Low Carb Diets

[marram]

Has anyone seen this website about the effect that a low-carb diet can have on the thyroid?

drcate.com/going-low-carb-t...

I was searching to see if it is mentioned on the main website but could not find anything.

[joboise]

I posted about this before because it struck a chord with me. I did a low carb diet, felt really great then without changing anything I crashed, piled weight on and couldn't stay awake. When I read that I realised that I had been preparing for hibernation! I am generally happier on a low carb diet though.

[marram in reply to joboise]

She does not condemn a low-carb diet, but advises a gentle reduction rather than a sudden one if you have thyroid problems. I don't have a very high-carb diet myself, I feel sluggish if I eat too much carbs, especially refined. I eat wholemeal bread but only one or two slices a day at the most, pasta I usually have a really small amount, and so on. I have never been a big carb eater. Vegetables are my thing. I used to serve at least three or four vegetables with a meal years before the 'five-a-day' campaign!

[Hidden in reply to marram]

I have friend who is a MAJOR carb junkie, despite being well underweight, he can't miss a meal by half an hour without feeling ill but when he eats at my house he is amazed how much better he feels, as I only serve low carb here! It still hasn't got through to him that he needs to eat more like that all the time though and goes back to snacking on sweets and biscuits to prevent that "down" feeling!

I know the feeling he gets, as now I realise I was having carb "issues" as long ago as 45 years back, as at school I used to plunge into extreme tiredness, starvation and crave food in the afternoon and ending up on a rush for sweets to get me home!

years of Low calorie/low fat diets were the final killer for me though, I became virtually vegetarian, eating little else but cereals and some vegetables to try to control weight, (that's what eating low calorie.low fat means, as meat and protein is hard to get without the calories!) and the end result was Reactive hypoglycaemia and pre--diabetes, and gaining weight rapidly - the only control I found was eating fairly strictly low carb (actually Low Glycaemic Load) and a lot of resulting weight loss.

[amethyst22]

I try to stick to gluten free rather than low carb per se although it seems to end up low carb anyway. I find my thyroid gets painful if I start to eat grains again so it's a good incentive to keep off them. And while I still need to lose a stone (or two!) it definitely helps to keep my weight stable.

[Hidden in reply to amethyst22]

It might suit you for the purposes of gluten sensitivity issues, and feeling better for that reason, but the idea of low carb diets is to control insulin production to prevent fat storage, and eating gluten free on it's own wont do that, gluten free could still mean eating high carb, most carbs are gluten free after all and consequently lose no weight, as seems to be happening.

[Yana]

Cutting carbs with my last meal in the evening worked for me in the past and I could successfully lose 1-2 1b a week. That was before I was diagnosed with a thyroid problem, now nothing works. Hoping all that will change now my GP has increased my dose to 100 mcgs from 75 mcgs.

[Hidden in reply to Yana]

You do need to have thyroid issues sorted to lose weight effectively whatever method you use, although I have found that at least I didn't gain weight while hypo as long as I kept low-carb eating going.

[Yana]

This was my reason for asking for an increase in medication, my inability to lose weight. She agreed to the increase, she weighed me and asked me to come back in 6 weeks and she'll weigh me again. TSH 2.23 ranges (0.40 - 5.00) apart from the weight issue and some ringing in my ear and occasional fatigue, I don't feel too bad.

Hoping this will be the icing on the cake, and It will result in some significant weight loss. I've been taking the increased dose 5 days now and all ready feel better. let's hope i don't go the other way!

thanks for your response.

[Stourie]

Hi last year I did the Atkins diet for 6 weeks and lost 1 stone. I was also taking a berocca lozenge a day and felt absolutely great. BUT I went out for a meal after 6 weeks and was never able to go back on it. Just can't get my head round going on any diet. I have put the stone on since then. Just remembered I was also taking a multi B vitamin and omegas 3 and 6 capsules.

Jo xx