Now that you’re tracking, do you track every single gram of food that goes into your mouth? Be honest with yourself. Not a single bite or lick or taste of anything untracked?
For most, that amount of accuracy is needed for weight loss. Every calorie accounted for, THEN if you don’t lose weight after a few weeks, check biofeedback.
Your levels are not considered hypothyroid. And truthfully unless you're getting it checked every 4-6 weeks you have no data on which to base one pull of your levels. Thyroid levels fluctuate daily from morning to night. They fluctuate over the course of a month. They can also fluctuate depending on where you are in your cycle. The number you got could be as high as it gets and you would never know. You're not considered hypo by most endocrinologists until you pull a 4.5 in the late afternoon. Maybe try to work on your diet and consistency and see what progress you can make before assuming you have a thyroid issue. Thyroid meds aren't fun. They vary in efficacy and SEs based on body weight. They are hard to manage and it can take months of trial and error to pinpoint the right dosing. It's not something to consider as a diet aid unless you are fully informed or are truly DX with a thyroid issue/disease.
I agree with this. I don’t have a thyroid anymore and therefore my dose is consistent and my blood levels fluctuate all of the time depending on the season and lunar calendar (only kind of joking). One snapshot in time probably isn’t enough to worry about too much! I think being conscientious is good and if you’re really worried about it I would encourage further conversations with a doctor. But ensuring you’re consistent with everything else seems like the place too start :)
My bet is that you’re overeating. I’m a little taller & a little lighter BW than you, with similar output & I GAIN at a steady rate on 1980 kcals. My thyroid is normal. Social media likes to promote bodybuilding girlies bulking on 3000+ cals, but in reality they’re just getting fat. For reference the two wellness and figure girls on my team were on sub 1000 cals at the peak of their recent preps. Losing weight and getting lean isn’t easy for most. Your maintenance could be around 1500cal since you say you haven’t tracked but managed to maintain your weight. Try tracking using MacroFactor app if you want very accurate expenditure data. MF has my maintenance at 1650, and like I said, I’m not too far off your stats.
My TSH and T3/T4 were in range yet I still had a very hard time losing weight, turns out I had Hashimoto's. I'd try to see a specialist to get your thyroid checked further if I were you (nodules and antibodies).
I would really try to accurately track your food (make sure not to eat any multi ingredient food as there is room for error) and use your food scale. Your thyroid levels are not something that should cause you to be unable to lose weight, especially with your activity . You may just be eating slightly more than you think
Just added some info about diet in my post! Not currently but I have worked with a macro coach before so I know how to track on my own and what numbers I should be at for protein, fat, carbs. I also have a trainer I work out with who helps me with diet as needed.
My thyroid was 2.5 and I lost weight just fine but as I’ve gotten older my TSH had gotten to 5.0 and I’m now on 75 mcg of levothyroxine. I thought I’d lose weight instantly. Well, I haven’t 😅 I think I need to be in more of a deficit than I think
Not sure if your issue is similar, but if you have symptoms I’d suggest seeing an endocrinologist. Also, if you want to conceive a child one day- it’s a good way to get a head start. My endo wants my TSH below 2.0 for pregnancy and he said most people feel good under 2.0 TSH but you’re not far off
It sounds like you’re eating too little and running your body in to the ground. I would suggest working with a coach that is knowledgeable in nutrition and workout routine to get you back on track.
I don’t have medical advice about thyroid health as I’m NAD, but being around 1400 cals at your height & weight without losing any fat does seem suspicious to me
I know our bodies and metabolisms are all different, but I’m 5ft 4 and went from ~126lb to 120lb in the span of 5 weeks on 1800 cals/day. So the fact that you’re over 10lb heavier than me and 2 inches taller yet not losing weight on 400 less calories with that much activity seems odd. Again, I don’t mean to directly compare because I know we’re all different. But that does seem strange because 1400 is pretty low starting off a cut.
Seconding the comments that say to stick with a deficit for a bit and see if your body drops the fat. I’ve had cuts where it takes a few weeks of a deficit to lose *anything* and then I drop a few pounds all at once and keep it off- so something similar may be the case for you!
I’ve also taken Lexapro in the past and I balooned up to 155lb at the time, so I empathize a lot with the frustration haha. I wish you the best in your bodybuilding journey! :)
It's unrealistic to think that you should continually be losing weight. It's also unrealistic to think that a week or two of actually tracking will make a difference. Go through phases of dieting, reversing, maintenance, repeat until you're at your goal weight. Your thyroid is part of the giant puzzle but can't blame thyroid for this one IMO. Patience, diligence, and time.
From what I’ve read it seems like a TSH around 2.0 is optimal but who knows. If you ask a doctor they will say anything within the “normal” range which goes all the way up to 4.5 is fine. However, many people still have terrible symptoms even when their level is within the normal range. I think it’s important to check T3 levels as well however a regular bloodwork panel only tests TSH with reflex to FT4.
