Recently i found nutritionist on line, who seemed to know what she was talking about- that HYPOTHYROID, is a whole body thing, but she wanted £2400, for 6 months, with no guarantee that her treatment would work, i thought that this was rather extortionate, for £100 a week ,
I wasn't sure that i was going to pay out that amount of my savings, for no guarantees or for someone to tell me - how to eat, and waffle on about calories, i don't even eat 1000 calories a day , i did an experiment for a week as my GP waffles on about calorie defects and exercise- which he knows im hypothyroid, and he knows i have hip pain even after the replacements - muscle collapsed,- he knows all my ailment and he keep s spouting this rubbish - he actually told me that he couldn't help me lose weight recently !That made me give up on him, almost completely ! i only have a small bowl of porridge sugar free, or two toast for breakfast, and then i will have a small fish or veg meal at night , i rarely have lunch and i don't really snack - but what ever i eat put on weight- even if its supposedly anti inflammatory- i actually deliberately didn't eat more than 500 calories per day for a week, and i didn't lose a pound ! Even when i had a mastectomy - my boob must have weighed at least 4lb- my body put back the weight .i had lost my boob and weighed more after the op- needless to say i hadn't eaten much hospital food , and wasnt feeling up to eating much more than soup at the time, and i don't consume gallons of that - My gp also wont give me a full blood test - as he keeps telling me im optimally medicated !- i take 100 mg levothyroxine !
More unhappy i re read some things on this site- i think my problem may be converting t4 to t3- so i would like some advice on what i need more of to persuade my difficult body to convert this - is it more iron or some supplement please could someone give me advice on what i need to make myu body convert t4 to t3 please ,
Astro
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Having had a look at your last post, you were given great advice a couple of months ago about focusing on your thyroid health/ key vitamins, rather than reducing calories further.
If your GP is unable/ unwilling to complete a full thyroid panel of TSH, FT4 and FT3 (eg if TSH is within range, some surgeries may not be able to access FT4 and FT3 tests), and key vitamins (folate, ferritin, B12 and vit D) you could look to do this privately, as many forum members do, for a better picture of your thyroid health:
I understand that there are costs to private tests, but this will be a fraction of the costs that you are currently exploring re dietary advice. Once you have these test results, members can then advise on how to optimise your thyroid levels, assess how well you convert and give advice on vitamin supplements (if needed)
i know what you're saying, and don't know how to find my previous posts and advice,? Thankyou, - i remember reading it, but i don't remember all of it, i am aware i have to focus on key vitamins, rather than reducing calories, and i am concerned that gps who are suppose to look to curing these things - don't and just want to keep people ill by keeping their salaries paid by the drug companies, i am still looking into where i can get a private proper blood test done , locally as my mobility isn't great, i am still under a main hospital that isn't local for my c,,,,r- that im now in remission from after the op , for the next ten years, - where can i find a printable list of the vitamins i need to be taking to improve my thyroid health and what could help my body convert t4-t3, and how do i find my previous posts on this site please ?
I’m sorry you had to have a mastectomy that is quite some trauma to go through. It’s difficult to loose weight with hypothyroidism that’s the nature of the illness. That sounds far too much money I would avoid.
You say you have porridge for breakfast and I like many others used to think it was healthy but it’s high in carbs. I’m not diabetic but I did experiment with my blood sugars after eating porridge and they were high. I stopped it and followed the Glucose Goddess savoury breakfast with sourdough toast and my blood sugars became more stable and my HBa1c test reduced. It’s just a thought. You could get her book from the library.
I have used Medichecks for bloods but it’s costly.
