Any advice on how to lose weight

[Lilan]

Are there any details about diet that are useful I am on 150mcg of thyroxine & I have had an under active thyroid gland for about 20years. I am desperate to lose weight &I go to weight watchers but the weight seems to be coming of quite slowly any good tips or advice would be appreciated Lilian

[tarrago]

The only way to lose weight is to go gluten free. I have hashimoto and as soon i changed my diet i started to shed pounds. I also take a gentle walk every day for one hour or sometimes less.

[Mia1057]

I have been gluten free for years as I have coeliac disease and also have Hashimotos. You still have to watch the calories as many of the GF equivalents of bread and pasta actually contain many more calories than the non GF varieties. I have found the only thing that works for me is to have at least 2 days a week where I do not eat any more than 800 calories and the rest of the time to have a low fat, low GI normal diet.

[Ldepluzer]

I went gluten free and I did not lose any weight at all . I am feeling great but my weight is very stubborn . If you are losing a little bit that is fantastic keep going and try and having a walk everyday as that helps . Well done to you x

[Ruby1 in reply to Ldepluzer]

I second this. Well done on your loss of weight so far. I think if you're doing it sensibly it does come off slowly.

Exercise, if you can find something you enjoy, can help your mind as well as your body too.

Keep at it and well done!

x

[puncturedbicycle in reply to Ldepluzer]

I was gf for a year (not for weight reasons) and didn't lose any weight at all. It isn't a weight-loss diet, but of course if you make improvements to your diet through the process of cutting out gluten, that can help.

Started T3. Bingo. I'm back in the clothes I got too big to wear when I was on T4 alone. No weight loss proper yet, but all the bloating that has crept on over the last three years has gone, so my shape is different and closer to what I'm used to. I hope over the following year or so to lose the extra weight and get back to my usual (which is substantial but I am happy and healthy there).

[greygoose]

Well, I'm not gluten-free, and I'm losing weight. The thing is to get your thyroid hormones optimised. How long have you been on 150 mcg? When did you have your last blood tests? Do you have the results? If your T3 is low then there's no way you're going to lose weight.

An awful lot has been said on this subject on here. If you use the search box up the top of the page you can have a look at some of the things that have been said.

Hugs, Grey

[Schenks in reply to greygoose]

The Voice of Reason. Hear hear.

[Hiphypo in reply to greygoose]

Sadly the search box is not working, and doesn't seem to have for quite a while.

[greygoose in reply to Hiphypo]

Ah, that's a shame. Still, to summerise, what one needs to lose weight is a decent level of T3. Personnally, I don't know any other way to lose weight safely and permenantly.

Have you reported the non-working search box?

[LouiseRoberts in reply to Hiphypo]

Apologies for the search box problem - have reported it...

I found a way round it though...

If you look to the right of the screen, there is a box which says 'Popular Tags'.

If you click on 'see more tags' this will take you to a page of phrases, I selected 'weight loss' and got this:

thyroiduk.healthunlocked.co...

Hope it helps

Louise

x

[shaws Administrator in reply to LouiseRoberts]

Thanks Louise, good tip. I never thought of it before.

[Rimsha in reply to greygoose]

Hi three months ago I found out I had under active thyroid. I also have swollen lump wich they doing a scan n biopsy in hospital next week. I would realy appreciate to let me now what r the right level of t3. My result were like this T4 9 & TSH is 12.43 as I dnt now any thing I realy want to loose weight too

[greygoose in reply to Rimsha]

Hi Rimsha, One really has to test one's FT3 to know what one's level is. But most people find they need it up the top of the range to get rid of their symptoms - including the weight.

Is that T4 an FT4? It is important to distinguish between the FT4 and the TT4. The TT4 gives you no useful information, it's the FT4 you want. But one also wants to know the range. Ranges change between labs so one can't tell if the result is high or low without seeing the range.

However, your TSH is way too high. You are very hypo (under-active thyroid) so it's not surprising you've put on weight. You need to get that TSH under 1. Have they put you on levothyroxine? How much?

Hugs, Grey

[Issy]

Low carb seems to work - and minimal gluten

[Toptomato]

I'm on weightwatchers diet too and find weight loss is slow but sure (1stone 4lbs loss so far). I find I can only use up to 5 of my weekly propoints per week though, plus earn 25 activity points, otherwise I wouldn't lose a thing. Quite depressing when I sit at meetings and hear how others use their extra points for treats and going out to dinner, and still lose! Guess I just need to get over it and accept I just need less calories! I'm on 125mcg of levothyroxine daily. Keep going and good luck!

[greygoose in reply to Toptomato]

Toptomato, it could be that you need more calories, not less. When you are hypo, calories in vs calories out just doesn't work anymore. It's more complicated. You need enough calories to assure bodily processes such as convertion. If you don't convert, you become more hypo and therefore put on more weight. Weightwatchers don't know about this because it isn't designed for hypos. And it could very well be that you need an increase in your levo. 125 mcg isn't much of a dose.

