calories in-out

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weathergirl320
weathergirl320 Posts: 331
in Food and Nutrition
ok so after reading a lot of posts on here i have a bunch of questions about calorie intake and hormonal responses. so basically, the general consensus is that if you eat less calories or burn more you will lose weight. but how does that factor in for people with hormonal deficiencies? for example, i have hashimotos thyroidits. i physically could not lose weight. and i monitered every morsel i put in my mouth and have an active lifestyle. i mean literally everything. and i gained and gained and gained. so my hormones were off. so what role do hormones really play as far as the ammoung of calories you eat? is it because my body stores fat more? or has trouble metabolizing the foods? what is it? because i think if i didnt have the hormonal issues, that a basic calorie counting diet could or would work for me as it works for a lot of people without hormonal issues. but its common for people with autoimmune issues to have trouble losing weight this way. thats one of the main complaints of people with these types of issues that its very difficult to lose weight. so can someone explain why a body with a hormonal problem doesnt treat a calorie the same as a body without these issues?

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  • janalayn
    janalayn Posts: 510 Member
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    I have low thyroid after having had 1/2 of my thyroid will removed with a golf-ball sized tumor. I gained 12 pounds between the surgery and getting my thyroid levels normalized. Once my TSH got to 2.84 I was able lose weight and have been losing consistently. You need to see your doctor and check where your TSH level is (it should be between .3 and 3.0 for people being treated for thyroid disease). Low thyroid affects your metabolism, meaning that you burn fewer calories than a person with normal thyroid function.

    I try to keep my net calories minimum at 1200. I work out at Curves 5 days a week and hula hoop for 30 minutes daily as well. I don't do low carb, low fat or low sugar. I just eat smaller portions. I do watch my sodium but sometimes you just need some salami LOL. I try to avoid processed food but I don't beat myself up for eating them. This is a lifestyle change for me so I'm not giving up anything, just modifying to be healthier.

    Feel free to add me if you need support.
  • joec63
    joec63 Posts: 56 Member
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    Do you see a physician about treatment for an under active or non functioning thyroid ?
  • weathergirl320
    weathergirl320 Posts: 331
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    yeah that makes sense. but what happens to a calorie when it is ingested? a "normal" person vs a "Thyroid" person lol? like i understand it slows down the metabolism but what really happens to the individual calories? and good luck on your diet! i know it is so hard to lose with a slow thyroid. i found in my journey even when my levels were fine i was gaining weight. which was really frustrating. but different drs have differnt opinions on what level is "fine" i think. but i went in february and that was after losing about 25 lbs and my levels didnt need to be adjusted but i have since lost another 10 lbs and have 10 more to go so i am interested to see if when i go back in august my levels will need to be lowered or what?
  • weathergirl320
    weathergirl320 Posts: 331
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    Do you see a physician about treatment for an under active or non functioning thyroid ?

    yes. have been for 7+ years. i love my endocrinologist now!
  • Chris_acc_can
    Chris_acc_can Posts: 83
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    The thyroid plays a pretty big part in your metabolism. A site like MFP calculates calorie intke based on an assumed average. If you have a fast or slow metabloism your weight loss may be accelerated or stunted (to the point where you still gain). Essentially the calories you are taking in is correct but the calories your body is burning is not. What you need to do is find your true meatbolic rate and measure you calories accordingly.

    This link was on another thread:
    http://thyroid.about.com/cs/dietweightloss/a/eatingenough.htm

    This will give you the proper starting point as knowing the calories you will burn in a day will play a huge role in your weight loss. The site says to remove 200 calories from your daily limit to account for your thyroid issues.

    Personally I would go to a professional to measure your BMR, it will do wonders for reaching your goals.

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