About 3 years ago, before I moved from Tennessee to New York, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and put on medication. I only (very) briefly took the medication. I then moved to New York and just this past Tuesday had some blood work done at a medical center. They called me today to tell me I have hypothyroidism (big shocker, eh? ) and that they are putting me on a medication for it which I start Monday. My questions are -

1- Are there certain foods I should avoid?

2- Will my weight loss improve once I am on medication?

3- Will the medication help with other issues as well, ie mood swings, feeling tired all the time, hair loss?


I reckon I shoulda asked the doctor but I am sure some of you lovely folks can help me out

My neighbor was just recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism, since starting the medicine a few months ago she lost a few of the 12 lbs she gained over a 4 month period, and her energy level has improved. She has started to walk again and is hopeful the rest will start coming off too.

My daughter has hypothyroidism and she is only 10, but once we had her started on Levothyroxine things changed so dramatically.

I don't avoid any food with her, never actually asked if I should either.

The Dr. said hypothyroidism causes weight gain. Jenna is tiny anyway, but this spring she went a while without Levothyroxine and gained a few pounds and when I started her back on it she lost it again right away. I can't say for sure that it wasn't the summer that made her lose a few pounds though.

When she started on her Levothyroxine it took a while to notice but her hair is thicker and her skin isn't nearly as dry. She pays better attention to stuff, but I can't really gauge her tiredness level. She has Down syndrome so she can't really tell me how she feels unless it's really important.

Hope you get some other responses from someone who knows first hand.

Thanks y'all

I have had hypothyroidism since I was a child. I went off the medication a few years ago and also have had to have my level of Levothyroxine adjusted. There aren't any foods to avoid but you should take the medication on an empty stomach. I take mine as soon as I get up and wait an hour to eat.

Your weight loss will probably improve. Actually it is amazing that you lost all this weight with hypothyroidism. I believe you will feel much better. Your mood swings, hair loss, and feeling tired are classic symptoms. My legs swell greatly when my thyroid levels are low.

Hypothyroidism is easy to treat and the medication is inexpensive. It takes about 3 months to get the full effect.

Hey there! I, too, am hypothyroid. Evidently, excessive amounts of broccoli or other cruciferous veggies are thyrotoxic, so they can counteract the effects of your thyroid medication. I plan to ask my endocrinologist about this when I see him in a couple of weeks.

I agree with Cheryl above when she says your energy will improve--my depression almost disappeared a few months after starting medication. I used to find tons of hair in the sink--now only a few rare hairs (and my medication level is still not optimum--TSH is still well above normal levels, indicating low thyroid activity). Now when we get my medication dose adjusted, my weight loss might speed up, too!

I have to say congratulations on losing so much weight with a wonky thyroid--my doc said it would be very difficult to do. I'm doing it, too, though, with calorie counting and exercise, but hopefully the medication will make it a bit easier. One caveat: The medication does seem to make me "warmer" overall--which, in my case, being close to menopause, isn't all that great, but if it helps burn calories, I'll live with it.

Every part of you will work more efficiently when your thyroid is working properly, so it's worth taking the medication.

I have never heard that about broccoli or other cruciferous veggies. Thanks for telling us. I will have to ask my doctor about it. I have always wondered if the hypothyroidism is one reason that I lose so slowly. Since it is controlled with medication it shouldn't cause that but I still wonder.

I have hypothyroid too! Synthroid .05mg for me! And I stopped taking it for about a month and wham! Tired...and hair started falling out again. So I KNOW you will see a difference, but like anything it takes time to see the full effects of taking the med.
Also, you have to take it a specific way. I take mine in the morning, about an hour before I eat anything. Your stomach needs to be empty and you NEED to take it at the same time every day to see the best benefit.
Oh and also, I forgot to say, my Dr will not do a generic for this specific med. He says because with generics they have certain guidlines they have to follow, but its not strict like the brand name. The generic can vary widely, some months too much, sometimes too little. But the brand name is consistent. Also because they are dealing with MICRO grams instead of miligrams, it also varys. He said his patients on the generic would report having good months and then feel bad again then feel good again. So he highly recommends the brand name, and will only give the brand name (sorry if this doesn't make much sense, he drew a diagram when he explained it, and it was easier to understand!)

Thanks so much for the responses and support and info!!

I had my thyroid removed, and without my synthroid I am a mess. I get migraines and am tired and crazy. You will 100% better once you take your meds every day. Just make sure to take them before you eat anything.
Hope you feel better!

I'm glad you have a diagnosis, and I'm really glad you were finally able to see a doctor. I hope you are able to get that health coverage you want so you can look after your health better. It's much easier to do that when you can afford to go to the doctor huh? I'm so impressed you were able to lose so much weight with having hyperthyroidism, I hear it can be incredibly hard to lose weight with that condition! Good for you, what huge determination and strength you must have!
I don't have hypOthyroidism but I have HypERthyroidism, Graves disease specifically. I suggest you do tons of research on your condition. Knowledge is power!

Thanks so much Stephanie

Thank you, hpnodat! I have been Googling ever since the lady called

I've been hypothyroid (and medicated) for about 18 years now.

Yes, cruciferous veggies are ones you shouldn't eat a ton of, but that's when they're RAW. Cooking them changes the properties that bother the thyroid.

SOY is another thing that affects the thyroid. I always used to eat a lot of veggie burgers, but since they have a lot of soy, I rarely eat them.

Once your TSH numbers come back in the "normal" range, your doctor will probably think everything's fine, but it may not be. It's your FREE T3 and FREE T4 that you want to have measured, to make sure that the medication is converting correctly.

Once your TSH falls within a "normal" range, it still might not be low enough for you to feel better. A lot of people feel their best with TSH down as low as 1. That will be different for everyone.

Unfortunately, even though I've been on medication for a long time, and my numbers come back within a good range, I've never regained my energy.

I also haven't been able to stop the weight gain, let alone lose the weight, yet either--but I also have some emotional eating issues mixed in, so I can't blame it ALL on the thyroid.

The only good thing I've found about being hypothyroid is that I rarely have to shave my legs any more, and I NEVER have to pluck my eyebrows. Weird, but true.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Becky!!