I have a question/problem for anyone who may be able to help.

I started this diet Jan. 20 and have been doing very well on it. I've lost 29lbs, but I checked the scales and I'm up 2 lbs and I have been for 3 days now, it's not just an overnight thing. I did have one day that I ate more than I should have, but only by 300 calories. The rest of my week has been between 900 to 1300 calories, so that 300 extra that day shouldn't have caused a gain. I surely can't be hitting a platue can I? It's only been 5 weeks! Help!! What do I do? It worries me because the last time I lost weight (I had lost 65lbs then), I started to gain while I was dieting and it was caused by my thyroid. I've been on med for that now for 3 years and it's been under control for 2 years. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

Elaine

Your body may be annoyed with you because you are giving it so few calories to work with. If you've lost ~6 lbs a week (which is what it sounds like), your body may be adjusting to the caloric intake you are giving it, and because it thinks it's not gonna get fed anytime soon, it will hold onto every extra calorie it gets.

I think it is very probable that you have hit a plateau. To get past it, start exercising if you haven't done so, and increase your calorie intake a bit. Expect your weight loss to slow down a bit. If you lose at an unhealthy rate, your body will be inclined to go back to it's original size (with a bit added on for safety to avoid that horrible starvation it went through).

Perhaps you could meet with a dietician or nutritionist a few times and they can work with you on your eating/weight/life goals.

Also, there is a Thyroid thread on this page, but I think we have all been a bit lazy this month, so it isn't too active. But please feel free to post there, if you want.

Thanks Trixiepup,
I was just reading an article and it said about what you just did! And I think I'm gonna try increasing my calorie consumption a bit. Last week I had really cut it way down, I just didn't feel hungry. The most I had in any one day was 1108 and I had been at 1500/day the week before and was doing fine. For exercise, I've been going up and down my stairs for 20 min every other day until this weather clears and I can get outside.

Thanks for getting back to me, I think I tend to panic a little faster this time around after what happened the last time!

Elaine

Are you just folllowing a low calorie diet or a specific plan.

no specific plan just low fat/ low cal, but I base it on a diabetic diet I had gotten from my mom. I really think I just cut it down too far. I did my daily average for last week and it was only 957 cal/day. So I'm gonna make sure I get back to 1500 and see what happens.

Thyroid conditions have a tendency to make you hold water weight. You can hold anywhere from 5 to 8 pounds of water. Are you drinking enough water? Low sodium too? I wasnt doing those and one night it looked like I gained 6 pounds and I knew I hadnt strayed from my diet and even if I did that would be 21,000 extra calories I would have to eat. I lost 7 pounds in two days so I put it as being water weight.

Aloha from Hawaii:

I am brand new to this forum, actually this is the first time I have ever joined any kind of forum, so please excuse me if this is the incorrect way of asking a question...

...I have hypothyroidism (Hashimoto's Disease) and I have gone through four specialists who cannot get my thyroid levels to normalize...I am up to 325 mcg of Synthroid and the docs say my body is not absorbing it...

...have any of you ever heard of that or experienced it...I would appreciate any info, suggestions, or ideas that you may have on nonabsorbtion of oral thyroid medications.

Mahalo nui loa (thank you very much),

karyninhawaii

Perhaps your problem is not that you can't absorb the hormone, but that you need a different brand. Do you take your thyroid hormone on an empty stomach, and wait an hour before you eat anything? If not, try that. Also, you may do better on Unithroid, or Levoxil, or a different brand. Armour is often helps people who don't respond to Synthroid. You might want to check about.com's thyroid pages for info on your particular problem. Also, so you eat anything with soy? Soy will inhibit your body's ability to utilize thyroid hormone, so if you eat things that have soy as an ingredient, you might want to try cutting them out of your diet for a while and see if it helps.

I hope you can find something to help. There is nothing worse than being hypothyroid and not getting proper treatment! I went through that for over ten years before I found a doctor who understood thyroids and began to treat me properly.

Thanks so much Monet 320...I appreciate all the advice...

Before reading many of the Thyroid Threads in this forum I had no idea how to take my Synthroid....the five doctors I have been to NEVER TOLD ME!

I will now take the meds on an empty stomach with water and wait an hour to eat and no caffine or soy...boy, it will be interesting to see my next test results to see how this new regime affects the absorption of the meds...I love this forum...I would never have known if it weren't for you guys...thanks so much!

