Eps 448: Gaining Weight Despite Diet and Exercise? Your Thyroid May Be the Missing Piece with Dr. Amie Hornaman
Have you been eating well, exercising consistently, and still gaining weight, only to be told that your thyroid labs are “normal”?
For many women in their 40s and 50s, stubborn weight, exhaustion, brain fog, constipation, thinning hair, low mood, and feeling unusually cold are quickly blamed on perimenopause or aging. But because these symptoms can overlap with thyroid dysfunction, it may be worth asking what was actually evaluated.
In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Amie Hornaman, also known as The Thyroid-Fixer, to explore the connection between thyroid health, metabolism, and perimenopause.
Dr. Amie breaks down the language of thyroid health, including TSH, free T4, free T3, reverse T3, T2, and thyroid antibodies. She also shares why she believes symptoms and medical history should be considered alongside laboratory results.
We also discuss why women should not automatically respond to unexplained weight gain by eating less or exercising harder, which thyroid questions they can bring to their healthcare provider, and why sleep, nutrition, stress, gut health, and foundational habits still matter.
In This Episode
00:00 Introduction
02:54 Dr. Amie’s experience with unexplained weight gain
06:02 Being dismissed by six doctors before receiving a thyroid diagnosis
09:50 Why thyroid dysfunction can begin before midlife
11:06 “Thyropause” and the overlap between thyroid symptoms and perimenopause
12:51 Hashimoto’s disease and autoimmune thyroid dysfunction
16:21 How the body converts T4 into active T3
18:00 TSH, free T4, free T3, and reverse T3 explained
24:07 What T2 is and Dr. Amie’s perspective on supplementation
26:04 TPO and thyroglobulin antibodies
30:16 Questions to ask when requesting thyroid testing
32:29 Connecting thyroid symptoms with laboratory results
35:40 Why thyroid treatment should be individualized and medically supervised
40:43 T2 supplements, metabolism, and body composition
44:04 Nutrition, sleep, stress, and foundational thyroid support
48:30 Dr. Amie’s book, The Thyroid Fixer
51:17 Where to learn more from Dr. Amie
Connect with Dr. Amie Hornaman
Website: https://dramie.com
Podcast: The Thyroid Fixer
Book: The Thyroid Fixer
Connect with Bria
Instagram: @bria_period_whisperer
Ready to stop second-guessing what your changing body is trying to tell you?
Inside Midlife Mojo, you’ll find practical education and support for navigating stubborn weight, hormones, metabolism, thyroid health, nutrition, strength training, peptides, HRT, lab testing, sleep, and recovery in midlife.
You’ll also have access to courses, symptom-specific trainings, live coaching, recipes, guided meditations, and a community of women going through perimenopause and menopause with you.
Comment MOJO on Instagram, or start your 7-day free trial here:
