Under Active Thyroid Anyone?

[HHP1173]

Hi Everyone...

Just wanted to reach out and ask if anyone using Fitbit has an under active thyroid and ISNT using medication out there?

I suffer with all the usual symptoms, but didn't want to start the medication - and you can imagine that the weight increase is pretty awful. I'm looking to find some supporters out there who have similar challenges for some motivation and some tips on how to make my weight loss work without having to use meds...

[birdwatcher16 · Accepted solution]

Why wouldn't you want to take the daily pill?  When I was finally diagnosed correctly, my resting heart beat was 34.  Everything I ate turned up somewhere on my body.  I had a bald spot growing on my head and my finger nails were splitting.  My cardiologist was preparing to purchase my pace maker when he took one more look at my blood work and noticed my TCH.  Without the pill, I would have a device in my chest.  I can't understand why anyone wouldn't want this simple solution.  I pay 9.99 for a three months supply.  I really couldn't imagine life without my little pill each day.  I regard it the same way I do my daily vitamin. 

[HHP1173]

I didn't want to become reliant on it if I am honest and I'm not a great advocate of medication, and I've read some stories of negative feedback which had put me off.

I suspect that I may end up having to take the pill eventually, considering my energy levels are zero but I had wanted to at least try and do something naturally.

[birdwatcher16 · Accepted solution]

You cannot resolve this 'naturally'.  Your thyroid isn't producing the hormone required to keep your body working.   Without this drug I wouldn't be able to get out of bed.  You are wasting valuable time pushing back against this hormone.  Your body needs it.  Get on it as quickly as possible and the positive results will soon come.

[AmberBart]

I was diagnosed with hypothyriodism in Feb of this year and had no idea the damage it was doing to my body.  My metabolism was so slow, I was packing on weight, my insulin was screwed up and I was borderline diabetic and felt like crap. It was all traced back to my thyroid.

I started Nature Thyriod and Iodine supplements in Feb and since then I'm down 30 lbs, my energy is through the roof, Ive experienced no negative effects from the thyroid meds (no hairloss etc) and I've done a complete 180.

Thyriod disease left untreated will lead to a huge number of long term complications.Weight gain, diebetes, goiters, heart issues and destroying your metabolism.

Please get on treatment as soon as possible - leaving it untreated is very dangerous and reckless. 

[paperclip]

I have to agree with everyone here.  Before taking the thyroid pill daily, I was convinced I'd be bald in a year among other many other issues.  The steroid I also have to take is my frustration (sooooo many side effects) but the alternative is just not one I want to live with.

When you start taking that pill, you're going to wonder why you waited.  You'll be doing yourself such a favour.

[HHP1173]

Hi Everyone

Thank you all for your responses and concern, much appreciated.

I will be making an appointment to see my doctor and get checked out next week and I will give the meds a try.

Thank You!

[believe1st]

Thyroid is no joke. I found about about 10 years ago. I tried to be going to the gym 5 days a week. I was talking to nutritionists.  I was eating health. Nothing honestly was helping.  Going to school and working i was very exhausted.  When I didn't work or study long nights all I did was sleep, eat, gym.  I couldn't concentrate, I was tired, no energy.  I went to the dr. and I was diagnosed.  I always had a weight problem.  Medication has controlled my HypoThyroidism. I didn't lose weight drastically.  Mother of 2 really gave me little time for myself.  Now after nine years I'm really working in becoming a better me.  Drinking meds is not my thing.  I hate drinking my meds...but its for my own good.  Remember when becoming a parent to always drink you meds.

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@HHP1173 wrote:

Hi Everyone

Thank you all for your responses and concern, much appreciated.

I will be making an appointment to see my doctor and get checked out next week and I will give the meds a try.

Thank You!

---

[LLL1962]

I am 52 and started taking synthroid when I was 35. I am glad to see you decided on the meds. They have helped me a lot. It's still hard to lose weight, but I feel better. Make sure the doc checks T3, T4, TSH, and thyroid antobodies. If you have antibodies, you will be diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Same treatment, but it is autoimmune. Very common. Good luck!

