Hypo and overweight, DO I NEED A NUTRITIONIST?

[bijirita]

I was dignose with hypo, last november and my primary  dr. put me on Synthroid 50 mg.
Today I went to the Endo,He basically didnt give me much hope, I gain 44pnds in a year and a half.
He told me that I have to be patient, but my weight is driving me crazy.
i would like to see a nutritionist.
What do you suggest?

[Traci0928]

Hi, saw your post and want to say you are not alone. I too have been battling a weight gain for the last few years...40 pounds over the last 5 years. My primary kept nagging at me to lose & I kept telling her I was trying but it wasnt coming off. I also have HBP so I have to watch my sodium intake. Finally convinced her to check my thyroid. When it came back hypo I felt vindicated & she had the decency to look somewhat embarrassed.

I also am taking LevoT 50mg and I've been taking it for about 7 weeks now. A nutritionist can certainly help with giving you good ideas of what to eat & not to eat and portion size but I suspect you know this already. If it's covered by your insurance go for it but you might want to double check first. I found out that mine is not covered ( because I also asked to see one ) and I belong to Pacificare with United Healthcare so I was thrown for a loop that this wouldnt be covered even if my dr recommends it.

My doctor just gave me the typical speech about watching sodium intake, no junk food, fast food, start walking, etc which always sounds good but is hard to follow. Every time I see a stupid Nutrisystem commercial I feel like signing up, but who's got $300 a month for that - just for portion control?! Patience is definitely needed here - again easier said than done. I am trying to watch my portion control - which I seem to be able to do during the day but struggle with at dinnertime. I try and limit fast food - and if I eat somewhere for lunch with hubby or friends, I try to make better side choices now. More salad than fries, etc.  

Just know that you arent alone in this battle. Take care,

Traci

[Tutta]

I have Hashimoto's and have just been bumped up to 75mcg.  Although I am not as slim as I would like, I have found some ways to manage my weight with my disease working against me.

It is a battle against a slow metabolism so use tricks to improve your metabolism.  WHEN you eat is almost as important as what you eat.  Eat breakfast and small meals through out the day.  Stop eating 12 hours before breakfast.  (If breakfast is at 7 am, don't eat after 7 pm).  Put your body on a schedule, it is more likely to cooperate.

What also helped me was increasing my vegetables at meals and snacks, decreasing all sugary drinks (oh, I miss my coffee!!!) and drinking more water and tea.  

I found I was allergic to dairy and going dairy free helped me drop ten pounds right away - of course, it was mostly water weight!

I was also doing well at getting out and walking or running until my body temperature wouldn't moderate itself.  Now I have to keep my exercise in moderation to not provoke my symptoms.  If I can walk around for five minutes every hour I keep my metabolism (and heart rate) up.  It has really helped.  

I do recommend investigating any possible food allergies, avoiding sugar, and making your meals primarily fruits and veggies.  Sugar, by the way, ruins the taste buds for fresh food.  Generally people who go sugar free, end up liking their vegetables  :)

The battle stinks, but I hope this helps!

T

[Barb135]

I'm in this boat with you guys, too.  Starting in the spring of 2007, I began gaining weight very quickly (approx 30 lbs) while I was waiting for my dr to take my symptoms seriously and let me get my thyroid tested.  I gained all the weight within about 5 months, but wasn't dx'd until June 2008 - now I'm on 75 mcg synthroid and am finding it almost impossible to lose anything despite eating healthy and I walk approx 3-5 miles/day, plus try to work out for 30 min most days.  

I'm told that when the thyroid levels get stabilized, I will be able to start getting some of the weight off, so I'm trying to wait patiently.  In the meantime, I continue to try to lose, but mostly I'm just trying to not gain any more.  I find that eating more protein and fiber seems to help, as it takes less of these to fill up and since it takes longer for the body to break them down, I stay fuller longer and don't have quite the cravings.  Aside from that, I'm looking for ideas also.  

I've almost quit eating sugar - I've switched to Stevia, agave nectar or honey.  Lots of fruit and veggies.  