Unfortunately i hate sourdough !!im trying alot of gluten free stuff, - I found a lady on line who is only a dietician, but she wanted £2400, for six months treatment with no guarantees, i thought that was a total rip off at £100 a week !! My gp really upset me saying its a calorie defecit and exercise, and he then said he cant help me with the weight loss thing, that up set me big time as i dont think hes willing to help me heal my thyroid, at all- I asked to be sent to an endo, and he said there was nothing he d refer me to an endo for and said theyd only laugh at me !!! i looked at ready break as i dont like lumpy foods, and found there was nothing really bad in it ! i also asked my gp for a full blood test and hes only given me on e of them since ive been with him for the last 7years, im really beginning to give up ! i have asked my local chemist about private blood tests, as i have mobility issues , which i think would be alot better if i ever did achieve the dream of losing at least a couple of stone, but i cant even lose a couple of pounds- at all and i dont think the doc understands that HYPOTHYROID MEANS YOU CANT LOSE WEIGHT !!- IM PRETTY FED UP OF TRYING TO SOLVE ALL THESE THINGS MYSELF, only top be faced with - no you cant do that or its going to cost you a fortune
Do you always get same brand of levothyroxine at each prescription
When were vitamin levels last tested
Exactly what vitamin supplements are you taking
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 tested
Also both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested at least once to see if your hypothyroidism is autoimmune
Very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 at least once year minimum
Recommended that all thyroid blood tests early morning, ideally just before 9am, only drink water between waking and test and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)
Essential to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Lower vitamin levels more common as we get older
For good conversion of Ft4 (levothyroxine) to Ft3 (active hormone) we must maintain GOOD vitamin levels
Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or all relevant vitamins
Thankyou Slow Dragon. youre incredibly patient with me- my lappy has just cost me £700 to get back ,after it went wrong, and it was that expensive as its a very good one i bought as i thought if i buy a good one its less likely to go wrong ,, ha ha ive worked it out - it costs me about £150 a year to keep it going right and i suppose that's not too bad , but since i have mobility issues, and ive reached that horrid stage of my exitance where everything i have is now old and needs replacing - im having the devils own job trying to survive and help my boy - who's recently had some bad news health wise too - weve just undergone a whole yer each of hospitals in 2024, due to c....r!and today we were at the hospital again and he had an ex ray and now even more bad news- hes only 32 !im losing the will to live at present- the present feels like its a curse !! i found a nutritionalist on line whos local to me and she sounded like she knew what she was talking about but she wanted £2400, for 6 months treatment and no guarantees ! my gp has totally given up trying to help my thyroid, and hes given up helping me lose weight- no my levothyroxine is not always the same every time- i am also on calcium tablets because the letrozole im taking as my assurance the breast c wont come back -makes me lose calcium, my gp did give me an extra dose of vit d , but he says that everyone in the uk is deficient in vit d, we have so little sun here!- i take b vits, and i used to take cod liver oil, but i think kril oil is prob better , i will try and find out where i can get these thyroid blood tests, and how far away it is from me, but im so sceptical tat everyones on the make - due to the cost of living - its a horrid planet - thankyou for all your help !! i did look at the site and there is a hospital in my neck of the woods - i will see what i can do xx
many thanks - im so fed up presently - nothings going right at all
That could be your problem. You should be eating more like 2000 calories a day. You need calories to convert. Not getting enough calories means that you don't convert well, meaning that you make yourself more hypo, so you put on even more weight.
But hypo-weight probably isn't even fat (stored calories), it's far more likely to be water-weight. So, under-eating isn't going to get rid of it. Being optimally medicated is more likely to get rid of it, but even so, it's not easy.
Just ignore your doctor's waffle about calories. Doctor's know absolutely nothing about nutrition. But because they're doctors they think they know everything. And they have some very strange ideas! Don't listen to him - especially if he starts talking about cutting out far or salt! Some of their ideas are very dangerous.
