Hi, I'm new to this site so ill give you all a wee background update .....
I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid 10 years ago...over the past ten years I have been taking 100 thyroxine tablet everyday until recently, after my yearly blood test I was increased to 125 which showed my thyroid levels were ok but my thyroid is working to hard so my doctor has increased me again to 150 per day....does that make sense??
I have put on 6 stone in weight in the past 4 years, going from a size 10 to an 18. I now hate the way I look and cant seem to lose any weight after trying numerous diets. I constantly feel down and low in mood, I cry a lot, iv been signed off work due to other medical reasons but I'm so glad as I feel I'm not coping with day to day stuff, everything is an effort, I also suffer from anxiety.
Please if anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them as I cant continue to live like this
X
Written by
TTTH
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
but before anybody can give you any advice, we need to see your thyroid results and the range of it in brackets. eg TSH 1.0 [0.05-4.00] , also the t3 and t4 better the ft3 and ft4 results. if you have them, please insert them into your question/story. by reading the results we can see how the medication is working.
if you haven't got the printouts from the doctor.. please try to get them. xx
Also if you have had vitamin D, folate, B12 & ferritin tested post these results too. Including the ranges (figures in brackets) We are often low in these vitamins and they can stop the thyroid hormones working well.
Also would be helpful to know if you have had thyroid antibodies tested for autoimmune thyroid disease, also known as Hashimotos
If you don't know your actual results, as receptionist at GP surgery for printed copies. We are entitled by law to have them. Best to ring up and request, then wait a couple of days before picking them up, as they have to get GP approval first before releasing them
You will get anxiety until your medication is at the right level unfortunately. Getting the much needed T3 in the form of NDT had a soporific affect on me so it would be a really good idea to get T3 tested just in case you're not a great converter. You will have a job convincing your gp to do this so it would be worth if you can, paying for your own test.
I truly relate to you and I truly have had the same issues. I did work something out. I took off 30 pounds in one year by eating salad bars- healthy foods and exercise. I kept my calorie intake around 1130 calories a day with Sundays off. I walked on a treadmill for 3 mile a day. I hope this is encouraging to you . I have not been able to work out or exercise for a month, but I will get back to it. I use a food tracker called my fitness pal to keep track of my calories. It works. I am also a Kaiser patient in the USA here so I joined an online weight loss group through my insurance. It too helped.
You sound just like me, I'm taking 200mcg of Levothyroxine. I'm constantly tired etc. I have recently joined Slimming World and on average losing 2lb per week, I'm not one who has big weekly weight loses but it's coming off slowly & I'm going in the right direction.
I've started moving more (office job) walking & hula hooping (spend more time picking it up off the floor) 😀. Don't get too disheartened the weight will come off & hopefully you'll get your confidence back.
Thank You and well done on your weight loss journey so far. I just don't have the energy right now to think about upping my exercise routine, hopefully once I get a print out of my results it will make more sense on what to do next.
TTTH you are right not to start doing more. You need to convert food into energy not fat and if there are problems with your hormone replacement medicine working correctly (and the evidence points that way) doing more excercise will just make you more exhausted and your body will most likely demand more food as it knows it needs more energy but that will just be converted into more fat. You need the right thyroxine levels for your body to convert the energy it needs not turn it into fat. I suspect you need more T3 to improve your energy levels. If you post those results people here who are into all the number crunching will be able to better advise you about what is going on and why you cannot loose weight and don't feel well despite taking levothyroxine at increasing dosage.
You have all my sympathy. I was a slim person before my thyroid failed and then put on nearly five stone over a number of years.
What was important for me was getting my treatment optimised (many people are under treated as GPs go on either getting the TSH in range or getting the thyroid hormomes low but in range), using a combined thyroid hormone meds in my case a ndt that suits me and going on a low carb diet has finally enabled me to sort my weight problem. It has been a long process but my weight is back in range -its still an ongoing battle as if I eat high carb food I put on weight easily. My days of eating what I fancy are long over sadly.
My fortune turned when I took charge of my condition by reading up on it as many GPs have little knowledge but are expected to treat. Not everyone does well on the standard treatment Levothyroxine. So if your GP has optimised your treatment -that is your ft4 is in the top third or top of the range then in your shoes I would consider adding in T3 either through Liothyroxine or using a natural dessicated thyroid extract. Many GPs will be uncomfortable with adding in other thyroid hormones as they are only familiar with the standard levothyroxine so you may have to either seek another specialist to be referred to or have to go it alone.
