A few months ago i was given a guide by my doctor of what calories i should be eating a day and of what food groups and portion sizes. I made a meal plan based on this but since i had flu at Christmas i've been struggling to get back into it. I have made some changes and these have been enough to notice a change in the shape of my stomach but not enough to lose weight.
Last week i was diagnosed with Polycystic ovaries on my right side as well as some fat in my Liver and my doctor told me that diet will help with the symptoms of both but i'm really struggling with it as i'm also hyper with hashi and i'm being told different things about diets and how it affects them both.
I don't have any full length mirrors at home but when i'm in front of one or look through a shop window i feel sick and hate how i look but don't have the motivation to start healthy eating and then stick with it. At the moment i'm 16 stone 4 and don't know what to do.
Any advice is greatly appreciated
Thanks Nikki
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nikki2975
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Your motivation has to come from you and you alone. Nobody else can do it for you. If you threw yourself into this wholeheartedly and began to see the results of your efforts that should be enough to spur you on. I hope you're already gluten free as you have hashi?
Hi nikki2975 👋🏻 If I was you I would look into the Paleo diet - and by no means is this a 'diet'. Personally I don't like that word, instead I like to think of it as healthy eating. You have to switch your mindset to a 'healthier' life and my advice would be to take it one step at a time - start slow and as you feel your energy increase you'll get the motivation to move on to the next step.
Like Jodypody mentioned I would start by getting off gluten, it's known to have bad effects on our thyroid (can stimulate the antibodies) and you might notice the following improve - fatigue, brain fog, irritability and joint pain (if you have any of these) - oh and Vit D is a must if you are deficient?
Another big thing for me was to stabilise my blood sugars, cutting out the sugar and carbs (gluten) and having protein with good fats at every meal helps with this - Avocados are great, coconut oil is really good for us also.
Like I said though small steps - make one change each week, maybe increasing your water the first week, start cutting out the gluten the next week and then just take it from there, before you know it you'll be living that healthier lifestyle.
I have looked at the Paleo diet before but don't like most of the things listed on it.
I have low levels for Vit D, Iron, B12 and Folate and there the only ones that have been tested. i need to start taking my supplements when i get back from holiday to see if that helps.
Unless your away with your mother and then there is no rest and relaxation. Plus it would seem I get homesick too so I'm more stressed now than before I went on holiday lol I've wanted to cry everyday since last Saturday luckily were coming home today instead of tomorrow so I'll be in my own bed tonight. I was in the sun quite a bit and seem to of got a tan so at least my Vit D has been helped this week :/
I haven't been told to go gluten free as my tests were negative for Celiac's. I don't eat it a lot but have been told that i need it with every meal by someone on this forum.
You don't need diet advice, you need to sort out your mental state. There are things that can help you find your priorities, and even change them, if that is what you want to do. Consider NLP, which is really good for that. CBT can be helpful too. And you might find some answers in your brain chemistry. Read The Diet Cure by Julia Ross, Manage Your Mind (can't remember the author) Frogs Into Princes by Bendler.
That is very true @K1k1_belle. But actually, on her last test results Nikki's thyroid may be under attack, but her T3 is good. She has all sorts of other things too, like PCOS which won't help with weight, and all of these things conspire to undermine mood and motivation.
So sick or not, you need to work on your mood, Nikki, so that you can find the mental energy to start improving your diet. Personally, I think we can advise on dietary change all we like(and I have as many opinions about diet as anyone!), but nothing much will change till you can get your head in a better place.
The health of our gut is so important - so I would work on healing that. Going gluten free could cut down on the inflammation and improve the gut bacteria which in turn can affect the brain too. Try the 5:2 - whereby you cut out carbs for two days - then take it easy for the rest of the week eating healthily
The above link may be helpful. I see you have had a negative result for coeliac - but that is only one test and not conclusive. You could be gluten sensitive still
What do you mean by being 'hyper with Hashi's'? Do you have any blood test results to share with us? People can give you all the advice under the sun, but if your T3 is low (is yours really massively over-range? did they even test it?) then you will not lose weight.
Doctors know as little about nutrition as they do about hormones. For them a suppressed TSH is 'hyper'. It isn't necessarily. And they will have you trying to survive on rediculously low calories, whilst in reality, hypos need to eat more to lose weight. If your weight-gain is caused by your Hashi's, it has nothing to do with calories. I would never, ever, take nutritional advice from a doctor!
So, let's have a look at those blood tests, and see what we can find out. OK?
