I knooooooooow!!! 😵💫😵💫😵💫😵💫Based on weight my full dose was meant to be 200mcg!
The GPs I’ve seen so far they are very conservative 😩😩😩.
I’ve been on 50mcg since December.
I was meant to be doing my review blood test since March, but I was feeling quite unwell and was struggling to get to the GP by 8am for the blood test 😩😩😩 (would have to get int he car and travel for 30 mins!) so have been postponing it to no end.
Next blood test are on the 6th.. so hopefully I’ll get a dose increase after that. I hope .
I have Type 1 diabetes, so we’re all insulin dependent. I use an insulin pump to manage as I need lots of insulin..
My diet has always been healthy but the pounds piled on despite that.If weight gain is caused by undermedicated hypothyroidism then special diets will not reduce that weight....
Frankly there is a lot on nonsense being tossed around about special diets that has no foundation and is of little help ....but the related books etc are a cash cow for the writers who publish them!
They are verging on life style choices in the guise of healthy eating.
Restricted diets are of course important for some people eg diabetics, nut allergies, coeliacs
A healthy well balanced diet is essential to good health and there are other informative books to this effect.
Today there are too many fast foods and junk foods...they have become convenient because people often don't think they have time to cook healthy meals or
they don't have the skills to do so.
I recall my Domestic Science lessons, long ago, in school which provided pupils with the basic knowledge needed to understand what food to cook and how to cook it....and the related nutrition.
In my school this (for well rounded young people) was viewed as important as the academic subjects...it is clear why.
Modern educators seem to have adopted a different approach to both food and health.
I have nothing to be uncomfortable about in saying that I lost around 2 stone when I finally discovered the complicated thyroid problem that increasingly over many years had caused the weight gain...
and was threatening to turn me into a water logged "Mrs Blobby" as old photographs show.
As somebody said to me .....you've got your cheekbones back now!!
greygoose has already given you the best of advice....follow it
I eat more or less the same as I did before the weight loss which underlines the fact that my diet ( despite my dark chocolate addiction) was not responsible.
Relax, worry less, eat sensibly, consider your perception of what is overweight....and ensure that you are optimally medicated.
Your FT3 needs to sit at a level that makes you well...not at a number on a screen that suits a poorly informed doctor.
Just a few thoughts from my kitchen table!!
Rant over!!
Good luck ....fight for the dose you need, you are a thyroid warrior!!
Thank you so much for your response.I’m way too young for “Home economics” style classes as I’m in my late 20s 😬 but I honestly wish they thought us stuff like that and even more when I look at teenagers nowadays realise how real life skills should be thought in schools.
Stuff like how to change a lightbulb, how to repair a dripping tap, how to pay bills, what is credit and how it affects you, how to budget and own your home and yes, how to cook and how food affects your health.
I think that should be thought to everyone doing GCSEs and should be a mandatory subject and everyone must pass to proceed to other education or leave school.
Rant over in this! 🤣🤭
I would say my diet is actually quite good and has always been, I grew up in Italy so I follow mostly a Mediterranean diet and eat fresh food.
My only indulgence used to be croissants 🥐 as that’s what we eat in Italy for breakfast. I’ve cut back almost completely on that!
The only sweets I now eat are for my low blood sugars! So working on reducing low blood sugars so I can cut that sugar too!
I’m also moderately active on the daily with exercise on top too.
I’m quite optimistic that I will loose the weight once I’m settled with my thyroid.
I was supposed to be referred to a thyroid specialist but the hospital refused and discharged me without even seeing me!
I’ll push back on the Endo after my results are back if the GP is still on the edge.
Yes we do! 🫢🫢The Italian NHS also pays you something like €100-€200 a month to allow you to buy GF food at pharmacies (not sure why but that’s were they used to sell it, don’t know if it’s changed in the last 10+ yrs).
I used to be checked for Thyroid antibodies and coeliac test at EVERY Endo diabetes appointment, which was at 4-6months intervals. They know their correlations!
On a side note, I’m sure you can get GF ones, but I’ve been back in gluten for that coeliac test. So I’ve been eating a bit of anything and everything with moderation.