The most common mistakes GPs make is under treating hypothyroidism and under prescribing. Whilst your meds are not optimised you will find it very difficult to loose weight.
I would also ensure your uptake of the thyriid hormone is maxed by ensuring the following are well in range: B12, Iron, magnesium, vit D and folate......commonly low in under treated hypothyroidism.
You've had some good advice there. I'm afraid there's no chance of you loosing weight until your optimally medicated. How long have you been on your higher dose of 150mg ? As the wise SlowDragon has said it is recommended that your key vitamins are mid to high in range as they help the body utilise your thyroid meds.
It is also key to find out how well or badly you convert t4 - levothyroxine a storage hormone, into t3 - the active hormone that your cells need. This is affected by your vitamin levels. There is also a gene called the D102 that if it is defective means you won't convert t4 to t3 well so will still be symptomatic. If this is the case you would benefit from the addition of t3 or changing to NDT - Naturally Dessicated Thyroid. although some people who don't have the defective gene can still be poor converters. So don't worry too much about the gene, but you do need to know your t3 levels.
Very glad to hear your doing well punkyb but it does sound like TTTH isn't fully medicated so no amount of dieting and exercise will change her weight problem. Trust me Ive been there. Before I discovered this wonderfully informative and supportive site, last year I dieted for many months to no avail. I started off at around 1000 calories a day low fat low carb. I was also doing airobics 3 times a week and walking my dogs for a minimum 2 hours a day. Over I few months I reduced my calories to around 600-700 a day. Still no weight loss because I wasn't fully medicated. When under medicated and dieting your actually putting quite a strain on your system. When your body isn't getting all the t3 it needs your adrenal glands take up the slack. This is partially why your anxiety is up. At the moment, until your optimal, your need a healthy diet with enough calories.
But on an up note no you wont be fat forever. Many on here have lost weight as Punkyb has when your meds are right.
I have only just started taking 150 yesterday ..maybe need time for it to take affect. I will see my GP about my results and hopefully ill be on the road to happiness agai.
As others have said, diet and exercise are pointless and will only put more stress on your body, if you are under/inadequately medicated and if you're deficient in important vitamins and minerals.
Try and get the tests done/results posted that others have recommended and we will be able to start and advise.
Often a gluten free diet can not only help with our thyroid but our weight too so that may be something else to consider x
Before I went gluten free and got my medication right, I was freezing cold all the time unless I was overweight. Your body is probably just trying to keep you warm. Now that the meds are correct, I actually have the energy to exercise and be thin and warm. And exercise will help with the mood issues like you wouldn't believe. But until the meds and eating plan are right, it might make you feel worse.
If I posted this twice, sorry it didn't take the first time.
You aren't alone as weight gain is the commonest query on this forum. It is most probably due to not being on a sufficient dose of levothyroxine to raise your metablism - which levothyroxine is supposed to do but many doctors think that if our blood test results are anywhere in range that we're on sufficient. Not true and they will not increase dose.
We have to read, learn and ask questions. Most doctors believe the weight gain is due to our eating habits - but it is a clinical symptoms. I shall give you a list and you should have none if you are optimally medicated.
There are two main thyroid hormones i.e. levothyroxine (T4) and liothyronine (T3. T4 is inactive and has to convert to T3 but we don't always convert to sufficient T3 particularly if T4 is too low. However, research by several researchers have shown than adding T3 to T4 helps the patient feel much better and weight may reduce or with diet.
There are other topics at the top of the page. This is an archived site and some links within topics may not work.
First get a new blood test. It has to be the very earliest possible, fasting (you can drink water) and allow a gap of 24 hours between last dose of levo and the test and take afterwards. Levo should always be taken first thing with one full glass of water and wait about an hour before eating.
Ask for TSH, T4, T3, Free T4, Free t3 and thyroid antibodies. B12, Vit D, iron ferritin and folate.
