What does that have to do with weight loss when your levels are correct? The best thing to do is start a new thread so people can help you with your topic and problem.

cute1, I mentioned weight gain to my endo 1 month post TT with NO thyroid replacement hormones. My TSH was 78.68, and I was miserable. She said she didn't want to hear about weight gain. So that's one symptom I DO NOT complain to doctors about. Ever.

In fact, the only symptom she WAS interested in was my brain functon...or lack thereof. I told her I could stare at a sudoku puzzle for hours without seeing another move. Then in the morning, I could see right off how to solve it. She then told me she was giving me Cytomel in addition to my Levoxyl. I'm at her mercy, as are we all.

Leona- I am glad CD is helping you! She is very educated on this disease. I am not.;..LOL !

Keeska, I know my last endo said that if it's past 10 pounds then it's not your thyroid. I told her I had a hard time thinking straight. If I only knew I am going to a new one on Feb 2nd....Oh please GOD let her help me! Good luck to you. Did the Cytomel help? It did help me in a small dose, but when given more I blew up like a balloon. :(

I think doctors don't want to hear about weight due to the fact that body builders have a reputation for abusing thyroid meds.

I also think we all suffer with/have suffered with enough other symptoms that reporting those symptoms should get attention.

If they don't, it's really important to find a thyroid-savvy doctor.

And, please know it's not necessarily whether a med is "good" or not, it's really whether or not any med or combination of meds optimizes the patient's levels.

Most healthy people have FreeT4/T3 levels 60-80% of range.

I know that, if either my FreeT4 or FreeT3 level was "off", I would have symptoms.

This really makes sense if you think about it.

T4 is our storage hormone and is converted by our body into T3, the active hormone.

For those of us that have problems with conversion, the addition of a T3 med such as Cytomel can help "restore" the FreeT3 level.

However, since the body's needs for thyroid hormone change, it's very important to have adequate amounts of T4 to be available for conversion.

Yes, some people taking Armour (T4/T3 combo med) fare perfectly fine with the relatively higher FreeT3 level compared to FreeT4 level that taking porcine thyroid can mean.

But, many of us do need the hormone balance that is similar to human thyroid production.

That is why it's a good idea to shoot for the "most commonly comfortable" levels and "wear" them for awhile.

Then, if symptoms remain, it's appropriate to ask the doctor to make minor dose adjustments to help zero in on our "sweet spot" (and, if we want to use the medical term - "setpoints")

cute1, yes it did help. I take 200mcg of levoxyl + 10mcg of cytomel every day. Been on that dose for 8 months. My TSH is low, but I'm not budging from that dose. I finally feel normal again. The past 2 times at the endo's office I've seen the PA. That's always a good thing...not sick enough to see the doctor.

I hope you can get back to your normal feeling self soon. I know when you're feeling so bad, a day can seem like a month.

Gentle hugs.

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in March of last year. At at time I weighed around 209 pounds. I had always thought something was wrong because back in 2002 I was 128 pounds. And it didn't matter what I did the weight didn't come off and more kept coming on.

Anyway, I was put on Levo, started to eat better, watch calories like a hawk, and exercise by walking. And now I have lost a total of 56.4 pounds. So I am at 152.6 pounds at this point in time. I am a little angry that my BMI still says overweight. But when I hit 149 pounds I will be in the normal range. And I don't want to go below 140 pounds.

My thyroid levels got better, but when I went to get them checked the last time in November they were right. So even though they were not perfectly normal I still lost weight.

But it has been a long road that I am still on. I have a job now that I stand up all day and is physical, so I know I burn a lot of calories during the day. And I count every single calorie. Even ketchup. And if I need a sweet, I eat one small cookie. Like one of those sugar wafers. I know WHO does that? Me. I eat around 1375 calories a day right now. And I know I burn way more than that.

I really hope that even while on the way to getting your levels right that you are able to watch what you eat and exercise to lose weight. It takes a lot of discipline. And at this point in time I live with my mother who eats whenever and whatever she wants. There are always candy and cookies around the house begging to be eaten. But you just have to say, no and get your mind on something else. After a while your stomach shrinks and you just can't eat as much as you used to. So that helps.

If you would like you can go here and find out your BMR (basal metabolic rate ) which is how many calories you burn doing nothing. It's how many calories your body just needs to function. And you can also find out how many calories you need to limit yourself depending on your activity level.

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

And you can go here to find out calories of food when you can't find them on whatever it is your are eating.

http://caloriecount.about.com/foods

Lastly, walking is wonderful exercise. Just get your MP3 player and walk for a certain amount of time. I found that walking for a certain amount of time is just as effective as walking a certain distance. This calculator will tell you how many calories you will burn walking.

http://walking.about.com/library/cal/uccalc2.htm

Good luck to you. You can do it. It just takes time and discipline.

It's hard to lose that weight and I feel for you! I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism about 1 1/2 years ago. I was on the Jenny Craig diet for 5 months and I kept GAINING weight. I was so frustrated and upset and wondering how in the world was I gaining weight! My numbers were 247 when I finally had the blood test. I probably had gained 30 pounds. I am seeing a endrocrinologist now and she said it better than I could; when they get your numbers right, you are normal then - they don't make you HYPERthyroid, which would make you lose weight. Unfortunately, the weight does not just fall off (as many people mistakenly told me). You have to work at it, as you would any time you would like to lose weight. (diet and exercise, no matter what way you say it!) I wish you the best in your journey! There is hope beyond the weight gain, depression and fatigue! Best wishes, Kim

Thank you all for your input! :). I'll try!