Weight loss

[Naseebah]

Has anyone got any advice on how to lose weight? I literally look at food and put on 10lbs, my tsh has improved to 32.4 and my t4 8.2 from tsh 64.7 t4 5.2. I am following slimming world but I barely seem to lose a lb, any help would really be appreciated.

[Wetsuiter]

with a tsh that high, i wouldnt even think about losing weight. Just focus on getting properly medicated for the time being.

what are you taking at the moment?

[Naseebah in reply to Wetsuiter]

50mcg levo, this time round feels very different i cant sleep at night these days where as before i was always exhausted, I say this time because I stopped Armour for a good while and from no where levels were high and symptoms just seem to be headaches, insomnia and no weight loss.

[Wetsuiter in reply to Naseebah]

People who know far better than me will comment, but 50mc is extremely low. Why have you gone to such a low dose?

[Heloise in reply to Wetsuiter]

You did just fine.

[Heloise in reply to Naseebah]

Are you saying you stopped Armour because you were always exhausted? Once you stopped taking thyroid hormone your own thyroid could not produce enough to burn calories much less keep your heart and brain well supplied.

Now you must realize you need treatment to replace hormone. I don't think TSH rises that rapidly so you've been away from it for quite a while and you probably need almost complete replacement which could be 150 mcgs of levo or two grains of Armour or more. Your metabolism has to be high enough to give you a normal temperature. Your body can then create some energy.

Perhaps you were on Armour at too low of a dose. At any rate you need to increase something. Then your muscles and your digestive tract will be able to get the nutrients you need and are probably deficient in.

[waveylines]

Naseebah didnt anyone explain to you that when you go onto thyroid replacement hormones it is for life. Why did you stop meds during pregnancy? As your daughter is now two it is sometime ago since you stopped so its not surprising your TSH is so high! When you are under medicated as much as you are and for the length of time you have elected to not take meds then its not surprising your body is responding the way it is. So you need to tiltrate you thyroid meds upwards in 25mcg increases ever 6 weeks. Its is going to take sometime now before you will reach an optimal dose and for your body to recover. Months....you need to be patient!

As for dieting -you will not loose weight until you have sorted your metabolism with thyroid meds. Frankly dieting is pontless as you quite rightly say you are not loosing weight but you are certainly putting your poor body under a lot of additional unnecessary stress when it's already struggling.

As for Armour you are going to have to prove to a NHS Endocrinologist that levothyroxine does not work for you by getting your body slowly onto a optimal dose of Levothyroxine. And then if you see an endocrinologist that is thyroid specialised he/she will look at your ability to convert thyroid hormones before considering any other thyroid medication. Its a real shame you gave up taking nhs Prescribed Armour as it like gold dust to get it on prescription these days so I fear you are in for a long battle.

[TSH110]

It will be very difficult until the TSH comes right down (ideally 0.2 -0.5) so just try and keep as well as possible under the circumstances but I strongly advise to avoid at all costs exercising to exhaustion to try and loose weight. A gluten free diet may help so that is worth a try.

Be kind to yourself! ☘️🍀☘️

I did not realise you have medicated on and off - this is not a very good idea you need to take it every day for you long term health and well being not to mention so you can look after and enjoy your little one.

Because you do not have enough thyroid hormone food is converted into fat not energy.

[SilverAvocado]

Naseebah, 50mcg is a very low dose of Levothyroxine, and 32 is a sky high TSH. This suggests you are currently very undermedicated and probably feeling rubbish.

Best practice is to have a retest every 6 weeks, and adjust the thyroid hormone by 25mcg. You will probably need a few increases in a row to get your hormone to good levels. Once you get closer to your optimal it becomes more important to get more complete thyroid blood tests. You really need to see a freeT4 and at least a few freeT3 results. Sometimes we have to fight with doctors to get proper treatment, and all this takes several months to get right.

While you're undermedicated be gentle with your body. Thyroid hormone is needed by every cell and organ in your body, so all your bodily functions are impacted and slowed down.

Restricting calories makes things worse, as your body needs plenty of energy to use the thyoid hormone it's got. Our bodies don't have the resiliency that people with a healthy thyroid have. Weight gain is a symptom many people get when hypo, so the only solution is getting thyroid hormone levels improved. If you return to more of a normal diet you may be very lucky and lose a little weight from that!

[Naseebah]

thanks for all of the advice, I was on Armour but had it private and had to battle to get a private prescription, I stopped taking thyroid meds because I was pregnant and I have been testing every 6 months as normal ever since I had him and blood levels have always said normal and in range.