Tell GP you've asked for advice from the NHS Choices on dysfunctions of the thyroid gland - Thyroiduk.org.uk. He or lab may not do all of them (he definitely should vitamins/minerals). If you can afford it you can have ones they do not do privately and we have recommended labs and postal pin-prick tests are common.
Always get a print-out of your results and it must have the ranges aso for your own records and you can post if you have a query.
I know exactly how you feel. My Doctor told me that I've put on 5 lbs every year over the past ten. Stress is the biggest factor for me and by leaving work I was able to relax more. Avoid things that make me too anxious although I still need to lead a full life. When I'm under pressure my mind goes blank. I call it 'total switch off' and my last Employer told me that I would have to leave. It's very frustrating for one who has work hard and conscientiously all their lives.
I take pleasure from the garden and walking my dog, watching dvds with friends. I have had to avoid crowds and large groups of friends as I can't keep up.
You will find your way and no one in real life will understand the problems so we have to adjust to fit into our environment.
I'm about to start a slimming regime at the local surgery. I know I can do it but I will have to try to make the effort and find the energy. I hope you can find one too and find enough energy to pursue some interests.
I dropped 10 lbs just by giving up gluten. Next step is to see the endro and see if I can try T3. I have never felt well since first diagnosed so know something has to happen but the challenge is to get the doctors to listen and act. Good luck, no diets have worked for me for years and I hate being so overweight especially when I have diabetes in both sides of the family
Hi you are so understood and not alone lovey and bit by bit we can do this, I'm new at it and still trying to take it all in to help myself, have managed to drop a stone, for me this was by going gluten free (I have leaky gut but healing it with sustain powders from Nutri) leaky gut stops you absorbing properly - I also took out every bit of sugar I could, and ate 'plain' nice food, gluten free isn't bad at all as I thought it would be and having said that I've really enjoyed my food, 🤞Fingers crossed for the next stone,I'm mother of bride in sept so frustrating not to feel lovely in outfit!!!
We can!!! They will help,you so much here to iron out, Tomdate ive changed diet, had private bloods done by medicheck, which hit me into the right vitamin supplements, made such a difference! I was an all out recoups wreck a few weeks ago and literally dragging myself around Yes it's hard with work pressure for sure, this alone causes anx when you feel rubbish, But it does get better bit by bit,,,, Good luck xxxxx
I'm sure you will look lovely in your outfit for the wedding. Thank You so much for your encouraging words. x
A blunt answer - yes you will, unless you take some action for yourself. I had the same problem and there's NOTHING that your doc is likely ever to offer you except some horrible weight reduction tablets. All that they seem to do is divert the food you eat so it is not properly digested. I was given some and when I read up what they did I threw away the prescription.
I moved to NDT, bought from Thailand. Thyroid-S did nothing for my weight, but a change to Thiroyd NDT started me on course to lose the 5 stone I had put on whilst on levothyroxine.
You first need to take action on the foods to avoid and vitamins or whatever you may need, according to your blood tests, according to other posters, a subject about which I know nothing.
Ah TTTH I have some mocassins the match of yours, wide fitting and hardly a heel, when pre hypo I always had a narrow foot and would take a tape with me, shoe shopping to ensure I got an 80mm heel...at least.
Well, I think I have other health issues, some of them weight related now, but I'll be honest and say I absolutely cannot to fagged to do another blessed thing more than I've already done. I stopped smoking and hypo came along. I rarely find enjoyment in alcohol these days, also done with jazz woodbines and marching powder. Oh and then there's the half heart I give to being gluten free. It's everywhere and sometimes not even listed on the freaking ingredients.
So in answer to your question I would say it's about two things. Being optimally medicated and whether you can be bothered to give a flying fig anymore. One tick one cross for me and an acceptance of sorts. I wish you well on whichever fork in the road you decide to take...you are in good company here and will find answers to most of the questions in the thyroid universe. Welcome.
Rapunzel i try and keep the duet stuff really simple so I can manage it I just avoid wheat and ignore all the fussing that a wheat berry might have fallen into a vat of oats and contaminated them so that the very mouthful I take is loaded with gluten...to much like hard work! I do know what you mean it is housework that has done for me - it is all just too much. I do the very bare minimum I'm afraid and am dreadfully untidy. I am good at growing figs tho!!
