Interesting article about hypothyroidism and weight loss difficulty

Mary Shomon is a goddess as far as I'm concerned--she brings great things to light with her advocacy for thyroid sufferers. Long article, but the gist is "Eat less and exercise more is great IF you don't have a metabolism problem caused by thyroid issues." Worth the time to read it.

Long Term Weight Loss for Thyroid Patients: Hormonal Factors That Affect Diets

http://thyroid.about.com/od/loseweightsuccessfully/a/weight-loss-diet.htm

Mary Shomon: You have said that you feel that two key hormones -- leptin and reverse T3 -- are playing a key role in regulating weight and metabolism. Can you tell us a bit about leptin, first, and what it has to do with weight loss challenges?

Kent Holtorf, MD: The hormone leptin has been found to be a major regulator of body weight and metabolism. Leptin is secreted by fat cells and the levels of leptin increase with the accumulation of fat. The increased leptin secretion that occurs with increased weight normally feeds-back to the hypothalamus as a signal that there are adequate energy (fat) stores. This stimulates the body to burn fat rather than continue to store excess fat, and stimulates thyroid releasing hormone (TRH) to increase thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroid production.

Studies are finding, however, that the majority of overweight individuals who are having difficulty losing weight have varying degrees of leptin resistance, where leptin has a diminished ability to affect the hypothalamus and regulate metabolism. This leptin resistance results in the hypothalamus sensing starvation, so multiple mechanisms are activated to increase fat stores, as the body tries to reverse the perceived state of starvation.

<snip>

Mary Shomon: How do you treat leptin resistance in your practice?

Kent Holtorf, MD: Treatment can be focus on treating the elevated leptin -- leptin resistance. An elevated leptin also indicates, however, that the TSH is an unreliable marker for tissue thyroid levels, as the TSH is often suppressed, along with significantly reduced T4-to-T3 conversion. In short, if your leptin is elevated, you have reduced tissue thyroid levels. Also, almost all diabetics are leptin resistant, which has been shown to reduce T4-to-T3 conversion in diabetics by as much as 50% without an increase in TSH, making it very difficult for type II diabetics to lose weight.

<snip>

My favorite part (ital added):

All those trainers and health gurus that never had a weight problem who tell you to do just as they do don’t realize what a disadvantage it is for people who have had a long-term weight problem. Of course, even these trainers would not even be able to maintain their weight with a metabolism that is 20 to 40% below normal.

We test the resting metabolic rate in our thyroid patients and find it inversely correlates with the reverse T3. The higher the reverse T3, the lower the metabolism, with many such individuals having a metabolism that is 20 to 40% lower than expected for their body mass index (BMI). Nobody believes how little they eat, and they are made to feel like failures -- despite doing everything right. Until their metabolic abnormalities are addressed, diet and exercise will certainly fail to achieve long-term success.

have defended for years those that do.

I even get annoyed when folks insult Rush L because of his weight.

Since when is being overweight(according to some)be a reason for insults and ridicule?

It's a nightmare for thyroid sufferers--before being diagnosed as hypothyroid, we gain weight practically overnight, WHILE dieting and exercising, which is beyond frustrating--it's depressing. And then doctors are more willing to prescribe antidepressants than proper thyroid medication, because we're all hysterical women looking for a weight loss pill, doncha know (most hypothyroid patients are women). I've been on natural desiccated thyroid for several years, but I can't lose weight (although I've pretty much stopped gaining--glass half full and all that)...and I've got quite a bit to lose. I hope information like this will help.

time for someone to finally diagnose it but our genealogy shows it. We have 4 generations that we can trace back that have such things as dwarfism (2), very extreme weight (2), very tall (4) people and yes many just normal people. From my sister's experience dieting just adds to the problem.

but I can certainly vouch for your last paragraph. I never had an issue with my weight at all, staying between 120 and 130 all my adult life, until my thyroid went out in my 50s. I gained 30 pounds for no apparent reason at all and no amount of diet or exercise would make it budge. Finally one year when I went for my yearly pap smear, the doctor did blood work to check my estrogen level since I was approaching menopause and discovered that my TSH level was 45 (normal being between 1 and 4). The doctor couldn't believe I was still walking around, but I thought I had felt fine. Medication did make a difference, though.

I've since been leveled off with Synthroid, but I just can't seem to lose the weight that I put on at that time. I watch what I eat very carefully, very seldom consuming more than 1500 calories a day, I exercise on the elliptical machine for 1/2 hour five days a week and do Yoga, but I doubt I will ever see 130 again unless I get really sick.

I don't look bad, and I've resigned myself to the extra weight since I know I'm healthy - low cholesterol, low BP, lots of energy - but I know that the "experts" put me in the "overweight" category since I'm 10 pounds over BMI.

I guess at 63 I shouldn't worry myself about this stuff.

Synthroid is T4 only. Armour has T3 and T4 both. Docs don't like to prescribe Armour b/c they have been brainwashed against it in med school. It's cheap and effective.

Right now it is nearly impossible to get Armour because they are reformulating and the FDA is threatening to take it off the market for testing, since it was grandfathered in as safe, and has been used since about 1890.

Read more: www.stopthethyroidmadness.com

I have a new doctor (my endocrinologist was not a "preferred provider" ... grr), so maybe I'll ask the new doc about this the next time I see her. I have heard this suggestion before, but I just never followed up.

and totally believable.

The links at the end of the story are good, too.

Thanks for posting this MG.


Cher

though it's primarily a drug for Parkinson's patients. Bromo is known within the weightlifting community for those looking to reduce bodyfat percentages.

A little Google-fu should turn up the relevant discussions.

therefore no doctor

..over the last 4 months or so...result being maybe a little more clarity of thinking.....finally realizing that Rush is a gasbag. :think:


http://www.noaw.com/Iodine%20Def/tincture_of_iodine.htm

Can find this on amazon.com.

...I'm pretty much SOL.