Is it hypothyroidism?

Hirri

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Oct 14, 2020
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Hi, after reading another thread about estrogen dominance and cellulite I was convinced that maybe I have hypothyroidism but I am not sure. My history is quite complicated but I am really looking for someone to make sense of it because all doctors say everything is fine.
Some history facts:
-I was on birth contril pill (estradiol+progestin) for 15 years (since 18 till 33, I am now 37)
-I was on calorie restriction and running a lot (long distances, preparing for half marathons etc 5 days of 7 per week) from age 29 to 34
-My body weight and body fat was extremely low during intense running years (BMI 18, body weight 12-14%)
-However, I was never limiting carbs because I used to crave them like crazy, I ate 2300-2500 calories (which was not enough with so much running) but mostly carbs (not healthy carbs, lots of refined sugar and wheat products)
-After quiting birth control pills I was diagnosed with low progesterone due to no period for a year. However, since I was underweight I also see this as a bit of female thriade situation, Period was restroded succesfuly after 1 month course of progesterone. Other symptoms that were happening after quiting the pill was acne, extreme hairloss, digestive issues, which all disappeared after course of progesterone.
-with restored normal mentrual cycle I also stopped running so much, gradualy lowered to only 3 short runs a day to enjoy being outside. I also gained weight to a normal (BMI now 23, body fat around 23%) and developed bad cellulite (however, I must note here that I have vein varicosis too)
-I used to be very cold all the time during my low weight phases but now I am never cold, in fact I am always hot even though my body temp is aroungd 36.4 all the time.
-My average heart rate was always around 75 (I remember during my running years one sports doctor said it was high for this athletic person.. all runners I knew had it very very low, but not me)
-I used to consume quite a lot fo alcohol for years to reduce stress (wine every evening). Quit totaly also at age 33.

Now at 37 I am stuck at this weird feeling. On one hand I feel that I might have psychological issues (history of mild eating disorder for sure) because I have always been quite anxious and melancholic person, even as a kid. I also think I have seasonal affective disorder because winters are very hard for me. This year with pandemic especially. It seems that during winter my body shuts down. I gain weight, I am very anxious, I sleep worse, I am depressed, I have bad cellulite, migraines, I have very drasticcaly varrying moods throughout the mentsrual cycle (one day I can cry over nothing, next day I am happy about nothing). But lately I have been wondering that maybe it's hypothyroidism after all? Is it possible that it's only in winter? I seems that something swithes in winter time and I have all those symptoms which are gone once summer comes (well almost gone). Maybe it's the stress that I feel during winter because I just hate it so much?
Now I eat 3000 calories a day, not entirely peating but trying to (cannot ditch wheat and refined sugar, in winter it's all I crave, also chocolate. But I eat meats, we make broth every week and soup of it, lots of cheese and butter, no PUFAs, but also no fruit, except bananas, just cannot make myself eat them..). I have very good appetite but it's also emotional in winter, so I am confused. Very often I'd choose cake for dinner instead of soemthing meaty.
I feel that I have sleep anxiety (also since childhood), but in general I sleep well (8 hours almost always with 1-2 wakenings at night for peeing). I feel that sleep issues are more psychological, I jjust cannot seem to be able to relax easily.
I have a lot energy just bored very easily.

Some lab tests I had done a few months ago (after I convinced endocrynologist that something is off she made these):
(TTH, TSH) is 2.92 mIU/L
Prolactin 574,7 mIU/L (which converts to 27 if I am not mistaken). It was done on a very bad day though, in the morning before tests I had computer issues and could not log in to work.
Active prolactin in % is 91.77%
Estradiol is 311.4
Progesteron on 21st day of the cycle was 43.8 nmol/L
Ferritin μg/L 35
Vitamin D 59 nnmol/l

In general I am mostly lost because I am not sure if my mental state which this winter is really bad (due to very cold one and also the pandemic restrictions) affects my health overall or something physical affects my mental state.
I also feel that when I was on birth control pill in general I felt better but I don't know about that anymore.

Sorry very messy post, I hope there will be someone not too lazy to read all of this. Thanks a lot.
 

Peatful

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Yes. It’s hypothyroidism.
Your labs are telling as well as your hx.

Low thyroid equals high cortisol.
High cortisol drains your adrenals to be able to make progesterone to offset your estrogen.

