Tips and Tricks

summalovaable

Still a fairly small group right now BUT is there anything you guys have found works best for you?

I can share a few of the things Ive noticed

-Eggs( or protein in general) are pretty much the only successful breakfast for me
-Thyroid medication does not get absorbed when calcium is consumed up to 4 hours of taking your pill (learned this one the hard way)
- Low carb diets seem most effective, but medium carb diets work best (aka, Im not about to cut out a good sandwhich, or some rice)

charm_quark

-Thyroid medication does not get absorbed when calcium is consumed up to 4 hours of taking your pill (learned this one the hard way)

Are you serious? Doctors have told me to wait for breakfast only 20 minutes after the pill....
Who told you 4 hours?

summalovaable

-Thyroid medication does not get absorbed when calcium is consumed up to 4 hours of taking your pill (learned this one the hard way)

Are you serious? Doctors have told me to wait for breakfast only 20 minutes after the pill....
Who told you 4 hours?

Having a mother in the nutrition field comes in handy sometimes lol. I wish I kept the websites she gave me to look at (she wanted me to learn about my thyroid condition on my own and only verify with her) . I can't off the top of my head remember if 4 hours was supposed to be an exact number, or a number I found to be in the "safe" field. I follow the 20 minute rule when eating breakfast, but because calcium is such a strong inhibitor I never wanted to take the chance. Like I said though, those were things that worked well for me. I did however gain about 10 pounds in two weeks from drinking milk with breakfast (so that could be where my paranoia set in). I also found when I was trying to build muscle and lose fat, those three things really helped me up my calorie intake (though there's no reason one is better than the other). At that time I was eating close to 2100 calories a day and losing

bugnbeansmom

My meds and docs have advised 1 hour before anything to eat or drink and to take the meds with a full glass water.

greenie

Stopped eating soy. Started eating meat (was a veg). Scaled back on gluten. Probiotics- I make my own greek yogurt and Kefir. I have the best success with a protein (4 oz of meat) with quinoa or rice a big side of veggies.

As far as eating after taking meds: You can eat 20 min after, just nothing with calcium...which makes breakfast really tough!

latinahada

I stay away from soy. As advised, I take my medication 30 mins to 1 hr prior to eating with a full glass of water and I have increased my protein.

fit4future

Stopped eating soy. Started eating meat (was a veg). Scaled back on gluten. Probiotics- I make my own greek yogurt and Kefir. I have the best success with a protein (4 oz of meat) with quinoa or rice a big side of veggies.

As far as eating after taking meds: You can eat 20 min after, just nothing with calcium...which makes breakfast really tough!

Hi!

I usually have chopped fresh fruit (nectarine, peach, rockmelon) with natural greek yoghurt and natural muesli with linseed for breakfast - do you know if the calcium in the yoghurt would be alright or inhibiting my absorption??

Also, I agree with limiting your soy intake as much as possible.

Have also found limiting your cruciferous vegetables, increasing seafood / fish intake, low (not NONE) carb intake and just generally trying to eat the freshest, most unprocessed food as possible seems to help.

Just started trying out extra virgin coconut oil as well as it seems to have really helped to increase my energy - i'm definately not as cold or sluggish when i have a tsp a day. Would be interested to hear if anyone else has had any experiences with it??

bahorne74

WOW! What am I going to do if I can't have my cereal with milk for breakfast?
Since joining this group I have learned so much. I understand now not having calcium. SOOOO any suggestions for a quick breakfast for a mother of 3 that works full time?

summalovaable

Oatmeal with fruits
Scrambled Eggs ( I do mine in the microwave, out of laziness and convenience of living in a dorm room)
Toast

Basically, protein is your best bet for breakfast (for more than just thyroid reasons) but you can pretty much have anything, just skip the milk:) For awhile, I actually found it too hard to give up my morning cereal so I was adding in water instead. Not the greatest tasting, but you could always give it a shot!

CutTheGut

All of my medication says to wait for 60 minutes before eating. I had no idea that I shouldn't be having calcium. I get up at 4:30 .. take my medication, start exercising at about 4:45 and have a cup of decaf coffee (i can't give up my coffee, but switched to decaf) with milk at about 6:30 every morning. Could this be hindering my weight loss?

bahorne74

thanks for the tip on the oatmeal. I'm not too crazy for oatmeal, but i tried the "flavored" ones (cinnamon roll, apple crisp, banana bread, fruits) and so for I'm doing ok with not having milk or cereal. I figured if I can't have my cereal and milk in the morning I would have it for lunch or a snack. Still not loosing the weight I would like, but I'm not giving up!! Thanks for all the tips and tricks for the thyroid. You are ALL AWESOME!!:flowerforyou:

fiberartist219

I feel super hungry by 10am if I don't have protein for breakfast. I do really well with eggs too. Kashi is the only cereal I eat, because it advertises protein. However, it tastes kind of like tree bark after awhile.

Greek yogurt has lots of protein and is good for breakfast.

