Losing Weight With Hypothyroid

[AAC]

Alisa,
Can you share the name of the doctor you found?
Thank you,
AAC

Alisa wrote:

<quoted text>
Thanks Cindy! I actually had an appointment with my doctor this past Friday and I cancelled it because I found an Endocriniologist who was really helpful when my friend went to see him, plus as you stated before my Doctor was being a jerk and really not helping me. I see my Endo in two week so helpfully he will be of more help to me. I agree with you I think my dosage is too low and needs to be tweaked or perhaps need a combo of T3 and T4 prescriptions. Hopefully it will all go well and that scale will start moving little by little. I am happy though, that you are seeing results with the weight loss I hope that happens for me soon.
I also hope to get everything else back to normal, like a normal amount of hair loss instead of the hanfulls that fall out everyday and everything else that comes with hypothyroid. I do get frustrated at times though when people think the only thing associated with Hypothyroid is weight gain which is why I don't like telling people I have it but then I feel like I have to when people are like "you sure have gained a lot of weight what happened to you?"
Anyways I am just ranting, but I am glad your are having success and hopefully I will too soon.

[Aqua]

I was put on synthroid three years ago. My dosage was working fine until a few months ago. I put on 25 lbs in ONE month and now it's 40 total. I tell every doctor i see that i would understand a weight gain due to overeating but the fact of the matter is that I'm Anorexic. I starve myself and never stray from a 600 calorie per day diet. I have severe depression and I have an unhealthy fear of gaining weight. Sure enough my worst fear came true. I wish i could go on a diet! I wish it were that easy, but how can someone go on a diet from 600 calories. I'm seeing my third endo soon and am being tested for Lyme.( I've already been tested for PCOS, had a CAT scan of my belly and pelvis and neck, ultrasound of my throid, endoscopy, blood tests for everything, and am having an MRI this week). If anyone has any idea what it could be (if it's not Lyme or my thyroid)let me know. I am just confused and sick of being in this no win situation.

[Francilia]

Hey Gys!!!!
I'm back!!!!
Jst let you know that my son is 4 months and I've lost 52 lbs. yeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Keep strong girls!!!!

[Venus]

Hello all I am new here. I was diagnoised with hypothyroidism a little over two weeks ago. I am 23. I am having problems with energy and weight gain mostly. I was put on sythroid and yesterday my doctor put me on welbutrin xl to possible surpress my appetite. Has anyone has any experience with this? Also, I am in law school and do not have a lot of time to work out, does anyone have any suggestions? Also, any diet suggestions? I generally ate healthy before so I am not so sure how much I can change. THANKS!

[Candace]

I also have Hypothyroid which I developed after my second child. I have found that I am tired constantly. I simply feel as if I cannot get enough sleep, even though it truely is plenty. I didn't have too much of a weight gain, but I was kinda stuck where I was and I joined Weight Watchers. I absolutely love it and am doing great. I have lost weight, even with minimal exercise (I'm always too tired.) I have found out that when I do just fight pass my tiredness that I do feel better when I work out. Take care everyone!

[Alisa Davis]

AAC wrote:

Alisa,
Can you share the name of the doctor you found?
Thank you,
AAC
<quoted text>

AAC,

I do to Dr. Rodriguez. He was great, really listened to me and the symptoms I was having. Dr. Rodriguez listened to me and realized that my symptoms didn't just match hypothyroid so he took the time to run additional tests, and wouldn't you know that I was having an insulin problem as well as the thyroid problem. I am still tired all the time from both the thyroid and insulin problem but my hair isn't falling out as much, i've been losing weight, albeit very slowly, but still. I just started low carbing it and walking everyday and I can see a difference. I would def make an appointment with him, unlike the other endocrinilogist who couldn't see me for months, and I mean that literally one Dr. I had to make an appt two months in advance. Dr. Rodriguez was able to see me pretty quickly, with in two weeks.

Sorry, that was a bit long winded seeing as you only wanted a name.

Goodluck, I hope it works out for you!

