Loosing weight with under active thyroid - Thyroid UK

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Loosing weight with under active thyroid

Miffy1962 profile image
11 Replies

I was diagnosed with under active thyroid about 10 years ago, I am on medication 100 per day. Would class my self as very active, exercising every day and have two dogs. When I am at work my day is full on. I eat healthy, vegetarian, don’t have tea of coffee.

Have been trying to loose weight for years and I am still 12.3, 5ft 7in swimmer, cycling plus gym and still no change. I sleep well .

Anyone else having the same problem.

Thank you

Jan

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Miffy1962 profile image
Miffy1962
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11 Replies
greygoose profile image
greygoose

Could be that you're over-exercising, and that is affecting your conversion. So, the first thing to do it get complete thyroid testing:

TSH

FT4

FT3

TPO/Tg antibodies - unless you already know if you have Hashi's

Vit D

vit B12

folate

ferritin

All the nutrients need to be optimal for your body to be able to use thyroid hormone correctly, and for you to lose weight. And, as you are vegetarian you could very well be low in iron and B12. So essential to get tested.

When you get the results, post them here, with the ranges, and it might be clearer why you aren't losing weight. :)

fuchsia-pink profile image
fuchsia-pink

I can only lose weight when both free T4 and free T3 are nice and high in range. Your GP probably hasn't ever bothered testing free T3 - so I second greygoose : see if your GP will do the tests she recommends - I've had some success with the GP by saying these are the tests recommended by Thyroid UK, but otherwise you will see LOTS of posts here about private testing. There are discounts available through the main Thyroid UK site and usually a discount on Thursdays ...

Good luck x

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Anyone with Hashimoto’s needs GOOD vitamin levels

What vitamin supplements are you currently taking

Extremely difficult/impossible to maintain GOOD B12 and ferritin levels as vegetarian unless supplementing

All four vitamins need to be tested at least annually

Vitamin D twice year

When were vitamin levels last tested?

When were thyroid levels last tested?

Please add results and ranges if you have them

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)

If/when also on T3, make sure to take last third or quarter 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 antibodies and vitamins

medichecks.com/products/adv...

Thriva Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins By DIY fingerpick test

thriva.co/tests/thyroid-test

Thriva also offer just vitamin testing

Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes antibodies, cortisol and vitamins by DIY fingerprick test

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

If you can get GP to test vitamins and antibodies then cheapest option for just TSH, FT4 and FT3

£29 (via NHS private service ) and 10% off down to £26.10 if go on thyroid uk for code

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

monitormyhealth.org.uk/

NHS easy postal kit vitamin D test £29 via

vitamindtest.org.uk

Are you saying you weight 12 stone 3pounds?

If so....you likely need small dose increase in levothyroxine

guidelines on dose levothyroxine by weight

Even if we frequently don’t start on full replacement dose, most people need to increase levothyroxine dose slowly upwards in 25mcg steps (retesting 6-8 weeks after each increase) until eventually on, or near full replacement dose

NICE guidelines on full replacement dose

nice.org.uk/guidance/ng145/...

1.3.6

Consider starting levothyroxine at a dosage of 1.6 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day (rounded to the nearest 25 micrograms) for adults under 65 with primary hypothyroidism and no history of cardiovascular disease.

Also here

cks.nice.org.uk/topics/hypo...

gp-update.co.uk/Latest-Upda...

Traditionally we have tended to start patients on a low dose of levothyroxine and titrate it up over a period of months. RCT evidence suggests that for the majority of patients this is not necessary and may waste resources.

For patients aged >60y or with ischaemic heart disease, start levothyroxine at 25–50μg daily and titrate up every 3 to 6 weeks as tolerated.

For ALL other patients start at full replacement dose. For most this will equate to 1.6 μg/kg/day (approximately 100μg for a 60kg woman and 125μg for a 75kg man).

If you are starting treatment for subclinical hypothyroidism, this article advises starting at a dose close to the full treatment dose on the basis that it is difficult to assess symptom response unless a therapeutic dose has been trialled.

BMJ also clear on dose required

bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m41

bestpractice.bmj.com/topics...

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Also extremely important to know if the cause of your hypothyroidism is autoimmune thyroid disease also called Hashimoto’s diagnosed by high thyroid antibodies

Do you know if you have Hashimoto’s?

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 with Hashimoto’s 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

healthcheckshop.co.uk/store...?

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.

Only add one supplement at a time and then wait at least 10-14 days to assess before adding another. Or only make one dietary change at a time....otherwise you can’t tell what’s helping

DippyDame profile image
DippyDame

Do you feel well?

You may be asking too much of your body!

Weight gain caused by hypothyroidism is unlike other weight gain and is best resolved by correct medication.

Test as greygoose and SlowDragon suggests.... you are possibly undermedicated.

Jodypody profile image
Jodypody

Eating healthy is a broad statement and is actually great for you obviously but even as a vegetarian you can eat too many calories. As a hypothyroid sufferer you will unfortunately burn less calories than one without. Around 200 a day. Which is tough but true. Exercise actually doesn’t burn that much in the way of calories either believe it or not. Tea and coffee have barely any calories (only the milk and sugar). That said you’ll find it nigh on impossible if your dose isn’t right. Sleeping well sounds like you are there or there abouts though. You may find it helpful to track your calories on my fitness pal app. You can enter your age and height blah blah and it will let you know where you should be at. The average calorie recommendation for a female at 2000kcal per day is too high for me. I’m more like 15-1700 and active (weight training/yoga/cardio ) but I am only 5ft 3. Post 40 your metabolism sinks further also. Mother Nature eh?

Pinkhill profile image
Pinkhill

Interesting piece by Michael Moseley on TV last week, looked at calorie requirements based on a dexa scan and muscle %. Showed daily 'average' intake of calories can be to high to achieve weight loss.

Miffie profile image
Miffie in reply to Pinkhill

Must try to catch up on that. Can you remember the programme name or channel by any chance Pinkhill ?

Pinkhill profile image
Pinkhill in reply to Miffie

HiHow to keep a healthy weight.

Channel 4 last week, so should be on catch up.

You might also be interested in professor Tofts paper on hormone levels. In a nutshell, just because the figures are right doesn't mean things are working the right way. ... depends on your body ...ties in a bit to Michael Moseley...depends on your body.

Cheers

Miffie profile image
Miffie in reply to Pinkhill

Cheers, I have seen/ read previous stuf of his on the subject so interested to see how this might have been updated. Read Toft as well thank you.

🙂

Ireness profile image
Ireness

I’ve lost over 4 stone since last July. I’m on the New You food replacement plan and have some protein in addition so roughly 800 calories a day. It’s been quite a severe way of dieting but the only way I can lose weight. I’ve been dieting for over 50 years and the usual diets used to work but since I became hypothyroid it’s been a struggle. Even on 800 calories weight loss is slow but I’m just plodding on.

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