anyone have thyroid issue and trying to lose weight?

ghost1224
ghost1224 Posts: 2 Member
edited November 25 in Health and Weight Loss
I have been stuck at the same weight and i need to lose weight but seems my thyroid is low. anyone else facing this issue.

Replies

  • lc355
    lc355 Posts: 91 Member
    Have you had blood results and are you being treated? Once you are on replacement it should be easier as the tablets replace the thyroxine that your body isn't making :)
  • jt880
    jt880 Posts: 163 Member
    I started a group a long time again that you've inspired me to reboot called dead thyroid society :)
  • lizzyfit2
    lizzyfit2 Posts: 30 Member
    My thyroid is literally dead, (family trait), I take meds to compensate. I've never noticed a weight gain because of this (although HAVE had nasty reactions to other drugs that have blown me up like a Thanksgiving balloon a couple times!)

    I have to eat seriously clean, no sugars, chemicals, milk products, starches or any grains, due to unrelated food allergies. My weight stays in an acceptable place because of this, despite my thyroid situation.
    I hope your doctor can balance your thyroid for you like mine has for me. I cant imagine having to deal with that while trying to get in shape.
    Dont give up!
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    lc355 wrote: »
    Have you had blood results and are you being treated? Once you are on replacement it should be easier as the tablets replace the thyroxine that your body isn't making :)

    Yes. Before you start jumping to assuming that it must be thyroid, have your labs tested, and request a full panel --TSH, T3, and T4. Because while most people do well with T4 alone, in some people, and in some health conditions, that T4 doesn't convert to T3 like it should, and you're going to have fine TSH and T4 results, with T3 results that are indicative of still being hypo. And most docs won't do anything about the T3, so it's an uphill battle.
  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
    If properly medicated, I lose weight just as easily as anyone else.

    I have lost 60+ lbs, and unfortunately gained it back, but that was 100% result of poor eating habits and not because of my thyroid. Any time I've set out to lose or maintain weight I have no problem doing so.
    I think weight loss, and especially long term maintenance, is difficult for most people.
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
    Definitely see your dr or a specialist, if he recommends that.
  • ValeriePlz
    ValeriePlz Posts: 517 Member
    I was diagnosed by my doctor with mild hypothyroidism a few years ago but still managed to lose 20 lb.

    CICO still applies, you just need more calories out than MFP may tell you (or may need to be medicated). As others have said, get diagnosed, find out how low it is, get treatment if needed.
  • gaelicstorm
    gaelicstorm Posts: 94 Member
    I've had thyroid disease for 23 years now. Mine is autoimmune. Even when my TSH was 40 I was still losing weight. My TSH is now 4.5--which is still higher than clinicians like to see--and I lose weight.

    If your TSH levels are too low, you could have hyperthyroidism. Did you mean that your TSH was too HIGH? That is what happens if your thyroid is not active enough.
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    I have Hashimoto's that tends to fluctuate a lot. I see an endocrinologist three times a year to keep on top of it and have full panels run.

    I've had no problems losing weight. I also have other autoimmune conditions, and only feel horrible when my thyroid needs to be adjusted or one of the other conditions is flaring. Otherwise, being regularly active helps to battle the fatigue that seems to be part and parcel of just about every autoimmune disease out there.

    Most people, except for a few outlier cases with exceptional circumstances (hi @collectingblues ) will not experience issues with losing weight due to their thyroid disease, even if it's not properly treated, especially if they're new to weight loss. @CSARdiver can give the exact numbers, but the impact on someone's BMR from a diseased thyroid is not enough to wipe out a caloric deficit that is properly calculated.

    If you read that last sentence carefully, you'll come to the crux of the matter. Most people who struggle to lose weight, thyroid issue or not, are making errors in calculation. There are posters who currently post on these boards and who have posted on these boards on the past who have lost weight with untreated thyroid disease because they knew how to properly track their caloric intake.

    Read the forum stickies in this section and the Getting Started section for information on how to do this, and it should turn things around for you.

    LOL. Yup. Up until May I would have said that yup, entirely, hypo is not a reason to lose weight. And then I somehow became the poster child for "when things go very wrong, they go very wrong very badly".

    But even my BMR is largely unaffected by the whole thing -- my results have entirely been on the fluid retention side. My BMR is higher than what would be predicted in someone of my stats, but again, only by 20 percent -- so not too far out there. So I can eat at whatever deficit, and I've had good drops in body fat, but instead of seeing the decreased dimensions that you'd *expect* with a body fat decrease, I'm up two inches at my waist, hips, and bust.

