Does anyone know of a diet plan that is good for people with hypothyroidism? Im so anxious to start, and change my way of life and start living again!! Please any help is appreciated
Michelle

Current Weight 250
Goal Weight 150
100 lbs to go

I am hypothyroid and have been, I believe, all my life. I take a generic synthroid and have been for 12 years. I have done every diet you can imagine. The Atkins plan worked somewhat for me, but it is not healthy and I get a fuzzy brain and can't focus. I found South Beach in Jan. and started Feb. 1. I have lost 19.5 pounds and I feel very healthy. I also work out every morning at 5:15. I have done that for 6 years, but it did not help me lose any weight. I just wonder how much I would weigh if I had not done it. I have 50 more pounds to go, but I am hopeful that I can make it with South Beach. It has honestly cut my cravings. I never believed that anything could. Check out the fat chicks on the beach page.
Good luck.

Hi emickya I have just started atkins this is day 2 and I was told that atkins is actually supposed to be good for hypos supposedly balancing the hormones I'll see how it goes on this one for a few months. I also take synthroid but we are still experimenting to get my levels straightened out. I still dont think Im taking the right dosage but we'll get it eventually Thanks so much for your input I was actually trying to decide between South Beach and Atkins, so if atkins doesnt work for me I'll switch to south beach
Thanks again and good luck to you

Hey Michelle,

I am hypothyroid and probably have been all my life also. It is so hard to lose weight. I post my daily food journal on the "Depression and Weight Loss" boards and try to keep it around 1200. Sometimes 1400 at the most. I exercise a lot but apparently not enough. I've been at 3fatchicks about 5 years or so. Started out at 180 and am now up to 205. I could just cry thinking about it, but I know that I am eating healthy for the most part, drinking my water and exercising so what else can I do?

there are 2 places i go for info on hypothyroidism that might help you.

one is at www.thyroid-info.com and the other is at www.thyroid.about.com with Mary Shomon, maybe you will find some info there that might help you?

if you're gonna do atkins just be really careful to watch your calories also. I started atkins back in March and gained 4 lbs in 6 weeks. I thought I could just count the carbs (keeping them around 20) and that would do the trick, but it didn't work for me. I have to watch the calories no matter what.

Please let me know if you find something that works for you.

hugs,
cathy

I most certainly will cathy I read somewhere that if you do atkins not to count calories AND carbs....just to count the carbs. So I haven't really kept track of calories at all. I hope I dont show a gain when I go to docs next week.
Take Care

Ever notice how doctors HATE to diagnose hypothyroidism? I don't mean to sound conspiracy theoristic or anything, but it seems to me like my doctor would rather I deal with the health problems from being fat than take care of the hypothyroidism.

I fought with my doctor for 9 years trying to get on thyroid medication and after one visit to a specialist, I was placed on synthroid. We're supposed to be working on my levels, but I'm not sure if my current level is doing a good enough job for me. My weight has plateaued for months now, despite all of my working out and food intake watching.

*grumble*

was wondering....do you gals notice that you also have low body temperature?

my temperature usually runs about 97.2 degrees. I am now on 1 grain of Armour Thyroid, and my body temperature is up a little bit to 97.6, but still not normal.

I read somewhere - I think at Wilson's Thyroid Syndrome's website that it is almost impossible to lose weight with a low body temperature.

Has anybody noticed if they are able to lose weight with a low body temperature?

just wondering,
Cathy

YES! I had always wondered about my low body temperature and never thought that the hypothyroidism could be a part of that. I've always been normal at around 96.8-97.0 with a fever being anything above what is normal for your average person.

I lost 200 pounds and my temperature never goes above 97 degrees. I'm in 300 mcg of Levoxyl a day. Normal temperature is not necessarily 98.6 - it can vary from individual to individual. The best thing is to know what yours ususally is and go from there to determine if you are sick or not.

Wow Susan! congrats on the weightloss! that is awesome! you must feel great! like a new person! do you have before and after pics? How long did it take you to lose 200 lbs?

I know how to lose weight, but could you tell me some of the details of what YOU did to lose 200 lbs?

I have to tell you that you are the first person I have met with a low body temperature that was able to lose weight. That is very encouraging to me!

What is Levoxyl prescribed for?

thanks for the info,
Cathy

I've been reading the book Living Well with Hypothyroidism. They mention a Low Glycemic Diet. Has anyone given this a try? Is this incorporated in any other diets that anyone knows??

