I had my thyroid removed coming up 2 years ago in June. Prior to having it removed I didn’t ever put weight on and stayed the same size, eating a normal diet and going to the gym 5 times a week. However this year I’ve gained a lot of weight, my diet hasn’t changed and I’m still going to the gym 5x a week. I’ve recently had my thyroxine upped from 100mcg to 150mcg. I seem to be still gaining weight? It’s really bringing me down as I have never been this size in my life and I really don’t know what more to do as I’m still exercising and eating a good diet as I was before. I know my sister hasn’t had this problem having had hers removed? I’m wondering whether to take thyroid complex to try and help ?
Weight gain help please thyroid problems ? - Thyroid UK
Weight gain help please thyroid problems ?
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Hollren
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SeasideSusieRemembering
Hollren
I’m wondering whether to take thyroid complex to try and help ?
No, don't do that, they contain things we shouldn't take unless tested for and found to be deficient, i.e. iodine/kelp. Iodine can make hypothyroidism worse.
First thing you need to do is get a copy of your test results and post them on the forum, let's see if you are optimally medicated. For a full picture we need to see results for:
TSH
FT4
FT3
Thyroid antibodies
and because we need optimal nutrient levels for any thyroid hormone to work we also need to test:
Vit D
B12
Folate
Ferritin
Unless you have a good level of FT3 then weight loss can be difficult (T3 being the active hormone that every cell in our bodies need). Hard exercise depletes T3 so it's probably not a good idea to be pushing yourself by going to the gym 5 times a week at the moment.
If you are in the UK, ask the receptionist at your GP surgery for a print out of your results, here in the UK we are entitled to them. Post results, including reference ranges, on the forum for comment.
If you haven't had all these tests done, you can ask your GP but you probably wont get them all done, in which case we have private labs who can do them with a home fingerprick test. If you want details please ask.
I'm off to bed now, which is probably where the majority of UK members are right now so you may not get any further responses until the morning.
Thanks for the reply! I’ve just been constantly researching but I’m glad I’ve found a page to get some advice. I had bloods done in January so I’ll dig them out tomorrow and post on here thank you for your help! It’s so deflating when I’m trying everything to loose weight and get back to normal. It seems to be within the last sort of 6 months that the weight gain has really started although I’m not too sure why! I suffer with anxiety so this weight gain really affects that too.
Hi, I’ve posted my results and by the looks of things I’m only being checked for my T4 levels and to check there is no cancer but I’m not too sure.
Replied on other your other post.
Could very well be you're under-medicated - a lot of people are. But, not much anyone can say without seeing your latest blood test results - and ranges. And, we certainly can't tell you if adding T3 to your levo will help or not without seeing them - I imagine that's what you mean by a thyroid complex? Or NDT - Natural Dessicated Thyroid?
And, if you're under-medicated, the last thing you should be doing is going to the gym five times a week. That won't make you lose weight, that will just make you more hypo.
If you search through past posts, you'll find a lot about weight-gain, and the inability to lose it, which is one of the main hypo symptoms, and they'll all tell you that you don't stand much chance of losing it until your thyroid hormone levels are optimised.
If your sister didn't put on weight, then she's just one of the lucky ones - not everybody does. But, perhaps her doctor knows more about thyroid than yours, and is treating her better. Did your GP really increase your levo from 100 to 150 mcg in one go? That was not a good thing to do. It will take your body a while to get used to such a large increase. But, in any case, it will take up to 6/8 weeks to feel the full benefit. Can you post the blood test results that made your GP give you that increase? 
Hi, thanks for your reply! I can’t believe going to the gym all the same hasn’t been helping all this time! I had my bloods done back in January so I still have a copy of the results I will be able to post them tomorrow when I dig them out. Yes I had my Levo increased by 50mcg back in January by my regular consultant/surgeon at the hospital. I get my regular blood tests done there due to my thyroid removal being due to a cancer gene, so I also get tested to make sure there isn’t anything cancerous there. I’m still not seeing any changes although it’s been upped it’s really bringing me down it’s so frustrating. Glad I’ve finally found somewhere that might help!
I can’t believe going to the gym all the same hasn’t been helping all this time!
