armor thyroid questions

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qatarsessions
qatarsessions Posts: 31 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I had a pretty sudden (3 months) unexplained weight gain and haven't been able to budge a pound for about the last 5 months. My Dr. tested me and said I was hypothyroid and put me on Armor Thyroid. It has been almost 2 weeks and I have not lost any weight and have actually gained 2 more lbs. I have been working out like a fiend and watching my calories very carefully and all I was able to do was stop the increase in weight. I have averaged around 1300cal for the last month. Someone told me that they know two people who also gained weight after starting thyroid meds (don't know what they were taking) but eventually they did loose.
Anyone else have any information on this? I've looked all over the web and don't see a link between Armor Thyroid and the side-effect of weight gain.

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  • qatarsessions
    qatarsessions Posts: 31 Member
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    I had a pretty sudden (3 months) unexplained weight gain and haven't been able to budge a pound for about the last 5 months. My Dr. tested me and said I was hypothyroid and put me on Armor Thyroid. It has been almost 2 weeks and I have not lost any weight and have actually gained 2 more lbs. I have been working out like a fiend and watching my calories very carefully and all I was able to do was stop the increase in weight. I have averaged around 1300cal for the last month. Someone told me that they know two people who also gained weight after starting thyroid meds (don't know what they were taking) but eventually they did loose.
    Anyone else have any information on this? I've looked all over the web and don't see a link between Armor Thyroid and the side-effect of weight gain.
  • anabellebf
    anabellebf Posts: 43
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    I read an article about how while in hypothyroidic mode, your body starts being resistant to insulin. Your body should increase its metabolism eventually, but you also must make sure that you exercise regularly to combat insulin resistance.

    I can't exactly remember what insulin resistance does, but google it and you'll have a possible answer to your weight gain.
  • whitlowjm
    whitlowjm Posts: 4
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    I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism when I was 24 and have been taking synthroid everyday for the last 13 years. It can take up to a month before the medication is fully functioning in your system, so give it some time. I have a barely functioning thryoid, but with proper medication I have never had any issue with excess weight gain or difficulty with weight loss. Just make sure you have a good endocronologist. Good luck!

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  • beagle595
    beagle595 Posts: 226
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    I am Hypothyroid also due to Papillary Thyroid Cancer. My was completely removed along with my Parathyroid.. I am on Synthroid. I can't take anything else because other brands make me feel off. It took me one year to get balanced and feel normal.
    Be patient it takes time for your body to adjust. Keep contact with your doctor. Keep track of how your are feeling, your blood pressure, amount of sleep etc..and maybe you will need an adjustment in medicine or need to take a whole different brand. Nothing can replace your natural Thyroid hormones. Your Thyroid controls so much in your body, most importantly your blood pressure and metabolism. Lack of Thyroid hormones also damages your hair, skin, and nails... so don't forget your vitamins.
    * Also check out 1-Thyroid.com It has info on shortage of iodine in your system stops the production of Thyroid hormone. This summer I started to incorporate Iodine pills in with my vitamin regiment and finally weight started to come off easier. Be Well! :flowerforyou:
  • ontheedge50
    ontheedge50 Posts: 31 Member
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    I was diagnosed a year ago with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and have been trying to hold off the weight. I was hoping I would lose some after I started my meds but (no such luck) instead I GAINED 15 lbs. in all. I started working out and that held off any more weight gain but I haven't lost anything yet. I only just started to keep CLOSE track of my calories. Counting every bite. And I have amped up my work outs to burn around 600 calories during cardio 3 times a week. And I do strength training on the other 2 days. Weights and stuff. I gotta say....I do feel better but my clothes are still too tight and the scale hasn't budged but it's only been week that I've REALLY been working REALLY hard so I hope that next week will show some loss. It might take some time to get your meds right so keep in touch with your Dr. and keep track of how you feel. I found this article about thyroid and exercise to help get your metabolism going. Here's the link. http://thyroid.about.com/cs/dietweightloss/a/exercise.htm
    It's a pretty informative site.
    I hope this helps.Good luck! And if you find something else out there that might help me. PLEASE SHARE! :tongue: I'm up for suggestions!
  • beagle595
    beagle595 Posts: 226
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    I read an article about how while in hypothyroidic mode, your body starts being resistant to insulin. Your body should increase its metabolism eventually, but you also must make sure that you exercise regularly to combat insulin resistance.