Cynical remark! I am sure that Levo puts on weight especially if T3 is low. I changed to Nature Throid and have lost 1 stone of my Levo gain in 9 months with no dieting.
janveron1 my experience too on ThyroidS - 4 stone gone in a matter of months on NDT after 2 years on Levo getting like a barrel 12.5 stone I felt and looked awful and could not get any clothes to fit my belly was so fat but my hips small trying to get trousers that stayed up was a problem. I felt truly dreadful. Not any more 😊🐖😍 still feel sad about the pigs tho' dying to keep me alive.
Have you tried crash dieting? I eat one regular sized meal at about 5PM and maybe some sweets during the day like wine gums to keep me in a good mood. I find if I ignore the hunger, it goes away after a couple hours and each day gets much easier as the body adapts.
The only thing with crash dieting is you shouldn't try it unless you are in a good state of mind because it takes quite some willpower initially. Also, be aware this diet wouldn't suit anyone prone to fainting.
This the only diet that I can do, everything else is too prolonged and torturous.
SimonA87 I don't think crash dieting is suppossed to be very good for the body! Mind you I often don't feel hungry till late afternoon or even evening and I believe in eating when you feel hungry not just for the sake of it. I never feel faint. Some people say a reduced calorie intake leads to greater longevity so who knows if what you are doing is beneficial or not. I never had weight issues until I was overtly hypothyroid and started eating like a horse but felt utterly famished no matter what I consumed and the worst weight gain came on levothyroxine so I know that loosing weight on that stuff can be impossible.
Interesting post. I was just 18 when diagnosed, 30 years ago. At the time and for 2/3 years before I was technically anorexic. Living off between 400-600 a day and sometimes vomiting / taking laxatives. On that diet I went from 8 stone to 14 stone in the space of 5 months. I had definitely been hypo for many years before but it all of a sudden accelerated. So much that within 5 months my body was shutting down and I was slipping into a coma.
I do agree that eating when hungry is the right thing to do. Also listening to your body as to what it needs. But I do believe you also have to be mindful into what you are putting into your body
Kitti1 that sounds like you have been through some hard times. Yes you are right about the quality of what you eat - it really matters. If you are going to put it in your body it should be good for you. I think there is a lot of conflicting advice as to exactly what is good for you though! I try and do homegrown no dodgy chemicals and fresh fewer carbs and more protein/fat. Seem to be ok on it
It's only a suggestion and it's really just a reduced calorie diet. How extreme you make it is up to you and your body, it's not something you do for a prolonged period of time and obviously it's at your own risk. I just felt the need to share my own experience.
SimonA87 fair dues and I have seen stuff about people who are permanently on a reduced calorie diet because they believe they will live longer eating a lot less than guidelines suggest we need. Only time will tell if they are on to something. I think it might be due to research on naked mole rats who seem to live forever but I could be wrong there.
There seems to be a very negative person here jumping all over my comments perhaps because they've had no success themselves and are willing you to fail.
I lost about 2KG a week by eating one meal a day. That's what worked for me and perhaps it would be different for you given your medication. Good luck to you.
Where are you up to with your medicating and vitamins ?
I'm sorry but to suggest such drastic crash dieting to someone who is most probably under medicated is not just ill advised but verging on dangerous.
As I said in my original post, when you are not optimally medicated your adrenal glands take up the slack, hence the rise in anxiety. But if someone then embarks on such a drastic and unhealthy diet it can have bad effects on the body and mind.
When not optimally medicated this is the time your body needs a high nutrient and sufficient calorie diet to maintain all other functions. Just to say I know people who are crippled with CFS and similar conditions that are possibly due to severe adrenal fatigue.
Sorry But WINE GUMS ? ? Haven't you heard sugar is Soooo bad for you ?
Theres nothing wrong with my attitude. I'm just too long in the tooth to beat around the bush. and have a lot of personal experience to draw on. If you read my reply to the other posts you may see it differently
I had the same problem on levothyroxine gaining 4 stone in just 2 years I also felt very unwell although I was supposedly optimised. I joined here and did some thinking and decided I had nothing to loose in trying NDT as my life did not seem worth living anymore. The improvements were almost immediate even though I only reduced the Levo by a little bit and added some NDT I switched right over in gradual stages. I also went gluten free and carried on taking vitamin D3 supplements as I had been deficient. I lost the excess weight with no effort whatsoever and my other symptoms improved or disappeared including the dreadful depression that had plagued me for many years. I have been on it for 3 years and still feel very well - bar the odd niggle. I rarely get coughs and colds but was racked with them.