That's because it's not lack of exercise that caused you to put weight on. It's being hypo that has caused the weight gain, therefore you need to reverse the hypo to lose it. It's probably not even fat, anyway, it's probably water retention/mucin. And that is very hard to get rid of.
But, if you over-exercise it will make you more hypo, firstly because it 'uses up' your T3, and secondly because it uses up your calories, and you need them to convert T4 to T3. Do you know much about hypothyroidism?
Right okay that makes total sense, yes I’ve been researching quite a lot about it lately I’m just starting to understand it a lot more now. The funny thing is, before I had my thyroid removed I actually had hyperthyroidism so it’s strange now to have the opposite. Once I find my blood results hopefully that can help shine some light on things a lot more for me.
Hollren
The funny thing is, before I had my thyroid removed I actually had hyperthyroidism so it’s strange now to have the opposite.
Not strange at all really You now don't have a thyroid to produce the thyroid hormone that is essential for us to live so you now have hypothyroidism. This has to be replaced with synthetic thyroid hormone, getting the right dose is trial and error to find the right balance of FT4 and FT3 for us to feel well.
I’m just trying to find the letter with my results on to post now, hopefully I can find it and get more of an understanding. I’ve been reading about selenium would that be something to consider taking or would again it depend on blood results ?
Selenium helps with conversion of T4 to T3, it can also apparently help reduce antibodies when Hashimoto's is present. Some people like to test selenium before supplementing. If you do supplement then 200mcg is the usual recommended amount. I take 100mcg, I haven't tested and I don't have Hashi's but my conversion is poor. The recommended form is selenium l-selenomethionine or a yeast bound selenium. Forms to avoid are selenite and selenate.
I might give it a try thank you, at the moment I feel I have nothing to loose. Did taking selenium help you with weight loss and make you feel better?
Did taking selenium help you with weight loss and make you feel better?
No. After initially losing my hypo weight, post diagnosis and being prescribed Levo, my weight has been pretty stable as long as I eat sensibly (I know what makes me put weight on). I had many problems - poor conversion, severe Vit D deficiency, other nutrients low, low sex hormones - and addressing everything was needed, selenium is just part of my supplement regime.
I seem to have tried everything to loose weight and I’m not shifting anything it’s so hard. I think it may be time for me to request some new blood results and try again with the consultant or GP with how I’m feeling. It just seems I get nowhere by talking about it with GPS or consultants no matter how I feel. I’m so scared incase I keep gaining to weight I don’t know what to do anymore.
Also could I just ask, does taking your Levo at the same time every day 30mins for breakfast have a really good effect on the absorption?
Always advised here is to
* Take Levo on an empty stomach, one hour before or two hours after food.
* Take Levo with a glass of water, no tea, coffee, milk, cola, etc. Water only to drink for one hour each side.
* Milk on cereal contains calcium, this should be borne in mind as well.
* Take Levo on it's own, 2 hours away from any other medication (some need longer) and 2 hours from any supplements but iron, calcium, Vit D and magnesium supplements should be taken 4 hours away from Levo.
This ensures that nothing affects Levo's absorption.
I take my Levo in the early hours of the morning when I need the bathroom, usually somewhere between 3am and 6am, and this avoids any problem with absorption as it's well away from any eating, drinking and supplements/medication.
Hollren
I seem to have tried everything to loose weight and I’m not shifting anything it’s so hard.
Have another look at my first reply. I said
Unless you have a good level of FT3 then weight loss can be difficult (T3 being the active hormone that every cell in our bodies need). Hard exercise depletes T3 so it's probably not a good idea to be pushing yourself by going to the gym 5 times a week at the moment.
That is very likely where your problem lies.
I think it may be time for me to request some new blood results and try again with the consultant or GP with how I’m feeling. It just seems I get nowhere by talking about it with GPS or consultants no matter how I feel.
You need ALL those tests I mentioned in my first reply. You wont be able to get them all done with your GP, certainly not the FT3, possibly not the thyroid antibodies (definitely not Thyroglobulin, you may be able to get Thyroid Peroxidase but not guaranteed) and some GPs wont test nutrients without a very good reason). So your best bet is to do them privately. As I said, if you want details of where to get them done then ask.
