Hypothyroid Club

Hi!

  I'm new here and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's a year ago.   I know it makes it harder to lose weight, but that it's not impossible.    I also know there's a lot of debate (even among physicians) as to how much extra weight can be attributed to a hypothyroid.

  Just want to see if anyone else has faced this challenge and has some tips, encouragement, articles, etc for us.

 Thanks!

Sierra

Hi jzlady,

   Hashimoto's thyroiditis is the most common cause of hypothyroidism.   It was named after the doctor who discovered it.     Hashi's is  an autoimmune disease where the body produces antibodies that attack specifically the thyroid gland.  

  Like other autoimmune diseases it flares up and does damage to the thyroid, then subsides.  It does this over many years until the thyroid is no longer functioning.     It's common to have a goiter with multi nodules.  In the process of this you can also have periods of hyperthyroidism as the thyroid sputters until it finally burns out.      It's not fatal, just a royal pain in the you-know-what.      If it were NEVER treated and the thyroid stopped working completely, I guess it would eventually become life threatening since we can't live without thyroid produciton. 

    Most people live with it for many years before symptoms become bothersome.   Many people are also misdiagnosed and not properly treated  because the symptoms mimic so many other conditions.

   Autoimmune diseases tend to run in families although other family members may have a different AA disease. ie.  Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, etc.  There's over 100 different AA diseases.  

  Also, many people that have an AA disease have a greater chance of having more than one.

  Your anitbodies are really high.   I don't know a lot about that but I do know that tests can be very misleading as far as how we feel.    My thyroid antibodies (TPO) were only around 400 and my TSH about 3.5, but I felt sooooo miserable I could hardly function.     Also,different labs have different values, so that needs to be taken into consideration too.

   You should check out the Thyroid web site here at About.com.  It's probably the best on the web with a moderator (Mary Shoman) who has written many books on thyroid and autoimmune diseases.    There is a ton of info there.

  I have the same kinds of struggles you do.    Glad to hear you've made some progress with the 41 lbs.  Good for you!

Sierra

 

 

 

Hi I am new to this site and see that we all have a common bond not sure if this is where I should try to join up with you maybe someone could let me know if I'm in the right spot? Thanks in advance!! I have Graves disease and was hyper but am now hypo due to a RAI treatment in Dec 2005. I have since gained 40 lbs and am at my wits end. I now I have to take a strong approach and become more active or I will continually gain more weight and am looking for some help from some of you who are or have been in the same boat as me.

Hi everyone!

 I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and had my thyroid removed almost exactly a year ago.  In the course of the year I had RAI treatment, which required an extremely elevated TSH to work.  I was at around 150 for nearly 2 mths!!  After two surgeries, RAI, and then breaking my foot in October, I'm finally stable enough to start working out again.  Thankfully I've only gained about 30lbs, which I've been told isn't that bad considering what I've been through.  I'm looking forward to interacting with the group. 

I was going to leave this as a private note to sierra1973 but thought if somoen else might have info or advise or questions I should ask then maybe I should have it public as well.   I sent this to Sierra1973 it's sort of long......

sierra73

Thanks for the information. It sounds like what I had/have? A male Doctor originally told me it was all in my head. Until I passed out from not eating he would not test me.  He was sarcastic and said "okay to prove to you that I am the Doctor and you are the patient I will test you for thyroid issues" When the test came in he apologized and put me on synthroid but never explained anything to me.  I had lame insurance and could not change Doctors. Many years later I got worse and had found another Doctor (I moved and have new insurance). She sent me to and endocrinologist and he said my thyroid was toast but never told me anything else. I went back to my female Doctor and she was very attentive and she has me on Iodrial, synthroid, armour, vitamin C, and some other supplements.  I don't know if I feel comfortable with male doctors anymore they just don't seem to listen.  Anyway yes I am doing better and I have lost more than 45 lbs (yeah passed the half way mark). I have lots of questions and reading this stuff has made it so I can have an intelligent conversation with my Doctor. So anything else that I need to ask please let me know so I can understand what's going on.  I didn't realize this was something that could be major. I was starting to get tired of taking all the pills and was going to just stop all of them to see if I could do it without them.  SO please give me any other information and questions to ask.  My sister has Lupus, my brother has rheumatoid arthritis (sp), and my mother also had it.  She died when she was 50 from a massive heart attack. My sister thinks maybe my Mom may have had Lupus as well or something else autoimmune. I am approaching 50 so I am cautious about many things now. I would like to add you to my friends list if that's okay.

They I'm looking for 4 mom's on here to make up a small group. I just don't get on here every day so it's hard too keep up with soooooo many people. Thats why I'm looking to make a small group :)

As we know having this thyroid crap makes it harder to work off the jelly.

