Thyroid and loosing fat???
AnastasiaGrs1
Posts: 34 Member
Hello there...I just found out that I have thyroid (the one that you gain weight etc...) and my metbolism is really really low 1226.. I am working out 4-5 times per week and try to eat about 1.200 to lose weight... but most of the times I feel so tired and my body fat % doesn't get lower.. Any help?? Do you know anything about thyroid and loosing fat?? Thank you!!! 
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Replies
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Were you given medication to treat it? I'm hypothyroid, but since I've been on medication for it long enough that it's stable and the correct dosage, it doesn't effect my weight loss.
It might take a while to get to the correct dosage, and it can take a few weeks to start feeling the effects of the medicine, so definitely keep talking to your doctor before you write it off as not working. It may need adjusting, or more time.
Once it's all worked out, it typically shouldn't be effecting your weight loss. In the mean time, just keep tracking and making sure you're logging correctly.
A lot of people come on here and blame their thyroid for not being able to lose weight, but really just aren't logging correctly. Make sure you're weighing everything and not overestimating your workouts.
Also, if you're working out and still eating 1200 calories, that will contribute a lot to feeling tired. Eat back your exercise calories, or at least half of them, if you don't want to feel so dead.5 -
To clear up some misconceptions on hypothyroidism, no you don't have to gain weight. People may gain water weight in the short term during hormonal fluctuations, but no more than 10 pounds and this is temporary.
There are several elite level athletes, actors, fitness personalities, etc. with hypothyroidism and they do not allow this to inhibit their fitness goals. Jillian Michaels has hypothyroidism.
Are you on medication? Are you taking this as prescribed? How did you determine your metabolism of 1226?
Do you know your full thyroid panel including TSH, fT3, fT4, and rT3?
I had a total thyroidectomy in 2000 and put on ~70 lbs over 14 years. This had nothing to do with hypothyroidism. I transitioned from a high active military career to a cushy life in academia, had no clue what I was eating and never worked out. I found MFP in 2014 and started logging and working out losing 60 lbs in the first year. My wife and I are competing in a Spartan race in a few months.
There are several people in this community with hypothyroidism and successful in their fitness and weight management goals.7 -
I have hypothyroidism (hashimotos thyroiditis) and have lost 133lb. Pretty sure some of thats fat16
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I don't know what that 1226 refers to. Is it your TPOab? If so, that doesn't have to do with your metabolism. It's the count of the antibodies (attacking your thyroid - if you have Hashimoto's thyroiditis).
If not, what is that number for? ETA: Wait, sorry, I think you're saying that's your BMR? Or maybe your calories to lose X amount/week? Get a food scale...weigh EVERYTHING...be HONEST about what you're putting into your mouth...even with Hashi's you shouldn't be unable to lose weight if you are honestly and consistently eating 1200 calories a day. Is your diary open?
Anyway, even before I was medicated for my Hashi's, when I ate too much, I gained weight, and when I ate less, I lost weight...and I'm old.
(50 this August. I was in my mid-40s when I was finally diagnosed.) I am sure I can eat a smidge more now that I'm properly medicated, but it was never a case of undereating so severely that it would make a person gasp in order to lose weight before I was diagnosed and began taking medication. And there were many times where I lay crying silently in the bed at morning time wishing I could die so I wouldn't have to stand up and start moving around.
So I'd say, particularly once you're medicated, your weight loss should be like anyone else's - your basic CICO - and if you're not yet medicated, unless you're literally laid up to the point of hospitalization, you can probably lose weight by figuring your energy expenditure, and eating under that.
Good luck - hypothyroid patients can live a long and healthy life! Hang in there! 4 -
I have Hashimoto's and I'm losing as MFP says I should. I take synthroid and my TSH levels are now where they should be. You can do it! But do keep up with your doctor and get medication for it.1
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I was diagnosed that I have hyperthyroidism (hashinotos thyroid) with ultrasounds..Now I have to do blood-hormonal test to find out exactly the amount of medicine that I should take. The doctor told me that as soon as I start taking the pills, my metabolism will work better.
Also, the 1226 is my BMR. My doctor had put me in that special machine that counts the amount of body fat, muscle etc.
Although my kilos are ok...my fat percentage was 30,4% so I want to lose a lot of that. So..you say I should eat less...more???
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I have Hashimoto's and I'm losing as MFP says I should. I take synthroid and my TSH levels are now where they should be. You can do it! But do keep up with your doctor and get medication for it.