I was going to just post this article but rereading the comments I see you've already read it. So, this is just a reminder:
I cant eat huge amounts due to my hiatus hernia, ive tried eating a bit more ,and i just put on weight - so thats a no no ! Yes i think a lot of it is water weight - but if i drink a lot of water, or fluids im on the loo all night and it doesn't matter if I'm in there a long time- i don't lose weight ! NOT AT ALL !! I TRIED NOT EATING FOR A WEEK , and just having milk , a kind of food, and i didnt lose a thing, admittedly i was quite ill too and didnt want to eat, I've had bug after bug as my immune system is pants after losing another 25 nodes- so i have to be careful when i leave the house where im going - last year it involved a lot of hospital visits- and it looks like it happening again , my son just had some bad news regarding his health and he's got another scan coming up - hes on 32!! I'm so fed up with things always going wrong - i thought after we both had the all clear, that that would be it - BUT no..!! and this year all my household stuff has reached the point of no return so expensive things need replacing - its just cost me £700 to get my lappy back, and i bought a good one as i thought there would be less chance of it going wrong, but on reflection its cost me £150 a year to keep it going ! my bodys going the same way - i found a very expensive nutritionalist on line ner me but she wants £2400 for 6 months treatment and that's £100 a week here - too much money - I think she s on the make - too i know the cost of living is extortionate now, and i think it s nearly everywhere - apparently Strasbourg isnt like it - ! however im fed up running on empty and i think im bad at converting t4 to t3 and im trying to do my own research on how i can make my body do that - as my gp has told me he cant help me lose weight, and hes almost admitted to not being able to deal with thyroid probs, so i think ive got to find another gp - but again were dealing with the nhs which is in a state again,- im also worried about he state of our toxic planet, and i buy spring water to drink, and i only buy proper food - im eating lots of lactose free stuff as my son is lactose intolerant- all of the sudden !!he never had this as a child, i only cook proper food, ie unprocessed food , i love fish but there's so much mercury in the sea that s dodgy too so i suppose on the whole im mainly vegetarian - but lately ive found that if i drink loads I'm on the loo all night - so thats not a great thing to do and i weigh myself and i haven't lost any weight - i am taking vit a, b, c, calcium, vit d, - but ny gp says that everyone in the uk is deficient in vit d, we get so little sun !! im trying to find out if iron rich foods help one convert t4 to t3- ? is there a set amoun of vitamis one has to take to make ones body convert t4 to t3, im on 100 mg levothyroxine now, from 125????????
I cant eat huge amounts due to my hiatus hernia, ive tried eating a bit more ,and i just put on weight
No-one is suggesting you eat huge amounts, but 100 calories a day just isn’t enough and it’s keeping you hypo.
if i drink a lot of water, or fluids im on the loo all night and it doesn't matter if I'm in there a long time- i don't lose weight !
I’m not quite sure what you’re saying there. I don’t think anyone suggested you drink a lot of water, either.
But I don’t think you’ve quite grasped the concept of water-retention. That water is not in your bladder, so having a pee is not going to make you lose weight. It’s deeply embedded in your tissues, held there by a substance called mucin, that doesn’t want to let it go. To make it let go you need optimal FT3, but you’re not going to get that from conversion because you’re not eating enough calories.
NOT AT ALL !! I TRIED NOT EATING FOR A WEEK
Well, that was never going to work: not enough calories!
i found a very expensive nutritionalist on line ner me but she wants £2400 for 6 months treatment
Save your money. She’s not going to help you because it’s not about what you eat - although she’d probably tell you the same as me: you’re not eating enough! And I very much doubt she would know about or understand the special needs of hypos.
i think im bad at converting t4 to t3 and im trying to do my own research on how i can make my body do that
Well, of course you’re bad at converting: not enough calories. And I keep telling you what to do: eat more.
Also, as you’re hypo and not eating enough, your nutrients are going to be very low. You need to get your vit D, vit B12, folate and ferritin tested and supplement where necessary. You need optimal nutrients to convert, as well as adequate calories
i am taking vit a, b, c, calcium, vit d
OK, but when did you last have them tested?
Also, nothing is going to work for you if you don’t include their cofactors.
Which vit B are you taking? All of them? A B complex? No point in just taking one isolated B vit because they all work together and need to be kept balanced.
Are you taking magnesium and vit K2-MK7 with your vit D? Vit D won’t do anything without magnesium.
Why are you taking vit A and calcium?
Vit A can be toxic in excess so you need to be very careful with that. How long have you been taking it? Maybe time to stop.
Calcium supplements are like swallowing rocks. They’re very difficult to absorb into the cells and tend to build up in the arteries and soft tissues. And it’s highly unlikely you need it. If you are taking vit D, it will increase your absorption of calcium from food. And that’s why we need to take the vit K2 because it makes sure the extra calcium goes into the teeth and bones, and doesn’t build up in the arteries and soft tissues.
im trying to find out if iron rich foods help one convert t4 to t3
Optimal iron is necessary for good conversion, yes. But if you don’t know your levels you cannot know if just eating iron rich foods is enough. You might need to supplement. Depends how low it is.
