I hear you and sympathize. I have thyroid problems but not Hashimoto's. Mine is just not functioning adequately. The doctor hasn't given me a name for the problem. I take Levoxyl (plus Cytomel).

I'm much older than you, 58. Want to warn you that you are right to be concerned now because it will get a whole lot harder when you reach menopause. Sorry to be negative but I'm hoping to help others keep from being in denial about their weight. I buried my head in the sand and allowed myself to get to 250 lbs! I'm can assure you that the quality of life at 250 is rather poor. Also, if you are married, your poor quality of life affects your partner as well. Not good.

So, I don't have a solution but want to encourage you to exercise and move. Find something that is fun that doesn't seem like too much work. If you are single, perhaps a bicyle club would be good. I have recently joined a gym and enjoy swimming 20 laps per day. Hope to move to more activity when I lose more. You might consider a gym.

I'm sure you've heard of these suggestions. I'm sure you have heard others say that "you ought to be glad, things could be worse". I'm afraid I'm going to be one of those. I have a lovely friend who is quite attractive, very petite and has always been trim. I've watched her eat and she doesn't watch her food intake that much. She doesn't even like to exercise so she doesn't. But... she gets migraine headaches that cause her to become totally unable to work/play/eat for days. Lots of pain. I must say if I had to trade problems with her, I wouldn't.

For some reason, recently, even with my thyroid problems, my appetite is under control and I've been able to lose weight (30 pounds lost since Januaary 04). There are lots of possible reasons. I'm trying many things. Too many to include here but want to encourage you to keep trying. One thing that seems to really help is that I eat nuts at the end of a meal to keep me from eating too much. It seems to shut down my hypothalmus gland. Overeating, quantity has been my problem. Didn't really sound like that is your problem but in case it is and you find yourself eating when you shouldn't try a small handful of nuts. I know they are relatively high in calories but on those day I eat the most nuts, I lose weight. Go figure! I don't eat salted or roasted nuts, no peanuts, but try a variety (all raw) including walnuts, macadamia, brazil, pecans and almonds. I get them at the health food store.

I also am one of those weirdos who drinks 1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and 1 Tablespoon of honey in a glass of water with my breakfast and also before I go to bed. I think this may help my systemic yeast problems more than weight loss but since I'm not sure why I am able to lose now and didn't use to, I thought I would include it. (you can read about this on the web. A guy named Bragg first suggested it.)

You have the internet. I'm sure you have researched. Hopefully, you can find some "tricks" of your own to help you with your thyroid problems. My main advice is to not give up!

Good luck.

--Alice

I am 59, have hypothyroid and have been taking synthroid (or it's equivalent) for several years. I've put on 25 extra lbs since menapause (late 40's)that I couldn't get off. I enjoy walking, which has helped, but when I cut way back on my carbs is when it started coming off. I didn't get totally off, since you do need some, but I cut back on bread and potatoes. I drink 2 to 3 quarts of water a day, take up to 1600 mg of calcium daily (as well as my daily vitamin) and eat a small handful of almonds between meals...and walk!! It's taken me about 8 months, but I've managed to lose about 12 lbs and went from a tight size 12 to a comfortable size 8. Good luck

I too have hypothyroidism,thyroid is resposible for alot in body.I got my dr to give me meridia and since Sept I lost 24 LBs.I get on excersise bike every day.Walking is great start out slow work up .My dr just raised my meds for thyroid.

I totally hear you! I had a similar sort of experience getting hypothyroid, I blame mine on taking a few years of martial arts in my early 20's and about a couple years after I stopped, I became hypothyroid - gained just over 60 lbs (currently 192 lbs). I have had some success with SSing, but unfortunately went back to my old eating habits (I love white rice, most other "white" starchy foods). The last year or so I've tried some natural food store "pills" such as apple cider vinegar, green tea (don't even GO there!, it's too much of a stimulant and it gave me heart palpitations), and flax seed oil. I must say flax seed oil is great because lets just say it keeps the bowels moving, which (though I've not lost a lot of weight), it has certainly kept me from gaining weight. Sometimes I get sluggish and very low energy, I take kelp tablets and a multivitamin - in a few days I get some energy back, but I don't take kelp long term as I don't want to interfere with the doctor prescribed synthyroid.

