hypothyroidism makes me gain weight....

kelp can help and you really should look for a free clinic if there is one in your area. try calling 211 and see what information they can give about health care for free or insurance through united way. this is a local call. I'm not sure if it is in all states but I know it is in many

Brand-name Synthroid is around $40 to $50 a month out of pocket; my insurance doesn't cover brand name, and I pay $150 for three months. Generic will be cheaper. Go to a low-cost clinic, see if they'll write you a script, and get it filled out of pocket.

If you can get a prescription from a free clinic, ,make sure that it's for the generic drug (levothyroxine). I have hypothyroid as well and get the generic one for $4 for 30 pills with no insurance. Good luck

Thyroid issues can make you really ill, so don't ignore them. Having said that a lot of gp's are not that well informed about instances of what to do when standard labs OK, but patient still has lots of weird symptoms. Generally they tell you it is not your thyroid.... Google Stop the Thyroid Madness, or other thyroid patient groups for some self educattion. Many of the deficiencies etc that are associated with malfunctioning thyroid contribute to inability to lose weight. It is a frustrating journey that I have been on for 10 years but only 3 diagnosed hypothyroid. Like others here I find I feel better within myself when eating fresh produce and avoiding processed foods. I also try to limit the amount of bread, pasta etc as I feel better with less in diet.

I hope you can find a way to get your Meds.

**I also saw great changes when I started clean eating and got rid of most processed foods. Good luck

Thyroid issues can make you really ill, so don't ignore them. Having said that a lot of gp's are not that well informed about instances of what to do when standard labs OK, but patient still has lots of weird symptoms. Generally they tell you it is not your thyroid.... Google Stop the Thyroid Madness, or other thyroid patient groups for some self educattion. Many of the deficiencies etc that are associated with malfunctioning thyroid contribute to inability to lose weight. It is a frustrating journey that I have been on for 10 years but only 3 diagnosed hypothyroid. Like others here I find I feel better within myself when eating fresh produce and avoiding processed foods. I also try to limit the amount of bread, pasta etc as I feel better with less in diet.

YEAH I CHANGED MY EATING WAYS A LOT. I USED TO EAT PASTA TIL I DID SOME RESEARCH AND SAW IT WASNT THE RIGHT FOODS I HSOULD BE EATING ALONG WITH BREAD BECAUSE OF GLUTEN AND HFCS, AND NOW SOYBEAN OILS...
MAN OH MAN IVE BEEN EATING A LOT OF FISH AND SARDINES, AS WELL OF LETTUCE, TOMATOES, CHICKEN IN THE OVEN, I MAKE THAT ALL THE TIME, I CHANGED MY BREAD CUZ I USED TO EAT WHOLE WHEAT BREAD BUT SAW IT HAD GLUTEN IN IT WHICH IS NO GOOD.. SO NOW IM HAVING PITA BREAD THAT I READ WAS GOOD TO EAT.. IM EATING THE GOOD FOODS AND DRINKING TEA AS WELL HAVING FRUITS BUT I STILL DONT KNOW WHY IM STILL GAINING THE WEIGHT, OR NOT SEEING AS IF IM LOSING

I try to get gluten free too...I'm not sure which pita bread you are using but every one that I have looked at has gluten in. I now make bread from scratch using better batter flour (gluten free flour that is cup for cup replacement)

Joining this site is a major step in the right direction.

At the end of the day we can only gain weight if eating more calories than we use. Having said that hypothyroidism slows the metabolism and hence burn less...... But be honest with yourself in counting your calories and what you eat. Find vegetables that are less calorie dense, substitute foods etc to get the calories down. One thing I do is I make taco's, but instead of using the shell or soft wrap I use a lettuce leave to hold the fillings... Just have to make sure I weigh cheese, so I do not blow my good work by eating too much cheese! Also when I make mince I put in refried beans and lots and lots of vegetables (basically clean up whatever is in fridge) diced really small. The 'mince' is at least 50% vegetables, but it tastes like taco mince! Same when I make bolognese sauce, hide lots of veg in it diced really small... Depending on my daily calories I sometimes eat it on shredded lettuce rather than spaghetti/pasta.

Do not think about what you are missing - think about what you are gaining. Celebrate the wins, feeling better etc. That is celebrate by acknowledging, not snacking - another new habit :-) Also, try to find a heart rate monitor which will calculate your calories expended during exercise. It does not matter what level you start exercise, just that you start - a short walk, to corner and back, around the block... whatever, it all helps. Not just in losing weight but toning and building/maintaining muscle. We need to build/maintain muscles as they play a huge part in our metabolism and burning calories.....

Having said that you need to manage the hypothyroidism. As I said earlier read the patient to patient sites etc as many of the associated symptoms are not obviously thyroid related. I am not saying you need to follow the synthyroid route as many of us feel terrible on T4 medication only, just that you should become aware of the experience of others and make informed decisions about your health.

Hypothyroidism, left untreated, is a very dangerous condition untreated. You must take the right amount of replacement thryoxine (T4) and some people also need liothyronine (T3) too. Do not leave this alone. I do not know how old you are but it has a very adverse effect on pregnancy and can seriously and permanently damage the baby. Untreated, you will become very ill over time.

Dessicated thyroid is generally fairly cheap. I order mine from Canada. Unfortunately, I cannot give you much hope for losing weight until you're medicated. :frown: Sorry you're having to deal with this. I do know what hell it is.