Under Active Thyroid

Welcome to MFP! I don't have an under active thyroid, but have heard it said that as long as you continue to eat fewer calories than you use the weight will slowly come off. Those with under active thyroids seem to lose weight a bit slower than those with a normal thyroid, but it does still come off. Good luck! :flowerforyou:

No thyroid here (surgery in 2014) but if your levels are optimized through your medicine then losing weight should be the same as a normal person. In fact for me a sign my meds may need to be adjusted in that my weight starts creeping up

I was diagnosed with hashimoto's thyroiditis about 10 years ago. I still have symptoms of my disease such as severe lethargy, depression, edema, weight gain, hair loss, sensitivity to cold, even with "ideal" lab work. About 6 months ago I switched to a T3 (Cytomel) and T4 (Synthroid) regimen to attempt to combat the symptoms. I finally found an Endocrinologist who will listen to me and not just go by the lab work. Perhaps this is something you could entertain with your Dr? Thyroid disease is easy to dismiss for those who don't have it or don't understand that it's more than just taking a pill and we're not always "lazy."

Chrissy2049 wrote: »

Thank you for your replies. I am on medication but all my old symptoms are coming back so I think I may need my medication altering.

Sounds like time for re-evaluation. My doctor does blood tests every 6 months, and I've needed a few adjustments in the 16(ish) years I've been hypo, even after my initial level was found.

With a correct dosage of thyroid meds, I found that I lost weight just as anyone else does - keeping calories consumed less than calories expended in daily life/exercise.

If your medication is now inadequate, it still should be the same basic process for you, but you may find that the calculators (like the one built into MFP) over-estimate how many calories you can eat to achieve a given rate of weight loss. I'd suggest using the MFP settings for a first estimate, sticking with that faithfully for a month, and seeing what your loss rate has been. Then you can adjust if necessary.

If you have some over-calorie-goal eating days along the way, don't sweat it, just log those accurately like any other day, and you can still compare your eating to your weight loss and estimate what calorie level you personally need for a given rate of weight loss, then go on from there.

Some people with hypothyroidism have reported here that they do better with lower carbohydrate eating. I didn't find that to be necessary, for me.

Best wishes!