Thyroid Results - Currently on strict protein ONLY diet

[FerryMan]

Below are my thyroid results. While I am very happy about this, I am not sure if they are optimum. I am sure they have improved over last few months as I removed all insulin spiking foods but still don't know if they are optimum. The T4 and T3 seem borderline to me. What are the symptoms of being borderline, I am always tired and can't lose weight. My doc told me I have to eat less than 1000 calories / day to lose weight. That is tough to maintain even on protein only. Thanks for any insight. Best

TSH 2.25 0.4-4.5 mIU/L

T4,FREE 1.1 0.8-1.8 ng/dL

T3,FREE 2.5 2.3-4.2 pg/mL

PS: I have other results too if any other information would help

[rachelleigh73]

Hi FerryMan - I'm sorry I can't comment on your Thyroid results - though I'm sure someone more knowledgeable than me will be along to help soon. I really wanted to ask about your diet. Are you really eating protein only? And only 1000 calories per day? This feels incredibly restrictive - and I wonder if your diet might be contributing to your feelings of tiredness and lack of weight loss - I think that eating too few calories can send our bodies into 'starvation mode'. Again - there are others (especially on the weight loss HU forum) who will be able to post links as to how our bodies work in this respect.

I personally have been recommended not to diet too harshly in order to best support my thyroid and adrenals. I've also been advised to start every meal with a few bites of protein in order to prevent the insulin spike - but I can't imagine thriving for long on a diet that completely excluded all the nutrients found in plant-based foods. These are just my thoughts - but in all things - if what you're doing isn't working - then change what you're doing. I think there are easier ways of losing weight and supporting health and energy levels - and HU has a wealth of information and advice to help get you there. Good luck x

[FerryMan in reply to rachelleigh73]

Thanks for responding rachelleigh73. I guess I wasn't clear. Currently I am on a high protein diet to deal with inflammation which has been mostly resolved. However I believe it has also benefited my thyroid. I guess what I am trying to say is these numbers were probably worse six mths ago and if I go back to a normal diet or paleo they will get worse.

The Dr. who recommended the 1000/day calories diet, was a number of years back. She encouraged a mixed diet of protein/veg/ fruit. I did it for about a year, it was unsustainable. I have heard of these very restrictive diets involving injections and 500 calories/day. I agree with you I think they are too restrictive and unsustainable. I want to follow a lifestyle that I can see myself doing 10 years from now. I actually really like my carnivore diet. I have been doing it for a year, and 6 mths strictly. For most it would be extreme too The good thing about it is I am never hungry. However I still think the thyroid continues to be an issue. I have been trying to find a solution for 20 yrs now but everyone I see is only interested in treating patients who are outside the medical ranges. I really would prefer to optimize mine as I relate to many of the symptoms folks describe. Thanks

[MMaud in reply to FerryMan]

So, whilst your diet is high protein, you do eat other things? I'd struggle to work out what you'd be eating on 100% protein.

You say you are feeling better on it. I wonder if you've unwittingly gone gluten-free and are feeling better the benefits of that. For thyroid folks, gluten-free can have quite an impact.

If you're looking to reduce inflammation and train up a bit a low carb diet, which by it's nature will include decent levels of protein, along with some balancing fats can be very sustainable.

I do low carb, gluten free and have bee nice doing that for over 5 years now. The gluten free is just in the last 18 months, but the low carb more than 5 years.

Initially I lost a lot of weight on it, quickly, but have been very slim and stabilised to within +/-2kg for over 4 years. For me it's very sustainable.

[Chickenlady2009]

Hi Ferry Man

Your lab test results are all indicating you are hypothyroid. All those tests should be in the upper quarter of the range to be OPTIMAL. You never want to be "in range", you need to be OPTIMAL. Get a vitamin D3 25 OH test, complete iron panel including ferritin. I suspect you have leaky gut and your having trouble absorbing nutrients. The carnivore diet is probably helping heal your gut. However, eating only meat is extremely detrimental to your health. One of the things that will happen is your blood pressure will become extremely dangerously high. This happened to my son(26 in the Navy, in good health) who restricted carbs. Google AIP, and then join the Facebook group Hashimoto's 411. That is a group that really supports AIP, and will give you lots of support to do AIP -auto immune protocol. AIP heals leaky gut, reduces inflammation and as a side effect reduces weight, no calorie counting.