Never had any gut issues at all …..just legs didn’t work!
Gastroenterologist wanted to do DNA testing for coeliac as was astonished my blood tests for coeliac were always negative…..DNA test was ambivalent….probably not coeliac
Result was immaterial, strictly gluten free diet has been amazing improvement
I have done privately Dio2 gene test and Ancestry full dna (then evaluated by mthfr-genetics.co.uk)
Post any results you have and we'll advise.I'd be surprised if you didn't lose weight after a levo increase!
Our local bakery makes excellent croissants, I love them too....but I restrict them to occasional weekends!
I show my age (76) by referring to "Domestic Science" but we did actually learn about the science of cooking, detergents, fabrics etc...so quite an apt name really.
Don’t be envious of Domestic Science lessons… for some they might have been the highlight of the week, but for others ( like me) they were the most humiliating. I remember DS lessons with a sense of horror and rising anger the more I think of them. The dog wouldn’t even touch some of the stuff I was required to cook!
Obviously... mine was a snotty upwardly mobile (in her eyes) individual who looked down on every girl bar one or two favourites in her class. The fact that I wasn't Welsh or even British, having just moved from Holland, made me stand out even more for her condescension. I spoke perfect English as I had a British mother and had spoken it since birth but, because the only English conversation I had in Holland was with American service kids, I had a very American accent too and that just completed my 'criminal' record!
Well… she was actually Welsh but spoke with a very posh English accent. I learnt nothing from her, but my mum was a great cook and taught me all the skills I needed, including all my gran’s recipes which she passed on to me and I passed on to my 3 daughters and 1 son who all became competent cooks too. And they’re passing my gran’s recipes on to their kids now!
I hated my domestic science lessons, and home economics , and sewing .....i hated the teacher (i think it was mutual) and i hated the pressure of the 'time plans' for practical cookery lessons .... i wanted to do woodwork instead, but girls weren't allowed !
But in hindsight i'm very glad i was made to do them. i know about the essential amino acids in animal protein... so i know how the difference between a healthy vegetarian diet and one which is lacking in them . I know how to feed growing teenage boys and frail old biddys with the nutrition they need, and do both economically. I know how to get blood stains out of white shirts and oil stains off the carpet, or concrete. And i know how to make a massive marquee out of canvas and not have it rip in the wind... which gave me a good living .
... i taught myself some woodwork later anyway., but without being made to do domestic science at school i dread to think what i would have been feeding my kids or how much it would have cost me.
I'm appalled at what they don't teach kids about food at school nowadays.. one of my kids came home with cookery homework to 'design a pizza' .. she designed one with strawberries and chocolate (fair enough she was 12, I might have fancied the same when i was 12) ... but apparently nobody said anything about it from a nutritional point of view ....... they were more interested in designing the box ...??
it's no wonder the NHS is swamped with diet related health complaints.. when a whole generation of kids were not taught about essential nutrition and not taught how to cook properly from scratch .
….. aaaaaaaaaaaaand you managed to make me even more jealous of your home economics and domestic science lessons!!!! 😩😩😩😩
I wish we were thought even half of this in school!!!!
Honestly I’m in my late 20s and I had to learn all this myself and I still would have no clue what to feed a growing child or growing teenager!
My sister is 14 in school now and she’s absolutely clueless about life and how things work. (Much different than how I had to be at her age).
A couple of years ago I had to train an 18yo at work and my oh my.
Had to explain basics of budgeting, how overdrafts and credit cards work, how you pay bills and how they affect you if you don’t pay them on time. AND what a credit score is!!
Mind you this was VERY important as we assess clients finances.. (she was an apprentice) but I was shock that stuff I thought was common knowledge…. Wasn’t!
It's not always what should be taught in school that is the problem, but also what happens at home. Parents model behaviour and children who are fed junk food and microwave dinners will grow up without the knowledge of how to shop for and cook decent food. The lengthy queues at the McDonald's drive thru are a case in point. (Other fast food outlets are available)
I totally agree, but those parents probably didn't have the benefit of a good HE course either, or parents who taught them...so don't have the knowledge to pass on to their offspring.
