Hashimotos/Hypothyroidism

cornymama · September 2011

Hello all! I am new to this site and I am on day two of my diet. I have Hashimotos and continue to gain weight. I need to know that it is possible to lose with Hashimotos. Would you please let me know if you have lost and you have Hashimotos and or Hypothyroidism? I am at the beginning of my journey and I feel so discouraged that I will be able to lose. What has worked for you?

bjbixler · September 2011

I have hypothyroidism/Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. I think *some* of my weight gain over the past few years was from it going undiagnosed (however, I can't excuse my poor diet and lack of exercise!) It wasn't diagnosed until March of this year though, because I am a bad patient (I even work in healthcare!) and hadn't had a physical in 2.5 years. I had been dieting/exercising for almost 4 months prior to the diagnosis (started c25k in Nov 2010) and the scale barely budged, plus the exercise sucked every ounce of energy out of me, that's why I finally went to my physician.

After about 6-8 weeks on medication(brand name synthroid) I noticed my energy levels had significantly improved, and I was able to increase the intenstity and duration of my workouts. So in the last 6 months, I've lost almost 50 lbs through diet, and exercise, and better thyroid function. It's definitely possible.

Also... running my first half marathon in 9 weeks... something I could've never done with my previous energy level!

vlc1979 · September 2011

I have Hashimotos that was dx before my thyroid went completely to crap. My endocrinologist has me on total thyroid replacement w/ natural thyroid (Armour) and I feel great! I have lost <40# and run and work out 3-5 times a week.

rjdumlao · December 2011

I am also on Armour and it is much better for me than other types of meds. I have also had good results with weight loss and diet by following ideas in The Thyroid Diet book. Lost 10 pounds in a couple months... Feeling better and better as I continue.

Good luck everybody!

rjdumlao · December 2011

Oh I forgot... I have Hashimotos, too.

kiowagirl81 · December 2011

I have hypothyroidism and went undiagnosed for a quite a while- I was 232 at my heaviest. I started meds (synthroid) about a year ago but it took a while for my enegy to come back. My profile pic is from May 2011 I was 202 and now I weigh 168. My doctor is very happy with my progress and I am feeling better every week! Feel free to add me as a friend...

mahidac · December 2011

very cool to read these success stories - most people probably don't know what hashimoto's is or understand how negatively it can impact weightloss - so very motivating to hear you all powering through

charlene77 · December 2011

Bump!!

donnam40 · December 2011

Hi,

I have Hashimotos and was diagnosed 14 years ago. My pregnancy induced my immune system to kill my thyroid.

I have ran for 25 years and am now a PT. I find I put on weight easily despite all of the training I do. This means I have to be more careful and MFP helps with that.

For energy, vitamin B supplements have helped me heaps (along with my thyroid meds of course) as well as taking the thyroid medication properly.

Good luck with your journey.

Donna

GeneaCindy · December 2011

I have hypothyroidism, as does my sister, mom, brother and my son. My 15 year old son actually has Hashimoto's. That being said, everyone but my son has weight problems. I have lost 23 lbs using MFP (logging calories and exercising). You can do it!

daydream58 · December 2011

Me too - been on meds for a couple of years after just plain refusing to take any for about 15 years that I should have been. Had to start at really small dose (.05 or something) due to interaction with my heart condition, but up to .75 or something like that now and seem to be doing fine so far so good!

Just take your meds as directed and have your levels re-checked as needed, stay on top of your needs and reassessing those numbers and you should be able to do fine.

xoxo Deedee

tnvolsfan74 · December 2011

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism about 10 years ago. However, I never consistantly stayed on my medication and would go off and on it - which did not help the thyroid. I am back on my medication and I am still going through the adjustment phase. However, I have lost 58 pounds....so don't lose hope! Stay on your meds and follow up with your doctor to keep the dosage where it needs to be. Best of luck!!

scapez · December 2011

Hypo girl chiming in! I was diagnosed a few years ago but didn't gain a whole bunch from it (probably around 10 lbs.) and I've been on my meds for a good year and a half now.

