Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism

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Could it be my thyroid?

Elizabeth_M
Elizabeth_M Posts: 562 Member
in Social Groups
Hi all - I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism when I was 9 months postpartum from my first child. Then, fun times, it didn't go away and stayed and stayed - here I am - 5 years later with one more child, and it's permanent.

Anyway, my thyroid levels were so low at diagnosis that my doctor wondered how I even functioned and said that I should have gained weight. Fast forward to present, and I lost my first 10-12 pounds in the first 6 weeks of joining MFP (with no exercise), and now, I have been at a plateau, playing around with 2-4 pounds and can't seem to budge for 4 MONTHS!! :grumble:

I am on 0.1 mg of thyroxine. Even though I am medicated, do you think it could be my thyroid that is inhibiting weight loss??

Thanks for any help that anyone is able to give. :smile:

Replies

  • latinahada
    latinahada Posts: 168
    How long has it been since your thyroid labs have been drawn? Are you exercising and if so, maybe try to switch it up? How many cals/day are you eating? I know when I hit a plateau, I increased cals for a short time & changed up my exercise routine and started losing again...With that being said, I do know that having hypothyroidism has made it harder to lose weight.
  • Elizabeth_M
    Elizabeth_M Posts: 562 Member
    HI there - I had them done maybe last summer, all was well.

    I am now exercising, walking, ripped in 30, 30 ds, some short jogs here and there. I lost initially (w/o exercise) eating 1300 (give or take) cals a day. I have tried upping it (eat more weigh less - around 1800), eating exercise cals, not eating them, more protein, blah blah blah. lol I don't have a gym membership, so I have to make do with what I have.

    Thanks for your thoughts!
  • tecallahan
    tecallahan Posts: 732 Member
    There's lots of things it could be - some of us with Hypothyroidism are also insulin resistant - holding on to belly fat -- you could try going low carb - eliminate sugar, starches and "white" food -something like Paleo or Primal diets (you can google these). This means don't eat anything that comes in a box or bag - whole, fresh foods only.

    You could consider eliminating gluten (wheat/barley/rye/some oats) for say a month and see what effect that has. Some of us are sensitive to gluten (not allergic!)... and there's evidence that gluten causes "wheat belly" - bloating and extra pounds around the middle.

    I eliminated dairy for a few months, but it became too hard, so I do eat cheese every once in a while :-)...

    You should also ensure your Free T3 levels are good - if you are only taking T4 and your body is not converting it properly to T3 you will still be hypo. Also ask your doctor to check Vitamin D, Ferritin/Iron, etc. And if you are very lucky, you can convince him to test your for adrenal fatigue.

    Here's a great site: www.stopthethyroidmadness.com -- there's a link on this site for recommended labs.

    I always say that we gain weight because of what we eat/drink. But when we are eating healthy and exercising, and can't lose weight - there's something going on. Ask your doctor not to treat your labs -- but to treat your symptoms!
  • lmelangley
    lmelangley Posts: 1,039 Member
    You might want to try shaking up your calories a bit. Although it could be your thyroid, I've found that when I've hit lasting plateaus it's been because I'm eating too few calories. MFP tells me to eat 1200 to lose a pound a week, but I need to eat 1325 or I lose nothing.
  • Elizabeth_M
    Elizabeth_M Posts: 562 Member
    Thank you so much, guys!! I went to the stop the thyroid madness site and holy, I was amazed by what I read! I did a new post about it, too - I am floored!

    I am going to look into limiting gluten and seeing how that does - yikes! It will be hard for me!

    Thanks again!

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