It's a sad state of affairs and I feel that good education is always the answer.
It's also the answer for those of us here who are having to learn in order to treat our individual and often complex thyroid conditions....
because med students are not adequately trained to treat thyroid patients.
It's the cumulative outcome of the knock on effect!
yes ...'the parents' was my point really . All those kids who weren't /still aren't being taught the basics of nutrition and cookery either by their own parents or at school are now feeding their own kids (badly) and so it will continue ,,on and on ... and is it really their fault that they don't know what to do with a beetroot and how to to get a kid to eat it ? .... it was extremely short sighted of 'the state' to allow this lack of knowledge to grow.... i was lucky enough to have a mum that would have taught me 'enough' anyway because she was taught well enough ,and i was required to help with sunday dinner whether i was interested or not... but there were other kids in my compulsory school cookery lessons who weren't being taught anything at home apart from how to make chocolate rice crispy cup cakes. So many problems in society are a direct result of lack of all sorts of parenting skills, I don't want a 'nanny state' . but so many opportunities are being missed to improve these skills for people who didn't have the benefit of a good start themselves . a larger amount of investment in these things earlier in peoples lives would have saved an absolute fortune for the whole country later on .
I agree, I didn’t have that at home necessarily.We had a good diet and what I would consider healthy.
Fast food is really not a thing (or wasn’t) in Italy, it’s a once in a while treat.
But I wasn’t thought any of this from my family and had to wing it and figure it out myself.
However… mum and grandma DID have HE lessons, shame they didn’t pass on the knowledge.
The problem lies with if parents haven’t had the knowledge, they won’t be able to pass it on.
Having it at school means if the failure happens at home, there’s something you can still learn at school.
I remember joining uni as a “mature student” (21!) and the educators on induction day had to tell parents to make sure kids know the normal price of bread and milk to avoid being ripped off!!!
Maybe even learning how to make sandwiches and pasta so they don’t eat outside constantly! 😵💫😵💫😵💫
My mouth went to the floor, I had to learn life basics at 10. 🤣🫣🫣🫣🫣
But then for Hypo it’s said to avoid dairy and gluten (not a problem), and cruciferous vegetables…. I feel like there’s nothing left!
First thing you need to know is that there is a lot of false information, half truths and down-right lies out there.
Firstly gluten.
It is true that a lot of Hashi's people are gluten sensitive - and many have Coeliac disease - so, giving up gluten helps them enormously with symptoms. It is not true that all hypos need to give up gluten. So, if you have Hashi's, the best thing to do is to try gluten-free for about 3 to 6 months, see if it helps. If it does, good, carry on. If it doesn't, try eating gluten again and see if you feel worse. If you do, go back to gluten-free. If you don't, no point in staying gluten-free.
Dairy.
Pretty much the same thing. Some people are allergic to or intolerant of dairy, so the best thing is to give it up. But, if you tolerate dairy well, giving it up is not going to help your thyroid in any way. Something else to try - but not at the same time as trying gluten-free! One thing at a time.
Cruciferous veggies.
This is sort of a half-truth misunderstanding.
Some veggies contain certain substances called goitrogens - veggies like cabbage, onions, legumes, etc. And some fruits like strawberries and pears. And some nuts like walnuts.
What goitrogens do is impede the uptake of iodine by the thyroid, so it cannot make enough thyroid hormone. The thyroid develops into a goitre in the effort to trap enough iodine - hence the name goitr-ogen.
But, what they don't tell you is that you'd have to eat one hell of a lot of them to have that effect, like cabbage soup for every meal for years. The average person's average portion of leeks or Brussels sprouts is not going to give you a goitre. And goitrogens certainly are not going to affect your dose of levo in any way.
So, forget about cruciferous veg being 'bad for the thyroid', and enjoy the veggies you normally eat.
Three things to avoid:
* all forms of unfermented soy - soy protein, soy flour, soy oil, etc.
* artificial sweeteners
* processed seed oils, like rapeseed, etc.
