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I have hypothyroidism, and I am not overweight. In fact, I have a six pack. I run for 30 minutes a few days a week, and I eat pretty healthy food. I might have one treat per day (some cookies, 1 donut, etc), and the rest of my meals are healthy. I try to avoid fried and sugary foods and drinks, and I opt for grilled/baked and high protein food instead. Losing weight is all about making healthy choices, thyroid disorder or not. The question is, how much self-control do you have?
I have never met anyone that blamed their weight on a thyroid issue though.
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Originally Posted by Geneyus
Right, but self control and laziness is the ultimate decider on whether you're gaining weight. If I'm gaining weight when I don't want to, I will either eat healthier or exercise more. It isn't that difficult, and I won't blame my thyroid for something I can control.
I'm guessing you take meds and are pretty stable? When I'm stable I can lose weight pretty easily (with effort, but I see results). Getting stable is another headache though. Right now I'm not.
I live a pretty healthy lifestyle. I run daily (or almost daily) and do strength training a few times a week. I don't eat anything made from pig or cow with the exception of dairy every so often (a serving of greek yogurt or hard cheese). I haven't had soda in years and I don't eat processed food or "crap snacks".
I would like to lose about 10-15lbs (I'm in a healthy range but I'm not happy with my weight). It's been damn near impossible and I've given up for now. I changed doctors and have gone through all the labs and imaging again. I'm waiting on the lab results and a consult with a dietitian.
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Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth
Since you bring this up, I thought I'd just mention that there's a type of thyroid med used in Europe that isn't used in the US, but you can get it through Canada, online. Some patients thrive on it. It's called "erfa thyroid". You can Google it, if you're not happy with your current med, and experiment with it under your doc's supervision. It's similar to armour thyroid, meaning it's a dessecated animal thyroid, but the T3/T4 balance in it is slightly different. Some patients get much better results on it. Some women report their thin eyebrows fill in, and the hair on their head thickens up, in addition to other benefits (more energy, etc.)
Ohhhh man! I was getting all excited until I realized it's also made from pig.
Genetics may contribute to being slightly overweight (overweight being above 25% bodyfat in men and about 35% in women) by about 15-25 pounds, but people who are 50 pounds or more overweight are not even trying (unless they have a rare medical issue). It takes an absurd number of calories to sustain high bodyweight, especially if exercise is involved. Imagine going for a walk with a 50 pound backpack on - you're going to burn a lot more calories carrying around that extra weight. Genetic predispositions to be fat combined with poor diet and exercise habits will lead to being very obese, however.
As a bodybuilder, I'm well aware of my bodytype. I am genetically predisposed towards being fat. I was at one point 50 pounds overweight. I got there because I was completely sedentary and had a poor diet. After adopting more healthy habits, I was about to lose about 35 pounds, but plateaued when I was still about 15 pounds overweight, probably due to my genetics. At that point, it took calorie counting and high intensity exercise to get me down to the point where I actually had visible abs. Due to my genetics, it's extremely difficult for me to stay lean enough to have a visible six pack unless I worked out all the time (but I live in the real world and work full time), but I'm able to at least stay within about 10 pounds of having a six pack, so I'm still relatively lean.
I am not denying that choices and self-control is a factor in weight. For many it is the leading cause. I wont disagree with that. The issue is that not everyone who is fat is lazy. As I mentioned at a 2000 calorie diet, eating really healthy (turkey replacing hamburgers, hotdogs, bacon, sausage, cutting myself off early at dinner, eating half of a bagel for breakfast), working out at least 30 minutes a day (sometimes 60+), walking and all, I was at best at 236. That's alot better than the 296 I was. I am in the 250s right now and I admit I can do better but with my parents builds, I am a bit behind the eight ball as well.
That said, I think that with thyroid issues (another that can cause obesity without being lazy) it is a similar cause similar to being pre-disposed because it is another hurdle to get over the hump.
As a physician I can confirm this. Many people do have thyroid problems, but most do not.
People don't want to admit that they're old, sit around all the time, and eat too much.
I would agree that statistically speaking the majority of people who are overweight do not have thyroid problems. But I certainly hope that if you are a physician who treats the public you do not just ASSUME that people are lying about what they eat and don't check their thyroids if they have multiple symptoms on the list of symptoms of hypothyroidism. Many of the symptoms do not require a patient's opinion. They can be SEEN by someone who is knowledgeable about thyroid issues.
Ohhhh man! I was getting all excited until I realized it's also made from pig.
Yeah, the only choices are pig or cow glandular material, or synthetic (synthroid). There's a homeopathic thyroid product from Sweden that I've had good luck with, but I think even that used animal glandular material, though in homeopathic doses. There's no way around it. I've tried "Oriental medicine" (Chinese herbs and acupuncture) and Tibetan medicine (herbs), but there's nothing that supports the thyroid like glandular supplements.
Why do Americans have different DNA composition than people from around the world? Americans seem to be the only ones with these magical "hormonal problems" that cause them to be 50 lbs+ overweight.
It's not as though the rest of the world is eating organic grass watered by the tears of a unicorn
Why do Americans have different DNA composition than people from around the world? Americans seem to be the only ones with these magical "hormonal problems" that cause them to be 50 lbs+ overweight.
It's not as though the rest of the world is eating organic grass watered by the tears of a unicorn
Your right.
My excuse for being 25 pounds overweight is that I love food. There has to be a percentage of people who's thyroid indirectly causes them to carry additional weight however there is also a healthy percentage of excuse makers out there that will claim any number of physical issues cause them to not be able to exercise.
