Advice please!

[ewilma26]

Hi all,

I am eating gluten free all Whole Foods diet no processed foods at all. I workout daily. I am weighing in at 232. The scale will not budge at all. I do cardio, I do circuit weights, I walk. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to help the scale move I’m really frustrated. Thank you ❤️

[mdr1000]

Are you eating a lot? Your probably building muscle which weighs a lot as you work out.

Do you eat meat, fish and eggs?

[ewilma26 in reply to mdr1000]

Yes I do eat meat and eggs not fish I do not like it. No I eat probably 1500 calories a day if that

[mdr1000 in reply to ewilma26]

Someone mentioned a ketogenic diet. I'm doing that through March to lighten up a bit after winter, I'd talk to a doctor about that. If there's another issue going on, I'd hate to advise you to do something which could make you worse

Good luck though

[bigjimmy]

Instead of weighing yourself try measuring where the body fat is with a tape measure and see if you are losing it. With all of the exercise that you are doing your muscles are probably developing and muscle weighs more than fat.

I'm sure you can find a video on YouTube to help you with the measurements.

Good luck.

[avoid-sugar Star in reply to bigjimmy]

Absolutely right.My weight didn’t change much but dropped 1 size down.Its better to use measuring tape sometimes..So I am sure u r burning fat & building muscles on the other handthat’s the reason u don’t see on ur scale.😊

[ewilma26 in reply to bigjimmy]

It seems I’m not loosing in my midsection and hips I have hypo thyroid so idk if that’s why or what but very frustrating

[Cooper27 Administrator in reply to ewilma26]

Thyroid was my first thought. Getting on the right dosage of medication is important, and you need to consider vitamin deficiencies too (vitamin D, B12, ferritin and folate), as poor vitamin levels can make it difficult to lose weight.

Many find a ketogenic diet helps. I think if you can afford it, a nutritionist would be able to help too.

[BadHare in reply to ewilma26]

See my other reply. You're likely using up your T3 faster than you can produce t, so your body's put on the brakes & gone in to conservation mode. Try doing yoga or pilates, or another non-aerobic exercise for a few months, & see what happens.

[Praveen55 Star]

Consider Ketogenic/LCHF diets in consultation with your Doctor. That may be the most efficient approach to lose body fat if suitable for you.

[TheAwfulToad in reply to Praveen55]

At 232lb you probably have some form of insulin resistance, so caloric restriction will simply not work for you (and it will be deeply unpleasant if you're also trying to fuel your workouts). LCHF is almost certainly your best bet. If you are on any kind of medications you must speak to your doctor first: statins, or drugs that modify your insulin response will be counterproductive or positively dangerous while you're losing weight on LCHF.

Incidentally, working out - in and of itself - doesn't cause weight loss. It will enhance the effectiveness of a weight-loss diet, but the diet is the critical part

[ewilma26 in reply to TheAwfulToad]

I’m not really restricting calories i don’t count calories I’m just guessing that’s about what intake. I eat three meals a day all Whole Foods fruits meats vegetables not gluten no processed foods no sugars. I take a natural thyroid supplement and vitamins that’s it.

[TheAwfulToad in reply to ewilma26]

Understand. That sounds like a very good position to start from - the adjustments from there are fairly straightforward. Lose all the pasta, bread, rice, potatoes, and other starches from your diet (it sounds like you're not eating much of them anyway) and increase your sources of fat: so no 'low fat' items or lean cuts of meat. If you aren't already, start buying butter again, and use it at every opportunity.

The aim here is to "train" your body to run on fat (a bit of an oversimplification, but that's the practical effect). I strongly recommend getting a book on the subject, partly to get your head around the science, but mainly for some recipe suggestions

It will work. It works for pretty much everyone.

EDIT: ah, just saw Peanut31 said much the same thing, below...

[ewilma26 in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Thanks!

[BadHare in reply to ewilma26]

What type of thyroid supplement?

What type of vitamins? Combined multinutrients often cancel out the effects of others, so are useless. it's important to take supplements appropriately so that they work effectively.

[Peanut31]

Hi ewilma26,

I’ve been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s and do various gym sessions, weights, step classes, core and stretch and body attack (grit was a no no for me to intense).

I’m also gluten free and dairy free.

However, at the moment I’m too tired to go to the gym, (Hashimoto’s flare up) plus I’m not on any thyroid medication, this maybe changing as GP wants to see me as latest results show all thyroid results and antibodies out of range big time, anyway, I’ve read Dr Barry Peatfield book, Your Thyroid and how to keep it healthy. This book was recommended to me I’m sure on this forum or another thyroid forum.

