I could have written your post. I was diagnosed last summer but probably had a thyroid problem for many years. I've always had a weight problem too, but my weight jumped up rapidly about 7 years ago. I'm at my highest weight now too and feel the same as you.

I have been hoping that my medication would start bringing up my thyroid levels (which would mean a faster metabolism?), but that has been a slow, roller coaster process.

I was at the doctor yesterday who suggested (due to high antibody levels) that I try reducing or removing gluten from my diet. Since most of the fattening goodies that I like are loaded with gluten, I'd be reducing gluten and calories at the same time. I will let you know if it helps.

I will be watching for other responses that you get. Let me know if you could use a thyroid/weight loss buddy.

Does anyone know if there is an online support group or community on this topic - Hypothyroidism and weight loss?

Man, I -wish- thyroid meds would just melt the weight off, but that's the biggest myth out there IMHO. Thyroid meds make it possibly for us to "live" again - which means eating healthier and exercising more.

I've never had the weight simply "melt" off...it always took good old fashioned hard work once I was ABLE to do that...it was ok.

Good luck. The best thing any of us can do for ourselves is exercise and eat well. For me, that meant eliminating gluten (I have an honest to goodnes allergy), bad fats, and eating the periphery of the grocery store (fruits, veggies, lean meat), buying a scale (yes, I weigh my food), and getting my butt on the treadmill.

Drat! No magic fat melting, eh? That's just what I was afraid of :).

I'm grateful that I have some more energy to work on it the old fashioned way though.

I have been GF for years, including the years where the hypo began to appear... It will not help with weight loss, unfortunately.

The best we can hope for is to get ourselves optimized. Once the energy levels come back, we need to get back on track with aerobics, but building muscle is what will help to slim down. Heavy heavy lifting.

But I would not recommend even trying it until energy levels come back or we set ourselves up for a nasty round of exercise intolerance - we will end up flat on our backs after a workout.

Of course, diet plays a large part, too. I have recently turned vegan and it is helping me feel a little more on top of things - because when you are vegan, you really have to think about what you put in your mouth and look at food as a source of nutrition rather than as a source of entertainment.

I really feel for you!!! Many of us "here" have been super active/ athletic/ buff most of our lives. This hypo thing is a nightmare.

Feel better!!!

Hugs!

sigh --- lol, just as i figured. no magic potion or easy fix.

i'm due for blood work in a couple of weeks --- i wonder if my level is off -- feeling a bit more sluggish than i have. lol -- so no real desire to do much ;)

It is infuriating. You can be sailing along, thinking you are improving and BLAM! Back where you started.

Also - I find that any amount of Overwhelm type stress really has a corrosive effect. We can deal better with crises and tragedies than we can with everyday things.

man -- you're not kidding!

Hugs

Feel that I am in the same boat. Been packing on some extra pounds lately and feeling tired....which can only mean one thing: time to get the thyroid checked. Took me 2 cups of coffee yesterday to really be awake and alert.

That being said, I am dealing with several emotional issues which in turn have been causing me to overeat. I just sit down and start snacking....which I normally do not do. These are nagging issues that I have been unsuccessful in solving even through therapy.

I need to drop about 5 - 10 lbs.

i can relate to the emotional stuff too --- LOL, man, i'm a mess ;)
ugh -- i could stand to loose 50 :/

Truly the best thing you can do is to eliminate all gluten containing foods. For the majority of us, our bodies see gluten as a similar protein to a thyroid antibody (not a doc, but essentially, it makes our thyroids much worse)...
I had weight loss surgery - vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) - almost 5 yrs ago. I dropped 118 lbs in 9 months and got VERY sick and still am due to this surgery. But the one thing I did learn is that when I dropped gluten, I felt so incredibly better it was astounding to me. I also know now that if I "cheat", say I have a foot long sub or a couple slices of pizza - I end up having to actually break the habit again - our bodies bizarrely crave what is bad for us - and I also can gain as much as 10 lbs in a few days.
It can't hurt to try it...it takes between 14 days and 8 wks from my experience to really get it all out of your system and begin to heal enough to let your bodies natural weight balancing system take effect but you'll probably drop a few lbs in the first week. I would highly suggest NOT eating gluten free substitutes at least for the first 6 mo. Just go grain free for a while..if you have to have something go for rice based.
Here are some articles about it. Note you do not have to have celiac to have issues with sensitivity and with your hypo...celiac is more pervasive but also more gut centric - a sensitivity can hit anywhere.

