Do You Need to Increase Your Metabolism? How to Lose Weight by Boosting a Slow Metabolism

I had part of my thyroid removed about 22 years ago I have it checked every year. and I seem to be in the range that I am given a synthroid .88. I have been over weight for about 15 years . Would it be safe if my Doctor twiked up my thyroid a little to help me shed a few pounds. Is it dangerous. I do have high blood pressure but it is under control with medication. I think my Dr, might raise it a tad, if I ask. thank you Janie.

I have had hypothyroidism for about 25 yrs. I was skinny my whole life until I was around 30 and gained weight and became very tired all the time after having 3 of my 4 children. Doctors always telling me that was my problem…..tired from taking care of the kids,until I did find a Dr. who found out otherwise. My weight goes up and down and then up again constantly. It was under control for about 6 yrs. and I was thin again and felt great. I however developed arthritis and my Dr. said she had to lower my dosage due to the fact that the high dose of my medication was doing a number on my bones. Even after lowering my synthroid, my levels stayed around the same, but did go down a little. But over the past 4 or 5 yrs. I have slowely gained back 75 of the 100 lbs. I lost about 12 years ago that I swore I would never gain back. The only way I have ever seemed to be able to lose weight is to just about stop eating all together. And exercise my butt off. But exercise has become hard to do due to the fact that I also have fybroid myalgia and my muscles get very tired and achy. When I talk to my Dr. about my weight I feel she doesn’t believe that I don’t sit around and eat all day. She just talks to me about a low fat diet and gives me meal plans. I however eat less than what is on any of the menues for a daily breakfast,lunch and dinner. Also my last thyriod test showed that the level of what they test in your brain came up as a little high but the thyroid level in my neck was a little low. I try not to eat fatty foods yet also my cholesterol level was high. Is there anything else I can do? I am sick and tired of being 53 and looking like I am 7 or 8 months pregnant!

I take levothyroxine 88mg every day. I can’t lose any weight, i just keep gaining. Can someone please tell me how to lose weight.

I’ve had a thyroid problem since I was 8 years old I’m now 23. I was skinny until I had my first child and then never lost the weight. I’ve been a steady 165 to 170 for about 4 years now.
I hate being over weight. Alot of woman in my family have underactive thyroid.

My doctor told me hypo will make your chloresterol high and drug resistant.

I was thin all my life and never had to watch what I ate. I had to diagnose myself. When my doctor finally tested me I had hypo and all the weight I gained is not coming off with meds. On my last trip to the doctor I was told I am not eating enough. She told me I need to eat 6 small meals a day. Geez, if I did I would weigh a ton. There is no way I can eat all the food on the meal plans handed to me. I only eat about half as much as they want you to. Even with meds my level is still low. When the labs came back my doctor said to wait two months and get tested again. My levels have not been in a normal range for 4 years.

What irks me the most is people who seem to think hypo is just an excuse for overeaters.
I am faithful in taking my meds and still cannot get into the normal range.

My muscles ache and are tired, my hips and joints hurt especially in my hands.

There has to be a solution to all of this.

I am tired of being tired and hurting all the time.

I have been hypo for 5 years. I’m on Synthroid .112… I have to work really hard just to stay at BMI 29.5… that is just .5 under obese… I’m a size 6. I do karate which causes my hips and knee’s to ache but I feel better doing it. My hands, forearms, and elbows hurt almost daily and I’m tired a lot… I have to say it’s still 1000 times better than when I first received treatment… my skin was a mess, my hair fell out by the handful, I was overweight, light sensitive, headaches… it felt like an effort just to breathe. Thyroid Power the book was the first helpful information that I found… imagine my surprise that half the foods I was eating to try to be healthy were actually blocking my meds… would have been nice to know! Anyway… I just have to pace myself better now and take breaks at work and at home. I just started Hoodia and glucosamine to try to help with joint pain, energy level, and make weight maintenance/loss a little more manageable. I really do feel like I eat sticks, twigs, and leaves to maintain my weight.

I have been hypo for 6 years now. Well, i was diagnosed 6 years ago…may have been longer. I steadily gained weight over this period of time. I have changed my diet and also have been using a natural supplement with Guggul (You Be Slim) in it which has really helped with my weight and also has boosted my energy. Weight is steadily coming down with the help of walking and light weights. My joints continue to ache so I will start using glucosamine to see if that helps. Been taking too much ibuprophene for the pain.

Reading about how other people have the same problem as I do really helps get me thru the day. I cant eat hardly anything and am gaining more and more weight. Wish I knew what to do. I diet 24 hrs a day,and nothing helps. I do take Armour Thyroid and will have the Dr. increase it at my next visit. I am sick of all of this. Joyce

If the synthetic thyroid medications are not working your best option is to see an endocrinologist… they can discuss with you alternative medication choices that a family doctor would “recomend against” simply because they do not have the training or knowledge to feel comfortable with such medication.
There are natural thryroid supplements that can affect each individual different and often these options will also control your weight loss. See a specialist!

