I WISH I KNEW THIS BEFORE I HAD MY THYROID REMOVED.
If you have thyroid disease, have had your thyroid removed, or a doctor is recommending radioactive iodine or thyroid removal, listen up.
Because they make it sound SO easy.
“We’ll take out your thyroid. You’ll take a pill. You’ll be fine.”
Except… that’s not exactly how it went for me.
#1 — Your thyroid affects MUCH more than your thyroid hormones.
I had no idea removing my thyroid could drastically affect my progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone.
My testosterone was literally “no value.”
And I only found that out because I had to beg my doctor to run the labs.
I wasn’t getting better after surgery.
I was getting worse.
I was gaining weight. I couldn’t build muscle like I should. My energy, mood, and drive were all changing.
And I eventually realized: this wasn’t just about my thyroid anymore.
The hormone shifts I was experiencing were affecting my body composition, metabolism, and even where I was storing fat. And if you've struggled with hypothyroidism or a thyroid condition, you may know exactly what I'm talking about.
It's not just:
“I gained weight.”
It's:
Why is this suddenly sitting on my lower belly?
Why do I have love handles I never had before?
Why is my back changing?
Why can I exercise and eat well and STILL not move this stubborn fat?
I started learning about how different areas of body fat have different receptor profiles. Some of those stubborn areas have a higher ratio of alpha-2 adrenergic receptors, which can act more like a brake on fat mobilization, compared with beta receptors that help stimulate it. That explained a lot.
So I started experimenting. I tried DHEA and pregnenolone, along with other strategies to support testosterone naturally. And eventually, I did get my testosterone into what was considered a “normal” range.
But here's what was so frustrating:
I didn't feel any different. My symptoms hadn't changed.
And the DHEA and pregnenolone actually gave me cystic acne.
That was another huge lesson for me: a “normal” number doesn't automatically mean you've fixed the problem.
I also experimented with T2, both as a cream and in capsule form, because it's something I've heard recommended by functional medicine endocrinologists for people without a thyroid.
Except it didn't work for me. In fact, I gained about 10 pounds.
And eventually, my labs showed me in what would be considered a hyperthyroid range, even though I didn't feel hyperthyroid at all. I was convinced the T2 was the problem, so I stopped it.
But then I started questioning something else:
When were those labs being drawn?
My original labs had been done first thing in the morning, fasted, right after taking my thyroid medication.
So we repeated them later in the day, after I'd eaten and with more time since taking my medication. And... SHOCKER. My numbers were back in a range my doctor was comfortable with.
That experience completely changed the way I looked at thyroid labs. Because context matters. Timing matters. And your symptoms matter.
I also tried things like fasted cardio, heat and sauna to see whether changing blood flow and the hormonal environment around exercise would make a difference for me.
And one of the things I personally found helpful was yohimbine, an alpha-2 adrenergic receptor antagonist. Not because I think everyone should take it - there's a BIG difference.
I'm sharing what I tried, what I didn't try, what helped me and what didn't... because that became one of the biggest lessons of this entire journey:
Just because something works for someone else doesn't mean it's going to work for you.
For a long time, I thought I just needed to work harder.
So I did MORE cardio.
More HIIT.
More intense workouts.
And I didn't realize that constantly pushing an already stressed body could actually be working against me.
Intense exercise is a stressor, and when you're repeatedly pushing hard without adequate recovery, especially while not sleeping enough, you're increasing the demand on stress systems that involve cortisol and adrenaline.
And that was a huge lightbulb moment for me:
I was doing more of the very thing I thought would burn belly fat… while potentially creating a hormonal environment that made body composition harder to change.
Then I learned about sleep. I used to pride myself on being able to function on very little sleep. I don't anymore.
So I changed my workouts. Less punishing cardio. More walking. More yoga. More barre and Pilates-style strength work. More recovery.
And I started paying much more attention to nutrition, hormone metabolism and liver function, including eating more cruciferous vegetables and incorporating liver-supportive herbs.
I even started looking beyond food and exercise. I began paying attention to what I was putting on my skin and wearing against my body all day. Synthetic fabrics can shed microfibers and may contain chemicals such as PFAS, which have been associated with endocrine and hormone disruption along with reproductive effects.
And then I learned something else that completely changed how I looked at my lower belly:
Sometimes what looks like stubborn fat isn't entirely fat.
Anterior pelvic tilt (ANT) is when the pelvis rotates forward, often alongside tight hip flexors and weaker glutes/core and can change the way the abdomen projects outward and contribute to the appearance of a lower-belly bulge. And there are exercises you can do fronm home to correct this!
I could have decided my body was broken.
I could have decided, “Well, this is just what happens as you get older.”
Instead, I kept digging.
I tried things.
Some didn't work.
Some made things worse.
Some worked for me.
And that's really the point I want you to take from my story:
Don't assume your body is broken just because the thing that worked for everyone else didn't work for you.