[Alisa Davis]

Cindyann wrote:

My Dr. also stated that my 30 lb. weight gain in 7 months was from poor diet and lack of exercise. I do exercise and eat healthy. My hair is falling out. I need a new endo dr. Any one know of a great doctor in Houston Texas? I am on synthoid.
Cindyann
Seabrook Tx

CindyAnn I posted a reply for AAC about the Dr. I see in Houston, TX. Check it out for information, hope it helps.

[ericamc]

I was just dx'd yesterday. I was pretty sure I had hypoth. I looked up all my weird little symptoms and my wt gain and sure enough...poof. I have ALL the major symptoms. I went to my GP because I have bronchitis and asked her to run bloodwork for hypo. She did and called this morning. They put me on synthoid? however it's spelled..anyway...I also just found out my mom, who is a breast cancer survivor, Rumatoid arthritis suffer ALSO has it and has been on meds for 2yrs for it.
I'm just glad I didn't have to suffer for yrs w/o knowing what was wrong with me.
I'm 5'4 and went from a healthy 135lbs to 180 in less than 6mos. I am purely miserable. I don't eat a lot of crap. I exercise. I just don't know how to do this. I have like 3 prs of pants that fit me a closet full of clothes that don't fit. I want to FEEL better and I want to look better.
I'd like more info on Alisa's dr.- Rodriguez?
I'm in houston too. I don't know if my GP is the best person to be treating me with this and think that maybe since my family history is pretty complicated w/ other issues I need to see a specialist. Alisa, can you give me more info on Dr Rodriguez...there are about a billion rodriguez's in houston. Thanks
e

[Alisa Davis]

ericamc wrote:

I was just dx'd yesterday. I was pretty sure I had hypoth. I looked up all my weird little symptoms and my wt gain and sure enough...poof. I have ALL the major symptoms. I went to my GP because I have bronchitis and asked her to run bloodwork for hypo. She did and called this morning. They put me on synthoid? however it's spelled..anyway...I also just found out my mom, who is a breast cancer survivor, Rumatoid arthritis suffer ALSO has it and has been on meds for 2yrs for it.
I'm just glad I didn't have to suffer for yrs w/o knowing what was wrong with me.
I'm 5'4 and went from a healthy 135lbs to 180 in less than 6mos. I am purely miserable. I don't eat a lot of crap. I exercise. I just don't know how to do this. I have like 3 prs of pants that fit me a closet full of clothes that don't fit. I want to FEEL better and I want to look better.
I'd like more info on Alisa's dr.- Rodriguez?
I'm in houston too. I don't know if my GP is the best person to be treating me with this and think that maybe since my family history is pretty complicated w/ other issues I need to see a specialist. Alisa, can you give me more info on Dr Rodriguez...there are about a billion rodriguez's in houston. Thanks
e

Well I'm sure after doing your research about this you learned an Endocrinologist is the type of Dr. you need, i'm pretty sure I have stated before that Dr. Rodriguez is the Endo Specialist I have been seeing. You should be able to find him pretty easily if you look up Dr. Rodriguez, Endocrinology, Houston.

I can honestly say I know how you feel about the whole weight gain, and I don't know about you but I had hair loss, constant fatigue etc., with this. I have finally started losing weight, my hair has stopped falling off, at least as much as it did. I'm still really tired but that has to do with the insulin problem I am having. Hope it works out for you.

[Mmm]

Hi there
Been diagnosed with Hypothyroid a couple of days ago and terrified of picking up weight, I have already infact picked up about 3k's, I also have a bit of a goiter and doc put me on Eltroxin, which I have been using for two days. My question though, will the weight start packing on now and is it safe to use a appetite suppressant, like thinz perhaps?

[Rohit Joshi_ India]

Alisa wrote:

That I don't know, did you ask your doctor before you started taking the herbal life?