i read that if you're on levothyroxine you must not take iron, as its already in levothyroxine, but i was so fed up with my gp telling me that the only way id lose weight is with a calorie deficit and exercise, i really must find a new GP! However, i have just bought 6month supply of magnesium, selenium, and vit d- im trying to find out the whole list of vitamins i need to take to make my bad conversion of t4 into t3- its all so confusing ! what if i take water retention tablets, would that help me lose some water weight? I make sure i use my spring water to cook with and i have turmeric in my milk and in tea, - the more i try to find out how to sort this horrid condition out the more confused i get, i read somewhere that vitamin k wasn't good- if you have high blood pressure !So i dont take that- so so far im taking vit d, magnesium, calcium selinium, mulitvits- fish oils, and multivitamins, what else do i need to take to make sure my t4 converts properly to t3- ialso like marmite and that im aware has lots of b12,- i did read about the blood tests, but i think I'm even more confused than ever now - all you people with this horrible condition seem so sensible and seem to know what has worked and seem to have found how to deal with it ,its disgusting how many are out there and on the make and seem to tell people they can help with their condition for a huge fee.. i dont eat many cruciferous vegetables as ive read that they can harm the thyroid, i must admit Grey Goose, i am trying to listen and take in all the advice, as doctors wont admit that they don't know, and just get your blood results - so they are optimally medicated !!!! sorry i get so cross about that statement -and dont think that there are so many other things one suffers from - i must admit im frightened of eating too much now as its so hard to lose the weight, so i just keep to foods that seem to keep me around the 10 stone mark ,as i cant seem to get below that - if it goes up to 11 i begin to get frightened as i know i will suffer and be in pain !! I do appreciate everything you tell me, im just struggling as i get brain fog, and then it all dissapears, and i have to read through all that everyone has said again !! Im not going to go to that disreputable nutritionalist,! £2400, shes having a laugh ! i am going to try and see what taking all these extra vitamins ive purchased makes me feel like, but what else do i need? i do take ginger tea, as i ve heard that helps and i put pepper in my turmeric, milk as thats anti inflammatory- im really trying ( i hear you think- i know you are) but im so fed up with all the other symptoms and not being able to lose weight and having no energy its seriously getting to me now!!
kind regards, and thankyou Grey Goose for bearing with me all through the year s- im going to stay on this site and see what else i can learn gradually !! Last year with my mastectomy was very hard, and ive got a mammogram comming up this week and my son is suffering with worry at the moment ashe has to have chest x ray we didnt expect- - when youre trying to heal one thing - then something else comes up and gets in the way of your progress ! Thankyou Grey Goose im not beong deliberately thick - honestly
i read that if you're on levothyroxine you must not take iron, as its already in levothyroxine,
No, that's iodine, not iron. One of the ingredients of thyroid hormone is iodine. You should still supplement with iron if your iron is low.
There is no list of supplements you need to take. What you need to take is what you need, and to find out what you need you should get your vit D, B12, folate and ferritin tested and supplement accordingly. Have you had your vit D test? If so, what was the result? Taking extra nutrients will not help you and could be dangerous.
And whilst there's a possibility that your poor conversion may be due to low nutrient levels, it could be due to an awful lot of other things, too. And, in your case I'm willing to bet it's because of your low calorie intake. As I keep saying, you need calories to convert. Continue to starve yourself and your conversion will stay poor no matter what your nutrient levels.
what if i take water retention tablets, would that help me lose some water weight?
Might make you lose some but the strength of the diuretics you'd get from the doctor - you can't get them without a prescription - wouldn't have very much effect. And that would cause other problems because they cause you to lose electrolytes. You have to be very careful when taking them that things like sodium and potassium don't go out of range. Not something to try without close medical surveillance. And I doubt your doctor would agree to it.
i read somewhere that vitamin k wasn't good- if you have high blood pressure !S
That's vit K1. And it's not if you have high blood pressure, it's if you're taking an anticoagnulant.
so far im taking vit d, magnesium, calcium selinium, mulitvits- fish oils, and multivitamins, what else do i need to take to make sure my t4 converts properly to t3-
Oh dear. None of that is going to make sure your T4 converts to T3. Optimising sub-optimal levels might help but - as I said before - nothing it going to help you convert while your calorie intake is too low!
What's more, calcium has nothing to do with conversion, I doubt if you need it and it's a very bad thing to take - especially as you don't take K2. It will build up in your arteries and soft tissues and could cause problems like kidney stones and heart attacks. And if you're taking vit D you really do not need it.
Mult-vits are also a bad idea. They contain a lot of things you don't need - most of them contain calcium so you're probably over-dosed on that! But also iodine, and that is a very bad thing to take if you're hypo. And for many, many other reasons, multi-vits are a bad thing to take and certainly aren't going to help you in any way. You're just wasting your money.
i dont eat many cruciferous vegetables as ive read that they can harm the thyroid
Another myth! And just not true. Eat as many cruciferous veggies as you like, they won't have any effect on your thyroid.
