I eat healthy foods. I rarely eat processed foods. Like, RARELY. I take supplements. I work out and I walk daily. I recently did an experiment where I cut calories to see if this whole thyroid overweight thing was just in my head. I managed to lose about 8lbs, then I began to get very constantly hungry and had to eat a bit more to stay motivated. Over the last couple of months those 8lbs have come and gone with monotonous irregularity as I put in the effort and then got tired. Not once have I deviated from my rule of no processed food for at least 80% of the time, and I am very very diligent about measuring ingredients. It has got more and more difficult to keep the 8lbs off. In fact, this past week I tried even harder and I have literally watched myself gain another 5lbs. This does not make sense!! To be clear, I am not at all underweight, lol - at 11 stone and 5'1". I am scared that if I increase my calories again (which I will have to, unless I want to become malnourished) that I will end up heavier than ever! I know this is a relatively trivial aspect of this whole thing but I have a history and it is very depressing and confidence busting. Is this all down to my thyroid or am I just making it worse? I really want to just stop this rollercoaster of weight struggles, heavens. At least I am seeing the Endo on the 23rd - it can't get here soon enough!!
Apologies for the monologue, just hope that someone will read this and know they are not alone if they are struggling too.
Yes I stress a lot, ha ha. I'm somebody that tends to boycott eating rather than comfort eat, when stressed though, so I presumed I could "get away" with my stressing! I do try to relax and probably ought to get back into mindfulness and pranayama or something...not a stupid reply at all, thanks
If you cut your calories, your body, not realising you want to lose weight, tries to prevent weight loss from happening. It down regulates. It reduces the speed of your metabolism. And guess what controls the speed of your metabolism? The rate T4 is converted into T3.
That's why from time to time here there are lively debates about the pointless exercise called dieting. With a dodgy thyroid, it doesn't really work.
I'd guess that your body is currently not converting enough T4 to T3.
Thank you, that is a very clear and concise explanation. I'm sure you are right, I was just going by the advice of various different doctors I've seen who basically said "your thyroid is normal, go to the gym and eat kale". Of course for a while I laughed at that, but then you start to wonder! So now I think I have tested their theory to no avail, this situation needs a rethink. Thanks so much for your help I have been pretty dumb over this whole thing really, too much thinking in the short term.
You must remember that there are two things doctors know nothing about : hormones and nutrition.
By hormones I mean all the hormones, how they're produced, what they do and how to treat if things go wrong.
By nutrition I mean eating, exercising - calories in general, what they are and what they do etc - vitamins and minerals (what they are and what they do), and what happens if you are dificient in any of them.
They know absolutely nothing about any of that 'because they didn't do it in med school' which is absolutely scandalous becasue, basically, it means they have no idea how the human body works. But, there it is. For anything but a broken bone or measles, you're on your own! And I'm not too sure about the bronken bones and measles, either...
Ha ha ha, I can always depend upon you to make any situation cheerful and ridiculous, greygoose certainly your words have done me more good than any doctor has, if I'm honest...thanks
Me neither greygoose: seen Measles misdiagnosed and way back my son had his broken leg set at the wrong angle... [having had the original plaster removed too early in any event].
Hormones and nutrition and all those entail: no clue whatsoever!
Yes, I know what you mean. My son broke two fingers and was in agony after they'd been 'set'. Went to a different hospital, and they were horrified to see the fingers all twisted and out of shape. Set his recovery back by weeks!
Eek, dreadful! I've a family health tree that reads like a Hammer Horror... unbelievable. Then, when faced with something like this... it becomes, "Oh, my turn now"!
Don't starve, pamper yourself a bit. Have you any recent bloods and do they include a FT3 reading? Hopefully the Endo will do that for you to get a better picture of what is happening. We tend to be low in minerals and vitamins and that can have an impact on conversion. Vit D can also be too low this time of year. It's good that you have an appointment in the not too distant future and hopefully he will order all the tests necessary but in the mean time try to relax. Do you have any food craving? At my lowest point I found my body was trying to tell me what it needed and I went along with it and it helped. I also had a food intolerance test and discarded the foods it flagged up and I lost some weight, it stayed off and my energy levels increased. It wasn't a great deal of weight but my body was better defined. I upped my egg intake and I think that was the missing incredient for me.