Hi Alisa
I too was a constant victim of hypothyroid, and I changed couple of endocrinologists for second, third and so.... opinions, but to no good. Let me tell u a brief history of mine. I developed hypothyroidism when I was 13-15 years old, which remained undiagnosed till the age of 17. I was most active and hard working in my life and life style during that period, but the lesser I ate, the more I gained and the weaker I became. My routine doctor gave me general treatment which were very "devilish" in ideas. He also asked me to run 5 miles a day, and stop eating one time. When I suffered from muscle cramp, he just advised me to wear socks. I was disgusted, and nobody sympathized with me, instead they held me responsible for all this. Accidentally and miraculously, once doctor spotted signs of under active thyroid and suggested a test. I had my test and immediately consulted a renowned endocrinologist in town. I stayed on healthy diet and rigorous life cycle, like cycling 4 miles a day along with walking 3 miles a day. I lost 10 k.g in 60 days. Now I was normal for another 5-6 years, when the symptoms resurfaced. By now I was a good interpretor of the thyroid signals like swollen skin, puffy face. I consulted doctor, and he increased the dose. I came back with no results and he changed the brand. I changed the doctor, finally. The new doctor never ever had a general treatment approach and instead he revised the case patiently. My T3,T4 were in the normal range, but my TSH was 12. He told me that I am lacking some Calcium intakes which helps in the thyroid absorbing capabilities of the body. I started with the medicines and immediately lost 3 k.g. So my advice is to consult more than 1 doctor, and say no to general treatment. I virtually fought with my current doctor, and as if i was buying a commodity, I asked him that I needed results. I told him that even if I don't do a single gram of work in the whole day, I wanted the weight loss. Thats how he took the challenge and took the case personally. So, don't leave your thyroid/health in doctor's "opinion". Instead set a healthy level for yourself, and until you reach it, don't let the doctor proclaim that "you are healthy, and this is not thyroid problem". Thyroid is something which we have to leave with and fight for our whole life. The moment we feel lost, we will lose our life to thyroid through these doctors.

[Jonann]

Reading your message was spooky...it was reliving my two pregnancies. First pregnancy = weight gain of 77 pounds, lost all but 15 pounds. Second pregnancy = gain of 70 pounds plus the 15 so 85 pounds. My child is 16 months and I have lost 40 pounds. My joints were aching, my moods were all over the board but my GP said, "Oh post-pardum b/c of the weight gain" I wouldn't except that answer since I was the only 220 opund person who ran 4 miles a day! Anyways, just recently diagnosed with a genetic thyroid disorder - frustrated that my ObGyn didn't catch it during both pregnancies since I was gaining weight with each breath I took, and that the medication isn't helping me lose weight. I am not having the night sweats anymore, nor the achy joints but I still am not losing weight even while on weight watchers. This is absolutely awful. I was just curious as to what you are eating for each meal, since you seem to be having results. I have a checkup next week so maybe my dosage isn't correct. I am not like the other people in the fact that I didn't have the extreme fatique...maybe since I workout each morning, who knows.
Thanks- jonann

Francilia wrote:

Hi!
I have hypothyroidism since I gave birth with my first son almost 3 yrs ago. In my first pregnancy I gained 71 lbs. I lost them all. Now I have a new baby that was born in April 16th. Well this time I gained 75lbs. In 2 months I've lost 40 lbs. Secret? The secret is that I’m very persistent and I don’t give up easily. In my diet I avoid foods that slow down production of thyroid hormone, such as cabbage, Brussels sprouts, mustard greens, broccoli, turnips, kale, spinach, peaches, strawberries, soy (yes! soy), pears, peanuts and cauliflower. And eat whole foods diet, emphasizing foods that are naturally high in iodine such as fish, kelp, vegetables, and root vegetables. Also, increase your daily consumption of foods rich in vitamin B complex, such as whole grains and raw nuts and seeds (flex is great), and foods rich in vitamin A, such as dark green and yellow vegetables. I have my source of vitamins that I take every day: Multivitamins (with fish, no soy), Kelp, B complex, B-12, Vitamin E, Calcium, L-Tyrosine, and Vitamin C. Just take one day at the time and DON’T give up!!! Let me know how’s it going. [e-mail]
<quoted text>

[Johnjunp]

Hi
I had a tumor in my pituitary gland which resulted in my hormone levels getting way out of wack and I am currently on Several meds to replace the ones that my body is not able to produce. I was on synthroid for over a year and it was not helping me. I went into a depressed state and was always cold even in the summer time. After much research my endo and I agreed that my body was not converting the t4 to t3. I went on a combination of synthroid and cytomel (t3) treatment and in two weeks my depression and cold symtoms were gone. Now I am on Armour Thyroid and it is like I am normal... except for the weight gain. My normal weight is 170 and now I am 215 and I can not lose the weight.