I presume I do not convert T4 to T3 very effiently. Oddly my mother felt and my sister feels fine on Levo, both had cancer of the thyroid and a suppressive dose to TSH. But even a higher dose did not make me feel any better just agitated.
You should sort out any deficiencies as they affect how well the thyroid hormones work and see if that helps but I feel my vitamin deficiencies improved on NDT because my body was functioning properly again. Supplements of Vit D3 on Levo made no real difference.
I think you can loose weight if you get your medication correct for you.
This whole topic really intrigues me, fatter than I have ever been and this is now on 100mcgs of Levo and 25mcgs of T3, to the point of why bother getting up now? 20 years ill with Hashimotos...tried most things, gluten off and on, etc. I think this miracle of losing weight by ditching the Levo and going to NDT or one of the other Thyroid meds seems logical but arent they also just t4 and t3 together? I do realize not synthetic...which one should I try? And they seem so expensive on the sites you get them on...starting price £61. for a bottle of 30??? Any help?
Hey MSC56 I do understand. Its a question of what works for you.
I was on levo then levo plus T3 and then finally after several brands the right brand of ndt for me. The difference in my well being is massive.....would I want to go back to levo because its free and buying ndt is expensive? Nooooo!!!!
I have fought instead my battle with the NHS and proven its cheaper for them to provide me with the ndt then pay out for the multiple meds I needed to subdue the symptoms not relieved by the ineffective Levo.....cost always wins out on the NHS. So while you might have to pay initially to prove (if it works for you) that its cheaper for the NHS then its worth it! Wrong we have to go down this road I agree.....completely wrong!!!
Just wish some researchers out there would do some proper reasearch so we could just wave the evidence at them instead....lol. Dream land I know.....
PLEASE don't crash diet - I've been there and done that - it is so bad for you. If you were fat purely due to overeating, reduced calories would help but it really would be down to what those calories consisted of - you could eat a low calorie diet consisting of entirely sugar but that wouldn't do any long term good!
If you are Hypo crash dieting will only make matters worse, because your metabolism is already slowed and your body will go in to starvation mode and store as much extra fat as it can.
If your diet does need changing you should be looking at plenty of freshly cooked food, as natural as possible (if you are not veggie base this around meat, fish, veg, rice, fruit, nuts, pulses), if you want to cut out sugar that will only do you good and definitely not any harm, but don't replace it with artificial sweeteners, just cut out as much as you can and use fruit and honey instead.
As all the others have said getting the medication right is first, find out about the added vitamins you may need to support your thyroid, try going gluten free (or even grain free), then you will find you can increase the exercise. Until you feel well and energetic enough, walking and stretching or yoga are probably the best forms of exercise.
Do look up all the various threads on here and ThyroidUK website to educate yourself - your GP wont be able to give you this info - this is what I did and am gradually getting there having done my own blood tests, switched to NDT and gone gluten free. Good luck!
What are your other ailments.some meds,give an allergy , depression tabs, can interfear with the mix.i have dreadfull fatique, yet does not show in the blood test.i am now trying to, keep my colen healthy the natural way.I you want to talk more please do.
I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid at 17, I'm not 25 and it's only the past 2-3 years that my levels have actually been correct, I'm now on 200mg of thyroxine. Once my dose was correct it became easier for me to lose weight than I previously found. I gained about 3 stone in the first 3 years of being diagnosed.
Start with light exercise first, go for long walks or a bike ride or do a gym class, for me I also found that cutting carbs was the main thing! It's so difficult at first but after the first week it gets so much easier so you could try that. The only real carbs I eat on a day to day basis (most days) is porridge that I have on a morning, other than that I tend to just have chicken veg and salads.
I now do 3 gym classes a day and am continually losing weight. All in all I've lost 3 stone now and it has taken a while but honestly just stick at it. Exercising will help with the mood and anxiety too x
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Do you have to take dessicated thyroid forever?
Polyunsaturated fats v saturated fats 
\"feeling fat over 40?\"
Fat Shaming 