Do you take any medication??? Because MFP says That my BMR should be more than 1.600 but in reality it is 1226..0 -
AnastasiaGrs1 wrote: »I was diagnosed that I have hyperthyroidism (hashinotos thyroid) with ultrasounds..Now I have to do blood-hormonal test to find out exactly the amount of medicine that I should take. The doctor told me that as soon as I start taking the pills, my metabolism will work better.
Also, the 1226 is my BMR. My doctor had put me in that special machine that counts the amount of body fat, muscle etc.
Although my kilos are ok...my fat percentage was 30,4% so I want to lose a lot of that. So..you say I should eat less...more???
Are you in the UK?
Request a full thyroid panel including TSH, fT3, fT4, rT3. The new normal for TSH is 0.2-2.0, but this is largely dependent on how you feel. For example I was likely hyperthyroid most of my life so this "feels" normal to me. Others feel normal with a TSH of 10 - this is an extremely variable number and dependent upon the other critical diagnostics tests.
Regarding your BMR of 1226. This is what your body burns if you were at rest all day - no physical activity. The caloric intake number MFP generates is based on population average and is dependent upon what level of activity you input - this is the Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) and incorporates your exercise.
Body fat is nothing more than an energy reserve. To lose body fat you need to maintain a caloric deficit. If your maintenance calories are at 1600, then you need to eat less than 1600 calories/day.2 -
i also suffer from hypothyroidism and im on 100mcg a day of levo. my last levels were under at 0.02 so i lowered my dosage from 150..
when i asked for a full panel the nhs didn't do it, surprised the drs ast ignoring their request and just gave us a tsh level.
i have found that i did struggle to lose weight on TDEE minus 25%.. so i switched back to net method mfp and added calories in from exercise.
what i found is that my maintenance level is slightly lower than those that dont suffer and therefore i do have to eat slightly lower than normal calories to lose weight.. for instance. i was eating 1600 a day not eating exercise,
now im at 1460 and only eating a quarter or half those exercise cals back and my weight has started to go down again.
what ive also noticed is that i can gain so easily if i steer off the path of righteousness. for easter i gained a whooping 5lbs over 3 days!!! 5lbs!!! im weighing in tomorrow in hopes that has come off..
what also helped me is my choice of foods, so instead of reaching for chocolate ( wihin cals) id reach for just something a bit healthier to snack on, some ham or melon. this keeps cals down
ivbe just listed a few things that ive found that works for me, you have to find your own journey, i have realized that i have to work harder to lose the weight too, my friend can eat chocolate all week within her calories and still lose weight, i cannot. whether thats because of my thyroid or just because of who i am. its my journey, yours will be your own too.
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@leahcollett1
I feel for those subjected to NHS. The only thing I can recommend is medical tourism or if you can purchase access to a concierge physician and get the treatment you need.
Hypothyroidism has a relatively small impact on metabolism - from clinical studies the average is ~5% to BMR/REE. So in general if MFP is saying 1600, then you would adjust this to 1520. Also keep in mind that food labeling carries a margin of error of 20%.
Key point to remember though is that you physically cannot gain 5 lbs of fat this quickly. That would take 3500 x5 for a total of 17,500 surplus calories. This is water weight and very common with hormonal imbalances. My weight fluctuates ~ 5 lbs throughout the day.2 -
@leahcollett1
I feel for those subjected to NHS. The only thing I can recommend is medical tourism or if you can purchase access to a concierge physician and get the treatment you need.
Hypothyroidism has a relatively small impact on metabolism - from clinical studies the average is ~5% to BMR/REE. So in general if MFP is saying 1600, then you would adjust this to 1520. Also keep in mind that food labeling carries a margin of error of 20%.
Key point to remember though is that you physically cannot gain 5 lbs of fat this quickly. That would take 3500 x5 for a total of 17,500 surplus calories. This is water weight and very common with hormonal imbalances. My weight fluctuates ~ 5 lbs throughout the day.
yea its why i didnt have a meltdown on the scales, ive been doing this years and have got to know my body and it bloody loves a good water gain the moment my lips touch unhealthy stuffs
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AnastasiaGrs1 wrote: »I was diagnosed that I have hyperthyroidism (hashinotos thyroid) with ultrasounds..Now I have to do blood-hormonal test to find out exactly the amount of medicine that I should take. The doctor told me that as soon as I start taking the pills, my metabolism will work better.
