Losing weight with thyroid problems

W

wutherhi

Cathlete
Is there anyone out there with a success story to tell about losing weight with thyroid problems? If so, I really need to hear it. I need to hear from someone who tried everything and just couldn't lose the weight--then finally found a solution. I've talked to a lot of people who, when finally diagnosed and treated, lost the weight. But I need to hear from someone who struggled even afterward, then finally succeeded. If there's anyone out there with this story, please tell me. What did you do? What was your exercise routine like? What did you eat? What was the turning point?

Thanks
 
Ok, this isn't quite what you're looking for, but I am going through the exact same thing!! However, just this week I finally lost a pound!! I know, I know, it doesn't sound like much, but given the fact, I haven't been able to lose ANYTHING, I'm ecstatic!!
What I did was come across a book by chance, called The Body Code. I took the test and believe it or not it classified me as a thyroid type. I have followed the suggested diet(as best I can;) )this past week and I've felt great and lost my first pesky pound!!
I'm not saying this is for eveyone, but so far, it's working for me:) !
Hope I helped you some!

Aimee
 
Aimee,

Any hope you can give me is infinitely appreciated! I'll check out the book immediately. And in the meantime, the guidelines for hypothyroidism have been revised and relaxed very, very recently. So if you tested normal before, you might ask your doctor to look at your score or retest using the revised guidelines. You might now qualify for treatment.

Thanks for your help and encouragement!
 
Oh, I've been on treatment since October! When I first had my TSH levels tested, the results were 39. I guess, that's pretty bad. I think the highest it should be is like 4. Doctor told me if I hadn't been exercising like I do, I'd be obese now, instead of just heavier.
I'm doing the body code along with my synthroid:7 . Hopefully, it'll wake up my thyroid. He he he!

Let me know what you think of the book. I'm thinking of trying to find one that a little more indepth.

Aimee
 
I was also diagnosed as hypothyroid and am taking synthroid since January 2002. I started to exercise last March 2002, was really having a hard time doing the work out coz of being overweight, but persisted. I was a size 16/18 when I started working out in March 2002, after watching my diet and consistently working out, started with Jane Fonda, Tae Bo and some Firms (became a size 12), then in August discovered Cathe (CTX series) - dropped to size 8/10. In October, I started walking on treadmill and now eventually doing walk/run intervals (3x a week) plus Cathe (MIC, MIS, Power Hour, Body Max, CTX and Intensity Series) and am a size 4/6 now and I feel great. I don't really know how much weight I lost coz I don't weigh myself, I just gauge my weight loss by taking measurements. So what works for me is consistent exercise - I work out 6 days a week, gave myself a week off in October to shake things up - and watching what I eat (not a lot of processed food) and I also drink tons of water and green tea. Good luck on your weight loss journey.

Nette
 
Hi I thought I would bring this back around and tell my story. I have successfully lost weight with I guess you could call it a thyroid problem. I had a thyroid nodule 13 years ago and after much testing I had it removed, it was benign. Because they wanted to suppress the other side from making another nodule( they only removed the one side and the ishmus because it was benign) I was put on synthroid to offset and stop the other side from working. I went onto have 3 boys and gained weight with each pregnancy. I then found myself at an all time high of 236 not pregnant:-( . I was not happy and decided to lose the weight. I had always exercised some but hadn't for a while with 2 boys and a nursing baby around it was hard. I tried losing on my own and only successfully lost 10 pounds, I had weaned my youngest and was totally disgusted with my body at that point, it still took another year for me to get my act together. My mother in law offered to pay for weight watchers but my dh wouldn't let me attend the meeting because he didn't want to watch the boys. I found Richard Simmons Food Mover at the time and for his whole program it was cheaper than WW. So my mil bought the program for me and I started with his exercise tapes and in 7 months lost another 70 pounds. I got down to 148 which for my height was really too skinny. I, mind you, did not do weights at all during this time only cardio. I moved onto step and taebo. That was 3 years ago. I kept the weight off for a little over a year and due to medication I have since gained back 40 pounds of it. It is not coming off nearly as easily this time, maybe due to my age. I have found Cathe and weight training so I am hoping things will change, I am also off the medication that put the weight back on. Even though I weigh more now I am wearing a smaller size than I was when I was this weight before so that tells you that the weights are doing something to tone and condense what is there allowing me to fit into smaller clothes. I am 38 almost 39 and am 5 ft 7 and weigh 190 at the moment, I will NOT hit 200 again and yet I have a 30-31 inch waist and I am very big busted(DD). So there you have my thyroid/ weight loss story. Hope it helps.
 
I am currently in the process of getting my thyroid tested. My doctor told me the "normal" range was 0.4 - 5.5. However, I did read online somewhere that the normal range is 4.8. My initial test result was 4.77. My doctor is giving me a referral to see an endocronologist to see if I have "subclinical" hypothyroidism - which, as I understand it, means a person can have symptoms and still be in the upper regions of the "normal" limit. There is a part of me that would like this diagnosis, because it would explain why I have gained 10 pounds in the last 1 1/2 years, even though I have been trying to lose weight the entire time. However, the other part of me is afraid of the diagnosis because it seems alot of people still have troubles even with treatment. I found a website that may help, www.about.thyroid.com (I think).

If you find anything positive - pass it on!

Good Luck, Lisa
 
Thank you all for your help and your stories. It helps so much to know that some people are finding success and that I'm not the only one struggling with this. It sounds like such a small complaint in the grand scheme of things, but it looms pretty large in my mind, because of the frustration as much as anything else. I started the Atkins diet this week in hopes that it will make a difference. I don't like the idea of it one bit. A balanced diet has always made more sense to me, but I guess I'll give it a good, all-out try. I know I can maintain my weight on a balanced diet--if I could only lose the rest of this extra weight. If it helps me to do that, I guess it can't be too bad for the short-term. I'll let you know if it works.