Switch to a natural thyroid medication (Armour Thyroid, Nature-Throid and Westhroid). They contain both T3 and T4. You’ll be amazed at what happens to every aspect of your well-being. Your weight control program will become more effective. I wish the doctor had started me on natural thyroid replacement when I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism 18 years ago.

Carolyn’s comment says it all! At 53 I gained 40lbs in less than 4 months and my cholesterol shot up over 100 pts.!I saw many doctors and the endocrinologist simply gave me that glazed look and began telling me that I needed to eat less and that this was something I needed to come to accept at my age! Even with my food and exercise diary and proof of rapid weight gain, I was dismissed as an overweight, middle-aged whiner who needed to “try pushing away from the table”! I have never been more disgusted with the medical profession in my life!
Fortunately, while filling yet another prescription a stranger, yet fellow sufferer suggested a local fly. physician she used! This blessed man of medicine man immediately after listening to my symptoms, switched me to Amour Thyroid which has not only increased my energy level but has helped me begin to take off some of the weight!
Ladies have faith in your own knowledge of your body! Keep up the search for a doctor you can relate to, go natural, and remember, you are not alone!
Stand up for yourself!

Carolyn are the three natural thyroid meds you mentioned OTC or prescription? And do you take only one of these or all three?

OMGolly! Just to see others having the same problem as I have with weight and the inability of not being able to take the pounds off, makes me feel better. I have had Hashimoto’s disease for 16 years, right after my son was born. I have steadly gained weight but more especially so within the last two years. I have gained 30 lbs. This is with excercising and dieting – to the point of practically starving myself at times. After begging my doctor to switch me to a name brand and he refused, I had had enough and finally saw an endocrinoligist (July 2008). He took me off the generic and switched me to a name brand. I am feeling better but no weight is coming off. It has only been two months though. Should I wait to perhaps switch to something such as Armour?

I have hypo thyroid for almost 7-8 years. I always heard that people with hypo are skinny and have hard time to gain weight. Sence I was a born I was over weight. So many times I tried to lose weight, ending up never loosing weight. When I started to take my medication, I was told I will lose weight, but still haven’t only gaining. What should I do?

Hi. I live in South Africa and had a hyperactive thyroid (Graves disease but now it is underactive
again due to radioactive medicine i had to take for my thyroid. I also gained a lot of weight and tried everything to loose weight with no success until i joined a weightloss program, i am also a weight loss group leader. Before i hardly ate but still gained weight with this program i lost 40 pounds, and never felt so good. But i had to start eating with this program you eat a lot of food in the right amounts and you do not cut out any carbs or fats, you need to eat from all the food groups. There are days i don’t eat my whole formula but then i gain – funny.Never thought i will need to eat to loose weight.

Does weight and throid go together. I don’t get it? or is it the thyroid pill that puts the weight on. I excercize quite often- walk and water excercize But I’m gaining weight.
I cut down on carbs even fried foods but I’m
still over weight.

When I was 24 I had a total hysterectomy, but I stayed relatively slim and kept an atheletic body, but then at the age of 35, I started to experience uncontrollable weight gain. I went from 115 to 162 lbs in less than 1 year and no matter how many hours I worked out (I worked out 3 hours per day, 1 hour aerobics in am, 1 hour weights, then another hour in the evening) and dropped my calorie intake to less that 1200 cal per day, I could not lose any of the weight. Not even 1 lb. I also started to experience hair loss, depression, tiredness, an achy body even when I first wake up in the morning and mood swings/ states of sadness and depression. I saw my doctor and they kept telling me I need to work out, eat less, I am going through menopause and just take better care of myself. I could not believe what she was telling me. She didn’t believe me. If I were truly working out 3 hours a week, eating less and truly taking care of myself that I should have lost. I finally dumped my doctor and went to a specialist. Finally after 15 years my specialist told me I my thyroid was sluggish and she put me on levothyroxine. Mood and depression improved, that’s about it. but I still cannot lose the weight. I am so tired of this. I am going to be 50 in January, my body aches still, I have gout now, I have been diagnosed with pre-diabets and I still have not been able to bring my weight down more than 10 lbs. They say diabetes and gout can be under control if I lose the weight. I am caught in a lose lose sitatuion here. I can’t lose the weight. Please don’t tell me diet and exercise. So far that combination has not worked doing just those 2 things. HELP

Hi: I also have Graves & have put alot of weight on being hypo now after Radio therapy. What is the name of your diet? I cannot get rid of my weight gain. I exercise 5-6 days a week; still too heavy. Help me please…..

Hey there, everyone. I’ve actually been hypothyroidic for a couple years now and I’m just 21. I gained about 15 pounds from when I went from hyper to hypo, over the course of about a year and a half. My doctor put me on levothyroxine 25 and I was experiencing a time of being wakeful and having no aches for about 2 weeks. I was thinking of trying Armour Thyroid, but since I have worked in a pharmacy for a little over a year now, there have been some people who have given me tips:

The brands of the different hormones (Levothroid, Synthroid and Levoxyl) CAN be different. One woman told me that she experienced weight loss when switching from Levoxyl to Synthroid. I’ve also heard a lot of women who chose to go on Armour Thyroid and their conditions improving.

