How to treat weight gain

[Sazzle1969]

Hi, does anyone have any advice about losing weight while hypothyroid? I have put on about a stone and a half in the last 2 years with the condition and nothing I do will shift it - I have cut calories to a drastic point and exercise but it makes no difference at all. When I see my GP they say it's just part of my age (I'm 50) but I know my body is not functioning properly. Any ideas/advice gratefully received.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Welcome to the forum

Can see from your profile you are taking Levothyroxine plus T3

Do you have any recent thyroid and vitamin results and ranges to add

How much levothyroxine/T3

Do you always get same brands

What vitamin supplements

Do you have Hashimoto’s

Are you on strictly gluten free diet?

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also EXTREMELY important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if you have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) diagnosed by raised Thyroid antibodies

Ask GP to test vitamin levels

You may need to get full Thyroid testing privately as NHS refuses to test TG antibodies if TPO antibodies are negative

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)

If/when also on T3, make sure to take last third or half of daily dose 8-12 hours prior to test, even if this means adjusting time or splitting of dose day before test

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/getting-a-dia...

Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin

medichecks.com/products/thy...

Medichecks often have special offers, if order on Thursdays

Thriva Thyroid plus vitamins

thriva.co/tests/thyroid-test

Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes vitamins

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

Taking almost any dose of T3 will lower TSH, even if under medicated

[fuchsia-pink]

I said this to Cindy-Cat just now:

In my experience it's impossible to lose weight until your medication is optimised. Do you have any recent blood results to share - ideally TSH, free T4, free T3 and key nutrients - ferritin, folate, vit D and B12.

Don't even think about diet shakes - they contain soy.

And even then it's tough - you need a certain amount of calories for your meds to work properly. But it's possible if you drop all the "wasted calories" - booze, fizzy drinks, crisps, you know the drill...

Good luck x

[SlowDragon Administrator]

IBS is frequently linked to gluten intolerance

Hashimoto's frequently affects the gut and leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels

Low vitamin levels affect Thyroid hormone working

Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances. Most common by far is gluten. Dairy is second most common.

According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps, sometimes significantly. Either due to direct gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)

Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and slowly lower TPO antibodies

While still eating high gluten diet ask GP for coeliac blood test first or buy test online for under £20, just to rule it out first

Assuming test is negative you can immediately go on strictly gluten free diet

(If test is positive you will need to remain on high gluten diet until endoscopy, maximum 6 weeks wait officially)

Trying gluten free diet for 3-6 months. If no noticeable improvement then reintroduce gluten and see if symptoms get worse

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

amymyersmd.com/2018/04/3-re...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

drknews.com/changing-your-d...

restartmed.com/hashimotos-g...

Non Coeliac Gluten sensitivity (NCGS) and autoimmune disease

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/296...

The predominance of Hashimoto thyroiditis represents an interesting finding, since it has been indirectly confirmed by an Italian study, showing that autoimmune thyroid disease is a risk factor for the evolution towards NCGS in a group of patients with minimal duodenal inflammation. On these bases, an autoimmune stigma in NCGS is strongly supported

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/300...

The obtained results suggest that the gluten-free diet may bring clinical benefits to women with autoimmune thyroid disease

nuclmed.gr/wp/wp-content/up...

In summary, whereas it is not yet clear whether a gluten free diet can prevent autoimmune diseases, it is worth mentioning that HT patients with or without CD benefit from a diet low in gluten as far as the progression and the potential disease complications are concerned

restartmed.com/hashimotos-g...

Despite the fact that 5-10% of patients have Celiac disease, in my experience and in the experience of many other physicians, at least 80% + of patients with Hashimoto's who go gluten-free notice a reduction in their symptoms almost immediately.

[Sazzle1969]

thanks so much for the posts, that's really helpful and I'll work through them. I've been seeing a nutritionist for a while, have cut out gluten, soy, dairy as much as poss, caffeine and taking supplements for my thyroid - Thyroid Synergy. I've had tests for celiac, which was negative, my iron/ferritin levels showed up low though. Need to get on to iron supplements to help with that. My Vit B12 levels were high. I am waiting for current thyroid blood test to come through so I can see what my levels are currently. I will also retest with Medichecks for full vitamin profile.

have had no luck with GP - had to go private - despite my thyroid levels being in low range - they say they will not treat it as it is borderline. I've told them I feel ill a lot and they just say 'it's probably your age', i.e. you are perimenopausal, put up with it!

My private consultant said that my free t3 thyroid levels are low and that is causing my symptoms, plus I have very high reverse T3 which they think is a result of chronic stress. My nutritionist is helping me with that with supplements but I do feel that the right medication is the key now as I've tried everything else! I wonder how people got on with Armour as am tempted to restart that to see if it helps?

My diet is very clean, I don't eat any processed food, drink lots of water, am very careful. I also exercise daily. I know my body is not working properly as I am more than a stone over my weight from a couple of years back and up until now I've always been a very lean person who could lose weight easily. This is not normal for me despite what GPs say! I will persist with the tests and see what they show then try to get on a better medication and dose.

[Batty1 in reply to Sazzle1969]

Menopause and Hypothyroidism = Weight gain.... it’s the craziest thing!

[Wetsuiter]

NICE guidelines now state that if you are borderline with symptoms, you should get a trial of levo.

Might help

[MichelleHarris]

I was diagnosed 15 months ago. Looking back at my blood results ( when my GP kept telling me with a grin that I was fit and well and making me believe I was a hypochondriac despite my poor health) my TSH was rising and I put on 20 kgs over 3 yrs in increasing speed.

I unwittingly starved my self twice for 7 days fasting and managed to gain weight! I was bewildered.

I had attended the ‘Well Womans’ Clinic at my surgery since I turned 18 yrs with consistent weight until 2016 but that did not help them diagnose what should have been obvious to any 1st year medical student!

Damage is being done whilst borderline/subclinical what ever useless term they call not treating you and not telling you whats wrong.

Since starting treatment I have lost the weight in stages. Once when I started Levo, then when I got on an appropriate dose and then when I started NDT coupled with no soy, no gluten and no dairy. Also maximising vitamins.

The latter is the only path resulting in consistent weight loss of up to 0.5 kgs a week and I am nearing my pre weight now having lost 17 kgs with no effort.

You really need to be on the right treatment first.

Shame on the patronising doctors telling me to calorie count instead of doing their jobs x

[Sazzle1969]

thanks so much, Michelle, your experience sounds very like mine. I've also fasted and managed to put on weight - it is so demoralising. Like you, my doctor has just been dismissive and treated me badly - I was told I was 'overmedicalising' the situation when I took in my private test results and asked for treatment!

[Sazzle1969]

I am also changing doctor surgery - my neighbour has a thyroid condition and has had really good treatment at another practice which I've just signed up to. Once my blood tests come in, I'll try an appt there and see if I can get the treatment - I'll mention the NICE guidelines too