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Please help me lose weight!!!

I am 56, 5'4'' , 155 lbs and I have gained 20 lbs in one year!! I exercise hard 6 days/week, eat a low carb (<25 g) clean diet, no sugar, no bread, no pastas. I am on Armour Thyroid (3 grains/day) but still feel like a nap at 2:00 pm, although I am sleeping 7-8 hrs every night. Brain fog is rampant, lack of focus and concentration. Don't know where to go from here!! Please help. What am I missing? Weight just creeps up, I don't even want to step on the scale anymore, it just depresses me.
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514585 tn?1328740013
Along with checking levels as others have suggested, my question to you is this.... As far as your weight are you going by the scale or how your clothes are fitting? If you are solely going by your scale then start checking how your clothes fit or doing weekly/monthly measuring. It may very well be that you are not really gaining "weight" but that you are gaining muscle especially if you are exercising so much. If you are in a deep plateau then change things up a bit...drink plenty of water and maybe even try B12 shots.  
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Avatar universal
I take 300mg feels like I'm losing few pounds but before this I was gaining lot when I was on 240
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649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
Since Armour has so much T3 in it, it's unlikely there would be a conversion issue, though I agree that your thyroid hormone levels could be still too low.  Quite frequently, we see those on desiccated hormones who have too low Free T4 and have to add a source of T4, such as Synthroid or Levothyroxine to their Armour.  

Another common issue is a condition called Metabolic Syndrome, which is a cluster of conditions that includes increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels.  

High cholesterol and/or triglycerides are symptoms of hypothyroidism.as are the weight issues, fatigue and other symptoms.

Insulin resistance is another issue that can cause inability to lose weight.

Also, have you had Vitamin D and B-12 tested?  Vitamin B-12 deficiency can cause severe fatigue and I've read that vitamin D can aid in weight loss.
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3 Comments
Thank you Barb 135! I had low B12 and D3, but I supplement and that's all good, better than what's considered 'normal'.  My cholesterol levels are normal, Have 86 HDL and my ratio is 2.2, 34 Triglycerides. My Ha1C is 5.0, so all of those labs are good. Like I said, I'm at my wits end. Maybe I'll just try and up my Armour a little and see what happens?
BP is 117/68
Just being "in range" with vitamin B-12 and vitamin D are not good enough.  I have to keep my B-12 at/near the top of its range in order to keep symptoms of deficiency at bay - that means my level has to be close to be around 1000-1100.  

Optimal vitamin D is 60-80...

In addition to that, I lost 26 lbs last year by adding more healthy fats, such as olive, coconut oil, butter and a reasonable amount of meat to my diet along with lots of veggies vs trying to go low fat, because the higher fat left me more satisfied, so I wasn't eating as much throughout the day.  I also had more energy and my blood sugar levels were more stable.

I went on vacation and strayed from my diet, plus my thyroid med was reduced and I've since gained back 10 lbs, which I've been unable to lose again... I've been unable to get my doctor to increase my thyroid dosage again.
Avatar universal
Thank you Niko for your detailed and thoughtful answer! I am up to have my labs done, and I will post once I have them. I think the adrenal fatigue might be right on the money.... I have been thinking about that for a while.   I used to be able to handle any stressor really well, now - too many meetings during the day and I am worn out the next two days. Will have my ankle reflex and basal temperature also checked and report back.. Thanks again!
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7 Comments
Hi Rissa808.
Please note that Adrenal Fatigue (AF) is not an "established" medical diagnosis, yet it is very real and quite common.
You may need a Functional Medicine
or Naturopathic Doctor to help you diagnose and treat you.
I have an Adrenal Fatigue Assessment/Questionnaire and if interested, I can send it to you in a PM.
Your profile says male, but are you?
Some elements of the AF investigation are gender sensitive.
Cheers,
Niko
No, I'm female, I must have checked that wrong. Please do PM me the questionnaire, I would very much appreciate that.
Yes, female, that's what I felt.
Check your Inbox for the questionnaire.
The advice on staying on Armour
may not necessarily serve you well.
Certainly it contains  9 mcg liothyronine (T3), however it also contains 38 mcg levothyroxine (T4).
Unfortunately the math works against you, if you have rt3 dominance.
However, you must first get Adrenal Fatigue, hypoglycemia, nutritional deficiencies relevant to T3 ( iron, selenium, vit D, B12, B6, chromium, iodine, zinc etc),testosterone &  GHG deficiency all ruled out OR treated, before any further thyroid treatment!
Some you have already done.

Once this is done, slow release T3 only is the recommended treatment,
should your rt3 come back high and
rt3 dominance is confirmed.
But one step at a time.
I don't want to overwhelm you with too much information all at once.
And this happens to be a very difficult and confusing field.
let me know if you need any more details.
Cheers,
Niko



Corrections
1. Should read : Armour--> contains 38 mcg of thyroxine (T4) per grain.
2. GHG should read HGH (human growth hormone).
I guess I was rushing at the time!
Cheers,
Niko
Corrections
1. Should read : Armour--> contains 38 mcg of thyroxine (T4) per grain.
2. GHG should read HGH (human growth hormone).
I guess I was rushing at the time!
Cheers,
Niko
I knew what you meant.... thanks anyway. I have work to do.
I knew what you meant.... thanks anyway. I have work to do.
1530171 tn?1448129593
Your thyroid function might still be low.
It could be due to conversion issues, or inadequate
Armour intake, although 3 grains is the 3rd highest common dosage.
What are your most recent thyroid lab results?
Please post results including lab reference ranges and units of measure.
If your hypothyroidism is secondary to adrenal stress,
you will likely have conversion of the T4 component of Armour into Reverse T3, thus increasing your Reverse T3 which reduces further your Free T3.
Reverse T3 can only be converted from T4.
Armour, being natural desiccated thyroid hormone contains T1, T2, T3 and T4, T4 being the largest component.
When the adrenals are stressed and fatigued for extended periods of time, thyroid function gets down-regulated by a number of pathways by the adrenals... for adrenal recovery.
Have your Endocrinologist order RT3, Free T3, Free T4 and TGB thyroid tests, as well as check for slow ankle reflex and averaged basal temperatures of 97.8 or lower.
The above serve as evidence of the presence of adrenal fatigue.
You may also need to rule out nutritional, vitamin and/or mineral deficiencies.
Best wishes,
Niko
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