Weight gain prevention just after total thyroidectomy?

I am a 32 year old female. I was diagnosed with Thyroid Ca in August of 07. I had 1/2 my Thyroid taken out in August 07 since the pathology came back cancerous I had to get the other 1/2 out in October. I was given Citomel in October & November but because I had to recieve the radioactive iodine treatment in December I had to stop that late november. I didnt start gaining weight until late December early January. Since then I have gained 14 lbs. I have always been thin & it is killing me to gain weight. I have not been eating any different than before. My doctor says we have to slowly increase my Synthroid. I was started on 75 then 88 & now 100. My levels are currently at 1.4 Hopefully once I recieve a higher dose I will start to lose some of this:(
After I eat my stomach fills bloated & gas-e & just plain FAT!

As I read through all of your posts, it's amazing to know that I'm not the only one going through this. I am 29 and I had a total thyroidectomy 5 years ago due to it being very enlarged. I was always thin before I had surgery (115-120lbs) but since the surgery I've gained 80, (yes 80) pounds and have been riddled with health problems of all kinds. My Dr's tell me it's just me needing to exercise more, which I do need to do but I have ZERO energy all the time. My husband won't touch me anymore and my life is in shambles. Does anyone know anything that will help?? We all seem to have the same problem.....

You may want to look at your blood work and see where your TSH has been for the last several times that the blood was drawn. The new range for TSH is .3-3 according to the Endocrinology Association. Sometimes, in fact a lot of times as long as you are in the normal range, the DR.s call you normal when in fact you exhibt HYPO symptoms, like weight gain, hair loss, dry skin, and fatigue.



You may need to be closer to the.3 instead of the 3 side of the test. A lot of the labs are using higher numbers, but keep the new ones in mind. The closer you are to the 3, the more your body is saying more thyroid.



Look at your lab results, and try to get your Dr. to adjust, even though the range is normal. People are all different and feel and act different within the normal range. High side is better for some midway for others, and low for others. (Always get a copy of your blood work to compare)



Also ask about adding some Cytomel which is a bit controversial, but is very engergizing and helps with depression and weight.



I have a total thyroidectomey in 2005, and have been on synthroid and cytomel. I have had to adjust it several times. If you gain weight, you need more thyroid, and if you lose weight less. The dosage of thryoid is prescribed per body weight, and now new studies are suggesting BMI also.



Hope this helps.

My story sounds like yours...I have a real problem with the energy level and exercise has been hard for my to get in a pattern since the surgery. Sex levels....what's that? I am so tired and cannot remember the last time I felt 100%. I haven't had an increase in my levoxyl since I gained the weight have you? What about other medication that boosts the thyroxine? I know there is something based on your T3 and not T4....

I have a total hysterectomy at age 32 and a total thyroidectomy at age 34. I weight 135 pounds at the time of the thyroidectomy and withint three months weight 175 pounds. I have been that weight for the past 12 years. Nothing I do seems to get it off, no diet, no exercise or anything has been able to sway the scale or the inches. I wish I had kept the thyroid - it was the worst decision of my life to allow them to take it. I am only 5'0" and 175 pounds, can't breathe, I ache all the time, and no amount of thyroid medicine has changed anything for me. I has been an uphill battle to any early grave as far as I am concern. :'(

I had my total thyroidectomy last November. I lost a few pounds to start off but since then I have gained about 10 pounds. I am only 4'10 so I can see how this is changing my shape and I am getting so depressed about it. I live in UK and my doctor has reduced my levothyroxine as she said too much can affect your heart rate, I was on 100 to start with and felt fine, she reduced it to 50 and I felt tired, cold and depressed as I could see the weight piling on.
I don't know what to do, I work full time, I am almost afraid to eat anything now, although obviously I do eat....before this total I had a partial in 1982, I could eat what I wanted, and did...no weight gain..I was on thyroxine but lots of days I forgot to take it and still felt ok.
Now, I hate the stuff, I am scared of getting any bigger, I weight 8st 4lbs, sorry, I don't know kilos being from UK, and older..52....haha
I try to walk every day, I walk to work and home again, I walk my dog but I can't seem to lose weight....please guys, if anyone has any idea where to go from here please tell me...I wish I had never had the op but it had grown multi nodular and was choking me so I had no choice..
I was 7st 4lb before my op...which is right for my height. I feel all achy when I have been sitting for a while, my joints are aching and I am so tired...my hair feels like straw and it was lovely before my op, all shiny etc...It sounds vain I know, but being so small in height this weight gain is serious to me. Any ideas guys?