Hugs, Grey

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

Very likely, as not only does calories in NOT equal calories out when you have thyroid issues, it NEVER does! I only wish I had discovered that decades ago

I would suggest that it's not so much *just* more calories she needs , it's more specific forms of those, as fats: good fats though (which are inevitably more calorific) as that's what the body uses to make the things it needs. (and good fats doesn't mean unsaturated Sunflower oil!)

In **simplistic** terms, you are supposed to use up Cholesterol and discard the rest, not store it up as happens when eating too many carbs or your metabolism is not working right! (how much is "too many" depends on your insulin resistance and metabolism, [thyroid is part of this] and when you are fat like me, then it's probably pretty bust, so to get round this problem, it means eating low carb!)

Low carb every time, (so that effectively means no gluten too!) but she still needs to get the thyroid issues under control of course.

If you don't produce the insulin, (by eating carbs) you don't store the fat up.

Not saying it is a joy, it certainly isn't, but it is the only way I have lost weight without being 100% starving 100% of the day (and I have done it this way in dramatic terms too in the past); or exercising to exhaustion, (and no, it's also not cardio work that does the best job in that respect either, that's another myth - it's resistance training that keeps on burning up the flab better!) which I can't now due to my disabilities.

Difference with eating low carb is, it doesn't mean starvation the way ALL low calorie diets MUST entail, regardless of what fad diet name it has, or who is charging you a fortune for a trade name!

Life changing for me.

Look at my past posts, there is a mass of info and other's experiences out there online.

[Rimsha in reply to Toptomato]

That's a great achievement u made there keep going n good luck

[Toptomato]

Thanks. Went to see GP yesterday, and according to her, bloods 'perfect'. TSH 0.04; free T4 21.2; free T3 4.8. Expressed astonishment, as still getting hypo symptoms of permanent coldness, foggy thinking, hair loss, etc, etc. Also, palpitations in evening, which she said I couldn't be experiencing as it indicates over treatment. Said I couldn't deny the symptoms, even if they don't fit neatly into her tick box. Not going back to this GP. Have asked for referral to private endo. Any advice re bloods?

[greygoose in reply to Toptomato]

Well, it would help if you had the ranges, difficult to say otherwise. TSH looks 'perfect', but that is meaningless, not worth the effort of doing.

For the frees, if they are the most usual range, the FT4 is good - but on its own that mean nothing. But the FT3 is not high enough compared to the FT4. That probably means you have a slight convertion problem and could benefit from a little T3 added to your T4. And judging by your symptoms, you do need T3. Palpitations, by the way, can also be a symptom of under-treatment, but doctors don't know that.

But all this is only a guesse, of course, because we haven't got the ranges! lol I wonder if they do that deliberately, not give you the ranges? So that you can't interpret them. Or is it just that they have no idea that the ranges are important! Great conspiracy theorist, me! I see them everywhere. lol

Hugs, Grey

[Toptomato in reply to greygoose]

Well, much as I'd like to blame the GP, I do have the ranges. My oversight! Free T4 21.2 (range 11.0 - 24.0); free T3 4.8 (range 3.9 - 6.8). Thanks for your help. Find interpretation a bit of a challenge!

[greygoose in reply to Toptomato]

OK! So, worse than I thought! lol Not exactly perfect, in any case. FT4 not bad, but FT3 too low. Should be at the top of the range. And, as I said, comparing the FT4 and the FT3, we see a slight convertion problem. Have you tried asking for the addition of T3?

[Toptomato in reply to greygoose]

Yes, asked GP about Liothyronine yesterday, but she reiterated that my bloods are 'perfect'! Also, she said she never prescribes it and the only patient she knows who is on it was prescribed it by private endo, hence my request to be referred! Thanks again.

[greygoose in reply to Toptomato]

You're welcome!

[Hypo32]

I don't know if works for everyone but the 5:2 diet is helping me to lose weight.

[Hidden]

One or two have said "I am doing XYZ and I am losing weight"... yes, and in the past I have eaten 600 calories a day and lost LOADS of weight too, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's a good thing, and long term is a guarantee of being even fatter! What eating Low calorie/low fat did for me was turned me into a carb FREAK, I ate little else as a result of eating stuff that was low calorie and low fat - I got severe insulin resistance as I was eating a hugely carb laden diet, which on the face of it was "very healthy!"

My own low carb regime now is not necessarily 100% the answer to this either, but it can easily be moderated to suit as time goes on (as I have done)

What gets things under better control and loses weight is more the thing... good Cholesterol (low and High DL) good blood glucose levels, reverses Insulin resistance, good blood pressure etc... and with those if us who clearly have lousy metabolism of one sort already, (thyroid or insulin or ghrelin resistance for example) then the possible effect of some diets (don't I just know it!) is rebound weight gain too.