But research and discuss the t3 levels with your Endo!

Aqua wrote:

I was put on synthroid three years ago. My dosage was working fine until a few months ago. I put on 25 lbs in ONE month and now it's 40 total. I tell every doctor i see that i would understand a weight gain due to overeating but the fact of the matter is that I'm Anorexic. I starve myself and never stray from a 600 calorie per day diet. I have severe depression and I have an unhealthy fear of gaining weight. Sure enough my worst fear came true. I wish i could go on a diet! I wish it were that easy, but how can someone go on a diet from 600 calories. I'm seeing my third endo soon and am being tested for Lyme.( I've already been tested for PCOS, had a CAT scan of my belly and pelvis and neck, ultrasound of my throid, endoscopy, blood tests for everything, and am having an MRI this week). If anyone has any idea what it could be (if it's not Lyme or my thyroid)let me know. I am just confused and sick of being in this no win situation.

[Yvonne]

Hi Alisa,

I am 38 and was diagnosed with Hashimoto Thyroid 9 years ago after the birth of my daughter. I was put on Thyroxine from then on and spent the next few years complaining to my doctor about how the weight gain was getting me down. It was all I could think about. I had gone from being 9st when I left the hospital to 11 stone. The is an increase of 28lbs. Not as much as some people but depressing none the less. The doctor kept telling me that it was normal, I had my sone a couple of years later and he said that was a factor and at the last visit that I was 'getting on a bit now'. Last June I went on the blood group diet, I am A+ and with other tips like no carbe after 4pm, drink at least 2lts of water a day and eat every 3 hours (it really does work) I lost 12lbs in 4 weeks and then another 10 over the next month. I have not regained the weight and still to her tips. I can't believe my doctor wasn't more helpful, Good Luck

Alisa wrote:

Hello,
I am in my mid twenties and was diagnosed with hypothyroid last December (my birthday none the less). My doctor put me on synthroid and told me that would help with my hair loss (which was pretty bad) my inability to focus, my feeling of exhaustion and need of 16 hours of sleep a day and especially help me drop weight. I was scheduled to return in 3 months to have my labs redone. I didn't change anything I still ate as I normally did and still did the same activities along with taking my medication. When I went to my follow up appointment in March I would have been happy to have lost weight, I would have been even happier to have remained the same weight but I didn't instead I gained 6 lbs. Well that was it I began working out 4 to 6 days a week. 3 days of aerobics, 3 days of cardio - elliptical, stair-stepper, bike, treadmill, jogging, 3 days of upper body weights, 3 days of lower body weights, 3 days of pilates, 3 days of ball toning and I started at 100 crunches a night and now I am up to 250. I am on a low carb diet, 40 grams a day if that much, no flour, no sugar, no white rice, etc. and I drink 3 liters of water a day. In the last two months I have lost 8 lbs., and I guess that is not bad but when you consider everything I am doing you would think I would have lost much more weight then that.
My question is: Is there a weight loss enhancement I can take along with my Synthroid to help lose weight. I am absolutely miserable and frustrated with the lack of progress. I went from being 140 lbs on a 5'7 frame to 215 lbs, I am absolutely miserable. So if there is anyone who has had success with losing weight with a hypothyroiod problem please let me know your secret.

[Alisa]

Thanks for the luck Yvonne. I have actually had some progress with the weight loss, it's not exactly a fast paced thing but I think 3 lbs a week is pretty good. I do have a question for you though: What is the BLOOD GROUP DIET?

