I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid in November 2015.
I was on a diet at least a year before,nothing silly,just sensible eating. I noticed my weight wasnt moving, my hair was falling out,constantly tired,unconscious episodes etc
I was put on 100mcg of levo thyroxine. ive carried on with the diet and exercise, but my weight is not moving at all.
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Flojo44
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Have you got recent thyroid test results? Have you had your ferritin, vitamin b12, folate and vitamin D levels tested? If so print all the numbers with ranges in a new post.
If your thyroid hormones aren't at optimum levels for you then you won't lose weight as thyroid hormones effect metabolism. If you are also malnourished due to low vitamin and minerals levels you won't lose weight either as different cells and receptors need these to work efficiently. The levels you need to be healthy are actually different from what most medical doctors say.
The body is a system so while you may be eating sensibly if you have issues with your thyroid hormones you will often not be able to absorb sufficient vitamins and minerals that your body needs. In addition vitamin D is mainly made by the effect of sunlight (UVB) on the skin and anyone not feeling well will tend to be housebound/indoors at the best time of year and day you can make it.
Have you got a recent set of thyroid blood test results? Do you have any symptoms apart from failure to lose weight? There is a problem with people with hypothyroidism. When normal people exercise they use up the T3 thyroid hormone and their thyroid produces more T4 which is converted to T3 (mostly done in the liver) to compensate. Hypothyroid people have a limited amount of T4 because they only take one dose a day, so their body can't react to exercise in the normal way. Instead the thyroid hormone levels drop, slowing your metabolism and leaving you exhausted. Do you find that exercise makes you more tired over the following 48 hours than it ever used to?
I think the key is to make sure you are adequately medicated before you start a diet/exercise regime. You are entitled to your blood test results for your records. Get a print out from your GP and post the results here and people will comment on whether there is anything you can do to improve your thyroid status. People will also ask you about your levels of Vitamin D, B12 and Ferritin because they affect your body's ability to use thyroxine, so if you have results for these post them too.
Also bear in mind that a lot of the weight hypothyroid people put on is mucin - a kind of fluid retained in the cells, not fat. It can take months after being properly medicated before the body decides it doesn't need to retain mucin any more, and some people find it never goes until they take NDT instead of Thyroxine (not something I am advocating necessarily).
Have you had bloods done since starting levo? You are supposed to be checked every 6 to 8 weeks and given a raise if necessary until you feel well. Once you are optimally dosed the weight should start to drop. Also good to have the said vitamins checked and you could send a new post for good advice.
I know how you feel I have the same problem and I find its never ending, I have put on more weight as I find it depressing and I think it makes me comfort eat. Just started 5htp as suggested on here to help with my mood /weight loss . Only on day 4 taking 50mg a night. To see how I feel, may up it to 100.
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