I'm not new

[nemojan]

Hello guys finally I got a blood work from my primary care physician, but she didn't refer me to a thyroid specialist plus dr didn't prescribe me T3 . She told me it depends on your blood work.  So my concern is my weight and I'm obesse.  My thyroid is under active which I think made me gained lots of weight and I'm taking Levothyroxine 100mg. In two days I'm going to take the blood test. I don't know how to lose weight. I tried every kind of diet and losing weight pills. So sad .

[garretttowers]

Hello ! Have you looked at the Dash diet? Seems to work for lots of ppl . I'm about to start on Monday x

[Leanne2305 in reply to garretttowers]

Sorry for jumping in here,what's the dash diet I've never heard of it x

[nemojan in reply to Leanne2305]

Goggle it I got the info from goggle , and it is not a short info , but it includes fruits and veggies. 

Good luck

[garretttowers in reply to Leanne2305]

It stands for dietary approach to stop hypertension . There's a fab group which I've joined . I'm about to start Monday . Lots of good results around x

[Hellsy]

Hi, really sorry you are feeling sad and completely understand. I am just starting to lose weight and now realise why thyroid patients struggle with weight. The book that really educated me was Recovering with T3 by Paul Robinson, plus the STTM website. 

The difficulty loosing weight is due to low body temperature. If you monitor yours you will no doubt find it runs lower than normal. This affects digestion because bacteria and enzymes are less effective in a colder environment - they need warmth to function fully. 

So, until you are optimally medicated you will be unable to loose weight, based on my own experience. This means it is NOT your fault that you can't lose weight. Some people seem to do well on a strict paleo style diet but I haven't gone down that route and am loosing weight by eating a healthy balanced diet, with no added sugars, mainly vegetarian but this is only because my medication is optimally supporting my thyroid and adrenals. 

Testing your adrenals is important, via a saliva test as most patients need to support their adrenals too. 

You will get there but it can take some time. Good luck.

PS. I did meet someone recently who has weaned off her medication and lost 3 stone in weight by eating a candida/paleo style diet. She researched it all massively and now is a practitioner with a 90 day programme. She and others insist Hashimotos patients will all have gut issues that require interventions, including high protein,  low carb diet etc. 

[Hidden]

Hi Nemojan - I know what is like to be obesely overweight.  Twice now over the past 8 years I have lost over 3 and a half stone, that was when I had anxiety and depression and was off my food.  I am not on meds.  I would not advocate the anxiety and depression for  losing weight.  I am trying to lose weight without going on meds and researching various writers on hypo/hashimoto's.  Just wondered what you have tried so far re losing weight? xxooxx Deborah

[scorp1o]

Hi. Difficult advice but don't get in a state. Anxiety increases cortisol production and that helps make you fat in my experience? All I can offer is:

It takes a long time and will be slow

But it DOES come off

Cut out cake,biscuits and chocolate but eat fruit and veg with meat and fish

Don't go mad with carbs

Exercise helps your mental state

Take measurements because sometimes they change when weight doesn't 

I shifted 70lbs by persevering and it has stayed off so it can be done but you must tell yourself you CAN do it one day at a time. My Fitness Pal tracker app (free) is a godsend.

Good Luck!! 

[knackersyard]

Many struggle to lose weight, because they follow a "Low Fat" diet.

They think they're doing the right thing.  The food industry tells them so.

Eat a diet of Protein & Fat (yes FAT!!) & Zero Carbs.  You can feel full and will lose weight rapidly.

This is because we gain weight via Insulin.  If we avoid food which raises blood glucose, then we avoid producing Insulin.

So this means NO :

Bread, Cake, Biscuits, Sugar, Artificial Sweeteners, Pasta, Soft Drinks (even so called Sugar Free), minimal Fruit, No Bananas.  Buy a Carb Counter book.  Learn where the hidden Carbs are.  

You need to stay under 60g of Carbs per day, but lower is even better.

Eat as much Protein & Fat as you like.  Butter, Lard, Fatty Meat, Fish... Don't be hungry.  Eat Salads with as much Olive Oil as you like.

Don't cheat.  No sugar in coffee etc..  If you do the above you cannot fail to lose weight & you won't Yo-yo, because you're not slowing down your metabolism.

Also, try not to eat before noon.  Just water.  Sounds drastic, but believe me it's not as hard as you think.  Eating breakfast makes you hungry!!  This is because Cortisol is highest in the AM.  Cortisol is linked to Insulin production.  So the exact same meal eaten at 8am will give you a bigger burst of Insulin than if eaten at 1pm.  Keep your Insulin down = lose Fat.

[Artjeanson in reply to knackersyard]

Spot On. It will defo work.

[shaws Administrator]

I am sorry you are worried about your weight and being obese. It can happen if you are underdosed and undertreated. 

Is your blood test at the earliest possible and don't eat before it. Also allow 24 hours between your last dose of levo and the test. This allows the TSH to be at its highest as that's what most doctors only take the notice of, ignoring the clinical symptoms of the patient.

