Abnormal Thyroid

Okay, so for the past like 2 1/2 months, I've been eating the right amount of calories, 1500.  But I developed what I though was swollen glands and it turned out through blood test, that I have abnormal thyroid levels, but I still need to go to a doctor to find out what and how.  Maybe it was for undereating. The doctor said that that could be the reason I lost weight so fast, but my mother thinks I caused it by drastically eating too little calories. Anyway's my mom keeps telling me to eat red meat.  Does that help?  Anyone have similiar issues.  I feel desperate! :(

Bump.

Oh, and my doctor said my levels are high.  What's that mean?

Hi, I've gotabnormal thyroid levels too. However mine's underactive.

If your levels are high it means your thyroid is producing too much hormone and so it messes up your body functions. So that can def. be a reason why you have lost weight, because it changes your metabolism. In your case it speeds it up - in my case the opposite.

I don't know your stats or how much you exercise, but "normally" 1500 calories is not too low. But it all depends on how much you exercise and so on.

I don't eat red meat either, haven't for many many years. You don't have to eat red meat to be healthy, however you need to make sure that you get all your protein and nutrients from other sources.

You should go back and see your doctor, have them explain everything to you. You might need medication to get your thyroid production to a normal level.

This post was maybe not that helpful but at least you know you are not alone in having an abnormal thyroid :D

It could easily be a combination of the two.... back in July when you posted this..  http://caloriecount.about.com/all-teens-ft144 056... you were a very slim, healthy weight but you were on a crash diet of 1100-1200.  If you've gone to 1500 since that's still a very, very low intake (weight-loss intake) for a teenager and, given that you do exercise twice a week, you're actually not sedentary.

So your body could be under stress because of malnutrition quite easily.  And then if you have an overactive thyroid on top that will compound the effect.

A 'normal' amount for someone your age and size is around 2000-2200 cals a day.  'Sedentary' would be defined as you simply roll out of bed onto a sofa each day and roll back in the evening.  If you do any more than that you are not sedentary.  So check out your stats and a 'light' level of activity with this chart... http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/bodycomp/bmiz2.html   Eat the right amount of food according to the 'Daily Energy Requirement' .  (Listen to your mum, in other words... she's an intelligent woman)

When you see your doctor next time, be honest with them.  Admit that you've been on a very low calorie intake.  Thyroid levels vary greatly and what is normal for one person can easily be abnormal for another. Doesn't mean you're sick, necessarily. Doesn't mean you need medication, necessarily.  But unless your doctor knows the truth.. ie. that you've been undereating for a long time, they are likely to form the wrong conclusion and give you an incorrect diagnosis.

zobiria - Well, I was really incorrect with my thread.  I thought my thyroid levels were too high, but it's my antibodies.  They are like in the 1000's.  I got confused with the TSH.  However I still need to see an endo.  Hopefully all is well.

I've been eating healthy again. Yesterday I got enough protein...lean protein, from soy, salmon and eggs.  So I guesss I'm doing ok.

Anyways, I will be updating about my progress.  My dad has hypothyroids so the doctor said it could be genetically.  I catch everything bad from my family.  I have to get surgery soon too for another reason.

 Thanks again for responding though!

Original Post by gi-jane:

It could easily be a combination of the two.... back in July when you posted this..  http://caloriecount.about.com/all-teens-ft144 056... you were a very slim, healthy weight but you were on a crash diet of 1100-1200.  If you've gone to 1500 since that's still a very, very low intake (weight-loss intake) for a teenager and, given that you do exercise twice a week, you're actually not sedentary.

So your body could be under stress because of malnutrition quite easily.  And then if you have an overactive thyroid on top that will compound the effect.

A 'normal' amount for someone your age and size is around 2000-2200 cals a day.  'Sedentary' would be defined as you simply roll out of bed onto a sofa each day and roll back in the evening.  If you do any more than that you are not sedentary.  So check out your stats and a 'light' level of activity with this chart... http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/bodycomp/bmiz2.html   Eat the right amount of food according to the 'Daily Energy Requirement' .  (Listen to your mum, in other words... she's an intelligent woman)

When you see your doctor next time, be honest with them.  Admit that you've been on a very low calorie intake.  Thyroid levels vary greatly and what is normal for one person can easily be abnormal for another. Doesn't mean you're sick, necessarily. Doesn't mean you need medication, necessarily.  But unless your doctor knows the truth.. ie. that you've been undereating for a long time, they are likely to form the wrong conclusion and give you an incorrect diagnosis.

 Gi-Jane, thanks so much for responding.  I honestly feel alone through this ordeal.  The thing is it's going to be hard to tell the doctor the truth.  No one know what I've been going through, how much I've been eating.  It's just embarrasing and I feel pathetic.  I haven't done exercise in a long time.  But I still lost some weight with 1500 calories.  I'm now 116 at about 5'4", but suppose to be 5'7 due to curvature of spine.  I'm eating my 1500, but this weekend I ate a little over 2000, two days in a row, and I experience heart palpitations and intense heat and hunger doing so.  I'm not sure why. :/

The calculator says I need 1720 inactive..... but if I eat over 1500, I get those weird symptoms.

Like I told zobiria, I mistook what the doctor said.  She said the antibodies were in the 1000's, so I don't know if thats hypo or hyper or whatever, but that's high.  Anyways I have to go see an endo.  I'll be sure to update though, let you know what's happening in this weird body of mine.  I regret so much undereating.  I wish I never did undereat.

But thanks again so much for your help and advice!