Helena8775 years ago

I will leave the results to more knowledgeable and experienced members.

Bless you - I know totally how you feel regarding Slimming World. I was the same as you and it really got me down 😭 Paleo is much better or going gluten free and staying away from bad carbs.

A few months ago I read online an article about how if you were low in thyroid hormone it was likely that if supplementation did not result in excess weight loss then it would be a good idea to check other hormones to see if they may possibly be the cause. By accident instead of being given a full thyroid panel at my next blood test I was given a full hormone panel instead. Results showed that I was very low in progesterone and testosterone. It was hard getting testosterone but I managed to get a very low dose via private prescription and supplemented progesterone myself. That resulted in weight loss. For me it definitely wasn’t just thyroid hormone that was at play.

rosiegl in reply to Helena8775 years ago

Thank you for replying. That was so interesting. I had put my weight down to thyroid and I also have fibromyalgia.

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silverfox75 years ago

Yes you really need more medication. The aim is to get both FT4 and GT 3 in the top third or even the top quarter of their respective ranges. So your FT4 is just under halfway and your TSH is too high for you to feel well FT3 is the most important reading but many of the so called experts ignore it and the labs do as well but one problem often encountered is bad conversion from T4 to T3 but your T4 isn't high so that's less likely to be the issue so need a dose increase first and foremost.

Also 4 things help your thyroid to function properly than that's optimum levels of Vit D, B12, folate and ferritin. We are often low in them so worth getting those checked out, then start a new thread with the results and ranges for further advice. They are also good for conversion though I don't think that's a major problem but you may have other symptoms that will benefit from good levels as will your general health. But get that dose up first and make sure you get retested every 6-8 weeks until you are on the right level for you. There is other good advice you may not have been given on the Thyroid U.K. site who run this forum.

rosiegl in reply to silverfox75 years ago

Thank you for replying. I will go back and speak to the Dr, but I think they will stick to their guns. How do you get them to increase the dose?

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silverfox7 in reply to rosiegl5 years ago

Rosiegl see if you can printout something that helps on the Thyroid Uk page and point out that you were given the information by Thyroid Uk who run the forum for HealthUnlock which is recommended by NHS Choices for thyroid dysfunction. If he is still iffy then ask if you can have a trial to see if raising it helps then during that trial write down any positives you find in say 3-6 months which proves your case.

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rosiegl in reply to silverfox75 years ago

Thank you for your help. I'll have a look on that page and do as you say.

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carroll9985 years ago

Hi if your t3 is on the low end and t4 is on the upper end and tsh is 0.1 ...I queried my low t3 with endro he says cause my tsh is nice and low my t3 is ok ...I know quite alot about t3 and t4 but not enough to argue my case for my low t3 especially to do with low supressed tsh..can u help please ?? Carroll

Jodypody in reply to carroll9985 years ago

Low T3 probably means you’re not converting and would benefit from either additional T3 or swapping to NDT that already contains it

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rosiegl in reply to Jodypody5 years ago

Thanks for your help. Where do you get NDL from please?

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Jodypody in reply to rosiegl5 years ago

Hi you could pay for a private test via medichecks or blue horizon to check your T3. NDT can be prescribed by your doctor but you’ll need to be persuasive

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rosiegl in reply to Jodypody5 years ago

Thank you for that.

Do you take NDT aswell as thyroxine?

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Jodypody in reply to rosiegl5 years ago

I only take NDT as it is the best to mimic your own thyroid (it’s made from dried pigs thyroid) don’t be alarmed by this as they are close to ya in their dna. It was used successfully for a 100 years until the cheap synthetic version replaced it.

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eeng5 years ago

I have had some success with Slimming world - it is at least a diet high in nutrition and low in junk food and sugar. However in order to lose weight I do have to be pretty strict - no syns at all for most of the week, and not a lot of the potatoes and pasta that are theoretically free foods. Basically I love on fruit, veg and protein. I have lost nearly 2 and half stone, and although i am still slightly overweight I am only half a stone away from being classed as normal now.