Thanks again
 
Lisa, I don't know if you saw this, but about now says that endocrinologists are saying TSHs between 3 and 5.5 could be too high and might need treatment. Mine was at 4.9 last time I was tested, but I'm gunshy after my doctor sent me for a bunch of tests that ended up costing me $700 and proving nothing. Plus, his nurse doesn't think I have a thyroid problem because I haven't lost my hair. I've been actively trying to lose weight since 1999. I took off my baby weight by 1998, but in 1999, gained about 30 pounds and have gained an average of ten pounds each year since. I'm incredibly frustrated, depressed, and disgusted. (I have a family history of thyroid problems, too.)

Congratulations for getting your doctor to take it seriously! Good luck... even if getting treated doesn't help you lose weight, you'll still feel better. I suspect treatment helps most people... the ones it helps are not posting on the about forums.
 
Hi, there! Not a success story - yet. Someday I hope to be but my original thyroid test came back at 98.5 back in November! That's the highest reading I've ever seen anyone say they had. The doctor told me it would take a LONG time for my thyroid levels to get back down to normal. I go for my 3 month checkup on Thursday so I'll see how much my reading has dropped. I know I haven't lost any weight based on how my clothes (or don't fit as the case may be!) since I avoid the scale like the plague. In my case, I think I could have lost a little if I had done less emotional eating but Thanksgiving, Christmas, and installing a major project at work a couple weeks ago didn't help matters. Part of my problem is that I really love to eat. There, I admit it. I feel also like I've been using my thyroid and my injured knee (another story) as an excuse for the past few months. Well, the knee is better and when my thyroid levels are back down to normal, I won't have an excuse anymore.

This is not to say that it's all just lack of willpower on my part. But I can't rule out the effects of my thyroid either. I am tired all the time despite the medication and getting adequate sleep. The doctor did say it would take awhile before we get the dosage exactly right for my body.

I guess the only advice I can give is to hang in there :)

I for one am inspired by others success stories. Hopefully, I'll be writing a success story, too in the near future.
 
You know, I never went to the about.com forums because I was afraid it would only be negative information and bum me out even more.

I read an interesting article in Time or Newsweek that said self-diagnosing and/or researching a condition on the internet can be problematic because alot of symtoms are so general, and could apply to anyone. The author stated that based on several websites, he potentially has several conditions, including manic-depression.

I am still unsure what course to take with the thyroid tests. Some days I am hopeful and exercise and eat right. Other days, I feel hopeless and end up pigging out. Now, I am 37 yrs old, 5'5", wear a size 12, and weigh 158, my highest non-pregnancy weight in over 20 years.

I looked the best ever the summer of 2001. I had lost my pregnancy weight from the year before and started lifting weights. For the first time ever, I felt good in a bathingsuit. But I didn't like the number on the scale. I felt it was too high and continued all sorts of diets - weight watchers, slimfast, counting calories. And now, I up 10 more pounds, and it all went to my stomach and waistline.

My doctors appt in 3/7- so I have to be patient.

Lisa
 
RE: Losing weight with thyroid problems-

Lisa, that author is right that self-diagnosing is not a good thing. Unfortunately, sometimes we're driven to it by doctors who just don't care. I had no idea what a thyroid was when I got really ill. I actually lost weight very quickly in a short amount of time before I started gaining all this weight (but I was too sick to enjoy being thinner). I turned to the Internet in desperation when it became clear that doctors weren't going to help. I'm pretty disgusted with that, too, because there is so much misinformation out there... and of course I'm upset that it has had to come to that.

I hear you about high non-pregnancy weight. I'm right at the same weight I was at the day I gave birth. It's especially frustrating as I had gotten back to my normal adult weight and was doing fine until I got sick.
 
You might want to read Dr. Atkins "New Diet Revolution." He addresses thyroid problems. I was totally against "atkins"--a prejudice based on misinformation. When I finally looked at it, it made a great deal of sense. After over 13 years of faithfully following the low-fat, low-protein, high-complex carbohydrate diet, I was finally ready to listen. I ate perfectly (brown rice and broccoli--no refined carbohydrates), exercised 6 days a week (cardio and weights), and eliminated fat and most protein from my diet. All I had to show for my efforts was fat and frustration. Plus, my health was going downhill even though I was living a "healthy" lifestyle.
Anyway, after 2 months on Atkins, I feel great! No more fatigue, PMS, bloating, cramps, joint pain, etc. I have much more stamina and strength for my weight workouts. And, best of all, the fat I couldn't loose no matter what (even with starvation) is almost gone. Nothing else worked, and I mean I tried everything under the sun!
Do yourself a favor and at least read the book (save money and get one from the Library). Their Website at www.atkinscenter.com is excellent. I wish I had known this years ago, but I probably wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't proved to myself that it is the only way.
 
This is so interesting to me. Let me tell you my story. I thought I was suffering from carpel tunnel. Have been in pain for many years but too stubborn to have the surgery even though a dr. recommended it. Well, finally consented that maybe I do need this and went to a new dr. She did not think that I had carpel tunnel and did some blood work on me and found out that I have an underactive thyroid. This could be causing my problems. Have also been real tired lately and putting on a bit of weight even though I work out for about 1 1/2 hours 5 mornings a week with Cathe. Pretty good eating habits. Anyways I start my meds tomorrow.......it will be interesting to see what happens.

Would love to hear others stories.

Karen
 
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