I was advised to take my pill 1 hour before breakfast, but I have started taking it at night. I take it 2-3 hours after dinner. I have been on numerous hypothyroid groups all over the internet, and after I heard of some other patients doing this, I started too. This seems silly, but it helps my bathroom routine if I take it at night. Otherwise, I can't go in the morning until I'm at work, and I hate dropping a deuce at work. I prefer to handle that at home, before my shower.

Anyway, from what I understand, the most important thing about taking your medication is that you do it consistently. You must take it at the same time every day, with the same amount of time between meals, etc. That way, when you get your blood work done, it will give the doctor a good idea of how you are doing and they will be better able to give you the right dosage.

geezalawheez

I have been on Levothyroxine for about 8 months now. I started out at 25 mcg, but my dosage was upped to 50 mcg a couple months ago. My medication bottle actually has a tag that says not to ingest calcium for 4 hours. I swear my first bottle didn't have that tag on it though; I started out taking my pill with orange juice with added calcium, and couldn't figure out why I was still so tired! I definitely figured that out the hard way as well. I have found that I can get away with eating calcium about 3 hours after, but I'm still a little paranoid as well.

I have yet to find a good quick breakfast food, but that's only because I'm not a morning person at all so I usually get up and rush out the door. For lunch I usually eat a protein bar; the Market Pantry brand ones at Target are comparable to the Zone and come in a few different flavors and are pretty good.

Does anyone find that a particular type of exercise is better than others for hypothyroidism?

fit4future

I have been on Levothyroxine for about 8 months now. I started out at 25 mcg, but my dosage was upped to 50 mcg a couple months ago. My medication bottle actually has a tag that says not to ingest calcium for 4 hours. I swear my first bottle didn't have that tag on it though; I started out taking my pill with orange juice with added calcium, and couldn't figure out why I was still so tired! I definitely figured that out the hard way as well. I have found that I can get away with eating calcium about 3 hours after, but I'm still a little paranoid as well.

I have yet to find a good quick breakfast food, but that's only because I'm not a morning person at all so I usually get up and rush out the door. For lunch I usually eat a protein bar; the Market Pantry brand ones at Target are comparable to the Zone and come in a few different flavors and are pretty good.

Does anyone find that a particular type of exercise is better than others for hypothyroidism?

Hey!

Yoga is very good for hypothyroidism - helps with the stress / anxiety symptoms and all of the upside-down poses increase blood flow to the thyroid in your neck and helps to stimulate it.

fiberartist219

I love yoga. It was awesome when my levels were low, because it was something I could do that didn't leave me feeling exhausted.

Walking is always good.

Lately, I have been doing Turbo Jam DVDs because they offer low impact modifications. You can step it up or take it down a notch... there are ways to make it work for every fitness level.

christinajohnson

Avoid goitrogens like soy products (which unfortunately are found in just about every product in the supermarket, unless you can afford to shop at an organic food store) calcium and iron (this knocks out cereal, cream of wheat, instant oatmeal, most breakfast foods), and multi-vitamins or supplements shouldn't be taken within four hours or the medication. I noticed an improvement in how the medication worked for me when I started taking it before bed. I have dinner no later than 6pm as a rule and take the pill by 9 or 10, this just works better for my schedule--between teaching and taking classes early in the morning, I would have to skip breakfast to make this work.

efarrar13

Wow...just want to say thank you to all who have posted. A lot of good info here. I am on synthroid trained and ran a marathon this past summer and lost little weight. That's when they looked at my thyroid and rest of my endocrine system. Parathyroids are shutting down as well as low testosterone. Are there foods which can help slow or reverse this or am I at the mercy of the pharmaceutical companies?

RedKH

Hi Everyone

It's been really great to read the responses in this group, it's so very helpful to know what other people have found out or what they have been told.

The calcium near tablet in a morning is sadly only something I have found out from trawling through websites and even then I seem to have only read about leaving 30 mins!

I tend to leave a little longer as I like a yogurt in a morning but I may replace this with some oats/hot water and fruit etc and leave my yogurt til the afternoon?

I also read that having 6 smaller below 300cal meals are better for those with underactive thyroid. Does anyone else do this? It said maintaining the metabolism with 6 smaller low cal meals a day rather than having 3 larger meals will balance out the bodys 'highs and lows' and keep things running better?!

Good luck to everyone, the support everyone gives to eachother is fantastic

xKx

shakybabe

-Thyroid medication does not get absorbed when calcium is consumed up to 4 hours of taking your pill (learned this one the hard way)

Are you serious? Doctors have told me to wait for breakfast only 20 minutes after the pill....
Who told you 4 hours?

I have to say.. I have been on thyroid meds since I was 23 MONTHS old, my mum used to crush them in weetabix to get them down me.. I've never ever been told by a doctor that I shouldn't take them with food and have been taking them with breakfast all my life! (I'm 42 now)

Maybe it depends on the dose as I'm on a high dose cos my thyroid doesn't work at all... many people seem to be on 50-150mcg daily? maybe its cos I've always taken them that way my body is used to it and it doesn't affect it?.. or how long its been under and how far under when it happens later in life and you got some catching up to do to get levels back to 'normal range'?

i did try taking it at night instead but to be honest it didn't make any difference to me at all and there was no difference in blood test results!

