Hyper thyriod and weight gain?

[Rosey5]

I have just been diagnosed with Hyper thyriod and I'm going for more testing? I have had a weight gain over the last two years and I am over weight. I can I have Hyper Thyriod and weight gain. please can anyone help me to understand this?

[GravesLady]

Some hypers will gain weight, likewise, some hypos will lose.

It is not unusal for some hypers to gain weight due to increase rate of metabolism which causes the bodies to burn up food more rapidly than normal. In many hypers, appetite and food consumption are also increased. Because of individual differences in metabolism and appetite, some hypers lose weight, some maintain their weight, and some actually gain weight. When  treated regardless by which method, body metabolism decreases and food is burned more slowly. Appetite usually decreases as well, and most hypers will return to their prehyperthyroid weight. However, the increased appetite may persist longer than the increased metabolism. If this happens there may be a tendency for  weight  gain unless you voluntarily decrease your food intake. However, this can be readily controlled by decreasing food intake.

When hyperthyroid,  muscle mass is lost which reduces the ability to process efficiently as many calories as  before. Then coupled with the lower metabolism after treatment can produce weight gain. Once  levels come back into normal ranges the muscle mass will return. Some people gained weight yet remained in the same size clothes.

The most effective way to control weight is diet and exercise.  Eating correctly not eating nothing. Eating nothing makes your body believe that you are starving and it will hoard fat in response. Eating healthy foods in the proper proportions and getting reasonable amounts of exercise will always head off a certain amount of weight gain. Once thyroid levels have returned to normal and remained.

Just my personal opinion and/or experience. Always discuss your health issue with your doctor , always adhere to your doctors advise and, you always have the right to a second opinion. Nothing is a 100% or a 100%, 100% of the time. However, we are not all alike!

GL,
1990 - Hyper/Graves'
1997 - Dia/RAI
1997 - MVP - Mitral Valve Prolapse
1999 - TED - slight Thyroid Eye Disease
1999 - Visible Nodule (suspect Marine-Lenhart-Syndrom/hyperfunctioning nodule)
2000 - SAS  - Short Attention Span (short, spaced paragraphs, sweet and to the point helps)
2002 -  IED  - Intermittent Explosive Disorder (Graves' Range)
2007 -  A/ITP (suspect)

[mme71345]

Hi Rosie5 - I was diagnosed hyper/Graves in January 2001 at age 41. I had been slim, althetic and fit for most of my life until I hit age 40 or so. I was at 120 at my fittest and over the course of 1-2 years ballooned up to 150 to 160 despite continued efforts to exercise. My endo at that time did say that 10% of hypers do gain weight. I do not remember if my appetite increased or not. After two radioactive treatments I became hypo. Unfortunately the inverse did not happen (hypo would result in me losing weight!!!). I am still struggling with weight up to 175 lbs but I do take a lot of ownership of this. Since the summer when I was biking regularly and I was down to 160 which felt great after being up to 180 lbs. I have not excercised nor have I been diligent in watching what goes in my mouth. As you will read in this forum, it is hard to feel good when your body is just not feeling great. It is a difficult cycle but I am convinced that once (and it can take a long long time and I am not there yet myself) the meds are at their optimum and you can move around a bit everyday, the weight does and will come off. I am not really adding anything of substance (sometimes it is just great to writer in here and Graves Lady always seems to respond in an excellent way anyways) but I want you to know that it is not uncommon to gain weight as a hyper and that you are not alone in your struggles.

[utahmomma]

Since my RAI the end of November I have now put on 18lbs.  That's eating healthy and working 2 jobs (one is quite physical).  Last check my TSH was 0.06 - the most hyper I've ever been.  *NOTHING* I do is helping me lose the weight.  I'm following a low carb diet (I'm also diabetic now too) and getting lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and the pounds just keep stacking up.  So, yeah, hypers can gain weight too.  :-(

There is a great book called The Thyroid Diet by Mary Shomon (you'll see LOTS of people here reference it).  I've got a copy but have to find the right diet (she coveres many) for my body type.  

(I miss my 26 year old body!)