Re: Shelley if you have time (long)

Hi Helen! :)

When we oomph up our thyroid activity thru medication, our metabolism jumps up so markedly that if we don't give the body the right kinds of calories we will gain weight, because to burn things properly, the body needs the proper fuel sources. Without the proper fuel types, any overages get converted into fat for use in the future, and this process speeds up because the increased metabolism makes the body prepare more in anticipation of winter losses. The body thinks it is starving even when it isn't.

Your dose may indeed be too low still, it's smart to check it after 3 months on the same dosage because it takes about 3 months for the body to adapt to the dosage and actually start equalizing the adjustments. Best way to tell which is going on here is to keep an eye on your stomach hunger. If you have healthy stomach hunger then chances are you're taking a good amount of thyroxine and just need more protein/fats.

So the best thing to do is to increase exercise, proteins and fats without incresaing total number of calories. It's okay to switch to a higher-protein diet for about 2-4 weeks. See if you can have a protein shake as your mid-morning meal, or evening meal, with extra eggs, and use a good homemade oil dressing liberally on all your salads. Keep a rice medly/lentil or quinoa/garbanzo bean salad and nutbutters on hand for snacking. So long as you change the ratio of proteins and fats to carbs, you can still keep the total number of calories low, lose the cravings, and ultimately lose weight.

If you're certain-sure that you have Hashimotos, it's possible that you need to add thyroid gland caps to your list of supplements. This will act as a kind of 'decoy' for the immune system to attack that instead of your real thyroid. And it's a good idea to read Mary Shomon's book, read that and you'll know more than most doctors.

Hope that helps! :)