Thyroid and weight loss

First have your hormone levels rechecked. You might just need your meds adjusted. If your levels are appearing fine see if you can be reffered to a dietitian. Some of us with thyroid issues respond well to special diets.

If your levels are fine, your thyroid probably isn't why you aren't losing. You say you are on weight watchers, but are you calorie tracking? At your size your deficit will be pretty small so you may need to resort to weighing your foods to ensure your portion sizes are correct.

sarahthes wrote: »

If your levels are fine, your thyroid probably isn't why you aren't losing. You say you are on weight watchers, but are you calorie tracking? At your size your deficit will be pretty small so you may need to resort to weighing your foods to ensure your portion sizes are correct.

So true. If your thyroid levels are low, it could affect things.

I was maintaining fine but then my thyroid took a down turn, I ate a bit more for energy, and I gained 5-10 pounds this fall/winter. I fixed my thyroid levels by upping my meds (from 150mcg of natural desiccated thyroid to 180mcg) and the weight started falling off again without changing my diet much at all.

A change in dr saw a change in what was considered normal for blood test results for me.

I have also found a correlation for me between resting heart rate and thyroid. If its low over a period of time I know its time to get another blood test.

been on levo for a year now, and my current levels as from last wek are 0.02, euthyroid, im half expecting my dr to ring and suggest reducing dosage but i dont have any hyper symptoms so im going with what works for me,
as for weight, regardless of my thyroid being off or fine, i still struggle to lose. i lost 4.5 stone before i got diagnosed and not i just cant shift any, i go up and down the same few pounds, i train 4 times a week and i keep to tdee minus 25%

For me a normal range was too too too hyper - I was edgy and would burst into tears at the slightest provocation, couldnt focus on things, couldnt control moods - I was clearly not right. Had a check with my doctor and she adjusted downward and its like I am a different person - looking at my test results one would say I was not on the right dose, but sitting in a room with me you would think differently (I hope!)

Once on the right dose (for me, not for the average patient) I was able to focus, and as a result, lost over 100lbs. I have been on levo for 28 years now.

hypodonthaveme wrote: »

Sound advice already. I will add extra salt does not help your cause. Foods have enough natural salts that you don't need to add it. Everyone is different and so is their dr. We also have to work harder to lose the weight. But it Can be done. Its not always a CICO thing. Patience is key here.

If anyone is suggesting salt, it's not for the salt but for the iodine that's added to nearly all table salt. This is one of the major unsung health victories of the 20th century, and has resulted in goiter becoming very rare in Western countries. 90% of goiter cases are caused by iodine deficiency, and is associated with either hyper- or hypothyroidism.

However, it's true that if the problem is something like Hashimoto's then iodine won't help.

I think eating a grapefruit for breakfast helps with weight loss. I am on thyroid meds, am 65, in a wheelchair, am 5'9" and weigh 138.

If you are on medication and your blood tests show normal results, then it is not the reason you aren't losing weight.

If you read this http://www.thyroid.org/thyroid-and-weight/ it does say that excess salt and water is a cause for weight gain with people with Hypothyroidism. No it isn't the same for everyone, but I did mention that in my post. But it did affect me. So , I have to agree with my dr on that. No two people with hypothyroidism will have the same symptoms and yes some do have to work harder. Diet alone did not help with my weight loss. I did have to do exercises which is harder than cutting calories or monitoring what foods to or not to eat. So, not going over calories is easy compared to doing cardio as well as some strength training. Yes exercise is mainly for fitness. But it still helps burn calories in a good way. Not everyone with Hypo can lose weight by just cutting calories. That is just fact. Just like some have to watch their refined carbs while others don't. Only you and your dr know you. I did not put my weight on because of excess daily calories. I have never in my life ate more than 1500 on any given day. I wish I could blame it on over eating. I would of lost the weight years ago

hypodonthaveme wrote: »

If you read this http://www.thyroid.org/thyroid-and-weight/ it does say that excess salt and water is a cause for weight gain with people with Hypothyroidism. No it isn't the same for everyone, but I did mention that in my post. But it did affect me. So , I have to agree with my dr on that. No two people with hypothyroidism will have the same symptoms and yes some do have to work harder. Diet alone did not help with my weight loss. I did have to do exercises which is harder than cutting calories or monitoring what foods to or not to eat. So, not going over calories is easy compared to doing cardio as well as some strength training. Yes exercise is mainly for fitness. But it still helps burn calories in a good way. Not everyone with Hypo can lose weight by just cutting calories. That is just fact. Just like some have to watch their refined carbs while others don't. Only you and your dr know you. I did not put my weight on because of excess daily calories. I have never in my life ate more than 1500 on any given day. I wish I could blame it on over eating. I would of lost the weight years ago

The only way to gain or not lose weight is to eat "too much." The definition of "too much" varies by situation. If you truly couldn't lose on 1500 calories, then it was too much for your situation. Adding exercise to create a deeper deficit is often easier than severely restricting calories, because severe restriction is difficult to do on a consistent basis.

why do I need to open my diary? I am at goal weight( hit it the end of last oct) an eat my recommended calories. I joined MFP last april after already losing 30 pounds. so my diary today has no say in the years past. I was not a member when I could not lose the weight so I could not possibly open my diary and I am not going to go through years of notebooks and take pictures to prove to you that I was not going over the calories allotted. Someone mentioned I was over eating and that was what caused me to not lose the weight with hypo, not so for me. That is why I mentioned my calorie allotment. I watched my salt like my dr suggested and lost the weight. So that has no effect on my calories now. I was eating the calories my dr suggested. My thyroid numbers are perfect. That is why I mentioned in my first post to the OP that salt could be an issue with her as well. Didn't say it was. But it does affect losing weight with some who suffer hypo. I shared the link confirming my post about excess salt because someone had mention it had no effect. I am not here to argue. We are all here to share our stories, our tips, what worked , what didn't. Everyone is different and their bodies are different. No 2 Dr's are the same. Medications don't even work the same. With hypo and some other illnesses, it is just trial and error. Journaling every thing to find out how our bodies deal with certain things. To find a pattern or not find one in some cases.

I have hypothyroid issues along with parathyroid issues and am also taking levothyroxine. Usually eat between 1000 - 1200 calories daily and walk mainly. I have done this with a dietician and lost 60 lbs but have gained about 20 back. I am under 5' tall so need to track carefully. When I pay attention to calories I lose but if I miss judge by only a bit I can gain. Watch your calories and watch what you eat. For some breads, pasta and rice can be a problem. I eat very little of each of these but when I do I don't lose. Anyway good luck and I would also suggest a good dietician. My doctor provided me with the one he went to so I figured if it was good for him then it was a good bet for me.

I have the understanding that grapefruit gets your liver into a fat burning mode.