I need help trying to figure out how many carbs I should be eating a day … does anyone know of a reliable calculator …. I can find calculators for every type of health issue just not hypothyroidism …. My weight is out of control and Im tired of it and exercising is important but proving nearly impossible with my PPPD issues happening along side of the Psoriatic arthritis … trouble walking and now every time I do I have to deal with bouncing vision and fear of falling or people looking at me like Im a drunk… I can’t make this up if I tried… This is what hell is like.
I just need some help with Calculators or some idea where do go from here?
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Batty1
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I would love to believe its water but Im having a hard time thinking like this … I know Im not over eating and not eating perfect but not bad enough to pack on the pounds …. I eat 3 salads a week for dinner which is something I have never done in my life …. Doctor also don’t believe in the hypo water gain they just see someone who is overweight and her fault.
How are we suppose to address the thyroid issues when you blood work says Im fine and getting your endo to look past labs is impossible as we are all aware.
Yes, we are all aware of all that, the total ignorance of the majority of doctors and their total lack of desire to make us well. And that is why so many of us self-medicate.
Self-medication may not be the solution to the general problem - may even make it worse because doctors will be unaware of the full scale of the problem they have created. But it is the personal solution for many individual hypos. Myself included. I no-longer have the patience to deal with doctors and their delusions of grandure and lack of knowledge and empathy. And if I'd stayed being a good little patient and doing as I was told, I would probably be dead by now. So, because I don't know how to deal with them and cannot educate them. I just avoid them, that's all.
But all that is not to say that getting rid of the water is an easy task. It isn't. I've spent a lot of time experimenting with different supplements and doses of thyroid hormone replacement. But I don't have an answer yet. But, if you want proof for yourself that that's what it is, have a look at this video:
Thanks for the video. I think those of us with myxedema "fat" need this kind of information, because otherwise we beat ourselves up thinking we need ever more severe diets. I wish the medics would take this sign seriously and find some kind of SOLUTION. I have it in my forearms, and far worse, from feet to knees - "pre-tibial myxedema". I've barely seen my ankle bones in decades. Have to live in trousers. It's really depressing.
I have been saying this for years my fat hurts … if you pinch it or push on it the pain is off the charts and doctors just don’t believe me when I say its not normal for your fat to be painful when its grabbed or pushed on….. They never respond.
It's the skin full of mucin that's hurting. The skin is swollen and can get inflamed. That's where the pain comes from I think. Certainly that's the case in my arms. My feet have peripheral neuropathy as well as swelling. The swelling makes the neuropathy worse and the whole lot hurts like hell.
Not 'fat', mucin. Mucin is a substance found under the skin that attracts and holds water. We hypos have it in abundance and it's very, very hard to get rid of. There are many, many posts about it on here, if you do a search.
I had this in my arms. Could not pinch any skin. Suddenly it improved a lot a while ago. But my lower legs and feet are full of it. They are heavy, swollen looking and painful sometimes. It’s so depressing. My arms have regressed somewhat now too.
I'm afraid I can't answer your questions, I have no idea. I just know that that's the way it is. Mucin is a natural component of skin, but when you're hypo you have more of it.
Pretty sure that the longer it takes you to get diagnosed the worse it is. Because it just keeps building up. And when it's there, it's very hard to get rid of.
And it certainly is misunderstood! Most doctors have never even heard of it.
hi! I too have issues with my weight even though I don’t overeat and my diet is very clean/healthy. I remember that you said you had thyroidectomy ( as I did) and you are on levo. I vaguely blame my inability to lose weight on having no thyroid (although I don’t think I’m hypo- or am I? - don’t know)
However I also have liver issues and psoriasis as well as PsA. So I’m not sure which of those is the main cause of the weight issue ( I have heard the combination of these being called metabolic syndrome)
In addition I have also heard that the state of the microbiome underpins the majority of health issues.
I’m just telling you all this as I’m also trying to work out how to lose weight. What is the answer for metabolic syndrome.
At my last appointment my rheumatologist spoke about keto. I know it works but it’s not sustainable.
That’s the one I tried before and it certainly worked but I was a bit worried about long term effects. On the other hand I was thinking of trying Mediterranean keto.
Yes I agree. I very rarely eat bread ( I make protein based (lentil) bread) and I don't eat any cakes/chips/sugar/flour / mostly avoid dairy/ red meat) . Don't eat anything processed. Mostly lean protein, good fats (olive oil, avocado , nuts etc) I do eat pulses and red rice and I wonder whether although they are healty, they are actually good for me.
