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Getting Through the Day with a Thyroid Condition

Jose Canseco's name is almost synonymous with 'roids; steroids, that is. The same can arguably be said about Barry Bonds, Marion Jones, and the Governator himself. But, a different and more pervasive type of 'roid problem exists in this country, and it is not relegated to overreaching athletes or bodybuilders.

Thyroid conditions affect as many as 13 million Americans, oftentimes making daily life extremely arduous. With normal activities being so physically taxing, you can probably imagine how tough it sometimes can be for people with a thyroid condition to endure a workout, wherein even the best of intentions to be healthier can sometimes be thwarted by your own body. Thankfully, if you have a thyroid condition, there are some lifestyle changes that may help get you through your day and workout.

Of course, this starts with understanding what actually causes a thyroid condition. WebMD tackles this matter in this article, pointing to several possible triggers. Beyond developing this understanding of causation, there are some steps you can take to minimize your risk and/or mitigate the effects of your thyroid condition.

Cap the Tap. Unless your tap water is filtered, you may be ingesting too much fluoride, which can hinder thyroid function. Opt instead for bottled water. It may not be the environmentally friendly solution, but it is necessary for better thyroid health.

Boost Selenium Intake. Since your body needs this mineral to produce thyroid hormones, it's vital that you are taking in adequate amounts. Selenium can be found in abundance in rice, Brazil nuts, and tuna.

Get Enough Iodine. This trace mineral is also required for thyroid hormone production. Get your fill of it easily from table salt and seafood.

Cut Back on Soy. Isoflavones in soy can interfere with the production and use of thyroid hormones, so you would do well to keep your soy intake to a minimum.

If any of you suffer from a thyroid condition and have any additional tips or suggestions, please feel free leave them in the comments section below.

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56 Comments

Heather

I have hypothyroidism.
The only thing I have to say is its impact on the weight is real, but not near as extreme as some try to claim. It is not responsible for obesity... a little extra weight, maybe, but not outright obesity.

watsersmom

Whether or not a person becomes Obese or not after going Hypothyroid depends alot upon pre Hypothyroid weight. Alot of people go hypothyroid after being HYPERthyroid for a period of time. As a result of being HYPER alot of people are UNDERWEIGHT. Then, After the throid burns out or the thyroid is ablated, there WILL be a weight gain. It is intersting to note that Some people who are HYPERthyroid are NOT underweight. This seems to be prevelant with Hashimotos Thyroiditis. These people tend to be sligtly overweight, but not obese. And here is the crux of the situation. If someone is underweight prior to going HYPO, again, they WILL gain weight after going HYPO, BUT they usually end up at a normal, socially acceptable, weight, ie. NOT Obease. Unfortunately,The individulal who happens to be even slightly overweight prior to going HYPO can end up being Obese. It may be that the percentage of weight gain is roughly the same for everybody, but the outcome can be different depending on pre Hypothyroid weight. If you are underweight prior to going Hypothyroid you end up either at a normal weight or maybe just slightly overweight, but NOT obease. But if you are in the overweight, but not obease catagory, look out! You may gain roughtly the same percentage of weight as your underweight cohorts but that percentage could push you over the threshold of Obesity.

Louann

This really makes me angry! We need to support each other, not judge each other. It is difficult enough battling the doctors who don't really listen and just move you through as though we are all the same. I have been battling my autoimmune problems for 35 years. It has been heartbreaking, annoying, debilitating, disappointing, embarrassing, etc, etc. My daughter is now beginning her journey and banging against the same closed minds that I did ... only this time she has me and this website to help her. After being diagnosed with Hashimoto's 18 years ago, my new primary doc lowered my thyroid hormone three dosage levels! I gained 9 pounds the first month and 25 pounds in three months. I almost lost my job as a Payroll Administrator because I couldn't think. I was dragging myself to work, I still have thin hair in front from so much hair loss. I pleaded with him, but he would not listen; nor would he contact my former endo. I finally finagled an appointment through my nephro to an endo clinic at Shands in Gainesville, FL. My test came back at 12.0!! The endo said, "Boy! Do you have Hashimoto's!" She put me back on my regular dosage level and then I had to lose all of that weight. 15 pounds ... yeah, but it's PROGRESSIVE for some of us. The longer you are without the necessary level of thyroid hormone ... the more weight you will put on. Do your research and DON'T EVER GIVE UP! Keep talking; practice what you will tell your doc and KNOW YOUR STUFF!! You are living in your body ... NO ONE ELSE knows what that feels like. As my doc told me, "Just because we can't find it, doesn't mean it isn't happening to you."

Dean

I agree. Some thyroid patients will not get obese (I haven't). Others well. I know plenty of people who eat less than me, exercise more and are heavier. It is easy to judge people when you aren't in their shoes.

Merry

A few points:

1 - You need to educate yourself about thyroid conditions. There are differing opinions amongst doctors as to what TSH level constitutes a hypothyroid condition. If you need to get tested, make sure the doctor knows to test for antibodies to Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. (This is an autoimmune condition -- quite common, at least in North America -- where the body's own immune system attacks the thyroid. You can be borderline 'normal' with this condition and still need to be treated.)