https://chriskresser.com/the-gluten-thyroid-connection/
http://hypothyroidmom.com/12-shocking-symptoms-of-gluten-sensitivity/

Hi! I am new to the boards. I developed Hashimoto's Thyroiditis when I was in my 20's and became hypo as a result. Growing up, I was a good size but when I develiped hypothyroidism, I started to gain a lot of weight. So much so, my family members at family gatherings would say to me (in front of everyone) nasty things like asking me what I have done so that they could warn their grandshildren so they never look like me. Telling the younger family members that I was their size too when I was their age, and look at me now. In truth, I gained 60 pounds. Some of it was my thyroid I suppose, but I had a hand in it too. What was hard is the loosing and then gaining everything back! But for the past few months, I have really worked hard and have lost 38 pounds and am still losing! I guess there are a few things you really need to do to win the weight loss battle when you are hypo. First is to make sure you are taking the right dossage of meds to regulate your hormones. The second is to exercise every day in some way. Find something that you LOVE to do and look forward to doing. For me, it is kickboxing. Love it! I feel much less tired after a good workout. You have to be strong and push yourself because hypo can't take that away from me. While starting my exercise program, was diagnosed with asthma. Not exercise enduced but the regular allergic-to-everything kind. :) But that can't stop me. Excercise is the best thing you can do for yourself. Sometimes it is just a walk, or cleaning the house. Third thing is nutrition. Nutrition is 89% of the weight loss battle. It isn't easy, and I won't lie that I am not scared that I go weigh myself and the weight has creeped up on me again, but I just wanted to say it can be done! Not easy, and people don't understand how hard it is with hypo, but I refuse to let it win.

Great question, thanks for posting it. You might have seen some of this in the answers. Two things are VERY beneficial for keeping weight off as well as keeping you lean, strong and fit which takes time. This is the BEST for thyroid conditions as well. YOGA. Go and google "yoga for thyroid" and I am also living proof of yoga working for more than just the thyroid. I never thought yoga was for me being I was; inflexible, had excuses that my muscles were too tight and/or belly was too big for yoga, 'only girls and skinny guys do yoga', etc. I had every excuse, but learned it is the BEST exercise for having the best fitted, flexible body you can imagine ever (especially for those with thyroid conditions). Do not worry about being good, I still consider myself a novice at best but, my body now tells me "it's time to leave the weights and/or bike alone and do yoga". Not to mention, the benefits of better sleep, better food digestion, oxygen flow, etc. The other thing to avoid like the plague to help keep the weight off; PROCESSED & FRIED foods as well as reduce/eliminate gluten.
Eat foods which contain selenium like shellfish. Eat walnuts, berries, almonds, etc. The good fat in avocados are beneficial too. Good luck, don't give up and always believe in yourself!

I'm also new to posting here. Just noticed this thread and wanted to say that the only diet that has ever worked for me is the Cohen's weight loss programme. I've been off and on the wagon with it, but I know it works. It is based around your hormones, he originally designed the diet for people with fertility problems. Cohen's focuses on hormone cycles, portion control, meal composition, balance of protein versus carbohydrate.

I also think that whether or not gluten is involved, carbohydrates are definitely involved (it seems to me that they get confused, gluten intolerance relatively rare and dangerous condition, inability to process carbs is a more common thing in my opinion). And it's not just things like bread and sugar, but nuts, beans, potato, certain vegetables. I can eat KFC without gaining weight, but pizza or anything that is high carb, it's an extra kilo the next day.

I also gained weight rapidly, went from 57kg to 82kg in the space of a couple of months, after having a stable weight for 15 years prior to that. It was some time before I was diagnosed as hypothyroid, but I believe it started then. The weight went on so fast my skin around my abdomen peeled off. Also hoped that once on thyroxin, the weight would drop off, but it never did.

Welcome to the boards! Thanks for posting that helpful information.