Hypothyroidism and Intermittent Fasting!

[Bexg]

Would really appreciate your thoughts on Intermittent Fasting 16/8 or 18/6. I have read that there are considerable health benefits of fasting but wanted wondered how this effect thyroid hormones?

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Doesn't everyone have at least a 6 or 8 hour fast purely down to the fact that they sleep and one assumes doesn't get up to have a snack? Evening meal or supper, presumably no later than 9pm, bed maybe 11pm-midnight, rising and breakfast around 7-8am maybe? Or am I missing something

[Cooper27]

I read recently that fasting reduces T3 levels in women, quite markedly, so for those of us with thyroid issues I don't think it would be a good idea to lower T3 levels any more than they are already.

I don't think the 16/8 type of fasting would be too bad, but I'd be more inclined to go for a 14/10 split.

[humanbean]

I've never understood the difference between intermittent fasting and voluntary starvation.

If I try and eat just one large meal a day - an idea often suggested to people hoping to lose weight - I can barely walk, I get extremely weak, I develop tremors, and my brain fog gets much, much worse than it usually is.

My view is that modern medicine still hasn't discovered all the nutrients and other substances that healthy people extract from their food. I suspect I could be deficient in all sorts of things that healthy people need. So, any intermittent fasting or one-meal-a-day I try to get into will fail because I'm already suffering from under-nutrition. In places like the UK and the US there are lots of fat people. If they got fat from a junk food diet they may be extremely malnourished. And for people like me with long-term gut problems who also has to take acid blockers I'm doomed before I even start.

[Hidden in reply to humanbean]

"If I try and eat just one large meal a day - an idea often suggested to people hoping to lose weight - I can barely walk...."

That's interesting! Maybe your digestive system is so busy trying to digest that there's not enough energy left for the rest of your body to function normally - even at the hypo version of "Normal? Even healthy people get sleepy after a large meal.

[Lalatoot]

We need carbs to help our bodies process the thyroid hormones. You might compromise your levels by fasting.

[Hidden]

Last year I fasted for several days, nourishing drinks only (milky coffee, soup, smoothies etc). I felt OK, better than I had been, but realised that I was getting even more lethargic than usual. It took probably a couple of weeks to get back to as active as I was before (not very!)

The problem with dieting if you are hypothyroid is that the less you eat the more your metabolism slows down. You might even gain weight, as your body tries to conserve as much of your already low energy as possible.

[Angel_of_the_North]

I know of many hypo people who have benefitted from either keto diet or intermittent fasting (which are essentially the same thing to your body), so it's worth a try (but you need to stick at it for at least 3 weeks before deciding whether it's working for you or not)

[topaz1]

I'm hypothyroid and have had no bad effects from IF. I still eat 3 meals a day. Supper before 7 pm, bed 9.30pm. In the morning by the time I've fed the cat, sorted tidying up, had a shower, etc., it's already 10 am so time for breakfast.

[Mx6goatgirl]

Hello 🥰

I have had some positive results using intermittent fasting. I don't have thyroid issues but I did have a TIA or mini stroke out of the blue in November '18. Investigations have shown I have a condition called familial hypercholesterolemia which means although my BMI is around 25 my cholesterol is always over 8. (I knew my cholesterol was high, didn't know it was due to a family condition, or that it would cause me to have a stroke!) Anyway, I have had some very positive results with daily intermittent fasting which I wanted to share. I started on 25th February as I had planned to give up chocolate for lent but I had been reading a lot of good things about restricting eating to 6 hours a day so lent was as good a time as any to start. It is really working for me as I lost just over 8kg by Easter. I did put a bit on as I enjoyed the delights of chocolate once again but have managed to shake that now and settled on slower weight loss due to allowing more treats but maintaining the 6 hour eating window. It's not just about losing weight anymore, I aim to be in a position where I can stop taking statins and blood pressure tablets. I bought a blood pressure monitor in February and since I've been fasting my blood pressure has gone from hypertension range to 112/65mmHg. I can't get my cholesterol measured until UK lockdown restrictions are lifted but I am hopeful due to others testimonials.

Good luck!