Also, the 1226 is my BMR. My doctor had put me in that special machine that counts the amount of body fat, muscle etc.
Although my kilos are ok...my fat percentage was 30,4% so I want to lose a lot of that. So..you say I should eat less...more???
Who gave you that 1226 number? Also, you're not supposed to eat at your BMR in order to lose weight. That's just what you utilize to literally live, just lying there...your respiration, digestion, your cells doing their thing, liver functioning...etc.
Also, if you have Hashi's then you're hypo-T, not hyper-T. Hyper-T is an overactive thyroid. Hashi's is an underactive thyroid with anti-thyroid activity on the part of antibodies in your body.
Could you start by letting us know how you arrived at 1226 and at 1600?
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BTW, you'd be surprised by how one has to jump through hoops, beg, plead and often get turned down anyway in the U.S. Or give up and pay out of pocket to a doctor not on our HMO for hundreds of dollars just for the testing (no follow-up) with no guarantee that our PCP will go along with those results and medicate us. Just sayin'...
I haven't had a "full panel" since I was first DXd but I'm getting by. I don't expect to be 100% healthy every minute with my Hashi's since the nature of the disease appears to be that it will fluctuate anyway (heavier or lighter "attack days," as I call them, etc.). So I am just medicated to the most basic number possible, my TSH, and I am indeed getting healthier since my diagnosis. I'm even on the crap generic stuff that many Hashi's forums scream doesn't work and so on and so forth. (I begged but was never able to get my doctor to agree to trying me on Armour.)
It is what it is. But know you're not alone with the struggle to get "really" healthy. IMO (this is JUST my opinion), since you have an autoimmune disease, which can be unpredictable and which, after all, is doing damage day by day, you may not achieve that "Mrs. Universe" 100% glowing, sparkling always-healthy state. You may still have your bad days. I'm not saying to just accept that and not push your doctor, I'm saying, yes, even with an ongoing condition you can get up, you can live your life, work, lose weight, EVEN when you're not having a string of 100% great days. I may be fatalistic but...really, who's in optimum health constantly? We all have struggles. Non-hypo-T people have struggles too. Know you're not alone, and know that others with your issues or other issues HAVE made this work. You can too!3 -
AnastasiaGrs1 wrote: »Hello there...I just found out that I have thyroid (the one that you gain weight etc...) and my metbolism is really really low 1226.. I am working out 4-5 times per week and try to eat about 1.200 to lose weight... but most of the times I feel so tired and my body fat % doesn't get lower.. Any help?? Do you know anything about thyroid and loosing fat?? Thank you!!!
You have "thyroid"? You mean hypothyroid? Do you have Hashimoto's? Are you on Synthroid?
Bottom line is it affects everyone differently, the symptoms never really go away and you just have to do the best you can. I have trouble losing weight. I can't lose if I eat more than 500 calories a day, regardless of exercise. Some people who have it don't have that problem, but they have something else. It sucks. Just make sure you're on the meds, getting your levels checked, seeing an endocrinologist and not just your regular doctor and push yourself as much as you can.1 -
How long have you been trying to lose weight and what are your stats - height weight etc ?
I'm also guessing you could eat more than 1200 cals, and it will probably make you feel better/have more energy if you did.
(I'm eating about 2200 to lose a pound per week right now. 5'1'' 180 lbs, I've never considered my metabolism to be slow because of hypothyroid - if it is it isn't much - , if I'm gaining weight it's always been because I've been eating too much.)
Once medicated most people find they can lose weight just as anyone without thyroid problems can. It's hard for most people, but weighing your food, logging as accurately as possible, and trying to stay active helps a lot!2 -
AnastasiaGrs1 wrote: »I was diagnosed that I have hyperthyroidism (hashinotos thyroid) with ultrasounds..Now I have to do blood-hormonal test to find out exactly the amount of medicine that I should take. The doctor told me that as soon as I start taking the pills, my metabolism will work better.
Also, the 1226 is my BMR. My doctor had put me in that special machine that counts the amount of body fat, muscle etc.
Although my kilos are ok...my fat percentage was 30,4% so I want to lose a lot of that. So..you say I should eat less...more???
Sorry!!! I meant hypothiroidism!!!0 -
Are you in the UK?