[JLR-63]

Hi HHP1173,

I hope you're doing well. It's been a few months since your post, so I'm wondering now how you did with your doctor, and if - in fact - your symptoms were hypothyroidism, and if medication has helped.

I respect your desire to avoid daily pills. I feel the same way. But yes, I take Synthroid/Levothyroxine daily and have for about 18 months now.

It helped very quickly (within 2 weeks) with the usual symptoms ... fatigue, hair loss, yada yada yada ... but what I found, despite a gradual increase in dosage (from 25mcg to now 75mcg), the  weight has been the hardest battle. There was a 15 pound gain in the months just before diagnosis and, despite conscious efforts over the first year, another 10 pound gain overall.

Because I am so medication averse, I am now looking for ways to naturally help my thyroid do its job, in concert with the meds to try and avoid an ever-increasing dosage, and shed the extra 25 pounds of weight.

Part of that effort is using my Fitbit for an accurate record of the amount of activity it takes to keep my metabolism up, and the dashboard to see how my weight is responding to activity. It gives me a great visual of where I am, where I've been, and keeps me moving toward where I want to be.

Other tactics now include avoiding those foods which are indicated as 'bad' thyroid foods and including more of the foods, vitamins and minerals indicated as 'good' for thyroid health.
I'm also doing some yoga that's supposed to help thyroid health.

As a fellow medication averse person, who is now on meds daily for the rest of her life, I am interested to know how you're doing.

JLR

[itzjustjude63]

I first went to my doctor, an internest, with weight concerns. She said eat less and excercise more. I spoke to my gynecologist and he ordered bloodwork. He is the one who discovered I had Hashimoto's and put me on Levothyroxine.  I went to an endrinocrinologist and she found my levels normal and kept the same dosage of Levothyroxine. I am having hot flashes regularly and I am warm most of the time. Someone posted to stop the generic and go with the name brand because it does not work as well. I will ask my doctor tomorrow. It will be the second time I have seen her. I just got my bloodwork done a week ago. She will go over my results with me tomorrow. I do have nails that are paper thin. I wish they would grow stronger. Yes, I take all my vitamins and eat my salads, protein ( meat/fish/nuts) and fruit. 

[believe1st]

Thanks for sharing. I'm trying my best. I've even taking wellness classes
at Kaiser and my weight is the same. I eat clean, most of the week. I may
go out once or twice a week but I am looking for the healthy options. I
just got a stationery bike which will help me get back on track on
exercising so bow I'm praying....that everything will go into place. Have
you lost weight?

[JLR-63]

The good news on the scale this morning was that I am down 3 kg from my post here on 10/6/15 ...

And as of 10/16/15 the word from my latest bloodwork is that everything was in the 'normal' range, which means stable for six months at 75mcg levothyroxine.

This is going to sound like an endorsement for Fitbit, but the biggest help for me has been the food and activity logs.

There were some very big changes this month: walking 5k-10k six days a week; keeping my intake 500 calories under my expenditure; spacing small meals throughout the day; making sure fats account for 20% or less and protein 30% or more of daily food; and believe it or not - a few grams of salt!

I thought cutting back completely on salt was good for my health. Turns out Iodine is critical to thyroid health, and a touch of salt (2 grams) is enough. I'm also eating one Brazil nut each day (yes, just one!) for its selenium content - also reported to be important to thyroid health.

I wish it were easier. Some days it feels like a full-time job ... but as the scale slowly reveals success, and my bloodwork shows normal (healthy) levels, it's all worth it.

The Fitbit log makes keeping track of all these things simple. Just a glance at my phone app and I know where I'm at for food and activity at any given time.

[believe1st]

Very happy to hear the great news. Keep it up.