That is one frustrating thing. I really eat well but just cannot shift the weight. I don't move enought though. I know that (partly due to weakness linked to Psa) It's frustrating when doctors look at you and they think you don't eat well, or that you eat too much, when in reality there are other issues that stop you from losing weight.
I hate it when I hear that it's just a matter of calories in vs calories out. It's just not as simple as that
That must be really disheartening I find that ever time I stray a little I put a few ounces on again, but once I’m back on the straight and narrow all is good again
I've been unable to lose weight for over 15 years since thyroid issues. I have very very slowly started to lose weight over last year and half. I would be classed as having metabolic syndrome.I have/had nafld, high and low cholesterols high crp, slight bp, larger waist compared to rest of body and very likely insulin resistant.
I changed my diet from very low calorie, low fat, low carb to more of all above and highe protein and 2/3lt water. Also minimal alcohol
Started simple weight training in the garden for 10 mins a day.
In 5 months I'd only lost 2lb but lost inches.
I then started taking berberine supplement and very slowly I started to lose.
I know the exercise will be main reason I lost but I believe the berberine kicked started things and now all my bloods are lovely and normal.
I've lost about 19lb now but it goes back on very quickly still and know my metabolism isn't normal which I blame on my low body temperature and cannot raise even with t3 or exercise.
It good to know I've possibly reversed the fatty liver.
That article GG linked is quite good! Here’s my two cents.
First - as all things with this disease… we are all different.
But here’s the way I look at it.
1) The most useful thing I did in this regard was to track my food. And before you object - YES it is a very big pain in the a** to do.
I personally use MyFitnessPal app - and have at various times over the past 10 years.
The important part is that when I did it - I did not have any intention of restricting my food.
I did it just to understand how much I was eating when I ate normally for me.
I read in GGs link that there’s opinions as to whether tracking is an accurate and consistent reflection of intake. In my long running experience- it is.
The crazy thing is that I would track my food…. And find that when I went for that bedtime snack, or reached for an extra serving, once I entered the daily tracking …. In every case I was totally up to the same number every day. Without trying.
I will say that I have always only eaten when hungry. When I’m hungry, I eat. When I’m not, I stop. Even when there is a bite left on my plate. I leave it.
It might be that this is a habit that takes practice. To be really in tune with when you are actually hungry and need food, vs when you swallow a whole donut because it just tastes so good. And to know the difference.
There’s a part in the article that says: “You should be consuming the same amount of calories that your body burns on a daily basis. The good news is that your body has a built-in mechanism to help you do just that. It’s called your appetite. Your brain will tell you when it’s time to eat (unless you have certain conditions listed below) by inducing hunger.”
That really resonates for me, and apparently for others as there it is in the article.
2) The reason the above is important… is that in order to answer your question - how many carbs… you need to know how many calories. Because your macro breakdown of carbs is part of a larger pie of carbs, protein and fat.
Most of this year I tracked my food with the intention of seeing how much iron I was eating in my diet.
So I wasn’t planning or tracking - just eating, making good healthy food choices most of the time.
Here’s what my breakdown was - it was not planned, and as it always seems to turn out, it was remarkably consistent:
I ate about 1800 calories a day, ranging from 1200-2200. Without trying these numbers averaged out:
- About 40-45% of those calories came from Carbs (about 216 grams)
- 40% from Fat. (About 100 grams)
- 15-30% from Protein. (About 100 grams)
Funny, I just looked at some of the 2200 calorie days and it looks like I ate all the extra in carbs : ) one day I ate 250 grams of Carbs (bagels and rice!) and another I ate 325 grams of Carbs (all candy! And a few cups of milk). Fat and protein were always about 100 grams a day.
So you can’t just decide to pick a carb number. You need to understand how many calories you need each day - then look at a portion of those to allocate to carbs.
When you begin with a weight loss goal that arbitrarily depends on restricting what your body needs, it is most often doomed to fail. Your body will crave more, and/or your metabolism will slow as the article describes.
I share the above as someone who has tracked food, calories, macro nutrients and vitamins/minerals many times for various reasons.
It’s almost like when we get intimate with our thyroid numbers and how they match our symptoms. Learning how your body’s appetite feels in relation to how well you provide the right number of calories that are properly balanced across the macro nutrients - it gives peace of mind for you when you feel anxious for things to change… and learning what you can control, and understanding what you can’t control (with food, or anything else for that matter.)
