Gained 7 lbs that won't come off no matter what I do, please advise me page

[helpmelose7lbs]

Greetings everyone. I own the Primal cookbooks and have been a long-time lurker on this site. Aside from eating cheese, my diet is consistent with primal principles.

(*I know that this is not a weight loss forum* but will you please bear with me? I'm coming to you guys because you know more than most doctors, and you certainly know more than the dieters obsessed with counting calories on the weight loss forums.)

From ages 16-40, I easily maintained my ideal weight of 125 pounds. At age 40, half of my thyroid was removed due to cancer, but I did not receive chemo or any form of radiation.

After the thyroid surgery at age 40, I noticed a tendency to gain weight, so I immediately removed all carbs from my diet, which enabled me to maintain a weight of 125 until I hit age 43, after which 7 pounds crept on me over a 7 month period. This 7 pound weight gain is independent of any changes to diet and exercise. In fact, each month as a new pound would creep on, I would exercise harder and eat less, but nothing will reverse the weight gain.

Each month my endocrinologist tests my blood and adjusts my daily thyroid meds. I am on a combo of T3 and T4. (I tried natural desiccated, but it made me gain at an even faster rate.) I wonder if the thyroid medication is affecting my insulin levels and thereby causing a weight gain? Although my blood sugars are all normal and I have never been diabetic.

I am not menopausal, and my estrogen levels are normal, but my progesterone, testosterone, and DHEA were low, so my doctor has prescribed a small dose of bioidentical progesterone and testosterone cream plus small dose DHEA pill.

My daily diet is under 1500 calories consisting of healthy oils/fats, meats, eggs, cheese, and low carb veggies such as lettuce and spinach. I do not even eat fruit. My exercise routine consists of cardio, resistance training, light weight lifting. But no matter how much I tweak my diet or exercise routine, the weight will not come off.

The weight gain is inexplicable, because I do not eat carbs or anything that would raise my insulin. Nor do I ever overeat.

I assume that my hypothalamus has downgraded my metabolism. Is there a way to reverse this and raise my metabolism again?

I have considered the HCG diet, but it would require me to remove all fats from my diet for a month.

Should I get tested for leptin resistance or reverse T3 build up?

I have also read that taking a combination of naltrexone and Wellbutrin raises metabolism. Do you know anyone who has tried this combo?

*SORRY* for being selfish and going off topic with my weight issues, but you know that you are in a better position to advise me than any doctor or dieter.

I appreciate any suggestions that you care to offer.

[Nady]

Hi~ I'm new here too~ but not new to low carb~ I would first start with how much protein are you eating? The body doesn't store protein and will use excess as either a glucose type energy or store it as fat. Even though you aren't eating insulin triggering foods, too much protein can cause the same effect. ½ gram protein per pound of body weight is considered adequate for average activity levels~

HTH~

[sbhikes]

You could also try intermittent fasting. Perhaps a 15 hour fast several times a week. That's pretty painless. Don't make up for it later. Or, try a 23 hour fast. Apparently these kinds of short fasts have healing qualities beyond just the reduced calories of eating less. The trick is, if you can do a fast like this without difficulty, it can only help. If you struggle with a lot of hunger, don't do it. You aren't ready yet.

[marcadav]

What do your latest thyroid tests say? Please include reference ranges.

How's your vitamin D, ferritin levels? Are you getting at least 200 mcg of selenium each day (my multi-vitamin contains that much).

Have you asked your endo to test fasting insulin and HbA1c?

[Honey Crisp]

I could of made this post, but the weight is 15 pounds.

I finally made a doctor appointment and have blood tests scheduled for Thursday morning. The test Marcadav mentioned are a few of the ones I'm having done.

[Tarna]

I am hypothyroid female 5´4 weight 130 pounds(41 years old) been well over 35 years in weight hell(very heavy) til this last year. I think you are eating too LITTLE. I get my thyroid tested every two months right now and have lowered my medication but i consume at least 2000 calories daily. I find the more I eat the more I loose but becareful with the carb amounts . I eat normally 1 to 2 protein per body mass. My suggestion is to eat lots of protein and only if you feel like it to eat vegetables. I did not eat hardly any fruit but recently trying to put it in. I am trying out spirulina and chorella (2 day in) to help with vitamin and bowel problems (constipation at times). I will say I took spirulina in powder with a fruit shake and i immediately felt energized from it. I also noticed my appetite seem to be better controlled as well. You may want to see about these but research them first. As far as I can tell if i consume high amounts of protein and fat but keep my carbs in Mark's recommended carbs consumption zone.
How to Succeed with the Primal Blueprint | Mark's Daily Apple
You may want to cut the dairy as well to see if you are having some aftereffects from this.

[helpmelose7lbs]

Even though you aren't eating insulin triggering foods, too much protein can cause the same effect. ½ gram protein per pound of body weight is considered adequate for average activity levels~

HTH~

Nady, I didn't know this. I thought that protein could only be stored as fat in the presence of insulin. Thank you for your post.

[helpmelose7lbs]

You could also try intermittent fasting. Perhaps a 15 hour fast several times a week. That's pretty painless. Don't make up for it later. Or, try a 23 hour fast. Apparently these kinds of short fasts have healing qualities beyond just the reduced calories of eating less. The trick is, if you can do a fast like this without difficulty, it can only help. If you struggle with a lot of hunger, don't do it. You aren't ready yet.

Hi SBHikes. I read conflicting opinions regarding the effect of fasting on metabolism. I am so afraid of doing anything to make my already slow metabolism even slower. Does anyone who has fasted have an opinion on this? Does it lower your metabolism because you think you are in a famine?

Thanks.

[helpmelose7lbs]

What do your latest thyroid tests say? Please include reference ranges.

How's your vitamin D, ferritin levels? Are you getting at least 200 mcg of selenium each day (my multi-vitamin contains that much).

Have you asked your endo to test fasting insulin and HbA1c?

Hi Marcadav. I'll have to call my endocrinologist's office for these numbers. Thanks for responding to my post.

[helpmelose7lbs]

I could of made this post, but the weight is 15 pounds.

I finally made a doctor appointment and have blood tests scheduled for Thursday morning. The test Marcadav mentioned are a few of the ones I'm having done.

Hi Honey Crisp. So sorry that you are having this same weight struggle. If you have an underactive thyroid, do not let them restrict you to T4 only. I take a combo of T4 and T3 and feel much better with the addition of the T3. Although it has not helped my metabolism...