[itzjustjude63]

Yes I am slowly losing weight. I was at the endrinocrinologist's office
today. It was my second visit. She said my range was high for being in the
normal range so she upped my dosage to 75 from 50. She also put me on
Synthroid instead of the generic Levothyroxine. We shall see. She said this
might speed up my metabolism.I am down about 4 lbs in 2 weeks. That's a
start. I am almost down 1 pant size. Unfortunately, the night sweats and
hot flashes will not improve due to it being a menopausal symptom and not a
thyroid issue. She said it had to do with estrogen levels. I am not on
hormone replacement therapy. I did have a hysterectomy with removal of
ovaries in Jan 2013. So, we shall see if this new Synthroid dosage speeds
up my metabolism.

[itzjustjude63]

Congratulations. Good for you. Since my phone doesn't work with my Fitbit,
I don't log my info until I get home. I really don't log my food intake. I
should. My weight probably would drop off faster.

[JLR-63]

It's interesting you should mention the food log ... I use it backwards, I think.

First thing in the morning I check the stats to see how yesterday went. Then, by taking Fitbit's Food Log caloric intake prediction for the day, I plan out and actually log my day's meals to stay within that range.

That way, if I'm not particularly active at work - I'm a real estate agent, so some days are filled with phone calls and computer work, others with running up and down stairs and driveways - then I won't max out calorie use by lunch, or can add a dinner portion or after-dinner snack if it's been a hectic day.

Today Fitbit Food Log says I can eat 1,229 calories (at 5'3" I weigh 74.3 kg). I'll plan accordingly and when I get home later today I can check where I'm at and then adjust the remaining meals.

I mostly use the phone app to gauge intensity of exercise (when I'm actually at the gym), but I REALLY like the "Calories Left" tile. It constantly adjusts throughout the day based on actual activity and I really like that feedback.
I still have another 7.5 kg to lose, so we'll see what this looks like in another month. But, I have to say that since my thyroid started going wacky a few years ago, so far this tool has been the best help to regain some feeling of control over my own body again.

How much are you trying to lose?

[itzjustjude63]

Cool. I will check out the food log this weekend. I want to lose 30 lbs.

[HHP1173]

Hi there... I'm doing well thank you, and apologies it's taken me so long to reply. I've been crazy busy so not really had an opportunity to log on here.

I actually decided in the end, that I didn't want to take the meds. It's down to personal choice at the end of the day and I accept there were some great reasons / justifications from everyone on this post to encourage me to take them but when it came to it, I wanted one last chance to try and make a difference naturally.

Soooo.... what did I do? First thing was that I lost my habit for drinking too much tea and therefore cut the sugar out. I'm not someone who can drink tea without sugar, but I also couldn't continue drinking 6 cups a day with 3 sugars in each cup! I now have only 2 a day with 1.5 / 2 sugars - level teaspoon max. I kick start my day with a hot water / lime / teaspoon of honey every day. I go for an hours walk around my block as often as I can, and even if I don't manage my 10k steps a day, I still ensure I'm getting up and mobile during the day.

I eat a lot of yoghurt - daily along with a handful of nuts and I ramped up my water intake to double - and drinking water is actually one of the few things I do well!

All in all - I've lost quite a bit of weight, slowley albeit but it's coming off and I feel much better. The tiredness is managable now and 100% better than before and I am moving around more  than I ever have in my life. I have a sneaky suspicion that my under active thyroid was worse because of the sugar hits I was taking during the day, in tea, naturally sweet foods, grabbing a bar of chocolate when I was at work... it's all gone. 🙂

I hope you are all doing well and making progress!

[Dominique]

@HHP1173: thanks for reviving this one-year-old topic started by yourself, and updating us on what you did. I was in a similar situation 3.5 years ago with cholesterol: I consulted with a cardiologist, had an effort test that showed I was terribly out of shape (but otherwise my heart was OK), blood tests showing high cholesterol and was routinely prescribed statines. Like you, I didn’t want to go that route. A few months later, I got my first Fitbit (more or less by accident), started to move a lot, made a few changes in my diet, quickly lost the extra weight I was carrying, got in really good cardio shape and the next time I had my blood tested, everything (HDL, LDL, triglycerides) was fine. This may not work with all medical conditions, but sometimes a change in your lifestyle can go a long way.