As for losing weight, there's not much hope of anyone doing that until their FT3 is optimal. And, over-exercising is the worst thing you can do - if on levo only - because it uses up your calories and you need calories to convert T4 to T3. And, by the way, you're probably not eating enough calories.
So, just gentle walking or swimming until your FT3 is in the right place for you.
Also, you should know that hypo wieght-gain is not always fat. It's more likely to be water-retention. So, low calorie diets and over-exercising is not likely to get rid of that, anyway. It has very little to do with over-eating.
Thank you so so so so soooo much! This explains quite a lot!
I feel relieved that I can go back to spinach, broccoli, cauliflower and kale in peace!
They are the only ones I actually eat/enjoy!!!!
I do better when I limit or avoid gluten, so I do that on principle most days, but dairy, is fair game, I only have issues when I overdo it with the milk! 🫢
My mind is more at peace.
I’ll keep in mind the calories. That’s hard to do when you’re constantly ballooning even if you smell good 😩😩😩
Hi greygoose,Your remarks are interesting, and I'm intrigued by your list of the 3 things to avoid. Would you mind indulging my curiosity and explaining them some more? - thanks
Soy impedes the uptake of thyroid hormone by the cells. So, you can have good levels in the blood, but still be hypo because it isn't getting into the cells.
Artificial sweeterers and processed seed grains are bad for everyone, not just hypos, it's just that not everyone seems to know. Artificial sweeteners are especially bad if you are trying to lose weight, because they can actually make you put weight on.
I absolutely hate the fact that manufacturers, are reducing the sugar content in soft drinks and adding sweetener as well. I am that person who stands in your way reading the labels. It is awful that parents think they are doing good by giving their children 'no added sugar drinks' and they don't realise that the sweetener in them make them crave sweeter things. They even put it in the flavoured waters........ There is hope out there, I have found diet tonic water in Lidl that has no sweeteners and lots of ( very expensive, so you only use a little of them) cordials that just have sugar in them. I hate the smell and taste of sweeteners, they also add them to lots of foods as well!
rosie61, They're by no means cheap, but Fever Tree and London Essence both do a range of tonic waters and other flavoured fizzy drinks that are low in sugar but no artificial sweeteners.
Yes, I hate it too. I live in France, and we don't have that problem so much. It's one or the other - sugar or AS - not a mixture, so easier to avoid. I haven't been back to England for years, but I remember last time I was there, I really wanted a glass of cream soda - don't have that here - but couldn't find one without artificial sweeteners. I was so disgusted, I was beyond words.
So, if you ever come over to France, make sure you have a car with a big boot so that you can stock up on AS-free cordials and soft drinks.
Ah I see that probably why still the struggle I had difficulty loosing weight for years on Levo and then weight just came off me the moment I found my optimal with NDT. I couldn’t quite believe it as I was a hardcore dieter my entire life to the point of eating disorders, definitely not someone who could loose weight eating regular meals!
Good luck on your journey- I hope you soon find the right dose and weight loss with come with it! I’m sure other mentioned already but keeping an eye on your vitamin levels plus iron is quite important too
Understandably most replies suggest optimising thyroid levels. If you then require support for weight loss (and its maintenance!), Id recommend seeing a specialised Naturopathic Nutritionist who would personalise a plan for you.
After all, it would probably cost you less than joining Weight Watchers which generally doesnt achieve the aforementioned goals!!
As with anything else e.g. tradespeople, you should research to find a good practitioner. Ive shown a link below but youd have to check if the correct expertise is included in their details/website (ideally including testimonials) or if face-face is key for you, then geographic location may be important. Or maybe ask for recommendations on the Healthy Eating part of this forum or elsewhere.
PS I myself qualify from CNM in September and am likely to specialise in weight loss and/or male hormones (I have case studies/testimonials for both) but Im not insured to practise until then. Im likely to focus on remote working but with some face-face.
Agree with the others once you get your thyroid levels sorted out things ought to be better.
