Deelou~

Come join us on the Slow Carb Diet thread! It is so encouraging. I also, am treating hypothyroidism and losing weight!

Blessings!

When you are already hypo, you need to see an endo. Depending on the cause (e.g. Hashi), iodine can make things worse.

Hi!

I haven't read all the posts, but wanted to jump in. My 15 year old daughter was born hypothyroid. She doesn't have a weight problem thank goodness. But she did start eating a gluten free diet last year and it has helped her digestion immensely! She had chronic constipation, but she is much better now with gluten free. She doesn't eat a ton of carbs, but she does eat a lot of fruit, plus some potatoes, corn, and rice.

Just a thought for your hypo folks out there!

Hi- what a journey for your family...thanks for sharing. I have been hypothyroid for about 35 years, and am 65 now.

As older hypothyroid sufferers...many of us are extremely carb sensitive. Personally I need to go EASY...and very low glycemic on everything, esp on the fruit. I avoid rice and corn. Beyond a small taste of something special in a restaurant.. My super sensitivity to carbs really does NOT allow me much wiggle room so I must go for the bang nutrient wise on them...and starch just is not something my metabolism plays nice in the sandbox with. My carbs all come from berries, vegetables like green peppers, broccoli, celery, cauli, asparagus, spinach and lettuce. And an occasional glass of wine. If I began eating the starchy things regularly...I'd be up 20 pounds in a few months. That is a reality. My younger days were not nearly so sensitive. It got (significantly) worse after menopause, then a hysterectomy, and I needed to be on a low carb low glycemic diet to lose 65 pounds in 2013. It took me about 7 months. That is fast...but it was clear what reducing carbs and keeping things low on the glycemic index did for me early on. I lost 2-3 lbs a week. This must be a lifestyle for me if I hope to remain at my goal. I am 4'10" (what a raw deal from the BMR point of view!!)...and I maintain at around 109-112.

Cheers to all the hypothyroid people...you will need to experiment to see how your metabolism has been challenged by this problem. We are not like everyone else, and are all different from each other...even with treatment....no matter what the diet gurus say!!!

Hypothyroidism is hard to deal with especially if you have hormone trouble. I am on 2 different thyroid medications and i finally requested to go see a specialist. I had sonogram of my thyroid and it appears that i have a nodule. I have really been watching what i eat and started exercising. I have a book called the Thyroid Diet that i have been reading and it has been really helpful.

I have had a REALLY hard time losing weight for the last five years since I was diagnosed as borderline hypothyroid. Life was like an escalator raising me to weights I had never seen while I desperately tried to scramble in the opposite direction. :-(.

In the interim, I was diagnosed, started on medication, and then my medication was upped. I have been back on WW with a lot of the new found info-- I do cardio at the gym 5x a week and hit my 10,000 step goal at least 6 days a week. I take a vitamin d and vitamin b12 supplement. I avoid soy and gluten (but still have occasionally). I eat as little processed food as possible.

Well, it's been four weeks and I have lost 10 pounds for the first time in five years! (Including when I trained for and walked a half marathon!)

I am happy and cautiously optimistic that I finally see that scale going down a little... And am incredibly worried that it will stop or go up again.

Thanks for all of your support on this bumpy ride!

So when I started my levothyroxine I had no idea u were not supposed to take it at night. I just took it at bedtime with my other meds. Then my cousin said u were supposed to take it on an empty stomach, so I tried that for about 3 months which sucked bc I am so hungry when infirstnwake up. I saw no difference. I still think my dose is a little low but my blood says otherwise. I still have really dry skin, always cold, and hair falls out. I honestly never noticed a difference except minimal better hair loss. Anyway I went back to taking at night but don't seem to have an issue. Does anyone know why they say don't take with food?

Hi, I am new to this community and love that I found this board. Let me give you some background. I am going to be 44 this summer and about a year and a half ago I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I am currently on 100mcg of levothyroxine every other day and 75mcg on the other days. My TSH levels have been over nine and as low as 1.8, as long as I stay under 3 I seem to be ok to a degree. Right now they are 3.8 and I have been feeling like crap so my Dr. is playing with my meds once again.

I have struggled with my weight all of my life and it has been an emotional roller coaster. I married at 19 and had 3 beautiful boys by the time I was 23. My oldest son got married In July of 2012 a few months before I was diagnosed, and about 6 months before that I was bound and determined I was going to look good at his wedding so my husband and I set out on a challenge. I weighed the most I ever had at 225lbs and I felt every pound of it. So with general diet modifications and alot of exercise I lost 47lbs by the time he married - I was 178. I felt good and everyone said I looked good it was a great feeling. When I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism the Dr. told me she was surprised I was able to lose that much weight with my thyroid problem but was proud of me as well and so was I. Well about a month after my son's wedding I found out the my husband had a girlfriend and by the way he had also lost 35lbs and was now 175, so after months of trying to fix things I moved out and next month that will be a year ago. So a little over 1 1/2 years later I have put back on all but 13lbs of what I lost and I am at 212lbs today. I need help I don't want to be like this anymore, no one mentioned anything about diets when I was diagnosed with this problem but then again I didn't need it then either. I don't know if it was necessary to tell all of this but I do think it has played a part of my weight gain this time.

Thanks for listening to my story - I have read all the entries from this group and I think I have alot of research to do this weekend.