    Admittedly, in my case -- and part of what makes me an outlier -- this is coming after 25+ years of calorie restriction, and subclinical/atypical anorexia. My body quite literally got to a point where it said "*kitten* this", despite my never having actually been underweight.

    I am definitely not the norm, though, and I think people who automatically jump to blaming the hypothyroid when they *haven't* gone through significant lab testing, and ruling out all other factors, are just doing themselves a disservice.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,552 Member
    I'm pretty severely hypothyroid, but properly medicated, and taking my meds exactly per instructions as if it were a religious ritual. ;)

    I lost weight just like anyone else is able to do (50+/pounds at age 59-60), figuring out how many calories to eat for moderate sustainable weight loss, then sticking to that the majority of the time.

    In fact, it turned out that I could eat more than MFP and other calculators estimated, for any given rate of weight loss.

    I agree with comments above about working with your medical team to reach an effective treatment regimen, including exploring issues of T3/T4 conversion. That will certainly help you feel better, and make progress smoother.

    It's not easy for anyone, and complications don't help. But weight loss is definitely achievable, even while hypothyroid.

    Best wishes for progress! :)
  • ruqayyahsmum
    ruqayyahsmum Posts: 1,513 Member
    I have hashimotos
    My country refuses to test T3 and T4 and so long as my tsh remains at 5 or under they won't up my meds.
    I know from logging and my weight I need about 100cals less than map tells me I can have but I'm still 150lb+ down

    I suggest buying kitchen scales if you don't already have some and checking the entries your using and seeing your doctor for a full thyroid panel
  • Silinde
    Silinde Posts: 44 Member
    Here they also don't test T4 and T3 by default; T4 only if TSH is not ok, T3 depends on the type of thyroid issue you have (T3 substitution medication is anyway not allowed here).

    @MrsLengares2015: depending on what symptom you have from the medication, you might still be better off with meds than without; I was told thyroid hormones regulate (within others) muscle function, and the heart being one...
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,979 Member
    Silinde wrote: »
    Here they also don't test T4 and T3 by default; T4 only if TSH is not ok, T3 depends on the type of thyroid issue you have (T3 substitution medication is anyway not allowed here).

    @MrsLengares2015: depending on what symptom you have from the medication, you might still be better off with meds than without; I was told thyroid hormones regulate (within others) muscle function, and the heart being one...

    Agree with that. thyroid hormones are really necessary for everything. They are also needed for proper muscle function... and have you ever been so hypo that your diaphragma stopped doing it's thing? basically you stop breathing, which especially at night is rather unpleasant. People were actually dying of hypothyroidism before substitutes became available.

    Levothyroxine is just meant to replace what your body is not producing anymore in sufficient. Its important to start on a low dose though and slowly increase every few weeks.
  • coolfry
    coolfry Posts: 48 Member
    I had a total thyroidectomy last fall and as soon as my med levels were right I was able to lose weight, I've lost almost 20 pounds since last October.
    It came down to food, I was tired before so I wanted to eat more for energy which did not work.
    Blood testing is important, if they decide you do need meds you may need additional tests to find the right level.
  • Fitnessmom82
    Fitnessmom82 Posts: 376 Member
    lizzyfit2 wrote: »
    My thyroid is literally dead, (family trait), I take meds to compensate. I've never noticed a weight gain because of this (although HAVE had nasty reactions to other drugs that have blown me up like a Thanksgiving balloon a couple times!)

    I have to eat seriously clean, no sugars, chemicals, milk products, starches or any grains, due to unrelated food allergies. My weight stays in an acceptable place because of this, despite my thyroid situation.
    I hope your doctor can balance your thyroid for you like mine has for me. I cant imagine having to deal with that while trying to get in shape.
    Dont give up!

    I'm pretty similar to this. No thyroid here. I've been on meds for 15 years and did not struggle with weight because of it. I gained and lost due to poor or healthy habits.
    I try to avoid gluten. I read that it can mess with thyroid (I was sure it was a bunch of woo, but tried it anyways). I can't say that it has made an impact on weight loss, I believe that's all CICO, but since changing my diet I feel better overall and my thyroid tests have been the best that they have been in years. My doctor said that gluten free can be helpful for thyroid issues, but the research is all very new. She told me to keep at it because it's working for me.
  • Mikkimeow
    Mikkimeow Posts: 139 Member
    Hi there, I have hypothyroid and diabetes. Currently on metformin and synthroid. I do not struggle to lose weight so much as when my thyroid is having issues, I become very ill to the point of being unable to really function.

    To be brutally honest OP, I did not gain due to having hypo. I gained from poor eating habits and not exercising. Once I started logging accurately and working out the weight came off no problem. I have lost 25 pounds in the last year, 20 within the last three months.
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