Why no weight loss - - Thyroid Problem suspected

[yvonne326]

Last few weeks I've been having lots of signs that my thyroid is underactive. Today I woke up extremely fatigued, dizzy, cold...etc.. so I decided to get myself to the doctors who after examining me and asking me a lot of questions is suspicious that I am suffering from hypothyroidism.

I have to take blood and urine tests this week but I will admit that despite being kinda relieved that I don't have a brain tumor (I hope) or anything fatal like that.....I am now very disapointed that my weight loss will now be even more of a challenge than the first 7 months that I was on Atkins.

I will say that this explains a lot...my losing at a snails pace....and nothing really working.

My question is what is the right formula to succeed in LC while suffering from Hypothyroidism? Is it even possible for me to every succeed in reaching goal if I have this major obstacle? I really would like to hear from those who have this condition and have been successful in losing - - thanks.

[yvonne326]

Doctor suspects hypothyroidism - - have to get tested this week. I have most of the symptoms that came on rather suddenly (over last month) although I have always suspected I was borderline.

Yes, I did manage to lose 1/2 of the weight I wanted to lose but the last few months have been struggles...trying all things...eliminating everything practically that I started eating...cutting out caffeine....and instead of losing, I am gaining, bloated etc.

What is the right formula for me to get to my goal while suffering from this affliction? Is lower fat or lower calories what I must do? Anyone suffers and has seen success? Thoughts are appreciated.

[agonycat]

Yvonne,

I moved your thread to the thyroid section. :)

[skywind]

I went on Synthroid about a year ago, after LCing for 6 months. I had been fairly successful at LC, but once I went on the Synthroid I dropped another 6-7 lbs without even thinking about it. It was really an amazing change; I wish I'd had my thyroid tested sooner.

Here's my theory: we all have to make a commitment to a new WOE to lose weight. Thyroid problems make it a little harder, but proper medication in conjunction with a new WOE can work wonders. Don't be discouraged, but don't think hypothyroidism is a good excuse for not doing what you need to do to change your life.

YMMV--good luck!

Skywind

[skywind]

Yvonne--I just read my last post and it may have sounded a bit harsh--I'm sorry. You've done great so far. I didn't cut calories or fat or anything; the only thing that changed in my life was getting on the proper thyroid med and I was able to keep losing weight.

Don't be discouraged. It may take a little time, but it will happen.

Sky

[yvonne326]

I just wish I didn't feel so lethargic...I can fall asleep at my desk right now...

[Paleoanth]

Hey yvonne-

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism about 5 years ago. Once you get on some thyroid replacement, you will find that your sleepiness will gradually disappear. I slept around 12 hours a day before my diagnosis. It takes about a month before you really see any improvement, though, so just be patient with yourself. There might also be some tweaking with the level of hormone you are on. New studies suggest that TSH should be between 1 and 2 which is much lower than the upper range of "normal" that is currently accepted. Try this site for lots of information on thyroid issues:

http://thyroid.about.com/mbody.htm

Now on to the real issue-weight loss. I gained 30 pounds AFTER being put on thyroid medication. That is why I suggest you read some things before going to the doctor again. I read and read and went to the doctor in dispair because no matter how few calories I ate or how much I worked out, I only lost 5 pounds in 4 months. That is just not right!! I discussed upping my medication with my doctor to lower my TSH. He fortunately agreed to that (I brought references with me!) and he also suggested a lc woe. I was willing to try anything at that point. According to my doctor, hypothryoids don't process carbs normally at all. They go straight into fat storage. I call them the butt carbs, cause that is where they all went on me. So, you are doing the right thing for yourself anyway by doing a lc lifestyle!! The thing about hypothyroidism is that it does lower your basal metabolic rate. The site I suggested to you says that you should subtract about 200 calories from your basal caloric level to find out your true level. According to fitday, my basal level is around 1400 calories. So my true level is around 1200. I actually eat anywhere from 1000 to 1400 calories a day depending on how hungry I am, the TOM, my activity level for the day and how much I am home. My fat/carb/protein ratios are around what are suggested in this forum: approx 65-70/5-10/20-25. Exercize is also NECESSARY for us to help increase our metabolism. Between the lc eating, exersize and the increase in medication I lost 10 pounds in 6 weeks. Much better than before. Your weight loss might be slow compared to others, but it will happen.

I also had an enormous drop in my bad cholesterol and triglicerides!

I hope all this helps you. You are already doing the right thing. You may just have to tweak your medication a bit in consultation with your doctor as you figure out how much hormone you need.

Paleoanth

[yvonne326]

THANK YOU PALEONATH! I went on the website you suggested and it stated that you take your weight/divide by 2.2/multiply by 20/subtrace 200 cals and that is the calories you need to eat to lose. Mine came out to 1345. I have been consuming around this and exercising 20-30 minutes 4x week up until the symptoms got bad last week. I have not exercised since last Thursday (and I feel it unfortunately) since the dizziness sets off nausea and my fatigue is unbearable and I conserve my energy to get thru the work day.

What about those dark green veggies and soy you are suppose to avoid? Do you avoid them or do you still eat them but in moderation?