Don't make the mistake that I did, thinking there's no reason to even bother because you'll 'never' lose weight. When I realized I had it, I did a ton of research online...and I found so many sites/forums where women complained that no matter what they did they couldn't lose. I was in the mindset that I was doomed too...so I wasn't going to even try.

Finally I did try, and so far I've lost 20 lbs., and as of this Saturday will have three 5k's under my belt.

Others have done it...and SO CAN YOU!! :flowerforyou:

scadoodles · December 2011

*Sigh* I too have hypothyriod! I think it happened somewhere between end of high school and college. In college I would work out 4-5 days a week, doing aerobics classes and circuit training. In preparation one year for spring break best friend lost 15 lbs in 2 months, I lost 3. I always felt so disappointed in myself, and I always had a feeling "something" had to be wrong with me.. But I didn't have insurance in college so I didn't find out about how severely damaged my thyroid was until I graduated into the real world and got a JOB. Its sad how many things go undiagnosed due to lack of health care resources. Anyways, So now I take Synthroid daily. If I try and track etc...I can loose the weight, I lost nearly 30lbs last spring...but on the down side I can gain it back VERY easily if Im not trying. Just have to be good and take my meds!

runracer11 · December 2011

I have Hashimoto's too. I've been on Synthroid for 13 years. My weight has fluctuated depending on whether I am on the right dose ( it isn't stable, I have to get bloodwork every 3 months or so and often need an adjustment). I gain quickly if it is out of whack, but I also lose easily ( have high energy and focus) when the dose is right. We are talking about 20-30 lbs fluctuation. It is frustrating. I have found that eating clean is the best thing I can do to keep the weight off. Exercise is very important. You can do this!

suzysassafrass · December 2011

I also have both, was diagnosed about 2 1/2 years ago and am on 125 mcg of levothyroxin. We finally got my medication at the right dosage this summer and I've found that when I'm good and watch what I eat/workout, I don't have problems losing weight. I think a lot of it has to do with if your medication is at the right dosage because it'll affect your metabolism AND your energy levels. My doctor also told me that when I lose 10 pounds or more I'll need to do more bloodwork because the dosage might need to be adjusted. She likes to keep me fairly low in the TSH "normal" range also. Hope that helps!

vivianahm · December 2011

Hi, I'm 34 years old and I was diagnosed with Hashimoto when I was 10. I've received replacement therapy and been hypothyroid ever since. The worst was when I was 27 and was diagnosed with thyroid cancer (it is more frequent in people with Hashimoto), so I underwent surgery and radiation therapy and I was severly hypothyroid. My conclusion: it helped me gain weight, specially during my second pregnancy, when although my doctor increased my levotiroxin dose regularly, I remained hypothiroid through all the pregnancy and gained about 40 lbs! But I didn't help my case much: for many years I felt losing weight was so hard for me that there was no point in trying hard, and I used the cancer as an excuse to let myself go. A month and a half ago I started on MFP and did a big lifestyle change and oh, surprise, it turns out I can lose weight after all, I just needed to try harder. I'm now on a 1200 cal/d diet and working out every day, and have lost 9 lbs.
Good luck!

jennykcmo · December 2011

Hello, I also have hasjimotos and hypo. I just found out this year and have been taking Synthroid daily for 6 months now. During the same period of time, I have lost nearly 40 lbs. You are on medication, right? I think that by replacing your thyroid hormone through medicine, you will overcome all of the challenges that hypothyroidism is causing you. At least that is how it worked for me?! Having the right amount of thyroid hormone (which your doctor should ensure for you) is supposed to make it much easier to lose weight versus having the deficiency that we all had before. By starting MFP and Synthroid at the same time, I will never know that if Synthroid alone makes it easier to lose weight or what... but I know for sure that MFP + Synthroid = weight loss success for me! (Oh and tons of hard work and sticking to the plan too!)

klmnumbers · December 2011

I had Grave's Disease (hyperthyroidism) and just kept gaining weight in college. (I was one of those lucky hyperthyroid people who doesn't lose tons of weight.) However, my thyroid is now hypo since I had to have radioactive iodine treatment to kill my gland, and I take a generic synthetic thyroid (levothyroxine).

The medication makes a huge difference in energy, and theoretically, you should be fine when your medication is the right level.

Hashimotos/Hypothyroidism

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