Any thoughts on this hypothyroidism article?

FUELERDUDE
FUELERDUDE Posts: 150 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I came across this and found it intruiging. It's about the affects of hypothyroidism and weight loss, as well as affects on insulin and other organs/glands in the body.

Is there merrit to it, or not? Please provide support for any claims.

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/dietweightloss/a/losingweight.htm

Replies

  • kats3boys
    kats3boys Posts: 61
    Is there merit to it, or not? Please provide support for any claims.

    ???

    Do you want my opinion or do you want me to do documented research for you?

    Being someone who is hypo it is harder to lose the but not impossible .. my research is anything starting in www.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,412 Member
    Didn't read it.....I've been on levothryoxine for 25 years. If you are in a controlled therapy regimen, you will be fine. Take the pills, lose the weight, keep it off. No problem.
  • FUELERDUDE
    FUELERDUDE Posts: 150 Member
    I just found the article interesting. I was curious if anyone had any input to the contrary or supporting this. I haven't looked into it too much and figured others on this site may have more information, thus lessening the learning curve. I have been on Levothyroxin for 3 years now, but have just recently started really putting on weight. I think with a reasonable diet and exercise I can control it, but interesting how big of an impact carbs can have.
  • NanaWubbie
    NanaWubbie Posts: 248 Member
    I have hypoparathyroidism. I have chronic kidney stones, and my body doesn't process calcium correctly. I have to take in large amounts of calcium, or my kidneys start sucking it from my bones. I was diagnosed with osteoporosis because of it at 35. It is a complicated condition, and I have to stay on top of it. When my calcium levels are low, it really messes with my head. I tend to get depressed and very emotional when I slip and my levels get out of whack.
  • Silver_Star
    Silver_Star Posts: 1,351 Member
    well, low carb has worked for me. I can truly say that from experience. I will still say though...that i do not believe that one should cut a food group out...but in my case, my doctor actually found me insulin resistant...and ever since i cut my carb intake back..i started to lose weight ( yes water weight first ) then fat. I have lost 6 inches off my waist since last year and that couldnt possibly be just water weight.
    I did have slight hypothyroidism, which , when i took meds for, really restricted my weight loss. I was still eating my normal level of carbs at the time...that is ...around 200 g a day....when i reduced the carbs to just 100g ( i'm 5ft 1) and kept it below that, i started to lose weight.

    If i didnt have a low thyroid problem...i would be eating carbs like i normally did.
  • FUELERDUDE
    FUELERDUDE Posts: 150 Member
    If you have an opinion, then by all means please let me/us know as well as to the reasoning behind the opinion. If you have other information (research, studies, articles, web sites) it would be appreciated as well.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,412 Member
    Low-ER Catb is my setting anyway. I just basically stay away from wheat. Gluten is also one of those things a lot of thyroid patients have trouble with.

    So my carbs are set at 30%. WIth a calorie goal around 1500, that puts me close to 100g a day. Perfect for me.

    There are a few thyroid Groups here who may be helpful to you. Go to "Groups" above in the blue bar and type Thyroid into the search field.
  • for2day
    for2day Posts: 209 Member
    I have hypothyroidism and had surgery 8 years ago to remove most of my thyroid, because the test I had done came back cancer and thankfully, after they tested the pieces they took, it was not cancer - I am thankful for that. But, now I live on a pill, same one you take. I have found that you can lose weight, but if you don't be careful and you don't do some sort of exercise (I walk), you will gain weight. I have found that carbs are also a big culprit. I also know of two "diets', if you want to call them diets, that work and I admit, I can get lazy about it and put weight back on, if I don't stick to either of them.

    But please know, that this is what works for me and I have no idea what might work for you. I know that exercising you HAVE to do something and if you can eat more fruits and veggies - DO IT!! Try to choose more of that then other things. It's not easy, but can be very frustrating. I just hate the tiredness that goes along with it. If I could get that under control, I would do soooo much better.

    Oh and the debate still is out on SOY. Some say yes it interferes and others not really sure....not really sure sounds like they think maybe there is something. But, I did notice when I was using a protein drink, I felt worse then better and then I saw the debate on this - Soy & Thyroidism - I checked my protein base and it was soy. I stopped using it and I felt better again. So, for me I did notice a different.

    I have read allot on hypothyroidism and I'm sure some are true and some are not. But it's good to know what you have, do your homework (it's your life) and ask questions. I have even found where some vitamins you should be taking when you have this and some you need to avoid, because it can interfere. I personally think, it's good to know what you have and what steps you can take to make you feel better and healthy! :))
  • newmein2013
    newmein2013 Posts: 674 Member
    Everything in the article is 100% accurate for me. I'm textbook for this. First diagnosed with hypothyroidism (due to Hashimoto's Thyroiditis) in 1999 then with diabetes in 2002. I've done extensive research on these illnesses throughout the years & this is a very basic article but there was not one thing I found to be inaccurate.

    I initially had my settings at 55/25/20 (carbs/proteins/fats) & had tremendous success. After losing 60 pounds in 10 months, I reached a plateau for 9 weeks. Since then, I've been playing with my settings & have found it best to stay at 50-55% carbs. If I go below 50%, my body seems to crave carbs something fierce & I started bingeing (which I had never previously done). My diet is very strict with saturated fat at 7%, sugar 10%, sodium 2000 mg, cholesterol 200 mg, 5-7 veggies a day & one (sometimes two) fruits a day. If it changes, the weight loss stalls & the blood work declines. I've learned a lot over the last 18 months & have managed to rid myself of many prescription medications (including all diabetes meds) due to this lifestyle change. Exercising 5-6 days a week has been the other half of the solution. This article really couldn't have been any more true for me. If you'd like more info, feel free to send me a message.

    Edited for typos
  • FUELERDUDE
    FUELERDUDE Posts: 150 Member
    I do love carbohydrates! Mainly in the forms of garlic bread, biscuits and gravy, thick crust pizza, and potatoes. I have been eating a plenty of potatoes still and may cut back a little on those. I will still eat them, but in smaller portions. Since I have been trying to eat healthier, though, I have been gravitating to a higher protein, lower carb diet. I have switched to fruit smoothies, nuts, chicken, and vegetables as staples in my diet.

    I feel you on the low energy. Some days it's very difficult to say I'm going to get moving. It's on these days where I force myself up and moving after I tell myself "I'm not feeling it" for the first time. I also try to go for a walk and grab some water when I get a carb craving. I'll also grab an apple or orange if I think I really am hungry and in need of a snack.

    One of the reasons I found the article interesting is because it felt like it applied to me and things I feel and go through daily. In posting this I do have comfort in that knowing I'm not the only one and others are persevering through this and continuing to meet their goals. It helps to keep the spark going.
  • islandmonkey
    islandmonkey Posts: 546 Member
    My first comment would be on the source/author of the article. Mary Shomon is a very well known, and well educated, patient advocate. Source is important. :)

    Second comment would be that this fits with my experience. I was hyperthyroid from graves, had a thyroidectomy (for graves, plus cancer), and am now obviously hypothyroid. With both hyper and hypo thyroid I can tell if my levels are off because of my food cravings, and my ability to control those cravings - with really hyper levels I inhaled sugar just to keep going, and was actually pretty shocked to find that I don't even like sugar post-thyroidectomy. The only way I can lose weight, regardless of "calories in-calories out", is to cut out sugar, breads, and pastas.

    If my thyroid hormone levels are too low now I find myself craving sugar and breads again, for the "quicker" energy - like my body is looking for a boost. But it just slows me down even further.

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