Hypothyroid

117-ish pounds lost. I weigh less and am in better shape than before my thyroid went out. I lost the weight eating my normal diet, just less of it. Being hypo isn't really the metabolism curse it's made out to be. In reality, maybe a 5% reduction over "normal."

Are your TSH levels stable? Because if they're not, losing is difficult until you're in the right range of the normal range for you. And there's a normal range for a reason, as opposed to a normal number. If you're in the normal range and still experiencing symptoms, speak up for yourself. If you don't, then no one will. To be sure your weight loss issues are related to your thyroid, I really recommend taking a look at your logging. Are you using a food scale for all solids (including slices of bread, eggs, cheese, pre-packaged foods, etc.) and cups/spoons for all liquids? Are you suing correct entries in the database. Some were not right when entered and sometimes the nutritional information changes for a product, but the database still has the old entry. Many people have logging issues and the majority of lack of weight loss has nothing to do with "bad metabolisms." My own, included. I SWORE up and down I was only eating 1000 calories a day and not losing weight. I was vastly underestimating my intake.

Did your doctor do just TSH, or did they also do Free T3 and Free T4? TSH is only part of the picture. Typically folks are put on a T4 (synthroid/levoxyl) and not much thought is given to prescribing a T3. The T4 takes 6-8 weeks to fully integrate which is why you're get retested and probably have your meds adjusted multiple times in the first 6-12 months. T4 is converted to T3, but sometimes the body sucks at it. I supplement both. Studies show mixed results regarding T3 supplementation impact on TSH levels, however, what they do show is patients feeling they had improved quality of life (a.k.a. fewer symptoms).

If you're on generic meds, are you getting the same one each time you fill your prescription? And I don't mean dosage, I mean the same generic. My old endo told me there are literally hundreds on brands out there making thyroid meds out there and most pharmacies stock whatever is cheapest, so you could be getting a different brand of generic each time you fill your prescription. When the active medical ingredient is very stable from generic to generic, they all use different combinations of binders, fillers, coatings and colorings. My endo felt a few patients (I was one of them) were affected by the different brands. She argued with my insurance and they paid for my name brand medications. My levels did stabilize much more after that. Now I have Kaiser and they make their own so I'm good.

There are lots of caveats with thyroid meds ... wait at least an hour before eating, avoid taking calcium at the same time, avoid acid reducers for at least six hours ... And not every doc gives consistent advice.

I am also very active, at least 10,000 steps a day outside of exercise. That is a choice I make to help myself gain a few extra calories and to support my overall fitness goals.

Bottom line, it's totally possible to by hypo and lose. You do have an extra factor to work around, but it's just a little detour, not a complete roadblock.

25 year old female, diagnosed with Hashimoto’s when I was 11. I’ve lost about 27lbs with just counting calories—I don’t cut out any foods. It’s certainly possible, but your thyroid levels need to be in check. Have them check T3 & T4 levels, not just TSH.