Aa
Huge weight gain
I was diagnosed severely hypothryoid just over 18 months ago. In the three months immediately before diagnosis I had gained 60 lbs - luckily I'd had a check up just before and my weight was recorded or the docs would never have believed that amount of weight gain in such a short time was even possible. I went from being extremely fit and active to sleeping 12 - 16 hours a day.
I've now been on thyroid hormones for 18 months and not only have I not lost any weight, if I so much as look at a calorie, I put on even more.
My weight had been stable for over 10 years. Not only had I not been eating more, I had actually been eating very little. I currently consume around 600 calories a day. I have always eaten a healthy diet, I don't smoke and I rarely drink alcohol. I used to exercise regularly, but now I can barely move off the sofa. I have to have help to get out of bed.Also I have permanent nerve damage in my hands and feet and I'm waiting for surgery for a slipped disc.
I now hate myself. I can't bear to look in a mirror and I hate anyone else looking at me. I have begged my doctor to help but all I get is a diet plan (1200 calories!). I no longer even leave the house because I feel so bad about my weight.
The doc has checked my levels regularly and they are now back to normal, so why can't I lose any weight and why do I still feel so awful?
I've now been on thyroid hormones for 18 months and not only have I not lost any weight, if I so much as look at a calorie, I put on even more.
My weight had been stable for over 10 years. Not only had I not been eating more, I had actually been eating very little. I currently consume around 600 calories a day. I have always eaten a healthy diet, I don't smoke and I rarely drink alcohol. I used to exercise regularly, but now I can barely move off the sofa. I have to have help to get out of bed.Also I have permanent nerve damage in my hands and feet and I'm waiting for surgery for a slipped disc.
I now hate myself. I can't bear to look in a mirror and I hate anyone else looking at me. I have begged my doctor to help but all I get is a diet plan (1200 calories!). I no longer even leave the house because I feel so bad about my weight.
The doc has checked my levels regularly and they are now back to normal, so why can't I lose any weight and why do I still feel so awful?
COMMUNITY LEADER
I agree that you need to find a different doctor.
Both flyingfool and Totie are correct. Either you aren't converting the FT4 to FT3 properly, or other hormones are off........ have you been tested for insulin resistance?
Logging your food/drink intake is good, both to show the doctor and for yourself. You need to calculate the number of calories you need/day, based on your age, weight, height and activity level, then log your intake to make sure you get enough.
Unfortunately, doctors can be real jerks, sometimes. I had a doctor who did the same thing to me....... he told me I only need to "MOVE MORE", when I had a very physically demanding job, plus went to Curves 3 days/week and walked every day on the days I didn't go to Curves. Guess, he thought I should spend my whole life exercising, but when I was really hypo, it wouldn't have mattered.
If you are in the U.S. your doctor is obligated to give you a copy of your lab results, upon request. I absolutely "never" leave my doctor's office without a copy. I use those lab results as a running record to track the control of my thyroid. I note what medication I was on and any symptoms I had at the time. That way, I know which labs to target.
Both flyingfool and Totie are correct. Either you aren't converting the FT4 to FT3 properly, or other hormones are off........ have you been tested for insulin resistance?
Logging your food/drink intake is good, both to show the doctor and for yourself. You need to calculate the number of calories you need/day, based on your age, weight, height and activity level, then log your intake to make sure you get enough.
Unfortunately, doctors can be real jerks, sometimes. I had a doctor who did the same thing to me....... he told me I only need to "MOVE MORE", when I had a very physically demanding job, plus went to Curves 3 days/week and walked every day on the days I didn't go to Curves. Guess, he thought I should spend my whole life exercising, but when I was really hypo, it wouldn't have mattered.
If you are in the U.S. your doctor is obligated to give you a copy of your lab results, upon request. I absolutely "never" leave my doctor's office without a copy. I use those lab results as a running record to track the control of my thyroid. I note what medication I was on and any symptoms I had at the time. That way, I know which labs to target.
CHANGE DOCTORS!!!
He/She is NOT in any way helping you by saying "your just eating alot"..
Is this an endo or regular PCP? If you are having thyroid issues you could very well be having other endo issues that are affecting your weight. You need your entire endocrine system checked....
Start logging everything you eat just to show the doctors your eating habits...
I would say you have other hormones that are off, not just the thyroid. The endocrine system is so complex....there are a lot of other hormonal dysfunctions that would cause weight gain.
Please switch doctors....
He/She is NOT in any way helping you by saying "your just eating alot"..
Is this an endo or regular PCP? If you are having thyroid issues you could very well be having other endo issues that are affecting your weight. You need your entire endocrine system checked....
Start logging everything you eat just to show the doctors your eating habits...
I would say you have other hormones that are off, not just the thyroid. The endocrine system is so complex....there are a lot of other hormonal dysfunctions that would cause weight gain.
Please switch doctors....
Get a new Dr.
You MAY have been checked for only total T4 and NOT the FREE T4. The test for total is outdated and of little value. This is because the TOTAL test counts both the hormone bound to a protein and the hormone that is unbound or "free" from the protein.
This is a VERY important difference because your body ONLY uses the Free T4 homone to be converted. The bound to a protein hormone is useless. Without knowing how much hormone is ACTUALLY available to be used it tells you nothing much. This would be like checking for the fuel level of the gas tank in your car and it says the level is fine. However to find out that the fuel line to your engine has a major leak in it. But "they" tell you that your engine is running fine and it is all in your head or whatever.
You need to find a new Dr. You MUST insist on getting tested for the FREE T4 and also the FREE T3.