Did you really find out what your body disliked from the food intolerance test? I've very recently realised I'm eating something that gives me painful joints. I had a massive bowl of quality muesli 2 days ago, painful joints back, & wonder if it's cereals doing it. Would you recommend a test? Who does them? cheers
I managed to get a cheap one on Facebook and was very sceptical! But they are usually very expensive and this way I could just see what happened. I didn't want to fill out the form as it asked for medication and illnesses but he said don't tell me and if you have any issues will see if I find them! Fair enough as apart from taking Levo as I was then I also have an allergy to brassicas.
So he then went onto explain that most show one, may be two and the most he ever had was a girl with an eating disorder who flagged up 10! I managed 142!
That included all the brassica family and many I thought didn't like me, lettuce tomatoes, cucumber, turkey but chicken ok. Loads of stuff including a couple of vitamins I was already supplementing!
So huge diet change looked to be on the cards!
The following week I was on a cruise round the med! Last did a similar one 42 years ago so an ideal opportunity to try out new foods where someone else doing the shopping and cooking.Also I was with my son who knows I am not energetic and concerned that I was selecting the most taxing trips. Mum can you really do this and the fact that I said sure I've done it before didn't convince him!
So off we went, next day at sea, very hot and me overweight but not drastically. Well did all my trips, got energy I didn't know I had! But then back to the reality of home. Why was I feeling so good? Well every breakfast bar one was a cheese omelette so that became a regular lunch. I ditched some processed food and cooked salmon and a few other easy things. The weight continued to drop and the energy remained. I think I lost half a stone in 6 months then plateaued out. Still eat a lot of dairy, very few veggies, more fish and still felt pretty good. Was finding Levo was becoming a problem as was getting reactions to it so went back to NDT which I started my thyroid journey with many moons ago and now had my second hip operation so feel I have a new lease of life! Yes I do eat what's on the no list but very infrequently, turkey Christmas and Easter and throw in a few bits of fruit from time to time, upped my vitamins etc so rattle a bit but increased my FT3 reading so conversion better but not quite there so with having to add a histamine to my Levo decided to go back to NDT. I suspect the test I did was a taster from a firm in York as I was given a leaflet about them and I was tested in an office block I think you can rent as you use it. The York one was on even more things and was offer £500 and used by athletes etc but well out of my price range! But I am a great believer in listening to my body. Before this I had a craving for chocolate, don't we all but I could take it or leave it but found it was high in magnesium as was another food at that time, forgotten what now but the experience kick started me improving my general health which I think we often ignore.
I am being advised by a Naturopathic Practitionerwho is also Hypo. It is her advice to stay off cereals. Cruciferous veg isn't very good for us either and if eaten should be cooked thoroughly.
Ummm... well, unless she knows 100% how she became hypo - idoine deficiency, for example - and treats accordingly, I Don't see how that's possible. You cannot replace hormones with food, however natural. And without thyroid hormone, we die. I Don't think I'd want her for my doctor.
I really think the whole healthy foods and natural stuff is wonderful and can both prevent and cure a lot of problems if it was more widely practiced, but I do wonder about some of these people who claim to have/have had a "thyroid problem" and solved it with diet, exercise and herbs...much as I would like that to be true, I'm pretty sure they either didn't have a thyroid problem at all or had something which temporarily affected their thyroid without it being the actual issue. I mean, taking the pill can affect your thyroid, but as soon as you stop (and then "heal" yourself with natural stuff) it's all fine. Sure, it helps, but if you have a dud thyroid from birth, no diet or herb is gonna fix that!
Or, if you have Hashi's, you could just be in a period of normality in-between swings. I knew someone with Hashi's who claimed she'd cured it with iodine. She spent a year without hormone, telling everyone how she'd cured it. But it came back again - as I'm pretty certain it always does.
She says it was the Hep B vaccine that caused her Hypoathyroidism.
This is what she says....
No i dnt take any meds at all! I prefer a good clean diet... thyroid is a systemic problem...not a thyroid problem....you fix why it aint fumctioning properly & you mend the problem...stress raises cortisol in the adrenals...when it becomes hypo like mine is because of the vaccine my thyroid is effected...its a viscious circle...when yr not stressed the cortisol drops raising thyroid funtion which eleviates symptoms....backed up with a change of how you deal with stress & lots of meditation to keep you relaxed!!
