I literally can not loose weight

[ArtfulLimeUser]

Since I had my daughter in 2023 my health has declined rapidly.
my weight as steadily gone up to 14 stone (I’m 5 ft 3), my hair is thinning, I’ve been diagnosed wit adenomyosis, pelvic congestion syndrome, chronic tonsiltiis, I’m awaiting a tonsillectomy and a hysterectomy. That’s just the back story. I am waiting to see endocrinology in August and the lymphedema nurses for my leg swelling.
when my daughter was about 1, I rapidly lost 2 stone and was very poorly, my gp thought I had cancer. I had so many tests and nothing was ever found. Then I just started piling the weight on. I’ve tried EVERYTHING. I am so so active and have a very healthy diet. But my weight won’t stop increasing. I absolutely eat in a calorie deficit. I know it is something medical related but does anyone have any insight on what this could be? Up to now for my various symptoms I have seen 2 gastro doctors, vascular as my legs are very swollen, rheumatology as I had gout symptoms but it was arthritis, haematology for constant infections, weight loss in the beginning and swollen lymph nodes and ent for my tonsils. I also saw cardiology as I was having chest pain and shortness of breath. Everything from these doctors have been okay.
I am at breaking point

my friend had much of this when she had postpartum thyroiditis although it came on more quickly than your symptoms.
You should already have been blood tested for all of this: TSH, FT4, FT3, Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies, Thyroglobulin Antibodies, Ferritin, Folate, Active Vitamin B12, C Reactive Protein, Vitamin D (25-OH), Cortisol, Magnesium.

If it was me, I'd look up my previous results, retest it all privately and go to the endo armed with the old and recent results so they can review any changes and see if it looks thyroid related. Those tests are not expensive to do privately because a lot of people here have to monitor their own thyroid health, you get good packages and discounts for them if you follow links from the main thyroid charities.

Yes, I get that, but that usually means you still see NHS Endo specialists, they just also take appointments from private.

You are most likely just seeing the person you would have seen in your area anyway, just quicker.

@ArtfulLimeUserPrivate consultants often work at both NHS and Private hospitals

If you are going to be a smart ass, try not to forget your punctuation.

You could ask for a Kraft test to see what your insulin and glucose levels are doing over an extended period. The shorter tests often miss some of the more complex issues.

Sounds really awful OP!

Have you tried acupuncture? After pregnancy my hormones and cortisol played puck with my body. Not to your extremity as you describe, but I felt massively better after a few sessions.

Very clever👏

It's actually not as well to point out that it is wrong. It's dickish behaviour, and makes me think that if someone has nothing better to do then correct someone, who they don't even know, online then I feel very sorry for their limited life. I also suspect they don't have many friends.

Op I could have written most of your list of symptoms. I have low cut D, anaemia, swollen legs, exhaustion, thinning hair...only reason I no longer have chronic tonsillitis, adenomyosis and PCOS is that all that has been removed now.
GP has always been very dismissive as my thyroid tests are always just above borderline and nothing else shows. My vit D got down to 8, I was really quite unwell but with the v strong tablets and now a regular high dose it's improved somewhat. I take iron tablets. Mounjaro did help - I lost 4 stone and my knee pain vanished immediately. However, that has now stopped working and I plateaued for months before stopping.
I will say though - and definitely not recommending - if I want to lose weight I need to be under 1000c per day. I'm 5'7 and started at 15 stone - 1600 would be maintenance or gain for me.
I'm convinced I've got 'something', some underlying reason I feel so unwell all the time. But this has been going on since childhood and I'm now in my 50s, so no postpartum onset for me.

OP, as someone who’s lost ten and a half stone, it’s almost impossible to be in a calorie deficit and gain weight. Especially so if you’re that active.

You need to go back to basics with calorie counting. Don’t try to estimate what you leave - it will always be less than you think. Cut to 1400, I’m about a stone lighter than you and only lose on 1450 a day. 1600 a day is too much for me!

