Hypothyroid/diet/working out
autumnsquirrel
Posts: 258 Member
I went to see my Endo today as I have been struggling to get the last 40 pounds off. I gave him a rundown of my diet, family history, etc. Even with oatmeal and 100 cal whole grain English muffin, he say this is "too many carbs that your body will hold onto" and he proceeded to suggest a hight protein almost no carb diet. I'm okay with it; whatever the dr. says ,I will do. He was impressed with everything i have been doing thus far, but the diet needs tweaking. All along, I thought my diet was okay; that I was eating pretty healthy. He says the diet is good, just not good for me:/ How do I acquire a taste for yogurt??? Ugh. I will try, though. He also says to add more weight training. Cardio is wonderful for the heart, but weight training will burn the fat at a faster rate. I'm on board with this. I feel like I am starting all over again, though….He says that the carbs they give us here on MFP are too many carbs for a hypothyroid person to consume. I am glad I went to him, because now I think I have found the key to losing the remaining weight. I just can't spread my peanut butter on a cracker…Not even if it's whole grain. Not even if it fits into my MFP allotted numbers. I would love to hear from those of you who have to deal with hypothyroidism and how you have found your key to dropping the rest of the weight.
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I have hypothyroidism and have been visiting the endo regularly the last 20 years or so. Especially during periods where I was trying to conceive and when I was pregnant, I was very closely monitored, as I also have PCOS and had gestational diabetes. Every single dr I have ever seen, and the nutrition specialists, all were against diets excluding or limiting too much entire food groups and all were very against high protein/fat diets. I think I recall actually reading somewhere that low carb diets can cause hypothyroidism, although I am not 100% sure, maybe you could google it.0
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In my family, there are many who are on the overweight side---a few have been recently diagnosed with hypo. Thing is, they loooove their carbs, just as I do==I gravitate towards them because they are filling and it's comfort food==even ones I think are healthy. An Eng. muffin sorta completes the breakfast. He says Qunoa instead of, say, grain pasta. I'm fine with that as I like Quinoa better. But the breads have gotta go--even my beloved Ezekiel bread--which I thought was the healthiest of the healthies. He says to stay away from soy, also. This is going to be a journey, but I'm willing to try. I don't want to call it a diet; just tweaking the meal plans. I will still have one cheat meal on the weekend--I am not so crazy that I will give up pizza. ever, lOL!!!!!!!!0
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Too much carbs, as in bread or muffind etc for comfort food will cause weight gain in anyone, I cannot imagine this has to do much with hypothyroidism (my non professional opinion of course). Especially since most people that I know of (me included) will not eat just plain bread or pasta, but usually add something with fat, sugar etc on top. And english muffins have butter in the dough, don't they? (I love baking - and eating the result of course)0
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The avoidance of soy may be due to any meds you are taking. I know that if I have a primarily soy based product, like a shake made with a soy based protein, it null and voids my thyroid meds. Just like I wasn't on them at all.0
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There is no disease on this planet to make you fat, pile of food will..I am under active thyroid patient, taking 100mg a day but this is not enough to make you slim or something, the only way to control weight is to eat less. I lost 43kg, just by eating less. You can be slim and under active thyr. too.0
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The idea of having that bread with my breakfast was satisfying, My breakfast would be oatmeal, an orange, green tea with honey and a light English muffin with light butter. He says that is the perfect breakfast for someone who doesn't have to watch their carb intake:/ For me, he suggested yogurt or cream cheese…I've tried these and can't stomach them. He suggested turkey sausage, but I don't eat meat. However, I could substitute a veggie burger. I have to reconfigure my breakfast, LOL. I really thought I was doing good--I was always good with my MFP numbers. I was always told that oatmeal was good for me. My Endo believes oatmeal and that Eng. muffin are way too many carbs. I can't even have Ezekiel bread. This sucks. Sorry, but…this sucks:/ I will give this thing a month or 2. If I don't see the pounds start coming off, I am going back to my usual breakfast. I thought I was being so careful, too:/Too much carbs, as in bread or muffind etc for comfort food will cause weight gain in anyone, I cannot imagine this has to do much with hypothyroidism (my non professional opinion of course). Especially since most people that I know of (me included) will not eat just plain bread or pasta, but usually add something with fat, sugar etc on top. And english muffins have butter in the dough, don't they? (I love baking - and eating the result of course)0 -
True, although weight gain is a symptom of hypothyroidism. You can lose the weight, just not at the same rate as someone with a healthy thyroid. I lost 105 pounds; it took me a long time to do so and a ton of struggling. It's been quite the journey. I just need to get the remaining 40 pounds off. I thought I was doing everything right by making proper food choices, too:/There is no disease on this planet to make you fat, pile of food will..I am under active thyroid patient, taking 100mg a day but this is not enough to make you slim or something, the only way to control weight is to eat less. I lost 43kg, just by eating less. You can be slim and under active thyr. too.0 -
I hope your Dr. knows that most yogurt is higher in carbs than anything else, even most Greek yogurt... sounds sketchy
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Try doing eggs for breakfast. They are usually more satisfying than most proteins I have tried for breakfast. Or maybe you can do a grain free bread such as paleo bread made with coconut flour or almond flour. A little more fat but healthy fat.0
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It sounds to me like your doctor is trying to encourage you to increase your muscle mass, which will in turn support a better metabolic function for your body on the whole, making the effects of hypothyroidism less profound.
