Possible thyroid issue ,some advise please...

[Jogonmate]

I have a litany of issues which I will list below ,sorry it is long but I want to get everything in.

I am early 40 year old woman,normal BMI but for the last year if I go over 1200 calories a day I will put on weight, so I maintain my weight on 1200 and no more each day.
This time last year I was quite active running and gym 5 times a week, I am now down to only being able to go to the gym a couple of times a week which is so not like me and I can no longer run any distance, it feel like I am carrying someone on my back when I try.
I find it very hard to swallow my mucus and it seams to get stuck in the back of my throat
I have pins and needles a lot of time in my feet, legs, arms and hands.
I get awful numbness in my fingers and toes and they go completely white if I am exposed to any cold , even getting something out of the freezer in the supermarket would set me off
My energy levels are right down.
Sometimes climbing the stairs takes all my energy and I am breathless after it, even though I would consider myself quite fit.
Sometimes I have to force the energy out of me to climb on my bed.

I went to the nurse in my doctors surgery two months ago only telling her my energy was down as I had not really put all of above together. I got my fasting bloods checked , she rang me the follow week to say my thyroid level was low ,that my TSH level was 3 and to come back in two months for a retest but it was nothing to worry about.

So now I am due to go back again I want to be more knowledgeable this time , can you give me some tips on what I should be asking , I would be most grateful.

The pins and needles could be B12 related so make sure thats tested too. Also get vit D tested. Ferritin will be part of the full blood test too. If you get a print out of all the resukts you'll be able to see if you are low in range. Often we can be bottom of range, far from optimal, and get told no further action! You need to see your results.

Oh and get your antibodies tested for Hashimotos, the major cause of hypothyroidism. TSH of 3 combined with low FT4 is a strong sign your thyroid needs some help.

Thanks Inbetweenus ,I will make sure to get those checked.

I have quite similar symptoms and I am also just beginning to suspect a thyroid issue for myself.
I've maintained a fairly stable weight (other than having dc) for the majority of my adult life. About two years ago, immediately after turning 40 I started putting on weight, just creeping up slowly but all my usual ways of getting back into equilibrium have consistently failed and it seems no matter how strict I am (eating paleo, cut out alcohol and sugar, intermittent fasting, exercising) the weight will not budge.
I put it down to the aging process but recently other seemingly minor symptoms are ringing alarm bells that its something more than just getting older.
I am completely knackered after exercise, I used to happily do an hour long body pump class followed by a 90 min power yoga class after a day at work, no problem. Then it started getting too much and the following day was a complete write off. So i cut out the body pump, but soon I had to give up the yoga too as i just didn't have the energy to go out and exercise in the evening.
My skin is drier than ever, my nails are ridged and brittle, my toe nails have a yellowish grey tinge. I have dizzy spells several times a day, my feet are like blocks of ice, i'm tired all the time, I get headaches when i never used to before.
The worrying thing is that I am already doing loads of healthy lifestyle stuff and still having this problem. I take vit d supplement, omega 3, drink kefir, eat chia seeds, loads of greens, v low gluten, v low alcohol, no nightshade veg, only goat/sheep dairy, do yoga and meditate... what else can i try?

Am going through similar. There are a few types of blood tests for thyroid issues and they're not always reliable. My levels were very low last year then normal this year, but there are reasons why this might not be right and I'm starting treatment tomorrow anyway. Go and discuss further with GP...

No advise but I'm going through the same sort of thing. Awaiting next bloods then maybe onto thyroxine. My daughter has juvenille arthritis which is autoimmune so I'm assuming it's Hashimotos.

Just came across this post. Aren't you just malnourished? It's impossible to get all your nutrients in 1200kcal. The symptoms sound like hat they could be down to anaemia, Mg deficiency. TSH of 3 sounds normal. Perhaps you just need to start eating more and doing weigh training to build your muscle back up. It's the muscle that burns most fat (hence men need to eat more kcal). Muscle tissue does waste away and that the cause of slowed down metabolism but it can be counteracted with strength training. In order to grow, the muscle will need fewer so you'd need to considerably bump up your kcal.
At 1200 you're in permanent starvation mode with your muscle wasting away even more.

Hi JoJ
No I don't believe I'm malnourished, I am very petite, so where 1800cal a day would be ok for average woman , I'm a lot shorter than average. I eat plenty of food and varied macros and I also weight lift, I have mini guns and good mussel mass, but thanks for the different thought on this.