OK - first, you will bust your butt to lose only a little - or nothing at all -- when you have hypothyroidism. For me, Synthroid was not working -- I think there are some on this forum that can lose weight while on Syntrhroid, but it's really hard.

Anyway,based on your profile and how much weight you want to lose and how many pounds a week you want to lose, MFP figures out how many calories a day you should eat. There are 3,500 calories in a pound. To lose a pound a week, you have to have a calorie reduction of 500 calories a day from what your body needs to maintain your weight. The amount needed to maintain your weight depends on you - your height, age, weight determines what they call your BMR - Basal Metabolic Rate. Say, y our BMR is 2,000 calories a day. If you only eat 1,500 calories, you are reducing your calories by 500 per day, therefore you should lose 1 pound a week.

MFP figures this out for you and suggests how many calories to eat a day to get the weight loss.

Now, if you exercise, you burn even more calories a day -- so say you are eating 500 less calories a day + working out for 500 calories a day... in this situation, they tell you to "eat your exercise calories" -- so, MFP will add your exercise calories to your daily allowance and you will be encouraged to eat more.

There are some that say you must eat your exercise calories and some that say it's ok not to - as long as you don't drop below 1,200 calories per day. I eat them when I can, but I don't suffer over it. Theory that if you don't eat your exercise calories, your metabolism will slow itself down so that it can do what you are asking it to do on less calories -- then you end up on a weight loss plateau.

If you have hypo, I think most of this is crapola -- I eat very few calories and never cheat on my diet - yet I woke up this morning 2 pounds heavier than I was yesterday. I've gained 3 pounds in the past week or so even though I was eating right and working out. So, who knows? But,w e keep trying - to stop trying means we will lose all control over our weight and health.

Hope this helps.
Terri

I am taking synthroid and loosing weight when I follow the MFP suggestions on calorie intake. Only 3 lb. loss so far, but it is working. I think many people run into problems when they do not eat all of the calories recommended and try to reduce the caloric intake too much. This needs to be a life change habit in eating, not a yo,yo, thing. You can keep up the low calorie intake for a while and then give up and start over eating again. I suggest you eat all of the calories allotted to you. One or two pounds a week is normal weight loss. Over eating and under eating are just flip sides of the coin.

Terri I applaud you for not giving up and trying to figure it all out. I can so relate!

I would keep handwritten diaries of food/water/exercise and go to the doctor complaining that no matter how hard I tried that the weight was not coming off. Wouldn't even look at the diary! I had to ask the endocrinlogist to do the adrenal testing and she finally did it and said it was fine but I really didn't think so. No longer go to that doctor but no one I have gone to has given me any helpful guidance.

I have given up in frustration so many times and now I am post-menopause and it is so much harder!

What I have done in the past just doesn't work anymore so it's all trial/error but I am determined to do it if I have to fight for every ounce of weight loss!!!

Donna