I know you're trying everything you can but you seem to be reading a lot of stuff that is either down-right lies, or you don't understand it very well. I think you should stop all this reading and just concentrate on what is said here.
Have you ever considered giving up the struggle with your conversion and just buying your own T3 and taking as much as you need?
I Would consider it, if i knew how much t3 i needed, and where to get a good source of it, - a blood test of the right ilk would tell me wouldnt it - ? i found out there is a privalte hospital relatively near me that does private blood tests for hypothyroid conditions, only its getting there, as i have huge mobility issues, but i could get a cab as theres no bus that goes near the hospital its a bit of a walk!!
I did read a post on here that someone suggested that surfers take it to stay thin or body boarders, i think?
yes GreyGoose- i do get confused between iron- and iodine, i dont think my iron levels have ever been a problem , or the gp would have told me !! i would have hoped . ?
So if i took t3 would i be able to lose weight>? ive started eating more normally-i just did it to prove to my gp that cutting calories will not help a hypothyroid lose weight and nor will exercise, as i went on his exercise programme for 6 months and didn't lose a pound. i did mention to him that after my mastectomy- my body just replaced the weight id had cut away from my body and i didn't lose any weight even after they removed my breast, which wasnt tiny, but must have weighed about 5lbs at least!
Thankyou GreyGoose- and thankyou for putting up with my confusion !! xx thankyou
You don't need to know how much T3 you need. you follow the protocol for taking hormones - all hormones: start low and increase slowly. For T3 that means starting on 5 mcg and increasing by not more than 5 mcg at a time. I would suggest increasing after two weeks then holding that dose for six weeks and retesting.
To find out where to obtain it, post a new question asking members to PM you links to their trusted suppliers. We're not allowed to name suppliers on the open forum.
It's body-builders that take T3 to lose weight and buid up muscle. But they buy it on body-buiding sites and pay a fortune for it! You do not want to mess with that! There's no guarantee that it's the real mccoy, and there are better places to buy it.
Just ignore your doctor. He knows nothing about either thyroid nor nutrition, he's just pretending he does.
i will look into which sites or possibly a health shop for supplies of proper t3, and i will do as you suggest and get a very low dose to begin with ,, i noticed on one of the links someone sent that the price was in euros and the dose was 25mg!!!! however i shall have a look on line , ! i am eating a little better- but still seem to only have breakfast and tea, or maybe just breakfast, like either porridge, and maybe a crumpet- yeah i know carbs !! and then i have a soup and a little ciabatta, again carbs, but its not till the summer that i eat mainly veggie and fish salads - generally i have breakfast , and tea, usually the tea meal is much smaller than my breakfast, and if i treat myself and my boy when we go to the hospital to a fry up at a café we love - as that does us both for the whole day .. but i do eat healthily - ie all my soups are home made and when i cook i don't use processed meals its all made from scratch- i must admit all of you were there for me when i became hypothyroid and was very miserable at the beginning , and bless everyone here they know much more than than gps and much more helpful , its a disgusting state of affairs when gps cant help with a condition thats very common and very hard - and very confusing , as i believe ones thyroid is like the starter motor of a car? however im terrified of eating 2000 calories as i know i will put on heaps of weight , and then I'm stuck there - so i try and keep it around the 1000 mark m - as exercise is very painful, and exhausting, due to my collapsed left leg muscle after 2016 hip operation, and my left mastectomy and losing another 25 nodes, making my left side very weak, and i cant carry anything anymore , so have to take trollies with me , and even dragging that is a pain as i often drop it due to the weakness !1-it makes me very fed up as i think back to my 30s when i had the children and i would lug two huge bags of shopping home on the bus and back home - after work, and i had much more strength back then, now I'm pathetic in comparison , and it makes me very depressed, i also have to see that my dyspraxic son is ok as hes going through health issues now- at 32 and hes living with me - due to the cost of living today and his dyspraxia, i do have a daughter but were estranged - her decision- unfortunately ! But I thank you and everyone here for everything- even though im a little slow on learning, the correct thing to do as not everything that works for one works for every one !
i will look into which sites or possibly a health shop for supplies of proper t3
No! For goodness sake don’t do that! Lord knows what you’ll end up with! What you need to do is write another post on here asking people to PM you links to their trusted on-line sources, and buy from one of them. We’re not allowed to mention suppliers on the open forum.