2 - Not everybody can tolerate the generic version of the hypothyroid medication.

3 - Be aware that if you are hypothyroid, going on medication will not cause weight to magically drop off you. You might lose a few pounds since you're no longer retaining water, but the real benefit will be because of a slight boost to your metabolism.

Gail

I have Hashimoto's also. I agree with your suggestion to get a test for antibodies. Normal is below 30, when I have an attack the antibodies go over 400. Luckily, the thyroid doctor I go to is 'old school' (he's in his 70's) and regularly keeps a check on this. Armour Thyroid is working for me and luckily I haven't had the weight problem for about 15 years.

Cari

I read somewhere once that while thyroid malfunction is blamed for a lot of weight gain that the prevalency rates are only about 3%. I've never done further research though to verify that figure.

Dean

30% not 3%. And that doesn't include all the ones not diagnosed yet or misdiagnosed as not having it. I hope you never get thyroid disease because your judgmental tone will come back to haunt you. Don't judge what you haven't experienced is my advice to you. :)

Tom

These are some good tips, but as Merry said, it is really important to learn as much about thyroid conditions as possible. This is especially true if you believe that you may have a thyroid issue. Thanks for posting this, it is interesting information.

Pip

That's interesting. I hadn't made the fluoride connection before. Thankfully most of the water I drink is filtered anyway. Our soil here in NZ is notoriously low in selenium so we are advised to take a supplement.

I've never really thought too much about my Hypothyroidism, probably because I was diagnosed with Addisons at the same time and that seemed the more significant of the two!

Neither really stop me from doing anything though. I work out six days a week and completed a 160km bike race last weekend. I think I'm one of the lucky ones.

Dean

You are a lucky Addison's patient. I have it too and am barely at 20% of how I used to function. Most Addison's folks i talk to have a lot of struggles. I could never work out the way you do and I am on a pretty good dose of cortisol replacement.

christina gonzalez

Be careful to be on the right dosage of medication. I was on such a high dose that it caused me to develop vitiligo, I have white spots allover my hands and arms, and lower body. It has lowered my self esteem so much that I have stop working so I don't have to be seen in the public. I am now on the righ dosage bu the damage to my skin and self esteem is permanent.

Shannon

I wanted to get tested for this because I'm working out an hour or 2 a day, 6 days a week...leading a very healthy lifestyle, eating mostly whole foods, definitely not junk food or candy or soda and sticking to less than 1500 calories a day, usually more like 1200...and I haven't dropped a pound in two months. Not a pound.
You bring it up and people either say one of two things 1) have you had your thyroid checked or 2) you have to be eating more calories than you think or not exercising enough. I track my calories, nothing slips in. And I exercise plenty. So I'm baffled (and frustrated) about it.

Naomi

A fairly new concept in exercise routines may be something that will help you. My daughter has proven this alternative method to be very effective. I have Hashimoto's hypothyroidism and a host of other autoimmune disorders (or are they simply a constellation?). At any rate, I think you may find this information very interesting and helpful: "Rediscover Your Native Fitness" by Al Sears, MD. You might want to just go to Amazon.com and read the reviews of this book/system, pro and con.

Pam

Have you considered the possibility that you are not ingesting ENOUGH calories to sustain your active life? If your calorie deficit is too great, your body will go into starvation mode - meaning it will hold onto excess weight and burn slooooowly because you are not giving it enough fuel to get through each day. With the kind of workouts you are doing, it sounds to me like you've probably slowed your metabolism and will need to spend a few weeks eating more food before the losses will continue.

ciara

people who are hypothyroid and want to lose weight usually have to cut out 1200 calories..skip the fat, carbs, starches, soy AND work out at least 30 minutes three times a week to lose any kind of weight. on the average, people with hypothyroidism can expect to lose 1/2 pound a week. at first i thought that wasn't good, but Mary Shomon, told me that that is average and i was doing well. taking your medication properly also has a lot to do with how well you lose weight & keep it off. i've noticed that since i've been off & trying to get back on track, i've been swelling again.

i do have to say, this disease does NOT affect everyone in the same way. some only get a handful of symptoms while others, like myself, get a whole slew of symptoms.

there is also the issue of how long it takes you to get diagnosed! over four years before they figured it out. by that time i gained so much weight, felt almost comatose at times, and had several problems.

i slowly figure out the things that work and don't work for me. i've been able to lose about 13 pounds.

Dean

Everyone is different, as you said, and what works for one might not work for another. We all have different toxic loads and different reasons for the cause of our disease. I personally can lose weight eating lots of fats like organic coconut oil, nuts, avocado, etc. The brain and thyroid need good fats and the adrenals need cholesterol. Avoiding processed foods is always a good idea but I would never tell people to avoid fats.

No one here has mentioned one of the most important things to help your thyroid...doing regular cleanses of the liver, colon and kidneys. Getting toxins out of your body works wonders for your energy and weight issues.

