Proposing a thyroid check in (yes, another check in!)

[Joni]

Hi ladies! (and our token boys!)

Several of us in another thread were discussing weight loss with thyroid disease and thought it might be a good idea to start a check in to compare notes and experiences. It seems that many of us share similarities like the need to stick with a low calorie and low carb diet, how hard it is to find a balance between a low-enough calorie diet and an intense-enough workout regimen, the fact that it's tough to exercise if you're dealing with debilitating fatigue.

So many of us seem to eat very little, eat clean, and exercise a lot without losing weight. "The math" (calories in vs. calories out) doesn't work for us. So what does?

Let's support each other! Who's in?

Joni
Cbelle
Jenny (jrgood)
Terri (mnglamourgirl)

Cbelle - I suck at check ins too, but this is one I'd probably participate in regularly because a) this is such an awesome community, and b) how awesome would it be to figure out a thryoid rotation? :7

 

[mnglamourgirl]

I just wanted to chime in and say that I'm probably on the "high end" of the calorie spectrum, eating about 1700-1800 calories a day. Like Joni said, it is hard to eat enough calories to have the necessary energy for a high-intensity or long workout. But what I think is great about this check-in or support is that we can see what works for people who have trouble with their thyroid.

Here's something to ponder: if your medication increases your T3 to an acceptable level (where you can lose weight) would you still consider yourself hypothyroid?

Terri

 

[Joni]

I would (will! mine was at mid-range last time I had it checked). Unless your free T3 goes well over the upper end of the reference range, you're still hypo in my opinion. At one point my free T3 was slightly above the high end and I still felt hypo, but it scared me so I backed way down on my dosage. I'd tried to up it too quickly anyway. Since then I've been slowly upping my dose and monitoring using my heart rate (doctor's advice). It's definitely a balancing act.

 

[hopefull]

What tests does your doctor do? I had my levels checked 3 months ago. I swear I need more meds, but my doctor won't perscribe more because my levels were 1.3. I know the normal test they do doesn't really even check thyroid levels. It checks the level of the hormone that tells your thyroid to work. My thinking is that if I'm taking meds, and that gland is still telling my thyroid it isn't enough I need more, but this doctor says that I am on the hyper end of the spectrum now. She said this is right where I should be? I SURE DON'T FEEl HYPER and my body temp never rises above 97 degrees, in fact it usually is 96.X. Isn't low body temp one of the major symptoms of being hypo?

 

[BeckyU]

I'll join! It is always great to hear what is working and not working for people with the same condition.

Count me in

Becky

 

[mnglamourgirl]

Hopeful, your TSH levels sound right on. Is there a reason you want your meds upped? I just had my TSH tested last week; it's 2.41 so the doc is upping my meds. That's just too high for me and I've been at a weight loss stand-still since end of October. In the meantime, I have to watch every morsel and workout 5-6 days/week. Sucks when there's no results to show for it.

BTW, are we going to start the check-in?

Terri

 

[Joni]

RE: Proposing a thyroid check in (yes, another check in...

Hmmm... don't take this as advice, maybe just a suggestion for further research. I've learned, and my doc agrees, that suppressing the TSH until it's realllly low and getting the free T3 at the upper end of normal is where most women feel best. That's the goal I'm working toward with Armour. Last time I had my bloodwork done, my TSH was low, but my FT3 was mid-range, so I've upped my dose to 120 mg in a divided dose (am/pm). Most of my symptoms have resolved (fatigue, low endurance, brain fog, depression, PMS, sensitivity to cold) but I'm still not losing weight. I'm thrilled that my other symptoms are gone though, and I hope that since I no longer battle the fatigue I can "get my Cathe on" more consistently. I just started weight training again and it feels great.

I also have more energy to eat clean, though I'm still working on it . I eat clean and low calorie 95% of the time, but I suspect that, other tweaks are needed like no starchy carbs or high-glycemic fruit late in the day.

One of the best books I've found is: The Thyroid Solution by Dr. Ridha Arem: http://www.amazon.com/Thyroid-Solution-Mind-Body-Depression-Regaining/dp/0345429206/

I've also learned a lot from Mary Shomon's books and websites: http://www.thyroid-info.com/ and http://thyroid.about.com/library/links/blthyroid.htm

Educating yourself is your strongest defense!

 

[mnglamourgirl]

RE: Proposing a thyroid check in (yes, another check in...

You may have something here. At 2.41, my TSH is on the high end of normal and my doc agreed to up my dosage. In my case, the thyroid was damaged during pregnancy; somehow the body started to attack it. When I started synthroid, I weighed 182 lbs. (I'm 5'7"). I managed to get down to 145 lbs. but then started to have symptoms of hyperthryoid. The doc lowered the dosage. Well, now it has to be increased again and I weigh 149 lbs. I wonder if my thyroid has become more damaged? Is it my age (38)? Natural decrease in metabolism? I guess what it's taught me is to get annual bloodtests to stay on top of this. What triggered this blood test is that I haven't been able to lose weight despite consistent workouts and very clean eating.

Terri

 

[hopefull]

I've had this problem for a long time...needless to say I can tell when my levels aren't right. Read the post a few more down. They listed the symptoms well. I've talked to my doc again. When I had my levels checked last time she wrote me a knew Rx. I had it filled, but the pills looked different. I asked about it and the pharmacy had switched brands. Didn't think much about it, but after taking the new pills for about 6 weeks I noticed I wasn't feel myself and took stock of my symptoms. That's when I asked her to up my dosage. I guess all thyroid supplements are not created equal. My doctor told me to go back to the brand I was taking and see if things got better. Too soon to tell. If things don't improve in a few weeks she's agreed to do further tests. You can add rosacea flaring up, heavy uncomfortable period, to the list of symptoms that follow in the next post. I've learned from past experience that it doesn't take a big change in meds to feel better. Too much can make you feel as bad as too little, but when things are right I feel good, and really have no symptoms.

 

[jrgood]

RE: Proposing a thyroid check in (yes, another check in...

Joni, it sounds like you and I are being treated similarly. My doctor doesn't care if my TSH is supressed because it's not unusual for Armour to do that. But he asked me to lower my dosage because my Free T3 was over the top.

But he tested me mid-morning and I told him my levels would be too high then and they were. Does your doctor suggest testing at a certain time?

Also I haven't been splitting my dose because the Armour can give me insomnia. So I was taking 145 mg all at once. And I did have trouble with increased heart rate (especially when trying to do cardio). So on one hand backing down to 120 mg has been good. Unfortunately, 1) I stopped losing weight. 2) My hypo symptoms return after 2-3 weeks of being on the lower dose.

I have other issues to that make it difficult to exercise the way I would like (untreated sleep apnea, fibromyalgia, recently acquired bulging or herniated disc), so I'm definitely frustrated and still in denial about needing to lower my caloric intake. Jenny

 

[Calico]

I might be up for another check in. I have been on synthroid since 1990 and have lost and gained weight too many times and right now need to lose but can't find the right way for me to do it.