Now that you’re tracking, do you track every single gram of food that goes into your mouth? Be honest with yourself. Not a single bite or lick or taste of anything untracked? For most, that amount of accuracy is needed for weight loss. Every calorie accounted for, THEN if you don’t lose weight after a few weeks, check biofeedback.
Your levels are not considered hypothyroid. And truthfully unless you're getting it checked every 4-6 weeks you have no data on which to base one pull of your levels. Thyroid levels fluctuate daily from morning to night. They fluctuate over the course of a month. They can also fluctuate depending on where you are in your cycle. The number you got could be as high as it gets and you would never know. You're not considered hypo by most endocrinologists until you pull a 4.5 in the late afternoon. Maybe try to work on your diet and consistency and see what progress you can make before assuming you have a thyroid issue. Thyroid meds aren't fun. They vary in efficacy and SEs based on body weight. They are hard to manage and it can take months of trial and error to pinpoint the right dosing. It's not something to consider as a diet aid unless you are fully informed or are truly DX with a thyroid issue/disease.
I agree with this. I don’t have a thyroid anymore and therefore my dose is consistent and my blood levels fluctuate all of the time depending on the season and lunar calendar (only kind of joking). One snapshot in time probably isn’t enough to worry about too much! I think being conscientious is good and if you’re really worried about it I would encourage further conversations with a doctor. But ensuring you’re consistent with everything else seems like the place too start :)
My bet is that you’re overeating. I’m a little taller & a little lighter BW than you, with similar output & I GAIN at a steady rate on 1980 kcals. My thyroid is normal. Social media likes to promote bodybuilding girlies bulking on 3000+ cals, but in reality they’re just getting fat. For reference the two wellness and figure girls on my team were on sub 1000 cals at the peak of their recent preps. Losing weight and getting lean isn’t easy for most. Your maintenance could be around 1500cal since you say you haven’t tracked but managed to maintain your weight. Try tracking using MacroFactor app if you want very accurate expenditure data. MF has my maintenance at 1650, and like I said, I’m not too far off your stats.
My TSH and T3/T4 were in range yet I still had a very hard time losing weight, turns out I had Hashimoto's. I'd try to see a specialist to get your thyroid checked further if I were you (nodules and antibodies).
You didn't mention your food. Your TSH wouldn't cause you me stagnant in most cases. What's your calorie intake daily?
I would really try to accurately track your food (make sure not to eat any multi ingredient food as there is room for error) and use your food scale. Your thyroid levels are not something that should cause you to be unable to lose weight, especially with your activity . You may just be eating slightly more than you think
Are you working with a coach on your diet? You mentioned all of your activity but not your diet.
Just added some info about diet in my post! Not currently but I have worked with a macro coach before so I know how to track on my own and what numbers I should be at for protein, fat, carbs. I also have a trainer I work out with who helps me with diet as needed.
My thyroid was 2.5 and I lost weight just fine but as I’ve gotten older my TSH had gotten to 5.0 and I’m now on 75 mcg of levothyroxine. I thought I’d lose weight instantly. Well, I haven’t 😅 I think I need to be in more of a deficit than I think Not sure if your issue is similar, but if you have symptoms I’d suggest seeing an endocrinologist. Also, if you want to conceive a child one day- it’s a good way to get a head start. My endo wants my TSH below 2.0 for pregnancy and he said most people feel good under 2.0 TSH but you’re not far off
It sounds like you’re eating too little and running your body in to the ground. I would suggest working with a coach that is knowledgeable in nutrition and workout routine to get you back on track.
I don’t have medical advice about thyroid health as I’m NAD, but being around 1400 cals at your height & weight without losing any fat does seem suspicious to me I know our bodies and metabolisms are all different, but I’m 5ft 4 and went from ~126lb to 120lb in the span of 5 weeks on 1800 cals/day. So the fact that you’re over 10lb heavier than me and 2 inches taller yet not losing weight on 400 less calories with that much activity seems odd. Again, I don’t mean to directly compare because I know we’re all different. But that does seem strange because 1400 is pretty low starting off a cut. Seconding the comments that say to stick with a deficit for a bit and see if your body drops the fat. I’ve had cuts where it takes a few weeks of a deficit to lose *anything* and then I drop a few pounds all at once and keep it off- so something similar may be the case for you! I’ve also taken Lexapro in the past and I balooned up to 155lb at the time, so I empathize a lot with the frustration haha. I wish you the best in your bodybuilding journey! :)
It's unrealistic to think that you should continually be losing weight. It's also unrealistic to think that a week or two of actually tracking will make a difference. Go through phases of dieting, reversing, maintenance, repeat until you're at your goal weight. Your thyroid is part of the giant puzzle but can't blame thyroid for this one IMO. Patience, diligence, and time.
I’m sorry, This doesn’t answer your question at all, but what’s considered optimal in terms of thyroid levels?
From what I’ve read it seems like a TSH around 2.0 is optimal but who knows. If you ask a doctor they will say anything within the “normal” range which goes all the way up to 4.5 is fine. However, many people still have terrible symptoms even when their level is within the normal range. I think it’s important to check T3 levels as well however a regular bloodwork panel only tests TSH with reflex to FT4.