So a good diet is one that you can live with, not just do for a few months, and then alter to suit as time goes on, and adjust to suit circumstances, and keep things going long term.

[greygoose in reply to Hidden]

Amen to that! One doctor once put me on a liquid diet (ugh!) for 11 days at 700 cals a day. I put on three kilos and he refused to believe I'd stuck to it. (Oh, but my teeth would stand up in court and swear I had!)

The thing about people saying they're on X,Y or Z diet and losing weight is that they never tell you their hormone levels. That would be very interesting. But it isn't just low thyroid hormones that make you put on weight, also low testosterone and low HGH, to name but two. These are things that rarely get tested because doctors know nothing about hormones and, what's more, they are terrified of them. Instead of nagging their patients to lose weight, they would be better employed educating themselves!

Hugs, Grey

[Toptomato]

Yes, I agree. I do eat healthily - I'm vegetarian, and have basically reduced my bread and potato intake. I am mindful of protecting against osteoporosis, which I'm predisposed to, so have milk and yogurt, and use olive oil in small quantities. I eschew all 'diet' products, as I believe they contain all sorts of unpleasant things. I have cut out goitrogens, and in particular soy products and have noticed a difference as a result. I feel my current diet is not radically different from my old one, though butternut squash is now my best friend! I think it is sustainable.

[greygoose in reply to Toptomato]

Toptomato, may I ask why you are vegetarian?

[Toptomato]

I don't like the idea of eating flesh, nor the idea of using animals like crops, as commodities. Know this is controversial.. I have been veggie for over 20yrs.

[greygoose in reply to Toptomato]

OK, I understand. I feel very much the same. I used to love meat but now, on the rare occassions I eat it, the enjoyment is tinged with guilt.

The reason I ask is that so many hypos are, or go veggie. I had a hyper swing when I was 50, a little before I was diagnosed, and I lost loads of weight and gradually went completely off meat as I went hypo again. I confess, I'd never thought about it before, but when I started to go off it and not eat it, and was confronted by public opinion - veggies are still relatively rare in France and still have freak value - I was forced to think about the whys and wherefors. Didn't help that at the time I moved in with another veggie who was veggie because of his precious health! Although he had no idea about nutrition - or anything else, come to that. So I gave up meat completely.

This is turning into a bit of a ramble. lol But my point is, I am wondering if, for some reason, going off meat is a hypo symptom. Was my 'friend' hypo? Who knows, anything is possible. He was just a raving psycho, like most of the men I attract. And I'm beginning to wonder if that is a hypo symptom too! (Who says you can't blame your thyroid for everything?!? Just watch me!)

Hugs, Grey

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

Good point... I found it VERY difficult to cope with much meat eating when I first went low carb, I just was not interested in eating it, I had just put it down to the fact I had become even more carb addicted and lived on cereal for years!

My way of getting round it was to eat CURED meats... which I much preferred, problem then was too much salt, especially combined with eating a fair amount of cheese! One to watch - it blew my blood pressure right out of the water!

[penny]

I eat loads of gluten but then I have no allergies.

A 'standard' diet has never worked for me but the 5:2 diet has permitted me to shed 21lbs in weight. It is a drag to do but not that difficult. There is a lot of information on the web about it.

Unlike a lot of diets it is supposed to have health benefits - it lowers cholesterol, blood sugars and cancer propensities. (So 'tis claimed.) I know that it has removed the fat from my tummy and has made a steady weight-loss.

It will be very difficult to lose weight if not correctly medicated for hypothyroidism.

[puncturedbicycle in reply to penny]

This article is about an extremely low-calorie diet, but I've read others that link short-term fasting (5:2) with all kinds of health benefits too, and they're not internet-nutter types but seemingly well-researched scientific studies. (I'm not recommending this diet or making any kinds of claims for it beyond saying it piqued my interest and I do not normally take any notice of diet chatter.) guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle...

Both my partner and I could stand to lose a couple of stones each for health reasons and I'm thinking of giving it a go now that I'm on t3 and feeling a bit better.

[puncturedbicycle in reply to puncturedbicycle]

Sorry, I meant to say I second what penny says. Until the thyroid was adequately treated with t4 and t3, I decided to look after myself (resting, keeping my mood up, etc) and leave the weight loss for later. I know this isn't possible for everyone.

[Elven]

Sorry to be replying three years later! Only just spotted this thread.

I've just turned 62 and have been an ethical vegetarian since age 14. Was vegan for four years but found it difficult to live on plant-based food, only. Even now I eat sparingly of eggs and dairy.

I was finally diagnosed hypothyroid less than three months ago, having struggled with dozens of typical symptoms for many years. I've gained a lot of weight I now seem unable to lose. Early days yet of course. I'm on 125mcg levo with a view to eventually being prescribed 200mcg (according to my GP). I lost 23 pounds the first month on levo and was delighted. Now I've lost a total of 25lb but it's very hard work. I don't eat sugar and have been low-carbing in general for fifteen years now x