Weight loss and underactive thyroid

[Khaleesi78]

Hi!

Just wanting a little help. Are there any posters on here who have managed to successfully lose weight with an underactive thyroid?

I've put on 3 stone in total (but I'm on levothyroxine now so hopefully no more will go on) and it's all gone around my stomach and bum. My confidence is in tatters and have been told by the doctor that it'll be hard to shift especially at my age (40).

Does anyone have experience of this?

I would suggest taking the thyroxine early morning well before breakfast on an empty stomach- some people swear by this others don’t

Not having breakfast until around 10am, lunch around 1.30 and dinner around 6-8pm but no snacking at all if you can help it

Lots and lots of exercise helps me, it helps me sleep, reduces my appetite & and keeps me busy so I don’t eat

Good luck

But remember it’s not putting on weight and any loss is a bonus

Thanks for your reply! I know exercise works for me better than any diet but I'm also gonna be drinking a green tea concoction that I used before (I lost half a stone in 2 weeks without changing diet or exercise) but I would like a more steady weight loss to make sure I shed the weight and it stays off!

I was underweight pre diagnosis. I didn’t fit the mound

And since being on Levo i have lost more and I can I’ll afford to.

My Doc said that once you have the correct Levo dose, then you are essentially completely “normal” as simply replacing the missing hormone with identical hormone in Levo.

I read, I think on nhs, that weight gain of no more than a stone may be a result of under active thyroid.

It is important not to focus on the thyroid as reason for weight gain. Otherwise you will not lose the weight.

Oh definitely have in morning on empty stomach and about hour before eating or caffeine.

It may take a bit of time to get dosing right, but don’t lose heart. You’ll get there

I think the Levothyroxine will really help and you'll find that just healthy eating and exercise, i.e. what you'd normally do to lose weight, will start working. I take it first thing and it does seem most effective that way. I eat breakfast soon afterwards, though- see what works for you.

I'm mid-40s, on Levothyroxine for 6 years, stable weight. I like walking, swimming and the elliptical trainer, plus pilates to keep that pesky "Mummy tummy" under control (it'll never really go away, but looks slightly better ).

Also keep alcohol intake low, that makes a big difference for me. A few glasses of wine a week and my waistband gets much tighter - that might be my age as well.

Good luck, you'll honestly feel SO much better after a few weeks on Levothyroxine, my energy levels were much higher.

Oh, as PPs have said, your hormone levels will fluctuate so you should go in for regular blood tests to ensure you're still on the right dose.

I have them every six months and my doctor has altered my prescription a few times.

Has your GP got your Levo at the optimal dosage yet? Your GP needs to keep checking this. Make sure you get the results, so you can ensure you are happy with it too.

It can take a while to get right. Do you know why you are hypothyroid? Do you have Hashimoto's?

Also, have you had ferritin, B12, Vit D and folate checked? These can often be low in people who are hypothyroid.

Once you are optimally treated and your body is back in sync, you should find it easier to address weight loss. However, for most people they are hypothyroid for a loooooooooooong time before diagnosis, so it can take a while for everything to work as it should again.

Sorry not nhs

British thyroid foundation

About 5-10 pounds generally attributable to under active thyroid weight gain

www.btf-thyroid.org/information/articles/280-thyroid-and-weight-the-science

I think part of the weight gain is also due to POS according to the doctor but I really need to shed some as it's getting me down.

It's taken almost a year to get diagnosis and at the right dosage, I go every 6 weeks to get the levels checked. Haven't had any vitamin levels checked to my knowledge? Is it worth taking a supplement?

Khaleesi78, you could ask if your GP would consider checking them before embarking on supplements you may or may not need. Again ensure you get a copy of the results as you can be really low in the range and a GP will say that this is 'normal'. Whilst it may be normal, that doesn't mean it is optimal for good health - IYSWIM.

Yeah I see what you mean, I'll see if I can get those checked next time. Thank you for the advice, much appreciated!