The dose is almost always 25 mcg - 5 mcg tablets are very expensive, IF you can find them. People use a pill cutter to cut the pill into the size they want. A quarter of a 25 mcg pill is 6.25 mcg, but that’s ok as a starter dose.
im terrified of eating 2000 calories as i know i will put on heaps of weight
Have you ever tried it? Pretty certain you won’t put on heaps of weight on just 2000 calories. A lot of people eat a lot more than that and don’t put on weight. On the other hand, if it’s going to make you lose weight, it’s worth trying, don’t you think? Personally, I never count calories, they’re pretty much a red herring where weight loss is concerned. I just eat what I want, when I want it because I know that dieting is not going to make me lose weight, so why would eating extra calories make me put it on? It’s just not logical. I know, that when I put on weight - as I do from time to time - it’s water-weight, nothing to do with calories. But I also know that when I increase my food intake, a lot of it will go away.
Try increasing your fat intake because eating fat doesn’t make you fat but it's rich in calories. But make sure it’s good fat, like butter or olive oil.
i am eating more normally, now- i was just trying to show my gp that a calorie deficit was nt going to help me lose weight ,as he's convinced that that s the right advice to give anyone who's over weight !!!!
any how my usual thing is porridge for brekie or egg on toast , i don't like feeling hungry and the only time i get hungry is midnight !!! of all stupid times - so i may have a fry up once a month, but usually its one meal a day - and a light tea, but food just puts on weight, whatever i eat - i don't have much sugar - as that's bad,and i make all or any meals from fish and veg, - or i make something meaty for my son and my friends - but on the whole its brekkie and a light tea , , yes i use butter and olive oil,, just my body just holds on to weight so much so that when i had my mastectomy i was convinced i should have lost at least 5lbs - no my body just made up the weight of the missing boob straight away !! i was gutted !!- however i will see wht i can do about the t3 thing as it does sound something that may help me lose weight as im bad at converting.. so thankyou
What you describe is really not 'normal' eating. Far from it. But, what do you think this weight consists of that your body hands on to? If eating made you put on weight, it would be fat, but not eating would make you lose it. It doesn't. Therefore it isn't fat. So, eating doesn't make you put on weight as you say. It's water your body is holding on to and eating more will help you lose it because it will help with conversion.
But, yes, T3 should help if you take enough of it. Did you write a new post asking people to PM you links to suppliers, as I suggested?
i also find that i have to visit the bath room a lot in the night , - you're prob right and it is probably water weight - would make sense of the fact that i didn't lose any weight even though id lost a boob !! im just a bit worried that because om my breast c,,,,r- the medical profession have put me on a hormone suppressant-' letrozole', as my c,,,,r was hormonal- same as last time ! and with T3 being a hormone- I'm wondering ( my brain is trying to work out if his would work or not > or would the letrozole surpress the t3???too ?- perhaps why i haven't yet asked people to PM me ? ( is this allowed on this site?)
I am unable to eat three meals a day because of my hiatus hernia,- yes i know body's an absolute mess !!!- can manage breakfast, and a small tea !
No, Letrozole suppresses oestrogen, that's all, no other hormones. And they give you that because excess oestrogen can be the cause of breast cancer. Was your progesterone low? Are you taking statins?
Suppressing oestrogen means that it stops your body producing so much of it, not that it has any effect on the oestrogen already in the blood. And even if it were the case that it stopped your thyroid making T3, it wouldn't have any effect on hormones taken by mouth. Letrozole won't have any effect on your T3.
You probably have low stomach acid - most hypos do - and that will mean that anyything you eat will stay in the stomach much longer than it should, thereby reducing your appetite.
for clearing that up for me , so its safe or relatively so to try t3 - im not sure what you meant by PM ing other members- regarding the t3??- would it be something my gp could prescribe ?
But Thankyou GREY GOOSE- for explaining about the letrazole
I didn't suggest you PM other members. I suggested you do a new post asking other members to PM you with links to sites where you can get T3 without a prescription. Your GP cannot prescribe it, no. You would have to see an endo and a lot of them would either refuse to see you, or would refuse to give you T3 for whatever reason. It's very, very hard to get it on prescription.