Mahalo nui loa and ahui ho' (thanks so much and catch you later),
Karyn:

Just something else regarding your taking of your thyroid meds--I read a number of years ago that iron inhibits the absorption of thyroid hormone, so DO NOT take an iron supplement or a multivitamin containing iron at the same time you take your thyroid meds. I've been hypothyroid since 1986 (a goiter was found on my thyroid after I lost a lot of weight--strange, I had no trouble losing with the hypothyroidism back then), and no doctor ever told me that!! Nor did they tell me about taking the medicine on an empty stomach (thanks for that information, Monet 320--I'd never heard that before), or that you can't take antihistamine medicines when you have a cold. (I found that out the hard way--by taking them--I didn't believe what the cold medicine label said-- and experiencing the effects.) READ AND BELIEVE all OTC med labels for warnings about thyroid conditions. I've often wondered if doctors are as well informed as they should be. Thanks, also, Autumn S, for the information about water retention with thyroid problems. Even more reason to drink enough water--an issue with me. Funny--I thought that simply taking my medicine--I take synthroid--made my thyroid function normally again, and there were no other concerns other than getting my yearly blood test, keeping my TSH level in the normal range, and the iron/antihistamine thing. I had no idea there were other issues. Thanks for the scoop.

Aloha to Newinspiration and mahalo for the reply to my query.

Something else you mentioned which I have never heard before is the issue of antihistamines (I've been prescribed them every day for years) and of course MY DOCTOR TOLD ME NOTHING about antihistamines affecting the thyroid meds.

Do you know any detailed info about how to take antihistamines when taking synthroid?

Boy, are the doctors not paying attention, too busy, or just plain lazy about telling us what we need to know to take care of this condition?!

Mahalo nui loa (thanks so much),

Karyninhawaii

Karininhawaii--Most of my experience with antihistamines not mixing with synthroid has come with "Over The Counter" medicines for colds and flu--look at the labels of anything that is supposed to ease nasal congestion. There is usually a warning something like this: "Ask your doctor before using this medicine if you have: heart disease, thyroid disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, or difficulty in urinating due to enlargement of the prostate." I personally never take anything that has that warning on it. The one time I did, my heart pounded like crazy, and I was extremely dizzy. I can only guess that the synthroid increased the side effects of the antihistamines, which on their own can cause dizziness, drowsiness, and nervousness. Listen to this about some doctors: I once went to a doctor (not my regular guy) for a sore throat/post nasal drip. He started writing me a prescription for an antihistamine (I don't remember what it was). I told him I didn't think I should take it and why. His response to me was, "I don't think this will bother you." Well, I was wide awake and wired a good part of that next night--not much sleep for me. I never took another antihistamine again. Now I don't know if everyone is affected like I am--maybe I'm just super sensitive, and I don't know how modern allergy medicines such as allegra, zyrtec, claritin, nasonex, flonase, etc. fit into that whole picture. I would suggest that you ask your doctor about it, just to be sure, and to ease your mind. Hopefully he/she will be informed. PLEASE DON'T STOP TAKING ANY MEDICINE YOU HAVE BEEN PRESCRIBED JUST ON MY STORY! I would feel awful. Maybe it's different for each person, and modern allergy meds may not be in this caution category at all. I only know my own personal experience. Maybe that's why the warning labels tell you to consult your doctor before taking the OTC antihistamines. If you have any symptoms like pounding heart, sleeplessness, dizziness, or nervousness, I would absolutely ask your doctor about it. Those are not good symptoms for someone with thyroid disease.

Luckily for me, I do not have allergies, so I don't have to worry about the allergy meds. As far as colds are concerned, I don't have a reaction from expectorants (to loosen chest congestion) or cough suppressants. I found an herbal remedy that helps me a little with nasal symptoms, but mostly I just drink lots of liquids, use lots of tissue, and suffer my way through the cold. The worst for me is the chest anyway. I am probably sick longer than the average person, because I don't get the symptom relief that antihistamines bring. Also, I try not to get a cold. I don't know what others do who NEED to take antihistamines--again, maybe the new allergy meds don't fit into this category and don't cause a problem with synthroid. I've never run into anyone before in that situation. I would ask your doctor, though, and see if you can have a good talk to him/her about it.

Please post me a reply regarding this. I don't want you to think I am giving you medical advice; I am just sharing my own experience. Let me know what you think of what I've shared.

Aloha and mahalo/thank you Newinspiration...

Thanks for the tips and don't worry, I'm not planning on discontinuing any of my medications...but I will be discussing this with my doctor(s) because I have very sleepless nights and the antihistamine I take could be a contributing factor...

Thanks so much for replying so quickly...I'll keep you posted on what the docs say, even though sometimes Iwonder if they aren't all a little looney

Mahalo and have a great summer!

Karyninhawaii

Thanks for replying to me so quickly. I feel much better now. I'll look for your post letting me know what you learn from your doctor. Good luck with your talk. I don't know about these doctors. For myself, I've learned to keep as well informed as possible--I read, read, read some more, and then I ask questions.
Take care.

Hi, it has been a long time since I have been here . I was reading about everyones difficulty with allergy meds,etc. My Dr. told me anything with tylenol is okay. I have had good luck with this with no side effects. You might try that. I have put on about 25 lbs. since I was here last . I went for my thyroid check and I just felt awful. Of course my test came back as 12.135. Isn't around 4 normal? I guess that explains the wt. gain. My meds. were adjusted and I have lost 7 lbs. Talk to you all soon. Bye from MO.