    I can't exactly remember what insulin resistance does, but google it and you'll have a possible answer to your weight gain.
    What is insulin resistance?
    Insulin resistance is a condition in which the body produces insulin but does not use it properly. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps the body use glucose for energy. Glucose is a form of sugar that is the body’s main source of energy.

    The body’s digestive system breaks food down into glucose, which then travels in the bloodstream to cells throughout the body. Glucose in the blood is called blood glucose, also known as blood sugar. As the blood glucose level rises after a meal, the pancreas releases insulin to help cells take in and use the glucose.

    When people are insulin resistant, their muscle, fat, and liver cells do not respond properly to insulin. As a result, their bodies need more insulin to help glucose enter cells. The pancreas tries to keep up with this increased demand for insulin by producing more. Eventually, the pancreas fails to keep up with the body’s need for insulin. Excess glucose builds up in the bloodstream, setting the stage for diabetes. Many people with insulin resistance have high levels of both glucose and insulin circulating in their blood at the same time.

    Insulin resistance increases the chance of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Learning about insulin resistance is the first step toward making lifestyle changes that can help prevent diabetes and other health problems
    Thyroid doesn't control insulin your pancreas does... But you can have both issues at once.
    http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/DM/pubs/insulinresistance :flowerforyou:
  • qatarsessions
    qatarsessions Posts: 31 Member
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    Wow!!! Thanks to everyone. Beagle595 you said that until you got your meds right your felt "off". Can you tell me what the means? I have to say that mostly I feel pretty great most of the time. I was having problems with my hair and skin and I couldn't even get out of the bed in the mornings without eye drops because they were so dry. Everything seems to be getting better with the dry skin and eyes. I take the thyroid med right before bed. It hasn't affected my sleep but I do kind of feel like I have some slight heart palpitations about 15 minutes after I take it. Does that sound familiar?
    All my triglycerides and glucose tests look good so I'm hoping my insulin is good. I do know that hypothyroidism causes me to feel cold and I'm convinced that my metabolism has slowed making the weight gain make sense.
    I've read a bit about hypothyroidism and it seems that there are some pretty simple tests that are very accurate to predict a low thyroid.
    From the book "Before the Change Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause"
    1 - a temperature taken every morning for 5 days and coming to an average below 97.8
    2 - Paint a silver dollar size patch of 2% tincture of iodine on the abdomen. "The goal, and a sign of a well functioning thyroid, is for the stain to remain visible for at least twenty-four hours. If the stain disappears in less than 24 hours, your body is deficient in iodine." Continue to reapply until the stain remains for 24 hours.

    The first time I did this it faded in less than 2 hours. It took 3 days before I could get the stain to stay on overnight. The book said it could take several weeks.

    That was before I got my test results which did show I was hypothyroid. Thanks for all the advice. It seems that this is going to be a moving target. It's only been 2 weeks so I guess I just need to be a bit more patient.
  • ivykivy
    ivykivy Posts: 2,970 Member
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    I don't take armour but I took synthroid. It took more than a year to find the right dosage and then I started losing weight. Prior to that I was walking on the treadmill for 1.5 hours burning 400-500 cals and the weight wouldn't come off. I got ticked off and stopped walking and weight rose to over 300lbs-but I wasn't watching what I ate very well . So whatever you do don't stop exercising b/c the weight can come on quickly.

    I still have heart palpatations occasionally but they were really bad when I first started. The skin on my hands is still slightly dry but not as bad and my hair which had broken off to 1 inch is now back to shoulder length.
  • qatarsessions
    qatarsessions Posts: 31 Member
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    ivykivy
    Thank you for your information and I am so sorry that you had such a tough time. Glad to hear you have settled into a working solution. I thought I would just take a pill and all would be fixed.
  • qatarsessions
    qatarsessions Posts: 31 Member
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  • ivykivy
    ivykivy Posts: 2,970 Member
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    Hopefully the pill will be all you needed. And hopefully it won't take a year for you to feel at your peak. I am cold all the time but it could be from losing my fat blanket.:happy: But I've decided to enjoy being a little cold because hopefully menopause is right around the corner.
    A biofeedback specialist recommended I take kelp to help boost the metabolism. I haven't tried it yet though. In my previous post I said I take synthroid but I take the generic version (levothyroxin) because it is $11 for 100 synthroid is a lot higher)

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