I had total thyroidectomy 2 weeks ago. I'm a little on the small side. No one told me about the weight gain possibility until after my surgery which I had to get due to a small lump which was cancer. The Dr. has been starving my thyroid because I am getting an iodine treatment. I am completely confused about everything the doctor didn't tell me anything about the cancer except that it was not something to worry about. I have no idea what to expect except what I've read online so far I just feel like eating all day so, I guess I'm going to gain weight!

Hi All,

I had a total throidectomy when I was 15 due to cancerous nodes found on my thyroid gland. But I was actually born with a thyroid deficiency which was discovered when I was 2 weeks old....so I had this all my life. However, despite this fact, I was never over 55kg (which was normal for my age and height) until after my surgery. Being 15 at the time of my surgery, I was a reasonable active teenager, had PE twice a week at school plus I was in the military cadets so I was constantly moving and on my feet. I am now 22, and constantly fluctuate between 80 and 90kg. And I have an extremely difficult time losing weight. I was on Lite & Easy for 12 weeks, went to the gym for an hour 4 times a week and I lost 3kg in that time......yes, only 3kg......

As horrible as this all sounds, it is an unavoidable fact. YOU WILL GAIN WEIGHT!!! But keep in mind I have had this condition all my life, others develop it as a result of the lifestyle, age etc, there are many factors that contribute to Hypothyroidism.

I wish I could make it prettier for you, but unfortunately it gonna happen.

i had a total thyroidectomy in nov of last year after being over active for 3 years , i was not informed of the possibility of "WEIGHT GAIN" . since the surgery and only being given 100mc of thyroxine i have gained 8 kilos YES 8 KILOS . i didnt eat any different than before , ive always had a very healthy diet .....now im on 275 of thyroxine and still no change in my weight . the doctors tell me that i didnt gain weight from having the surgery but every one ive chatted to have all gained weight ,,, some more than others ... doctors and surgeons should really explain to people about the "POSSIBILITY OF WEIGHT GAIN" if i was told prior to my surgery i would have thought twice about having it ............DOCTORS PLEASE GIVE PEOPLE THE FACTS BEFORE RUSHING INTO SURGERY .....

Okay, everyone needs to just take a chill pill. I had a total thyroidectomy 8 months ago, and actually have lost 22pounds. Granted most of that weight was from steroids I was on prior to surgery. Anyway, you need to quite panicing. If you stay active and eat right, you have nothing to worry about. You should also monitor your 3rd generation TSH, Free T4, and Free T3 on a regular basis, usually every 3months until your levels are stable. I have been on the same dose of Synthroid since surgery, and feel better now than I did before surgery. The people who gain the weight fail to tell you the whole story of their weight gain. Theoir diets are probally horrible, and they probally are not active like they should be. Yes, post thyroidectomy you have a greater chance of gaining weight, but stay on top of everything and you will do g=fine.

I had a total thryoidectomy, couple of lymph nodes removed, and some muscle in the same region about 8 years ago, thanks to cancer. The first few years were fine, but I have battled with my weight over the last 5 years. I eat well and exercise 3-5 x's a week. The weight is extremely hard to keep off. I need some solid advice. Are there any books or legit medical references our there?

I'm sorry, but this is spoken like someone who has no flippin idea what these people are going through.



