Hypothyroid folks

Espressocycle
Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
edited October 3 in Health and Weight Loss
So tracking and cutting calories has been great in several ways. By eating less, I have improved my acid reflux. By tracking food all day I have reduced hypoglycemic episodes I used to have. And I've saved money on lunches. However, apart from losing a barbel's worth of weight the first week or two (which I assume was mostly water) the scale hasn't budged. I've been hypothyroid for 10 years and taking synthroid, and wondering if that might be the problem.

Replies

  • christinad95
    christinad95 Posts: 201 Member
    I was losing weight right along then I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and now I struggle for every pound lost. So I'm not sure what the secret is, but if you find out please share it with me.
  • Pocket_Pixi
    Pocket_Pixi Posts: 1,167 Member
    When was the last time you had your thyroid checked?
  • 2youngatheart
    2youngatheart Posts: 338 Member
    I have had hypothyroid for years....and it does make it harder to lose...and easier to gain. I feel like I have to work twice as hard and twice as long to lose the same weight others lose. But, on the bright side, I do lose. Just keep plugging along...it does come off.
  • lovinlife71
    lovinlife71 Posts: 230
    I'm hypothyroid too.....I exercise at least 30 minutes per day doing a different type of exercise each day. I eat all my exercise calories back, one day a week i go above my 1200 calories which helps get me out of starvation mode.
    Nicole
  • FrozenTundra511
    FrozenTundra511 Posts: 206 Member
    Make sure your doc has you on the correct meds, too
  • bugnbeansmom
    bugnbeansmom Posts: 292 Member
    I have had similar episodes. I take Levoxyl (insurance prefers it). I have only been taking meds for about 15 months now so I am still getting to a dose that works for me. What I have noticed though is as my weight changes, the strength of my prescription changes. Mine has actually gone up. I can tell when it is time to have my levels checked again because the scale STOPS. I get tired around 3:30 every afternoon and have very disrupted sleep. I can eat picture perfect and torch cals for three weeks and maybe see a pound loss. When my levels are good, I see a steady one pound a week loss or not too much of a gain if at all when I take a week off from running. It is hard and it sucks but it is what it is. Might be time to get your levels checked and meds changed with the loss and increased activity level. Best of luck to you. :wink:
  • 81Kyra
    81Kyra Posts: 115
    My entire thyroid was removed Aug 31st so i have permanent hypothyroidism I was not on medication for 3wks. Once I started the medication I felt a lot better and I have been able to loose weight I'm on levothyroxine but its only been 1 month so far.
  • jammie123
    jammie123 Posts: 3 Member
    I'm a hypothyroid sufferer too (add to this that I am also gluten free and a non-meat eater). It's just a long slog I think. I've managed to loose around a stone and half since January this year but continually hit plateaus and only manage to loose around 1 pound a month at the mo - if that! But I have dropped a size in my jeans so I will just keep on slogging away - hope to loose another half a stone before next Jan, but at this rate it might be only a quarter!
  • SongbirdLandy
    SongbirdLandy Posts: 188 Member
    I have had hypothyroidism for about 4 years that I've known of. I have managed to lose 164 lbs so far, so it can be done. Mine is very well controlled, but still I struggle with losing sometimes. My mother has had hypothyroidism for as long as I can remember and she has lost over 50 lbs, but it's been much harder for her to lose because of it. I think it's going to be different for everyone that has it. Some will really struggle and some will only somewhat struggle. Just know that even if you aren't dropping the lbs, you are making your body healthier on the inside by eating right and exercising. Eventually the pounds will come off, but it just may take some time.
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
    Gotta call the doc now to bug him about my most recent blood test. On the plus side, at least I am no longer GAINING weight thanks to MFP. If I'm gonna be stuck at a weight I would rather it be 222 than 250, although I wish I had started 20 lbs ago.
  • lablovr108
    lablovr108 Posts: 576 Member
    I have been hypothyroid for ten years as well and am currently taking 150 mcg of Synthroid daily. While I blamed some of my weight gain on this, it can't be blamed for all of it. I have consistently lost 1-1.5 pounds a week since I started at the beginning of May. I keep within my calories 90% of the time and try to exercise 30-60 minutes a day. I bought a food scale and a HRM to assist with tracking my calories in/calories out as accurately as possible. Have you had your thyroid checked recently? If not, it would probably be worth it to make sure you are on the correct medication.

    Good luck and don't give up!!
  • Pocket_Pixi
    Pocket_Pixi Posts: 1,167 Member
    Hypothyroid people can be insulin resistant according to my Dr. he suggested cutting back on carbs (NOT cutting them out). I gave it a shot this past month and today when I weighed in I saw a 0.8lb loss - which is actually quite awesome considering I have been maintaining my weight for the last 6 - 8 months if not more. Might be something to look at.
  • scapez
    scapez Posts: 2,018 Member
    Hypo here.