You don't need oatmeal AND and english muffin. That with the high sugar in oranges and honey, you're carb loading in the morning for a body that is established as being unable to burn these things effectively. There are plenty of plant based, non-soy options for protein. It sounds like he thinks you need to incorporate more dairy as well.
Might I suggest that you use almond milk? I love it, and you can get varieties fortified with protein and fiber. It tastes good, goes well with just about anything, and the unsweetened variety has as little as 30 calories a serving. There is no soy in it.
Soy is a problem when eaten in excess because it mimics estrogen in the body. Excess estrogen/estrogen substitutes can cause a whole bunch of problems, including weight gain, metabolic disturbances, and hormonal changes. It's the reason why they recommend men eat it modestly, because it's been documented that excessive ingestion actually causes breast growth in men. There may be other reasons as well, but I would guess that he's trying to up your protein (as you have next to no protein in your breakfast) without you going crazy with soy and having all sorts of other issues.0 -
I hope your Dr. knows that most yogurt is higher in carbs than anything else, even most Greek yogurt... sounds sketchy
This is the reason why reading the labels is important. I personally love natural Greek yogurt, and the kind I use has about 1/3 the carbs as mainstream labels... That is, it doesn't have much sugar. And no splenda or anything either, just natural. Very good though!0 -
I have hypothyroid and tried to low carb for ages and just yo-yo'd. I've gone back onto carbs- although only GOOD carbs e.g oatmeal, fruit, yoghurt, some cereals (not overly sugary ones!) and I'm losing weight sustainably and quicker than I ever have when trying to low carb.
At the end of the day for life in general you need carbs physically and socially and to stop yourself from losing your mind. I think only a handful of people go true low carb and stay on it for the rest of their lives.
I used to be TERRIFIED of going ovr 50g of carbs a day and would only eat vegetables towards my carb allowance. At the moment, I am not counting my macros and end up eating around 150g-200g of carbs a day and as I said the weight is coming off, and my thyroid hormones up until about a month ago were rock bottom.0 -
I noticed this yesterday when I went to buy some. I got it home, tried it once again and tossed it into the trash. I just don't have the taste buds for it. But noticed the carb count. He was basically saying that yogurt is a better fit for me than lite english muffin.I hope your Dr. knows that most yogurt is higher in carbs than anything else, even most Greek yogurt... sounds sketchy0 -
I think this is mostly to get the scale moving again. I was enjoying oatmeal and light English muffin, an orange and tea. that was close to 90g in carbs. I didn't think it was a big deal because I was looking at the quality of the food. I wasn't eating Cocoa Krispies and cold pizza, LOL!!!!!:) I figured oats and grains and fruit-good thing. He saw it as a standstill and my body was holding on to it. I know I will go back to my carbs, but want to see if what he says is true, that changing my diet to high protein will help me lose the rest of the weight in a healthy way.I have hypothyroid and tried to low carb for ages and just yo-yo'd. I've gone back onto carbs- although only GOOD carbs e.g oatmeal, fruit, yoghurt, some cereals (not overly sugary ones!) and I'm losing weight sustainably and quicker than I ever have when trying to low carb.
At the end of the day for life in general you need carbs physically and socially and to stop yourself from losing your mind. I think only a handful of people go true low carb and stay on it for the rest of their lives.