Many people do not feel well until they have BOTH of the following:
1) Their Free T4 in the MIDDLE of the range or slightly higher.
and (that means in addition to)
2) Their Free T3 in the UPPER 1/3 of the range.
Just being "somewhere" within the normal range is NOT sufficient for many many people.
Some people have a conversion problem in that not as much of the T4 is converted as is supposed to. By ONLY measuring the free T4 level will NOT tell you if you have this conversion problem.
your body ultimately ONLY uses the Free T3 hormone. So why Dr's don't want to actually test for the ONLY hormone that your body actually uses is beyond me.
you see it is possible that your FT4 is plenty high. But your FT3 level remains low and your body's cells simply don't have the hormone available and you remain hypo at the cellular level. But if you never measure FT3 you will never know.
You MAY have been checked for only total T4 and NOT the FREE T4. The test for total is outdated and of little value. This is because the TOTAL test counts both the hormone bound to a protein and the hormone that is unbound or "free" from the protein.
This is a VERY important difference because your body ONLY uses the Free T4 homone to be converted. The bound to a protein hormone is useless. Without knowing how much hormone is ACTUALLY available to be used it tells you nothing much. This would be like checking for the fuel level of the gas tank in your car and it says the level is fine. However to find out that the fuel line to your engine has a major leak in it. But "they" tell you that your engine is running fine and it is all in your head or whatever.
You need to find a new Dr. You MUST insist on getting tested for the FREE T4 and also the FREE T3.
Many people do not feel well until they have BOTH of the following:
1) Their Free T4 in the MIDDLE of the range or slightly higher.
and (that means in addition to)
2) Their Free T3 in the UPPER 1/3 of the range.
Just being "somewhere" within the normal range is NOT sufficient for many many people.
Some people have a conversion problem in that not as much of the T4 is converted as is supposed to. By ONLY measuring the free T4 level will NOT tell you if you have this conversion problem.
your body ultimately ONLY uses the Free T3 hormone. So why Dr's don't want to actually test for the ONLY hormone that your body actually uses is beyond me.
you see it is possible that your FT4 is plenty high. But your FT3 level remains low and your body's cells simply don't have the hormone available and you remain hypo at the cellular level. But if you never measure FT3 you will never know.
Went back to the doc today and was basically accused of being a liar. He says my thyroid is still fine ( free T4 is 20, reference range 10-22) so the reason for my weight gain must be that I am eating too much. There would appear to be only one solution - stop eating completely.
I don't know the lab results, I wasn't given a copy. I was just told they were normal. The thyroxine was 150 mcg a day, but it was reduced to 125 because I was bordering on hyperthyroid.
Over diet, unless I start consuming pure sugar to up the calories, there's not much I can do. I physically cannot eat any more, nor do I want to - I have no appetite at all and only eat because it's a meal time. If I increase the calorie intake even a little (an extra 100) I put on more weight.
The nerve damage is not due to the slipped disc, it's due to the delay in identifying and treating the hypothyroidism.
It's not just the weight that's bothering me, it's all the other stuff too like not being able to stay awake all the way through a film on TV, having no interest in sex (I'll end up divorced at this rate!) and not having the energy to do anything. Clearly my levels are not right for me, but the doc doesn't agree and I can't change docs. Is there anything I can do to help myself?
Over diet, unless I start consuming pure sugar to up the calories, there's not much I can do. I physically cannot eat any more, nor do I want to - I have no appetite at all and only eat because it's a meal time. If I increase the calorie intake even a little (an extra 100) I put on more weight.
The nerve damage is not due to the slipped disc, it's due to the delay in identifying and treating the hypothyroidism.
It's not just the weight that's bothering me, it's all the other stuff too like not being able to stay awake all the way through a film on TV, having no interest in sex (I'll end up divorced at this rate!) and not having the energy to do anything. Clearly my levels are not right for me, but the doc doesn't agree and I can't change docs. Is there anything I can do to help myself?
COMMUNITY LEADER
Can you post your actual thyroid levels, with the reference ranges stated on your lab report? Ranges vary lab to lab, so must come from your own report.
Many times, we see labs that are "in range", and seemingly "normal", but they aren't adequate for the individual. I went through this myself.
Once thyroid levels are adequate (for you, not just on the lab report), it should be easier to lose weight, though there are some of us who really have to work at it.
One thing I see is that a 600 calorie diet is not nearly enough. You have to take in adequate calories in order for your body to even function. If you don't take in enough, your body will hold onto existing fat stores, to make up for what you aren't providing. Even a 1200 calorie diet is not enough for everyone.
Is the nerve damage in your hands and feet caused by the slipped disc? Deficiency of vitamin B12 also causes this, so you might want to get that checked.
Once you post your current thyroid hormone levels, we can better assess your situation and offer further suggestions.
Many times, we see labs that are "in range", and seemingly "normal", but they aren't adequate for the individual. I went through this myself.
Once thyroid levels are adequate (for you, not just on the lab report), it should be easier to lose weight, though there are some of us who really have to work at it.
One thing I see is that a 600 calorie diet is not nearly enough. You have to take in adequate calories in order for your body to even function. If you don't take in enough, your body will hold onto existing fat stores, to make up for what you aren't providing. Even a 1200 calorie diet is not enough for everyone.
Is the nerve damage in your hands and feet caused by the slipped disc? Deficiency of vitamin B12 also causes this, so you might want to get that checked.
Once you post your current thyroid hormone levels, we can better assess your situation and offer further suggestions.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Thyroid Disorders Community
We tapped the CDC for information on what you need to know about radiation exposure
Endocrinologist Mark Lupo, MD, answers 10 questions about thyroid disorders and how to treat them
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