Request a full thyroid panel including TSH, fT3, fT4, rT3. The new normal for TSH is 0.2-2.0, but this is largely dependent on how you feel. For example I was likely hyperthyroid most of my life so this "feels" normal to me. Others feel normal with a TSH of 10 - this is an extremely variable number and dependent upon the other critical diagnostics tests.
Regarding your BMR of 1226. This is what your body burns if you were at rest all day - no physical activity. The caloric intake number MFP generates is based on population average and is dependent upon what level of activity you input - this is the Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) and incorporates your exercise.
Body fat is nothing more than an energy reserve. To lose body fat you need to maintain a caloric deficit. If your maintenance calories are at 1600, then you need to eat less than 1600 calories/day.
I am not in the U.K., I live in Greece)
I have to take these hormonal tests in order to start my medication.. The doctor has prescribed them.
The number 1600 in according to MFP..which doesn't know that my BMR is really really low.. And most of the time when I overeat I gain some fat..
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leahcollett1 wrote: »i also suffer from hypothyroidism and im on 100mcg a day of levo. my last levels were under at 0.02 so i lowered my dosage from 150..
when i asked for a full panel the nhs didn't do it, surprised the drs ast ignoring their request and just gave us a tsh level.
i have found that i did struggle to lose weight on TDEE minus 25%.. so i switched back to net method mfp and added calories in from exercise.
what i found is that my maintenance level is slightly lower than those that dont suffer and therefore i do have to eat slightly lower than normal calories to lose weight.. for instance. i was eating 1600 a day not eating exercise,
now im at 1460 and only eating a quarter or half those exercise cals back and my weight has started to go down again.
what ive also noticed is that i can gain so easily if i steer off the path of righteousness. for easter i gained a whooping 5lbs over 3 days!!! 5lbs!!! im weighing in tomorrow in hopes that has come off..
what also helped me is my choice of foods, so instead of reaching for chocolate ( wihin cals) id reach for just something a bit healthier to snack on, some ham or melon. this keeps cals down
ivbe just listed a few things that ive found that works for me, you have to find your own journey, i have realized that i have to work harder to lose the weight too, my friend can eat chocolate all week within her calories and still lose weight, i cannot. whether thats because of my thyroid or just because of who i am. its my journey, yours will be your own too.
Haaah unfortunately the choco problems is the same with me... I can easy gain 4-5 kilos(!!!) in one week if I stop the gym and I eat unhealthy things.0 -
@leahcollett1
I feel for those subjected to NHS. The only thing I can recommend is medical tourism or if you can purchase access to a concierge physician and get the treatment you need.
Hypothyroidism has a relatively small impact on metabolism - from clinical studies the average is ~5% to BMR/REE. So in general if MFP is saying 1600, then you would adjust this to 1520. Also keep in mind that food labeling carries a margin of error of 20%.
Key point to remember though is that you physically cannot gain 5 lbs of fat this quickly. That would take 3500 x5 for a total of 17,500 surplus calories. This is water weight and very common with hormonal imbalances. My weight fluctuates ~ 5 lbs throughout the day.
I am really afraid to eat more, as can gain 4-5 kilos if I stop working out for one week ...(some of that may be water..) and when I start again I lose some of them
Although I don't know what percentage of protein, carbs and fat would work for me...
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Who gave you that 1226 number? Also, you're not supposed to eat at your BMR in order to lose weight. That's just what you utilize to literally live, just lying there...your respiration, digestion, your cells doing their thing, liver functioning...etc.
Also, if you have Hashi's then you're hypo-T, not hyper-T. Hyper-T is an overactive thyroid. Hashi's is an underactive thyroid with anti-thyroid activity on the part of antibodies in your body.
Could you start by letting us know how you arrived at 1226 and at 1600?
I am sorry, I meant hypothyroidism, not hyper
The 1226 is according to my doctor who calculated it with a machine..( I don't know it's name, but you step in two metal things and it shows you body fat% , BMR etc...
And the 1600 is according to MFP (which doesn't know that I have hypo and my BMR is really low..0 -
BTW, you'd be surprised by how one has to jump through hoops, beg, plead and often get turned down anyway in the U.S. Or give up and pay out of pocket to a doctor not on our HMO for hundreds of dollars just for the testing (no follow-up) with no guarantee that our PCP will go along with those results and medicate us. Just sayin'...