Ok, I see. So, are you taking anything at the moment? I do hate this sub-clinical business. Your FT3 is not over-range, so you don't want to take anything to bring it down. Have you tried going gluten-free? Probably a silly question, but you never know. A lot of people find that helps with weight, as well as the antibodies.
Have you had your vit D, vit B12, folate and ferritin tested? If you have nutritional deficiencies then that will make it difficult for you you lose weight. How many calories does your doctor suggest you eat? And which food groups? Has he said to cut out fat? Because that's the worst thing you could do!
I'm not taking anything at the moment but my endo said it would be reviewed during my appointment on the 21st.
I haven't tried gluten-free as eating it never seems to trigger my stomach problems so with nothing showing up for Celiac's, Crohn's or diabetes i didn't bother. I've been told i need to eat gluten at least once with every meal by someone on the forum but can't remember who. ( I am being referred to a gynecologist & Bowel Specialist for further tests & treatment)
I have low levels of Vit D, b12, Iron & Folate...you have been helping me with it on a different post. I will be getting them re-done next week to update the ranges.
The book was for either 1,500 or 1,800 calories. They suggested the 1,800 calorie one but i could do the 1,500 if i wanted. This is for all food groups. i don't have the book to hand but if i remember rightly its
7+ portions of fruit & veg
7-8 portions of Carbs
3 Protein
3 dairy
2 or 3 for fats and spreads
200kcal a day for high sugar/calorie foods.
For the fat...he said to just take all visible fat of meats and that was it really.
My doctor advised me to make an appointment with the nurse at my surgery who deals with weight management which i did but don't see the point in going too as it's only gonna be a diet or healthy eating program based on people who's weight is there main issue and not based on people who have multiple illnesses/disabilities that need different advise.
Yes, that's the problem, isn't it. They don't distinguish between people who have put on weight because of over-eating and people who have put on weight because of illness/medication. All they see is calories! Which just goes to show how little they know about the human body!
I would say that 1800 calories isn't enough, but that's just me. And I certainly wouldn't cut the fat off meat! You need animal fat - and it won't raise your cholesterol! You need butter, olive oil, nut oils, etc.
Sorry about forgetting about the nutrients in another thread! It gets a bit confusing at times.
Was not the advise to eat gluten with every meal about getting tested for coeliac? Sounds like very strange advice otherwise. Gluten is certainly not an essential nutrient, even if it doesn't bother you. I can't imagine a reason for that.
The tests for Coeliac are notoriously unreliable. So, it might be worth just trying gluten-free for a few months, and see how it goes. I did it for three months, and apart from nearly dying of nutritional boredom, I didn't find it had any effect at all. And it didn't have any effect when I started eating it again. But that's just me. At least I can say I tried!
What is a portion? they don't really ever tell you that. Sounds like a dreadful diet - far too much stodge - does no one ever wonder why so many more people are obese since the guidelines for high carb eating came in in the 80s? Even dress proportions have changed with relatively bigger waists.
Dairy is either protein or fat (with carbs), so it can't be separate category in real life - milk is carbs and protein but butter is fat and cheese is fat and protein.
Fruit is carbs (apart from avocado). And you just shouldn't eat sweets and junk at all.
I like to eat clean food, ie, avoid processed food, especially anything with chemicals in, such as artificial flavours, & especially sweeteners - these can play havoc with the body's hormones. I try to count nutrients rather than calories, & keep down empty calories from foods with no nutrition.
I always have fruit & a nut jar on my kitchen table, then if I want a snack, the easiest & healthy thing is under my nose. I also carry a small box of nuts in my bag when I go out, in case I'm hungry. Someone I know always carries a bag of carrot & celery sticks.
You need to remember that doctors know nothing about nutrition. It seems that fatty liver is caused by too many carbs. Generally, most hypo people seem to find a lower carb diet with plenty of good fats (avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, lard! etc) works best. Cut out the pasta, bread, cakes and biscuits and possibly muesli, breakfast cereal and porridge as well (esp if you have hashis - some people are sensitive to oats and some aren't). If you really like it or crave it, you are probably sensitive to it. I tested negative for coeliac but stopped getting asthma when I went gluten free.
Personally I think the best diet is low carb, you don't have to count calories, it is much more simple, you can eat meat/fish/cheese, butter/cream, veggies and salad preferable those grown above the ground, brazil nuts, and berry fruits. You have to eliminate bread/pasta/potatoes and sugars. Although this means no cakes, biscuits or chocolate, there really is a large range of food to eat and the fats will help to fill you up. Buy as much organic produce as you can afford taking into account money will be saved by eliminating other produce. You will definitely lose weight following this regime, your blood sugars will level and you will feel so much better.
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