Seeking guidance on gluten free... how long sho... - Thyroid UK

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Seeking guidance on gluten free... how long should I trial it before I know if it isn't helping?

Kpoll97 profile image
8 Replies

I'm thinking of going gluten free after almost 2 years of failing to be able to lose the 4 stone hashimotos has gifted me, no matter how hard I try! My levels are within 'normal' range and have been for a couple of months. Most of my symptoms are greatly improved or managed.. Just not my weight. I am currently on Levo, on a waiting list for a t3 trial. (Even the endocrinologist admitted that the fact I can't even shift 1lb on the exercise and diet regime i follow defies the laws of science lol)

In the meantime I wanted to see if I can help myself...

I have read a ton of articles recommending a GF diet and I am keen to begin my new GF life... but it would be really helpful if anyone could share their personal experience... Did anyone find it helped them to lose weight? If so how long should I wait before I judge whether or not it is beneficial to my body? I've read some conflicting opinions on how long gluten 'stays in your system' (im sure it's a bit more scientific than that...)

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Kpoll97
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8 Replies
Helena877 profile image
Helena877

It has definitely helped me to lose weight and mine did not budge despite T3 being over range.

What has made it easier for me is not finding substitutes eg breads etc. I’ve just eliminated them as the substitutes only taste good when you toast them.

All I would say is that you have to be organised when GF because it can be difficult to grab healthy food on the go so take salads with meat etc into work or pasta etc.

I cook a lot from books and there’s loads of recipes that don’t have any gluten in them. It makes you realise that in processed supermarket meals, sauces etc gluten is unnecessarily added.

My antibodies have come down from in their hundreds to single digits now.

Aim for at least six weeks. I did start the Paleo Autoimmune Diet but that was so expensive and time consuming buying all organic meat and sourcing ingredients. That shifted weight.

What didn’t work for me was Slimming World. Starving all week and dropping like half a pound omg soul destroying.

I’ve also added some exercise back into my life. Realising that I’d never get myself to a gym I bought a home gym. Sold a load of stuff on eBay to raise the money. This takes over half my bedroom 😂 Whenever I need an energy blast I do two minutes on each piece.

I’d give GF a go - it eliminates loads of rubbish like cakes, biscuit, bread, processed food.

What I wouldn’t do is buy diet food, shakes, sweetners etc. I used to work in an office where at any one time about 75% of the women were on diets. This stuff NEVER works long term.

Kpoll97 profile image
Kpoll97 in reply toHelena877

Thankyou for sharing! I am quite keen to try it, seems to be the only thing I haven't tried! I eat varied and balanced diet, and work out 4-6 times a week depending on schedule yet the most I manage to shift is 1 or 2 lb and it always goes back on again despite no changes to routine! Infuriating. I have tried every fad diet under the sun, like you said they aren't sustainable. The only one that worked was meal replacement shakes I lost 3lb but had literally no energy, put it back on soon as i touched solid food lol! My weight has completely dominated my life now! Fingers crossed gluten free helps!!

geegee888 profile image
geegee888

Hi, I'm hypo and on thyroxine 100.

What worked for me:

Stabilised on thyroxine but still tired and puffy/bloated and overweight

Bought medicheck ultravit thyroid check

Posted my results on this forum, researched advice offered, then supplemented as suggested, became strictly gluten free;

just eat clean and lay off all processed food.

Then changed my exercise to using weights and doing floor exercises eg: planks, press ups etc

Cardio doesn't work with hypothyroidism

Hope this helps🌻🌻🌻

Kpoll97 profile image
Kpoll97 in reply togeegee888

When you say cardio doesn't help hypo, is there any articles you've read about this or just personal experience? My work out regime is basically just hours of cardio with no response!! I never thought cardio could be the issue! I used to do a weight lifting class once a week but my shift pattern changed.. do you do any cardio alongside or just the weight and floor training? It does help thank you! X

geegee888 profile image
geegee888 in reply toKpoll97

10 minutes warm up on stationary bike

20 minute on kinesis machine, a God send,

20 minutes stretching, (mix yoga and athletic stretches)

I used to hammer it on cardio, no more of that!!!!!

I have learned from experience that you have to change not only your workout but eating clean goes hand in hand.

Hope this helps.🌻🌻🌻

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Yes gluten free can slowly reduce swelling and mucin.

Antibodies can slowly drop and symptoms improve as well.

Getting your thyroid and vitamins required optimal too.

You last results 2 months ago your TSH over 3. That's too high for most patients. Has dose been increased and TSH reduced since

Essential to check vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 levels as well. Post results and ranges if you have them

Dr Toft, past president of the British Thyroid Association and leading endocrinologist, states in Pulse Magazine,

"The appropriate dose of levothyroxine is that which restores euthyroidism and serum TSH to the lower part of the reference range - 0.2-0.5mU/l.

In this case, free thyroxine is likely to be in the upper part of its reference range or even slightly elevated – 18-22pmol/l.

Most patients will feel well in that circumstance. But some need a higher dose of levothyroxine to suppress serum TSH and then the serum-free T4 concentration will be elevated at around 24-28pmol/l.

This 'exogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism' is not dangerous as long as serum T3 is unequivocally normal – that is, serum total around T3 1.7nmol/l (reference range 1.0-2.2nmol/l)."

You can obtain a copy of the articles from Thyroid UK email print it and highlight question 6 to show your doctor

 please email Dionne at

tukadmin@thyroiduk.org

Official NHS guidelines saying TSH should be between 0.2 and 2.0 when on Levothyroxine

See box

Thyroxine replacement in primary hypothyroidism

pathology.leedsth.nhs.uk/pa...

Professor Toft recent article saying, T3 may be necessary for many

rcpe.ac.uk/sites/default/fi...

Fruitandnutcase profile image
Fruitandnutcase

When I went gluten free I decided to give it three months to see what happened. I did it to try and reduce my thyroid antibodies, well in the hope that it would reduce all my antibodies because I had just been diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis and I already had Graves Disease and IBS as well as a couple of other autoimmune conditions.

I did a home finger prick test after three months and they had started to drop. I’ve tested every three months since and they had dropped each time. So I started to see an improvement after three months of totally gluten free eating.

I lost weight by going onto eating low carb, high fat although I still ate carbs I ate non grain carbs and I wouldn’t buy / eat really fatty foods because I’m not all that keen on fat. There’s a lot online about LCHF eating and as well as lowering my blood sugar to get me out of T2 diabetes range I lost masses of weight. If you read up on it you will see how that worked.

I discovered by testing my blood sugar just before and two hours after eating that amongst other things that anything grain based or my nice healthy jacket potato lunch totally spiked my blood sugar which was then stored as fat. Once I knew what foods did that then I cut them out of my diet. I still eat lots of carbs but I just don’t get them from potatoes and grain and that applies to gluten free bread, cakes and biscuits. Junk food is still junk food even if it’s GF

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

As Fruitandnutcase says, it does need to be absolutely gluten free. Watch out for cross contamination with shared butter, jam, cutting boards etc

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