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:

https://bit.ly/midlifemojonow