This might sound crazy but I'm wondering if going from hyper to hypo has something to do with the weight gain? I actually have read this (not here).
Did your sister lose her thyroid for the same reason you did, was she hyper before surgery or hypo....I'm curious.
Hi, oh really I haven’t even thought of that? yes unfortunately the cancer gene runs in our family so me, my sister and my mam have all had it removed but unlucky for me I’m the only one that has this problem with weight gain. No both my sister and my mam had a normal thyroid before removal.
Both your sister and mom had a normal thyroid removed?Were they both hypo prior to the thyroidectomy.
Yeah just the same procedure as me, no they weren’t hypo prior to the thyroidectomy only I was. It does sound like it could have something to do with it.
Yes, it sure does. Is your sister roughly the same age as you? I can not fathom removing my healthy thyroid. I wish I could get into a time machine and never had my thyroidectomy. like you I was never warned about weight gain and the emotional and physical toll it has taken on me.
I also had thyroid cancer!
I’m 24 and my sister is 26 there’s only 18 months difference so we are close in age. She had hers removed at age 21, i had mine removed when I was 22. I also think the same sometimes, I was petrified to get mine removed. I knew since I was 14 after my nana passed away from thyroid cancer that it needed removing. I suppose I just had too much time to worry, from needing steroid injections in my scar to the weight gain I haven’t had the best of luck. I suppose I can’t complain seen as I’ve prevented the cancer but it still sucks to put this much weight on.
I remember that time in my life when my metabolism change resulted in a good bit of weight gain. Aside from taking thyroid meds, it may be helpful to make sure your doctor did a full metobolic panel and included liver levels along with checking for vitamin or mineral deficiency. That may let you know if you might want to adjust your diet or even take supplements.
I have done a lot of trial and error; I can tell you that personally, If I don’t consistently take a B complex, multivitamin, probiotic, and extra vitamin D, I have low energy, muscle weakness, brain fog and my metabolism is much slower. I have had to work much harder for the same result in terms of fat loss and building muscles. Limiting sugar, drinking plenty of water, protein and including as many single incredient snacks as possible (whole fruits and veggies).
Hi, yes I’m pretty sure they just do my standard checks when I get my bloods done I’ve never heard them mention anything about my liver or anything else, that would be worth a mention then. Would you say it has just been trial and error for you to see what kind of diet works best to get back on track with weight? Is there something that actually will help, it feels like there’s going to be no end game for me at the moment.
SlowDragonAdministrator
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 tested. Also EXTREMELY important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially as you presumably had Graves’ disease
Ask GP to test vitamin levels
Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .
Last dose of Levothyroxine 24 hours prior to blood test. (taking delayed dose immediately after blood draw).
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)
Is this how you do your tests?
Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or thyroid antibodies or all relevant vitamins
List of private testing options
thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...
Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin
medichecks.com/products/thy...
Medichecks often have special offers, if order on Thursdays
Thriva Thyroid plus vitamins
Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes vitamins
bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...
Most important results are Ft3, followed by Ft4. TSH often becomes extremely low when adequately treated...but GP’s are frequently only testing TSH and obsessed with keeping TSH too high.
When not adequately treated vitamin levels frequently drop low
Low vitamins result in poor conversion of Ft4 to Ft3. This can result in high Ft4, low TSH and very low Ft3....meaning you remain hypothyroid...if GP only testing TSH or TSH plus Ft4 this is completely inadequate
Hi, I didn’t have Graves’ disease I had my thyroid removed due to a thyroid cancer gene and my hyperthyroid was only discovered a few months before my surgery however I honestly felt okay I didn’t feel as though there was anything wrong. Yes that’s how I did my last previous blood test as prior to this blood test I was taking my Levo the morning of my tests and then getting frustrated that they were telling me my levels were ok even though I was telling them I didn’t feel well and was gaining weight. I’m not due another blood test until September, however granted with everything going on in the UK at the moment I don’t think my blood test will be important to the GPS.
Thousands upon thousands on here get testing privately
First step is to see EXACTLY what was tested by GP
Come back with new post once you get results and ranges
Hello Hollren
Can I ask why you had your thyroid removed ?
