Can't Lose Weight with my Hypothyroid Need Advice?
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MischaMay87
Posts: 18 Member
I'm new here, and recently joined to see if it would help as I am struggling really badly with trying to lose weight. I was diagnosed with Hypothyroid a few months back and started the medication a couple months ago. I'm getting blood tests next week, as of right now; I am on Eltroxin 50mg, which is apparently the lowest dose, as my Hypothyroid is still within normal range just on the lower side.
I am 29, and I will be 30 in 14 weeks, and would like to lose at least 1 stone by then, but at the moment I am finding it so hard to shift any weight. I work from home (I'm an artist), which means I'm at my computer and desk all day for hours and hours. The only exercise I get is an hour a day walking my dogs. I also suffer from severe anxiety and mild depression, which makes it hard for my to go out on my own, as I feel agitated and nervous by it. Their is also a lot of stress within my life at the moment, but okay to manage.
I would feel much better if I could lose weight, I'd feel happier, healthier and more confident in myself and appearance. I'm Pescetarian (which means I only eat fish), and I have an insatiable sweet tooth for chocolate but I have managed to cut that down to once a week treat, and instead had popcorn and those organic protein bars for sweetness.
I'm struggling, it's making me more depressed than I've been in years, I cry when I look at myself and I wear cardigans in the summer heat just so I don't feel so uncomfortable with myself, even though I know subconsciously, I'm not that huge, but it feels enormous to me. I just really need some advice with what to do with my Hypothyroid and weight loss, everything I've read counter acts the other, like low carb, then calorie restriction, then calorie restriction is bad for Hypothyroid, it all makes my head spin and gets me anxious and hopeless about ever losing weight.
My main goal is to get off at least a stone by my 30th birthday as I planned to treat myself to a photoshoot, and beautiful dress and a meal with my mum. I just really need advice in how to do that with all the information above, from anyone who has been successful or has ideas to fit my lifestyle. I can't do a gym, or go hiking, it has to be at home, and I can't do lots of exercise as it really does take it out of me.
Thank you in advance for any help.
I am 29, and I will be 30 in 14 weeks, and would like to lose at least 1 stone by then, but at the moment I am finding it so hard to shift any weight. I work from home (I'm an artist), which means I'm at my computer and desk all day for hours and hours. The only exercise I get is an hour a day walking my dogs. I also suffer from severe anxiety and mild depression, which makes it hard for my to go out on my own, as I feel agitated and nervous by it. Their is also a lot of stress within my life at the moment, but okay to manage.
I would feel much better if I could lose weight, I'd feel happier, healthier and more confident in myself and appearance. I'm Pescetarian (which means I only eat fish), and I have an insatiable sweet tooth for chocolate but I have managed to cut that down to once a week treat, and instead had popcorn and those organic protein bars for sweetness.
I'm struggling, it's making me more depressed than I've been in years, I cry when I look at myself and I wear cardigans in the summer heat just so I don't feel so uncomfortable with myself, even though I know subconsciously, I'm not that huge, but it feels enormous to me. I just really need some advice with what to do with my Hypothyroid and weight loss, everything I've read counter acts the other, like low carb, then calorie restriction, then calorie restriction is bad for Hypothyroid, it all makes my head spin and gets me anxious and hopeless about ever losing weight.
My main goal is to get off at least a stone by my 30th birthday as I planned to treat myself to a photoshoot, and beautiful dress and a meal with my mum. I just really need advice in how to do that with all the information above, from anyone who has been successful or has ideas to fit my lifestyle. I can't do a gym, or go hiking, it has to be at home, and I can't do lots of exercise as it really does take it out of me.
Thank you in advance for any help.
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Replies
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By my understanding, thyroid issues affect the CO portion of the CICO equation, so you may not be burning as many calories as the online calculators predict. Getting the condition controlled by medical (which will take some trial and error, possibly) will take care of that.