There are so many variables involved in health and body composition.
Sometimes you have to keep pulling the thread until you find what your body actually responds to.
That's what I was determined to do.
#2 — Synthroid is NOT the same thing as having a thyroid.
Most people are put on T4/Synthroid after thyroid removal. And for some people, that works beautifully. But I learned that T4 isn't the only hormone your thyroid produces.
Your thyroid naturally produces T4, T3, T2 and other thyroid-related compounds. So replacing your thyroid with a medication that primarily provides T4 isn't the same thing as replacing everything your thyroid was doing.
It took me 5–6 YEARS to finally get my doctor to switch me to desiccated thyroid.
Before that, I even tried thyroid glandulars. I know a lot of people feel fantastic on glandular products. I wasn't phased.
What finally moved the needle was switching my thyroid prescription to desiccated thyroid, which is derived from pig thyroid tissue and naturally contains both T4, T3 and other compounds found in the thyroid (pigs are roughly 90% genetically similar to humans). And for me, that made a noticeable difference.
But there's another side to this that I think is important to acknowledge.
I talk a LOT about pigs, parasites and toxins, and pigs aren't exactly known for being the cleanest animals from a toxin or parasite perspective. So while I personally responded better to desiccated thyroid, I'm not going to pretend there aren't other considerations that come with using an animal-derived product. And, of course, now the FDA wants to take these more natural options off the table.
I also use iodine and make sure I'm getting selenium, usually through a Brazil nut or two a day.
And this is another reason I don't believe in one-size-fits-all thyroid protocols.
Some people feel amazing on T4 alone. Some don't. Some respond well to desiccated thyroid. Some don't. Some do well with glandulars. Some don't.
Your body gets to be the experiment.
And my job became figuring out what my body actually responded to... rather than assuming that because something is considered the standard treatment, it must be the complete answer for everyone.
#3 — Your liver matters. A LOT.
I learned that your liver plays a major role in clearing excess estrogen.
And we live in a world where we’re exposed to phytoestrogens, microplastics, chemicals and endocrine disruptors constantly.
I tried different things to support estrogen clearance. DIM did NOT work for me.
Glutathione did.
Castor oil packs helped me too.
But the bigger lesson was this:
You can't just look at one hormone. You have to look at the whole system.
#4 — Your bloodwork doesn't tell the whole story.
If you're trying to understand what’s actually happening, don’t just look at TSH or T4.
I wanted to see:
Free T3
Reverse T3
Free + Total Testosterone
Progesterone
SHBG
Because what’s happening in your blood isn't necessarily the same as what’s happening in your tissues.
And testosterone was a perfect example for me. I had worked to get my testosterone into a “normal” range, but I didn't feel any different.
That made me realize that looking at one number doesn't necessarily tell you how much hormone is actually available to your tissues or how effectively your body is using that hormone.
And then there was my thyroid medication.
My labs once came back looking hyperthyroid, even though I had absolutely none of the symptoms I associated with being hyperthyroid.
At first, I blamed the T2. But when we changed the timing of the blood draw, the picture changed. My original labs had been taken first thing in the morning, fasted, shortly after taking my medication.
When we repeated them later in the day, after I'd eaten and with more time since taking my medication, they were back into a range my doctor was comfortable with.
Same person.
Different timing.
Very different lab result.
That was a HUGE lesson for me.
Because a lab result is a snapshot.
It doesn't exist in a vacuum.
What time was the blood drawn?
Had you eaten?
When did you take your medication or supplements?
What else was going on in your body?
And most importantly:
Does the lab result actually match what you're experiencing?
That's why I became so passionate about looking beyond a single “normal” or “abnormal” flag. Because your blood can tell you something important, but it doesn't always tell you the whole story.
#5 — “Normal” thyroid labs don't necessarily mean your body is functioning optimally.
I learned the hard way that my body could actually gain weight when I was too hyperthyroid, even though that isn't what you typically hear about hyperthyroidism.
The endocrine system is incredibly complex.
Sometimes something you take to lower estrogen or increase testosterone can actually have the opposite effect.
I ran into that over and over again.
And honestly?
I'm still figuring it out.
But this is the best I've felt in the 13–14 years since I lost my thyroid.
And here's the biggest thing I wish I knew:
We have our organs for a reason.
I don't believe we should automatically remove an organ because there's dysfunction without first asking:
WHY is it dysfunctional?
What are the root causes?
What can be changed?
What alternatives exist?
Because now I know what I didn't know then:
Thyroid health is connected to detox, diet, lifestyle, hormones, toxins, deficiencies, stress and SO much more.
If I knew then what I know now, I might not be having this conversation.
But I went through it.
And now I can share what I learned so hopefully you don't have to learn it the hard way.
Because nobody wants to spend the next decade trying to figure out why they don't feel like themselves.
We want to feel GOOD.
And I hope this helps someone. ❤️
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