Hypothyroidism- hashimoto's

So I've done a lot of research on weight loss and hypothyroidism and I have read every post on here I can possibly find.  I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease (form of Hypothyroidism, is what I gather) wherein your body continues to attack the thyroid.  I'm on Levoxyl and have been for over a year now.  I was taking the generic, but about 6 months ago the doctor told me that it can be far less effective than the real thing, so now I take the actual Levoxyl medication.

I've spent the last 9 months busting my butt at the gym with a personal trainer for 3 of those months, and on my own the rest.  I know there's always something I could be doing better... whether that be eating healthier, another 20 minutes of cardio, more circuit training, etc.  My problem is my weight isn't budging.... at all.  I'm talking MAYBE 10 pounds in 9 months (and trust me, that isn't much... I have another 40 to go, at least).  No matter what I do, the weight doesn't budge.  I talked with the doctor about it and he told me it's just one of the unfortunate side effects of hypothyroidism (weight gain, that is).

I guess I'm just wondering what other people have done to overcome their thyroid problems and actually lose the weight.  Is it possible for me to do it or am I a lost cause?!

Any advice... greatly appreciated!

Thanks. Frustrated!

What are your stats? how many calories are you eating/burning? What's your deficit?

I have low thyroid as well and take levoxyl. One thing i've noticed is that i can't have as big of a calorie deficit as some people can have. When i had a 1000 calorie deficit, i would lose maybe 3-4 pounds per month. when i lowered my deficit to 500 calories per day, I lose almost twice that. It doesn't make any sense to me but it works. Perhaps with your exercise you aren't eating enough calories. Another issue could be that your thyroid medication is still off just a bit. Even a tiny bit makes a difference. Some drs aim for a number range with your TSH count but you may need to adjust to hit that sweet spot for you. Especially if you still have some symptoms of the thyroid disease. When your meds are where they should be, your symptoms should mostly clear up. Hope this helps!

I'm 23 years old, 5'10'', 200 pounds.  (At work so I don't have the lab results with me, but my T3 is high, T4 is not)

I work out like crazy... usually burn 1000 calories on cardio (I don't stop till I hit that mark... usually takes about 55 minutes) and then I do about a half hour of light weights or cruches and stretching.  I try to keep my calorie consumption between 1600-1800 but it's not uncommon that I actually hit 2000.  I feel healthy, I just don't know why I'm not seeing the results!

I have Hashimoto's thyroidititis too.  It is very hard to lose weight with hypothyroidism.  I am 37 and was diagnosed back in 1999.  I was started on Levoxyl and i am now on Armour (it's a natural thyroid hormone) i like the natural hormone better.  I actually started losing weight taking it.  Actually my niece is a pharmacy tech and she says the generics have to have the same ingredients in it that the real ones do.  Good luck on finding a way to lose weight i am now stuck at a plateau for now.  If you find out let me know what works for you.

Clarice

Well, according to what i can figure, your sedentary burn is 2094. Then if you are adding 1000 calories for exercise, then your burn is 3094. Eating 1600-1800 and sometimes 2000 calories will be too big of a deficit, especially with thyroid disease. I really think that you should try upping your calories to 2000-2200 and see if that makes a difference. You may even have to up your cals as high as 2500 to lose. I know that sounds stupid but it's true. You really can slow your weight loss if you have too big of a deficit. I definitely notice that with my thyroid, i have to have a lower deficit. I console myself with the reminder that losing weight slowly is better than not losing at all!

faieriesunshine: I am hypothyroid too. I wanted to up my calories. I have lost 22 pounds in 4 months. But it's slowing down now. Does having a smaller deficit really work? Also is there something else you're doing??

There are two books I'd like to recommend to you, they are both by an author named Mary Shomon who has Hashimoto's.   She's a well known authority on Thyroid disorders and autoimmune disorders (which is what Hashimoto's Thyroiditis is).

The first book is "The Thyroid Diet: Manage Your Metabolism for Lasting Weight Loss" and the second is "Living Well with Autoimmune Disease: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You"

If you Google Mary Shomon links to those books should come right up, but I was able to borrow both of those books at my local library.

lilia_gemma- What are your stats? I'm not an authority on thyroid disease i just know what has been working for me and what i've read online and talked with my dr. about. I was really worried about upping my calories but it has made all the difference for me.

I also have hypothyroidism and i have been on generic brands for about 5 years now. I lost the weight when I first went on the meds...then stabilized and gained cause i wasn't excersing yet.  I started exercising and I find that my body only lets me lose 10 lbs. I know that sounds odd, but when I started exercising I was 150 and dropped to 140 pretty quick...then I plateaued for a couple years, but i wasn't really counting cals or anything yet, then i started counting and lost 10 more.  Now i am stuck again.

I never tried having a 1,000 cal deficit.  I have always stuck with 500-700. I did notice that I had to eat like 1500 for it to really work. I do about an hr of cardio, I change it up with the eliptical, stairmaster, and treadmill, sometimes the bike. 

I think that because of the thyroid it is harder for us to lose weight, but I am definitly no expert, I do plan on checking out the one book that was mentioned though.

I would say trying changing up your cardio or eat more cals, shock your body a little and maybe it will start losing again. How long have you been in the plateau?

oh I guess I should mention my stats: 24yr, Female, 130lbs, 5'0"

Thanks for the advice and a particular thank you for the book recommendations!  I'm very motivated so I know i've just got to push through.  Also, with regard to the natural thyroid meds, is that something prescribed by a doctor or something over the counter you might find at a vitamin store?

The lesser defecit, more caloric intake does sound a little strange, but I'm certainly willing to give it a shot.  Is there any sort of explanation for why that works the way it does?

faieriesunshine: I am 5"2 Down from 180 pounds to 158. But the scale doesn't seem to be budging.I exercise for 50 minutes n the elliptical burning 500-600 calories and I eat 1300-1350.

Armour thyroid is the natural hormone, it's made from cow and pig thyroid.  You get it by prescription only.  It's more expensive than synthetic.

Clarice

Original Post by c5mosley85:

Thanks for the advice and a particular thank you for the book recommendations!  I'm very motivated so I know i've just got to push through.  Also, with regard to the natural thyroid meds, is that something prescribed by a doctor or something over the counter you might find at a vitamin store?

 Well, there are a few supplements one can consider, but they're generally discouraged if you're already on thyroid meds.

L-Tyrosine and Kelp are two supplements that I recommend.  Kelp is an excellent source of iodine, and iodine molecules bond to the amino acid L-Tyrosine to form the active thyroid hormone.