I’m really struggling with weight loss at the moment and even in a calorie deficit I am unable to lose anything, and am still gaining. My bmi is getting dangerously high and I want to address this. Diagnosed hashi’s, had an overactive spike but since had underactive symptoms but all my results are apparently fine.
Latest results;
TSH 1.1 (range 0.27-4.2)
Free T3 4.91 (range 3.1-6.8)
Free thyroxine 16.700 (range 12-22) however when entered into my boost app it said this was high.
CRP HS 1.45 (range <5)
Ferritin 85.1 (range 13-150)
Folate 3.58 (range >3.89)
Vitamin d 46.5 (ongoing issue with me and I take pure encapsulations for this)
Vitamin b12 >150 (I take injected supplement from my doctor for a deficiency)
TPO 554 (range <34)
Thyroglobulin antibodies 542 (<115)
Can anyone see a thyroid related issue that would prevent me from losing weight in these results?
Thanks in advance. Test done with Medichecks.
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nw1991
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As regards nutrients, folate is low as well as vit D which you are supplementing (can you increase supplements to get you higher?)
As regards thyroid results, I can't lose weight unless both free T3 and free T4 are nice and high in range - and even then it's a struggle. At the moment, free T4 is 47% through range - so not high regardless of what the app said - and free T3 is 49% though range. So balanced but both too low for weight loss. Can you add another 25 mcg of levo? You are aiming for at least 67% through range, and maybe higher x
Thank you so much for your response! I’m actually not on Levo, my gp won’t prescribe as my tsh is fine and in range. I’ve booked a call with him this week though to try and discuss.
Re folate, I have recently bought a methyl folate supplement. Would folate affect my inability to lose weight or is it solely the t3 & t4
I wondered if maybe I could try buying Levo myself and see the affects, but not sure if this is advisable and what dosage to buy. Is it something I can only get on prescription if my tsh goes out of range?
Levo is prescription only in the UK (it's possible to buy otc in certain countries overseas) - and you won't get any until your TSH goes over-range. Sometimes they wait until TSH goes up to 10 - so well over doble the top end of the range, which rather makes a mockery of having a range ... but you may be able to get levo prescribed before it gets this high because of your hashis.
I don't know about losing weight and folate - sorry - I just know how tough it is with low free T4 and T3 . Good luck x
Thanks fuscia-pink! I never knew the t4 & t3 affected weight so this has been really helpful. I’m going to try with my GP to get levo and failing that I’ve found a private specialist that looks good so maybe I’ll get somewhere with her. Thanks for your advice x
Hey fuscia-pink! Just wanted to let you know the doctor agreed to try me on levo starting with a 25mg dose hopefully this will bump up my t3 & t4 and help me feel better and help the weight. I’m exercising pretty intensely 6 days a week so would love for that hard work to actually have an impact!
Thanks SlowDragon. I’ve had the celiac test and it came back negative. I went gluten free for 6 months and it made no difference so I reintroduced. I’m dairy free. I also take Thorne b complex
Low folate and low B12 often linked with low vitamin D
As you have B12 injections it’s recommended also to supplement a good quality daily vitamin B complex, one with folate in (not folic acid) may be beneficial.
This can help keep all B vitamins in balance and will help improve B12 levels too between injections
Igennus Super B is good quality and cheap vitamin B complex. Contains folate. Full dose is two tablets per day. Many/most people may only need one tablet per day. Certainly only start on one per day (or even half tablet per day for first couple of weeks)
Or Thorne Basic B or jarrow B-right are other options that contain folate, but both are large capsules
If you are taking vitamin B complex, or any supplements containing biotin, remember to stop these 7 days before ALL blood tests, as biotin can falsely affect test results
Thanks for all this great info. My vitamin levels have stayed pretty stable. I’ve actually just got off the phone with the doctor and he’s agreed to prescribe levo starting with a 25mg dose and closely monitor
I used to take that one but found I kept forgetting so I thought I’d be better with pill form. Will try it again when I run out of these pills. I’m not taking magnesium, I do use a shower gel with it in but nothing orally
another option(outside the box) is water retention. which could be heart, kidney or thyroid related
try to stick to 1.5litres(3 pints) a day and make sure you have a decent urination atleast 3 times a day. and i mean decent not little dribbles.
1lire of water is 1KG so yea you can gain weight easy from water retention more so then food.
signs of water retention is puffy legs above the ankles. like where your calf muscles are(more so heart related). also lack of need for toilet use(more so kidney). and yea if your drinking 6 pints a day but only peeing 2 times a day. then what goes in isnt going out. because your bladder can only hold~ a pint at a time
Thanks for this! I drink 2 litres of water a day and I’m holding onto 4 stone I never had before thyroid issues so I doubt it’s all water retention. I also pee pretty frequently ☺️ Definitely more than 3 times a day
other weight retention is low metabolsim = the standard 2000Kcal is just too much. i found 1300kcal as my break even amount. i was 23stone at one point. for me it was a combination of water/food. but water retention for me was 8stone of that(i got down below 15stone in 2months with water tablets) now balancing my food to ~1300kcal im not rising or falling. so finding my balance. eating 2000kcal made me gain even with good water control
I think it’s the same with me. I was calorie counting at 1500 calories with no exercise and getting no results. Recently I’ve started doing a 30 min fitness class a day, mixing spin, strength training, hiit and yoga and when I used a tdee calculator it told me 2300 calories to maintain and 1800 calories to lose but I think this is just too high for me and my metabolism js slower. I even tried 1300 calories with no exercise and struggled. But for me anything lower than this and im totally starving and miserable. It’s hard work!
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- and free T3 is 49% though range. So balanced but both too low for weight loss. Can you add another 25 mcg of levo? You are aiming for at least 67% through range, and maybe higher x
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