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Can't seem to lose excess weight

I was diagnosed with th right side of my thyroid being enlarged and with ultrasound found nodules and was put on synthroid. I had asked my Dr for thyroid test because I had been putting on weight for over 5 years witth no change in lifestyle.  At this point I gailned about 40 lbs. Things stabilized without anymore weilght gain but no weight loss. I later changed to dessicated thyroid. Last year I lost 10 lbas and put on 28 lbs.  My throid tests showed I was in the right range so no change in medication .  I am almost starving myself because I am too ashamed to go anywhere because I feel so ugly with this weight gain.  Do not know what to do???  Thanks!!
P.S. I also have diabetes type 2
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Avatar universal
Hi again!

I have been on both synthroid and am currently on 90 mg of dessicated thyroid. I have been on medication for thyroid since 1996 so that is a long time to wait and be patient  LOL.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi Stella, I am a woman not a man  lol - sorry for any confusion this has caused.  I don't get tested for any of those tests except for the TSH.
Thanks for all your research.  By the way, how did YOU  lose all your weight?  Your reply about water loss was interesting.  I don't know why my doctor did not change any of  my medication when I told him I gained 28 lbs.  To say it is very hard for me to lose weight and do nothing about it was not a consolation.  Seems to me that would set off alarms!!  I don't think he really knows what to do about it either which makes it more frustrating.  Just lost 17 lbs over maybe 3 weeks and then gained 10 lbs in about 2 weeks recently.
I have type 2 diabetes and that certainly is not good to be putting weight on and off lilke I do.
Helpful - 0
393685 tn?1425812522
Your tests above indicate also just "routine" hit points and hardly tell anything without the detailed tests needed in conjuction. For example:

You TSH tests do not have additional Free T3, Free T4, TPOab and TgAb reading attached and done during the TSH test was drawn.

(can't tell much on anything without those done with TSH)

Your PTH (Parathyroid) tests do not have the Vit D, Calcium, Phophorus tests done w/ the PTH to really suspect a parathyroid abnormalcy could be indicated or followed up on.

The female tests on meno stage was the most follow through on your last draw above and those tests to attach together are the:
E2 = Estrodial/Estrogen
FSH = Barb mentioned above
LH = Barb mentioned above
PROG - Progestrone
TESTA - Stored Testosterone
TESTP - Free Testosterone

Depending on those results would indicate issues (secondary) to primary thyroid issues.

HCG Barb mentions the term and confusing to me why this was really done?

DHEA as Barb says also is a controversial test measuring cortisol from the adrenals. Cortisol is another response hormone that releases and stores quickly on your reactions - ie: stress. Rarely will a one timeDHEA blood draw effectively tell the story on cortisol problems. Stress levels are measured 24 hrs to suspect change and progession of needed analysis.

I have no idea what the CORA and CORP tests are.

PRL is prolactin  hormone but again coincide with all the others somewhat. I have copied and pasted a quick defination of it and why it was ordered but again as you read.... a one time draw tells so little just like DHEA...

Men and non-pregnant women will normally have only small amounts of prolactin in their blood. Prolactin levels do, however, need to be evaluated based on the time of day that they are collected. The levels will vary over a 24-hour period, rising during sleep and peaking in the morning. Ideally, a person's blood sample should usually be drawn shortly after waking, preferably after the person has been resting quietly for 30 minutes, although a doctor may have his own reasons for doing them at other times.

High levels of prolactin (hyperprolactinemia) are normal during pregnancy and after childbirth while the mother is nursing. High levels are also seen with:

Anorexia nervosa
Drugs: Estrogen, tricyclic antidepressants, opiates, amphetamines, hypertension drugs (reserpine, verapamil, methyldopa) and some drugs that are used to treat gastroesophageal reflux (cimetidine)
Hypothalamic diseases
Hypothyroidism
Kidney disease
Nipple stimulation (moderate increase)
Other pituitary tumors and diseases
Polycystic ovary syndrome
Prolactinomas
Levels of prolactin that are below normal are not usually treated but may be indicative of a more general hypopituitarism. Low levels may also be caused by drugs such as dopamine, levodopa, and ergot alkaloid derivatives.

* I hate to say it but even without knowing those results on the tests above, it's still a shoot from the hip - and your doctor should have known better to order the other tests in addition to these drawn.
Helpful - 0
393685 tn?1425812522
Another note: in hypothyroidism swelling, bloating, water retention is doubled, sometime MORE within the body when thyroid function is off. Worse when autoimmune thyroid or Hashimoto is attacking the gland. A quick 10 pounds off the "number" may not have anything to do with fat burning but water loss........

In addition to seeing gain in the numbers... It's not so much about "fat" dictating the weight loss/weight but actual water.

A BMI measurement could help you more than what the scale says and my heart goes out to you on this whole issue. I feel your frustration and have been there myself watching the scale climb every 3 to 5 weeks 10 pounds or more. I'm a short female so 10 pounds (whether water or fat) is hugely visable! I can't tell you the emotional defeat I felt during that time and desperately was scared to death to step on that "DEVIL" scale at the next doctors visit during that time. At my worst the scale showed I put on 70 pounds during my worst health time but blessed, I'm back to where I'm comfortable lost 65 of it - and know how hard this problem is for you

Helpful - 0
393685 tn?1425812522
It's extremely rare in hypothyroid that a weight reduction will take place until the metobolism complex of burning the fat starts functioning again. The intestinal track, stomach acid and digestion, joint inflammation and all the other functions in the body pertaining to energy levels is stalled..... starving on a fad diet or even attempting to eat right can be extremely disheartening when stepping on a scale. In the majority you must reset the thyroid function to what your body needs to move your system back at a speed you need, patiently wait for some body healing (it takes healing first after the thyroid is restored to see weight loss results) and then return to an active diet and exercise to be successful to see weight loss results.

