AIP for Hashimotos?

amalzingsong

I'm so frustrated and depressed over my weight situation. I've been diagnosed with Hashimotos and am on Levothyroxin. I had lost a ton of weight but then got put on anxiety meds to treat PTSD and now I've gained a bunch of it back. After this they took me off the meds so I don't gain any more weight. Well for three months now I've been monitoring my calorie intake, staying around 100 grams of carbs a day, and my weight isn't going anywhere. I'm frustrated and I was gluten free for about 1.5-2 months but I gave up when it was too hard to follow without seeing any change.

I have been told that AIP is good for those with hashimotos but I'm skeptical. There are always things that say "try this and you'll lose weight" but this is something that's not just to help my weight but my symptoms of this illness.

Anyone try it and have success? Did you do it and hated it?

Kalikel

I never heard of it. I had what could be called Hashimoto's...if you were Hashimoto's times about 40, lol.

I no longer have a thyroid (and only have one non-functioning parathyroid, so there's that fun, too) but the Synthroid worked for me once the levels were corrected. I keep having them checked, as you're supposed to and they're readjusted as I go.

When my hormones were leveled off, I found that the urge for simple carbs and more simple carbs calmed down a lot. I had energy again, so I didn't need constant and immediate fueling all the dang time.

Nobody ever suggested an AIP diet and I don't know what it is, but if "they" are doctors and dietitians and are telling you to do that, give it a go!

If "they" are ding-dongs at work or something, proceed as you please.

editorgrrl

I have Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease), and I lost more slowly than most MFPers—so be patient! But I did it just like everybody else—by learning to log everything I eat & drink accurately & honestly. I followed the advice in the Sexypants post: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

klmnumbers

I also am a thyroid disease sufferer. Originally Grave's disease, but I am post-ablated and have antibodies for Hashimoto's as well. I agree with editorgrrl above - even when you do everything right and your thyroid levels are balanced, sometimes it is just a slower slog for those of us with thyroid disorders.

That being said, AIP is a sorta Paleo diet (if I'm not mistaken). If you had a hard time sticking to Gluten Free, then I'm not sure an even more highly restrictive diet would be easy for you to stick with either.

azulvioleta6

Gluten free is not necessary--but you may find that eating a low-to-moderate carb diet is helpful.

I have never tried AIP--it looks unnecessarily complicated.

Aksnugglebunny

I have had Hashimoto's for 17 and have struggled to feel good the entire time. I have switched between Synthroid and Armour and tried numerous diet with no weight loss. I don't gain weight (except for during my pregnancies) but I can't loose it either. Then I tried a radical diet called HCG where your calories were limited to 500 per day and very few options to choose from. I do not recommend it even though I lost 40lbs. Recently I tried AIP and have found I feel so much better and have lost 15lbs in about 20 days. Gluten is a huge issue for people with autoimmune diseases like Hashi's as are nightshades (Tomatoes, peppers - sweet&hot, eggplant, white potatoes...) and should be eliminated from your diet if nothing else. I thought it would be really hard and suck but thanks to Pintrest have found great recipes and I do not feel deprived. My caveat I have not totally cut out coffee or chocolate yet which I think has helped me cope.

catch_me_ifu_can

Check out Sarah Wilson's I quit sugar blog / Facebook page. She suffers from
Hashimoto's and she's had a long road to being well. She talks a lot about her journey right back from the days she couldn't get out of bed. She quit sugar as part of her healing process

nvmomketo

amalzingsong wrote: »

I'm so frustrated and depressed over my weight situation. I've been diagnosed with Hashimotos and am on Levothyroxin. I had lost a ton of weight but then got put on anxiety meds to treat PTSD and now I've gained a bunch of it back. After this they took me off the meds so I don't gain any more weight. Well for three months now I've been monitoring my calorie intake, staying around 100 grams of carbs a day, and my weight isn't going anywhere. I'm frustrated and I was gluten free for about 1.5-2 months but I gave up when it was too hard to follow without seeing any change.

I have been told that AIP is good for those with hashimotos but I'm skeptical. There are always things that say "try this and you'll lose weight" but this is something that's not just to help my weight but my symptoms of this illness.

Anyone try it and have success? Did you do it and hated it?

I have Hashimoto's and celiac. I eat similarly to the AIP diet but I include eggs, some dairy (heavy cream and cheese) and nuts. I've tried cycling those out of my diet before but I didn't find it helped. I don't eat much organic at the moment ($ issues) but I have a girlfriend who basically cured an autoimmune problem by going organic, eating GF and eliminating almost all processed food - it took a couple of years but it worked for her.

I focused on reducing sugar and carbs. Sugar can be inflammatory in those with autoimmune diseases and who have insulin resistance. I have both and I have found some success with it. I have been losing weight too, but that is because I am eating a calorie deficit. If you aren't losing weight, you probably have extra calories slipping into your diet somewhere. Food scales are really helpful for discovering where calories are slipping in.

As per your GF diet, if you do have celiac disease (which commonly co-occurs with Hashi's) you may not notice real improvements for many months after going GF. Some symptoms can take 6 months GF before they start to improve, and I had some symptoms that were still improving at 2 years GF.

Also, if any gluten was slipping into your diet during that time (from a shared toaster, soy sauce, worchestershire sauce, boullion cubes, BBQ sauce, contaminated (damaged) plastic sieve or cooking utensils, or a crumb that fell onto your food) then you may not have been GF enough to reap the benefits of a GF diet. Celiacs need to be GF to over 20 parts per million - that really is a crumb.

I recommend getting tested for celiac if you are eating gluten. Accurate tests need the patient to be eating gluten (about 1-2 slices of bread per day) in the 8-12 weeks prior to testing. If you are gf and a celiac, you will eventually have false negative results.

The tests are tTG IgA and IgG, DGP IgA and IgG, EMA IgA.. total serum IgA (control test), and AGA IgA and AGA IgG (older and less reliable tests).

Good luck. I hope you find some answers that work for you.

Squamation

After looking online for a way to alleviate my Hashimoto symptoms (I still have the majority of them even when my numbers are "normal") I've decided to try out the Hashimoto diet for a week first to ease into the transition, then go full AIP for 4 weeks and hope it does something. After 15 years of Hypothyroid/Hashimoto I'm willing to try anything. It's not going to kill me, and I have friends who it's helped. So to me it's worth it.