I am fatter than 3 years ago. Am I hypothyroid?

[selftreatendo]

I am fatter than 3 years ago. I used to be 38 waist (and 20 years ago I was 33 waist) but now I am more like 42 and almost all my clothes I had bought 3 years ago, I can't fit into now whether these are shits, t shirts, suit jackets, jackets, pullovers or pants. I can't fit into any of them anymore. Am I hypothyroid? I don't eat any differently and I am not diabetic. I have suddenly decided to eat less meat though and more veg and fruit to see if that does anything, I can't understand why I am always getting fatter though. If I take T3, will it make me lose weight IF I AM HYPO definitively?

[Cooper27]

Hypothyroidism is a possibility, I would definitely seek to rule it out.

There are other possibilities, for example nutrient deficiencies, hormone imbalances, poor gut health, other autoimmune conditions that can also cause weight gain too, so it would be worth considering what other symptoms you have besides weight gain, to help to narrow down the cause.

T3 may help you to lose weight if you are hypo, but it may not be an instant fix, and you may still benefit from some dietary changes (for example, those with thyroid issue typically benefit from cutting out gluten and sometimes dairy).

[selftreatendo in reply to Cooper27]

Thanks. Most of my nutrients will be OK now as I have been supplementing vitamin D, Folate and B12 for a good 4 or 5 months now each day. Thyroid tests are low normal though when I did it in June 2020 and TSH was 2.2ish and 2.5 a few month before that even when my GP originally did one. I can't understand how I have put on so much weight. I am 20 stone and 6 foot 2 inches but I only used to be around 15 stone. Chronic Fatigue though made me just sit and be bored when I had it. I stopped exercising much and just went for light walks.

[Cooper27 in reply to selftreatendo]

If you have low B12, ferritin, folate, vitamin D, it's highly likely you have an autoimmune disorder. With a TSH of 2.2 and 2.5 previously, then Hashimotos is probably likely (in well people, it's typically around 1). Have you been tested for antibodies?

[selftreatendo in reply to Cooper27]

Yes, my GP said that thyroid antibodies were OK. Everything is OK with me as always ;( ferritin was 80 my gp said I think so that was OK. Vit D, B12 and folate WERE low so that is why I have been supplementing these for 4 months now daily. Thyroid T3 is 38% through the reference interval and FT4 36% through so not optimal but not abnormal. My GP refuses to offer me any treatment of B12 injections or thyroxine treatment. He just wants me to check my blood pressure each time for some reason. I have chronic fatigue syndrome but I don't currently have symptoms any longer except when I try and exercise as I am overweight and it takes it out on me when I exercise and I have to rest afterwards to recover. I don't understand the constant weight gain. My mom had a big goitre and died of secondary thyroid cancer which spread to the lungs.

[Cooper27 in reply to selftreatendo]

I'd suggest getting tested every year, just to make sure you haven't developed an issue. It sounds like thyroid issues will be in your future.

Has your doctor also ruled out things like Coeliac Disease (another common cause of low vitamins like this)?

It's also probable you have low stomach, which can cause weight gain. You can help it by taking apple cider vinegar before every meal (a brand that contains "the mother").

[Chancery]

Could it be a medication? Lots of meds cause weight gain (antidepressants & steroids, to name but two). Are you taking anything new? Also, have you considered Cushing's Disease? If the weight gain is fairly sudden and very heavy, it's a possibility. If you look at images on Google you'll be able to see immediately if it looks like you. It has some distinctive markers, like a hump on the back of the neck and a round balloon face.

[selftreatendo in reply to Chancery]

Chancery Nope, and No I don't think so (cushings)

[Chancery in reply to selftreatendo]

Ah well, worth a mention. Hope you find an answer!

[selftreatendo in reply to Chancery]

That is why I asked about T3. How much T3 would I need to take a day to lose weight? 40mcg or so? Does T3 even make you lose weight? And can I buy it OTC in Greece?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to selftreatendo]

T3 is absolutely, definitively NOT a weight loss medicine.

Trying to use T3 as a weight loss medicine could be dangerous.

If you really are hypothyroid, if you need T3, and if you take a sensible dose, that might help with weight loss.

Plucking a random dose and asking whether it will make you lose weight really is the wrong way of even thinking about T3.

There are many who have been diagnosed hypothyroid and take levothyroxine and have lost weight. (Though there are some who do not lose weight.) Some add T3. Some go on to T3-only. But the aim should always be appropriate dosing for your body - not weight loss.

Always remember that weight is not necessarily fat.

[tattybogle in reply to selftreatendo]

i'm afraid you can't fool your pituitary gland. If someone takes T3 when they aren't deficient in it , the pituitary will notice and stop producing TSH, the thyroid will notice this and stop producing T4 and T3, so they will end up with not enough T4 and probably too much T3. T4 is a storage form and is used to maintain a stable supply, since it has a 'half life' of 7+ days , where as T3 has a much shorter half life.

Too much T3 causes them to become thyrotoxic, which is in effect what happens in Graves disease (hyperthyroidism) ~although in Graves the source of the extra T3 is the thyroid gland producing too much by itself.

Thyrotoxicity may well cause weight loss, (but not in everyone , some get so ravenously hungry they put weight on).

However thyrotoxicity will also cause massive anxiety at best and psychological disturbance at worst.

it might also muscle weakness in the large muscles close to your torso (ie thighs, biceps i think) such you can't get out of chairs.

it may also make hair fall out. It may make you develop such dark circles around your eyes that your friend start to ask themselves if you are really ill/dying.

It will probably leave you feeling at the same time, 'wired' as though you've had 10 expresso's and utterly, utterly, exhausted.

I once knew a woman who became thyrotoxic, before i knew anything about thyroid problems. Honestly , she started to look so ill, and became so unwell over a few months that we all thought she was dying of cancer and not telling anyone.

It was definitely not attractive, or enjoyable.

It's absolutely NOT a good idea to take 40 mcg of T3 to try and lose weight .

[Diana58]

Are you on beta blocker

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Don’t know how old you are.....

As we get older we need fewer calories, frequently less active ...plus after menopause middle age spread is extremely common

Many people gain weight, it doesn’t necessarily mean you are hypothyroid