Thankyou, sorry i didn't intend to get things mixed up , ! As for seeing an endo , well i managed it once- all they asked me to do was a massive urine test ! This lead on a hiding to nowhere- My GP wont even send me to one now !!He says theyd laugh at me !!! I'm going off my GP RAPIDLY !! I Think one of the members here did send some links but they were in euros !!i will have to look over my posts !! You must have studied this really deeply and Im for one really glad and i bet so are all the others on this site that you know so much about this awful difficult condition !!
Thank you - loads Grey, will see what i can do after your wonderful explanation .
It doesn't matter if the prices are in euros. When you pay it will be translated into pounds. Don't let that put you off! But, a word of warning: read this post before buying:
I'm 100% with greygoose 500-1000 calories per day is severely undereating, so, your body will be trying to conserve energy and build fat to stave off what it thinks starvation. NHS calorie deficit advice is just wrong. The best thing is to eat to your height/weight in whole foods, nothing processed, reducing carbs/sugars some so that the focus is on whole food protein, fat, veg, berries. a sharp change of diet may or may not work, it all depends on the individual, but I'd expect 1800-2000 to be an average target for women. I need 1900-2000 depending on how active I am. It will take 'a few' weeks while your body gets used to having enough to eat, then you you may well start to lose weight, or you can adjust a target to be just a teeny bit less than your current weight. there's a website that allows you to calculate your TDEE tdeecalculator.net (total daily energy expenditure). They have some strange protein/ fat/ carb ratios but the important thing to start with is eating enough. Also, exercise doesn't really lead weight loss, it just means you need to eat more to keep enough energy.
(sorry, in re-reading this I sounded a bit fierce. That really wasn't my intention, I was more horrified that a GP would encourage such a poor diet. Deep deep sigh for all the poor GP info/advice)
I agree with you except that the OP is hypo. So her weight-gain probably has little to do with eating - apart from lack of calories. So, whilst the regime that you suggest might do wonders for her general health, there is no guarantee that it will help her lose weght.
Yes, agree with that too, but but if it's fluid weight then that should be reduced with a less stressful diet ... (I lost a lot of fluid weight once I started to eat enough of the right food, with sufficient salt/electrolytes etc). Also, metabolism, headspace, etc should improve - yes, the hypo component adds a deep layer, but enough of the right food should make a foundational difference.
I only did it to prove to my gp that that doesnt work when someone is hypothyroid!- he kept on and on about a calorie defecit and exercise !! i was so angry and fed up with him !!
i did mention that I'm terrified of putting on weight- i manage to keep my weight around the 10 stone mark , and my gp says I'm obese !!! that sound s disgusting !! i find it nearly impossible to lose weight - but it goes on so easily and losing it is nigh on impossible- each diet I've tried i only lose a few lbs and that's not enough .. it seems as if my body is determined to stay around the 10 stone mark, and that s too much for my small frame ! My gp told me he couldn't help me lose weight and that i should continue on a calorie deficit and more exercise- although I've repeatedly told him how painful exercise is- due to my collapsed muscle ,in my left leg after a stretched muscle on one of my hip operations- i even got a hiatus hernia doing yoga- ages ago , as the teacher kept us in the dog pose rather too long - and i heard my tummy rip as i stood up ! so that stops me eating a great deal, - also when i have to take my self to the hospital, it a long bus journey and wandering through a massive hospital just drains my energy levels - and because of my left mastectomy last Jan - 2nd time with hormonal c....r !i now have another 25 less nodes which means my immune system is very compromised ( like a faulty wiring system now)- and my left side is very weak indeed !! 1st the collapsed left hip muscle - and before with the lumpectomy i lost 5 nodes- now- with the mastectomy ( tbh i feel like monster ) and a further 25 nodes now missing - my left side is not very good at all, i cant run any more, i cant carry anything any more , i can only walk for about 7 minutes without being in pain- although i used to walk 7-8 miles a day at work when i used to work - and now my mobility is very compromised- i did think maybe id try that bungee exercise as the elastic may help me move - but usually any exercise is very exhausting and i end up sleeping =for ages - and sleeping my life away- id love to have more energy - as i used to remember how things were so effortless - in the past- and now they are so hard !!
thankyou for all your advice- i will remain within this community as its far better than going to the gp !
