in Massachusetts.

    In fact, I have two of them. Would you like one?

    Also, I'd bet the reason you've never heard these talked about around town is simply because virtually nobody does talk about them when they're out and about.
  • thelatecomer
    thelatecomer Posts: 17 Member
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    If your hypothyroidism is adequately treated it shouldn't make any difference to your weight loss. Maybe worth checking your thyroid function tests if they haven't been done since you started trying to lose weight
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    SaraLynnFiske wrote: »
    @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...

    Hypothyroidism is aggravated by being overweight. Hormones are free cycling and travel through the bloodstream, so increased body mass forces the body to work harder to maintain a hormonal balance. This is also why many need to have their thyroid hormones re-evaluated as they lose weight, especially in those who have undergone a full or partial thyroidectomy.

    Other than that your intake is the primary driver in this. Double check your logs and take note of the 20% margin of error in calorie estimation to begin with. Focus on those foods that keep you satiated.

    Success in managing hypothyroidism is about building routine. Don't do anything drastic, but start implementing small changes that you can see yourself doing for the next 20 years. Hit those small goals and then step it up a bit, making new goals and implementing new small changes. Before you know it you'll be posting your success story.
  • 7ElizabethAnn7
    7ElizabethAnn7 Posts: 22 Member
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    Graves disease, 51 years old, post menopausal. Had thyroid radiated 14 years ago and have been on Levothyroxin ever since. Will be on it the rest of my life. I am very well versed with cooking and measurements. Everytime I cut a piece of cheese it is exactly 1 ounce. How do I know? I measure and weigh...EVERYTHING every single time. Lost 107 pounds in 365 days. The oh so terrible inconvenience of weighing is certainly worth it to me! True story...just sayin'.

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