So it still comes down to accurately and honestly logging your calories in. Taking as much control of your food as possible so you can know the nutritional accuracy. Food scale, logging everything every day. And having patience.6 -
StaciMarie1974 wrote: »By my understanding, thyroid issues affect the CO portion of the CICO equation, so you may not be burning as many calories as the online calculators predict. Getting the condition controlled by medical (which will take some trial and error, possibly) will take care of that.
So it still comes down to accurately and honestly logging your calories in. Taking as much control of your food as possible so you can know the nutritional accuracy. Food scale, logging everything every day. And having patience.
Thank you! Yeah, I'll be getting more blood tests next week, so I will see my doctor a week after that to discuss if I need to change my dose or come off it, or see what happens from there. I am trying at the moment to be good anyway and watch what I am taking in food wise.1 -
StaciMarie1974 wrote: »By my understanding, thyroid issues affect the CO portion of the CICO equation, so you may not be burning as many calories as the online calculators predict. Getting the condition controlled by medical (which will take some trial and error, possibly) will take care of that.
So it still comes down to accurately and honestly logging your calories in. Taking as much control of your food as possible so you can know the nutritional accuracy. Food scale, logging everything every day. And having patience.
Yes, but it's not much. I found numbers of up to 4% of BMI. Most weight gain seems to be due to water weight gain due to being hypothyroid, more hungry, feeling tired and moving/fidgetting less, feeling miserable and eating more to compensate and similar things. It's important to get the dosage of levo right, the rest is, like for all of us about doing our best and counting calories with a food scale.
TO, get your bloods checked. You'd probably want fT4 to be in the upper part of the range. T4 gets partly converted to T3, and this is mainly what your body needs. If fT4 is too low, not enough will get converted. Furthermore, get the blood test first thing in the morning as TSH and other thyroid tests vary in the course of the day. It's usually highest early in the morning. If your medication is not good enough for you then this might convince your GP to increase it. Furthermore, don't take your medication before the blood test. Your medication is most likely T4 which will build a stable level over time. it does show up higher in your blood though after taking it. Thus not taking it before the test gives a more realistic picture.6 -
As others have said, accurately monitor your calories in.
In time you'll learn what macros can fill you up and keep you on your calorie target.1 -
I had thyroid cancer in college and had mine removed. Once your levels are stabilized, the CICO should work just fine, you just have to figure out how many calories you burn and how many you are eating. Just make sure that you are logging accurately and eating less than you burn. There are lots of free weight training and yoga videos on YouTube, or channels in apps that you can buy if you prefer to work out at home.
Make sure you aren't placing all of your expectations for being happy on whether or not you lose weight. It really doesn't affect your mindset and life that much.5 -
I've had hypothyroidism since I was 6, and I'm now 44. Once your levels are balanced it should make no difference to your weight loss. In the meantime, the fluctuating hormones can aggravate your anxiety. That should improve when you're balanced.
Don't worry about exercise if you don't like it or can't do it right now. Measure, weigh, and log everything you eat and focus on your calorie goal for the day. You may or may not reach your goal by your birthday because weight loss isn't linear, but you should celebrate anyway for getting through your rough patch!5 -
I'm hypothyroid too and take Levothyroxine, I too have been finding it hard to lose weight.0
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I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease (hypothyroidism) at age 23. I'm 29 now (turn 30 in a few months as well). My TSH was at 17 at the time of my diagnosis. After taking treatment (Synthroid and now Levothyroxine - 137mcg) and getting my thyroid in check I have been able to lose weight slightly more easily. My recent weight loss though I mainly attribute to staying strict with my diet/portion sizes and staying in a constant caloric deficit. In the three months since I started logging my food on MyFitnessPal I have dropped 2-3 pounds a week (with minimal change in my exercise routine). From my experience (Lost 46 pounds so far doing this) its 90% Diet, 10% Exercise. Yes I go to bed hungry most nights but every weigh-in is a moral booster as the scale goes down. I also recommend doing some form of strength training (lifting dumb bell weights every night working a different body part) so you maintain your lean muscle mass and lose the fat.5
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I'm thyroidless - rmoved due to cancer, but was also diagnosed with Hashimoto's at the same time - one your levels are controlled (and there is a fairly significant range, so your optimal level might be at either end of the spectrum or somewhere in the middle) - losing weight should be less of an issue (personally, we keep my TSH at the lower end - .8 because anything about 1.0 and I feel like poop.