I tried all sorts to lose weight, I think it’s really difficult if you have thyroid problems. WeightWatchers did absolutely nothing for me - my weight bounced up and down but then they sold so many nice carby biscuits that I was ‘allowed’ to eat 😉
I’ve found that cutting carbs is definitely the way for me to lose weight. I eat GF too - have done it for years since we drove to the south of France with me guzzling (the only word for it!) croissants, gorgeous crispy French sticks, pains au chocolat and by the time we got there I was almost unrecognisable.
I got my husband to take a photograph of my face - I was so puffy with little slit eyes that a friend didn’t recognise me when I showed her the photograph.
So I went totally GF from then on but I don’t eat GF cakes and bread now anyway.Then a couple of years later I I developed steroid induced T2 when I was be8ng treated for RA and to cut a long story short I discovered a book by a Dr David Cavan in how to reverse your T2. I did exactly what he recommended and I did reverse it - and lost loads of kilos into the bargain. I now know anything grain based and veggies grown under the soil really spike my blood sugar and lead to weight gain.
I know that book won’t be any use to you as you have T1 but ….. I noticed recently that he now has a book out called - Take Control of your T1 Diabetes. I haven’t looked at it but if it’s anywhere near as his book on T2 then it might be worth taking a look at it.
He has a T2 recipe book too but I didn’t love his recipes - I’d say there are better around.
I also found the diabetes.co.U.K. website good for ideas and a site called dietdoctor.com that had tons of dietary advice - they had/have an online course all about food - that’s where I learned about foods grown below soil contained sugar whereas stuff grown above is better for your blood sugar - you probably know all that already and it’s obvious really but I just hadn’t thought about it. What about adding fish into your diet - and eggs if you like them?
Thank you so much!Im glad to hear you reversed your T2!!!! 🥳🥳🥳
I’ll have a look at the books you mentioned and the course!
I do know some of this stuff but I’ll be honest… I’m slightly clueless about where some veggies come from (please don’t judge, it’s already embarrassing enough as it is! 😭😭) so a refresher is always welcome!
I’ll make another post about pregnancy and hypo as I’ve read some stuff that I want to fact check!
Especially, since I’ve read presence of antibodies or lack of enough thyroid hormones could damage the baby’s intellect 😭😭😭
The only way i got my weight down was being correctly medicated. I lost 4st 4lbs without even trying once my levels were optimal. I’m on liquid Levothyroxine plus Liothyronine. When on mono treatment Levothyroxine only I piled on loads of weight.
It’s quite interesting that I’ve seen a few ppl mention no weight loss until on dual therapy.. I wonder if there’s is some universal correlation or if it’s just a case that the people I’ve heard from had a conversion or T3 problem..
Yes, I have a problem converting T4 Levothyroxine to active T3. I had the DIO2 gene test and that was positive. Seems I’ve been running on very low energy for years. I was only converting 8% to t3. As soon as T3 was introduced along with t4 Levothyroxine I felt energised and youthful. It’s been nothing short of a miracle for me. But I do believe that keeping my TSH and T4 and T3 in range is a big part of keeping well and energised. I aim for a TSH of 1.00 which I hover around. Energy equals moving more and metabolism working well too therefore weight loss. I’ve kept steady at my reduced weight now for about 2 years without trying. I actually eat more.
I agree with SlowDragon that you very possibly need an increase in levo as you are on a tiny dose. The weight battle I know only too well having been diagnosed with hypothyroidism sixty years ago. Had various levels of being adequately treated and abysmally so. I have T2 diabetes and can honestly say that LCHF is best for me. It keeps a reasoning carb level with healthy fats butter, cheese etc.. it’s really easy to follow and in family life I just add carbs as side dishes when entertaining non diabetic friends and my husband happily munches away on bread , rice and pasta not to mention sweet treats as he wants.
You could try checking out Diabetes UK for sone excellent info about LCHF, it’s where I started years ago. Now I know what I can and can’t eat without worrying it# really simple. No special recipes needed and an adequate calorie intake gauranteed. However for steady weight loss and weight maintenance you will need adequate thyroid replacement. Otherwise you may lose a few kilos and plateau.
I was actually one of those Domestic Science teachers DippyDame referred to earlier.
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