Just to say a fully functioning working thyroid would be supporting you on a daily basis with approximately 100 T4- Levothyroxine plus 10 T3 - Liothyronine.
The thyroid is a major gland responsible for full body synchronisation, including your mental, physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual wellbeing, your inner central heating system and your metabolism. The thyroid is your body engine, the conductor of all your bodily parts, and living without a thyroid will mean that you become hypothyroid and need to supplement thyroid hormone replacement.
Some people can get by on T4 alone, some people simply stop converting T4 into T3, and some people simply need both these vital hormones dosed and monitored independently to bring T3 and T4 into balance and to a level of well being acceptable to the patient.
The body runs on T3, not T4, your body needs to be able to convert T4 into T3, and if your ferritin , folate, B12 and vitamin are not optimal in the range, your ability to convert the T4 into T3 can be compromised, and I read the average person needs about 50 T3 to function.
There is a lot to read and understand about the thyroid and would suggest you start reading up about your health issues, and as well as reading people's post on here, you might like to take a look at the following books that helped me get back on track.
Your Thyroid and How To Keep It healthy by Barry Durrant-Peatfield. This doctor has hypothyroidism and his book is a relatively easy rad about all things thyroid and though we haven't got this little, but very major gland any longer, we do need to know what it is meant to do so we can compensate accordingly.
If you lost your gland through Graves Disease you might like to start reading up on the Elaine Moore Graves Disease Foundation website which is an excellent adjunct to this amazing platform.
Hi, yes I had to have my thyroid removed as I carried a cancer gene and so I had to have it removed before the age of 23 to be sure I wouldn’t get thyroid cancer. I had my thyroid removed nearly 2 years ago when I was 22 so all of this has been quite hard for me. I’ve always felt so guilty for complaining as I know I’ve had it removed for a good reason, however feeling unwell and gaining 2 and a half stone is just making me feel so low. I do feel as though when I tell my consultant about the weight gain and feeling tired he says they’ll check for it and they did recently up my dose of Levo from 100mcg to 150mcg, I feel the exact same on the higher dose and the weight gain had continued. I’m thinking after reading a lot on here im getting a much better understanding already, it sounds like I’m not converting T3 but I lll have to post my blood results to see.
Hey there,
Yes, the fist step is to get a full thyroid panel blood test as already detailed above.
Once with the results, start a new post to include the ranges and people better able than myself will talk you through your next steps back to better health.
@Hollren I'm a 6'2 white 53 Y male and Levo makes me fat, I put on about 1-2 kg per month no matter what I do. My worst was 107kg. On NDT I stay the same or loose weight slowly. I'm currently sitting at 88-89kg for last 6 months . Have been down to 83kg on NDT but I might have been abusing it a little.
Good Luck
Hi, thanks for your reply! I’m glad something seems to be working for you. What is NDT if you don’t mind me asking? I’m 24 and I’m only 5ft2 so I feel as though weight gain shows alot more with me being short. Before my thyroid removal I was only 7 and a half stone but I just didn’t ever put weight on and with me being short i didn’t look really skinny however I didn’t how much this weight gain would impact my mental health.
Apologies - this is the teacher in me: you cannot ‘loose’ weight, only ‘lose’ it. One ‘o’. If you LOSE weight your clothes become LOOSE.
I had the same problem after thyroidectomy 3 yrs ago.....I went from being fit to being fat and no endo can tell me why other then doubt me for saying I exercise every day and eat a good diet , I just watched them roll their eyes as the weight collect and my health crumbled.
I have been on a variety of thyroid meds and for me it didn't seem to matter I still gained weight. I wish they would study why some people gain a little bit of weight after thyroidectomy and other gain alot and some gain nothing.... their has to be and explanation.
I know it is so frustrating, I also feel as though I wasn’t told anything about the weight gain or the symptoms I would face after removal. I get really bad shortness of breath and I used to love exercising prior to the removal, I used to go 6 times a week and really enjoy it. I feel as though now there is no end. I got engaged last year and we are looking to plan a wedding however I don’t want to do that until I loose some weight It’s so frustrating when no medical professional understands.
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