Its not psychological. Its not. Like- dont ever consider that again.

lastly- I encourage two things for you.
1-Be prudent with what you read on this forum. My advice included.
If you have not done so already pkease go to ray peat dot com and read his articles.
2- for me to heal. I needed to eat the cake- figuratively and literally.
 
OP
Hirri

Hirri

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Oct 14, 2020
Messages
109
Yes. It’s hypothyroidism.
Your labs are telling as well as your hx.

Low thyroid equals high cortisol.
High cortisol drains your adrenals to be able to make progesterone to offset your estrogen.

Its not psychological. Its not. Like- dont ever consider that again.

lastly- I encourage two things for you.
1-Be prudent with what you read on this forum. My advice included.
If you have not done so already pkease go to ray peat dot com and read his articles.
2- for me to heal. I needed to eat the cake- figuratively and literally.

Thanks. I tried to limit stuff like cakes for a while and I think then my anxiety got worse. But I thought that even following peat diet so much refined sugar and cakes and cookies is not good for me (I watch out for any PUFA ingredients, but I eat a lot of buttery bakeries) and I should focus on fruit, but I just never seem to want any of them.
 

Peatful

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Thanks. I tried to limit stuff like cakes for a while and I think then my anxiety got worse. But I thought that even following peat diet so much refined sugar and cakes and cookies is not good for me (I watch out for any PUFA ingredients, but I eat a lot of buttery bakeries) and I should focus on fruit, but I just never seem to want any of them.
You are very intuitive.
keep listening to your body.
don’t overthink it.
and stay away from traditional medical dogma and even alternative medicine dogma.
your body is smart and wants to heal.

your body is smart and wants to heal.
Best to you.
 
OP
Hirri

Hirri

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Joined
Oct 14, 2020
Messages
109
You are very intuitive.
keep listening to your body.
don’t overthink it.
and stay away from traditional medical dogma and even alternative medicine dogma.
your body is smart and wants to heal.

your body is smart and wants to heal.
Best to you.
I am trying to. And god no medical dogma. Endocrinologist that I was seeing said that it's a normal state for a woman and suggested going back on birth control pill to feel better.
I just wish listening to my body was not interrupted by all the social and medical stuff I know from before, like too much refined sugar is bad for mental health or that I need to be ar a certain fitness level and body weight to be healthy.
 

Vins7

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Feb 23, 2020
Messages
900
You are very intuitive.
keep listening to your body.
don’t overthink it.
and stay away from traditional medical dogma and even alternative medicine dogma.
your body is smart and wants to heal.

your body is smart and wants to heal.
Best to you.
So, if someone craves bread, pastores and sugar most of time, should he eat all these things? Avoiding pufas of course.
 

Peatful

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So, if someone craves bread, pastores and sugar most of time, should he eat all these things? Avoiding pufas of course.
For me- I had too.
I tried for over two++ years to heal eating clean.
I was very underfed. Malnourished. Over stressed.
and I couldn’t heal eating clean

I needed dense calorie laden easy to digest foods.
mind you- I tried to eat 40/30/30 macros to balance my blood sugar.
Eating clean i simply couldn’t get enough calories that I could digest.

I had to go into a refeeding season.
Just a season- about a year.

does that make sense?

watching the superbowl
Lmk if you need clarity

i have been heavily questioned and folks critical of this approach-
But no amount of “safe” foods nor supplements were even inching me toward healing.
I guess stephanie buttermore has made it more famous and calling it going All In.
I no longer need to eat like that- nor do I need any supplements.
 
OP
Hirri

Hirri

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For me- I had too.
I tried for over two++ years to heal eating clean.
I was very underfed. Malnourished. Over stressed.
and I couldn’t heal eating clean

I needed dense calorie laden easy to digest foods.
mind you- I tried to eat 40/30/30 macros to balance my blood sugar.
Eating clean i simply couldn’t get enough calories that I could digest.

I had to go into a refeeding season.
Just a season- about a year.

does that make sense?

watching the superbowl
Lmk if you need clarity

i have been heavily questioned and folks critical of this approach-
But no amount of “safe” foods nor supplements were even inching me toward healing.
I guess stephanie buttermore has made it more famous and calling it going All In.
I no longer need to eat like that- nor do I need any supplements.

Yeah, I agree. Especially right after I started "refeeding". But now it's been almost 3 years and I not much have changed. Maybe I crave less pastures, but not less sugar. So maybe it's also something else. In summer my weight and cravings naturally go down, they are this intense only in winter. Especially this winter because we have extreme colds and also are stuck at home due to pandemic.
Btw, I used to watch Stephanie Buttermore, she mostly talked about hunger, or maybe I missed other issues that she mentioned.
 