[blksapphire]

I'm in the boat with you guys as well.  My weight gain started about 2 years ago when I couldn't get anyone to listen to me.  My weight kept climbing and wasnt' until I went in for my regular checkup and blood work that all he// broke lose. I had gained over 40 lbs within the prior 4month visit.  NOW I am up to 80 lbs and counting.  

I was also told that once my thyroid levels get stabalized that the weight would start to come off.   Wait patiently and in the mean time control what you eat and exercise.

I wonder if insurances will pay for a nutrionist.  I would love to sit down with one and see what I am doing wrong and right.

Keep us posted

[Barb135]

I agree that it would be interesting to sit down with a nutritionist to see what we do right and wrong.  I am pretty sure right at this minute, I know what I'm doing wrong!!  

I've had horrible cravings the past couple of days (might be emotional eating??) and although I have been walking 3-5 mi/day, I have not been working out like I should.  

We all need to be patient and work on getting our thyroid levels stable, while trying not to gain more - that means ME and leaving the sweets alone!!!  

[Traci0928]

I tried to get my dr to recommend a dietician or nutrionist but she told me that my insurance wouldnt cover it. I have a HMO but thought it would still be covered so what a surprise that was. When I started putting on the weight was when I also started going through peri-menopause. Blamed that for the longest time until I realized more had to be going on. Took me a LONG time to convince my dr to test my thyroid - even after I told her my mother also had hypothyroidism!  ( Why do we have to push for that?? Shouldnt it be a given/obvious sign to check for?? ) Now I know its got to be a combination of both!

I just went back to my dr for follow up bloodwork to check thyroid levels and the tests came back saying I was currently in the "normal" level and that 50mcg of LevoT was the correct dosage for me. Well that's good & fine but I want the weight to start coming off and I dont see that at all. I keep losing and regaining the same 3-4 pounds so everytime I think its finally starting to come off, its back up again! I wish I could say patience was virtue for me but its not. Oh well. One day at a time, right?

I've increased veggies & fruit, eat more fiber, drink more water & tea, cut down to 1/2 diet soda a day or every other day, watching sodium intake because of HBP....and still going nowhere right now. Very frustrating. Because I'm hypoglycemic ( have been since 16 ) I normally eat 4-5 small meals a day....I'm like clockwork! Breakfast at 715am-730am, snack at 1030am, lunch at 1230pm, afternoon snack around 330pm, dinner at 630pm, and then very light snack before bed of peanut butter crackers ( only 2-3) to keep sugar levels ok during the night.

Well just wanted to vent my frustration after stepping on the scale again this morning - and going nowhere! LOL.

[Dian58]

I too am having trouble with my weight, about 60 lbs overweight now.  My PCP finally tested my thyroid 2 years ago after I kept a food diary for a month showing that I hardly ever exceeded 1000 calories a day and usually ate less.  I have multiple food allergies including many fruits and vegetables and all grains, so trying to figure out a weight-loss plan on my own is hopeless.  I've asked both my PCP and allergist to refer me to someone to help me with this.  Neither will.  Am thinking it's because my insurance won't cover it.

[bijirita]

I agree with you in everything.My next step will be to seat with a Nutritionist, My Insurance cover this.Maybe they can help me and I will share with you what the doctor tells me,I know we are all in difficult and still unknown situation.
I agree with Tutta, we should put our body in schedule, and wait 12 hours before breakfast.I'll do it.
Also the doctor told me  that when my levels  are back to normal I'll start loosing SOMe weight,But he also told me that it will ALWAYS, be DIFFICULT to loose weight, as our metabolism is barely working,
I felt so depressed when he told me this,I also ask him about become pregnant, Because I still dont have babies, and he told me that i should wait for a few months till my levels are back to normal, because when we are hypo, there is the risk of a miscarriage, and also that maybe Im not ovulating.I dont know about the last one, I havent lost my period no once, Im very regular.That worry me a lot.
I've been taking coconut oil, for the las 3 weeks, I feel awesome, more energy, not that cold, BUT I've gain 8 pounds since November 17.
So I dont know if it is The coconut oil(130calories per serving)or that I need more miligrams on my medine wich he told me he thinks I do.
I will do my labs tomorrow.Will see.
Thanks all of you for your help, means a lot to me.
This is a great site We found, that we can post our doubst and questions.