I'm hyperthyroid and struggling badly with weight gain..bloods ok on Carbimazole. Any suggestions for trying to loose weight...pllleeeaaasse

[warringtonzoo]

[ST1974]

I have been struggling with my weight since my thyroidectomy was taken out 4 years ago. I am on 175mcg of combined and I take a high does vitamin and starflower supplement. The problem I had was motivation for going to the gym or any kind of exercise. I have found that little and often exercise works along with a no carb or very low carb diet. Also eating everything 2 hours......sounds a lot but little and often rather than big meals helps weight go down and stay down. Stay off pasta, rice, bread etc I also have started watching my sugar intake (hidden sugar) and have noticed I am less sluggish and my motivation is returning. Hope this helps but I feel your pain. X

[jaxbubbles]

I have been in remission for six months now. I managed to lose a stone in a year. I had put on four stone since being diagnosed. Graves. But couldn't loose anymore weight no matter what I did. So I joined weight watchers last month stuck to the diet and points and didn't loose an ounce!! So went to the doctor again complaining that nobody seemed to care how much weight I had put on! She prescribed me orlistat which is a fat busting medication. It allows me to eat 30grmns fat a day. Which I have done and have lost 8 lbs in three weeks!

[warringtonzoo]

Bread and sugar....waaah they should be band!!!! My body seems obsessed!!! Eating a little n often sounds like a good idea but if I cut carbs I get sugar obsessed I was doing really well on 5:2 but had a blip with levels just after Xmas.... Thanks people so many don't understand when y say yr hyper, they expect u to be skinny - maybe in my next life

[linnet2014]

You're wearing my t shirt !! I put on 6 stone over 4 years, nothing would shift it after my first round of carb. Now doing paleo, love it and have 2 stone off since 28th January. Also take l' carnitine 4000mg daily, wipes out my hyper symptoms. Not on any regular prescription meds now.

[Hidden]

Weight gain is a well known side effect of Carbimazole. There is an alternative medication. The medicos don't tell you about either of these things because the alternative is more expensive (apparently). It is called propylthiouracil, often abbreviated to (I think) PPL. Here's a link to quite an informative site about hyperthyroidism, what you might expect down the line and potential problems (as well as weight gain!) to watch out for. patient.co.uk/health/hypert...

I gained 4 stones. I still have them. :>/

[Carbimazo in reply to Hidden]

Propylthiouracil is toxic to liver it's reserved for pregnant ladies or others who can't take the safer med carbimazole

[millymumpkin]

Propylthiouracil can cause severe liver damage - see nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/dru...

[tilly83]

adjust carb according to blood results is what I've chosen to do... am now on 5mg every other day and likely to reduce that as bloods come back slightly low this time. I have put on 7kgs in last year but was about 5kg underweight. Have weakness for chocolate raisins, try telling husband they are one a day of fruit..... have been running, now do so four days a week, weight stabilised and signed up for first 10k race for Help For Heroes as medic son heading back to Afghan in May.... is very good reason to get off spreading backside...x

[jezebel69]

This is my nemesis! The only way I managed to lose any of the 4 stone I put on trying to get diagnosed was by excluding carbs. However you end up filling the gap with far less healthy fat and protein so not suitable for long term. I have checked my basal body temperature and its always at least 1 degree less than normal so chances of burning fat are unlikely. I have yet to find a GP who takes my weight misery seriously :/

[warringtonzoo]

Sigh .... If I find a solution to this I can earn a fortune!! thanks everyone for yr thoughts n suggestions... I shall just keep plodding on

[Suezq]

Well, I, too suffer with weight gain with thyroid issues. You get "take a pill and everything is okay" and "the only reason you are fat is you are eating too much". Okay, I do love food but generally watch what I eat. I recently picked up Suzanne Summers recent book on perimenopause and a light flashed! She deals with thyroid as well, in there, and I am entering menopause and the two are fighting. I went to a naturopath after exhausting what I can do with my doc and after a 2 hour appointment, I feel like I am finally getting somewhere. If you can, take a look for the book from the library and give it a read. You will feel empowered.

[Megzo77]

Welcome in the club. I have been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism (possibly Grave Disease). I have been on Carbimazole and propanolol since Easter. I am so sick of my weight gain. I started my treatment last April and I put on 22lbs. Now, I am getting rid of processed food ( no bread, no biscuit, etc...).

Here is my new diet:

Breakfast: smoothie ( fruits + yoghurt + milk + cinnamon/ or other spice)

Snack: fresh fruits / nuts

Lunch: soup ( veg + chicken) + yoghurt + fruit

Dinner: salad + grilled fish + pudding or yoghurt

No processed food and low carb. We'll see how it goes. Obviously, I would need to do some exercises ( swimming, running). But, one thing at a time. After a few weeks of dieting I should be ready for the gym.

[warringtonzoo]

I've been looking at this since I started this threat, and have now taken myself off Carbimazole was sick n tired of how I was feeling!! I hadn't realised how toxic it was - you can't give blood for 2 years AFTER you stop taking it..anyway I digress. I have started myself on the 5:2 diet, I was always careful about what I ate but now I'm even more conscious and careful..I too try to avoid bread but occasionally succumb to the odd artisan loaf (at least its not got total crap in it! ) I have also started to look at why I got this....I'm not convinced I have Graves - I think its just an easy label that people apply to it when they don't know what else to do...I've discovered that you have something called the HPA axis - basically its your body's chemical way of dealing with day to day stresses (the fight or flight syndrome). Chronic levels of stress cause a rise in cortisol and long term this can lead to hyperthyroidism...the job I do means high levels of stress on a regular basis - you see where I'm going with this??? anyway I'm back to the consultant next week...I'll let everyone no what happens after I've interrogated him about his diagnosis....p.s. the 5:2 seems to be working slowly and I've started back to doing more exercise...

[Megzo77]

Me too, I think it is stress related. My ex and I split up after being together for 11 years. On top of it, I've got a new boss at work, and it's pretty much like working with Atilas. My stress level went up dramatically, and I do believe that it is the cause of my hyperthyroidism.

[powerpuffgirl79]

I know this is an old-ish post but I have been on Carbimazole for just over a month and have put on half a stone...I was doing really well at losing the weight I put on last year with being ill with Endometriosis and having a laparoscopy...now I feel completely fed up. Is it worth mentioning this to a consultant or will I get laughed at? It is making me feel miserable, as if I wasn't feeling that already!

I am currently following the Endometriosis diet (basically exclude wheat, dairy, soya, sugar, eggs, red meat, processed foods...) and I have also been trying some I Quit Sugar recipes and IF (16/8 works best for me, though did do 5:2 a long time ago)...I don't think I can do any more without starving myself completely. I hope you guys find an answer (and share it!!).