He mentions (whole section on weight loss) about refined carbohydrates, The great enemy.

Just briefly as too much to post on here,

I quote from his book:

“Eat less than 60 grams of carbohydrates daily but, not less than 40 grams, too little carbohydrates can give you a headache”

“Don’t worry if you plateau sometimes. Use a tape measure as well as scales. Fat is still burning off, but, protein rebuilds muscle that may have been previous poor eating, lack of exercise and episodes of severe calorie restrictions in crash dieting-and volume for volume, muscle weighs seven times as much as fat. The way your clothes fit is more important than what the scales say.

“When you are at the weight you want, increase the carbohydrates, little by little, watching both scales and clothes”.

“Multi- mineral supplements are highly desirable and you must pay special regard to vitamins of B complex and take 1 to 2 grams of vitamin C per day.

“ make sure your metabolism has come back on line, before considering any weight loss problem”.

He goes on further to say:

Refined carbohydrates are: sugar, breads, cakes, biscuits, pasta, white rice, most fruit juices and fizzy drinks (not low calorie ones, but avoid as chemical laden anyway), cereals and jams.

Bread must be carefully watched the action of ptyalin in your saliva converts the starch into sugar before you even swallow it.

All meat and fish are excellent, vegetables are all satisfactory, but potatoes have much starch, which is rapidly turned into sugar in the blood and peas and parsnips may surprise you too. Fruit is high, especially when raw, contains fibre which slows absorption.

I personally limit my carbohydrates and it has helped no end, before I read his book I just thought about limiting bread, but obviously you have to remember your crisps, jacket potatoes etc etc.

Best wishes

Peanut31

[ewilma26]

Ok thank you

[ewilma26]

I’m not sure that it the best diet for me but I do know low carbs is a good way to go for someone with hypothyroid so that’s a good idea.

[BadHare]

I posted this recently: healthunlocked.com/healthye...

Aerobic exercise uses up our T3, which is what all our cells use for energy. The effect can make the body go into storage mode, &/or produce reverse T3, which prevents us utilising T3 for energy. A slow recovery time after exercise may indicate this is an issue.

Make sure you have optimal (high in range) levels of iron, ferritin, vitamin D, B12, folate & B's in general. Magnesium & boron ae essential for bone health & along with vitamin D for directing calcium to our bones. Also rule out whether you have thyroid antibodies that cause the most common form of hypothyroidism, called Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Ask your GP for blood tests for thyroid hormone levels, antibodies, & these nutrients as lack of any can cause widespread issues. Alternatively, try private blood tests if you can afford it. There's discounts via Thyroid UK's excellent forum on HU.

You're doing the best thing in avoiding gluten, which is a common trigger for autoimmune disease, though it takes a full 3 months to rid the body of gliadin antibodies. Some folks feel better for avoiding dairy too, & taking selenium & zinc supplements that help the immune system. Avoid anything containing unfermented soy as this blocks both the production & cellular absorption of thyroid hormones. Make sure you have good gut health by eating lots of pre & probiotics as this is essential for good hormone conversion & general wellbeing.

[ewilma26 in reply to BadHare]

Yep I’m taking great probiotics how much selenium should I be taking and I was told not to take zinc unless I know for sure if I’m lacking in it is this true?

[BadHare in reply to ewilma26]

It's best to check what you're eating as to whether you need to supplement for vitamins & minerals, but from your post, there's likely something missing. Join Thyroid UK for more specific information, & look up the responses from SeasideSusie, who's the forum's mineral expert. Without test results, it's just blind guessing as to what's wrong. Do you have thyroid blood test results & ranges, whether or not you have autoimmune form of hypothyroidism, & know how much replacement hormone you're taking?

I don't have Hashi's, but do I eat brazils for selenium, & zinc rich foods as well as using nutritional yeast. I'll take a low dose if I don't eat foods with either of these.

[ewilma26 in reply to BadHare]

I have hashimoto I’m on armor thyroid 60 mcg daily

[BadHare in reply to ewilma26]

Perhaps see your GP to see if that's an appropriate dose for you, & to check your nutrient levels are sufficient.

[ewilma26 in reply to BadHare]

Yeah I have seen them a lot they are slowly working on getting my levels good :). Almost there

[BadHare in reply to ewilma26]

Check through the responses you've already had on Thyroid UK. It seems as though people have already suggested the things I mentioned.

[ewilma26 in reply to BadHare]

Ok I haven’t been on there yet will do