As for medication - - I probably won't go on anything until I see my doctor on the 25th.

How many carbs are you consuming while keeping the cals at the level you are on and what plan - Atkins?

Thank you again for any further info you can provide :)

[Paleoanth]

Yvonne-

Glad you liked the site! I pretty much simplified the calorie thing. I know that here they want you to eat 10 or 12x your body weight and I just cannot do that!

I talked to the doc about the soy thing. Since I am a vegetarian that was a big issue for me. Apparently there is a big debate about soy and thyroid right now. From what I understand it is the isoflavones that are bad, not the soy isolate. You find isoflavones in soy milk which is high in carbs anyway-I eat Morningstar Farms products which are mostly soy (isolates!) and have not had a problem. My doc said he did some research and could not find any real consensus on soy adn thryoid issues. Here is his response to my email:

"I didn't find any concensus on soy and thyroid - most references stated that there were no proven adverse reactions. It would seem to be safe "in moderation" - especially since we're following your thyroid function closely."

I am following Atkins, since that seems to work really well for me. Right now I am at 30 g of carbs and still losing, but slowly. I actually was about 167 when I started low calorie crap and now am hovering around 148-150. I have dropped 4 inches in my waist which ROCKS! The doctor warned me that I would probably not ever get over 40-50 g a day because of the thyroid thing. I don't increase every week-I wait for a couple of weeks before I go up any. the great thing is my doc is also hypothyroid, so that helps-he also is a big believer in the lc woe.

You can always email me if you want-I am paleoanth~comcast.net or I am paleoanthrop on AIM.

Thank goodness you found lc before! It really helps.

Paleoanth

[giggle4fun]

Just chiming in....if you find out that you have a thyroid problem, getting on the right medication will make all the difference. But be aware it could take months to get to the right place. It took 6 months and two doctors to get my thyroid under control. It can be very discouraging but keep at it until something works. Nothing helped me lose weight before I was on meds...even LC. BUT now I'm on my new WOL...on the right meds...and losing weight...Good Luck!

[eurydice]

Hi I've been reading in the thyroid forum because I am so called borderline hypothyroid. My TSH goes from 5-8. It was around 6.79 last time. I have been put on very low doses of synthroid (actually it was generic l-thyroxine) and I cannot take it! It makes me feel sick! I tried lower doses-same thing! I have many symptoms-been diagnosed as CFS and Fibro, but my hair is thinning which terrifies me and my skin looks awful. Two specialists both said that that level of TSH is not enough to cause any symptoms and they say I shouldn't be on any treatment for thyroid. Which is moot since I took the lowest dose and it made me sick. They said they wouldn't treat it until my TSH got to 10. I've seen many doctors about this and like I said two different endocrinologists. I don't each much, and am going to start low carbing. I tried before and found it very difficult as I crave chocolate so bad that I go nuts. I'm too weak to excercise much, but am going to go back on amitriptyline to feel better. I know amitriptyline makes you gain weight, but I've read it's also dose related-the weight gain and I'm on the lowest dose (10mg) so hopefully that won't make me gain weight. The amitriptyline is the only antidepressant that makes me feel a little better-I've tried alot of them. As I feel unbearable-I'm stuck with not being able to use synthroid and having to use an antidepressant that is known for weight gain just to feel a little bit better (sleep wise, pain wise, mood wise). I'm certainly not going to lose weight lying in bed everyday, so it's either, try the amitriptyline, which made me a little more functional, or stay unfunctional and fat anyway. I'm on disablilty, so have not much money for herbs and stuff. Any ideas? Oh yeah-my temperature in the morning is low, 96.something - 97.something. What do you do if you have thyroid problems and can't take the medication? Can two specialists be wrong? I mentioned Armour to my doctor and he hadn't heard of it and as I said the specialists said I shouldn't be on anything anyway. Will I be able to lose weight on low carbing and exercise with no thyroid medication? Anybody have that experience? Thanks.

[giggle4fun]

I'm not an expert, but it sounds like there is other stuff going on and any "specialist" worth their salt would be investigating. It's possible that the brand of medication you were taking didn't agree with you...but that doesn't necessarily mean that T4 therapy wouldn't work for you. But it's very possible that your T4 levels (synthroid is T4) are fine and when you took it it made you sicker. But your T3 levels may be in the basement. There's no telling.

But two things jumped out of your post...first, the fact that you need an antidepressant to get close to normal...there have been several studies about mental hospitals administering T3 to their clinically depressed patients and the patients were able to go off or decrease the antidepressants they were on. I'm DEFINATELY not saying you're crazy..but that was the study!! And then you said you crave chocolate like crazy? I've heard that chocolate cravings is your body screaming for more magnesium. And my endo said that more calcium and magnesium helps with symptoms and when I remember to take it..she's right...I do feel better.

FOR SURE? Find a doctor who will look into this. It's not right and it can be fixed. Finding the right doctor might be the hardest part. Because once you know what is going on you'll be able to attack it head on.

Good Luck!!!

