Hypothyroidism

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ljminto8041
ljminto8041 Posts: 8 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Does anyone else on here have underactive thyroid? If so, what are your strategies for losing weight having that issue?

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  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,389 Member
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    The same strategies as for everyone else: eat what makes you happy, but less and weight every bit of food acourately. With the added caveat: Make sure your medication is spot on and you feel good as not feeling good might make you want to stop.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,944 Member
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    There are quite a few hypo threads if you type Hypothyroid into the search box at the top...


    I've been hypo for 30 years. I lost weight right on schedule using the food diary and logging food. A bit of exercise made it easier for me, and eating enough protein and vegetables.

    80 pounds, 12-13 years ago. Still there at 21 BMI.


    It shouldn't make any difference for losing weight if your meds are dialed in.
  • Speakeasy76
    Speakeasy76 Posts: 961 Member
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    Honestly, take my medication and do what everyone else does.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,070 Member
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    There's a very good thread here, written by a scientist working in the field, who is hypothyroid himself, and who lost weight via calorie counting:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10767046/hypothyroidism-and-weight-management

    There's a lot of nonsense on the web and in popular culture, so that post is a helpful dose of science and rationality.

    I'm severely hypothyroid, properly medicated, and lost weight pretty much as anyone else does; and I've maintained a healthy weight for 5+ years since, after multiple previous *decades* of obesity.

    How to lose weight is pretty simple (eat fewer calories than you burn, right?), but it's not *easy* every minute for everyone, and losing any meaningful amount of weight is inherently a long-term process (if one wants to stay healthy while doing it).

    When people get discouraged along the way, or encounter obstacles, it's psychologically common to seek something to blame. If there are reasons outside our control, it's easier to give up. For those of us who are hypothyroid, the hypothyroidism is a convenient thing to blame. (Others are things like age, "hyperpalatable food pushed by evil corporations", "slow metabolism", "hate exercise", "can't cook", . . . .). But we absolutely control what we put in our mouths, chew, swallow; how much we move our bodies during our daily lives; and how much we exercise.

    Ignore your hypothyroidism (other than getting properly medicated). Ignore other obstacles (other than how to get over, around, or past them). Obstacles are just a puzzle to be solved. Focus on the things you can control, or at least influence: Set a calorie goal, stick to it for 4-6 weeks, compare your loss rate to the targeted sensibly moderate rate, adjust your calorie goal if necessary. Just keep going. If you have a bad day (we all do), learn from it, adjust your approach to avoid repeats if possible, then just keep going.

    That will work, hypothyroid or not. Best wishes!
  • whoami67
    whoami67 Posts: 297 Member
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    Get properly educated, tested and medicated...which very likely isn't just a TSH test and Synthroid. Get your Free T3 and Reverse T3 at the proper healthy level, one which leaves you feeling good. Find the right medication for your thyroid, be it T4, T3, NTH or some combination. Find a good doctor, which can be nearly impossible...endocrinologists are criminally bad at diagnosing and treating thyroid disorders.

    And still, depending on your body, it may be very slow and difficult to lose weight. It'll happen, but it may take a very long time and be quite a struggle. You may be one of the lucky ones like some of the above commenters and lose normally, but you may not. Just keep at it.
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
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    Yes, I am underactive.

    Portion control and keep moving !!!
  • BittersweetVita
    BittersweetVita Posts: 745 Member
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    Take your meds EVERYDAY at the same time. When I was younger, I didn't understand the detrimental effect I was placing on my body by not being consistent with my medication.
  • ljminto8041
    ljminto8041 Posts: 8 Member
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    Thank you all for your info and insight!
  • fittocycle
    fittocycle Posts: 825 Member
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    For me, I do better if I limit processed foods. And be sure and try not to take calcium within a couple hours of taking your medication.
  • Priasmama416
    Priasmama416 Posts: 103 Member
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    I had to end up.going to.a nutritionist, also I bought a book on Amazon that broke down the type of hypothyroidism( hashimoto's) that I have. The book told about how certain foods and types can effect your thyroid and I adjusted accordingly. There ate books for every type of thyroid issue.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,070 Member
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    Priasmama416 wrote: »
    I had to end up.going to.a nutritionist, also I bought a book on Amazon that broke down the type of hypothyroidism( hashimoto's) that I have. The book told about how certain foods and types can effect your thyroid and I adjusted accordingly. There ate books for every type of thyroid issue.

    In what ways did you find that changing your eating based on those recommendations affect your thyroid condition, ability to manage body weight, or influence other aspects of your well being, from your perspective? That would be really useful and interesting for others to consider!
  • Priasmama416
    Priasmama416 Posts: 103 Member
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    AnnPT77, I found that it was easier to lose some weight, also I had more energy and, I wasn't as moody,and my menstrual cycles were more on track.

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