I had moved cities and even though I kept up with my blood tests my GP had said I was fine. I wasn't presenting any of my usual symptoms so took it on the chin, around 6 months ago I decided to do something about my weight so joined weight watchers and started taking slimming tablets and I noticed I was not losing any weight, so went back to the doctors to get thyroids checked bloods came back TSH slightly raised and T4 normal so they didn't really do anything and told me to retest in 3mths time which I did and that is when I came back with very high levels of TSH and low T4 and started me on 50 Mcg which is where I started presenting a load of symptoms I didn't have before.

[Wetsuiter]

so you ve been on levo for 3 months? you re due a retest and likely increase then. you may have been getting more symptoms cos the dose is so low

[Naseebah in reply to Wetsuiter]

no I have been taking 50mcg for 6 weeks now but because my levels improved they have kept me on it for another 6 weeks due a test this week, I have also started taking the metavive to see if that helps.

[Lora7again in reply to Naseebah]

They need to increase it by 25mcg and then do another blood test. That is a very low dose to be kept on for so long. Can you find another Doctor who actually knows how to treat hypothyroid because this one will be keeping you ill. For example my Dad who is 78 and elderly is on a low dose of 100mcg a day and that suits him because of his age.

[Wetsuiter in reply to Naseebah]

that sounds a bit odd. NICE guidelines state that dose should now relate to weight, at 1.6 mcg per kg of your weight.

i dont mean you should be on that much today, but increasing towards it, as LORA7AGAIN says. It makesme wonder what your previous results were when they were 'fine'.I d be tempted to see another Dr is i was you.

[Dottie19]

It is an ongoing problem and can lower your self esteem .

I spent a couple of thousand on a detox health retreat , living on green juice and bone broth . About 500 calories .

I lost some weight -nearly a stone in two weeks - but felt terribly weak !

I’ve since learnt that it is the worst thing to do if you have an underactive thyroid .

Do not fall into this trap .

Tom Brimeyer I found made a lot of sense .

You need to feed the thyroid , but weight loss is almost impossible .

[kymkat]

Keto worked for me, it also helped with normalising my thyroid levels and joint pain, its no panacea but I lost three and a half stone from end of July until end of October when I stalled.

Its very easy to stay on as hunger is at a minimum if followed correctly.

Hope this is helpful.

I am now happy with my weight but stayed on keto because of health benefits it gives, good luck!

[BadHare]

Low fat diets like slimmng world only work the once, then the body rebels as it needs fat to function. Instead of spending money on public humiliation, invest in some good quality protein & healthy fats, & lower your carbohydrate intake. There's a high fat low carb group on HU. Protein & fats fill us up & have a low glycaemic index so keep us full for longer. Carbs are digested quickly as they have a high glycaemic index, cause hunger & insulin spikes.

You could try restrictive eating or a 5:2 regime. The former works well for me & has benefits aside from weight loss. There's lots of information available on the internet. It helped me before I started taking thyroid hormones. I didn't think I'd manage it but it seemed right for me within a few weeks. In summer I have about a 16 hour fasting time, & 12-14 in winter. I tend to count nutrients rather than calories so make sure to eat enough good quality organic protein (mostly from dairy, nuts, seeds, wholegrains & pulses as I'm vegetarian), & lots of healthy fats from the above, plus fruit & veg. I only seem to get hungry during fasting hours if I eat too many carbs. I'm aware I might be missing out on some micronutrients due to being veggie so make sure to take an assortment of minerals, D3, B complex, & inject B12.

[Hidden in reply to BadHare]

What is a 5:2 regime?

Not all carbs are digested fast, wholemeal and seeded bread are low GI. Also eating reheated pasta or rice again wholemeal is low GI.

Carbs are not all bad, just need to know what the underlying problem is and all things in moderation.

[BadHare in reply to Hidden]

It's a form of restrictive eating. One eats normally for five days each week, then only 500 calories for two non-consecutive days each week. Lots on the internet about this & the daily type of fasting that I prefer. Some people do a strict fast once a week. It depends on preference. I find what I do fits in well with avoiding food close to hormone meds & mineral supplements. I only eat breakfast on (starchy) Saturday when often have a croissant, then find I'm ravenous & carby craving for for the rest of the day.

I mentioned, I eat wholegrains. I need to balance protein amino acids in pulses & grains so limit non-complex carbs that are digested quickly.

There's lots available on't'interweb about resistant starch, too. It's important not to reheat it to too high a temperature or it becomes high GI again.

[Netty510]

Your tsh is very high and wont lose weight until you get that way down mine is supressed at <0.01(0.4-4.2)if mine moves near 0.4 i start feeling hypo adding some t3 to your t4 or a ndt like thyroid-s or armour should get you there