What can I do to lose weight

[shond2015]

I really would appreciate your thoughts/comments on the above. I am on 150 Levo and although my other horrible symptoms have calmed over time....I still have a huge weight gain problem. It doesn't matter what I eat (I am now gluten free by the way), and I exercise daily....2 golden retrievers don't allow me to miss their walks (!) I also recently purchased the new Twist N Shape - to help me.... but nothing shifts. Any ideas what I could do- or what may be wrong? Many thanks.

[cwill]

I think for some people weight loss only happens when everything that the body is struggling with have been tackled. So what were your latest labs for full Thyroid panel and vitamins, folate, ferritin. And your diet? If your gut continues to give problems these must be sorted before anything else can resolve. I saw numerous specialists and had lots of tests but no one did a stool test. Such a simple thing. A lot of questions but I think from my experience that weight loss is at the end of the road for hashis/hypo.

[shaws Administrator]

I shall give you some links and your query is one of the commonest i.e. unwexplained weight gain when hypothyroid.

web.archive.org/web/2010103...

Have you had a recent blood test for your thyroid hormones, if not make one for the earliest time possible, fasting (you can drink water) and allow a gap of 24 hours between last dose and test and take afterwards. Ask for B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate if you've not had them done for some time.

Ask GP for a Full Thyroid Function Test - probably wont - but ask anyway.

TSH, T4, T3, Free T4 and Free T3. The FT3. You can get the FT4 and FT3 privately if lab wont do them. This is an excerpt from the following link:-

FT3 = FREE T3

T4 converts to T3 and is the only thyroid hormone actually used by the body's cells.

The approx. reference range for Free T3 is 4 to 8.3

We at Thyroid UK believe that you need to know your Free T3 level too because this will often show low if you are not converting, and high if you have blocked receptor cells. Even if you are converting, the body needs the extra T3 that a normal thyroid produces. There has been some research to show that people feel better on a mixture of Thyroxine (T4) and Triiodothyronine (T3). Effects of Thyroxine as Compared with Thyroxine plus Triiodothyronine in patients with hypothyroidism –

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

T3 is the only active hormone required in all of our receptor cells. T4 is inactive and has to convert to T3.

[greygoose]

Have you had your FT4, FT3, vit D, vit B12, folate and ferritin tested? If you're on T4 only, you need to know if you're converting well, and what your FT3 level is. And, it's not just about hormones, your nutrients need to be optimal, too. Very difficult to give any advice without seeing blood test results.

[shond2015]

Thanks to all who gave advice re weight issue. I do have a blood test on Tuesday next week - and I will definitely ask for blood results and post them here. I do know my blood test with endocrinologist, about 6 weeks ago, showed positive antibodies: 182 (0 - 34) so he decided to keep me on the thyroxine. Is the positive antibody reading 182 anything to worry about? GP just said it was high and that he didn't know what damage they were doing. We left it that I would see him to discuss after my next blood test. Any info on this would be gratefully received.