Hypothyroidism Help?

Kaiden94
Kaiden94 Posts: 8 Member
edited November 21 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone! I'm on day 20 of dieting and exercising, and haven't lost any weight. I'm worried that it's because of my hypothyroidism. I really don't know much about it, other than that it's a hormonal issue and I take medication for it. I know it can make it harder to lose weight.

I was wondering if anyone else here had the condition, and if we could share suggestions for dieting and exercising so those of us who have it can lose weight.

Thank you in advance to all who participate!

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Are your thyroid levels under control? Are you counting calories and logging everything as accurately as possible (i.e. using a food scale)?
  • BecomingMoreAwesome
    BecomingMoreAwesome Posts: 151 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    Are your thyroid levels under control? Are you counting calories and logging everything as accurately as possible (i.e. using a food scale)?

    This. I have hypothyroidism, and when my dose is where it needs to be and my logging is accurate, I lose at the predicted rate.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    I agree. Having it treated optimally can make a big difference. Optimally being when you FEEL good and not just when the doctor says your tests are fine.

    That being said, I have lost weight when untreated. I just needed a lower caloric intake.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,985 Member
    People can lose weight while being untreated as well. You just feel much more rubbish. Are you using a food scale and weigh everything, even prepackaged food?
  • sjd421
    sjd421 Posts: 54 Member
    Make sure you are going to get your levels checked on a regular basis. Not only is it really bad for your health in general if you are not taking the correct dosage of meds, it will make it nearly impossible to lose weight. I am having my levels checked in a few weeks and am going to bring up to my Endo, that I have been working really hard and not seeing too much progress and that maybe we should check more than just my T3.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,454 Member
    BecomingMoreAwesome wrote: »
    malibu927 wrote: »
    Are your thyroid levels under control? Are you counting calories and logging everything as accurately as possible (i.e. using a food scale)?

    This. I have hypothyroidism, and when my dose is where it needs to be and my logging is accurate, I lose at the predicted rate.

    Yep. Agree. I've been on thyroid meds for 30 years. I lost at exactly the predicted rate and have no trouble maintaining.
  • xAmygdala
    xAmygdala Posts: 17 Member
    You probably not only have hypo, but Hashimoto's. You NEED to get that under control or you just won't lose anything.

    I have lost 75 lbs with Hashi and now I have no thyroid from needing it removed.
  • madwells1
    madwells1 Posts: 510 Member
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I agree. Having it treated optimally can make a big difference. Optimally being when you FEEL good and not just when the doctor says your tests are fine.

    That being said, I have lost weight when untreated. I just needed a lower caloric intake.

    I was untreated for a couple years (although my TSH was high, my last Dr. was incompetent) and the only way I could lose weight was around 800-900 calories which was totally ridiculous.

    I finally found a new doctor who was like 'WTF' and immediately put me on meds. Even though I am not at optimal levels yet, I have been losing consistently using MFP calories based on my body and activity.

    Amazing the difference between not being treated and being treated made for me. I can't wait to get to optimal medication levels! I feel 1000 times better already and can't believe I struggled with this for so long without getting treated.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,748 Member
    I've been on thyroid meds for 15 years or so. Once I was diagnosed and started medication, I had no problem losing weight. As others have said, if you aren't losing weight, you are probably eating more than you think or not burning as many calories as you think. Or your expectations for weight loss are unrealistic. It takes time.
  • kirayng2
    kirayng2 Posts: 36 Member
    Do you have any food sensitivities? I feel better being gluten free, I have Hashimoto's.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    madwells1 wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I agree. Having it treated optimally can make a big difference. Optimally being when you FEEL good and not just when the doctor says your tests are fine.

    That being said, I have lost weight when untreated. I just needed a lower caloric intake.

    I was untreated for a couple years (although my TSH was high, my last Dr. was incompetent) and the only way I could lose weight was around 800-900 calories which was totally ridiculous.

    I finally found a new doctor who was like 'WTF' and immediately put me on meds. Even though I am not at optimal levels yet, I have been losing consistently using MFP calories based on my body and activity.

    Amazing the difference between not being treated and being treated made for me. I can't wait to get to optimal medication levels! I feel 1000 times better already and can't believe I struggled with this for so long without getting treated.

    Proper meds make quite a difference! Glad you are feeling better, in spite of doctor #1.
  • _BlahBlah_BlackSheep_
    _BlahBlah_BlackSheep_ Posts: 2,148 Member
    I've been on Levo for 9 years. I maintain my weight just fine, though if I try to lose even a couple of pounds it often takes much longer than it did before I had thyroid problems. I do eventually lose, though - and you've only been working on weight loss for 3 weeks, so be patient and keep doing what you're doing!
  • Kaiden94
    Kaiden94 Posts: 8 Member
    Thank you everyone! I just found out I have hypothyroidism earlier this summer. My dr prescribed me meds, but I do remember her saying we may need to adjust them. I'll call her in the morning to see if I can get my levels retested. It's been 2 or 3 months with no improvement of symptoms, so maybe I need a higher dose of what she's giving me?

    Thanks again for sharing your experiences! It made me feel far less hopeless than I've been feeling these past 2 weeks.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    Kaiden94 wrote: »
    Thank you everyone! I just found out I have hypothyroidism earlier this summer. My dr prescribed me meds, but I do remember her saying we may need to adjust them. I'll call her in the morning to see if I can get my levels retested. It's been 2 or 3 months with no improvement of symptoms, so maybe I need a higher dose of what she's giving me?

    Thanks again for sharing your experiences! It made me feel far less hopeless than I've been feeling these past 2 weeks.