    I seem to have things under control with Levoxyl and an added T3 drug (can't remember the name offhand). I asked my doc if I could try the T3 but honestly I haven't noticed a difference, so I might dump that.

    I also take a daily supplement that contains iodine and iodide. I've been supplementing with iodine for almost the entire duration since my diagnosis (early 2010). Iodine is the most important nutrient for your thyroid, but care must be taken so you don't take too much. This might be something to consider/discuss with your doctor - but I would imagine most conventional docs will be against it. Hopefully you have a good, open-minded one.

    ANYWAY, I don't know how much weight I would've lost pre-hypo because I've never stuck with anything as long as I have since starting here in May of this year, but I will say that I seem to have been losing weight at around the same rate as others that are close to my height/current weight.

    Best of luck to you. I know everyone's hypo can be different, and I hope you can get yours under control. It was a long and frustrating process for me to get there, but I did - and I believe that others can too. :flowerforyou:
  • AdAstra47
    AdAstra47 Posts: 823 Member
    Hypothyroid people can be insulin resistant according to my Dr. he suggested cutting back on carbs (NOT cutting them out). I gave it a shot this past month and today when I weighed in I saw a 0.8lb loss - which is actually quite awesome considering I have been maintaining my weight for the last 6 - 8 months if not more. Might be something to look at.
    This. Exactly. Yes.
    My mother has a birth defect and her thyroid has never worked correctly. Throughout her life, it has been a struggle for her to maintain the correct medications that will control it, and consequently, it has been hard for her to stay in shape and/or lose weight. Also, she is older, in a high-stress occupation, and taking care of my disabled father. All of which makes losing weight even more problematic. Yet once she started eating low-carb, and making sure to eat something every 4 hours (she's borderline hypoglycemic too), she has lost at least 50 lb. Definitely something people should look into!
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
    So all my blood and urine tests are "normal." Doc added a tiny T3 dose to get me off the phone, so we shall see. I'll know it's working if I regain the full luxurious eyebrows of my teens.
  • kimiel51
    kimiel51 Posts: 299 Member
    My thyroid was removed also! This low carb idea is interesting!
  • msiamjan
    msiamjan Posts: 326 Member
    I have had hypothyroid for years....and it does make it harder to lose...and easier to gain. I feel like I have to work twice as hard and twice as long to lose the same weight others lose. But, on the bright side, I do lose. Just keep plugging along...it does come off.

    My experience as well.
  • cpldjski
    cpldjski Posts: 64 Member
    I have hypothyroid as well. First diagnosed March of 2010. I take the pure synthroid as I have found when I use the generic is doesn't work as well. I just had my levels tested last week and I was actually hyper now. My doctor has suggested a low-carb diet to help as well as it seems I carry a lot of water weight. She said low carb for those with thyroid problems can help. I have lost a total of 59 pounds since starting my new lifestyle (5 of that with MFP), so as others have said, it can be done. Good luck to you.
  • gg24
    gg24 Posts: 58
    Just some friendly advice. Call him back and ask what "normal" is and what your level is. Many labs say normal TSH is .3-5.5 or .3-4.5. Research has discovered that the more normal range is .3-3.0 and many endocrinologist believe ideal is around 1. My normal is around 2. Mine was at 4.5 for a while and I wasn't losing and then I started gaining. last spring it was at 9.5. So you need to find your own normal. Only these past few weeks have I got back down to 2.5. For the time I was at 4.5 I couldn't lose a pound no matter how much I exercised and reduced my calories. Conservation mode had set in. I've been using Levoxyl for 12 years now. Only this last year have I needed to up the dosage.
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
    Just some friendly advice. Call him back and ask what "normal" is and what your level is.

    That is good advice, I might see if I can get a copy of all the labs for my fiance the nurse to obsess over. :-)
  • Pocket_Pixi
    Pocket_Pixi Posts: 1,167 Member
    My thyroid was removed also! This low carb idea is interesting!

    I am not sure if it will work, but it was a suggestion being as I have been trying to lose weight since August last year and have only lost 5 pounds - I have lost major inches so I am not incredibly worried about the scale. But he did say that by dropping my carbs from what I was eating Normally between 151 - 167g to 100g - 120g a day I could see a difference. I can still eat pretty much everything I love BUT try to limit the breads and pasta to 1 meal a day.

    It may be worth a shot if you are really struggling, what can it honestly hurt?
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