Dean

It can be a lot of things. You might have metabolic issues, adrenal issues, a pit tumor, toxicity that needs to be eliminated, etc. Keep searching because for the calories you eat and your workout, you definitely should not be gaining weight and should be losing.

Gwen

My thyroid was checked every year since 1993 and not once did a doctor show any concern until a month ago. My range was always just in the 'normal' range for doctors to ignore all the other symptoms. I saw an endocrinologist and he put me on the medication and I dropped ten pounds the first week. The swelling in my ankles disappeared and my shoes are too lose on me now.

At first my energy levels got better, but for the past week I've been pretty tired and sore all over. I had an ultrasound done on my thyroid to check out the lumps that appeared there and I am waiting for the results.

For many years doctors missed the thyroid problem, the PCOS and the celiac disease that bothered me. Each had obvious signs, but they were overlooked and my weight was blamed on food and lack of exercise, which was far from true!

Naomi

It is common for a person with one autoimmune disorder to have others; I, too have celiac disease (gluten enteropathy) along with my Hashimoto's, psoriatic arthritis, and mixed/undifferentiated connective tissue disease. Hopefully your experience will be different than mine, but being aware can possibly prevent you from going undiagnosed on other issues if you have persistent symptoms...

Dean

Mine went undiagnosed for over 40 years! Your story is not unique. My TSH still shows normal...even when I have a goiter!

Herbalife Las Vegas

Great blog. I drink filtered water out of my refrigerator but I agree bottled water is better. I will try to switch back and forth. Thanks for the thoughts.

Fitness

I never realised that so many people had it. If you think that you have thyroid problems, get it checked out.

Robin

I, too have hypothyroidism, but always had "normal" TSH. After over 20 years of suffering and getting sicker and sicker, an endocrinologist discovered I had a pituitary tumor (for 20+ years or more) which caused my pituitary to not produce TSH, yet the tumor produced way too much ACTH causing Cushing's.

However, the thyroid problems have been as problematical as the Cushing's (now in remission due to surgery). My TSH is always extremely low, thus free T3 and free T4 are valid tests to actually show the thyroid function.

There are many other problems that go along with thyroid malfunction/dysfunction, including auto-immune (Hashimoto's, etc.). Thus, it takes a thyroid expert to truly know what's going on.

Great post.

Dean

Yours is the best post I have read today. Yes, you can have normal TSH and still be very hypothyroid, which is why it is not an accurate test and too many people suffer needlessly because doctors, unfortunately, look at TSH and not symptoms.

Berni

Thanks for an informative post. An additional suggestion I would have is to find an informed practitioner that you really trust, whether that be your GP, Endo or an alternative therapist. Having professional support can make all the difference when trying to find the balance. I know it's helped me.

Spectra

My mother in law has hypothyroidism, but it's really frustrating to hear her blaming all of her weight problems on her thyroid. She makes it seem that if her thyroid was OK, she'd be thin. She's on a medication that helped her lose around 20-30 lbs once she went on it, but then her weight stabilized. So she figured the medicine wasn't working anymore and wanted the dosage upped. The thing is, I'm pretty sure that underactive thyroid probably IS only responsible for about 20-30 lbs of her excess weight. The rest of it is poor diet and lifestyle choices.

Dean

Don't judge until you have been there. Her weight could all be from thyroid and judging her doesn't help.

Sabs

I also have a thyroid problem, more specifically metabolic syndrome which, according to my dietician, plays a big role in my weightloss efforts.

Thanks for the tips, they were quite interesting.

Kat

I suffer from hypothyroidism.

Two things particularly affect my thyroid: caffeine and exercise. I have noticed that, as I ingest more and more caffeine, my thyroid function steadily decreases. My doctor informed me that caffeine does in fact have a negative effect upon my thyroid, limiting its capacities even further.

I have also noticed that regular, vigorous exercise seems to really help maintain my thyroid function. If I stop or decrease my frequency of exercise, my thyroid function plummets.

So: limit your coffee intake, and RUN!

Dean

"I have noticed that, as I ingest more and more caffeine, my thyroid function steadily decreases."

That is a clear sign that your adrenals are worn out. Do you get jittery, anxious, depressed, emotional, and/or fast heart beat at times?

Caffeine stimulates adrenaline. What people really need is cortisol and in an attempt to raise their cortisol, they take stimulants like coffee to "wake up" or get energy, but it ends up having the opposite affect after awhile and results in crashes.

When the pituitary keeps telling the adrenals to push out more cortisol, at some point the adrenals cannot keep up and crash. When they do, any stimulant like coffee ends up stimulating more adrenaline and not the needed cortisol.

Without the production of cortisol to the cells, the cell receptors cannot uptake thyroid T4 and T3. You really need to do a 24-hour saliva adrenal test.

Again, the two sites I keep posting will help you figure this out:

www.stopthethyroidmadness.com
www.drrind.com

Hey, the help is free so you might as well take advantage of it. The thyroid site in particular is so helpful you will know more than your doctor after studying that!

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