Hyperthyroidism and Weight

flrancho
flrancho Posts: 271 Member
edited November 20 in Health and Weight Loss
I've been a member on this site a while and through the course of time, both on this site and off, I've lost 130 pounds, reaching my goal weight of 135 pounds. I've maintained that weight for almost two years. Over the Fourth of July break I put on a few pounds due to eating more than I should. I now weigh 137.8 pounds. Not much, I know, but I want to get back to my 135.

Enter my problem. My bloodwork has been coming back for a while that I'm hyperthyroid and she referred me to an endocrinologist. After having more bloodwork with him and seeing him for my initial visit, based on my bloodwork and ultrasound, he believes I have Graves Disease. The catch? I have absolutely no symptoms of Graves Disease. So he wants me to go for further testing, which I am now waiting to hear back from the radiology department on.

Anyway, since my little bout of weight gain over the fourth, I've cut my calories back to as close to 1200 per day as I can get it. I know most people are going to say its too low, but its what I've always eaten when I wanted to loose..... its what I ate when I lost my 130 pounds and it took me nearly two years to loose that. Anyway, I've been eating the 1200 since the July Fourth weekend to loose the 3 pounds I put on. I weigh myself every morning, and today I weigh 137.8..... I haven't lost a single gram of weight despite reducing my calories and exercising. As stated, I've previously lost 130; I know what I'm doing. I measure things, I weigh things. I'm not losing.

Though hyperthyroid is usually characterized by weight loss, I've seen some people online state that they've gained weight with hyperthyroid and/or Graves, both before and after treatment. I know my ultimate concern is getting what I have going on treated, which is under the process, but I can only move as fast as my doctors, insurance, and testing facilities will allow, which is frustrating (I've been trying to get this test done for weeks and everyone else is hemming and hawing). Anyway, in the meantime..... do you have any insight into what I might be doing wrong that's not allowing me to loose weight? Any advice for losing weight, and eventually maintaining weight with a thyroid problem? I'm mad, scared, and frustrated because I hear most people gain 20 - 50 pounds due to treatment for thyroid issues and I spent a lot of time and hard work losing my 130 and getting myself how I wanted myself to look and now something I can't control could so easily come in and destroy everything I spent years working on.

Replies

  • CMNVA
    CMNVA Posts: 733 Member
    Hi there. I know a little bit about thyroid issues. I had mine removed back in 1994 due to thyroid cancer so, ever since then, I have been dealing with regulating it.

    I have also heard that some people who are hyperthyroid can gain weight. My endo told me that. This is due to it sometimes causing a ravenous appetite and the person consumes more calories than they burn, even if they are hyper. I don't think that's what you've got going on here as you know you are eating at 1200.

    I don't think there is anything about your thyroid condition that is causing this slower-than-expected loss. But what I do want to point out is that, as of this morning, it has only been 14 days since July 4th. Two weeks. I'm not sure exactly when you started the 1200 calories. Was it the 4th, the 5th, etc. Bottom line, I wouldn't give up hope yet. It does seem though that when you are eating at only 1200 calories that 2 weeks feels like a year!!!

    For now at least, I'd chalk this up to a fluid retention issue that will hopefully whoosh off very soon. I have times where I seem to hold on to weight for a full 3 weeks, despite my best efforts, and then BAM, it goes.
  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
    How many calories have you been eating for maintenance? (Curious how much of a deficit 1200 would put you at, it may not necessarily be extremely low, depending on your activity)
    Have you had any lower weigh ins at all since you dropped your calories?

    You aren't new to this, so I'm sure you're aware that our weight fluctuates, and those fluctuations could easily mask what you've possibly lost in two weeks time. (Most people think of maintenance as a "range" rather than a specific number, as it's basically impossible for us to stay exactly at the same weight.)
    I would try to be patient and continue what you're doing. Maybe check the batteries in your scale.
    As mentioned above, the "whoosh" is a thing I experience as well (I'm hypothyroid, but the whoosh is pretty common for everyone). Weight stays pretty stable for quite a while,sometimes several weeks, and suddenly drop all at once.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    There is still a good deal of misinformation out there on the impact thyroid disorders have. It has a minimal impact on metabolism ~5% on Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) from clinical observation and this was deduced from treated thyroidless patients going to no treatment. This equates to 80 kcals/day out of a 1600 kcal/day budget. What this may impact are the individual satiety and hunger triggers, so many patients gain weight simply eating more than they burn off.

    What does MFP set as your caloric budget? If you are concerned, just cut this by 5%, but ensure that any deficit is safe and only makes a moderate change that you can live with. Dramatic changes rarely last long term.

    I underwent a total thyroidectomy in 2000 following a cancer diagnosis. I put on ~70 lbs over the next 14 years. Note this had nothing to do with my thyroid (or lack thereof). I transitioned from a high active military career to a cushy civilian job in academia and stopped running 6mi and swimming 2mi each day, but ate as if I was at my previous level of activity. I found MFP in 2014 and lost 60 lbs the first year through moderate diet and exercise.

    Be patient and move slowly with this.
  • flrancho
    flrancho Posts: 271 Member
    TresaAswegan wrote: »
    How many calories have you been eating for maintenance? (Curious how much of a deficit 1200 would put you at, it may not necessarily be extremely low, depending on your activity)
    Have you had any lower weigh ins at all since you dropped your calories?

    I maintenance at 1600. No lower weigh ins at all since all this. I'll have to check the batteries; I think not even losing one gram is rediculous.

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