Losing weight with an underactive thyroid

[Onelittlepiglet]

Hello, I am trying to lose weight with an underactive thyroid (diagnosed 5 years ago and I'm on 100mcg thyroxine daily) and I'm finding it pretty hard going. Been doing this for two weeks and have lost nothing. I'm not very overweight - could do with losing a stone. I put on some weight while pregnant with dc2 (who is now 8 months old). I am also still breastfeeding so don't want to do anything extreme.

I keep resting conflicting advice about diet. Some people say cutting all carbs, sugar, grain and dairy is the way to go (so basically eating meat and veg...) is the only way to do it. Others say just a sensible diet reducing sugar/refine carb intake will work and dairy is fine.

So which is it?! Has anyone here had any success in losing weight with an underactive thyroid and what did you do?

I know exercise is key so I am trying to do two classes of zumba a week and and doing as much walking as I can, but I need to sort out my diet too.I currently try and eat sensibly. Have cut out chocolate/cake, alcohol and pretty much all bread for now. I have porridge or fruit and yoghurt for breakfast, some kind of chickpea or bean salad for lunch with hummus/cottage cheese/lean meat, or possibly an omelette and then something like chili or bolognese in the evening with sweet potatoes instead of rice/pasta or sometimes just having a little portion of rice/pasta.

Any help or words of advice very welcome!

[bakingtins]

Have you had your thyroid levels checked recently? I believe it's common for them to need adjusting after childbirth. If you are euthyroid on your meds that bit shouldn't be making a difference.
I have a Dd the same age and I've lost 2 stone over about 6 months following SW principles loosely, walking 15000 steps a day and using MFP to track calories. Try Mfp for a week just to log what you are eating, I found it surprising where the calories were creeping up. It will probably suggest 1200 cals a day which I think is too low if you are Bf I allow myself 300 extra bf cals ( kellymom says 500 for exBF but my baby has solids and one Ff a day)

[chipsandpeas]

im the same, i struggle to lose weight, i find that i need to eat approx 1200 calories a day and exercise a few times a week in order to lose 1lb
im due bloods soon but i know they will come back within normal range as they have the past few years but im convinced i should be on a slightly higher dosage
at the moment im trying to cut out a lot of crap from my diet, its far from being perfect but its a start so keeping a eye on this thread with interest

[cococandyfloss]

I lost 3 stone last year -put 1/2 stone back on at end of year and Christmas time and am just away to try and lose that 1/2 stone plus an extra one on top this year.
I am on 125mg Thyroxine and if I eat healthy and diet can lose around 1lb a week. It is slow going though so you have to prepare yourself for the long haul.
I tried to walk 10k steps a day when I could plus a Zumba class once a week and I also did an Insanity class for the 3 months before my holiday. Hard work but worth it as felt so much better and a lot less tired. Just trying to get my motivation back now to get back to it !

[CadiM]

I managed to lose about 3 stones in one year with an underactive thyroid (I've been on thyroxine for years but one year my GP practice told me my annual results were normal and I didn't find out that they hadn't been until the following test). I did weight watchers initially, followed by a bit of myfitnesspal and 5:2, which works well for me, plus greatly increasing my exercise. I've lost 5 stones now: it doesn't fall off, even with normal levels, but it's steady when I steer clear of cake. I really love cake. I didn't follow a low carb diet, I can't stick to one.