Easier or just as hard?

[Frillsandpink]

How many found it easier to lose weight once diagnosed and taking levothyrozine?

[Hidden]

I was diagnosed in Sept and started meds in October. I'm on 75mcg and the weight gain has stopped since being on meds but haven't managed to lose a lb yet.Fighting for a dose increase so hoping once my levels sorted it will start to come off again !!

[BlueKeith in reply to Hidden]

I'm on 75mcg of levothyroxine , been on it for a year now and I'm same weight as I was when started. Most of my symptoms have gone though apart from occasional brain fog. I've heard it's more common for people who are on Liothyronine and levothyroxine to lose weight but if it's NHS who dealing with you then got not much chance

[BeeVel in reply to BlueKeith]

Hello, yes that's my experience. Before the pandemic I had a prescription for combo T4/T3 and was a lot easier to manage my weight. I was within my normal weight range. Sadly I cannot longer obtain prescription for that and had to revert back to levothyroxine. I am now 1 stone over my normal weight and its more difficult to shift. I am experimenting with fasting now, to see if that helps with the weight shift, although have been told to take it easy with that, as fasting apparently affects the conversion capability of T4 to T3.In a meantime trying to sort my T3 prescription back.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Welcome to the forum

How much levothyroxine are you currently taking

How long at this dose

Do you always get same brand levothyroxine at each prescription

Please add most recent results and ranges

Always test thyroid levels early morning, before 9am and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

What vitamin supplements are you currently taking

When were vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 levels tested

Please add results

Once correctly medicated and vitamins optimal weight gain should hopefully stop. Weight loss can be harder, but not impossible

But key is to get thyroid hormone levels optimal

Essential to test TSH, Ft4 and Ft3

Do you have autoimmune thyroid disease also called Hashimoto’s diagnosed by high thyroid antibodies

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Frillsandpink

It's a long time since I was diagnosed and started on Levo (about 47 years) and at the time I was about 2 stone overweight. Gradually my weight settled back down to it's normal level but it wasn't quick, it was a gradual process. Obviously a lot older now and accept that at this age I wont be the same weight as I was back then, I'm about 1 stone heavier than in my much younger days. I now take T3 as well as Levo and no weight loss since adding T3.

[Tide]

I was started on 25mcg in March and Dr wasn’t interested in raising at review. By sept I was so much worse than before starting and begged for increase to 50 (using arguments from here). At no point did I lose a single kilo. So I started the Dukan diet and lost 15kg/33 pounds by Christmas. On its own levo did nothing for my weight except halt the increase. Potentially if I was on full replacement dose it would have helped? Now on 75 (more begging) and keeping it off 🤞

[Fluffysheep]

I put on a lot of weight with my thyroid. It didn't really stop when I went onto levo, and the usual low carb diet I'd followed for years didn't work either.

I only managed to start losing weight when I added T3 meds in, and again, that was but following a low carb diet.

[SarahJane1471]

I’m 2 dress sizes larger than I was three years ago when I first noticed symptoms. Started Levo last July. I’m now on 100mcg and most symptoms are 80% improved. But still gaining weight 🤦‍♀️

[Starling87]

Personally, lots easier. I was undermedicated for a year and a bit after some doctors misread my blood tests, and I gained a couple of kilos. Now when I'm back on a better dose the kilos are finally beginning to go away... And my energy is way better.

[tj61]

It was a long time before my Hypothyroidism was diagnosed and in the meantime caused Sleep Apnoea, both of which led to a massive weight gain of around 5 or 6 stones in a year! Initially levothyroxine treatment caused a loss of of about a stone but after that it was very hard to shift any weight at all. Once on T3 and on a low carb/GF diet I managed to lose a stone and a half, but I've just about given up on ever returning to my 'normal' weight.

[san_ray70]

My doctor told me if I was on the correct dose of levo. I would be able to lose weight, and I did, I lost 2st with S.W. The only thing is when we were in lockdown I put a stone back on. Now things are more or less back to normal I am attempting to lose the extra. We play table tennis once a week, and go short mat bowling. Waiting for the weather to get better and then we can go over the park and nature reserve for nice long walks.

[raglansleeve]

I am still trying to find optimal doses of my T4 and T3 supplements, and am now able to maintain my current weight. It took several boosts in my doses to stop the gain, and I'm hoping that if I increase some more (to alleviate remaining hypo symptoms), it will also trigger a loss of weight. Just so relieved to not be gaining anymore!

[Yasai]

Levothyroxine has stopped me gaining weight, but in terms of weight loss it's just the same as before I was taking it. I typically hover in the same area in terms of kg, it goes up and down but never outside of that specific range.

The only time I've lost a significant amount of weight was when I was unwell last year and lost a lot of weight rapidly in the space of a month to the point where it wasn't healthy and my body couldn't work normally at that weight.

Since I've gained most of that weight back. I've noticed if I accidentally miss a few days of levo I tend to gain a bit of weight instead of maintaining my current one but aside from that not a lot has changed.