Your experience is your experience; however you cannot negate the FACTS and experiences of others just because you are amongst a fortunate handful of patients. If you READ THROUGH these posts, and believe what these people are saying (because lets face it, they don't know you and have no reason to lie to you), you will realize that diet and exercise are not enough for all patients post thyroidectomy. There is a SUBSTANTIAL amount of research published by both practicing/respected physicians and publications like the New England Journal of Medicine that CORROBORATES what these women are saying. That T4 replacement, on its own, for as much as 60% of patients post thyroidectomy is insufficient and leads to weight gain, fatigue, muscle and joint pain and stiffness, mental fog and a whole other host of symptoms including adrenal fatigue.



Feel good that you haven't suffered like these women have. Heck, feel BLESSED! But don't mock them or belittle their plight without walking in their shoes. I've managed to "only" gain 20lbs in the past 5 months post surgery...sad to say ONLY but a twenty pound weight gain is low average! It is NOT because of my eating habits. My fiance snatched the phone from me and completely lost it when he heard me trying to convince my endo's nurse that I was not "cheating" and was being faithful in my exercise regimen. He worries constantly because he SEE's my eating habits and the fact that I am spinning my wheels. He thinks it's utterly ridiculous that so called trained medical professionals deny what their patients are saying. And he's right.



I follow a low glycemic index diet and consume approximately 300 calories LESS per day than what it should take to just MAINTAIN my body weight. I walk a minimum of 45 minutes per day at a brisk pace. I eat no refined sugar and only whole grains and complex carbs in addition to my proteins. Please do not do me or any of the other sufferers here the disservice of ASSuming that we are simply not following protocols and whining. I also am the mother of 3 yr old quadruplets...so please don't tell me I sit on my backside all day eating, because common sense should tell you based on that alone that it simply ain't true.



This is real, it's horrific and it's painful for SO MANY patients. Again, count your blessings and don't judge what you don't know firsthand.



Ladies, please...RESEARCH. SOME weight gain is normal going from hyper to hypO..but the reality is, most of us are being undertreated. Thyroxine replacement IS NOT ENOUGH for the majority of patients and numerous studies show that patients truly do need to be treated with a combination of both T4(levothyroxine) and T3 (common brand name is Cytomel). The problem for most of us is that we do not convert the thyroxine we ingest by pill into T3, which the body needs to metabolize fat and calories. Period.



FIGHT with your doc if need be. If he simply won't listen, then pursue a new one. It's my ongoing struggle and I know I'm not alone. After only 5 months I realize that to leave this alone simply because I'm tired of being shut down everytime I try to EDUCATE (yes, educate an endocrinologist) is only going to end up making me more sick and miserable. Do your own homework because most endocrinologists close their minds to recent findings if they are already established physicians. It's sad but it's true.

Hi everyone,
There's this confusing mixture of symptoms and problems between the thyroid and the adrenals. A lot of weight gain can be due to poor adrenal function. Have a look at this website: and look at some of the links they have there. I found it really, really helpful. By the way, my doctor started me on adrenal therapy about a year before the total thyroidectomy and I'm certainly glad he did!


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I am 28 year old female. I run and work out 5-6 days a week. I have lost around 7 lbs post-op. 5 ft. 7 1/2 inches (was 132 lbs, now 124 lbs). I am concerned about the weigth loss. Is this normal? Will it come back? I am on the low iodine diet right now and can hardly eat anything. My TSH as of last week was .054. I know this is very low. My energy level feels the same as before. I was back running 1 week post-op. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Best to all.

First off.. I had a total thyroidectomy in august of 07 and have been exercising fiercely, have cut out all snacks, and am taking my meds faithfully. I am happy all is well for you however.. don't assume since others are not as fortunate that we are "not telling the entire story". Its been 2 yrs and they are still trying to find the "magic level" for my synthroid. I am hoping once they do that my weight gain will stop and reverse. It has been a rough time just getting the synthroid levels right, let alone trying to function (and I am a very active person) I have managed to slow the weight gain but not stop it. Honestly.. people don't need your condescending remarks as they are already feeling down.