Though I 'm new to the forum here, I'm not new to the CC site. I saw this about the thyroid and thought I'd jump right in. I was DX'd maybe 5 or so years ago. It's been a struggle ever since. I go from hypo to hyper. October of 06, I had to be rushed to the hospital. Blood pressure thru the roof and unstable. Up and down. Pain in my left arm and eyes that hurt. I was hypo!

 I've been thru 3 doc's and finally the last one was a treasure. He was recommended to me from a woman on one of the Thyroid boards (not the about.com one).  I haven't looked back. He had been trying to get my thyroid med's under control for awhile and didn't want to just take me way down (I was kind of treating myself and taking cortisone and had gone up way to high on the meds) and that is why I had that episode. So he had to take me down further than he wanted, (and get me slowly off the HC) and I became hypo again. We are trying and I do feel better today.

This doc also gave me hormones. They were almost non-existent and before you ask, I am 57 and have gone thru menopause, but even women who still have their cycles can have hormones that are out of whack.

I take the Bio-identical hormones. They have to be made up by a compounding pharmacy and they are made to suit you only. Talk about feeling much better and needing to lower my thyroid meds! Wow! Couldn't believe that those hormones, besides the thyroid, could make you feel so bad. I wouldn't go off of them today for anything.

I haven't had a test in awhile to see where my TSH and the Frees are now. It's been since October and I should get tested again.  But I am a very active person finally, since getting all this under control. I am not fatiqued like I used to be, thank goodness.  I take yoga and dance and love it! I have kept my weight down since I lost the majority of it here with the CC tools. (2 years I think) I did gain a bit this holiday, but that is going now, too.

So there is hope for anyone with this dis-ease. Just take it slow and steady and eventually things turn around. Counting calories and watching the sugar was what turned me around. If I don't write it down, I'm in trouble! Lol!

It's so nice to meet all of you in this group!

Gail

 

So I have lost 5 pds in 10 months- that makes me sick - My sis can loose that in 1 week -

I bought "THE THYROID DIET" and it really didn't do anything for me.  It didn't tell me anything I really didnt already know.

So know my medicine is at 125mcg. and I feel good but the scale wont budge - and ya, ya. ya I work out and watch everything I eat -"my doc says oh you look great = why loose 10 pounds?" - Well because I cant loose 10 pounds and I want to loose 10 pounds - why dont dr's know anything -?  I'm 150 not 110 and asking to look like jen aniston - it makes me sick that i cant figure out how to do it -

ANY THOUGHTS? HELP

I know I'm not a great one to give advice right now since I have a whole lot more to lose than you do.    However, I have had lots of experience over the years with both  failures and great successess too.

I haven't read the Thyroid Diet so I don't know what the plan is there.    In the past I was able to lose by counting calories and fat grams.   Then that seemed to have stopped working so well. 

Now I have started counting carbs too and that seems to be working...so far.

I try to shoot for the following: 

calories: 1600

 fat: around 50 grams  (30%)

 Protein:   around 131 grams (35%) - this has been practically impossible for  me.

 carbs:  around 131 (35%)  I try to avoid white stuff like white bread and sugar - go with 100% whole wheat, fruits and veges for carbs.   Dessert treats are rare now even if they are low fat, reduced calorie. 

I haven't been able to excercise at all for awhile- due to fatigue and some foot problems.   But in spite of that I'm starting to lose - I think changing the carbs to more complex forms and fewer of them is what's making the difference.  

  You probably already know that with hypo we can't go too low on carbs or fat.

sierra

 

 

       &nb sp;         

       &nb sp;       

I was diagnosed about a year ago.  I have a LOT of factors against me.  I am 40, had a hysterectomy 2 years ago, lots of prednisone 4 years ago, and gasteric bypass (220lb loss) 14 years ago.  I am frustrated, depressed and recently divorced...it feels hopeless for me.  I just don't know what to do about the 30+ weight gain I have had over the past 5 years..

I was diagnosed about a year ago.  I have a LOT of factors against me.  I am 40, had a hysterectomy 2 years ago, lots of prednisone 4 years ago, and gasteric bypass (220lb loss) 14 years ago.  I am frustrated, depressed and recently divorced...it feels hopeless for me.  I just don't know what to do about the 30+ weight gain I have had over the past 5 years..

Sierra,

Another good book is "Health, Hormones, and Happiness" by Dr. Steven Hotze. That one was a life saver for me. I've been on bio-identical hormones for years now and never felt better. I'm getting a bit perturbed at the major drug companies who are now trying to get these off the market. They are helping so many women regain a better and healthier lifestyle.