I haven't had a "full panel" since I was first DXd but I'm getting by. I don't expect to be 100% healthy every minute with my Hashi's since the nature of the disease appears to be that it will fluctuate anyway (heavier or lighter "attack days," as I call them, etc.). So I am just medicated to the most basic number possible, my TSH, and I am indeed getting healthier since my diagnosis. I'm even on the crap generic stuff that many Hashi's forums scream doesn't work and so on and so forth. (I begged but was never able to get my doctor to agree to trying me on Armour.)
It is what it is. But know you're not alone with the struggle to get "really" healthy. IMO (this is JUST my opinion), since you have an autoimmune disease, which can be unpredictable and which, after all, is doing damage day by day, you may not achieve that "Mrs. Universe" 100% glowing, sparkling always-healthy state. You may still have your bad days. I'm not saying to just accept that and not push your doctor, I'm saying, yes, even with an ongoing condition you can get up, you can live your life, work, lose weight, EVEN when you're not having a string of 100% great days. I may be fatalistic but...really, who's in optimum health constantly? We all have struggles. Non-hypo-T people have struggles too. Know you're not alone, and know that others with your issues or other issues HAVE made this work. You can too!
Uuuh I know... thank you!!! We just have to find out what works for us..0 -
AnastasiaGrs1 wrote: »Who gave you that 1226 number? Also, you're not supposed to eat at your BMR in order to lose weight. That's just what you utilize to literally live, just lying there...your respiration, digestion, your cells doing their thing, liver functioning...etc.
Also, if you have Hashi's then you're hypo-T, not hyper-T. Hyper-T is an overactive thyroid. Hashi's is an underactive thyroid with anti-thyroid activity on the part of antibodies in your body.
Could you start by letting us know how you arrived at 1226 and at 1600?
I am sorry, I meant hypothyroidism, not hyper
The 1226 is according to my doctor who calculated it with a machine..( I don't know it's name, but you step in two metal things and it shows you body fat% , BMR etc...
And the 1600 is according to MFP (which doesn't know that I have hypo and my BMR is really low..
Oh, okay, gotcha.
Why not try something in the middle - say, 1400-ish - and see what happens? If you lose weight, you know you can eat that much. If you don't lose weight then you can cut back. You say you're afraid to gain on 1600 calories but it's incredibly unlikely that you'd literally lose** 4 kg (that's close to 10 lbs.?) of fat in one week of eating 1600 calories. It just is. Going by the straight math, 10 lbs. is 35,000 EXTRA calories (I mean, in addition to the calories you need to eat just to stay alive), over the course of one week. If anything you could gain some water weight but it's not going to be fat...not on 1600 calories...not unless you're a gerbil.
And again, if that machine was calculating your BMR, you don't need to eat down to your BMR in order to lose weight. So there may not be as much of a discrepancy as you think.
By the way, how did you calculate here on MFP? Make sure you had your activity level, age, etc. set correctly. I personally set myself to inactive, then add in my exercise manually.
**gain, sorry
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TresaAswegan wrote: »How long have you been trying to lose weight and what are your stats - height weight etc ?
I'm also guessing you could eat more than 1200 cals, and it will probably make you feel better/have more energy if you did.
(I'm eating about 2200 to lose a pound per week right now. 5'1'' 180 lbs, I've never considered my metabolism to be slow because of hypothyroid - if it is it isn't much - , if I'm gaining weight it's always been because I've been eating too much.)
Once medicated most people find they can lose weight just as anyone without thyroid problems can. It's hard for most people, but weighing your food, logging as accurately as possible, and trying to stay active helps a lot!
Weight: 135 Ibs
Height: 5'4'' (165cm)
Body fat%: 30,4%
Wow 2200 is great!! You don't store most of it as fat??? What percentage of protein ,carbs and fat works for you the best??
(Do you take a long time the medications?? )
Haha sorry for all those questions)0 -
AnastasiaGrs1 wrote: »TresaAswegan wrote: »How long have you been trying to lose weight and what are your stats - height weight etc ?
I'm also guessing you could eat more than 1200 cals, and it will probably make you feel better/have more energy if you did.
(I'm eating about 2200 to lose a pound per week right now. 5'1'' 180 lbs, I've never considered my metabolism to be slow because of hypothyroid - if it is it isn't much - , if I'm gaining weight it's always been because I've been eating too much.)
Once medicated most people find they can lose weight just as anyone without thyroid problems can. It's hard for most people, but weighing your food, logging as accurately as possible, and trying to stay active helps a lot!
