Time Restricted Fasting?: I've seen a few people... - Thyroid UK

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Time Restricted Fasting?

Cooper27 profile image
14 Replies

I've seen a few people saying that fasting with thyroid issues is not a good idea, however I think that was based on calorie restricted fasting, and not time restricted fasting (e.g. 16:8).

I was listening to a thing on the Keto diet, and the guy was saying that before trying a keto diet, it's beneficial to first go through a period of time restricted fasting, and I'm considering giving it a go.

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Cooper27 profile image
Cooper27
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14 Replies
ZippyAppletush profile image
ZippyAppletush

Hi Cooper27, I’m a hypothyroid 57 y/o on Levo for most of those years. Yo-yo dieter on most of the programs (didn’t know any different in the good old days!) and finally decided no more ‘diets’ a few years ago and started a 5:2 program. With determination I lost an average 8lbs a month, without exercise (not moving fast enough to burn calories!) and on slow times I broke even. Came down from 18 to 16 jeans and now hovering near 14’s! In weight terms, lost 21lbs! Will make more effort for summer! Seriously though, this plan works for me, doesn’t cost any more than the usual weekly shop and is flexible - no more stressing and abandoning diets if I as much as pass by a chocolate bar!

Wish you luck with your plans!

Cooper27 profile image
Cooper27 in reply to ZippyAppletush

That's good to know :)

I've done pretty well with an AIP diet, but I've been developing bad habits again, so I really need to get in front of them. I hope fasting might help with my habit of grazing all evening! I'll consider the 5:2 as well :)

ZippyAppletush profile image
ZippyAppletush in reply to Cooper27

I have a daughter with physical and learning difficulties (5 y/o in 28 y/o body) and this works for her also. I was finding I’d get through a busy day and realise I hadn’t eaten (my daughter was in residential college at the time) so when I heard about 5:2 the fasting part was easy! We were already watching our intake through the week and then allowing limited treats at the weekend so it fit into our lifestyle quite easily. If you know you can have a treat then it doesn’t become ‘forbidden’ and often we end up not eating any at all.

I try to have meals at home between 6-8pm, so then we’re not too eating late. The weekends are a bit more relaxed.

Good luck!

BadHare profile image
BadHare

I started time restricted fasting before starting thyroid hormones. It definitely helped me feel better & allowed me to improve my nutrition as I didn't need to be hungry & deficient from calorie restriction. I tend to count nutrients rather than calories.

I usually have one day off every week or so & eat breakfast which seems to make me more hungry for the rest of the day. I don't do keto as it's hard for veggies, though my diet is high in good oils from nuts & seeds. I find as long as I eat sufficient protein & limit starch (fruit sugars & resistant starch seem fine) I don't get hungry for the 16 hours I drink water & take just meds & mineral supplements. It's easier in the summer, some days I'll fast for 18 hours. In the winter I sometimes fast for only 14 hours. If I have a few days or a week off, I gain weight, but it comes off again in a few weeks with little effort.

It might be best to start slowly & adjust an hour every few days so your body doesn't get too much of a shock.

Cooper27 profile image
Cooper27 in reply to BadHare

I'm not too sure about keto either, but from the podcast I was listening to, time restricted eating had some great benefits for insulin resistance, which is one of the things we want a keto diet to help with anyway.

I do think I'd have to start with a 14:10 setup; it's what would suit my working patterns best, but hopefully once I navigate 14:10, I can stretch to a 16:8 setup!

BadHare profile image
BadHare in reply to Cooper27

Check out the High Fat Low Carb forum, & look up TheAwfulToad. He's knowledgeable on both that & keto diets. You just have to try & see what suits you. For me, it's wholefood veggie, though kefir & coffee aside, most meals are plant based & I avoid processed food at home & restrict it when I'm out.

We're all so different genetically, our health issues, & food preferences, etc, that there'll never be a one size fits all no matter how good it is for others. Depending on how you usually eat now, start reducing 30 minutes each end of your current eating window, then judge by how your body feels if it's ok to add another 15 minutes every few days till you get to a happy place. I've posted about this times on a forum I've now left, but as I remember it's a 12 hour minimum fast to start to benefit. I'll see if I can find some links...

theguardian.com/lifeandstyl...

nahypothyroidism.org/what-i...

avogel.co.uk/food/what-is-i...