"when yr not stressed the cortisol drops raising thyroid funtion which eleviates symptoms...."?
No, I Don't get that. If we're talking about hypo, raising thyroid function should get rid of symptoms, not elevate them. Or did you mean 'alleviate'?
Well, I hope for her sake she's right. But, how dose she know it was the Hep B vaccine? And what does she think it did to her thyroid? All sounds very airy-fairy and wishful thinking to me.
We are all different. Probably one persons poison is nectar to another. I can only say what I found out, what not to eat and ideas what to expand on. One of my early clues was to see why I was craving Certain things, what was actually in those foods that my body must have needed more of?
Thanks that is a gem of information! So glad you're doing better, it's amazing how small things make such a difference isn't it...where did you get your allergy test done, if you don't mind?
I had my blood tested recently and everything was "in range"...therein lies the problem. They did not do reverse T3 and 4 though, so I guess that might show something. Hopefully as you say, the endo will come up with the goods. I have been taking vit D for a while now so I guess that is ok, but maybe I'm missing something else...back to the drawing board! Thanks a lot
Sorry I have no idea who it was from. I did have an email address but I've looked for that for someone else and couldn't find it. I rather expect they were paving the ground for a bigger organisation with making a point with the far more expensive organisation in York. I do remember that bit because I live in Yorkshire and I must admit if I had the money I would have a go at that! Covered just about everything. Prior to that I started craving chocolate and yes who doesn't but I ended up going out especially to buy it so I googled why do I crave etc and magnesium came up but I didn't act on it, I ate the chocolalate instead then something else cropped up and that was also magnesium plus I didn't sleep well. The change didn't happen overnight but when it did it was great and my bloods showed Ft3 was higher and I realised I was also doing more. All I can suggest is to ask a search engine. I think I paid £44 and the usual price was around £250 so I thought it worth a risk when the offer came up. Sorry I can't be more helpful.
with thyroid , its fluid retention..myxedema also..google it and inflammation, bad guts and missing gut bacteria, insulin resistance too. Also, improper t3 in your system. I am sure you understand how calories work. There is no way that a person can gain 5 lbs in 1 week, if it isn't fluid..not even if you lived at an "all you can eat" restaurant. I gained 11 lbs in 1 week, 30 lbs in 3 months, while barely able to yet and am unable to lose the last 15. I feel bad too. I will not weigh myself anymore, just trying to get my hashi's into remission, by healing my immune system.
Of course, I can't believe how daft I have been! You are much more sensible than me. I don't know whether I have hashis or not, but it sounds ghastly from what I've read and I think you're very courageous. Good luck with everything, sincerely.
it's just that when you are panicking, a person doesn't think very clearly. It happens to me all of the time! But, instead of calories and food, i wonder if i am sensitive to the food. I worry constantly about what i put in my mouth. It has all effected my mental state..really.
Maybe you should find out WHY your thyroid is low.
Yes, that is the plan! Really hope the endo can throw some light on the situation...if they do I'll be recommending them everywhere, lol. Thanks for the input, appreciated
Ask for TPOab and TgAB - antibody tests. If it's positive, your endo will probably be reluctant to call it Hashi's, Don't know why, and say it's 'autoimmune', but that means the same thing.
"No you haven't got an autoimmune problem, you've just got an autoimmune problem" lol
I had the tpoab tested, it wasn't zero but it was very low, so I'm not sure what to make of that - I have read that anything above zero is a red flag and that it doesn't always reveal itself until you test about 4 times, but on the other hand I've never really had any hyperthyroid symptoms, so I hope it's not hashis...we'll see! Thanks for your input
Well, I think everyone has some antibodies - or so I've heard. It's just when it's above a certain levels that it becomes a problem.
Plus, antibody levels vary, so you can't rule out Hashi's with one negative test.
Plus, I've heard, you can still have Hashi's without antibodies. Not quite sure how that works, but I've read that in a couple of places.