Peatful

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Yeah, I agree. Especially right after I started "refeeding". But now it's been almost 3 years and I not much have changed. Maybe I crave less pastures, but not less sugar. So maybe it's also something else. In summer my weight and cravings naturally go down, they are this intense only in winter. Especially this winter because we have extreme colds and also are stuck at home due to pandemic.
Btw, I used to watch Stephanie Buttermore, she mostly talked about hunger, or maybe I missed other issues that she mentioned.
For you then- I would assume you’re in a stressed state with high cortisol.

I referenced Stephanie because she is prominent on YouTube for her All In refeeding journey- using “not whole” foods.
She stated she personally had (and she is late 20’s) no period, extreme hunger, moodiness, anxiety, cold all the time, fatigue- and she was clearly malnourished to me.
 
OP
Hirri

Hirri

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Joined
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Messages
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For you then- I would assume you’re in a stressed state with high cortisol.

I referenced Stephanie because she is prominent on YouTube for her All In refeeding journey- using “not whole” foods.
She stated she personally had (and she is late 20’s) no period, extreme hunger, moodiness, anxiety, cold all the time, fatigue- and she was clearly malnourished to me.
Is it possible to have high cortisol only because I honestly hate winter and the way pandemic in my country is handled and because I am pretty much negative person in general since I was a kid and have a lot of anger towards the world and other people? and on top of that I occasionally limit my calories to be a litle bit leaner than I normaly am (but within normal ranges) and sometimes run more often than I should?
 

Peatful

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Yes to all three.
 

Vins7

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Messages
900
For me- I had too.
I tried for over two++ years to heal eating clean.
I was very underfed. Malnourished. Over stressed.
and I couldn’t heal eating clean

I needed dense calorie laden easy to digest foods.
mind you- I tried to eat 40/30/30 macros to balance my blood sugar.
Eating clean i simply couldn’t get enough calories that I could digest.

I had to go into a refeeding season.
Just a season- about a year.

does that make sense?

watching the superbowl
Lmk if you need clarity

i have been heavily questioned and folks critical of this approach-
But no amount of “safe” foods nor supplements were even inching me toward healing.
I guess stephanie buttermore has made it more famous and calling it going All In.
I no longer need to eat like that- nor do I need any supplements.
Really inspiring, thanks for sharing It.

Were you in a low weight? Did you gain a lot of weight after the feedback season?
 

Peatful

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Dec 8, 2016
Messages
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Damn I need to be more opne to the goodness then. Thanks a lot! You really helped.
I appreciate the feedback. Thank you

One last note: I have two sick bitter people in our extended family- both of them deal with perfectionism and unforgiveness.
Just a thought. May not apply to you at all.

Good luck on your wellness journey.
 

Peatful

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Really inspiring, thanks for sharing It.

Were you in a low weight? Did you gain a lot of weight after the feedback season?
“Inspiring“ now maybe. But I was so lost and confused. (Read how the men of the Minnesota Starvation Experiment acted. Super interesting).
but thx for the kindness.

yes. I was very low in weight. People, friends and family, would comment on my low weight and their concerns- but I was blind.
My main regret was my miscarriages as well as other secondary issues.

I gained a lot of weight. But- I started to live again. I felt good on the inside. In every way.
I was messed up in my head from the outward appearance (I looked fine btw)- but that was my sickness talking.

my weight has leveled off. Im one year fully out.
is my health perfect?
No.
but I would say im in excellent health again- maybe for the first time ever.
but its quite a journey.....
 
OP
Hirri

Hirri

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Messages
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“Inspiring“ now maybe. But I was so lost and confused. (Read how the men of the Minnesota Starvation Experiment acted. Super interesting).
but thx for the kindness.

yes. I was very low in weight. People, friends and family, would comment on my low weight and their concerns- but I was blind.
My main regret was my miscarriages as well as other secondary issues.

I gained a lot of weight. But- I started to live again. I felt good on the inside. In every way.
I was messed up in my head from the outward appearance (I looked fine btw)- but that was my sickness talking.

my weight has leveled off. Im one year fully out.
is my health perfect?
No.
but I would say im in excellent health again- maybe for the first time ever.
but its quite a journey.....

I can really relate to that. It is indeed inspiring.
 

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