If you have a few spare hours: google.com/search?client=fi...

Some videos in this link: google.com/search?safe=acti...

Both MH & CK are pro-paleo, & a tad anti-veggie, but I know what my body prefers. :)

Cooper27 profile image
Cooper27 in reply to BadHare

Thanks, I've seen quite a lot from the awful toad on the healthy eating forum, although I'm just not wanting to ask this question there at the moment! I'll try lurking on the LCHF forum for a bit though :)

That's a great suggestion to reduce gradually! I'll start doing that.

BadHare profile image
BadHare in reply to Cooper27

Ah, that's the one I left.

Like here, there's no harm in asking & you'll get a variety of answers. :)

Reducing that way helped me start as I thought it would be too hard. Now I'm out of sorts if I eat breakfast more than once a week & it fits in with not eating before or after thyroid meds. The oddest thing I find is not being hungry which helps remind me to time supplements like my mid-afternoon iron with fruity vitamin C snack.

Make sure you drink plenty of water during fasting hours. It's common to mistake thirst pangs for needing a drink.

Matt8394Alien profile image
Matt8394Alien

I’m 36 year old male and hypothyroidism. I normally don’t eat anything from 8pm till 12noon the following day. Always get coffee in the morning before going into the office but never food. Not lost a single pound of weight. I can literally eat one meal a day and stay same size. I’d probably need a hunger strike to lose any.

Cooper27 profile image
Cooper27 in reply to Matt8394Alien

That's awful :( that's roughly where I started - I followed a very restrictive diet for months and laboriously lost 6lbs, but the effort involved was tremendous. Are you on thyroid medication yet?

I found that starting vitamin D supplements kick started my weight loss. My levels were abysmal!

After that, I started working through Izabella Wentz Hashimotos Protocol, which is an autoimmune paleo diet, accompanied by supplements. I lost about 4 stone using that, so I recommend it to anyone else whose struggling like I was.

BadHare profile image
BadHare in reply to Cooper27

Before restrictive eating, & at the start, I ate 8,000 calories a week to maintain >14lbs heavier than I am now. I had two weekends away, just before I changed my meal timings, of eating "normally" & gained 10lbs each time. Going vegan made me fatter & more sluggish thanks to daily soy.

I probably eat an average 2,000 calories a day now. My >3,000 calorie 2 meals & several snacks in a 14 hour eating day T3 trip weight has come off in a month. I still carry a stone I'd rather loose, but my body has decided this is the balance it wants.

Cooper27 profile image
Cooper27 in reply to BadHare

See I started on a whole 30 diet - I thought it would be a good way to kick start a healthy gluten free lifestyle, after my OH was diagnosed with coeliac disease, but my OH lost about 20lbs (and was eating biscuits and cake still) and I lost about 4lbs. After a few more months, I eventually discovered it was Hashimotos and not really anything I was doing wrong as such.

I did AIP for quite a long time last year, but struggled to bring back quite a lot of foods, and as a result, I just keep cheating - sometimes it's just a bowl of porridge, but sometimes it's chocolate... But I think grazing is part of the issue for me.

BadHare profile image
BadHare in reply to Cooper27

How frustrating, though that just shows how differently we react to foods (& meds), & shouldn't expect to get exactly the same results as another person.

Epigenetics is interesting stuff!

Porridge isn't bad & lower GI (& tastier) when made with wholemilk. >70% cocoa chocolate is part of my daily medicine regime as it's good for us! YAY!!!

Grazing is also fine as long as it's healthy stuff, & for me in my eating window. I keep fruit, nuts, seeds & chocolate in full sight in my kitchen, so it's the easiest thing to grab. I pack small snack tubs of healthy stuff for my bag in case I'm caught out unexpectedly, so a little planning means no need to be tempted by anything less healthy than my weekly pastel del nada that's too small to worry about.

BadHare profile image
BadHare in reply to Matt8394Alien

Maybe you're restricting calories so much, your body is in crisis mode so you store what you eat. Do you have enough healthy protein to signal to your brain that it's ok to use it's fat stores? Be meticulous about avoiding processed **** that mess up our digestion & hormones. Take a scan through the micronutrient advice on here to make sure your nutrients are optimal, & of course your thyroid hormone levels. It only takes one tiny thing to throw a spanner in our works! :-/

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