Like I said in an earlier post, it's human nature to procrastinate and make excuses for things, especially things that they personally deem as being unpleasant.
People need to claim ownership of who and what they are. Your gay? Fine. Your 3' 2" tall ? Fine, your overweight? Fine but for Christ's sake own who you are.
But someone here will say that society is cruel and that to admit certain things is dangerous.
Ok, I totally get that but don't come on here and act offended and defensive because people bring up that fact that many people make excuses for their lives, in this case being overweight.
This subject touches the soft underbelly and because of that a few will become uncomfortable.
I was recently diagnosed as being hypothyroid. I think I have been this way for a long time though as I have had all of the symptoms for many years prior to being diagnosed. I could, for the most part, maintain my weight through a very strict diet but oddly, adding in exercise would make me gain. I don't think I was adding muscle so the gains were mysterious. Having one or two bad eating days could also make me gain. When I found out I was hypothyroid with Hashimoto's, I made some dietary changes to support my thyroid. One of those changes was giving up all gluten. I ate very healthy and very small portions (One of the benefits of going gluten free is that I'm not as hungry without it in my diet) and after a month I didn't lose a single pound. That wasn't my goal with giving up gluten but it still would have been nice since people often lose weight quickly when giving it up. I just started taking armour. I hope it helps. I really just want to feel better. I drank soy formula as a baby and I have wondered if that might have opened the door to this. It does run in my family though so I suppose it could be any number of things. The amount if information is pretty overwhelming.
Yeah, that was good to see. You might try the pharmacy in Munich whose contact info she gives. They should have somebody there who speaks English.
In my town there are women who travel all the way to Belgium to see a certain thyroid doc or clinic there, who tests, and gives them an erfa-like med. They swear by this doc. It's great if you can afford trips to Belgium, but some of us can't quite manage that. Good to know Germany's onto this, too.
Sometimes I wonder if the failure of American doctors to put effort into figuring out what each patient needs is due to the tendency to think women are just emotional. Many doctors don't take us seriously. I complained for almost 4 years about being tired all the time and it got dismissed as me being post partum and juggling a job and children. One doctor went as far as to tell me "Some women just aren't meant to work outside the home". Finally, I got mad at my doctor and demanded she run every test she could think of. She called back the next day, every apologetic, and asked me to come back in for another blood draw because they needed to figure out my dosage of Synthroid. My TSH level was 87. That's 82 above normal at the time. I had been hypothyroid all that time yet not taken seriously because I was also a new mom. I saw half a dozen doctors during that time and not one of them ran a TSH titration. Later I learned that it is common for women who have babies after age 35 to become hypothyroid and there is actually a recommendation to check TSH shortly after delivery. I had baby 1 at 36 and baby 2 at 38. It should have been routine to check my TSH both times. Unfortunately, it appears that even doctors think fat people just lie to justify eating too much. Here I was complaining of classic symptoms under conditions known to cause the issue and they assumed I just couldn't handle working and kids.
Oh and I need to say thank you. When I was looking up erfa, I came across a note that caffeine slows the absorption of the T4 in Synthroid. My habit has been to not "eat" within an hour of taking my meds but I frequently pour a cup of coffee. Usually coffee doesn't count as food. In this case apparently it does. This morning I took my synthroid when I got up to go to the bathroom (I'm on diuretics too for edema) and I feel more alert and energetic as I type this 4 hours later. That cup of coffee right after taking my Synthroid may be part of my problem. This could be why they have so much trouble stabilizing me in the now lower normal range. It may be that I'm just drinking coffee too soon after taking my Synthroid.
That cup of coffee right after taking my Synthroid may be part of my problem. This could be why they have so much trouble stabilizing me in the now lower normal range. It may be that I'm just drinking coffee too soon after taking my Synthroid.
I'll let you know how this works.
I would bet it is!
I take my synthroid at 5am with a glass of water, then I run/workout, get everyone up and we get ready for work/school and then pour my coffee and walk out the door around 7:30. I have my breakfast at my desk around 8am. I have found in the past that even within 45 minutes I could not drink my coffee.
I take my synthroid at 5am with a glass of water, then I run/workout, get everyone up and we get ready for work/school and then pour my coffee and walk out the door around 7:30. I have my breakfast at my desk around 8am. I have found in the past that even within 45 minutes I could not drink my coffee.
I'm thinking that I'm going to start taking my coffee to go instead of pouring a cup as soon as I get up. My plan, (not on this schedule yet as the school year has just started and demands are different now) is to get up at 4:15, leave for the gym at 4:30, work out from 5:00-6:00 and pick up an egg white delight at McDonald's on the way to work (this is my reward for getting up so darned early to work out. They're ok for a diet.). If I take my synthroid at 4:15 and don't have my coffee until I'm on my way to work, I should be good.
This makes sense as to why they haven't been able to fine tune my stable range as the amount of caffeine and the closeness between the time I take my Synthroid and drink my coffee would vary from day do day. Hopefully, this will help with weight loss. We'll see. My next titration is scheduled for November. That's plenty of time to see what the impact is of not having caffeine before I've had a chance to absorb the T4 in the pill.
I've learned a lot in this thread about a condition I've known I have for 16 years. The formulation of the inert ingredients in the pill apparently impacts efficacy (which explains why I can't take the generics.) and caffeine slows absorption of T4. It would be really nice if it turns out this change makes me one of those people who just lose weight when on Synthroid. Seeing as I'm 55, I kind of doubt that but I'll settle for weight loss just being a little easier.
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Good to know Germany's onto this, too.