I'll have to check out the books you mentioned. Knowledge is, afterall, power.

Thanks for sharing that info.

Gail

I'm glad to have found this thread, but saddened to see so many people frustrated with the sometimes slower weight loss attributed to folks with hypothyroidism.

I am hypothyroid, and after gaining 60 lbs in 4 months following a horseback riding accident June 1999 that damaged my thyroid, I struggled with my weight up until March of 2007.   I was on Armour until it stopped working, then a combination of Synthroid and Cytomel, until my body stopped responding to it, and now (THANKFULLY) have found another combo that is working well for me.  Synthroid and time released T3 2x per day. 

Ok... the point of this post.  There are times when I get frustrated seeing the members of the weight loss group I run drop 3, 4, 5 pounds per week, and I will work 14 hours in the gym, stay super strict to my diet and pull something stellar like a 0.8 pound loss.  

But, I have realized that by being dedicated and sticking to this, just letting go of the frustration of having to work harder than anyone on the planet (at least it feels that way) for that point eight, I've been able to drop 78 lbs since March.   I can't be angry about it, because pissed off or not, it's fact.  I am not the girl who can out eat every truck driver in a diner and still be 150 pounds.  I miss her, but she's gone.  That is fact.

It's also fact that we can lose weight.  I've seen people with no thyroid gland at all lose significant amounts of weight by following an exercise/diet program.

We can do this.  It might not be easy, but I really believe that it's those things we have to work the hardest for give us the most pleasure when we finally obtain them.

 Good luck to all of you in your journeys!  Feel free to message me if you ever need a weight loss buddy.

Hi JZ-

  I just found your post to me!   I've really gotten goofed up with logging into CC ever since they changed the format.  Plus, I've not had an ounce of success losing this weight battle.

  Wow, so glad to hear that you lost 45 lbs!    Sounds like you finally found a great doc.   (BTW, after 30 + years I finally found a doc who not only dx'd the Hashi's, but is very willing to listen and try pretty much anything I want to - and guess what?  He's a dude! :)

  Sounds like your whole family has been affected by autoimmune disorders too.  My brother has Raynaud's and probably other things too.    I also have a history of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - which most researchers think is also autoimmune too.

  As far as the weight loss goes,  I've gained back what little I lost and now weigh as much as my all time high again.   I don't know if this has anything to do with it, but I've gained close to 20 lbs since last summer when I added a bio-identical hormone patch.   On the one hand it's been terrific - no more hot flashes;  I'm dreaming again and finally have some emotions (maybe too many!) 

   I still have very little energy though and feel lousy  because I'm still trying to get my thyroid meds figured out.   Just added T3 a few weeks ago - I suspect I will have to bump that up again at my next dr visit.

  I just can't seem to stay on track with the dieting.   I will get motivated and do really well for a short time.   Then, I'll get depressed and will give up.    It's not like I eat everything in sight when I "give up"- it's just that I stop paying attention to every tiny morsel that goes in my mouth.   Plus I will have dessert or add butter to something I don't usually.    

  It doesn't help that I can't exercise due to feeling so fatigued and also having a nasty bout with plantar faciitis (can hardly walk).   

  I'm hoping that getting all the meds straightened out will help my mood and energy so that I will be able to stick with the right eating habits.

Good luck!

Sierra

   

 

 

 

Hi Carrie,

   That's so cool that you were able to lose all that weight!  Congrats!!   I'm curious.  Are you hypothyroid due to injury or to Hashimoto's? 

   I noticed that you have a fantastic  energy level and are  able to exercise.  Even during my better years I could never come close to working out the way you do.      No joke, I am lucky to walk around the grocery store and keep up with my housework!       I have a long history of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome too - which I thought was mostly behind me,  so I really don't know how much that plays into my inability to exercise.

  It seems like a lot of people with the autoimmune Hashimoto's have more problems with low stamina and exercise intolerance and I sometimes wonder if the autoimmunity aspect of the disease affects more than the thyroid.   

   One reason I question this is that my good friend had thyroid cancer.      She has no thyroid and has struggled with her weight too.   The big difference though is that she has so much energy.      Even though we both have thyroid problems and are on the same meds,  are the same  age, and have about the same amount of weight to lose, it's as though we are from different planets.    She can ride bikes, exercise, work like a horse all day and feel generally terrific. 

   I have another friend with Hashimoto's though who definitely has a lot more energy than I do, and no weight problem.    She walks 3 miles every day.  I'm so envious.    I just feel so lousy all the time - which leads to depression, which leads to falling off the wagon with dieting.

  It's a vicious cycle.    But it's encourageing to hear that others are having success - keeps my hopes up!