    Usually you need testing every 2 months until you get to a comfortable level. Definitely get an appointment, it is dangerous not to this early. You should expect an improvement in symptoms after a few weeks on the right dosage.
  • MoveitlikeManda
    MoveitlikeManda Posts: 846 Member
    Im seeing my doctor later today to disscuss the results of my 3rd blood test.
    first 2 cam back boarderline, so third was to recheck and check antibodies.
    Im guessing as they want to see me this time Im gonna be given meds for it ?

    either way I dont think I can blame a 56lb weight gain since December 2016 all on my thyroid :-(
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,985 Member
    xAmygdala wrote: »
    You probably not only have hypo, but Hashimoto's. You NEED to get that under control or you just won't lose anything.

    I have lost 75 lbs with Hashi and now I have no thyroid from needing it removed.

    Of course you can lose with Hashi! The body doesn't store all food as fat and starves itself, effectively killing itself. You can lose weight with Hashi, and even with untreated hashi. The BMR will be a tiny bit lower if you're unlucky, but Ci vs Co still holds true.

    I knew I had hashi when I lost nearly 40lbs but didn't get any treatment. Yes, I felt rubbish, but I still used a foodscale, weighted everything, created many custom recipes for myself, and lost the weight.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,985 Member
    CSARdiver wrote: »
    20 days is too early to tell. Need more details on your situation.

    First of all what is your specific diagnosis? What were the results of your latest full thyroid panel including TSH (0.2-2.0), fT3, fT4, and rT3? Note that you may feel fine and not be in normal range - it is what you become used to feeling like.

    Thyroid impacts your Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) by ~5% through clinical observation. So that equates to 80 kcals/day out of a 1600 kcal/day budget. Simply being overweight makes it impossible to maintain hormonal balance, so in all cases the best option is to lose weight via a moderate deficit in a safe and responsible manner.

    Look to the elements you have control over first and eliminate these potential root causes:

    1. Caloric intake - are you measuring (with a scale) EVERYTHING going into your mouth? Focus on the calorie dense items. Note that there is an inherent 20% margin of error in calorie labeling.
    2. Caloric output - are you overestimating physical activity?
    3. Routine - are you taking your medication regularly and at the same time daily?
    4. Hydration - staying properly hydrated is critical for anyone with a metabolic disorder. Your urine output should be clear to a light straw color.

    I've been sans thyroid for 17 years now. Put on ~70 lbs over 14 years initially, then found MFP. I started tracking intake and working out and lost ~60 lbs in the first year.

    Just quoting, because I read the same papers
  • JenObRN
    JenObRN Posts: 102 Member
    Hi, I'm new here. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis 1 year ago. Symptoms for me were fatigue, joint pain and weight gain. I've lost about 20 lbs since then and at a normal BMI but still want to improve my physique. I really didn't have to do anything in particular to lose the weight besides having to start taking Levothyroxide. I'm 44-years old, 64 inches tall and weigh 140lbs. I've just started working out pretty heavily and keeping track of my food through MFP. I want to get back down to 120 lbs. The last week though I don't know if it's the heavy exercise or how much I worked last week (I'm an RN and work 12-hr- nights but ended up helping out my co-workers and worked an extra shift), but my fatigue and joint pain is out of control. I woke up at 1 am tonight after 16 hours. I easily could have slept longer. Anyone else with Hashimoto's notice having a bad flare after heavy exercise? I've read that it can cause a flare, but I know my job will cause it too. Do I need to just stick with walking and yoga?
  • Kaiden94
    Kaiden94 Posts: 8 Member
    Happy to report that I've lost 4.4 lbs this week. I guess I did just need to give it more time! But I will still be checking in with my dr to make sure my medication is doing what it needs to be doing.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,454 Member
    Kaiden94 wrote: »
    Happy to report that I've lost 4.4 lbs this week. I guess I did just need to give it more time! But I will still be checking in with my dr to make sure my medication is doing what it needs to be doing.

    Yay! I know when I first was diagnosed, I went in for every-three-month blood draws until I was on a stable dose. I've been on the same dose now for about ten years.
  • MrsLengares2015
    MrsLengares2015 Posts: 28 Member
    I have hypothyroidism and I can't take the medicine for it. It makes me ill. I have very thinning hair and everything. I have been able to lose 37 pounds in 11 weeks so far without any problem. How are you measuring your food? Do you use scales and measuring cups? How many calories in a day are you eating? Do you exercise? I eat between 1300-1500 a day and go to the gym every day. I am going strong with the tyroid issue. I will be bald soon as I have lost about 75% of my hair but I will be thin!
  • VioletRojo
    VioletRojo Posts: 597 Member
    MrsLengares2015 wrote: »
    I have hypothyroidism and I can't take the medicine for it. It makes me ill. I have very thinning hair and everything. I have been able to lose 37 pounds in 11 weeks so far without any problem. How are you measuring your food? Do you use scales and measuring cups? How many calories in a day are you eating? Do you exercise? I eat between 1300-1500 a day and go to the gym every day. I am going strong with the tyroid issue. I will be bald soon as I have lost about 75% of my hair but I will be thin!

    Which meds have you tried, there are many. I can't take Synthroid because I'm allergic an ingredient, so I take a different formulation. I also take a T3 because my body won't convert the T4 into T3. Some people take only T3, some people take on of the many formulations of natural desiccated hormone.
  • Kim_S_G
    Kim_S_G Posts: 120 Member
    Here are a couple of links that you might find helpful.

    https://verywell.com/tsh-thyroid-stimulating-hormone-reference-range-wars-3232912

    https://verywell.com/thyroid-testing-what-is-a-normal-tsh-level-3232902
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