Until you have a complete blood work up for Hypothyroidism, a complete work up for Adrenal function and a complete hormone level check.

If your doctor fails to preform these not so basic tests, he or she could be selling you a surgery you do not need. Or a surgery that will not give you results like you expect.

You need to be sure your labs include Free T4 and Free T3, Cortisol levels via saliva or urine, and hormone levels. Too much estrogen will keep weight on you as well.

Look into Liver Detox, the best plan for weight loss will not work if your liver is not functioning properly.

I found out I was hypothryoid. I dropped 18 lbs on medication in the first 2 months. I've slowed down to a hault. But that is the plight of hypo patients and no amount of intake restriction is going to resolve the weight gain issues of a hypothryoid person. I'm still reading, but thus far it's a no. I'm waiting for my 6 mo mark on meds to have my levels drawn, then I might get an increase in medication and drop more.

At the same time I was going through my journey to dx. My bf went in for LB surgery. She lost some weight during the pre-op and 2 wk post-op and then stopped. She stopped while still on a liquid and soft diet! She has had another fill and still no more weight loss. She is in debt, depressed, and still just as fat as she was in September.

She did not get the lab work ups she should have had IMO. She was sold up the river that a surgery was the answer to her problems. She still suffers from depression which is a major sign of hypothryoidism in additon to low energy and lack of weight loss.

Just don't get sold up the river is all I'm saying. You have to be your own advocate for better health. Be sure you find out if you have underlying causes. Doctors usually only run the TSH thyroid test and for millions it will come back fine when in fact the main hormone tellers T3 and T4 are not fine and have not been checked. I spent almost a year finding a doctor to actually run the right tests and then he was so shocked I spent another 3 months going to another doctor who was a jack a$$ and back again to my doc.

The JA would not run the thyroid antibody tests, the cortisol and adrenal tests, the hormone tests, nothing total waste of my time and money. All he saw was a fat woman w a normal TSH test, he ignorned my super low T4 and T3 levels.

There is a stigma against fat -- I'm fat only b/c I over indulge or am lazy. I'm not lazy, I'm not an over indulger. And docs can't get their heads around it. I was told a doc automatically triples what a fat person tells them they eat and subtracts 3X what a fat person tells them they exercise. I'm shot down just by walking in the freakin door!

Just don't get sold up the river like my bf. I feel for her, I really do. I so want her to go to a doctor and insist on the right tests.

Your right - surgery should be the last resort. Before entering into ANY surgery you should research and make sure there is no medical conditions.

Lap band is for overeaters, like me. Someone who has lost weight before and I gain it back - over and over and over. So, Lap Band surgery has been my answer and I love it and have no regrets.

My cousin on the other hand, she had the thyroid problem, she opted for RNY instead, well, she has not lost a pound in 8 months now, yes she lost in the beginning, 60 or 70 lbs, but then it stopped. I actually have lost more than she has with my band. I feel sorry for her.

Anyhow, your post is informative, however, its not a waste to money for all.

PS - I believe there are others on here that have thyroid problems and have lost - despite that, but I will let them post their own experience.

I don't know how most people are, but I have been overweight my whole life, so I had all these tests prior to even considering surgery. I think a lot of docs if you're overweight and trying diets, etc.. they test those things routinely. My thryroid has been checked every few years since I was a kid.

7 Maybe this is one of the reasons most docs/insurance companies recommend/require a diet history, or supervised diet for six months pre-surgery?

But, on the same token..I think most of us know whether or not we need a band or bypass due to the fact that we eat poorly and don't exercise. It sounds like in your case, those are not the factors at all. It is too bad your MD didn't do some checking long ago.

I only became overweight after my first child. Lost w WW over 2 years and then gained in a 2nd pregnancy and have struggled ever since despite WW success in the past.

I work out daily at the gym, aerobics, weights, and yoga alternating. If I don't make it to the gym I work out at home.

I eat a whole foods organic diet. I don't eat refined and processed products in general. My kids are all in the 10% and tall. I'm tall.

I was unknowningly hot in HS at 5'8" and 135lbs -- I thought I was big, compared to my Latin female friends my size 9 was big.

Now I'm 225plus pounds, I waiver 5lbs on my home scale almost daily. My doctor's scale I gained from Oct to Nov 2lbs 224 to 226.

Lap Band for me is definitely not the solution. I don't have an intake problem, if anything I don't probably eat enough, but if I eat more I gain weight.

Something is wrong with me on a hormonal or metabolic level and I'll have to figure it out myself.

My doc told me to do Arbonne Figure 8 -- Not happening! Too sweet to tolerate those shakes and the stevia after taste is horrid. I should have never signed up to get the discount until I tasted those shakes. I've been doing a shake for a meal for years and NO doctor believes me when I say what I do eat!!!

It's that damn fat stigma... I say I eat 1500, they automatically think 4500cals!!! I say I work out 5 days a week, that means to them I might work out 1 or none.

I even brought photos of me before kids and after each one to show the a pattern. It didn't help me get help.

