Has anyone on this forum tried going on the keto diet to lose weight with Hashimotos?
Also if anyone has advice on its safety and effectiveness for those of us with Hashi's it would be very helpful too.
My thyroid hormones are currently optimal so I'm looking to try and lose the weight that has piled on in the last year... hopefully without screwing my thyroid up!!
I look forward to hearing...thx
Hi, I did try the keto diet a little over a year ago. It affected my thyroid #s and so I was forced to go off of it. I believe it's a great diet though, my husband loves it. He hasn't really lost weight on it, but does have MUCH better a1c (he's T1 diabetic).
BTW, there is a governmental study about epileptic children being treated with the keto diet to see if it would help with their condition. During the study, many of the children had elevated TSHs. I don't have a link, but you can try googling "keto and thyroid disease", etc.
I've not read good things about keto with thyroid problems because that low carb stresses the thyroid. I ate very low carb, <30 carbs daily, for years being T1 diabetic. Wonderful for blood glucose, terrible for my thyroid. Keto's quite helpful for some cancers, particularly brain cancers since the brain works better on ketones.
Hi,
I went keto almost two years ago and it got my health to havoc in five weeks. I got very bad palps and only afterwards I learnt that keto reduces the demand of medication and got me hyper. Stupid me!
I got to stop keto although I was feeling great otherwise and loosing weight. I also had to reduce t3 (I'm on mono) from 60 to 30 and wasn't able to up it until today to 40(having palps as I write this)
So my heart is now very very sensitive creating palps on any medication changes and different occasions you name it..
Don't go keto if you have Hashi!
That's interesting...I'm on T4 only meds so I wonder if it makes any difference? It's hard to know if it's worth risking it!!
I'm only on t4 and it was a huge mistake for me to try keto.
Thyroid gland needs carbs. If you're willing to take a risk, don't go less than 30. I fell easily and quickly to deep ketosis and we are individuals of course. I know it is temptating but think carefully. For me it wasn't worth it and I would take it back if I could. Palps are pain in the ass and lowers quality of life.
I thought I'd trial it for 2 weeks in the summer to see if I liked it. You get a very quick initial weight loss (about 7lbs for me in 1week), which is really just water burning off at first (carbs bind water, so when you stop eating them, the water has nothing to hold onto). Because of the fast initial weight loss, I stayed on it for a month instead of 2 weeks, but I ended up plateauing, then I developed a stomach ulcer and stopped altogether (stomach ulcer wasn't caused by keto), but the weight came back quickly after that.
That's interesting Cooper27...I'd like to think I could make it a lifestyle rather than just a temporary diet (or more to the point continue low carb) but I just really don't want to my health to decline...
I have Hashimotos, and have been on a keto diet for around 18 months as I wanted to address my insulin resistance (rapid weight gain, pre-diabetes and non- alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)).
The diet has been a revelation to me, lost all the weight I gained, and reversed my pre-diabetes and NAFLD. I feel so much better on the diet - much more energy and ability to exercise and recover.
I don't think it is a diet that will work for everyone but, for some, I think it works very well.
Mike
Thanks Mike, that's encouraging!
I'm very tempted to try it, I just am quite worried about messing up my thyroid again...
I understand your concern. When I was considering it I was also concerned about its effect on my thyroid so I spoke to a few people on a keto forum who had Hashimotos and had been doing keto for years without issue so I knew it could be done.
You can see from the replies on the forum that it won't work for everyone (or any of us apparently 😉) but for me I believe it has been a significant contributor in helping to restore a lot of my heath.
If you were to try it then I would certainly try to do as much reading as possible before starting to understand how to do the diet correctly - a very good resource is the
website.
Mike
For me with hashimotos and type 1 diabetes keto didn't work for me. To qualify less than 40g of carbs a day. What works both for my diabetes and thyroid function is going low carb so eating between 50-75g of carbohydrates a day. I can see the benefits on FGM and blood testing, see the weight loss and feel the thyroid benefits. I think it's in Dr Peatfields book that says you need 40g of carbohydrates for conversion of t4 to t3. If I was giving advice i would say try reducing carbohydrates slowly and find what works for you.
Thanks Kes, that sounds like good advice to take it slowly... hopefully it will help to reduce the likelihood of problem's.
Keto is bad for thyroid health. Check out forefront health they have a Facebook page. Keto goes against the teachings of Ray Peat too. All my problems started on low carb diets. Keto dieting messes up T4 to T3 production.
Thanks magsyh, I'll check that out. What kind of diet do you follow, as I've heard that low fat and reduced calorie diets aren't good either!!
I have tried all sorts of diets but have been gluten free for a few years. I don't have hashimotos. My problem is my iron is too high. The only dairy I eat is butter but I think that is why my iron is too high no dairy. I eat meat, fruit, veg. I don't eat anything processed, I avoid veg oils, I use coconut oil and butter. I use hemp protein and superfoods in smoothies. I find it difficult to shop for food as so many things I won't eat!
Is your ferritin high as well as serum iron? (I haven't had a chance to read through your history.) Has your GP checked it's not haemochromotosis?
I see you had an op under anaesthetic earlier this year. General anaesthetics using nitrous oxide can massively deplete our B12, so if you've not had it tested since then it would be worth checking again now.
Yes I was aware of that and had it tested again last week so all ok. I have a docs appointment next week to ask for a full iron test. A few years ago I was very anemic but since menopause my iron levels have been going up. I stopped my vitamin c and black pudding but it's up again! I stopped eating dairy a few years ago and wonder if that has something to do with it?
Thanks for all the responses!!
It seem like experiences are mainly negative...does anyone have advice on what kind of diet is best for Hashi's patients??