And, on top of all that, you only had one antibody tested, there are two - TPOab and TgAB. If either are raised - or both - you have Hashi's. So, it's all very hit and miss. And bears out the old adage, you can't prove a negative.
for some odd reason I have never tested positive for any anti bodies , yet when diagnosed ,I was going into menopause and all my hormones dropped and I also had adrenal fatigue from stress . I have tested over and over 10 times and always negative....
That's right, and it would be a pain to have hashis but while I don't know I think I'll indulge inmy wholegrain bread with reckless abandon! Lol jk. Wow it's all so messed up isn't it?
Even if you do have Hashi's, wholegrain bread isn't necessarily going to be a problem. I went gluten-free for three months and it didn't change a thing.
Actually I've always been abke to put on half a stone in a week if I relax my eating for a week even when I was in my twenties hence the reason I was permanently on a diet. Now I know my thyroid is the issue I cut my cloth accordingly so to speak. If I don't I get fat very quickly. That's thus disease for you though and even though my numbers are in range on NDT I still think I'll keep my carbs down and my exercise regime strict with an emphasis on weights for metabolism.
That sucks - sorry for all those years of struggle. Strangely I seem to improve dramatically when I cut out a lot of the fat I was eating and ate all the carbs - only healthy ones of course, like wholegrains, root vegetables and fruit. Everybody's different it seems. I hope your diet isn't too much of a pain for you, I know how demoralizing it can be when other people just don't have to worry about it...thanks for the input.
Biologically speaking of you remove carbohydrates as your source of fuel your body is forced into ketosis which means it turns to its own fat stores for fuel. The ONLY difference is at what level your carb setting is. For some it could be as low as 10g and for others 20 or 30g. But it does work. Bonus is you do t have to cut calories at all. In fact you end up eating more which in turn speeds up metabolism. Win win.
I personally would say, from my own experience, it's your dosage of thyroid med. Everyone's different obviously, but even when I was on T4 only which turned out I can't convert, the weight dropped off me. Then since taking only T3, the weight stayed off. But as I said, everyone is different. Have you tried 'grazing', ie eating small healthy snacks when your tummy rumbles? Good luck and try to stay positive.
Now I'm taking 40mcg of T3 first thing in the morning. I've tried splitting it but seems to make no difference. At one stage I was taking the 40mcg before bed, but thought it kept me awake (probably me being paranoid!). Sometimes when I've been stressed or feel tired, I take an extra half or whole 25mcg from abroad.
Actually I haven't been allowed to take any thyroid meds yet, because nobody believes I have a problem!! What you say is very encouraging though and hopefully I can get some results from the endo. Grazing is a good idea, I should do that more I think. I tend to leave long gaps between eating. Thank you!
Superparrot
The thyroid gland controls our metabolism which dictates how much fat we burn.
Therefore if you are not medicating the correct dose or meds that suit your body, you will become symptomatic and weight gain is common.
It is good you are seeing the endo on 23rd but if requesting T3 don't emphasise the associated weight loss as opposed to the well being.
Weight gain is not a "relatively trivial aspect of the whole picture". It is upsetting and yet another issue to contend with. You are doing well and will find a healthy weight when thyroid hormones are balanced. Keep eating healthy foods three times a day as getting hungry will slow your metabolism further and tax the adrenals.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional and this information is not intended to be a substitute for medical guidance from your own doctor. Please check with your personal physician before applying any of these suggestions.
Thank you that is very encouraging and helpful. I am going to write a list of all my symptoms with low temps, fatigue, myxedema and my history of reynauds and ear infections taking priority. I also want to make it clear how much "research" I've done and that I want to be healthy above all else! I may not even mention weight gain as I am aware that can be a red flag for T3 prescription. Thank you for your help and understanding, you are so right that it is important to remember how far I've come and stick to healthy habits.
Theres literally no point dieting until ur medication is balanced... I would also say that counting calories helps nothing... The only thing that i have found that works (but again, only when my medication was a bit more balanced) was cutting out processed food (which ur doing) eating organic where i can, lots of protein, water and cooking everything from scratch, then one day a week id eat what i want... I am a firm believer in james duigans clean and lean diet... I think its thyroid friendly and encourages you to eat thyroid friendly foods... Also look on the internet for food you should avoid... Theres plenty of them and some things which u wouldnt even think were 'bad' for u... I know where ur coming from tho..: ive had this weight going up and down thing... One day i would lose a few lb and the next i could put on 4 or 5!!! Its very disheartening... When u start to feel a bit better on ur medication, try again but really, until then, it will just make u feel bad... Do u know ur last blood test results?
