Thyroid

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jadu1536
jadu1536 Posts: 112 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Has anyone ever faced the problem where they could not lose weight due to thyroid? I'm not gaining any weight or losing any weight - just stuck at the same weight. I was wondering if anyone has ever faced this problem and if getting any kind of test done helped.

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  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    have you had a full blood panel done to diagnose a thyroid issue?

    for many people, as long as we are correctly medicated (levels optimized) - we lose weight as a normal person does

    calling @CSARdiver
  • vampirequeen1959
    vampirequeen1959 Posts: 196 Member
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    You need to get your blood checked in case you need your meds increasing. My husband has thryoid problems and, although at a slightly slower rate, is successfully losing weight.
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
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    When I was younger I always suspected my thyroid was low. My mom's was. I used to think to myself that the doc would find it one day and once I was medicated the weight would fall off and I'd be normal. Well I was finally diagnosed and medicated and I didn't lose an ounce. In fact my doc said my thyroid was so low he hadn't seen one that bad in years. Low thyroid can slow your weight loss slightly but it doesn't cause us to become obese. What it did do for me was give me a bit more energy, my bowels started working better and my screaming headaches went away. Definitely get tested if you suspect a problem but don't get your hopes up that you will suddenly lose weight easily if it's low.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
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    jadu1536 wrote: »
    Has anyone ever faced the problem where they could not lose weight due to thyroid? I'm not gaining any weight or losing any weight - just stuck at the same weight. I was wondering if anyone has ever faced this problem and if getting any kind of test done helped.

    My understanding is that the large majority of the difference in weight management comes from the lack of activity (due to excessive fatigue) rather than the decrease in resting metabolic rate. So if difficulty losing weight is your main/only reasoning/symptom for checking on it, it's probably less likely to be an/the issue or make a difference.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,971 Member
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    I've been hypothyroid and on levothyroxine for over 20 years.

    I lost weight at a predictable and steady rate once I got my calories and nutrition and exercise figured out. If your thyroid medication is stable it won't affect your weight loss at all.

    Even if you were untreated the difference in calorie needs would be less than 5%. For a woman that's less than a hundred calories per day.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,203 Member
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    cmriverside wrote: »
    I've been hypothyroid and on levothyroxine for over 20 years.

    I lost weight at a predictable and steady rate once I got my calories and nutrition and exercise figured out. If your thyroid medication is stable it won't affect your weight loss at all.

    Even if you were untreated the difference in calorie needs would be less than 5%. For a woman that's less than a hundred calories per day.

    All of that, and speaking from a similar case history. (I'm severely hypothyroid . . . not only lost weight successfully, but now maintain at substantially higher calories than MFP estimates, because effectively-treated hypothyroidism makes us indistinguishable from anyone else, when it comes to weight loss.)

    What people think about hypothyroidism has more impact on their weight loss than the actual hypothyroidism, in a fair fraction of cases.

    Yes, untreated hypothyroidism causes fatigue, which reduces daily life energy, and means we move less in daily life. Yes, untreated hypothyroidism can involve water retention, which masks fat loss (or looks just like fat gain) on the bathroom scale. Yes, untreated hypothyroidism could have up to a 5% of BMR calorie penalty. Yes, getting properly treated requires blood tests and dosage adjustments over a period of months, possibly quite a few months.

    But thinking they have hypothyroidism, so giving up; or believing that hypothyroidism totally prevents weight loss, so deciding there's no point in diagnosing what habits or practices may be interfering with achievable weight loss . . . those things definitely limit people's weight loss success, and by more than 5% of base calories.

    If you think you're hypothyroid, get a full thyroid panel (blood tests), and get diagnosed, then treated. If you've previously been diagnosed as hypothyroid, and think there's a problem, get diagnosed (dosage needs change, or you may have a T3/T4 conversion problem, or even some other treatable condition). Meantime, figure out how to lose weight, because it's possible with hypothyroidism. Dialing in the right calories and habits will do it.

    This is a good thread, by a hypothyroid person who is a researcher in that field, and an expert:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10767046/hypothyroidism-and-weight-management/
  • youngmomtaz
    youngmomtaz Posts: 1,075 Member
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    Calories matter. I fought my weight for years. I was also drop dead tired so even a walk was hard. I would trip and land on my face because my toes were dragging I was so tired after work. I was officially diagnosed 3-5 years ago. I can’t even remember when it finally happend since all the years of symptoms just make it blurr. As of this year, finally my levels are holding steady. Along with that my blood ferritin(iron storage) is finally where it should be instead of undetectable. I have so much energy! I feel human again! People have noticed me out, and my kids notice I am awake enough for board games after supper. I thought I felt better a year ago but this is a massive difference from then even.

    The point in all that: I was not losing weight until I started counting calories again. Maintaining was easy, I was heavier than I wanted, but I am once again losing because I am tracking. Get blood work done, follow your docs orders, track your calories.

    Good luck!

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