About diet – recently there was an article published in a magazine that I nabbed at work, with a diet that helps out people with low thyroid. It’s called “eco-Atkins” and is basically a vegetarian/vegan approach to the Atkins diet: high protein and lots of vegetables. I know a lot of people, including me, don’t want to hear diet, but I am at the point where I have to try something. I’ve tried eating less, working out more and I have lost all of 1 pound.

Keep faith, everyone. There’s gotta be something we can do. Try out different brands of the synthetic or try the natural thyroid. Try to do eco-Atkins too. Also, 6 small meals a day isn’t as bad as it sounds: eating more frequently increases your metabolism. Just snack on a piece of string cheese or some fruit every couple of hours! All you have to do is basically eat

…

I am so distressed after reading many of your comments. So many of you are depressed and unhappy. I too have hypothyroid and it leaves me exhausted and I find the only thing that helps me is to stay active…if I don’t I will sleep for hours at a time…I need to keep moving and have lots of fresh air…try it…just count your steps everyday with a pedometer…just focus on feeling healthy and feeling good inside…you have a condition just as others have conditions…try to be positive…move your asses!

I was diagnosed with hydro about 2 yrs ago. By the time we figured it out I was pretty sick and my t factor was like .03 which he said is almost non functional. Anyway I struggled for the first 6-8 months with all the medical symptoms including the affects from rapid massive weight gain. For almost a year now I have worked out 4-5 days a week at the gym and then usually doing other things outside that involve physical activity, including hiking. I can not loose but a few pounds and then if i skip the gym more than a couple of days I start putting it back on. I carry my lunch everyday so I can eat smart, carry snacks which are usually fruits and still struggle. Please any suggestions. 4-5 days a week at the gym working hard should see some kind of results!
Diane

It was interesting reading the comments. I have had hypothyroid for 7 years and it has been a battle with weight. It took 3 years to have my levels settle finally with .137 of Synthroid which meant steady weight gain until my levels evened out and then another 2 years of arguing that I could not eat any less or exercise anymore to lose weight. It was not until I saw a nutritionist and this is what changed everything. I was not eating enough food and this means you are in starvation mode and our bodies hold on to any fat we have and make more. It is very hard to eat 5 times a day and include a protein every single time. I never ate this much before all this started, but now for almost two years my weight has slowly decreased and am now down almost 80 lbs. I also workout (weight train and cardio, plus run) and walk everywhere. It is scary to eat more, but it does work and of course it is all about what is being eaten as well. Weight loss is possible, it just is a matter of finding what works. It takes time.

hi i just got a medicial check up done and it shows that my t3 n t4 r within the normal range but by tsh is 6.1….i mean it means i have hypothyroidism bt the thing is i dont have the symptoms..i work out well….i am 5′7 and i weigh 56.5 whereas i should be weighing around 60..so overweight doesnt seem to be the criteria at all…i dont know what to do ?? how to figure out what is the problem then? i work out daily for an hr and feel great….i do aerobics..can someone tell me what can be the problem then??

i have been digonsed with an under active thyorid 5yrs ago at 21 which i think is very young its hard work very unfair to us all i used to work out 3 times a day work my job aswell clean house and what ever jobs needed i think life is hard but even harder with this condition i def think always get a second oponion on ur cond cause sometimes a doctour ur going to for the last 10 years is just going to fobb u off so after u go to ur ow doc and he doesnt help get a second oponion

After a year and a half of trying to get help for unexplained weight gain (125-180 pounds) and many other hypo symptoms, I finally convinced my Dr. to test my thyroid levels in May of 2008. It was wonderful to hear the news that indeed I was hypothyroid with a TSH of 13.92 and it was not me being a couch potato eating everything in sight (which was how I was treated by the doctor).

After 1 1/2 years of increasing my levels of synthroid up to .88 mcg with NO weight I have convinced my Dr. to try adding Cytomel. Again, I am not lazy… I eat 1200 calories a day and walk 4.5 miles 6 days a week in 1hour and 15 minutes. This is not a leisurely stroll.

Has anyone out there had any luck losing weight with this combination…without losing your hair. I asked for it, and I guess I am a little scared… help!!

Hello People, Have any of you guys tried out the hi-fat diet? This is where you get a staggering 50-80 percent of your cals each day from good sources of fats. Animal fats (yes saturated fats are good for you and decrease your bad cholesterol whilst elevating your good cholesterol!) are the main source. Remember the olden days when they made gravy from the meat fat and ate loads of fatty foods that we all seem to be afraid of today? Well it’s a bit like going back to that. But avoid alot of the refined carbs(white suagr, white flour) especially wheat. Anyone get bad gas and tummy trouble (maybe just a noisy digestive system) them try eating fat. It is the most easily digested food and just 1 week on a high fat diet will ease digestive trouble and more… Try it and see.

I’m seventeen years old and I have hypothyriod. I also have a horrible combination of that with PCOS. I have struggled with weight gain since I was seven years old. And I still have a problem with it. No matter what I do it won’t come off. I weight 190 and I was kinda okay with that and it seemed like over night I shot up to 224 and I hate it.