Advice

I have an under active thyroid and episodes of Atrial Fibrillation. I know that AF is helped by a bmi of under 25 so wonder if a LCHF diet would be safe as well as helpful.

Di

[TheAwfulToad Ambassador]

It rather depends on the root cause - whether it's genetic or acquired - but AF often accompanies the sort of heart disease that results from a high-carb low-fat diet. In other words, it's not a reduction in BMI per se that's likely to help you, but the elimination of the carb overload. Why not give it a try and see how you feel?

Fun fact: your heart muscle is quite unique in that it prefers to run on fatty acids and ketones as a fuel source. It'll use glucose only as the very last resort.

[Hidden]

Am convinced AF arrived because of under active thyroid. Eat very few carbs but anything is worth a try.

[TheAwfulToad Ambassador in reply to Hidden]

So you've already started on a low-carb plan? Can you give some examples of your daily meal routine? It's all fairly simple once you get the hang of it, but there are a few details that trip people up.

[Hidden in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Tried gluten free because of thyroid. Breakfast always small porridge, walnuts and prunes. Lunch cheese two corn cakes and portion of fruit. Supper fish salad and fruit and full fat yoghurt

[TheAwfulToad Ambassador in reply to Hidden]

hmmm ... sounds like you're really not eating enough, and too many carbs there.

I'd give LCHF a proper go and see what happens! LCHF is inherently gluten-free, so you won't need to worry about that.

[Hidden in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Did wonder if I wasn’t eating enough. Will have to try harder!😂

[TheAwfulToad Ambassador in reply to Hidden]

The key to LCHF is just handing back control to your appetite. Once you reduce carbs to the point where most of your energy is coming from fat, your body gets much, much better at figuring out how much food it needs. Weight loss just follows naturally from that.

Do you have a book to guide you through this? If not, I can recommend "A new Atkins for a New You". Don't be put off by the word "Atkins" - this isn't the 1970s version. It's been updated in the light of modern research (by a couple of doctors who run a very successful bariatric/diabetes clinic in the US) and it's got some nice recipes in it.

If you'd rather have a look on the internet first, I'd recommend the Diet Doctor website. It gets straight to the point and is very easy to understand.

[Hidden in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Many thanks for your help

[Hidden]

Is there an app I can look at?