Hyperthyroid treatment question

[maddiem]

I was just diagnosed with hyperthyroid and TSH is 0.01 and T3 is 288. I also have low bone density so I was prescribed fosamax for that. I have been active my entire life, played sports in college, run marathons, always lifted since I was a teenager. I eat healthy too. This is incredibly vein, especially considering the other members of this forum have very serious problems, but I am very concerned about the weight gain when I start treatment.

Question: If I monitor my food intake and continue to run and lift, will I gain weight? If if so, roughly how much? I am 5'2 and weigh 119, age 31, so it is not like I am super skinny (but I am fit) and I do not think I have experienced weightloss because I have weighed this, give or take 5 lbs the past few years. I have had an incredibly stressful year so I am not sure if that has brought this condition on.

If someone could comment on weight gain when treating hyperthyroid during treatment and how body changes when you go to hypothyroid, my doctor told me this will turn into hypo eventually and it is just a matter of time. Again, I know I am being very vein, but when you spend your whole life trying to be healthy and fit and then all of a sudden you seem to not have control, it is very frustrating.

Can you prevent weight gain throug diet and exercise?

Thank you for your advice and response.

[shasana]

There is a really good book with a lot of information.
The Complete Thyroid Book
Author:  Kenneth B. Ain

[maddiem]

Thanks for your responses. This is very helpful. I know I am being ridiculous, especially given the seriousness of what people go through on this forum. However, my sister is hypo and she blew up. She also has osteoporsis and she is only 35 so you can imagine my concern, because once you start getting one or two problem, it turns into a lot of problems, like fracture in back, diabetes, heart problems. Therefore, I am probably more paranoid than I should be.

It really struck me when AR-10 said to fnd out what is really causing the problem. I took that advice and found a new doctor. My old doctor did not do a scan of my thyroid, did not even feel my thyroid, which is quite enlarged, according to the doc I saw today. My friend, who is a doc out of the area, told me to see an internal medicine doc until I could get into an endochronologist. The old doc did not give me a lot of info and was just trying to treat the symptoms without finding outwhy, which is what AR-10 explained I needed. So thank you. I am now going to figure out why this is happening and hopefully, get everything under control.

Thanks again for your advice and support.

[amela321]

There is always a possibility that being hypo will cause weight gain.  I am one of the people who work the opposite way...weight gain when I'm hyper, weight loss when I'm hypo.  It sounds like you have a very healthy lifestyle.  Keeping that up and working with your physician to get your levels right should help you in maintaining your weight.  Or, if you do gain weight, you know what you need to do to lose it.  

While it can be very difficult to lose weight when hypo for some people, it's not impossible.  You may need to crank up your workouts a notch or keep closer tabs on what you eat, but if you do start to gain, you can try to nip it in the bud as early as possible.  Again, it sounds like you already live a very healthy lifestyle and that should definitely be an advantage.

Take care!

Amy
Papillary Thyroid Cancer
First diagnosed 1985
Recurrence 2008

[AR-10]

It is unpredictable.
You can gain or lose weight when you are hyper.
You can gain or lose weight when you are hypo.
Frankly, it's the least of your worries.

I realize it is a concern, but if you stay on top of the disease, or condition, as you have no diagnosis yet, you probably won't have weight issues that you cannot overcome.

First you have to get a more concrete diagnosis, because there is a reason you are hyper, and that needs to be discovered.

It's not a trivial question, so don't feel bad or think I am chastising you. Many people who remain hypo do have weight gain issues. Some people who remain hyper gain weight even though most people lose weight.

Remaining out of balance, either way, does more harm to your body than adding or removing a few pounds, or a few dozen pounds.