You cannot lose weight if you are hypothyroid, the glucose used to give you energy cannot be metabolized so it gets stored as fat- and you will have no energy.

[Cooper27 in reply to Chickenlady2009]

I just looked up the facebook group, and there's two - is it the one with a blue cover photo?

[FerryMan in reply to Cooper27]

Thanks I am going to check it out too and google AIP protocol. Thanks

[FerryMan in reply to Chickenlady2009]

Dear Chickenlady 2009

Thanks so much for your response, it is most informative and helpful. Hope your son is doing well and my husband and I thank him for his service.

I posted a response to the group below but I am not sure if everyone gets it so I wanted to send it to you as well to make sure you see it. Your response resonated with me. I am copying it below. I think you are right about the absorption issue. I hope to go armed and knowledgeable to my new specialist in case she tries to sell me that all the results are within range.

Gratefully

I am not sure how to reply All so I hope everyone who posted gets to see this. I am extremely grateful to everyone who responded. I have been trying to get an answer to this question for 15 yrs, each dr. says I am in range and refuses to treat my thyroid but personally I have always thought there was sth wrong. I am a careful eater, do exercise even if not constantly, (I have tried that too) does not work. I am almost moved to tears to see some of these responses, I feel vindicated. I live in NY and have seen several specialists to no avail. At least I feel armed now with real information. The new specialist may even take me seriously, she ran the current tests we will see.

ChickenLady advised I get these other tests. CL the new specialist ran them, I think you are probably right about leaky gut, I am already gluten intolerant, here are the results what do you think

Iron Total 86 40- 190mcg/dl

Iron binding 281 250 - 450mcg/dl (calc)

% satauration 31 11- 50%

Ferritin 86 10 -232 mg/ml

Vitamin D 25- OH Total , IA 31 30 -100ng/ml

Thanks again everyone I am beyond grateful for you and this community

[Hidden]

I eat 2000 calories everyday and am never overweight. I have no thyroid either. You require more medication to feel well, none of your results are optimal your FT3 is very low and your TSH to high. If you are taking the correct medication you will lose weight.

[humanbean]

I think you need to increase your calorie intake. Whenever I eat too little I gain weight - my body goes into "famine mode" and decides to store practically every smidgen of food I eat as fat.

If you are eating a high protein diet then I do hope you had your kidney health tested before you started the diet. This kind of diet is very hard on the kidneys.

If you are eating protein only, have you looked into resources for carnivores? There are loads of videos on the subject on Youtube, and once you know a few names of people who eat this way you can look them up on Twitter (you don't have to have a Twitter account to read public Twitter accounts).

I would recommend this site for ideas on what to eat :

dietdoctor.com/

You can make the diet you eat as strict or as lax in terms of carbohydrate intake as you like. I'm currently eating a lax version of the diet. I couldn't cope with very low carb. I am getting benefits though... I feel more energetic than I have for a long time.

[FerryMan in reply to humanbean]

I am not sure how to reply All so I hope everyone who posted gets to see this. I am extremely grateful to everyone who responded. I have been trying to get an answer to this question for 15 yrs, each dr. says I am in range and refuses to treat my thyroid but personally I have always thought there was sth wrong. I am a careful eater, do exercise even if not constantly, (I have tried that too) does not work. I am almost moved to tears to see some of these responses, I feel vindicated. I live in NY and have seen several specialists to no avail. At least I feel armed now with real information. The new specialist may even take me seriously, she ran the current tests we will see.

ChickenLady advised I get these other tests. CL the new specialist ran them, I think you are probably right about leaky gut, I am already gluten intolerant, here are the results what do you think

Iron Total 86 40- 190mcg/dl

Iron binding 281 250 - 450mcg/dl (calc)

% satauration 31 11- 50%

Ferritin 86 10 -232 mg/ml

Vitamin D 25- OH Total , IA 31 30 -100ng/ml

Thanks again everyone I am beyond grateful for you and this community

[humanbean in reply to FerryMan]

The only way to Reply All on this forum is to tag people. If they've been tagged they get a notification that they have been mentioned in a post and they can then look it up to see why.

To learn how to do it see this link :

support.healthunlocked.com/...

[FerryMan in reply to humanbean]

Thanks humanbean, I will give it a go. Best