Having said that I wouldn't lose anything with a TSH of 2.48. My TSH is very low most of the time and my FT3 and FT4 are at the top of the range. The doctor hates it but if he lowers my dose I will just buy more in from the internet or get friends to buy some abroad. I adjust my dose by my heart rate - if it drops below 55 a minute I take a bit more Levothyroxine, and if it goes over 65 I take less. It works for me.

rosiegl in reply to eeng5 years ago

Thank you for replying. Maybe that's what I need to do then. This weight is killing me!

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Marz in reply to rosiegl5 years ago

See below - I have just shifted almost a stone - but then my beloved doggie slipped away and I lost the plot. Will be back on course soon ! Still following the rules - with a few added extras

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HLAB35 in reply to Marz5 years ago

I'm so, so sorry about your dear dog

This looks like a good diet - my husband is doing something similar right now. I think with Hashi's + Fibro it's really hard to detox, so just give all of this some time.

I've read that L-carnitine can help weight loss, but it uses iron and vitamin C to work and there is some suggestion that it interferes with thyroid hormone uptake in the cells. Probably better having natural sources of this amino acid rather than supplementing.

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Marz in reply to HLAB355 years ago

After just a week all those unexplained aches and pains went away .... I was amazed. First I tried T3 for the Fibro I was allegedly diagnosed with back in 2000 - yes the symptoms improved - but The Whole30 Eating Plan was suggested by another Forum Member I was fortunate to meet up with here in Crete

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Pinkpeony in reply to Marz5 years ago

Sympathy Marz . It's so hard to lose a pet x Pp

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Kipsy in reply to Marz5 years ago

Marz - so sorry to hear about Demelza. Hope Spring comes soon for you xx

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Marz in reply to Kipsy5 years ago

Thank you xx

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LAHs in reply to Marz5 years ago

Sorry to hear about your doggie Marz, it can be so heart breaking. I have lost two cats and a chicken this year and you never forget them.

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Marz in reply to LAHs5 years ago

Oh dear that is so sad .... too much to cope with ... x

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Marz5 years ago

whole30.com could be an option

rosiegl5 years ago

Thanks for your help. I will see gp, but I don't think I'll get anywhere.

Hillwoman5 years ago

I don't know your age, but I've been piling on weight post menopause. Immediately pre menopause I was still very gradually losing weight on my T3 monotherapy and I didn't need to make a huge effort. I was eating a fairly low carb diet (50g-70g per day) which seemed to suit me and served to control my appetite.

I think my mid-life hormonal changes destabilised my blood glucose control and stimulated insulin production too. Over the past year, following further weight gain and increased oedema, I've been trying to monitor blood glucose and blood ketones. I've been somewhat stymied by the cost of test strips, but I still think it's worth doing spot checks, fasting and post prandial, to get an idea of what might be going on. I was well on the way to T2 diabetes, and might actually qualify for diagnosis under some guidelines. Do check your BG, because this problem is so insidious. It creeps up on you!

Recently, I checked my fasting insulin through Medichecks and discovered that I am also well on the way to hyperinsulinaemia - over-production of insulin. Too much insulin means that one will store fat but be unable to release it to supply energy. The only thing to be done is to adopt a very low carb diet, less than 20g per day. Still waiting for weight loss!

Marz in reply to Hillwoman5 years ago

Am wondering if your eating is similar to the link I posted above. Have recently lost almost a stone - the best result I have managed in all my 71 years !!

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Hillwoman in reply to Marz5 years ago

I was just reading your link... It does look very similar to what I'm doing, though to be compliant I should completely give up dairy, coffee and vino too...umph!

Glad to hear you lost a stone in a month - that's really good going.

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Marz in reply to Hillwoman5 years ago

Much needed - I am still overweight according to all those charts ! You can drink coffee without milk on Whole30 and yes no vino for 33 days until .... Giving up Dairy was the hardest bit as I love cheese and yogurt. Had some cheese yesterday and have paid the price Will be back on track on 1st March having given up on February - and only want to lose another 10 lbs or so .... When I came out of hospital after six months back in the 70's I was 4 stone lighter than now - but oh so thin. Of course having Crohns flares kept me slim until I hit menopause - and then .... I am fortunate to be very tall at 5'11'' - so I can hide lots

Cauliflower Cous-Cous is my standby nosh !! Bowl fulls

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Hillwoman in reply to Marz5 years ago

I've never eaten so much cauli in my life as I have in the last year or two.

