I only need to lose 8 pounds, but thought Id try a low carb diet...(MY doctor knows Im doing this)...I dont think low carb works for people with hypothyroid issues, because your thyroid needs carbs to work properly...Dr.Atkins is only 20 carbs a day...There is another low carb diet that is 40 carbs a day, not sure if that might work better over time...What seems to have happened is my thyroid TSH has gone way down(the skinny end on the charts), but i havent really lost any weight...Has anyone had any success on a low carb diet ,as someone that also is hypothyroid?
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It's not that your thyroid needs carbs to 'work' - if you're on thyroid hormone replacement, your thyroid isn't working anyway. But your body needs carbs to convert T4 to T3. And different people seem to need different amounts of carbs, so it's not a one-size-situation-fits-all.
And, if you're on thyroid hormone replacement (levo) it's not surprising that your TSH has dropped low. But high or low, the TSH is not going to have any effect on your weight. It doesn't cause symptoms. So, despite your low TSH, your probably have low FT3 - the active hormone - possibly due to poor conversion. But the TSH won't tell you that. You need to have your FT4 and FT3 tested to see their levels, and how well you convert one to the other.
However, as a general rule, hypo weight-gain tends to be water-retention rather than fat, so no sort of diet is going to help, and could be detrimental. What you need to lose weight is an optimal level of FT3.
I have had some success with Intermittent fasting (IF). Previously lost about 7 kilos. Got stuck there but was not really pursuing weight loss for a while. Tried again with Intermittent fasting (took my thyroxine at night during this time it encouraged me to stick with the IF) and lost another 7kgs. Stuck again now but still pleasantly surprised at losing about 14 kgs without too much effort. Practically none in fact. Just eating well and eating only within a certain window. 6pm to 9 am without food.
As greygoose says, you need carbs for good conversion. I’d add, be very careful not to undereat. This is counter-intuitive as we’re told eat less, exercise more is the way to lose weight. I found this does not work for me any more. And believe me I tried everything. I did ZOE last year and have pretty much stuck with the recommendations that emerged for me from that. I eat about 1800 to 2200 cals per day (according to their app) and I have lost almost 10kg. It has been slow, yes, but the way of eating is for me at least totally sustainable.
If you don’t lose weight, you should message them. My weight has stuck a few times, especially early on. I messaged them and got some great advice from some of their coaches.
Having said that, you do need thyroid hormones to be in a good place.
Someone has mentioned intermittent fasting and I'm wondering if you might try a 14-16 hour window between your evening meal and breakfast? I regularly do 12-14 as a matter of course because I have an appallingly slow digestive system and need to finish my evening meal 3 hours before bed. Add plenty of roughage in plant form to your protein diet including things like pulses, and I think you might see your weight stabilise.
I'm following the Mediterranean diet of high protein low carb, but essentially I'm eating lots of vegetables and lean protein like turkey mince and salmon or tuna. I have a ridiculously slow sluggish digestive system and so I've had to cut out refined sugars and simple carbs like bread pasta etc, I do miss them from time to time but it's the only thing works for me, also like others have said intermittent fasting is a great help, if you want a safe way to do this the late great dr Michael mosley was a great advocate for how to eat healthy and well, you can find it on Instagram
I have low carbed for years. It stopped working around the time my thyroid went wonky, and I ended up putting on 4 stone.
I tried low carbing, cutting down, calorie counting etc and nothing worked.
I ended up adding in T3 as levothyroxine wasn't working for me, and also tried low carb again, and it worked. I managed to lose the 4 stone I had put on.
I'm now on T3 only, and I low carb all the time apart from when on holiday. I'm also gluten free.
(When I talk about low carb, I stick to around 20g a day).
It's the only way dieting works for me, as the hunger pangs and cravings disappear.
i doubt doc would give me T3...but im going to speak with her again...she just says my body likes being this weight..lol Its such a small amount i need to lose, but its the hardest...Many years ago before the thyroid issues, I lost 68 pounds on weight watchers and kept it off 20 years...then the thyroid thing happened in my 40,s...i was so dashed after all that hard work, but im almost back where i wanna be....Im almost 68, but have not given up...
I have lost a lot of weight through intermitant fasting. I fast twice a week. Tend to eat quite a high fat, protein diet with complex carbs during my eating days, It seems quite sustainable.
Try staying away from processed foods, and starchy foods like bread and pasta. Also important to watch your sugar intake. There is sugar in everything we eat. The general recommendation is that women should limit their added sugar intake to about 6 teaspoons (25 grams) per day. Make sure to drink enough water and get plenty of fiber in your diet. Adding exercise like walking at least every day should help too.
I work out 5 days a week...I do aerobics, or aquafit....Ive been doing that for years !!!! I use stevia mostly to sweeten anything...I add up my water at night to see if ive had enough...I do all those things you say, but Im still stuck...
There was a lady on the Atkins site said it would never work for her and she had thyroid problems, so she did a modified Atkins...Apparently modified Atkins is doing 40 carbs, so i will try it a tad longer see if anything happens...Im eating a a fair amount of food on Atkins...low carb, but Im not gaining weight...Someone suggested adding up the calories and the carbs so im doing that...Some people pig out on Atkins becasue you can, but maybe not everyone..Im going to check see what the TSH is doing in a few weeks...i thought maybe on more carbs the TSH would come back up ,and work in a better way for weight loss...My doc probably wont give me a T3 T4 test, but i will ask her...they seem so reluctant to send you for tests..If this doesnt work i will look into intermitant fasting i think...Thanks everyone...I dont wanna be on Atkins tooo long as i think it might be a bit much for your heart and arteries...
Just a warning, I'm fairly sure that super low carb caused gallstones for me! Not something I would want to repeat. I peronsally find eating predominently "Paleo" works very well - tonnes of leafy green veg, as good quality meat and fish as you can afford, fermented food (saurkraut, kimchi, etc) and limited eggs, nuts, sweet potatoes, fruit. I can't cope with measuring macronutrients or calories as it wrecks my head (such a high cognitive load for something that is always so inaccurate anyway) and then I rebel and sit down with a bottle of red wine and family sized bar of fruit and nut, so the nourish myself principle works much better for me. And making sure I have enough energy from carbs (sweet potatoes are amazing) so I don't crash and buy sweets instead. People say thyroid weight is water weight but I think I've gained 15kgs over the last few years from being undiagnosed and just too tired and depressed to do anything but eat sweets and watch telly. If only that was only water weight! Now I'm finally on levo I am walking more, lifting weights, feeling optimistic - life changing stuff. And my waist line is reappearing too! Best of luck with it.
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