I personally find exercising hard, it often makes me feel even more sluggish, but I basically do what I enjoyed doing before, but on a moderate level, e.g. basic martial arts movements and the calistetics that go along with it (push ups, crunches, stretching).

I don't know much about your military training but were there exercises and fitness training that you enjoyed then? May be try those but on a moderate level? You may redevelop your abilities faster than say if you took up something totally new.

I am hoping to lose weight too, but at this point I find it's better to try and feel healthier. A compelling downside to hypo-thyroid is getting the blues (probably compounded by how we feel physically with a major gland out of whack, but also how we feel looking in the mirror and lamenting about our clothing size).

BTW, I'm 35 and have a very energetic 2 year old girl. I also worried about how I would handle it. Honestly I feel at this time that one's enough - lol. If you want more advice on that subject, feel free to e-mail me. I think you have received great advice (and wisdom) from all the responses before me.

I don't have a thyroid. They had to remove it 20 years ago (benign tumor). A lot depends on how good your endocrinologist is. Sometimes they go by the numbers too much instead of the individual patient. I ended up in the hospital 3 years ago with a blocked intestine - spent 3 days in the hospital having my stomach pumped which is no treat. Then they had to try to figure out what caused the blockage. First question they asked and checked was what my levels were. But according to my old doc I was within the recommended levels. so after a dozen different tests they still had no answers so they told me I would have to go on a no roughage diet (it's called something but I can't remember what). That's when I started to really put the weight on. Then a year and a half ago I switched docs. I told him about my intestinal problem and he said flat out that my medication was too low. So we tried it. I can't believe how much better I feel. I've lost about a pound a month since the increase and no intestinal problems. I have to be checked every 3 months and because I take cytomel but don't take estrogen I need to take boniva because the cytomel will deplete your bones.
I used to be rail thin. Since having my thyroid taken out I've had to work doubly hard to keep my weight manageable. I'll never be thin again. But I don't diet anymore. I try to watch what I eat. I keep no snacks in the house and my main meal is at lunch. I fortuneately can do this because my DH works swing shift 3 nights a week. And I walk as much as I can. I'm 56. Don't get too discouraged though. I really didn't have a weight problem until menopause set in.

Oh yes been thur it all 60% of hair loss,60lbs gain. I take .350 of synthryoid a high dose. I did the south beach diet last spring in 2 wks I lost 8lbs. I am getting ready to do so again. It is good carbs verses bad one. I had a few days ofbad times but than it was just easy.
deb

Just found out I have low thyroid...
Does anyone know if that could be why I have had no appetite for the past few years - I am otherwise in good health but would love to get my appetite back....
Thx

hi I can remember as far back a 7yrs old comming into the house and telling my mom how tierd I felt. She rushed to the doc. He told her little kids just get tired sometimes I was also 18 when I went to the doc and complain that I was felling tiered but more than usually and he told me that I had a sleeping disease; and that is what it was called. I called him a quack and left his office. For years I have had big! and I mean big bags under my eyes. And of course dark circles. The doc's have tested me over the years for thyroid nothing nothing nothing. So I started to read the symtom of thyroid, and this is what it said: consantly tired, yellow to brown spots on face ,swollen neck, head ackes, obesity, and I felling's of cold. Well that was me all over. So I wasn't going to ask the doc again, to here another stupid answer. I just thought I'd just try something from the health food store. Soo I bought thyrosense. It started to show in my eye's right away. But the bottle had also said to use with thyroid medicin as well. So I went back and bought 575mg kelp to go with it as well. well finally I'm doing so much better. Doctor's test for thyriod problems are obviosly out in left feild. Seeing how I'm new to all this if you have any futher advise for me I'm now lisening sue