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Author: joan
Date: 10-20-03 15:09
First, thank ladies, for the sizes. That really helped me with what to expect.
Question; I read somewhere on the Internet that if you have a thyroid problem (hypo - I do) that even though you are taking medication, the condition still affects your metabolism and weight loss.
This site also said that you could calculate your ideal weight and the corresponding calories to maintain that weight but because of the thyroid condition you would need to subtract 200 calories from that number.
Does anyone know how hypothyrodism? affects weight loss? Thanks.
Joan
265/229/140?
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Author: miranda
Date: 10-20-03 15:32
I am hypothyroid, and it is my personal experience, and understanding, that if your thyroid deficiency is appropriately treated, you can and will lose weight on the same terms as anybody else. The whole point of thyroid medication is to get you back to a normal metabolic state, and the meds are usually very successful at doing that.
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miranda
230/169.5/145
"I don't need to compromise my principles, because they don't have the slightest bearing on what happens to me anyway."--Bill Watterson, "Calvin and Hobbes"
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Author: Rhonda
Date: 10-21-03 12:06
Joan, I have had hypothyroidims for about 10 years. I have been very thin and very heavy during that period of time. I am now on a good stable dose of replacement and am having success with weight loss.
I don't know about that information that you read. I know alot of people try to use thyroid dysfunction as an excuse for weight gain, but we are just like everyone else - less calories in than out, and exercise, and you will drop weight.
Rhonda 232/193/150
"Winners do what Losers won't"
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Author: joan
Date: 10-21-03 14:00
Thanks. Just part of life.
If I have not learned anything in the last week from you guys I have learned that "calories out" must exceed "calories in". I think this is the basis for all fad diets. It is a sad statistic that 95% of all people who lose a great deal of weight put in back on but I think our collective simple approach will mean success for us. Support means a lot, doesn't it?
Joan
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Author: Kleigh
Date: 10-23-03 07:06
Hi Joan,
I am hypo with Hashimoto's (autoimmune disorder involving the thyroid).
In my experience, yes, you do have to make adjustments. For one thing, the metabolism in someone on thyroid medication is constantly changing. If you are taking medication than you know that most often your body adjusts to your medication and you probably have had several different doses until finding one that works best for you. But even then, the problem is still there and you do need to work a tad bit harder than someone who is healthy (IMO). What I have found is that my body responds better to exercise rather than an additional decrease in calories (above and beyond what I am already decreasing). I havent heard that it's an additional 200 calories but that sounds about right in terms of what I am doing. If I do go that extra 200 under I end up losing an average of 1 to 1.5 pounds a week. If I go the recommended reduction in calories (and exercise) I tend to maintain. The reduction in calories I have to be very careful with. I have noticed that if I rely on reduced 'calories in' alone and do not factor in exercise my metabolism bottoms out (and then I would just end up in a situation where eventually all that weight is going to come back!)
I think exercise is the best friend to anyone with a metabolism problem. It definitely helps to work and correct it.
KLeigh
186/153/130
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Author: miranda
Date: 10-23-03 09:31
I have to disagree with Kleigh here. If you are getting an appropriate dose of thyroid medication, you should not have to make any more calorie adjustments than a non-hypothyroid person, or take any special measures. If you need to burn an extra 200 calories than a "normal" person to lose weight, then you are not at an appropriate thyroid dose. I also disagree that a person with appropriately-treated thyroid disease has a metabolism that is constantly changing. Again, if this is happening, you are not at an appropriate dose. Sometimes, there are changes, due to the course of the disease, but there should not be "constant" changes.
Also, 200 calories a day cannot possibly account for a weight loss differential of 1 to 1-1/2 pounds--even when you have a thyroid disorder (if appropriately treated), it takes 3500 burned calories to equal one pound lost--500 to 750 calories per day. And if you are not at an appropriate dose, it would take even more calories to make the kind of difference you're describing.
I think that thyroid problems get blamed a lot for weight issues that are really the result of faulty calorie counting. Just my opinion, but I do have over 20 years of experience with thyroid disease, and my mother has the same problem.
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miranda
230/169.5/145
"I don't need to compromise my principles, because they don't have the slightest bearing on what happens to me anyway."--Bill Watterson, "Calvin and Hobbes"
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Author: joan
Date: 10-23-03 09:44
Thanks for the information. More excersize instead of less calories. I try to stay under 1200 calories a day but going lower than that is really hard for me to do. The level does change so I will keep your advice in mind.
Joan
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Author: joan
Date: 10-23-03 09:52
Thanks to you too, Miranda. I appreciate the information. I have not had my thyroid checked in a little over a year but have an appointment to do so next week. I have had this problem for at least 6 years and the dosage has been increased all along. But..............I didn't mean to use that as an excuse for not losing weight. I had just read on the Internet where someone said that to compensate a person with thyroid desease should eat around 200 calories less than their matainance level. Just wondering if anyone knew if that was true or not. But you know how the Internet is................Experience might the best judge but everyone is different.
Joan
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