I'm low carb too and its worked for me. I still have the odd treat meal including non-wheat carbs, but use gluten free bread for toast/sandwiches and no wheat cereals/flour etc

sunnyrunner23

I am just curious if the soy and calcium consumption that limit the effectiveness of Synthroid actually show up in the blood work. If it did then your doctor could adjust it accordingly.

My PMD always wants to lower my dosage even though I still have symptoms.

seaglass2

I take my thyroid medication first thing in the morning with a b-complex and wait one hour before eating. I take my calcium and vitamin d in the evening after dinner.

I am adding some supplements to my regimen to see if there is a combination of things that will help support and get my metabolism going again. I've been using the internet to determine when the best times are to take supplements and their interaction (if any) with thyroid medication.

Will be watching this thread with interest!

witrixie2011

I've never heard about the calcium so I'm going to try to start taking my pill before I go to bed. I tried it years ago and it didn't seem to make a difference but I was also in denial about my eating habits and exercising.

Hopefully this small change will give my metabolism the boost it needs to start moving again. Been stuck at a plateau for over 3 weeks now and the frustration level is driving me nuts.

witrixie2011

I take my thyroid medication first thing in the morning with a b-complex and wait one hour before eating. I take my calcium and vitamin d in the evening after dinner.

Why do you take your meds with b-complex? I also take a b-complex daily but do it later in the day.

I can't do calcium or vitamin D... constipation issues.

seaglass2

I take my thyroid medication first thing in the morning with a b-complex and wait one hour before eating. I take my calcium and vitamin d in the evening after dinner.

Why do you take your meds with b-complex? I also take a b-complex daily but do it later in the day.

I can't do calcium or vitamin D... constipation issues.

I just take my thyroid med and b complex when I wake up and I eat after one hour so the b is absorbed with food.

I am over 50 so calcium supplement is important and I take it with vitamin D which is supposed to be a good combination and I take them after dinner as it is recommended to take them after eating.

tecallahan

I take my thyroid medication first thing in the morning with a b-complex and wait one hour before eating. I take my calcium and vitamin d in the evening after dinner.

Why do you take your meds with b-complex? I also take a b-complex daily but do it later in the day.

I can't do calcium or vitamin D... constipation issues.

I just take my thyroid med and b complex when I wake up and I eat after one hour so the b is absorbed with food.

I am over 50 so calcium supplement is important and I take it with vitamin D which is supposed to be a good combination and I take them after dinner as it is recommended to take them after eating.

Can you clarify your response? It looks like you can't do calcium/Vitamin D, but then you say you take them at dinner?

tecallahan

It's ok! Whoever has constipation issues taking Calcium, you may want to try again and add Magnesium Citrate. It helps the calcium to absorb better and also prevents constipation. I take Natural Calm at night with my Calcium/Vit D. Helps you sleep better and no constipation. I'm a low carber, so constipaiton can be an issue - but not as long as I take magnesium.

stacywx2

Both my doctor and the Synthroid website say '4hours' for calcium and iron. Also, something to note, try to avoid high fiber foods. I did see a difference in my labs,weight, and started having hypo symptoms when I ate oatmeal every morning (usually about 3 1/2 hours after taking my meds). I don't know if you have to wait 4 hours for eating something high in fiber, and the Synthroid site is not very clear. I did put in a call with Abbott labs, and we are now playing phone tag.

Because I had (have) Graves disease, my general and my endo recommended I take calcium supplements. Of course, they both re-iterated the 4 hour rule. I say "had" because I had my thyroid removed; I say "have" because, technically, I still have Graves antibodies, which, medically, means, I still 'have' Graves.

The most important thing: drink a FULL glass of water - i.e. at least 8 oz of water. This pushes the Syntrhoid into your small intestine where it can be absorbed more properly. If you don't drink enough water, the acids in your stomach will destroy most of the Synthroid.

stacywx2

(Removed the double post - sorry)

witrixie2011

It's ok! Whoever has constipation issues taking Calcium, you may want to try again and add Magnesium Citrate. It helps the calcium to absorb better and also prevents constipation. I take Natural Calm at night with my Calcium/Vit D. Helps you sleep better and no constipation. I'm a low carber, so constipaiton can be an issue - but not as long as I take magnesium.

I'll have to try Magnesium Citrate to see if it helps. As of right now I stopped taking fiber pills because I was told that taking them could actually make things worse. In another week or so, I'll try something else. Sooner or later something has to work.

aprildiamond42

I am new to Yoga. Anyone have a link to a good beginner's video?

sharonlane23

wow i'm new to this group, have just learned new stuff that i didnt know and i have been diagnosed with with hypothyroidism for over 5 years! i have been gaining weight like crazy but never new anything about calcium ! wow just wow! so glad to be here Hi everyone ! i'm Sharon nice to meet you all !