I've been advised previously that low calorie/low fat diets aren't suitable either...so feeling a bit confused right now!!!
Having gained 3 stone over the past year I'm desperate to lose it again...my thyroid hormones are optimal at the moment but that doesn't seem to mean I lose any weight...
Would be glad for some advice. MT x
The autoimmune protocol is aimed at us, you will find plenty of recipes and guides. I did that for a number of years but found with MCAS my diet was drastically reduced as I reacted to all sorts. Now I eat largely meat with minimal carbs and am good. So as Mike says above it works for some of us.
BTW previous low carb diets didn’t work as I was taking just levo, and then too little NDT. To loose weight and also resolve my crinkled tongue (after the best part of 20 years) keto was necessary for me. With all other health issues diagnosed and addressed.
Thanks Cwill... interesting you never lost weight with levo only... I've been on it for 10 years... I do wonder if I need NDT or T3, but at the moment my levels all look great and I'm not obese so my GP certainly won't listen...
I hope you progress. Weight loss is the tip of the pyramid in my opinion, only achieved when everything else is sorted.
One doctor I follow talks of post menopausal short women 🙋♀️ having to be careful of even a keto diet with some exercise.
Careful in what respect, or for what reason do you know? Would also be interested to know which Doctor you follow?
Will check out a link. He even suggests that we check total consumption as we may need less than we want/think especially if sedentary work.
Sorry, I'm a bit confused. Did you mean post menopausal short women having to be careful to keep carbs low? I think I might have misunderstood your post.
hi not one for giving advice, but due to being diagnosed type 2 diabetic in March 2023 I decided not to take medication for it but to follow a low carb eating plan.
I reduced my HA1C and lost 2 stone in weight, it’s strict, no potatoes ,rice ,pasta, bread, no sugar obviously, but I get carbs from leafy greens, cauliflower ,broccoli etc, I eat meat,fish,eggs,cheese nuts and butter .
My doctor said I’ve to reduce my thyroxine due to the weight loss , I agreed to reduce to 125 from 150mg. I can’t say it was a good drop, after two weeks I felt rubbish , so I’m 125 one day 150 next reducing it slowly, will try 125 in a couple of weeks. Blood tests end of January.
That's interesting, I didn't know that. It is so important to remember our history so that we don't waste time reinventing the wheel.
I am sure the majority opinion is correct here but while it wasn't the Keto diet I went on the Grapefruit diet which is very similar (no carbs and lots of protein and veggies). Now I lost weight and had no thyroid related problems (I have no thyroid (TT) and take NDT), BUT it does stipulate that you should not stay on this diet for more than about 10 days, (I did it for 2 weeks). So maybe problems arise if you stay on it too long. Maybe try dieting for 2 weeks, come off it for a month then try it again. If you get problems increase the off time.
Thanks LAHs that's a good suggestion! I haven't got long to try it before Xmas anyway...LOL!!
Morning Molly161018, I can highly recommend a keto lifestyle, and intend to eat this way for the rest of my life. It is known to be an anti inflammatory diet in general, so I would expect it to be ideal for Hashi's which is commonly associated with increased inflammation.
dietdoctor.com is a great free resource with a ton of research and professional medical advice, and recipes. You’ve mentioned before about wanting to try for a baby. There’s a lot of advice on Diet Doctor about improving fertility with low carb, and treating PCOS for example.
You could always try cutting down your carb level gradually and see how you feel? Any reduction in carbohydrates from the typical levels in a standard western diet is likely to lead to health improvements.
We are all different and it works for many of us, but not all. I have spent hundreds of hours studying all the research and information out there on keto and low carb over the past 2 years, and I honestly don't believe you can do yourself any harm by trying it.
It is true that with weight loss people are likely to need a reduced dose of thyroid meds, but that makes perfect sense anyway as dosing is going to be based on overall body size anyway.
Best of luck!
Thank you so much for your advice and encouragement Lesley!
I have decided the same as you - it can't do any harm to try keto...
I've done it for the last 4 days and have lost 4 pounds!!!! Long may it last....!!
Your comments re fertility are also very interesting as I've got mild PCOS too!
Thanks again xx
Please, please don't resort to trying a low fat diet. Not least for your future fertility. Every cell membrane in our body needs cholesterol, and cholesterol is needed to produce our sex hormones, amongst others.
Hi Molly
I started on a low carb diet about 8 days ago. I’ve been relatively gluten free for just over a year (I find it hard as I love gluten, so it’s a bit hit and miss) I’m having a few strange bodily sensations but apart from that it’s going really well. I already have so much more energy. Apparently it takes a couple of weeks for your body to get used to it. I started low carb partly to lose some weight and partly to reduce inflammation. So far it seems to be slowly doing both. I mainly eat loads of berries, nuts, veg and meat.
Thanks sja11
I have decided it can't do any harm to try keto...and I've done it for the last 4 days and have lost 4 pounds!!!! Long may it last....!!
Hi Molly, I was about to post the very same question you posted a year ago........can a person with Hashimotos benefit from a keto diet ? I’ve read all the replies and see that you decided to give it a go. If you read this I would be really interested to know if it worked for you. All the best
Sorry for the delay! I have a newborn and life is pretty busy! Yes I did give keto a go and I felt really good on it and was successful in losing weight! Sugar and carbs definitely do me no favours...I couldn't carry on when pregnant as the rich food made me feel sick, but I'm honestly looking forward to getting back into it soon to help shift the extra weight I've gained!
My husband and I both did it together and at times had "cheat weekends" - by the end of the weekend we were both dying to get back onto keto as we felt so much better!!
In order to maintain the weight loss you definitely have to make permanent changes - I'm not sure it would work as a crash diet and then go back to"normal eating"
Anyways I hope that helps and good luck!
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