Weight gain with under active thyroid. Am I forever fat?

[Wetwashing00]

This weight gain is seriously depressing me. I made the mistake of weighing myself after a swim and I’m 4 stone overweight.
All the summer clothes I bought last year no longer fit so I’ve had to buy new ones.
My partner is also still making uncaring comments and I catch him grimacing behind my back when I’m getting dressed. My last blood test showed my TSH was 4.96, still high but almost in range. I’ve come down from 83. Had a blood test yesterday and still waiting on the results but I’ve definately felt better the last 6 weeks, still not perfect though.
I live a fairly active lifestyle, my job is very active and I also do the running around after kids. We swim, walk go to parks etc.. but I don’t go to the gym as I find after all of this I’m just still too knackered. My partner thinks going to the gym will be the fix it for the weight problem. We have always eaten healthy with good
Portion control so I can’t see a way to change my diet without starving myself. I’m already playing with recipes to plan going 100 % gluten free and I haven’t eaten dairy in 3 years.

Does anyone have any successful weight loss stories with under active thyroid? What did you do to change your diet/exercise? Would adding t3 help my occasional shitty symptoms & help me lose weight?

I need a magic pill!

Sorry there is no magic pill, you need to change your diet, not sure about the copper, but I’ve been where you are with the thyroid. I’ve been a size 18 up from a uk size 12, constantly hungry and massive weight gain which caused depression. My partner was really supportive. I’ve found the only thing that works for me is logging what I eat in my fitness pal. I also exercise a lot more, and I eat a hell of a lot less. My calories following discussions with a dietician are restricted to between 1200 to 1500 a day, and I’m maintaining a small size 14. I don’t have that active a job and my kids are grown up and at 2000 calories a day my weight was continuing to increase. I have good days and bad days but find the calorie logging focuses my mind. It took nearly 6 months for my thyroid level to stabilise and my blood was checked with the levothyroxine dose. My levels are up and down a lot, I know my own body, so when I’m constantly tired, my eyes are itching and I feel like I’m wading in mud, then I get my blood checked.

The first place to start is by keeping a food diary, MFP is free, log everything you eat and drink. You maybe surprised at the amount of calories you’re having each day. It was an eye opener for me, as all our meals were healthy, no takeaway, nothing fried.

Your partners behaviours are shocking, pull him up on it, when you get the next snide comment remind him that you’re the mother of his children and you deserve respect.

Good luck

First of all well done for getting this far, you have a long road ahead but there is plenty you can do to get back your health. I've been hypo all my life and here is my advice:

Read the Stop the thyroid madness blog, it literally saved my life.

Do your upmost to move to natural thyroid meds like armour, naturethroud they give you all the hormones unlike synthetics. See if your gp will do this otherwise you will have to go privately

Go gluten free, cut down on dairy and sugar.

Get tested for Hashimotos

Get adrenal testing as this is the cause of a large part of weight gain

Don't over exercise as this will raise cortisol levels and lead to belly fat

Try to get a full panel of testing for iron, vit d, b12, adrenals, thyroid.

Join NDT supportive Facebook groups for support and help interpreting your blood work.

This is just the start. I won't lie it's going to be intensive and expensive as you will have to be your own health advocate and pay for testing and supplements. Read everything you can about it and ask questions. But there is light at the end of the tunnel so don't give up. There is no cure so better to arm yourself with knowledge now so you can have good health.

Mfp is great.

Don't over exercise as this will raise cortisol levels and lead to belly fat - this makes no sense. Never has with me. Of course I can only do loads of exercise when my levels are ok. There are athletes with hypothyroidism who take t4. Get that tsh kicked diwn to something like 0.6 and see how you feel after 3-6 months.

Op, your tsh is no where near right yet. You won't be able to exercise till it is. Mfp is helpful for tracking that too.

It's worth remembering that many things govern weight gain including gut bacteria and plain genetics, getting older etc. I tend to loose weight when I'm hypo apart from swollen ankles. Exploring ndt is a very last resort but if it was really needed it sounds like you'd need t3 through an endo.