Thank you for all that …. I do track my food and tend to eat mostly the same food everyday and I did my daily intake on my fitness pal earlier and Im at 1400 calories for today … Which isn’t a lot of food ….Since I only ate a bowl of Oatmeal which keeps me full and I didn’t eat again until dinner time. I think my biggest demon comes from lack of movement and not being able to without issues …. My thinking was cutting down carbs/overall to make up for lack of movement.
That’s great! I have drifted towards that 1200-1500 per day too… hypo and just not hungry : ). My husband knows I’m feeling less hypo when I finish all my food on my plate at dinner : )
I am also largely sedentary.. although clawing my way back to a daily walk best I can. Sometimes I do, sometimes I can’t.
I won’t address all the no-carb options in all their many forms. Others may weigh in and articulately champion them. Of course they work for some people for certain purposes. We’ve all heard of no-carb diets melting off the pounds. For some people that works and maybe even some sustain it.
But my opinion for the rest of us - if you are eating 1400 well rounded calories… you are already reflecting a very low calorie day that likely is reflecting your low hypo metabolism. (I’m writing knowing it’s so much more complicated for us, but I’ll just keep going anyway.)
I’ve done the 12-1500 calorie diet - and I know you are eating almost nothing.
If you think restricting calories below that will help, at that low level I would guess (just guessing here) that your body would kick into hunger mode and you’d initially find yourself eating the calories back… one cracker, one apple, an extra scoop of oatmeal. Like… each one of those would immediately bring you back up to 1400 calories. That’s what would happen to me on days I ate less than usual… all of a sudden I’d realize I ate a couple hundred calories - a cup of milk, a rice cracker, a square of chocolate. A couple hundred calories is so easy to eat - and you shouldn’t go below where you are in my opinion from my own similar calorie intake.
I know I’m babbling a bit. But keep in mind, even if you COULD exercise, you’d burn XX calories doing so and in all likelihood you’d end up eating XX calories after.
Then as GG’s article notes - your body would definitely go into starvation mode, slowing your metabolism even more to conserve the little calories you are eating.
I'm also desperatey needing to lose weight / gain an appetite / have more energy.
I've been dealing with hypo for about 10 years now and have recently been trawling the internet yet again for some way to sort it all out.
I've recently watched two videos which have really turned things around for me, so I thought I'd offer the links in case they're of use to you too.
I should add that I'm just taking what feels right for me from each of these – e.g. some of the foods they suggest are a problem for me and I'm also having to adapt the strategies a bit to fit my lifestyle (chaotic with work, family etc) but I'm already feeling like I'm making progress !
Mostly, I like that each of these explain things in everyday terms so it's easy to follow :o)
* A Functional Medicine doctor – he explains all the new research findings on thyroid function (which he sadly admits that GP's./consultants don't take time to read) and I learned a lot that was new to me about how the thyroid works with the whole body.
* A lady called Jessie who became a biochemist in order to sort out her own health problems. She has a fresh approach to eating based on her research which is actually working for me (and she explains how you can eat carbs !)
* Another discovery which I'm loving is a company called Tibico Fermentary. I kept reading that I needed to include probiotics in my diet, but I couldn't get on with the various probiotic coleslaws (too spicy) or milk kefir drinks (am avoiding dairy), however I was delighted to find that Tibico produce water kefir drinks !
Www.tibicohealth.com
The Strawberry one is just like a fizzy summer drink – absolutely delicious !
They also make a kind of coleslaw which I'm going to try next as it will fit well with the way of eating that Jessie suggests.
I hope that something here might help you and that you start to feel better soon x
Last time I was well medicated I took a keto approach. I think it's around 20g carbs a day, but those carbs need to come from veg. No processed foods, no cooked oatmeal (sorry very high carb) lots of different coloured veg/salad. Some fruit is OK, but beware high sugar ones. Eat the rainbow. Protein with each meal. Olive oil salad dressing.
If you've cut out simple carbs and still don't lose, try adding a bit of fat. I have a spoon of dble cream or bit of cheese or olive oil.
Did you lose and has the loss stayed off? I have super high cholesterol Keto kind of worries me and I don’t eat a lot of meat… Im thinking about cutting back oatmeal.
I lost about 12 kilos, and it stayed off for a year. It went back on when they took half my T4 off me as punishment for taking T3.
You don't eat masses of meat, you're just eating a balanced diet. You need protein and fat. I'd rather have beans & lentils than meat, but the carbs are a bit high for weight loss. They were fine for me for maintenance.
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