Google looking weight with hypothyroidism. That's where I found out about carb resistance or I can help you if you'd like I've learnt a lot as I've jolly well had to. Not going to let this beat me!
That's a great attitude! I would kind of say that I have more of a fat and protein resistance than a carb one, if that is possible, but I really appreciate your input all the same! Glad you found what works for you!
Thanks, I am quite a regular to those sites, I should definitely keep finding out more though, so thank you for the encouragement. I'm determined to be a success story one day!
Thanks it is both good to hear and sad for you to be in the same boat! I only hope this endo will think beyond my "normal" test results and I might finally get a prescription. Thanks for the recommendations and good luck with all yours too. You've been very helpful
Have you been tested for SIBO, small intestine bacteria overgrowth? I have just been diagnosed with this and waiting for treatment. I put on weight eating 1200 calories. This can also cause under active thyroid and many other problems.
Thank you that is very interesting indeed!! Who knew? This is something that requires further investigation. Wish you luck xx
I'm on NDT and some T3, I lose a few pounds on NDT but still carrying 15 stones which is so miserable. I don't eat anything processed, I have a lot of healthy stews and eat tons of vegetables. My diet has been really affected by having IC so fruit is lacking except apples and pears. I eat small portions, my problem is I don't get out much, so not burning calories. The only time I lost considerable weight was on 3 grains of NDT and 6 T3 tabs. Then I had to cut all sugar out. I know I have insulin resistance which doesn't help. I drink mostly water, I can't drink alcohol, don't eat crisps, biscuits etc etc, I hate my body and it's destroyed my confidence.
Sleep is a big problem, I do believe that can cause weight gain.
in reply to
Oh dear, I am sorry to hear that - sounds no fun at all! Still, I will probably be the same before long at this rate so you're not alone! If you don't mind my asking, what is IC? Also I have heard chromium can really help with insulin resistance, have you tried that?
I sleep a lot, ha ha. Do you mean too much or too little sleep? Thanks for your help and time. We can conquer this!
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Hi Superparot, IC is a bladder disease, Interstitial Cystitis, so apart from drugs I have to have a low acid diet to try and prevent pain. I also think my pain meds cause weight gain as you're so sedated and unmotivated.
Not enough sleep! I can never sleep before 2 am, sometimes I've been up until 6am, then I have to get to the loo at least every hour. My bladder meds are also sedating, but still I don't sleep!
No I haven't tried chromium, I will look into that, thank you!
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Oh poor you, that sounds horrible! I think you're doing very well to manage that on top of everything else! And I definitely think more sleep would help, I love sleeping maybe some natural things like valerian are supposed to help with sleep. I hope the chromium helps and here's to a bright future
Sorry I have no good tips, but I just wanted to mention that when I went on 25mcg of T3 I lost almost instantly 3Kg of water weight (I assume it was water or mucin as it was so fast). I am still 4 Kg over my ideal/normal weight and eat healthy and it wont budge. I am 170cm and 64Kg. So to me it looks like T3 helps with bloating weight but in my case not with "fat" weight I am left with. (I am on 112mcg T4 and 25mcg T3, with T4 lost no weight but stopped increasing my weight).
Thanks for your experience, it is all useful! I'm not sure but 25mcg doesn't sound like very much, maybe you have too much T4 and too little T3? You might even be a T3 only person ya know? It is frustrating though isn't it. Still, you are not at all bad at your weight and height, I am 15lbs heavier than you and 5 inches shorter! I'm sure we will triumph before too long, good luck
I put on several stones when I was n levo, it did nothing for me. When I changed to NDT I dd not lose it but have not put any more on. I did weight watchers fr a year and ended up 2 1/2 stone heavier!