In it's simplest terms, a low GI diet is one that focuses on complex carbs and avoids simple carbs that can spike your blood sugar levels.

Examples of complex carbs are whole grains, beans, and vegetables. They're minimally processed and often have lots of fiber which helps keep you full for a longer time. Many fruits are also low glycemic, such as apples, oranges, and berries.

Simple carbs are sugars in all forms, refined grains, and processed products made from them. Some people think of them as "the white stuff": white bread, white rice, white flour, sugar etc.

I don't follow a "name" diet but do incorporate the ideas of the low GI diet into my eating plan and have found it to be an effective way to lose weight and maintain with hypothyroidism. Plus it's a very healthy way to eat generally! The carbs that I eat are oatmeal, one piece of fruit/day, occasionally brown rice and lots of veggies.

If I eat sugar or other refined carbs now, it's like taking a sleeping pill and I feel horrible for a day. Plus I bloat up with water retention. So I'm happy sticking with low GI eating.

The South Beach Diet is a low GI diet and I've seen a book called the GI Diet (though I haven't read it so can't give you an opinion). If you want to check out the South Beach Diet, we have a SBD forum here called "Fat Chicks On The Beach" and they have a lot of useful info there.

Hope that helps!

I love the SBD and it is the only plan that has ever worked for me since i have started dieting with hypothyroidism!! It totally helps IMHO!! Definately check out teh fat chicks on the beack forum there are some wonderful people there!!

Michelle

Hi there!!

My health problem is totally the other way around. I'm hyperthyroid (not Grave's disease, which made it even more difficult to diagnose), and currently taking 25 mg. of Tapazole a day. I had lost about 5 pounds, but then I gained them back within a week!! I'm really concerned about all this, and mostly because I know it's all my fault (I eat more than 3000 calories a day-or more, it depends-, and I find myself unable to stop it!)... arggghhh!! well.. im not really fat to begin with, I stand at 6 ft. something and weigh a good 180 pounds. (I weighed 110 pounds prior to diagnosis, and yes.. I looked like a twig). Maybe that's why Im so worried and scared, because I've gained all this weight within A YEAR!, to be exact, since I was diagnosed.. . yup, that's right. It's a lot, isn't it? The main problem here is that hyperthyroidism makes me eat like crazy and I can't stop :'( but as I'm taking the Tapazole, and my body isn't the fat burning machine it used to be, I cannot eat like I used to anymore. The doctor told me that my thyroid gland is more controllled now, but the blood tests revealed that now I'm a bit more on the hypothyroid side -not completely, it's just the T3 and T4 hormones the ones that sometimes decide to fluctuate like crazy.

Well, when I started the treatment and noticed how fast I was gaining weight, I used to cheat a lot on my medicines, and the weight would drop back again to where it was, like magic! So I kept the cheating for a good while (like four months). But well, as you all know, this is not a healthy technique to sway extra pounds away, so I decided that my health came first and thus quit the cheating. But what is impossible to ignore is that I've gained this weight soooo fast!! and still Im eating all those chocolates, and candies and pizza. .. omg! I wonder what I will look like within a year if I keep this up! I have also noticed that my extra weight is mostly located around my waist, lower back and hips, which makes me look strange and makes my legs look like a bit skinny by comparisson. My self-steemed has dropped to nearly zero and I feel desperate! I'm 20 years old and with all those skinny girls around I wonder how some of them can spend all day without eating as much as a salad (my sister is one of those) and doing exercise. Oh God!! sometimes I wish I was anorexic, but I just don't have the willpower, so no need to worry hehe. I can't really exercise all that much due to my condition either, which gets me sort of frustrated (Id really like to get rid of this belly!!)but then again, I find myself unable to stop eating. .. I've been suffering a lot, needless to say.

One thing I was told is that sometimes hyperthyroidism may lead to "fatty liver" condition, and that this could be the reason why my weight is mostly located around my waist. Do you know if this rumour is true?

The worst part is that, recently, I started a diet and lost weight relatively fast (now, I've gained it back due to my lack of will power and my excessive love for chocolates) and the whole matter has got me deeply unflattered. I want to cryyyy!!!! please help!

Love to you all!

Dr. Phil's Shape Up or SBD is about what I did to lose weight. I did take Synthroid but it didn't work for me so we switched to levoxyl. I actually worked with a nutritionist to come up with a weight loss/maintenace plan for me.