Have you put everything into ChatGPT. I’ve added all my blood tests etc. Get it to ask you questions. Sounds stupid but is genuinely very helpful

I echo PPs, have a good discussion with your endo about thyroid issues. (I had Graves' disease following COVID, I'm now in remission). And it isn't as straightforward as under active thyroid = weight gain, and overactive = weight loss. I didn't lose any weight when my thyroid was overactive. Felt like shit though!

Thyroid issues would be my number one suspect. Just because a GP or indeed endocrinologist says your thyroid is 'normal' doesn't mean it is, the very wide 'normal' range used covers a host of problems and means many women remain untreated and unwell. If your labs show the bottom of the normal range you will likely feel awful, have symptoms like weight gain, thinning hair, fatigue, water retention and a whole host of other problems. If that is an issue then you could also have low iron, low Vit D, B12 and folate as all these go hand in hand with thyroid problems.

Plenty of good advice from PPs above.

Do not take iodine drops without getting everything checked out first. This could make you extremely ill, especially if you have Graves Disease.
And GPs cannot test antibodies, they can only test TPO which is just an indicator of thyroid inflammation.

the gout scare was osteoarthritis and I’ve since had a steroid injection.

Oh wow, I'm reading one steroid injection gives symptom relief for months, possibly, which is amazing. But you'll need more, I imagine? And doesn't it stimulate appetite in meantime?

You're very disciplined sounding, esp. if keeping to 1600 kcal/day on all that activity and while having regular steroid dose(s?).

What other medications do you regularly (at least once a week) take right now?

I’ve just had one steroid injection up to now and had insoles made for my shoes and physio. Honestly it isn’t causing me any bother at the moment but from December-March is was very painful. The medication I take at the moment is fluoxetine and prescribed iron, b12 and vit d from heamatolgoy

Also I’m only 32, so whatever is happening with the joint in my foot is very early stages, ir started over Christmas

The medication I take at the moment is fluoxetine and prescribed iron, b12 and vit d from heamatolgoy

You do not say OP if you are taking hormonal contraceptives. My DW is in a similar situation of gaining weight. I would guess that if you are then that is what is messing with your thyroid. It would be best to consult your NHS GP and perhaps stop. I am not a doctor but my advice, gained trying too help my DW, is stick to one trusted doctor, preferably the NHS one. The NHS may be slow but then hormonal changes are too, some of the tablets take months to work. You cannot keep changing medication and expecting to see results straight away.

Also, I am on the Slimming World weight loss plan and I lose 2lb a week reliably - I will soon be in the "normal" weight range according to the NHS!

Good luck OP.

im not taking any hormonal contraceptives x

Pathetic and callous.

My mum has Hashimoto's and like you, could NOT lose weight despite being very active and barely eating.

She was then diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and the meds she's taking for that - not mounjaro, something else - have meant that the weight has fallen off her.

I hope your endocrinologist can help.

@ArtfulLimeUser I could have written your post too OP. I echo everyone else who has suggested exhausting every possible investigation into thyroid issues.

After having to push LOTS, I was eventually diagnosed with Hashimotos. It literally does not matter what I do, how well I eat, how little I eat, how much I move etc - I just cannot lose weight.

Honestly this was me, I did manage to lose by fasting, low carb and being super strict but it took 5 months to lose 4lb. Funny enough I was later diagnosed with endometriosis and adenomyosis and I do wonder if it causes issues with weight.

I then started on mounjaro and the weight loss is slow but it has come off, just dont expect the same rapid losses everyone gets but it definitely helps.

Good luck with your private Endo appt OP.

I went to see an amazing guy a few years ago as I was suffering similar symptoms to you that started after the birth of my second child and I felt I had been fobbed off by my NHS GP for years. I had constant infections of one type or another, was putting on weight and generally feeling really really shit. NHS GP had done high level blood work and told me I was fine.

The private endo did full blood work and found pretty conclusively that I had a series of autoimmune conditions including hypothyroidism and hashimotos. He was pretty scathing about by NHS GP.

Just understanding what was wrong with my body was life changing for me.

Since then I have also started on a tiny microdose of mounjaro and that has also been life changing. I am now at the weight I was in my early 20’s, very fit and have no symptoms of anything now and living my best life.