Question of the Month – Mar 2013

[Barb135]

This question is going to have multiple parts.  Did you have a weight issue in relation to your thyroid condition?  Did you lose weight, once you started medication?  What things have you tried to help with weight loss?  What worked and what didn’t?  Do you have other conditions that may exacerbate the problem?  Those could include insulin resistance, PCOS, or others.

[Barb135]

Yes, we always figure that getting thyroid levels right, should return metabolic rate back to normal, and I thought I was going to be one of the those lucky ones, too; unfortunately, that doesn't always work for everyone, when you add in other factors, such as the insulin resistance.  

Insulin is often referred to as a "fat storage" hormone, so the higher the blood sugar goes, the more insulin is pumped out and the more fat gets shoved into the cells.

From http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/Triglycerides_UCM_306029_Article.jsp  

"Calories ingested in a meal and not used immediately by tissues are converted to triglycerides and transported to fat cells to be stored. Hormones regulate the release of triglycerides from fat tissue so they meet the body's needs for energy between meals."  Unfortunately, it doesn't say which hormones.  Another subject for research.

All of these things have to work in conjunction with each other and when one or more parts of the process, don't work, steps have to be taken to get them all back in line, not just one part of the equation.

My thyroid levels are already good, so over the next few months, my "job" will be to keep blood sugar in check, in order to keep insulin levels lower, as well as getting plenty of exercise to get triglyceride levels down.

I'll go for a metabolic study next week; will be interesting to see how it turns out.

[gimel]

During a time when I had gotten back into hypothyroidism, when Armour Thyroid was not available and I was dependent on T4 meds only, I gained about 28 pounds over a span of about 9 months.  Since I was not converting the T4 adequately to T3, my Free T3 level was in the lower third of the range, as I remember.  As soon as Armour was again available, I switched back and after some tweaking of dosage, with the blood draw for testing done before taking my daily meds, my Free T3 was 3.9 (range of 2.3 - 4.2) and Free T4 was .98 (range of .60 - 1.50).   Over the next  8 months I lost all the 28 pounds, without making any other change.

Each person has an expected resting metabolic rate dependent on their gender, weight, height, and age.  When you are hypothyroid, the actual metabolic rate may be significantly lower than the expected level.  This makes it difficult to impossible to lose weight and keep it off.   So getting thyroid levels right, can return your resting metabolic rate to normal, and allow you to get to the weight that is "normal" for you, taking into consideration your dietary and exercise habits.

[Barb135]

Here's an update........ had a doctor's appointment this week, and have now been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. In my case, it's a combination of insulin resistance/pre-diabetes, high blood pressure and high triglycerides.

Add my hypothyroidism and you might understand how weight loss will be difficult

[Barb135]

We all have our difficulties when it comes to dealing with thyroid issues; sometimes these difficulties can be overwhelming and I don’t know about everyone else, I often spend hours and hours, searching the internet trying to find answers to my questions. Sometimes, I’m successful in finding answers, other times, I’m not.

One of the biggest issues I’ve had since developing Hashimoto’s/hypothyroidism is weight gain and the inability to lose weight. While doctors will often tell us that thyroid malfunction typically only causes a 5-15 lb weight increase, many of us know that’s not true, as we’ve seen for ourselves that it’s possible to gain much more.  They also tell us that once we start taking thyroid replacement the weight will come off; again, some of us see, every time we look in the mirror, that, too, is not always true. For some, the weight falls off, others have to make it a life’s work, practically, to get the weight off.

There are no right or wrong answers to the questions; the questions are for discussion, as we’d like to know what has been tried, what has worked and what hasn’t worked.  We’re all individuals, so we know that what works for one, won’t necessarily work for another.

So, come on in, sit down and tell us your story.