Sorry to be so droll but the thyroid is connected huge on metobolic caloric burn.

Chiming in just to add, FSH LH and the other labs drawn are tests to also discover the phase of menopausal stages except pursay the HCG level drawn as that highlight elevation during pregnancy. Menopausal stages play a huge roll in thyroid function + metobolic challenges so the test, in my opinion (and if you are female) were appropriate tests to draw.

My advice as frustrating for me to say about weight loss right now is try to eat "well" / pure and simple while this transistion is going on and try hard to give your body patience stepping on the scale right now.
Helpful - 0
649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
The only test there is for thyroid is TSH.  I've noticed on some of my lab requisitions, that Free T3 and Free T4 are not in the endocrine section.  Look over the requisition very well, and see if they might be listed elsewhere.  

PTH is parathyroid hormone.  While the parathyroids reside directly behind the thyroid, their function is not related in any way to thyroid.  

DHEAS is a hormone produced by the adrenals.

FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone), LH (Luteinizing Hormone), PROG (Progesterone), HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin), are all hormones relating, mostly, to pregnancy.

Your profile says you are 72 yr old male, so these tests would not pertain to you.

I might also mention that we've had some members from some parts of Canada who can't get certain tests, because they fall outside the guidelines set out by the health care system.  You might check into that, in case that would be stumbling block for you.  

Since your thyroid is not under control, losing weight will be extra hard, but the bottom line, is still that you have to take in less calories than you use every day, in order to burn excess fat.  Calorie needs are based on your own body's requirements, since your body needs a certain number of calories to exist.  

You might try the food diary here on MedHelp.  As you are setting it up, it asks certain questions, including current weight, height and exercise level, then it will tell you how many calories you need/day to maintain your weight.  Since you want to lose weight, you will have to create a deficit, so your body will use stored fat.
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Avatar universal
the problem is that my thyroid is NOT under control.  Losing 10 lbs and then putting on 28 lbs with no lifestyle change is not normal- this in one year!
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Avatar universal
Hi,
I am noticing on my lab requisition, the only thyroid test (in Canada) is TSHBO !!  The other tests in the Endocrilne sector are:
CORA
CORP
DHEAS
E2
FSH
LH
PROG
PRL
PTH
HCG
TSHB
TESTA
TESTP

I don't think they all refer to thyroid function.  If my doctor goes along with the tests that are suggested here, he will have to entwer them manually on the requisition.  That is why I need to know what the correct reading should be.
Thanks!
Helpful - 0
393685 tn?1425812522
Given that you have had proper thyroid treatment and your condition of your underactive thyroid function is under control ,metobolizing fat cells again is the absolute hardest thing to regain after the disease has taken hold. An optimal thyroid patient rarely sees any change in the weight they gained within the first year of becoming thyroid optimal.

Following a starvation diet only makes things even less fast because the body goes into "save the FAT" mode on those fad diets.

In order to really kick start the hypothyroid weight loss in (again if your are truly optimal with thyroid) is to follow a fiber diet regime along with super charge foods that increase metobolic burn. Common foods for that would be yorgurt, green super veggies, whole grain, high lean protein. Caloric intake should be set at around 1200 calories and a light exercise program like walking or swim is good to commit to.
Helpful - 0
649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
As indicated in flyingfool's post, you should get tested for Free T3 and Free T4.  These are the actual thyroid hormones, with Free T3 being the one actually used by the individual cells. It correlates best with symptoms.  

We are all different and the levels that are best for one person might not be right for another; plus labs use different reference ranges, so you have to see where your results fall within the ranges used by your specific lab.  Many of us find that symptom relief comes only after FT4 is at least mid range and FT3 is in the upper 1/3 of its range.  

TSH is not a good indicator of thyroid hormone status.
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Avatar universal
Hi,

Could you please tell me which tests I should be having and what results should they show?  Thanks so much!!
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Avatar universal
If you have lab results please post them.

I suspect you are still under medicated.  And thus still Hypo.

Losing weight is NEVER easy for anyone even "normal" people with perfectly functioning metabolism.  

many people here have testified that they found it virtually IMPOSSIBLE to lose weight until they had their thyroid hormone levels optimized FOR THEM.  That means being well up into the range for most people. Not simply somewhere within range.

Also if you are or were tested ONLY for TSH. Then that is also not sufficient.  TSH is a pituitary hormone NOT a thyroid hormone.  TSH is highly variable and should only be used as a screening tool at best.

You really need to be tested for the two ACTUAL thyroid hormone your body uses.  Free T4 (FT4) is a storage hormone.  And Free T3 (FT3) which is really the only hormone your body's cells actually use.  Free T4 is converted when needed into T3 for ultimate use.  Symptoms correlate best with FT3, and somewhat with FT4 and poorly with TSH.

it makes perfect sense that this would be the case that symptoms correlate to the ONLY hormone that does work at the cellular level.  Seems like common sense. Yet many if not most will not even test for the most important hormone and instead rely upon the LEAST reliable test that being TSH.

You may find some interesting things from this website. In particular about different conditions which render TSH almost useless as a test. And dieting and loss of significant (whatever that means) weight in the past can have dramatic effects upon metabolism.

Look more specifically on the left hand side under Thyroid Hormone Transport.  There are a few articles you might find educational.

National academy of hypothyroidism: http://nahypothyroidism.org/

Actually the whole site is very good information.
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