Oh, dear! That is so unfair. Maybe you need much more T3? Thanks for sharing this
Hi, I have managed to loose 17lbs since last September, but for the first time in years I actually wasn't trying to! Because I had given up! I can't believe it? I used to be Hyperthyroid years ago before RAI treatment and I was very skinny. In more recent years I have tried every kind of diet and some have worked, but I never managed to keep the weight off for long. I found this amazing forum last September and I have changed lots of things in my life..Gluten free now and can't tolerate much sugar, so the chocolate as been well cut down..biscuits and cakes have gone and I am not missing them. This is because I can feel the benefit on my Gut issues. Something apart from that which I truly believe as helped is Coconut Water ( cheapest at Aldi's and tasty),which fills me up between meals. I drink lots of mineral water also. I make my own bone broth which is brilliant at helping with the gut.
I take Organic Cyder Vinigar for my gut and have found out this can help you to loose weight(bonus).
I make sure I eat regularly throughout the day and don't eat after 6.30 usually it's more like 5.30 though. This had given my digestive system time to work better, I leave 14 hours between eating breakfast.
My thyroxine was raised from a 25mcg(after 5 years!) to 50mcg which I am still on. Starting low dose T3 again tomorrow ( was ill with the last batch ..it could have been something other than T3 but stopped until sick feeling subsided, had 3 weeks of feeling sick!!). I am just enjoying the fact that the weight is coming off ( still a big girl), and am hoping it will healthily come off some more.
I don't know if any of this will help you, but one other thing is I stopped stressing about it and this too I believe as helped.
Best Wishes to you x
in reply to
Thanks, really helpful and encouraging! Must be such a relief to be on the right track. I do believe stress has a lot to do with it...after all we are evolved that our bodies think any stress involves lack of food, so our metabolism shuts down...I hope you continue to reap the benefits of your protocol and good luck!
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Thank you for your encouragement also. My middle name was STRESS for many years. Family bereavements, ill health, finances etc, all contributed. I still have my moments but things have settled a lot since last year. We lost both my parents -in -law within 14 months and it was a very stressful time due to their poor health. Sometimes it made me feel so helpless. I also saw a wonderful lady counsellor from I A P T (self refer or through GP in UK).
Learning to look after ourselves can sometimes be last on our list -because we look out for others more easily. If we don't look after ourselves we are no good to anyone else. This is what I am learning.
Take care and look after you for a change. xxx
in reply to
Thank you, you are very kind and I am happy to hear things have improved for you now
I felt nauseous for about 3 weeks, it only went away one week ago. I'm sure it was a bug as my son & daughter in law felt the same & they don't have thyroid problems.
I am sorry you felt like this also. I wasn't actually sick but yes felt nauseous all the time. My husband was fine so not sure if I had a bug but then again he has an iron constitution..I'm the delicate one .
It's difficult knowing what's what with Hashi's, there's always something not right.
My daughter has been very ill for 18 months following glandular fever, with worsening thyroid and adrenal symptoms. She's improved markedly on the Paleo autoimmune protocol, has lots more energy and is losing the weight she gained. She's also started seeing a private allergy specialist who is supervising the diet and running tests, although his elimination diet is very, very similar to the Paleo autoimmune protocol. Would highly recommend giving it a try: thepaleomom.com/autoimmunit...
The idea is that instead of fighting inflammation (which causes the symptoms) the body can focus on healing itself. Also ask your GP to test iron, ferritin, folate, Vitamin D and B12 as these may need supplementing. Good luck.
Thanks for the input! I'm really glad it is working for your daughter, unfortunately I tried a very similar protocol this time last year and it only made things worse - but everyone is different. Thank you very much anyways, I really appreciate your time and hopefully this will be useful for others, too
You're welcome. I would say that my daughter got worse before she got better, the allergy doctor describes it as the "unmasking of hidden food sensitivities". I think the change to her diet was too sudden and if we had our time again I'd have her taper off gluten and grains gradually over a couple of weeks rather than overnight to give her body more time to adapt.
Don't try to eat less - that won't work - but try to eat clever..
A couple of squares of 70% dark chocolate is good, because it's high in magnesium and has more cocoa than sugar and a little goes a long way. Brazil nuts are my friends too as they're a great source of selenium. The two combined plus a few cranberries for iodine make a very good snack for anyone on t4 and will make your own t4 work harder to make t3.. it's a win, win.