Yvonne wrote:

Hi Alisa,
I am 38 and was diagnosed with Hashimoto Thyroid 9 years ago after the birth of my daughter. I was put on Thyroxine from then on and spent the next few years complaining to my doctor about how the weight gain was getting me down. It was all I could think about. I had gone from being 9st when I left the hospital to 11 stone. The is an increase of 28lbs. Not as much as some people but depressing none the less. The doctor kept telling me that it was normal, I had my sone a couple of years later and he said that was a factor and at the last visit that I was 'getting on a bit now'. Last June I went on the blood group diet, I am A+ and with other tips like no carbe after 4pm, drink at least 2lts of water a day and eat every 3 hours (it really does work) I lost 12lbs in 4 weeks and then another 10 over the next month. I have not regained the weight and still to her tips. I can't believe my doctor wasn't more helpful, Good Luck<quoted text>

[denise]

Alisa wrote:

Hello,
I am in my mid twenties and was diagnosed with hypothyroid last December (my birthday none the less). My doctor put me on synthroid and told me that would help with my hair loss (which was pretty bad) my inability to focus, my feeling of exhaustion and need of 16 hours of sleep a day and especially help me drop weight. I was scheduled to return in 3 months to have my labs redone. I didn't change anything I still ate as I normally did and still did the same activities along with taking my medication. When I went to my follow up appointment in March I would have been happy to have lost weight, I would have been even happier to have remained the same weight but I didn't instead I gained 6 lbs. Well that was it I began working out 4 to 6 days a week. 3 days of aerobics, 3 days of cardio - elliptical, stair-stepper, bike, treadmill, jogging, 3 days of upper body weights, 3 days of lower body weights, 3 days of pilates, 3 days of ball toning and I started at 100 crunches a night and now I am up to 250. I am on a low carb diet, 40 grams a day if that much, no flour, no sugar, no white rice, etc. and I drink 3 liters of water a day. In the last two months I have lost 8 lbs., and I guess that is not bad but when you consider everything I am doing you would think I would have lost much more weight then that.
My question is: Is there a weight loss enhancement I can take along with my Synthroid to help lose weight. I am absolutely miserable and frustrated with the lack of progress. I went from being 140 lbs on a 5'7 frame to 215 lbs, I am absolutely miserable. So if there is anyone who has had success with losing weight with a hypothyroiod problem please let me know your secret.

hi my name is denise dont give up i am loosing the pound now that i wentto a naturapath a live blood test he told me that i didnt have undertyroid problem he tool me it was all my bowel that was doing that i thurn my diet vegetarien no meat at all and i lost 30'POUND YES IN ONLY 8WEEK I WAS LIKE YOU POUNSDS WAS COMMING IN GOOD LUCK MAY GOOD BLESS YOU" denise

[Keri]

Does anyone have any suggestions to getting the t3 medicine Cytomel or Armour? I have the Hashimoto's disease too and no matter what i do I cannot lose weight. My husband does not get it at all and tells me I should work out more. I run 2-3 miles a day and also ran a 13 mile marathon in June and nothing. I have my coffee in the morning, but do I give up the creamer in it?

The last time I was at the endo doctor he said i was in the low end of the normal range, so he wasn't going to increase it all. Come back in a year. I am 33 years old, 5'4" and weigh 160lbs and like I said I can't lose anything.

I have tried numerous diet pills, diet plans, and even my normal doctor put me on "meridian", which is very expensive.

Does anyone have any ideas to help me?

[Mary Ann]

I am in the same boat only I weigh 15 lbs more, same height, got 2 little kids. For me, dieting and exercising only keep me at the same weight (at least I don't increase) but I've recently learned that you have to make sure your T4 test comes back in the mid- to upper-range (you want somewhere around 1 to 1.8) and you want your TSH test come back as around 1 or lower. The TSH is really important for weight. Unfortunately, I am at the desired range. So I did more research and learned of the No flour, No Sugar diet by Dr. Gutt which is supposed to be easy to follow (just make sure flour or sugar is not on the list of ingredients). You can still eat potatos, rice etc. Check Dr. Gutt on Amazon - he's got a good rating. There's also some books by Mary Shomon who is an expert on hypothyroidism. I think I'm going to try Dr. Gutt's book and pray for the best. If that doesn't work, I'll get Mary Shamon's book. Good luck to you!