I used to be TERRIFIED of going ovr 50g of carbs a day and would only eat vegetables towards my carb allowance. At the moment, I am not counting my macros and end up eating around 150g-200g of carbs a day and as I said the weight is coming off, and my thyroid hormones up until about a month ago were rock bottom.0 -
Sending you a virtual hug and a huge thank you!!! What you have said there in your first sentence is pretty much word for word what my endo said. He encouraged more weight training than cardio, although he said keep doing the cardio, just do more weights. He says no soy. Not even a Special K bar, LOL!!!!:) I was addicted to Edamame one time and would eat tons of it-the scale would not move. I got tired of eating it and eventually the scale moved. It's about finding that key thing, that healthy thing that will get the body's metabolism working. The Endo strongly feels that this new lifestyle change is very necessary and will help. He doesn't guarantee that I will lose all 40 pounds, but he says that I will lose weight and remain healthy. I was concerned about eating eggs each day; will this make my cholesterol go up again---it was very high at one point, and I got it to be normal again with healthier eating. No easy feat. Everything you said makes sense and I sincerely appreciate you and all of my fellow posters on here sharing your helpful intake with me. This has been one difficult journey and having good support is essential.It sounds to me like your doctor is trying to encourage you to increase your muscle mass, which will in turn support a better metabolic function for your body on the whole, making the effects of hypothyroidism less profound.
You don't need oatmeal AND and english muffin. That with the high sugar in oranges and honey, you're carb loading in the morning for a body that is established as being unable to burn these things effectively. There are plenty of plant based, non-soy options for protein. It sounds like he thinks you need to incorporate more dairy as well.
Might I suggest that you use almond milk? I love it, and you can get varieties fortified with protein and fiber. It tastes good, goes well with just about anything, and the unsweetened variety has as little as 30 calories a serving. There is no soy in it.
Soy is a problem when eaten in excess because it mimics estrogen in the body. Excess estrogen/estrogen substitutes can cause a whole bunch of problems, including weight gain, metabolic disturbances, and hormonal changes. It's the reason why they recommend men eat it modestly, because it's been documented that excessive ingestion actually causes breast growth in men. There may be other reasons as well, but I would guess that he's trying to up your protein (as you have next to no protein in your breakfast) without you going crazy with soy and having all sorts of other issues.0 -
That's my point... You are doing low carb to get the scale moving and it will because of the water loss associated with glycogen depletion. You've just said you will go back to carbs and guess what? The stores will fill up and you'll gain and maybe more due to your body's reaction to the new essential macro you are putting back in. Also I think it is just so important to find a way to lose weight with carbs in your diet to prevent yo-yo. I've realised that when you have a chronic hormone problem it's important to keep your body stable as it's already trying hard to equilibriate the master hormone system that controls everything pretty much. So if you stick to consistent macro ratios it's like another thing your body can learn to trust is a constant. Messing around with these essential macros too much (as in purposely doing it) when you have a thyroid problem is not being kind to yourself at all. Focus on calories and good foods and the scale will move. Get 100% accountable logging wise too and if you are a gym fiend go a bit easier in the gym and don't add loads of exercise calories ok. Infact give yourself a week of light exercise which you don't add to your goal to net and be 100% accountable (weighing everything) for a week. This may represent change for you -maybe exercising less is a scary thought for you but this is the only way to know your sweet spot calories. Because inaccurate logging and adding too much calories from exercise due to inaccuracy of machine readings can easily cause you to be approximately 500 calories over your goal which would put you into weight maintaining mode instead of weight loss. The most frustrating position as you feel you are doing the right things. Also with hypothyroid, do the calorie burns take into account our hormone problem and naturally slower metabolism? No. It's possible that they could be overestimating for you.
My point overall is, don't deprive yourself of an essential macro if ultimately you are going to go back to it. If you could committ to low carb forever it might be a different story but you already said you won't so all you are going to do is lose water weight, gain it back when you resume normal eating and confusing your already ill body that is under pressure to normalise essential functions. Spend a week like I said- fully accountable with less exercise so you know where your at. Do that absolutely honestly and see what the scales say. If they still don't move message me.
