I am posting on behalf of my fiancée, hope that's not a problem.
My fiancée is looking to lose weight but has PCOS and an underactive thyroid (medicated). We have been at the gym for the last 5 months, we go about 4 times a week and do weight training and some light cardio. She's also quite active, having had two children (5 & 11) she's always on her feet running around after them.
She is good with her diet I'd say, she has around 1,200kcal per day. She avoids high sugar/high carb foods.
Over the last year she has lost a few pounds and done really well, sometimes it comes back which is likely water retention. This really gets her down and I want to help her but have no idea how. I want to add this is not anything that concerns me, to me she's actually perfectly fine. My only concern is helping her reach her goal of losing weight which will help her confidence.
I don't expect there to be a cheat code for weight loss but any tips I can suggest?
Thanks
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anon8924
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I can't comment on the pcos, but being hypothyroid, weight loss is extremely difficult IF thyroid hormones are not OPTIMAL. This is very different than simply being within the 'normal range'. Has she any recent thyroid blood test results? If you could post the results, together with the normal ranges, we can perhaps help. How does she feel otherwise? Any hypothyroid symptoms?
Without a lot more detail it really isn't possible to give any tips. We need to know her blood test results:
TSH
FT4
FT3
TPO ab
Tg ab
vit D
vit B12
folate
ferritin.
And how much levo she's taking.
Could be that she's over-exercising for her thyroid hormone levels, and not consuming enough calories to support that exercise. You need calories to convert T4 to T3. If you don't eat enough, and use them all up on exercising, then conversion will suffer and she will become more hypo and put on more weight.
Also, it's doubtful that her weight-gain is simple fat. It's more likely to be water-retention. In which case no amount of exercise or dieting is going to get rid of it. When you're hypo it's very complicated to lose weight because there are so many variables and everythng depends on everything else. Sorry to be all doom and gloom but I've suffered with this all my life, almost, with people telling me that all I need to do is eat less and exercise more. Which is just not the case. More likely to be the opposite!
hi there so I have had PCOS for almost 32 years & it’s a nightmare to live with, I also have hypothyroidism.
PCOS effects the way our metabolism works it’s very complex…I started taking specific vitamins to help ease my symptoms as I tried Metformin (usually prescribed to those who have Diabetes) from GP but really struggled with this. Here’s a website I found super helpful
Hi, has your fiancée tried taking Myo- Inositol or Berberine supplements? Worth googling if not. They both have benefits. Berberine keeps insulin resistance in check. I’ve found it very effective. Insulin resistance can cause weight gain & difficulty loosing weight. Inositol is useful & there is a lot of medical research proving this. Have a look online.
It’s extremely good at keeping blood sugar levels under control & combatting peaks & troughs. I recently put it to the test as I was following , for 4 months, a very low carb diet & so I stopped taking my usual Berberine dose. Unfortunately & unexpectedly I experienced diabetic type symptoms eg v thirsty & peeing often. Shakes & sweats. My HbA1c level rose 5 points since my previous test. I stopped eating low carb & started Berberine again, immediately felt better, symptoms stopped.
If carrying extra weight, insulin resistance can become a problem. Extra insulin in the blood can cause weight gain, it’s a chicken & egg problem. They need to be kept balanced. Insulin is an inflammatory hormone too so can upset the body’s systems if it’s not being used up correctly. I’d google it if you’re interested in its effects.
Hi, sorry my reply didn’t answer your question. I stopped taking the Berberine when I started low carb which was eating 20 to 30 grams of carb a day. Not keto as I couldn’t maintain that. I thought the diet would keep my blood sugar levels steady & low so I wouldn’t need the Berberine. It didn’t work out like that though
I’ve not been diagnosed as diabetic. I got close when eating low carb which is counter intuitive & not supposed to happen. I’ve only been in the pre diabetes range. Most of last year I was at 38 well below diabetes which is 48 to 50 or above. 47 when eating low carb!
My point is that Berberine is a useful contributor to weight loss if you have insulin resistance. If your HbA1c levels are always low then it might not help.
Thank you for replying. My HbA1c levels are good but something is preventing weight loss. Could be what dippydame has but I’m so reluctant to look into in case I find I have a problem with T3 getting into cells. It’s a case of burying my head in the sand until I have the motivation to start asking questions and demanding a T3 trial
I’ve got great FT3 levels and I feel fab but something is surely amiss and it’s not nutrients because they’re all excellent too
Yes, aim similar. I lost a lot of water retention weight when I started t3. It was great for awhile but has gradually built up again. I don’t know why. I pushed my T3 as high as I dare but had to drop back again. Hormone resistance probably. On T4 & T3 now as feel better on combination but weight especially around my middle is a big problem. I’ll keep looking for a solution. Diet doesn’t work for me.
Yes read up on berberine supplement. It is said to be beneficial someone with pcos too.I don't have pcos but have struggled to lose weight since thyroid issues started years ago.
I basically lived off nothing to just maintain. Gp's, health, trainers, hospital and all knew it wasn't calories causing issue.
Last January I started simple weight training just in the garden at first. Upped calories from 1000/1200 to 1800, high protein, 2/3 lt water, reduced alcohol. I only lost a couple of lb but lost a couple of inches.
Then in May I started berberine but also started a new brand of t3 same time. I can't say for certain it was the berberine but I'm 90% sure it was.
I slowly started to lose weight then. I stayed on berberine for about 5 months then felt I'd plateaued so stopped for a break.
I feel berberine kick started things and helped normalise my fatty liver, cholesterol and likely insulin resistance.
I still find weight loss extremely slow but it was nothing before the berberine ( or change of brand t3)
I buy 5 greens brand off ebay. I just took 1 capsule before each meal.
Thank you, that’s interesting. Have just started Tudca to see if it lowers liver enzymes so will give it a couple of weeks before trying berberine because I see it can help with liver issues too. You might wish to know that by day 3 of Tudca, the nagging pain I experience every morning in the liver region, is gone. I can’t believe it. I’ve suffered with this for years so I’m incredulous. Will check with a lab test in a couple of months to see if enzymes are lowering
It’s so deflating isn’t it when no matter what, weightloss doesn’t ensue. I’m always so grateful when I lose a few ounces but it’s incredibly slow
Strange isn’t it how some of us struggle and others say that they lost a lot once on levo/lio/both
Yes I've been on over 100mcg T3 in the past and no weight loss. I still have most symptoms regardless of what dose I'm on. As long as I have energy to function during the day then I just plod on.My endo thinks I could possibly reversed my fatty liver now but life style change will definitely be a factor too.
hello, her lifestyle and routine sound good, actually very active for someone with PCOS and hypothyroidism. Having treatment does not guarantee an improvement because it depends on what her blood tests actually show, meaning, sometimes what a GP will consider “normal” is not optimal for the patient and this is a general issue (unfortunately). If you could share her latest blood test results there’s many people here to guide you in more detail! A useful advice would be to reduce bloating and inflammation in the body. Eating “healthy” does not cut it, she probably needs an anti inflammatory diet. Best!
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Thyroid test results
insulin/ pcos/leptin resistance
Thyroid results - please help
