Short background. My entire life - it is very easy to gain weight very difficult to lose weight. My current daily intake is 1,500 to 1,700 calories per day and I am constantly at a calorie deficit at the end of the day. I have a spreadsheet of daily foods that I eat to assure correct calories. About a year ago I became a patient at
Defy. My reverse t3 was above 20. Titrated to up to 50 mcg of cytomel and now it is at 5.5. Some people begin to lose weight when reverse t3 is below 15. That was not the case for me.
I have also had several phone consultations with Janie Bowthorpe. She is the author of "Stop the Thyroid Madness" (Updated Revised edition in 2019) Janie is a wealth of knowledge. While she is not an MD she has studied and worked with thousands of patients thyroid issues and has provided great insight. Many providers look at lab results and if the results are within the "range" they say it is okay. Janie dissects those wide ranges and suggests were the results should be located. My cortisol levels were very low a year ago and I just had them tested again and waiting on the results. My issue could be due to high stress which have resulted in lowering cortisol levels. Factors - lifting weights reduces cortisol levels, I am type A++ personality, and naturally an over thinker. All factors that can reduce cortisol levels.