The only reason I'm so strong on this is because I got infatuated with low carbs and become to fear carbs. All it did was drain me, make me socially awkward and I never learnt how to naturally lose true weight. I think it exacerbated my hypothyroidism and led to carb binges which obviously don't help. I now eat 200g of carbs a day predominantly from healthy sources. I feel happier stable and I know when the scales drop it is fat and not pseudo weight loss due to water release.0 -
Sending you a virtual hug and a huge thank you!!! What you have said there in your first sentence is pretty much word for word what my endo said. He encouraged more weight training than cardio, although he said keep doing the cardio, just do more weights. He says no soy. Not even a Special K bar, LOL!!!!:) I was addicted to Edamame one time and would eat tons of it-the scale would not move. I got tired of eating it and eventually the scale moved. It's about finding that key thing, that healthy thing that will get the body's metabolism working. The Endo strongly feels that this new lifestyle change is very necessary and will help. He doesn't guarantee that I will lose all 40 pounds, but he says that I will lose weight and remain healthy. I was concerned about eating eggs each day; will this make my cholesterol go up again---it was very high at one point, and I got it to be normal again with healthier eating. No easy feat. Everything you said makes sense and I sincerely appreciate you and all of my fellow posters on here sharing your helpful intake with me. This has been one difficult journey and having good support is essential.It sounds to me like your doctor is trying to encourage you to increase your muscle mass, which will in turn support a better metabolic function for your body on the whole, making the effects of hypothyroidism less profound.
You don't need oatmeal AND and english muffin. That with the high sugar in oranges and honey, you're carb loading in the morning for a body that is established as being unable to burn these things effectively. There are plenty of plant based, non-soy options for protein. It sounds like he thinks you need to incorporate more dairy as well.
Might I suggest that you use almond milk? I love it, and you can get varieties fortified with protein and fiber. It tastes good, goes well with just about anything, and the unsweetened variety has as little as 30 calories a serving. There is no soy in it.
Soy is a problem when eaten in excess because it mimics estrogen in the body. Excess estrogen/estrogen substitutes can cause a whole bunch of problems, including weight gain, metabolic disturbances, and hormonal changes. It's the reason why they recommend men eat it modestly, because it's been documented that excessive ingestion actually causes breast growth in men. There may be other reasons as well, but I would guess that he's trying to up your protein (as you have next to no protein in your breakfast) without you going crazy with soy and having all sorts of other issues.
Also your endo has suggested it because you presumably said you couldn't lose weights or needed to. First I would really have a go at a basic science approach- calories . You've lost weight this way before you know it works. Don't get frustrated with plateaus that turn you to extremes. Keep trusting yore self. It's at plateau points that define a weight loss journey. If you are really patient the scales start moving again and you manage to reach goal sustainably. Most people are impatient though and I believe this is the root cause of dieting failure, the impatience leads to something faddy unrealistic and hard to sustain in normal daily life and when people don't stick to these new miracle rules they fall off and regain weight. I have started to see plateaus as not an opportunity/excuse to try something different or take a new supplement or buy a new diet book but as a sign that my body needs a bit of time and it will start resuming loss when it's ready. The only reason I'm ok with this is because I know how accurate my logging is so I know the plateau isn't due to uncertainties there. And I urge you to take on board what I have said about exercise calories and logging accurately before you try something that manipulates macros.0 -
Thank you:) I'm not about fads; I am a long term gal:) I thought I was doing all the right things, what I was doing, though, was working against me--the carbs, even though they are good carbs. It was beyond frustrating to do what I thought was right in diet and exercise, and then not yielding anymore results.
Sending you a virtual hug and a huge thank you!!! What you have said there in your first sentence is pretty much word for word what my endo said. He encouraged more weight training than cardio, although he said keep doing the cardio, just do more weights. He says no soy. Not even a Special K bar, LOL!!!!:) I was addicted to Edamame one time and would eat tons of it-the scale would not move. I got tired of eating it and eventually the scale moved. It's about finding that key thing, that healthy thing that will get the body's metabolism working. The Endo strongly feels that this new lifestyle change is very necessary and will help. He doesn't guarantee that I will lose all 40 pounds, but he says that I will lose weight and remain healthy. I was concerned about eating eggs each day; will this make my cholesterol go up again---it was very high at one point, and I got it to be normal again with healthier eating. No easy feat. Everything you said makes sense and I sincerely appreciate you and all of my fellow posters on here sharing your helpful intake with me. This has been one difficult journey and having good support is essential.It sounds to me like your doctor is trying to encourage you to increase your muscle mass, which will in turn support a better metabolic function for your body on the whole, making the effects of hypothyroidism less profound.
You don't need oatmeal AND and english muffin. That with the high sugar in oranges and honey, you're carb loading in the morning for a body that is established as being unable to burn these things effectively. There are plenty of plant based, non-soy options for protein. It sounds like he thinks you need to incorporate more dairy as well.
