Weight gain caused by under active thyroid :-(

[Ms-JaCqUeLiNe-Xx]

Please help? Any kind advice would be most gratefully received and thank you in advance😊.

I am currently taking 125mg a day of levothyroxine.I am really struggling with the weight gain side of it.I am finding it increasingly difficult to shed in a few pounds,I never ever used to be like this.Please advise😊Xx

[Marz]

Do you have any recent blood test results with ranges ? Sometimes the Levo/T4 you are taking does not convert well in the body into the ACTIVE Thyroid hormone T3. T3 is needed in every cell of the body to establish a healthy metabolism.

Do you have Hashimotos ?

Are you taking any other medication that could be affecting the uptake of your Levo ? Have you been tested for B12 - FERRITIN - FOLATE - VITD ? All need to be optimal for your thyroid hormones to work well.

Your results will show us if you need a dose increase or if there are conversion issues.

[Ms-JaCqUeLiNe-Xx in reply to Marz]

My blood test results a couple of months ago came back as 1.7

Sorry but I don't know what 'Hashimotos' is,please explain? I am currently taking 40mg Citalopram every morning and at the same time as taking my Levo 125mg.I am seeing my GP at the end of next week as due another blood test and will ask to be tested B12 - FERRITIN - FOLATE - VITD as you very kindly advised and shall let you know my results as soon as I get them.Thank you so much for all your kind advice - it's most gratefully received 😊x.

[Marz in reply to Ms-JaCqUeLiNe-Xx]

I think that must be the TSH test at 1.7 you mention above. You have not posted a range - but I can see that it is not in a bad place. It is often said on this forum that a result of around 1 or under when being treated is a good place to be.

So that is just one result - you also need the FT4 and the FT3 so you are able to see if the T4 you are taking is converting into the ACTIVE thyroid hormone T3 - needed in every cell of your body.

You also need results for the thyroid anti-bodies - TPO and Tg - so you can rule out Hashimotos. It is the auto-immune condition that makes the thyroid non-productive and the most common cause of Hypothyroidism.

If you are on a PC there is a list under the heading Topics to the right of this post with over 2000 posts about Hashimotos. You can also type Hashimotos into the Search Thyroid UK at the top of the page. If you are on a mobile then scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the heading Topics.

thyroiduk.org is the main website for this forum where you will find a wealth of information about the thyroid - testing - understanding test results - vitamins - private testing - books - private Home Testing Kits and so on.

I hope your Doc will oblige with all the correct testing for you to be well - if not then perhaps you can go down the route of Private Testing and take control of your health. Everyone here will support you and advise ....

[Katepots]

Hi,

When I gave up gluten/casein (in milk) I lost over a stone in three weeks and I've kept off. Worth a go!

Have you had your antibodies checked for Hashimotos?

Gut issues?

Like Marz says, post your latest blood results on here.

Vit D, Folate,Feretin, B12 all need to be optimal to feel well.

Magnesium, Selenium and zincworth checking too.

Take a good probiotic.

[Ms-JaCqUeLiNe-Xx in reply to Katepots]

Thank you so much for all your kind advice and I shall be following it through with GP next week.I will update my results just as soon as I can😊.Many thanks! x

[greygoose]

Whatever you do, do not diet - you need about 2000 calories a day for optimal conversion. Low calorie diets impact negatively on conversion.

And, do not do strenuous exercise, it uses up your T3, which you cannot rapidly replace, and makes you more hypo. Just gentle walking, swimming or yoga until your FT3 is optimal (and you won't know what it is if it isn't tested!). It's low T3 that causes weight gain, nothing to do with the TSH or FT4, as doctors seem to think.

[Ms-JaCqUeLiNe-Xx in reply to greygoose]

Wow....... Thank you so,so much for all your kind help - it's most gratefully received😊.I will be back on this wonderful forum with my blood test,etc results in due course.Many thanks! x

[greygoose in reply to Ms-JaCqUeLiNe-Xx]

You're welcome.

[Kiwidel]

Everyone is different, but whilst on Levo my weight kept increasing.

Out of interest and because I was preparing to move to dessicated thyroid, I stared tracking my weight daily. On Levo it would swing wildly day on day, but always trending up despite eating and exercising consistently. Once I got to a stable dose of the new meds my weight stabilised.

That is when I started weight watchers - 4 weeks in I've lost 12lbs, and the weight loss has been consistent. I haven't gone mad exercising, and haven't wildly changed the types of things I eat, just how much of them I have. Some of my weight is cake (and beer!), but I definitely think getting on a even keel before starting ww was the best thing to have done, both physically and mentally.

My advice is focus on getting your medication and levels into a good place (iron, Vit d, b12 etc - there are lots of great posts on this site about these) then your body (and mind!) will be set up to succeed in losing the weight.

Best of luck!