Head is battered.......

[Mark_Hen]

Right....

I've posted a lot on here over the last week or so, and I firstly want thank everyone for their advice.

However I'm starting to think i'm overthinking a lot, and the information and advice I've been given on here has overwhelmed me a bit.

The fact is the ONLY 'symptom' i'm currently experiencing is lack of weight loss (but there has also been no gain!).

Before treatment my symtoms were A LOT worse. Cramps, hair loss, weight gain (18st, i'm now just over 15st), mood swings, restless nights, and exagerated hayfever symptoms.

I've been told by a lot of people to "get private tests" and "look into buying T3 from abroad". I've looked into all of this but in reflection my levo has done a lot for me, and other than not losing weight I feel generally fine.

So I think the advice I actually want is thus.......

What can I do to maxmise the benefits of me levo treatment? I'm currently on 175mg a day. I exercise regularly, and eat a good diet.

Thanks in advance!

[Raventhorpe]

Hi mark_Hen not everyone needs to be on t3 to feel well, if your doing fine on levo then stick with that. I'm also on levo only and as long as level of medication is right in my case tsh below 1.0 andt4/t3 near top of range then I'm ok. Best thing to do is have your vitamins checked b12, ferritin, Folate, and vit D these need to be at optimal levels as they can impact on the way we feel and absorbing the levothyroxine so we Keep well. I also take vitamin c. Everybody is individual when it comes to the thyroid so it's what works for you that's important, it can be overwhelming when you first get diagnosed as there is so much to learn.

[greygoose]

Have you had your FT3 tested? About the best thing you can do for yourself is to get your FT4 and FT3 tested at the same time, to see how well you are converting. And, if your FT3 isn't optimal, you should stop the exercising - that could be why you can't lose weight, because exercising uses up your T3.

Everyone has their own idea of what a good diet is, so just telling us that you eat a good diet, doesn't tell us much. Do you get plenty of good fat, for example, or are you on a fat-free diet - which lots of people think is good.

Have you tried taking vit C with your levo, to aid absorption?

Are all your nutrients optimal? No matter how good your diet, hypos usually have low stomach acid, so have problems digesting and absorbing nutrients (and levo). So, if you haven't done so already, get your vit D, vit B12, folate and ferritin tested. They all need to be optimal for you body to be able to synthesis thyroid hormone.

[Mark_Hen in reply to greygoose]

Point taken in the vitamins, ill look into that.

The t4/t3 thing though...... what is the point of testing it if I can do nothing about it? Like I said I feel fine other than a weightloss plateau, and quite frankly I'm not going to spend a fortune importing medication.

I know I eat a good diet. I'm not here for dietary advice. Advising people on exercise and nutrition is a major part of my profession, so I'd say I'm pretty clued up on that. Unless of course you happen to be a specialist nutritionist/dietitian? In which case I'd love to delve into my diet further.

If I'm exercising too much well that's just tough! Can't be avoided. Haha

Thanks again for your help.

[Marz in reply to Mark_Hen]

Well you can do something about the T4/T3 issue. As greygoose said you need good levels of B12 - Folate - Ferritin - VitD for thyroid hormones to work and that includes the conversion of T4 into the ACTIVE thyroid hormone T3.

Sadly it is not what we eat - but what we absorb

[Mark_Hen in reply to Marz]

Yeah I'm definitely looking into the vitamin part

[cazza1001 in reply to Mark_Hen]

I guess the importance of knowing your T3 is that it could give an indication if you are metabolising normally - but as you say you feel generally well ... But if T3 is low you will struggle with weight loss FOR SURE ! So what I say next may be totally irrelevant if you are low in T3 or burning it all in exercise .

I am a Nutritionist - and I've learnt with Thyroid it is very complicated - you need your good fats ( Omega 3 - salmon, seeds, avocado etc ) and you defo need to get the Vitamins mentioned above checked - after that, however 'clean' you are eating you are just probably taking on a few to many calories - keep a food diary and be quite strict for a week about your recordings - and just suss out your calorie intake ... in box me for any further tips ! If you post or inbox your height - weight , age & sex I can work out your Basal Metabolic Rate - BMR ( ie, the general start point for our ideal calorie intake - often wrong for Thyroid sufferers thou !!! ) - the truth of it is most people eat to much over the age of 35+ which is why the whole nation is getting bigger !

I know form personal experience how frustrating it is - I have only just increased my T3 levels for first time in 6 years and the weight has started to shift at what I would describe at a normal rate - before that I was on only about 1000- 1200 per day long term - NOT ENOUGH I hear greygoose cry but I found if I ate more I just gained and gained !! good luck

[Mark_Hen in reply to cazza1001]

Hey! Thanks for all that!!!

I'm just not really liking the idea of the whole T3 thing at the minute! Haha

My BMR is 2,600kcals a day.

[cazza1001 in reply to Mark_Hen]

I'm not suggesting you take T3 - the T3 result will indicate if you are metabolising well !! That said your TSH is < 1 which is good .

Your BMR sounds quite high - you must be young and tall !! ( I wish ...)

Do you take on around 2600 a day ? I often find Thyroid sufferers have to take less than their BMR to loose ...

[Mark_Hen in reply to cazza1001]

I'm 34, 6'2, and very active both at work and in my spare time.