We’ve lived through an age of near total misinformation about which foods are good and which are bad for us. The drive to have us all go “low fat” was probably the worst thing that could ever happen—and yet it’s still spoken about as though it’s a good thing. The only people it was good for were the shareholders of “Big Food” companies, those food manufacturers who’ve got very rich by piling cheap-to-produce frankenfoods high in supermarkets
But if you eat low fat, you simply won’t get or absorb fat soluble vitamins. That in itself causes a domino effect—for example, we need Vitamin D, not just for strong bones but for good mental health too. We need Vitamin A and E and K too!
If you’re eating at the calorie levels you mention, you are by default eating a low fat diet. It’s not going to do you any favours. It’ll just make you feel utterly rubbish.
Time to eat more. I know you’ll fear gaining weight—and you might to start with—but it won’t be much if you start concentrating on the quality rather than the quantity of your meals. Enjoy what you eat. Life is genuinely too short to do otherwise. You’ll feel more satisfied and over time you’ll naturally eat the right amounts. Your body will start to function much better and then it’ll make better use of replacement thyroid hormones. And throw any low fat versions of things, like spreads and salad dressings, in the bin where they belong.
i cant eat heaps as i have a hiatus hernia, so now after trying to prove to my gp that calorie deficits and exercise aren't what helps a hypothyroid person lose weight ,I am sort of eating ok, trouble is i very rarely get hungry -so the old adage of eat when you're hungry , drink when you're dry doesnt really apply ! ive started now having a bowl of ready brek in the mornings, as there doesn't appear to be anything bad in it, and then a bowl of soup and a bit of bread for tea, or sometimes i have a fry up for brekkie, and then thats it for the day - but that's a treat, ! usually i have really healthy fruit, and vegetables or a veggie curry - i love healthy food. I never eat pizzas, or lots of pasta, thats rare, but i still cant lose weight ! i put on two stone when i became hypo, and i cant lose it at all - and i think if i could lose two stone i would feel so much beter, but i cant even lose two pounds, but putting it on, oh yes that happens too fast and so i have to keep a sort of diary of what ive had!!!! i do use butter, and full fat cream , but my son is lactose intolerant so its lacto free milk !! he never used to be -its something thats happened recently !!! im just trying what i an till i find the right thing !!
hi Astro, I think i going through some issues same as you and it’s mind boggling. I think the replies were full of information. I did like slow dragon because they touched on very specific issues
I went for a complete physical this week and I’m disappointed. Perhaps it’s just here in the USA but I don’t have any idea what to do. So for me I’m going to continue to listen to what people on here say because they are or have been living with it. Thanks in advance to anyone that has some insight
I think that sounds sensible, i try to do that , but its a very confusing condition, as it affects everyone a little differently, there are some same symptoms, like tiredness and not being able to lose weight - but this is a great site as people are living with it because of the lack of knowledge in the medical profession these days , and the fact the medical profession just wants to keep you ill - lining their pockets too!! its such a minefield !!! sorry - just being honest !!
If you are hypothyroid and do not have enough thyroid hormones, this will be the reason that you find it difficult to lose weight. No diet or restricting calories will help you; on the contrary - severely restricting your calories will actually put your body in 'hibernation' mode, so your metabolism gets curbed to preserve energy, and when you start eating normal again, you will actually gain weight. This is the mistake many people make.
I have seen that you have previously been on 125mcg levothyroxine and now you take 100mcg levothyroxine, is that correct? So you had a reduction of 25mcg, which could explain your problem. Your GP might say that you are optimally medicated now on 100mcg, but he may just go on your TSH, which is NOT a reliable factor for thyroid treatment. Has your GP ever measured T4 or even T3? As you know, T3 is the active thyroid hormone and the driver of your metabolism. So your GP might think all is well, but if your T3 is low, you will struggle to lose weight and you will also have difficulties processing dietary components such as glucose and cholesterol, as their processing is linked to your metabolism.
If I was you, I would spend money on a private blood test, testing TSH, T4 and T3, so you can have a good overview of where your thyroid hormone levels are and then you have a clearer idea where you need to go from there. As to your nutrients, you do need to optimise these, as was explained before, as no amounts of thyroid hormones will work well, if your nutrients are not in a good place.
Save your money and do not pay anyone for dietary advice - as I mentioned, your problem is NOT a dietary issue, it is a metabolic issue and very likely has to be addressed by optimising your thyroid hormones.
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