Might I suggest that you use almond milk? I love it, and you can get varieties fortified with protein and fiber. It tastes good, goes well with just about anything, and the unsweetened variety has as little as 30 calories a serving. There is no soy in it.
Soy is a problem when eaten in excess because it mimics estrogen in the body. Excess estrogen/estrogen substitutes can cause a whole bunch of problems, including weight gain, metabolic disturbances, and hormonal changes. It's the reason why they recommend men eat it modestly, because it's been documented that excessive ingestion actually causes breast growth in men. There may be other reasons as well, but I would guess that he's trying to up your protein (as you have next to no protein in your breakfast) without you going crazy with soy and having all sorts of other issues.
Also your endo has suggested it because you presumably said you couldn't lose weights or needed to. First I would really have a go at a basic science approach- calories . You've lost weight this way before you know it works. Don't get frustrated with plateaus that turn you to extremes. Keep trusting yore self. It's at plateau points that define a weight loss journey. If you are really patient the scales start moving again and you manage to reach goal sustainably. Most people are impatient though and I believe this is the root cause of dieting failure, the impatience leads to something faddy unrealistic and hard to sustain in normal daily life and when people don't stick to these new miracle rules they fall off and regain weight. I have started to see plateaus as not an opportunity/excuse to try something different or take a new supplement or buy a new diet book but as a sign that my body needs a bit of time and it will start resuming loss when it's ready. The only reason I'm ok with this is because I know how accurate my logging is so I know the plateau isn't due to uncertainties there. And I urge you to take on board what I have said about exercise calories and logging accurately before you try something that manipulates macros.0 -
I'm new at this lifestyle changes and loosing weight but thought I might have a few things that might be something you would consider. Understandably, we each make choices to what will be suitable for us as individuals so these are just a few ideas.
Your thread caught my eye as I have hypothyroidism too. By the way congrats on the weight loss!!
I loved everything about breakfast in the traditional manner from eggs, meats, peanut butter and breads. I couldn't seem to come up with a filling breakfast that was healthy with exception of steel cut oats. No matter what I ate, I felt like I needed to get a snack in very quickly. Then I tried this fruit smoothie and it has become my breakfast.
It provides ALOT of vitamins and minerals, it tastes good and better yet it keeps me full till lunch.
•1 cup Vanilla Almond Milk, unsweetened
•½ cup frozen berries
•½ banana
•2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
•2 tablespoons Rice Protein Powder
I tried the fresh fruit instead of frozen, which is good. But the frozen provided a better chill to the drink.
The Almond Milk is good, as one other poster suggested.
The berries are very beneficial but I have swapped for frozen cherries on occasion. You can get mixed berries, blueberries, raspberries already frozen.
The flax seed and rice protein both provide a lot of vitamins, minerals and fiber.
I generally use vanilla with chai protein powder but recently tried one chocolate flavor that was really very good and with cherries it tasted sinful. I also add truvia to taste. I am attempting to get off of all sweetners. Somedays I like the smoothie without any sweetner and other days I need to add some.
The nice thing is there is a lot of variety in making the smoothie.
Beside that the other thing that comes to mind is that you might want to focus on low glycemic foods. Not necessarily going completely low glycemic but just get a few meals a week that are purposefully low glycemic.
Low glycemic foods are the non starchy veggies (broccoli, spinach, onion, green beans), nuts and seeds and beans, a lot of the fruits, and brown rice or whole wheat pasta.
I'll quote the description of what high glycemic foods do as I can't say it any better. You can have two foods that are similar in calories but one can be high glycemic and the other low. "When carbohydrate foods are eaten, the pancreas releases insulin to carry sugar into the cells to be used for energy. Intake of high glycemic foods elevate insulin. Insulin works to lower blood sugar levels and does this by turning excess sugar into stored fat. Even with increased physical activity and exercise it can be difficult to lose weight when insulin levels are consistently elevated."
If you eat low glycemic, you are going to burn stored fat.
Just some thoughts. For me I'm still in the experimental mode as to what works for me. But maybe something here might be useful for you. And seriously congrats on your loss so far.0 -
MFP has a Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism group: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/770-hypothyroidism-and-hyperthyroidism
I have Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease) and take 88mcg Synthroid. I lost slower than most MFPers, but (per my endocrinologist) I ate whatever I wanted within my calorie goal.
Everybody's different, and it will take trial & error to find what works for you.0 -
I know, it's hard work but we can do it, I need 20 lbs more to go 0
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