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What Causes Difficulty In Losing Weight Despite Having Aerobic Exercises And Healthy Diet?
Question: I had a thyroidectomy three years ago and have not been able to lose weight. For the last two months I have been on a very active schedule of aerobic exercise in which I burn a minimum of 4200 calories per week. Also, I have been following a regular weight training routine. However, I have lost two pounds for all my efforts. My diet is also very healthy and gluten free. Kind of frustrating. What can help to increase my metabolism?
Brief Answer:
Dietiian and trainer
Detailed Answer:
Good day,
Noted your concern.
Eventhough you tend to lose some weight in the beginning of an exercise program, after few days the speed of weight loss reduces. It is beacuse, the fat mass is replaced by muscle mass which is heavy. So do not worry. You must consult an exercise trainer and get your muscle and fat mass assessed. Also, he may be able to device an exercise regimen for you. Another important cause of not able to lose weight is calorie excess from food.
You may also need to consult a dietician who can suggest you a healthier food habit. People often complain to me about inability to lose weight, and when i analyze their diet history, i find them consuing excess calories in the form of biscuits/cookies/alcohol etc. Please remember that a standard drink of wine/whiskey gives you 150 calories where as you have to walk in the threadmill for atleast 20 minutes at a speed of 6 km/hour to lose 150 calories.
I am sure that, professional help in the form of advice from a physical trainer and dietician will surely help you .
I hope your TSH is normal on 175 mcg levithyroxine.
Dietiian and trainer
Detailed Answer:
Good day,
Noted your concern.
Eventhough you tend to lose some weight in the beginning of an exercise program, after few days the speed of weight loss reduces. It is beacuse, the fat mass is replaced by muscle mass which is heavy. So do not worry. You must consult an exercise trainer and get your muscle and fat mass assessed. Also, he may be able to device an exercise regimen for you. Another important cause of not able to lose weight is calorie excess from food.
You may also need to consult a dietician who can suggest you a healthier food habit. People often complain to me about inability to lose weight, and when i analyze their diet history, i find them consuing excess calories in the form of biscuits/cookies/alcohol etc. Please remember that a standard drink of wine/whiskey gives you 150 calories where as you have to walk in the threadmill for atleast 20 minutes at a speed of 6 km/hour to lose 150 calories.
I am sure that, professional help in the form of advice from a physical trainer and dietician will surely help you .
I hope your TSH is normal on 175 mcg levithyroxine.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you but your response contains nothing that I didn't already know.
Losing two pounds after eight weeks of rigorous workouts is like fighting a losing battle. Prior to the thyroidectomy I weighed 185 pounds. I reached 200 and decided to get serious and now am at 198.
I eat a healthy, gluten free diet and I do not drink alcohol. I know I eat no more than 2000 calories per day at the most unless I dine out which I do about once a week.
I was hoping to learn of proper supplements I could safely take to increase my metabolism. And should I take an iodine supplement?
Also, does my new increase in activity levels play any role in decreasing the effectiveness of the 175mcg Levothyroxine I currently take? Should I ask to switch to Synthroid instead?
Losing two pounds after eight weeks of rigorous workouts is like fighting a losing battle. Prior to the thyroidectomy I weighed 185 pounds. I reached 200 and decided to get serious and now am at 198.
I eat a healthy, gluten free diet and I do not drink alcohol. I know I eat no more than 2000 calories per day at the most unless I dine out which I do about once a week.
I was hoping to learn of proper supplements I could safely take to increase my metabolism. And should I take an iodine supplement?
Also, does my new increase in activity levels play any role in decreasing the effectiveness of the 175mcg Levothyroxine I currently take? Should I ask to switch to Synthroid instead?
Brief Answer:
CYTOMEL and LEVOTHYROXINE combination
Detailed Answer:
Good day,
Iodine and selenium are important for thyroid health. However, since you have no thyroid cells now due to surgery, an idoine / selenium supplementation doesnt make much diffrenece. I prefer Synthroid over generic levothyroxine. Currently, doctors aim to keep your Free T4 in the upper normal range of normal and TSH below 2.5 and that indicates an optimum thyroid hormone replacement. But i must say that many patients continue to complain of "hypothyroid symptoms" including inability to lose weight despite being on an optimum levothyroxine dose.
Synthroid /levothyroxine is a pure T4 preperation and body has to convert it to T3 for physiological actions including weight balance. Current thinking is that atleast few patients have " inability to convert T4 to T3 ". Hence, there is an argument favouring combination of T3 ( Cytomel) and levothyroxine (T4). But none of the endocrine organizations favour treating with Cytomel in any of the existing guidelines and hence endocrinologists do not favour this combination. Few doctors other than endocrinologists combine both.
You could discuss with your doctor about a trial of combination of Cytomel and Levothyroxine for a period of 3 months.
CYTOMEL and LEVOTHYROXINE combination
Detailed Answer:
Good day,
Iodine and selenium are important for thyroid health. However, since you have no thyroid cells now due to surgery, an idoine / selenium supplementation doesnt make much diffrenece. I prefer Synthroid over generic levothyroxine. Currently, doctors aim to keep your Free T4 in the upper normal range of normal and TSH below 2.5 and that indicates an optimum thyroid hormone replacement. But i must say that many patients continue to complain of "hypothyroid symptoms" including inability to lose weight despite being on an optimum levothyroxine dose.
Synthroid /levothyroxine is a pure T4 preperation and body has to convert it to T3 for physiological actions including weight balance. Current thinking is that atleast few patients have " inability to convert T4 to T3 ". Hence, there is an argument favouring combination of T3 ( Cytomel) and levothyroxine (T4). But none of the endocrine organizations favour treating with Cytomel in any of the existing guidelines and hence endocrinologists do not favour this combination. Few doctors other than endocrinologists combine both.
You could discuss with your doctor about a trial of combination of Cytomel and Levothyroxine for a period of 3 months.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you so much. I appreciate your insights and will persue them.
Brief Answer:
Best wishes
Detailed Answer:
I wish you a good health. I hope you will be able to convice your doctor about trial of Cytomel
Regards
Binu
Best wishes
Detailed Answer:
I wish you a good health. I hope you will be able to convice your doctor about trial of Cytomel
Regards
Binu
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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