If your dose is not at an optimum, your metabolism will not be raised in order that you can lose weight. Levothyroxine is known to cause weight gain and I think it's because doctors keep adjusting the dose to keep TSH in range rather than 1 or lower.

web.archive.org/web/2010103...

p.s. if you can give some of your thyroid history in your Profile. i.e. when diagnosed, with what, dose of levo etc it will be helpful.

[greygoose]

100 mcg is a very small dose. And it's T4 that your taking. T4 has to be converted to T3, and it's possible that you're not converting very well. If you have low T3, you will not be able to lose weight.

Low calorie diets and exercise will just make things worse, because you need calories to be able to convert correctly. And exercise uses up your T3. Once you are hypo, all the rules are reversed. You need to eat to lose weight, not diet. And exercise will not make you lose it. You have to learn to adapt to your new body and eat to suit it.

That means, plenty of protein and good fats - olive oïl, animal fat, butter, nuts, avacados. Don't cut back too much on the carbs - low carb can cause thyroid problems. Plenty of fresh fruit and veg; Don't skimp on the salt; avoid soy and processed foods like the plague. Drink plenty of water.

Get your nutrients tested. Low nutrients will stop you losing weight and will also mean that your body cannot use the hormone you are giving it. You need vit D, vit B12, folate and ferritin to be optimal - not just in range. Supplement deficiencies in these four, and then you can progress to the rest and find your own balance.

Don't forget to get your test results. You need to know exactly what was tested, and what the results were, not just your doctors opinion on them. Post them on here and let us have a look. It's your FT3 that is important, not your TSH.

[SCarr998]

Knackersyard is correct. I have tried every diet under the sun. I even managed to go from 18st 6lbs to 12st 2lbs on the juice only diet. I then started eating healthy and doing crossfit/weights 6 days a week. Despite all my efforts I went back up to 16st at which point I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. I am still not on the correct medication but I started a High Fat Low Carb (HFLC) diet. I had to give up the excersise for the moment due to crippling joint and muscle pains but despite that I am now back down to 13st on HFLC. Its a diet that really works and I would recommend it to anyone with Auto-immune disorders due to its low inflammation properties. It has also stopped all my cravings and it is superb at managing your appetite. I stick to 20 grams of carbs or lower.

I got my Dad to go on it and he has bad Rheumatoid Arthritis. He has started to feel much better and he has managed to cut his steroids down massively. He also had bad swelling in his face and legs which has now gone and his quality of life has improved.

There are numerous resources online so I wont go into detail here but I would try it if managing weight is impossible for you. I am still not on the correct medication/dose and I have still managed to loose 3 st. Just started T3 a week ago and have noticed an improvement. I was on 150mcg of T4. I am now on 100mcg T4 and 12.5 T3. Im going to increase my T3 on Sunday and see how I get on.

[Hidden]

The only way I ever lose weight is to cut out all sugar. I don't eat refined carbs, but I also cut out bread. It gets easier as you go along,  then the cravings stop. I found that sugar just makes me more hungry, we all know it's bad for us. Last time I did this I lost 1 1/2 stones quite quickly. 

[Silverlady5]

Hi there I think you would need to post your blood test results with lab ranges before any one can comment. I am not experienced enough to help you but maybe someone else on here could.

I am taking levothyroxine 75mcg and not feeling great I'm waiting for an appointment to see an endo at City hospital Birmingham hope it won't be too long to wait. My weight is also a concern like you but I really need to eat more sensibly so can't blame the Levo or thyroid altogether for that.

Wishing you luck in your quest to lose weight and get well and hope you get some help on here when you can post your results x

[boomerang21]

Hope it is okay to interject here. Just a cautionary note about diet. It can be dangerous to embark on a high protein diet that severelyrestricts carbohydrates. I know beczuse I did it and ended up wth blood clots due to high intake of Vitamin K. 

  A balanced diet is best that includes some carbohydrates.

SOrry about quick e mail but feeling terrible at the moment.

[CandyGirlCLW]

Hi, yes, I gained weight, about 20 pounds, but I was eating pies and ice cream, cans and anything I wanted.  I quit eating like that and came down to 173.  Yes, I'm still over weight and and also Hypo Thyroud and my doc put me on 60 mg Levo.  My last test showed high TSH, and doc explained that my brain converts the Levo to what I need.  She said it's too high and is thinking of lowering my Levo.  I also take Armour 30 mg.  I don't account that is increased in weight from being Hypithyroid.  I do however think that it made me lazy and not exercising.  I also went to my GYN for pellets for menopause HRT, that increased my happiness, feel good day.  She is having to give me Estrodial and Testerone.  She is taking me slowly to where I should be.  She had to give me a Testerone booster, it's disappearing in my body.  I take Progesterone at night, an RX.  The Testerone gives me more stamina and energy.  My labs for this are very liw.  I am 65 years old and my body isn't working so well.  I was put on Magnesium , 1000 mg, 3 times a day,    It is for fatigue.  I do a whole lot of research on meds and vitamins, then ask my docs.  I blame my fatigue on gaining weight cause I lay in bed a whole lot.  Good luck sweetheart!