Keri wrote:

Does anyone have any suggestions to getting the t3 medicine Cytomel or Armour? I have the Hashimoto's disease too and no matter what i do I cannot lose weight. My husband does not get it at all and tells me I should work out more. I run 2-3 miles a day and also ran a 13 mile marathon in June and nothing. I have my coffee in the morning, but do I give up the creamer in it?
The last time I was at the endo doctor he said i was in the low end of the normal range, so he wasn't going to increase it all. Come back in a year. I am 33 years old, 5'4" and weigh 160lbs and like I said I can't lose anything.
I have tried numerous diet pills, diet plans, and even my normal doctor put me on "meridian", which is very expensive.
Does anyone have any ideas to help me?

[MarineWife]

Keri wrote:

Does anyone have any suggestions to getting the t3 medicine Cytomel or Armour? I have the Hashimoto's disease too and no matter what i do I cannot lose weight. My husband does not get it at all and tells me I should work out more. I run 2-3 miles a day and also ran a 13 mile marathon in June and nothing. I have my coffee in the morning, but do I give up the creamer in it?
The last time I was at the endo doctor he said i was in the low end of the normal range, so he wasn't going to increase it all. Come back in a year. I am 33 years old, 5'4" and weigh 160lbs and like I said I can't lose anything.
I have tried numerous diet pills, diet plans, and even my normal doctor put me on "meridian", which is very expensive.
Does anyone have any ideas to help me?

Change your doctor.. that is what I did..

[DrJoe]

Francilia wrote:

Hi!
I have hypothyroidism since I gave birth with my first son almost 3 yrs ago. In my first pregnancy I gained 71 lbs. I lost them all. Now I have a new baby that was born in April 16th. Well this time I gained 75lbs. In 2 months I've lost 40 lbs. Secret? The secret is that I’m very persistent and I don’t give up easily. In my diet I avoid foods that slow down production of thyroid hormone, such as cabbage, Brussels sprouts, mustard greens, broccoli, turnips, kale, spinach, peaches, strawberries, soy (yes! soy), pears, peanuts and cauliflower. And eat whole foods diet, emphasizing foods that are naturally high in iodine such as fish, kelp, vegetables, and root vegetables. Also, increase your daily consumption of foods rich in vitamin B complex, such as whole grains and raw nuts and seeds (flex is great), and foods rich in vitamin A, such as dark green and yellow vegetables. I have my source of vitamins that I take every day: Multivitamins (with fish, no soy), Kelp, B complex, B-12, Vitamin E, Calcium, L-Tyrosine, and Vitamin C. Just take one day at the time and DON’T give up!!! Let me know how’s it going. [e-mail]
<quoted text>

Hi. It looks like some of you are on the right tract. Wherever Francilia got advice was an excellent source. Understanding why you should do those things shows you understand what is going on with your "hypothyroidism." Unfortunately, that advice may not work well for everyone.

For example, there is evidence that low levels of iodine can cause problems with the thyroid gland and thyroid hormones...but so has excessive levels of iodine. If you were having "hypothyroid" problems b/c of excessive iodine levels, eating those iodine rich foods might make things worse. Someone else might be taking in too much of certain elements that "chemically mimic" iodine, thereby blocking it at the receptor sites and rendering it useless. Tricky stuff.

The only way you will know is through testing (and that's not 100% accurate).

If everyone here hasn't been told so already, there are several places in the production, conversion and utilization of thyroid hormone that can break down to cause "hypothyroidism." That's why I keep putting it in "". It is not always a problem with the thyroid gland itself. There are MANY causes that can have similar symptoms.

(Autoimmune disorders affecting the thyroid gland is a whole other can of worms.)