Thank goodness coffee is allowed - missed that - but it will have to be a black Viennese blend or similar, because I don't like coconut milk or ghee in mine.

I used to be able to hide weight gain with my height, but I'm four inches shorter than you...can no longer hide it in plain sight.

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rosiegl in reply to Hillwoman5 years ago

Thanks for replying. My blood Glucose

5.3 mmol/L (3.0-6.0)

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Hillwoman in reply to rosiegl5 years ago

What time of day did you test your BG? Had you eaten before the test?

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rosiegl in reply to Hillwoman5 years ago

I had it about 9.30 am and I fasted .

Thanks for reading help.

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Hillwoman in reply to rosiegl5 years ago

Right, well that's not a bad result for fasting BG, though some authorities generally recommend aiming at a lower total. If you eat carbohydrate during the day your BG will rise, but whether it rises sharply and then drops, or rises for a sustained period, you won't really know without checking with a glucometer (available from Boots and online).

Feeling tired after a meal containing carbs tends to indicate that you're not dealing with carbohydrate very well, and over time the amount of insulin produced in response to BG will rise, and so will the tendency to fat deposition, rather than fat burning.

As others have said, you aren't likely to lose weight without adequate thyroid hormone either. It's a matter of getting all your ducks in a row.

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rosiegl in reply to Hillwoman5 years ago

Thank you for that. I know I very often get 'the shakes', I don't know if that is to do with the blood glucose dropping. I will get the gadget from Boots to keep an eye on it.

We might aswell not bother with the gp.

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Hillwoman in reply to rosiegl5 years ago

Do you get the shakes after eating? If so, that's a classic sign of the cascade which starts with blood glucose rising after a meal with carbs in it, prompting the release of insulin to shunt glucose into the cells, which leads to hypoglycaemia, which prompts the release of adrenalin. It feels very unpleasant when it happens, doesn't it?

A really good book with information on this effect, and on the whole area of blood glucose control, is Dr Sarah Myhill's Prevent and Cure Diabetes. She also has useful info on her website.

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rosiegl in reply to Hillwoman5 years ago

Hi. Thanks for your help.

I don't get it after eating. It just comes on at random times, and I try to eat as much as possible to get rid of it. It is horrible.

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SlowDragonAdministrator5 years ago

If your thyroid is not correctly treated it's uphill battle

Dr Toft, past president of the British Thyroid Association and leading endocrinologist, states in Pulse Magazine,

"The appropriate dose of levothyroxine is that which restores euthyroidism and serum TSH to the lower part of the reference range - 0.2-0.5mU/l.

In this case, free thyroxine is likely to be in the upper part of its reference range or even slightly elevated – 18-22pmol/l.

Most patients will feel well in that circumstance. But some need a higher dose of levothyroxine to suppress serum TSH and then the serum-free T4 concentration will be elevated at around 24-28pmol/l.

This 'exogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism' is not dangerous as long as serum T3 is unequivocally normal – that is, serum total around T3 1.7nmol/l (reference range 1.0-2.2nmol/l)."

You can obtain a copy of the articles from Thyroid UK email print it and highlight question 6 to show your doctor

 please email Dionne at

tukadmin@thyroiduk.org

Also ask for list of recommended thyroid specialists

Professor Toft recent article saying, T3 may be necessary for many otherwise we need high FT4 and suppressed TSH in order to have high enough FT3

rcpe.ac.uk/sites/default/fi...

Official NHS guidelines saying TSH should be between 0.2 and 2.0 when on Levothyroxine

Many find we need TSH nearer 0.2 than 2.0

See box

Thyroxine replacement in primary hypothyroidism

pathology.leedsth.nhs.uk/pa...

For full Thyroid evaluation TSH, FT4, TT4, FT3 plus TPO and TG thyroid antibodies. Plus vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12.

Essential to test thyroid antibodies, FT3 plus vitamins

Private tests are available

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

Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have money off offers.

All thyroid tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting and don't take Levo in the 24 hours prior to test, delay and take straight after. This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, GP will be unaware)

If antibodies are high this is Hashimoto's, (also known by medics here in UK more commonly as autoimmune thyroid disease).

About 90% of all hypothyroidism in Uk is due to Hashimoto's, essential to know

rosiegl in reply to SlowDragon5 years ago

Thank you for your help and advice.

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