Follow the advice above, but also don't drink water with your main meal. By all means re-hydrate between meals, but diluting your stomach acid is a sure way to making you feel sluggish and causing bad digestion. You can buy digestive enzymes from health food shops to help you. Take some vitamin c with your main meal and also consider glycine (it's in jelly) and makes lean animal protein easier to digest (it's also involved in t4 to t3 conversion).
I have been hypothyroid for over 15 years and take T4 and T3 and tried many diets and never lost any weight that I did not put back on . But over the last year I have managed to lose 3 stone. How have I done it?
I agree with jazzw - It is all about metabolism. How to eat less calories but without reducing our metabolism. The Michael Mosley 5 and 2 diet was part of the answer. As the two diet days of around 500 calories are not long enough for the body to think it is in starvation mode so metabolism is not reduced, but the calorie reduction leads to weight loss. I think I probably ate around 800 calories which was enough for a Pound a week loss.
Before I started this diet I felt I had to eat every 2 or 3 hours otherwise I lacked energy and I was always craving sweet food. I realised I was insulin resistant, so gradually over several weeks I reduced my sugar intake (sugar, sweets, biscuits) etc and slowly I did found that I could go longer without eating. I satisfied sweet cravings with fruit, eaten with after nuts to level out glucose spikes. Once I could go for longer periods without eating I started the 5 and 2 diet. Now, I do eat healthily, no processed food as lots of sugar in them. Lots of fruit, Vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds, and protein. The only exercise I did last year was some walking, but I have begun to do more this year as I finally have more energy.
I am in exactly the same place superparrot, you are not alone. I fell off the bandwagon last year and ate the odd cake and potatoes, hence my weight shot up to 11 stone, since xmas I have cut these out of my diet once again but have not lost any weight, it is very disheartening. My diet like yours is extremely healthy otherwise, organic and fresh produce only no processed. As a senior lady I can only put it down to less exercise these last winter months and hope once the weather warms up I will be motivated to do more. Some three years ago I followed an insulin resistance diet which saw me lose weight, once again there were no potatoes/pasta/rice, in fact low starch diet, if I introduce them my weight escalates very quickly. I do believe it is possible to lose weight when you have a thyroid condition and one must not use that as an excuse unless one has tried really hard and not succeeded, but it does mean a restrictive diet which can be hard to maintain, I too get very hungry even though I make sure my meals and snacks contain good protein/fat/carb which is supposed to help cravings. I guess at the end of the day I must be eating more calories than I am burning hence more exercise needed or less food!
If you reduce carbohydrates and switch to low carb high fat eating (Google lchf diet) this is very hypo friendly and should be used as a long term way of eating not a diet. If you need any help let me know. I've researched it thoroughly trust me
Thanks for your response Jody, I did not mean to imply the lchf as a diet as such but agree it is a long term way of eating, I just fell of the bandwagon for awhile but know I need to get back into it.
I hear you. It's difficult to keep up sometimes. Lunches are especially difficult for me as I'm out on the road all day but all I know is it does work and it beats the hell out of calorie counting which is outright dull
On a low carb regime I go for cheese portions and some nuts. Or coconut yogurt I think it's coyo which is quite calorific. If I'm at home for lunch a whole mozzarella ball an avocado, tomatoes drizzled with avocado oil. It gets a bit samey but I can't be bothered doing a packed lunch. I've noticed supermarkets do decent salads now like mozzarella and tomato. Pret and boots do boiled eggs. I've bought some plastic forks now so I could always grab something like olives and cheese.
I have been following a low carb high fat diet for some months now and have finally begun to lose some more weight. Since just before Christmas I have lost almost a stone and a half. I have also upped my T3 to 30mcg a day and cut the levo to 100mcg. I am going to try just T3 after my next endo visit in April. He told me my thyroid gland has atrophied so I think this will suit me better. Plus I don't actually convert T4 to T3 at all well. Since I upped the T3 I have loads more energy and am going to try walking more when the weather gets a bit better. Not too sure how well this will go as I need a knee replacement but nothing ventured!
During 2015 I started eating a higher fat diet. I have real coffee with breakfast every morning and I put a very generous teaspoon of coconut oil or butter in the coffee (I alternate between the two).