There has been discussion in recent years and @CSARdiver can explain it more - with adjusting the range of normal TSH down (from .5-4.5 to .5-2.5)2 -
Thank you for the information1
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StaciMarie1974 wrote: »By my understanding, thyroid issues affect the CO portion of the CICO equation, so you may not be burning as many calories as the online calculators predict. Getting the condition controlled by medical (which will take some trial and error, possibly) will take care of that.
So it still comes down to accurately and honestly logging your calories in. Taking as much control of your food as possible so you can know the nutritional accuracy. Food scale, logging everything every day. And having patience.
Yes, but it's not much. I found numbers of up to 4% of BMI. Most weight gain seems to be due to water weight gain due to being hypothyroid, more hungry, feeling tired and moving/fidgetting less, feeling miserable and eating more to compensate and similar things. It's important to get the dosage of levo right, the rest is, like for all of us about doing our best and counting calories with a food scale.
TO, get your bloods checked. You'd probably want fT4 to be in the upper part of the range. T4 gets partly converted to T3, and this is mainly what your body needs. If fT4 is too low, not enough will get converted. Furthermore, get the blood test first thing in the morning as TSH and other thyroid tests vary in the course of the day. It's usually highest early in the morning. If your medication is not good enough for you then this might convince your GP to increase it. Furthermore, don't take your medication before the blood test. Your medication is most likely T4 which will build a stable level over time. it does show up higher in your blood though after taking it. Thus not taking it before the test gives a more realistic picture.
The disease can make you lethargic and you move less, which can affect weight loss.
Because the T4 does not enter or leave the system fast, like the T3 supplement, it is fine to take it the day of your test. From all my doctors, I have always been instructed to take my meds per usual when blood was being drawn. But if you're not sure, ask your doctor.
The other thing to ask about is T3 supplementation. My body does not do a good job converting T4 to T3 and I take both.
It will take time. The T4 takes 8 weeks to fully integrate. Then test. Then adjust meds. Repeat.
Make sure you're logging accurately. All solids (including pre-packaged things like bread, eggs and frozen meals) on a food scale and all liquids in measuring cups/spoons. And be sure the entries you're using in the database are correct. There's dome wacky ones. Then be sure and use the same entries you've checked for accuracy.
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I have had 3 endocrinologists tell me not to take my T4 supplement in the morning if I'm going to have a morning blood draw. I have mine done in the afternoon after work so no problem. But there is a period of time after taking the medication that you can get a rush of it in the bloodstream which, if your timing is perfect, can make your TSH
and FT4 a little off.0 -
What's your dog walking like? I could do three miles in an hour with my husky, once I had trained him to not stop and sniff every five feet. I was never able to train my neighbor's Shih Tzu to walk on a leash, and ended up spending more time grooming her than walking.
An hour a day at a good pace is great exercise.
How's your mood afterwards? Regular exercise helps me more with depression and anxiety than my meds do.2 -
I have hashimoto hypothyroidism, diagnosed 4 years ago. I was never able to lose weight no matter how much exercise I did and how well I ate strictly logging everything and sticking to between 1200 and 1400 calories.
Through my own research I decided to change my diet, removing all grain, gluten, dairy and processed sugars.
In 5 months I have lost 23kg. My exercise hasn't changed from before my diet change either, I do 2 to 3 weight sesdions and 2 to 3 cardio sessions a week.2 -
I have had 3 endocrinologists tell me not to take my T4 supplement in the morning if I'm going to have a morning blood draw. I have mine done in the afternoon after work so no problem. But there is a period of time after taking the medication that you can get a rush of it in the bloodstream which, if your timing is perfect, can make your TSH
and FT4 a little off.