[eurydice]

Thanks giggle4fun, cute name! I have my test results and I looked at them. My Free T4 was well within normal range. Thanks for that though, because I didnt' know about that. I take a cal mag pill very night. Maybe I'm not taking enough. Thanks alot for your reply.

[Paleoanth]

Originally posted by eurydice
Thanks giggle4fun, cute name! I have my test results and I looked at them. My Free T4 was well within normal range. Thanks for that though, because I didnt' know about that. I take a cal mag pill very night. Maybe I'm not taking enough. Thanks alot for your reply.

My T4 and T3 were well within normal ranges and I am still hypothyroid. My TSH was begining to get high. What is your TSH level? New studies are showing it should be between 1 and 2 and not up to 5 for normalcy.

Paleoanth

[eurydice]

Hi Paleoanth, thanks for your reply. My TSH goes from 3-5-8.something. I couldn't tolerate the meds. Basically, I was just wondering if anyone else had a TSH at this level and couldnt' tolerate meds for it. Yes, I read also that they are now considering 5 to be high. That's why I'm wondering what the heck is going on with the specialists I've seen! Oh and I made a mistake regarding giggle4funs post-I didn't look up my T3 I looked up my T4 instead. It's funny- I'm looking in my records and there are lots of tests for TSH and Free T4, but no T3. I'll have to look into that. Thanks again.

[jacksonr]

Keep the faith. I've gained 20# before I got on synthroid 4 years ago and another 15# after. Even though I was exercising 4-6 hours a week. Then I discovered the LC solution and dropped 45# in 5 months. Some people tell that was too fast but all I did was LC and eat what I was allowed like a pig.

LC and hypothyroid can work but you face two hurdles.

1. It seems to take forever to get the synthroid dose up to a good level for the symptoms to go away. The DR has to step it up slowly 4-6 weeks apart to avoid going too high which is just as dangerous or more so than too low. It took 3 months after I was diagnosed before I started feeling normal. But it does happen.

2. The metabolism never raises up to a high level which makes it hard to lose # and hard to find the energy to exerise. I was using carb drinks to get through the exercise (Sorry folks I didn't know the truth then!~#$). That was the period when I gained the 15# in spite of the exercise.

Then I discovered the LC lifestyle and started losing but the combination of low metabolism and no carbs left me depleted so I couldn't keep up the exercise. But I read on this page about coconut oil and MCT. These are low carb energy boosters that replaces the high carb energy drinks I was using. Now I get through a 2 hour workout with ease. I use the MCT supplement. 6 carbs per dose. People have told me bad things about eating the coconut oil although I have not seen anything written bad about it. I use it as butter on my morning toast. (The only bread i eat.) Check out MCT at health supply stores. I found it at the second one I tried. BUT YOU PROBABLY SHOULDNT MESS WITH IT UNTIL YOUR SYNTHROID DOSE IS STABILIZED. THE DR SHOULD BE DOSING YOUR NORMAL METABOLISM.

[eurydice]

Jacksonr, thanks for the positive news. My doctor (on the advice of 2 specialists won't treat me until my TSH reaches 10. It was 6.79 last time, but it has been as high as 8.30. I tried low doses of generic l-thyroxine (generic synthroid) but it made me feel bad. (A different bad than normal) So I'm not on any kind of thyroid med and it looks like I won't be, unless something changes. So anyway, I'm just going to continue on with my lowcarb lifestyle and drag myself outside to bike as many times as I can and I will WILL myself to lose weight! I've been to a mulititude of doctors, and won't be going to any more-unless I know that the doctor is going to be different than the ones I've already seen. Thanks for the positive feedback!

[cathiechas]

:wave: Hi,
I was put on levothroid a month ago about a week before I started LCing. I have only lost about 5 pounds on the scale but I feel like it is more. I am getting blood tested for my levels next week and will probably have to increase until it is normal and I feel better. I too was saving all my energy for work and could barely do anything else. Now I can shop and do light housework without needing a nap. I am napping less and have better stamina. I still dont feel up to exercise but hopefully with the next increase in medication I will.

My symptoms of hypothyroid were more severe than my blood tests indicated. i felt headaches and weird the first 3 days on the meds but now I feel normal. My doctor said that their is pig thyroid which contains T3 and T4 that people can take when they cant tolerate synthroid. There are also natural supplements available.

I would like to lose weight a little faster but if I keep going on a downward trend I will be happy.

Cath :sunny:

[roleft]

I found out last March that I had no thyroid function at all. My symptoms were DEPRESSION, weepiness, fatigue!, hair loss, lots of aches and pains, bloating, loss of appetite (but gain of weight), etc. I thought I was losing it! Finding out about my thyroid disease was actually a relief.

It did take about 9 months for me to start feeling fairly normal again...tweaking of the dosage was the big thing. I'm hovering around 3 right now which I still think is a little high, but the doc I have now thinks it's fine. I was found to be very anemic back in December...a time-released iron supplement prescription has helped immensely...more than the synthroid.

Don't expect treatment to help right away...your body has a lot to recover from. Anemia is also another symptom of thyroid disease, so make sure you are checked for that.