I use only "real" fats in cooking i.e. ones that didn't need inventing in a laboratory. So that includes fat on meat, beef dripping, goose fat, olive oil (just for salad dressings, not for cooking with), coconut oil and butter. Theoretically I have no objection to lard either - but I can't stand the stuff.
I've lost about 14 - 15 pounds since beginning this "more fat" diet. It helps that I don't care about my cholesterol, which is usually around 7.0 - 7.5. This used to be an acceptable level. It's the "acceptable" level that changed, not me. My HDL is high, which I think is supposed to be a good thing.
Apparently high cholesterol helps protect you from Alzheimer's and naturally increases as we get older. No idea how old you are by the way but like you mine was classed as high 6 or something. However the good was higher than the bad. Fat is good for the skin too (think of all those bodybuilders who have sunken cheeks in their forties). Enough said
I mentioned my cholesterol to forestall anyone telling me I shouldn't eat fat because it might raise my cholesterol. I'm in my mid 50s, by the way.
I completely agree with you about skin health. My complexion has improved in the last year. There are probably several things contributing to it, and I'm sure the fat is one of them.
I also feel as if my brain has started functioning at a better level than it has for several years. Sadly, I still struggle with my memory in certain circumstances e.g. if I go to the supermarket and I only want four things, I convince myself I don't need a shopping list because I'm sure I can remember such a short list. However, I can guarantee I will forget at least 2 of the 4 things and possibly all of them. But I keep kidding myself...
I do really feel sorry for anybody who eats healthy but just cannot lose weight. You do not mention if you do any exercise plus the healthy eating. That usually works, but then maybe you are not well enough to exercise. Also sometimes you just have to cut the portions a wee bit. I am only trying to help but then I do not know all the things that you may be going through.
I sincerely wish you better and also hope you can lose a little bit of weight, because it does sound as though you are trying soooooooooo hard.
Aww you're very sweet. I actually do exercise every day, not exactly olympic training, but enough to keep any normal person fit and trim! I only eat when I am hungry and only till 2/3 full, and often less because I was counting the ol' calories, but I think I will stop now as it is doing nothing. All I can hope is the endo can help, and stick to being as healthy as possible. Thanks for your input and encouragement
HI Superparrot, it is very hard to maintain weight, I have T3, which has made a big difference, but I self-medicate, they know that I am not converting T4 to T3, but won't prescribe it for me, I buy it when I'm in Crete at the pharmacy, got a stock pile now. I take MSM together with ascorbic acid, this adds to help with weight control.
Never touch any carbs, processed foods, only eat the veggies that we can eat, salads with extra virgin olive oil, only fry in virgin cold pressed coconut oil, very cheap from the Halals, forget the net or Holland and Barrett, total rip off, so not necessary.
I don't touch gluten in anyway, just meats in any quantity, cheese as much as I like, salads, veg that is allowed, no goitrogenic ones, eg cruciferous, not even a bit steamed, hard, but you just have to do it. Drink lots of milk, I probs have around 1600 cals a day, don't put on any weight, not trying to loose any, I am 5.45, and 8.5lbs, so at a healthy weight, but had put on a stone a few years ago, until I changed my diet. I have a big tbs of Kerrygold only butter in my coffee daily, only one cup, have lots of ceylon cinnamon, and have 1 cup of raw organic cacao daily. I love Salsa, so that's my exercise, but a very pleasurable one.
I also have 5 Brazil nuts daily, great for Selenium, which is very important for Thyroid conversion of T4 to T3, without that, my T4 T3 conversion would be even worse, but it's great now, at the high end, even over the top. Feel fine, sometimes do get tired, but then I do do a lot, have 7 kids, 4 still at home, run my own business, but you do need to be selfish with your sleep, nothing should ever interfere with that, I have 8 hours solid, last night 9, as I didn't sleep too well the night before.
Everyone has to find their own level of what works best and what not, it takes times, but good luck on your personal quest for health.
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certainly your words have done me more good than any doctor has, if I'm honest...thanks 
I've a huge 'To do' list, my family tree 'mishaps' is on that! 
maybe some natural things like valerian are supposed to help with sleep. I hope the chromium helps and here's to a bright future 
advice if possible please
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