Dottie I can relate to u on so many levels. I am still married for 22 years but my worst fear is my husband will look elsewhere since I weigh more than ever. I'm not suggesting that is what happened to u, it is just my insecurity. Anyway I am almost 43 and have been married since I was 20. June will be 23 years. My husband is great and supportive but I am very insecure. Anyway it sounds like the typical men r pigs thigh and u can't blame yourself for gaining back with all that stress. We r so conditioned to eat by all the tv commercials and food programs and then looked down on when we gain weight. To say there are mixed messages is a huge understatement.
I have struggled with not just hypothyroidism but also depression and fibromyalgia for like 4-10 years. I am finally in a little better place at this time. I get out of bed each day which is actually a step up. It may be later in the day than I would like but at least I get up. Anyway I have found a program that I think will work for me and may work for you. It is called "crack the fat loss code" by Wendy chant. It is an older book and I will tell u that the author died in 08 or 09 of colon cancer. I do not believe it had anything to do with her program but u say that and some people are a little standoffish. Anyway I like this plan because it makes scientific sense to me and has days where u get to eat things u wouldn't normally eat on a "diet" which makes me feel like I could stick with it long term. As it is a little older there isn't much on here for it but we could start a new thread.
I had tried it a couple years ago but was under so much stress I couldn't keep up. My daughter moved across the country. My husband took a job in Ca before the rest of us could move with him so I was in az with my daughter graduating hs and trying to pack a house with my 73 mom and 12 son who didn't want to move. When I did do it I lost 8-10 lbs. in about 4 weeks which is huge for me.
Hope this helps. I think it is a good hypo plan.

Occheermommy...sounds like you have really have had a lot in your world to cope with...best wishes as you are now fighting to gain control. You can do it! ALL the things you mentioned have played a part in what is happening now...including wanting to reverse the trend.

The reason thyroid meds need to be taken on an empty stomach is that many foods...especially calcium have chelating properties, which going back to HS chem..you may know that is a word for a simple process that takes place at molecular level and is commonly recognized as "binding". Simply..the rx will be less effective if it is not all absorbed before the other little "dandies" also start being absorbed by the body.{ I actually take mine around 3-4 AM when I get up to use the bathroom most nights. Then when I wake up for real...I'm good to go for the day, including being able to take my Ca supplement.} An endocrinologist suggested this to me years ago and it is solid advice.

Also..Synthroid the name brand is always Synthroid. The genenrics are made by various manufacturers, and the large RX chains and Pharmacy warehouses buy what ever is cheapest. The manufacture of the generic levothryoxine ABSOLUTELY meets all the standards for the drug...but subtle differences in the compounding may make a difference in SOME patients. Same endocrinologist told me to stick the the Synthroid if I could afford it...

Initially, I started with Synthroid...(switching to the generics after a few years because my plan had no copay for generics.) I started seeing all kinds of issues which I thought were menopause and age related. After the advice on sticking to NB...switched back to Synthroid. I'm one of those patients that needs the consistent titration. It is a hormone. There are a few other meds that fall into the same trap...and most are a very tight titration for an individual dose to "get it right"...my understanding is there are a few anti seizure and a few cardiac meds that it is better not to go generic. I love generics...and am really quite OK to use them in almost every other script .

Best of luck....

Thanks for the advice and info. I may try the middle of the night thing. If I can remember. My whole philosophy with going back to bedtime was it would be better to take it at night and never forget bc I am so used to taking at night than to risk forgetting in the morning.
As far as the generic, my doc in az said if he stArted me on generic then I should be ok on generic. But if I noticed a difference if the pharmacy changed brands then we could switch to brand name. I can't say I have ever noticed a difference, just that I don't think I get the affect I expected. Maybe I should talk to doc here. I take generic of my seizure meds too which many say is a no no, but my epilepsy is so low grade that it is fine for me. There are def. cardiac meds like digoxin u always want to use brand name because it is such a sensitive medicine.
Anyway may try brand name to see if it matters.
Thanks again

QuilterInVA/Susan I'm new to this forum and I just want to say congratulations on your weight loss! It's such an inspiration to see someone succeed, I have hypothyroidism too and have felt really well alone. Great job and thanks for posting the site.

I've been dealing with hypothyroidism for about 4 years now. About a year ago I went gluten free and have noticed a HUGE difference. Mainly in not being so exhausted all the time. Around Thanksgiving last year I decided to go Paleo. Best decision I've made dietary wise in a long time. Now I notice if I eat grains or fruit I get exhausted and gain a little or retain water. So far I've lost 20 lbs. WOOO! I guess I should also note I'm now on Naturthroid. I just got switched from levothyroixine and feel a lot better. My suggestion would be lower carb, high protein, tons of veg and a nice blend of cardio/strength training.

Hi eyereenahnahree
That's great advice. I've never had a problem working out i get tired sure but the diet for me has always been an issue. I lovvveeeee bread no joke but it does make me feel horrible. So I decided to go grain free it's only been 6 days I feel better and have more energy and 1st weigh in is tomorrow...we'll see fingers crossed. Congratulations on your weight loss keep up the great work!

Hi Choices.... I also have hypothyroidism... I am currently on 175 mcg of synthroid daily... I was just reduced from 275 a day... Anyway, as far as your question on diets, it really is a personal choice for you... I have done Medifast, I did see quick results but had to stay on plan with no deviations and it is hard to stick to in my life with 3 kids, working and a crazy schedule. I have kept off most of the weight but I have now switched over to Weight Watchers... even though I may only lose 1 lb a week I can say to myself that it is still a loss and I am happy with that... The Weight Watchers diet fits more into my lifestyle... I hope that helps a little... let me know if I can help you in any way...