[Bobbi]

#1074931

Weight is lost when we are hyperactive due to a variety of reasons, but one of the major reasons is often the loss of muscle mass. Muscle weighs a lot compared to other tissues in the body, and when we lose muscle, it looks like we are losing weight. You can actually see the loss of muscle in photos of some folks who have been hyperthyroid (and untreated) for a while: the men have caved in chests and arms are skeletal, for example. One sign of the lost muscle is the loss of strength in the arms and legs.

But losing weight via losing muscle is very bad weight loss. Muscle weighs more, but it also burns more calories, even at rest, than other tissues do. With muscle lost, we cannot eat as much as we are normally able to, without gaining weight.

That’s the background. When your thyroid hormone levels are brought back under control, the muscle starts to slowly return. And it looks like (and is) weight gain. Try to keep in mind, however, that this is good weight gain — it will raise your metabolism (allowing you to eat more), and it will make you stronger again. You need to exercise (when the doctor gives the OK) to strengthen the returning muscle, because it is "mushy" muscle when it first returns (that was the term used by an endo in one of our conferences).

So, the short answer is "yes" you will regain weight that you lost while hyperthyroid. If you eat wisely and well (i.e. three balanced meals, minimum, watching portions), the weight that comes back will be good weight, as opposed to bad weight. I lost about 25 pounds in all through the Graves and dropped three clothing sizes. When I started to work out, the exercise physiologist who measured my strength told me that I had eight percent of the strength of a normal woman my age!!! I could only do bicep reps with small paperback books at first. I was very, very weak. I eventually regained 15 of those pounds, staying in the same size. Through the twelve years since my RAI, I have regained the entire amount of the weight, but it was only after I stopped eating well and started consuming empty calories again (on a regular basis) that the "bad" weight came back. I stayed at that smaller size for years[/u.]

[LynneB54]

#1074932

Hi Mickey,

Ohhhhh to I hear you!! I don’t want to gain back any of the weight I’ve lost either! ” title=”Smile” /> I put myself on a diet on 12/1/06 and have followed it consistently since then. I lost 40+ pounds and am scared to death that I’ll gain it back. I don’t think I’ve lost an ounce that I didn’t work hard for while hyper. No fair!! I think that’s why I’ve put off making a treatment decision, which is dumb. I’ve struggled with my weight my entire life and I’m finally happy with what I weigh. Now I have an illness where the price of getting well seems to be gaining weight. Humpf…is it okay to whine??

Lynne

[Mickey65]

#1019906

Okay, just wondering about the weight thing in regards to the Graves. I think I’ve lost close to 30 pounds now while going thru this. I did the RAI a week ago today and still am losing weight (I’ve dropped about 5 lbs in the last 2 weeks!).

While it’s nice to see the extra weight come off (since I am a little overweight), is all of it going to come back on the moment I go hypo, plus extra?

Yeah, I’m being a vain woman here, but I was just curious based on other experiences here. ” title=”Wink” />

[elf]

#1074933

I think the weight will try to crawl back on you when you’re hypo. Since my RAI 3 years ago I added 30 lbs (130 -> 160). Admittedly, the best part of those pounds came because I ate more than needed, rather than being hypo. I’ll try to put it this way: being hypo helps to retain that piece of cake on your frame. It takes a bit more effort (exersice + watching calories) than before Graves. But it’s doable, it’s not written in stone: "hypo = overwheight". I’ve decided to lose these 30 lbs by next summer, will see.

[Hopeful23]

#1074934

ohh no…I don’t want to gain the weight back either. I am finally down to the size I was before all this. I gained tons of weight and I guess at its peak lost it all quit fast like 30 lbs in a month fast. I am getting my thyroid out sometime in jan if my levles climb enough…and i guess the weight gain is better than this crap lol….i will def work out after this is all in control I just couldnt cause my heart rate was out of control..so when im hypo will my heart rate be undercontrol with out beta blockers…?? Also, will i be on a beta blocker after surgery cause i have such rapid heart rates??

[Ski]

#1074935

The rapid heart rate is due to being hyperthyroid, so that will ease up once you are no longer hyperthyroid. The beta blockers won’t be needed after that, but you do need to wean yourself from beta blockers ~ typically we take a VERY small dose to keep our heart rate regulated while hyper, so the weaning process will probably last less than 2 weeks, but you need to do it a little at a time (from one pill a day to one every other day, for instance) rather than all at once. Follow your doctor’s instructions.

About the weight ~ take a good, long read at Bobbi’s post and it will help to put ALL of that into perspective.

As you say, any weight gain is preferable to being hyperthyroid. Hyperthyroidism kills. Gaining weight is inconvenient. BOTH can be controlled effectively. You can look forward to much more normal weight issues once your thyroid is regulated. Keeping a good handle on your diet and doing whatever exercise you are allowed will keep you in the best possible condition, so that when your levels normalize, you have far less work to do to get back to where you’d like to be. In the meantime, it’s wise to buy clothes for yourself that are not only the right size, but even a little larger ~ give yourself more space so you are comfortable enough to MOVE when the mood strikes you, and also so you do not grouse each time your beltline gets tight. That’s stress too.

[Author]

Posts