I worked in a Primary CAre office and we routinely did the T3 T4 plus the Tsh for female patients for annual bloodwork for physicals.

We also routinely did B12 tests for male and female and were surprised how many came up low and needed monthly injections to get their levels up. I was one of the low B 12 people. I am suspicious their is a correlation between low B12 and reflux or heartburn, which I had. Now that my hernia is fixed and the reflux has stopped, My next few blood work tests will determine if their was a correlation or not. What a joy it would be to stop my monthly B-12 injections!

Gamboagirl,

Have you seen a nutritionist? Journal your food intake including measurements/weights of your intake and journal your exercise, both for 2 weeks and bring it with you.

I found out I was hypothryoid. I dropped 18 lbs on medication in the first 2 months. I've slowed down to a hault. But that is the plight of hypo patients and no amount of intake restriction is going to resolve the weight gain issues of a hypothryoid person.

That's not necessarily true. I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (my body is trying to kill my thyroid, basically) and I had no problems losing weight.

I think one mistake thyroid patients make is an assumption that the weight will just come off with meds. Even though it came on much easier than it should have, when we start taking meds that just evens things out, we still have to BURN the fat that was gained so easily. May not be fair but it's true.

When your labs are fine, it isn't thyroid anymore. Then it's a matter of fat needs to be burned and we can't always use thyroid as an excuse.

Well, being treat for my thyroid by a gyn isn't exactly the best care. He won't be doing any level tests until next week, 6 mo from the start of meds. I think most ppl on meds get checked and fine tuned sooner from what i read on thyroid forums. but I'll take what i can get. The double whammy w thyroid is energy gone for so long and thus far even on meds, my energy is not back.

Don't get me started on nutritionist, I know more about nutrition than any stupid nutritionist I've ever seen. How about a Celiac herself telling me not to bother w foods over 3 ingredients long! Yeah, that is livable -- not. And certainly not for a child who can have many things like his friends, if you can read a label and call a company. I guess the idea that someone is smart enough to do that was beyond her scope of practice. I feel sorry for those who buy into her no more than 3 ingredient Celiac GF living philosophy.

I just think it is sad that these LapBand docs are holding seminars with "financing" companies telling vunerable women they need this surgery before doing the proper testing. This is how my friend got sold up the river via a seminar! She didn't even try for insurance coverage.

Estrogen dominance can cause weight to not come off as easily as one might expect.

Bottom line there is not a "easy" solution no matter what you do and my df has learned the hard way -- ie family finances a wreck and kids going without Christmas b/c she had to have this surgery.

I have hashimotos thyroiditis (autoimmune disease where the antibodies kill the thyroid) and I'm losing weight with my band. Appreciate the band as there are millions of other obese people without the privilege of using it.

ETA: somebody flamed me so I'm toning it down a bit.

Roberta nicely said I happen to agree I have no thyroid problem but the tone and gist of the op is don't have the surgery. Well in 5 months I have lost 60 lbs, 20 pre-op and 40 post op. You have to do the work, the band is just a tool to help you while you are ding the work.

I have hypothyroidism. ALL of my doctors recommended the surgery and were very familiar with my condition. My OB/GYN recommended it, My family doctor recommended it, my rhuemetologist recommended it, my cardiologist recommended it. How can I argue with that? I've had every test known to man, and they still recommended it. I'm only 8 weeks out, but I've already lost 26 pounds and I haven't been able to do that for YEARS!!!!

My husband has been hypothyroid and on medication for the past 30 years. He got his band in October and is down 45 lb. He would be the last to say the band doesn't work.

Oh GIVE ME A BREAK!

I have absolutely ZERO sympathy.

It sounds to me that she is choosing to blame her thyroid, when in fact the problem is her overeating, poor food choices, possible lack of activity, despite her having a powerful tool inside of her. She probably doesn't have enough restriction as well! And if she's depressed and on meds they frequently cause an increase in appetite.

She should put on her big girl panties and start taking action. Nobody else is going to do this job for her. If she sits around waiting for some thyroid med to magically make her lose all the weight, sorry but it isn't going to happen!!!

She has a powerful tool inside of her that she just needs to have 'calibrated' in order to assist her weight loss. She has an advantage over MILLIONS of obese people, and she isn't even using it!

I have hashimotos thyroiditis (autoimmune disease where the antibodies kill the thyroid) and I'm losing weight with my band. When I was first diagnosed I read many a board and website of people whining about being fat because of their "thyroids", advising people to get numerous tests done, go to another physician if the first one won't do the additional tests, take all these supplements, armour thyroid, bla bla bla. It's unbelievable. I had the same mindset for months.

If I wasn't losing weight then that would mean I was messing up somehow. I lost weight before on WW with very limited thyroid function.

You are doing MANY a huge disservice by posting this placing the blame on obesity solely on thyroid problems.

well put !!!

Roberta, I find it amazing to see how willing you are to leap into threads for other people and attack, and yet turn around and ask for sympathy and support when YOU are feeling down. Have you asked your doctor for help in these extreme mood swings?