I guess everyone is different. I certainly feel a 'rush of energy' about an hour after I take my levo. Mind you, the dosage is a bit on the low side for me and should be a wee bit higher.
One thing is that thyroid should always be tested at the same time. Google circadian rhythm. It influences all hormone blood tests, and in order to get comparable results timing is important. I read somewhere that TSH can fluctuate throughout the day by up to 1.5 units. Not sure about that. But my GP wanted a spontaneous blood test when I saw him, and he added thyroids to his list. TSH came back at 2.4 and my GP insisted that the dose is fine. I insisted in a retest in the morning. Just 3 days later this test came back at 3.5. GP was not really happy but agreed to a higher dosage.2 -
As others have said, once your medicine is right, you shouldn't have a problem with not being able to lose weight. You do need to be careful with your logging. I would also try to get more exercise. It can be a big help with depression and anxiety. Walk farther. Ride a bike. Begin doing some exercise videos. Maybe find a class that interests you.1
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I'm 46 and diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2000, resulting in total thyroidectomy. I was told I would gain weight and unfortunately believed it. I put on ~70 lbs over the next 14 years. Note this had nothing to do with hypothyroidism - I transitioned from a high active military career to a cushy civilian job in academia and stopped running 6mi/day and swimming 2mi/day, but still ate as if I did. I found MFP in 2014 and followed the moderate calorie deficit guidelines and lost 60 lbs in the first year. I'm on 175/200 mcg alt daily and TSH ~0.17.
Hypothyroidism untreated impacts your Resting Energy Expenditure ~5%, so that's 80 kcal/day out of a 1600 kcal/day budget. What thyroid disorders may do is impact your hormonal balance and make you feel hungry when you're not and upset your sleep triggers.
Another issue with this is the simply being overweight can complicate matters. Hormones are free cycling, so the increased body mass makes it very difficult for these to find their compatible binding sites. The best thing you can do is lose the weight in a safe and responsible manner.
Many physicians only test TSH, but if you're not feeling 100% then demand a full thyroid panel including TSH, fT3, fT4, and rT3. Those outside the US may have to pay out of pocket for this testing.
For TSH the new normal is 0.2-2.0 since 2003. You may feel fine outside this range, which is perfectly normal, but if you don't then insist on a higher dosage of levothyroxine. Note it takes several days for you to feel the effects of this and about 6 weeks for your body to fully adjust to any shifts in dosage.
As for overall effects, there really are few today. Several elite level athletes have hypothyroidism, in fact this is suspected to be a potential adverse event suffered by years of endurance sports.
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kshama2001 wrote: »What's your dog walking like? I could do three miles in an hour with my husky, once I had trained him to not stop and sniff every five feet. I was never able to train my neighbor's Shih Tzu to walk on a leash, and ended up spending more time grooming her than walking.
An hour a day at a good pace is great exercise.
How's your mood afterwards? Regular exercise helps me more with depression and anxiety than my meds do.
My dog walking is leisurely, I suffer terribly with my anxiety, so I usually walk with my mum, and she has a bad leg, so it is not a fast pace walk, but it is about an hour. I know it's not much, but I'm trying to keep myself busy with my art, and avoid snacking or giving into thoughts of food.0 -
mrsmlkp248 wrote: »I have hashimoto hypothyroidism, diagnosed 4 years ago. I was never able to lose weight no matter how much exercise I did and how well I ate strictly logging everything and sticking to between 1200 and 1400 calories.
Through my own research I decided to change my diet, removing all grain, gluten, dairy and processed sugars.
In 5 months I have lost 23kg. My exercise hasn't changed from before my diet change either, I do 2 to 3 weight sesdions and 2 to 3 cardio sessions a week.
I actually got advice from a neighbour, who says I should get tested for celiac as well, as that is usually connected to Thyroid problems, so I am cutting down on very heavy breads, rice, pastas and stuff, only stodgy food I eat is potatoes. Well done, that is amazing!0
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