Weight: 135 Ibs
Height: 5'4'' (165cm)
Body fat%: 30,4%
Wow 2200 is great!! You don't store most of it as fat??? What percentage of protein ,carbs and fat works for you the best??
(Do you take a long time the medications?? )
Haha sorry for all those questions)
Yeah, honestly I'm jealous of that poster. I'm also 5'1", and even at 212 pounds I couldn't eat 2000+ calories/day and not gain. And I'm about 99% sure I wouldn't be able to even if I didn't have a thyroid issue, just going by my distant past and how much I've ever really been able to eat and stay slim. Currently I am set at about 1350 (plus exercise calories), at 154 lbs.0 -
Oh, okay, gotcha.
Why not try something in the middle - say, 1400-ish - and see what happens? If you lose weight, you know you can eat that much. If you don't lose weight then you can cut back. You say you're afraid to gain on 1600 calories but it's incredibly unlikely that you'd literally lose 4 kg (that's close to 10 lbs.?) of fat in one week of eating 1600 calories. It just is. Going by the straight math, 10 lbs. is 35,000 EXTRA calories (I mean, in addition to the calories you need to eat just to stay alive), over the course of one week. If anything you could gain some water weight but it's not going to be fat...not on 1600 calories...not unless you're a gerbil.
And again, if that machine was calculating your BMR, you don't need to eat down to your BMR in order to lose weight. So there may not be as much of a discrepancy as you think.
By the way, how did you calculate here on MFP? Make sure you had your activity level, age, etc. set correctly. I personally set myself to inactive, then add in my exercise manually.
I thing I have to try it..maybe I could put little by little more colorized than I am eating right now to see what will happen.
Hahaha gerbil!!! I guess most of it is water as I eat (maybe some more) carbs.. But again I feel different, so swollen..
I think that what you do is the best as you know exactly what is going on with the calories and macros... I have to recheck it
Thank youuu1 -
TresaAswegan wrote: »Yeah, honestly I'm jealous of that poster. I'm also 5'1", and even at 212 pounds I couldn't eat 2000+ calories/day and not gain. And I'm about 99% sure I wouldn't be able to even if I didn't have a thyroid issue, just going by my distant past and how much I've ever really been able to eat and stay slim. Currently I am set at about 1350 (plus exercise calories), at 154 lbs.
Haha the first two numbers might seem good, but I have a lot of fat which I can't lower ... that is the worst part
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I've been following this thread for a few days now, and agree 100% with what folks are saying about the difference that proper treatment and medication can make in managing hypothyroidism. I started my weight loss journey with MFP just before Christmas 2015; I made slow but steady progress, losing a total of 35 pounds by September 2016. Then, out of no where, my body began to change; never having been tested for thyroid issues, I could only conclude that the hormonal symptoms I was experiencing (breast tingling and engorgement, absence of menstruation, nausea, etc) were the result of pregnancy. Pregnancy tests were negative, but I had gained 9 inches on my waist in a couple of months and I looked about five months pregnant. I was at my wits end, but was fortunate enough to encounter an ER doctor who had my thyroid levels checked and ordered an ultrasound; I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and started taking 50mcg synthroid. The ultrasound revealed a 4.5" uterine tumour that had grown rapidly due to fluctuating hormone levels (most recent CT scan from mid-March shows that the tumour has actually begun to shrink now that hormones have leveled out).
It took a few months for the medication to begin to work for me, and I've now started back with MFP. In total, I gained back 15 of the 35 lbs I lost (though, in fairness, when I thought I might be pregnant, I was actually eating an extra 300 calories a day above my maintenance requirements - all healthy, but still a surplus). I have recently started back with meticulously logging and eating my MFP recommended daily calories, and weight loss has restarted (slowly, but that's okay as long as its headed in the right direction).
