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If I wanted to determine what role, if any, hormones are playing my unceasing weight gain despite eating reasonably well and exercising, exactly what tests would I require as part of my yearly physical/bloodwork from my GP, and then what would I request from a specialist if I decided to consult one? Please be specific.
A full thyroid panel. You don't need an endocrinology consultation for that, just tell your PCP or GP that you'd like it included with your CBCs. Usually they only test TSH and T4, but the same vial of blood can test the free-T3 and free-T4 and whatever other thing they do with a full thyroid panel.
I know about the thyroid panel. But what else? Surely there are other hormones affecting weight, energy, etc.
Here is what I would do, and it would be a good idea to have when you see a doctor.
Write down everything you eat - be accurate, use a scale if need be. Find the calorie count.
Write down your exercise - how long, what intensity, did you get your heart rate up and for how long.
Most important write down all the medication and supplements you take. Medications can be the reason you are not losing any weight. They are the reason I am not. Its a combination of drugs I am on and there was an actually study on the weight gain by combining them.
Chances are if you do not have a referral from your primary doctor you will not get in to see an endocrinologist.
So start with a blood work up with your PC doc. Show them your notes and then go from there.
Measure you body temperature. Use a thermometer. It must be at least 97.8 F minimum. If you have a lower temperature, then you have hypothyroidism.
The symptoms of hypothyroidism can vary from person to person and may include:
Fatigue.
Weight gain.
A puffy face.
Trouble tolerating cold.
Joint and muscle pain.
Constipation.
Dry skin.
Dry, thinning hair.
etc.
What about the influence of estrogen, testosterone, cortisol levels? Seems to me there are more than thyroid hormones that can be measured in a basic blood panel. Maybe I'm not posing this question clearly, or maybe no one knows...
Last edited by otterhere; 12-31-2022 at 10:12 AM..
What about the influence of estrogen, testosterone, cortisol levels? Seems to me there are more than thyroid hormones that can be measured in a basic blood panel. Maybe I'm not posing this question clearly, or maybe no one knows...
You are looking fro reasons that are keeping you from losing weight. And all of what you just listed of course are going to effect you. But they may not be controllable. I missed how old you are, but as we age it becomes increasingly harder to lose weight.
Look to yourself first to see if you are burning more calories than you take in. An honest diary of all food eaten for a week. This also helps with identifying trigger foods, empty calories, etc...
I did it when the weight was not coming off even though I kept myself under 1500 a day and exercised with increased heart rate for 30 to 45 minutes 4 to 5 days a week, (Peloton).
I thought I was losing my mind when my husband, dieting along with me lost 6 pounds in 3 weeks and I lost 1//2 pound in the same amount of time. Something was off, but I knew because of my food diary it wasn't me.
Turns out it was my medication which I cannot go off of - ever. Talk about a punch to the gut.
Before you can come up with the culprit you have to do an honest inventory on yourself.
What about the influence of estrogen, testosterone, cortisol levels? Seems to me there are more than thyroid hormones that can be measured in a basic blood panel. Maybe I'm not posing this question clearly, or maybe no one knows...
All of those things can contribute to or cause weight gain. But in medicine, there's a rule: "when you hear hoofbeats, think horses not zebras."
That means - rule out the obvious first. The most obvious, AND the most common - is a thyroid issue. If thyroid is the problem, there's no need to search elsewhere.
If it's not the problem, then you test for other things.
Start with the thyroid panel. Let the doctor decide if there's anything further to do, once the results of that come back.
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