Sierra

I'm hypo due to genetics and a horseback riding accident that caused injury to the gland, speeding up the inevitable. I went from being that girl who could out eat the entire football team and never gain a pound, tons of energy, to needing to sleep 12 hours a day, exhausted all the time and fat.

When I started really working hard to finally take off this weight, I will tell you, I had ZERO energy. I was at the point where I would put a laundry basket at the bottom of the stairs, and instead of walking up them to put that one thing where it belonged, I would fill up a basket of stuff and then ask my husband to carry it up when he got home.

I was exhausted after trying to run around with my kids outside for 10 minutes.

When I started to exercise, I used the phrase "Fake it Til You Make it." I hated being there. I felt like crap, I was so tired I could have just cried, and sometimes I did.

I won't lie and say that the first few months weren't hard. But once 10, 15 pounds came off, once I adjusted to the exercise, my energy level came up accordingly.

One thing I do know, is that regardless of the person, when it comes to weight loss, 80% is nutrition, and 20% is exercise. So, if you can't exercise rigorously, try to get a walk in, something to get you moving, and focus on the food.

I don't have the autoimmune Hashimoto's, so I can't speak from experience, but I have seen some great weight loss success from those who suffer from it. I know of one woman who has lost about 50 pounds in the past 8 months with that condition.

Fight that depression. I know from experience it's a black hole that can literally suck the life out of you. But if you can start small, with say 5 minutes, then add a minute every day of gentle exercise, you'll notice an improvement in mood and energy.

Yoga is great for this too, with the mind/body/spirit connection. And some yoga can kick your butt! :)

Keep your chin up. You can do this!

- Carrie

Carrie - Thanks so much for the encouragment.   I'm at an all time high with weight and a real low with the mood - so I'm feeling ready to start at it again.

 I should mention that I never had a weight problem until I was 39 and had a hysterectomy.   

   Then  10 years ago I got agressive and  lost 75 lbs.     At the time I was recovering from a 10 year bout with CFIDS, had  yet to be dx'd thyroiditis, and was in menopause.     I totally agree about the 80/20 - diet/exercise.    I lost the first half of it with no exercise at all - and the rest with just 20 minutes a day,  so I truly believe I can do it again.    I felt good for the first time in years.

Unfortunately,  about 2 years later I had a autonomic nervous system meltdown (due to thyroid), developed an anxiety disorder, and gained every stinkin pound back plus 10 more.

Like you say, it's that black hole -  got some family issues dragging me down currently so I end up on the diet see-saw  to the point of just giving up.  

Thanks again - your story gives me incentive.

 

 

 

UPDATE:   We can get a lot of helpful tips for weight loss with hypothyroidism through About.com's thyroid site.

Thyroid moderator Mary Shoman offers a "4 weeks To Weight Loss For Thyroid Patients"  (E-Course) &nb sp;- A free course that will be emailed to you each week.

 You can sign up for this newsletter at  http://thyroid.about.com/gi/pages/stay.htm

 

Sierra

Hi guys well I just found out I have hypotyroid aswell i'm not to happy. I keep losing and gaining as faster. I will be getting meds 4 it this month I hope all goes well with this all any helpful tips on anything.

Welcome Maylynn,

    I'm sorry to hear about the dx.   Fortunately, though they did find it and will treat it -  many of us were hypo for many years before being treated.

     Learn all you can about thyroid disease.    The About.com Thyroid website is really the best overall  on the web I think.   There is lots of information and support to be found there.   The moderator, Mary Shoman is an expert and a patient herself who has written many excellent books on the subject.

We can get a lot of helpful tips for weight loss with hypothyroidism through that site.   Mary Shoman offers a "4 weeks To Weight Loss For Thyroid Patients"  (E-Course) ;- A free course that will be emailed to you each week. You can sign up for this newsletter at  http://thyroid.about.com/gi/pages/stay.htm

     Treating thyroid disease is a lifelong process requiring much patience.   When I was dx'd I thought for sure I'd just start dropping those pounds - but it takes time and effort.

  The good news is it IS possible, and you will begin to feel better both  physically and mentally once your meds are optimized.   You may need to re-educate yourself about "how" you diet.   The rules change a bit with thyroid disease.   Calorie Count is a fantastic tool for keeping track- so be sure to stick with that part of it.     You also will want to lean more towards a lower carb and low fat  (not too radical though) approach.    Steering away from sugary foods and opting for whole grains, etc will go a long way to help your metabolism function better.     

   If I eat 1600 calories a day but it is comprised of a lot of simple sugars, white flour, etc, not only will I not lose anything, but it causes me to crave sweets and carbs even more.

  Good luck,  and keep us posted!  Hope to see you on About's Thyroid site too!

Sierra