The point of this post is to encourage those with hypothyroidism to seek treatment and to follow their treatment regime. It will make a difference, although (as noted above) it may take some fiddling to get the dosage right. I never would have believed what an under-active thyroid could do a woman's body, but I also wouldn't have believed that a tiny little pill could reverse the effects. It is possible to have a normal life, including losing weight, as long as you take your medication as prescribed; I'll admit I wasn't thrilled about having to be on thyroid medication for the rest of my life, but it is much better than the alternative.2 -
bluenoser38 wrote: »I've been following this thread for a few days now, and agree 100% with what folks are saying about the difference that proper treatment and medication can make in managing hypothyroidism. I started my weight loss journey with MFP just before Christmas 2015; I made slow but steady progress, losing a total of 35 pounds by September 2016. Then, out of no where, my body began to change; never having been tested for thyroid issues, I could only conclude that the hormonal symptoms I was experiencing (breast tingling and engorgement, absence of menstruation, nausea, etc) were the result of pregnancy. Pregnancy tests were negative, but I had gained 9 inches on my waist in a couple of months and I looked about five months pregnant. I was at my wits end, but was fortunate enough to encounter an ER doctor who had my thyroid levels checked and ordered an ultrasound; I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and started taking 50mcg synthroid. The ultrasound revealed a 4.5" uterine tumour that had grown rapidly due to fluctuating hormone levels (most recent CT scan from mid-March shows that the tumour has actually begun to shrink now that hormones have leveled out).
It took a few months for the medication to begin to work for me, and I've now started back with MFP. In total, I gained back 15 of the 35 lbs I lost (though, in fairness, when I thought I might be pregnant, I was actually eating an extra 300 calories a day above my maintenance requirements - all healthy, but still a surplus). I have recently started back with meticulously logging and eating my MFP recommended daily calories, and weight loss has restarted (slowly, but that's okay as long as its headed in the right direction).
The point of this post is to encourage those with hypothyroidism to seek treatment and to follow their treatment regime. It will make a difference, although (as noted above) it may take some fiddling to get the dosage right. I never would have believed what an under-active thyroid could do a woman's body, but I also wouldn't have believed that a tiny little pill could reverse the effects. It is possible to have a normal life, including losing weight, as long as you take your medication as prescribed; I'll admit I wasn't thrilled about having to be on thyroid medication for the rest of my life, but it is much better than the alternative.
Thank you for posting this:) I hope that as soon I start my medication, my body will "work" better as well as my metabolism.
How long did it take you to start loosing weight when you started the medication??0 -
with your height and weight (ignoring the hypothyroidism for a minute) - you might be better to focus on recomp rather than losing weight - slowly building lean muscle and losing fat - its a slow process and involves eating at/close to maintenance while doing progressively overloaded training (strong lifts etc)
IRT hypothyroidism once you get your meds dialed in - and for it me took close to a year for the initial stabilization and even then I still get occasionally tweaks as things change - you should have no issues losing weight
the 1226 is your BMR that isn't what you need to eat to lose weight, its what you need for your body to maintain basic function. I wouldn't recommending going below that for an extended period of time - you'll likely end up losing muscle as well as fat
I have similar stats to you - I'm heavily 148, also work out heavily (endurance triathlete) and I take in between 22 and 2500 calories each day and I've been fairly weight stable and focusing on recomp. its been a slow process - but in the last 5 months, I've gone from a size 8 pants that were tight, to a size 6 that are loose(ish). so I know I'm seeing progress even if the scale isn't changing3 -
deannalfisher wrote: »with your height and weight (ignoring the hypothyroidism for a minute) - you might be better to focus on recomp rather than losing weight - slowly building lean muscle and losing fat - its a slow process and involves eating at/close to maintenance while doing progressively overloaded training (strong lifts etc)
IRT hypothyroidism once you get your meds dialed in - and for it me took close to a year for the initial stabilization and even then I still get occasionally tweaks as things change - you should have no issues losing weight
the 1226 is your BMR that isn't what you need to eat to lose weight, its what you need for your body to maintain basic function. I wouldn't recommending going below that for an extended period of time - you'll likely end up losing muscle as well as fat
I have similar stats to you - I'm heavily 148, also work out heavily (endurance triathlete) and I take in between 22 and 2500 calories each day and I've been fairly weight stable and focusing on recomp. its been a slow process - but in the last 5 months, I've gone from a size 8 pants that were tight, to a size 6 that are loose(ish). so I know I'm seeing progress even if the scale isn't changing
Wow that's great!!! Minus 2 sizes..bravo!!!
What is the % of protein, carbs and fat you eat?? I try to find out what works for me ..Still I am looking for it... haha
Until now I haven't eaten more than 1250 cals per day.. but as most people told me.. I will try to put slowly some cals every week .. (it is hard for me to think that I have to eat more as I have struggled with that a lot...I didn't know I had thyroid)0
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