Weight and vitamins

[Football657]

Can anyone help with gaining weight problems, also what vitamins have helped.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Football657

Difficulty losing weight can be due to undermedicated. What are your current test results for TSH, FT4 and FT3? The full panel is needed to get a full picture of your thyroid status.

As for vitamins we need to test key nutrients and address any low levels or deficiencies:

Vit D

B12

Folate

Ferritin

If you haven't had all thess tested you could ask your GP to do them but if he wont we have recommended private labs who offer them as a test bundle which can be done by fingerprick or for extra cost venous blood draw can be arranged.

[Football657 in reply to SeasideSusie]

I'm unsure how to read my blood test results, what do I need to look out for.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Football657]

Just post result and range here like this:

TSH: 2.5 (0.2-4.2

FT4: 15 (12-22)

If you have Vit D and B12 include the unit of measurement as well, eg nmol/L or pg/ml or whatever they are .

[Football657 in reply to SeasideSusie]

TSH 1.4

[Football657 in reply to Football657]

No vitamin D done or B12, is FT4 Known by something else

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Football657]

TSH on it's own is inadequate, the only thing it's useful for is diagnosis of thyroid disease, once on thyroid hormone replacement it is of little use. It's not a thyroid hormone, it's a pituitary hormone. You need FT4 and FT3 as well for a full picture, as mentioned above, it's these two tests which are the thyroid hormones.If you haven't had the other tests done you shoukd ask your GP to do them or do private tests as mentioned above.

When you have full results post thenm with their reference ranges as explained, as ranges vary from lab to lab we need the ranges that come with the results.

[Football657 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you for your help I will phone my surgery for the above information and get back to you.

[Alanna012]

I've read that chromium can help with weight gain:

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/976....

And myoinositol. Article about myoinositol and weight loss from Dr Westin Childs:

restartmed.com/myoinositol/

Cutting out sugar helps, I'm not able to do exercise much but there's some studies to suggest rebounding is as, if not more effective than running at fat burning so maybe try a rebounder or mini trampoline and use when you have time?

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Just testing TSH is completely inadequate

you’re currently taking 100mcg levothyroxine

Do you always get same brand levothyroxine

ALWAYS test thyroid levels early morning and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

Essential to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 at least once a year

What vitamin supplements are you currently taking

Bloods should be retested 6-8 weeks after each dose change or brand change in levothyroxine

 

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested.

Very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 at least once year minimum

Have you had thyroid antibodies tested?

About 90% of primary hypothyroidism is autoimmune thyroid disease, usually diagnosed by high thyroid antibodies 

Autoimmune thyroid disease with goitre is Hashimoto’s

Autoimmune thyroid disease without goitre is Ord’s thyroiditis. 

Both are autoimmune and generally called Hashimoto’s.

Low vitamin levels are extremely common when hypothyroid, especially with autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto’s or Ord’s thyroiditis)

20% of autoimmune thyroid patients never have high thyroid antibodies and ultrasound scan of thyroid can get diagnosis 

In U.K. medics hardly ever refer to autoimmune thyroid disease as Hashimoto’s (or Ord’s thyroiditis)

Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests early morning, ideally just before 9am and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test 

This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)

Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or all relevant vitamins

List of private testing options and money off codes

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

Medichecks Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins

medichecks.com/products/adv...

Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes antibodies, cortisol and vitamins

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

If you can get GP to test vitamins 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/

Monitor My Health also now offer thyroid and vitamin testing, plus cholesterol and HBA1C for £65 

monitormyhealth.org.uk/full...

NHS easy postal kit vitamin D test £29 via

vitamindtest.org.uk

Only do private testing early Monday or Tuesday morning. 

Watch out for postal strikes, probably want to pay for guaranteed 24 hours delivery 

Link about thyroid blood tests

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

Link about Hashimoto’s

thyroiduk.org/hypothyroid-b...

Symptoms of hypothyroidism 

thyroiduk.org/wp-content/up...

[1tuppence]

You have my sympathy. Before I began treatment I'd gradually added 4 stones to my body weight...and it was heavy fluid to carry around on osteoarthritic knees. It gradually dropped away as my treatment met my body's needs.

This year....7 years later, I found my weight was creeping back up again, and nothing in my diet had changed.... what had changed was the brand of levothyroxine.

I'm now back on the brand that suits my system, and my weight is going back to where I'm most comfortable, and I can see my ankles

As SeasideSusie says, once you can Post your results and ranges, more help and advice can be given.

[Lizzab]

I'm told this works:-

Note fat mentioned below is saturated, never unsaturated.

Sugar + Fat = Fat (remember starches get converted to sugar so this equals baked potato with butter)

Sugar + Starch = Fat (this is sugar on top of sugar, aka cupcakes, and how diabetes happens)

To keep excess fat away, you want to stick to this formula.

Sugar + LEAN Protein = Fat Loss (this is the pairing fats with nonfats idea, example: nonfat milk with honey, fish or cheese with fruit, lean steak with Coke)

If having a starch keep the rest of ingredients as low in fat as possible

[thyr01d]

Hi Football657. Although I can't tell you about vitamins and weight loss, I have read/heard recently about too much iron causing weight gain, and, personally, I gain weight if I take, for instance, Evening Primrose oil, or eat chia seeds (recommended by hospital dietician because I'm vegan).