I tend to work on around 2,200kcals.

Thanks for this by the way, I've spoken to Dietetics at work and they didn't have any real thyroid issue experience.

[cazza1001 in reply to Mark_Hen]

you could safely take out another 300 - 400 a day - if you are eating lean protein 3-4 times a day (20-30grams at a time ) especially after exercise and see if that just starts to shift it a bit ! don't aim for more than 1-1.5 lbs a week ( about a deficit of 3000 calories ) as you will probably loose muscle and not fat which is not good for the metabolic rate at all .

Given your job and exercise levels its just wrong you are even having to think about it but there you go - I reckon you only have 15 odd pounds to go maximum .

You've done so well to shift 3 stone and remember the closer you get to your ideal weight your metabolic rate does naturally decrease ...

[ do get that T3 level tested thou or you could drive yourself mad with this - if you are low in T3 and you are using up loads due to your job - weight loss will be VERY hard ]

good luck

[Mark_Hen in reply to cazza1001]

Ah brilliant!! I'll do a review of my diet then and see what I'm taking in. My cals will probably be lower now I've gone gluten free. So I need to check it out.

Maybe I do pay for the T3 only test then?

[cazza1001 in reply to Mark_Hen]

I would - I seriously went round in circles for 6 years with diet alone ( don't even get me on the other symptoms ) .... All easier now with higher T3 levels - and I do agree that lots of exercise does deplete them - as I am definitely flagging when I flog the exercise too much

[Mark_Hen in reply to cazza1001]

Ah I'm not getting any of that post exercise tiredness (well other than would should be expected)

My sole symptom is the weight loss plateau

[LAHs in reply to Mark_Hen]

The "whole T3 thing..." IS the whole thing.

Take the advice you have been given here, it's not a trivial subject and takes study and persistence.

[Mark_Hen in reply to LAHs]

Thanks for your reply.

[shaws]

When becoming hypo, it is such a gradual thing that we aren't aware there is anything wrong.

Most people do fine on levothyroxine and are back to good health when they are given an optimum dose - that takes a bit of time.

However, there's no reason for you not to keep taking levothyroxine and if after six months to a year with doctor increasing dose to bring TSH to 1 or lower then your weight should gradually diminish. Continued weight gain after you think you are on an optimum would suggest to me (and am not medically qualified) that another blood test and increase in levo is warranted. Weight is gained because our metabolism is very, very slow due to hypo and exercising before on optimum dose can have a reverse effect in that it might reduce T3 which you don't want.

I agree it is too much to take in initially as we are suddenly catapulted into a world of ill-health and we want the quickest recovery possible but, as stated, it has to be gradual increases of levo and doctor allows your TSH to be 1 or below. Many wrongly believe a low TSH will cause heart or bone problems but that's not true unless you are very frail with a heart disease.

[Mark_Hen in reply to shaws]

Great response, thanks. My TSH is 0.9 at last test, so although below 1 it is only just below.

[shaws in reply to Mark_Hen]

That in itself is a good result.

[Mark_Hen in reply to shaws]

Exactly, which is one of the reasons I've had a word with myself and thought "Am I actually that bad? It's only one symptom, and I'm not gaining weight"

[shaws in reply to Mark_Hen]

You sound as if you've recovered already

[Mark_Hen in reply to shaws]

Ah if only you could have witnessed my train of thought over the last week or so!!

I work in mental health and at one point I was just going to check myself in when I came to work this morning!!

It doesnt help that there's such a vast spectrum of hypothyroid sypmtoms, as even the whole 'worrying about things that dont usually bother me' thing comes up as a symptom of possibly being under-medicated!

I had a reality check yesterday and the fact is I'm not feeling bad enough to warrant private checks (and being an NHS employee it'd be against everything I believe in!), and certainly don't really want to be paying a fortune for meds from Serbia!

I've lost almost 3stone on Levo, yes its took a while but its worked. I plan to speak to my Dr about maybe a slight increase to my Levo to see if that makes any difference.

[Silver_Fairy in reply to Mark_Hen]

Selenium is good to add, 200mcg. Are you gluten free?

[Mark_Hen in reply to Silver_Fairy]

I've been 'gluten avoidant' haha

But I have made the decision to go gluten free from now.

[Silver_Fairy in reply to Mark_Hen]

Nope, no getting away with it! You have to be strict too, none at all.

[Mark_Hen in reply to Silver_Fairy]

Yes mum! Hahaha

I am going to be strict with it!

[Silver_Fairy in reply to Mark_Hen]

I'm probably old enough 😏

[Clairewalker751]

I felt exactly like you! I'm on Levo and losing weight but im following a diet protocol I recommend Amy Myers book and izabella Wentz new book is great basically I've cut out grains and dairy and replaced them with healthy fats I'm not exercising as I'm not optimally dosed yet but losing 0.5 to a pound per week I used to eat what I considered a very healthy diet and exercise a lot but was steadily gaining weight. Glad you are feeling well now though

[Mark_Hen in reply to Clairewalker751]

Amazing!!! Thanks for some positive encouragement!!

[steviecat]

Mark. Watch out for huge amounts of added sugar in commercial gluten free products.

[Mark_Hen in reply to steviecat]

Yeah I'm on that mate! Cheers