Carbohydrates and the thyroid

If you're on medication, them you don't need a thyroid. Plenty of people function without a thyroid (by taking the meds).

I only had half mine out, so I'm doing better than some in that regard. Why not follow MFP's suggested plan for a couple months and see how you do.

Oh and stay in touch with your doctor/endo while they find the right levels for you. Good luck

I have hypothyroidism and can not lose any weight at all if I eat carbs. Infact I actually gained 20kg since diagnosis 15 months ago even though I was eating 1200 calories a day and exercising hard 5 times a week (weight training and cardio).
2.5weeks ago I decided to give low calorie paleo a try. I ve lost 6kg!
I have removed all processed carbs from my diet including starch vegetables and stopped eating sugar. The only fruit I now eat is a serve of berries.
I also dropped my calories for the time being to 800 to 1000, made up just from berries, protein, low gi vege and full fat cheese.
The weight is coming off and I'm now only exercing 3 to 4 times a week.
Carbs (the processed ones even wholegrains) just don't work for me.
I feel incredible too with so much energy.
I know paleo gets a bad rap but it's working for me.
It would have taken me months to lose 6kg or not happened at all before this change but I've done it in like 17 days.

footloose_gypsy wrote: »

Hello,

I was curious if anybody has any experience or advice with hypothyroidism and low carb diets and whether or not they are bad for the thyroid function.

I have been having alot of trouble losing weight despite counting all of my food on a food scale (I eat about 1200-1300 calories/day) and minimum of about 30 mins of exercise per day. If I was going my the calories in/calories out logic I should have lost double of what I have by now. I am not new to dieting at all and I know i'm not overeating or overestimating ect, I have lost 100lbs in the past with a low carb diet. My health started to go downhill and I gained the weight back. I have little energy, dizziness, panic attacks and so forth and I had a blood test and the doctor told me my TSH was high and my thyroid was underactive so he put me on 50mcg of levothyroxine. I have been on it for about a week and I have even less energy.

I have been trying to follow a low carb/keto plan, but yesterday after reading this article http://chriskresser.com/is-a-low-carb-diet-ruining-your-health/ I felt as though maybe I am doing my thyroid more harm than good without carbs - so i decided to try adding some carbohydrates back in. I am unsure about how many grams of carbs I should be eating to hopefully try to get my thyroid functioning properly.

I would really appreciate any insight into this.

Hypothyroidism does not negate calories in calories out. It lowers your energy, as if your body is trying to shut down, but still, if you eat less than you burn, you lose. If you just started meds, give it time, it will take a few months until you feel normal again and possibly a few adaptations of meds. No one gains 100 lbs just because of hypothyroidism. You would have to be at the point where you had a huge goiter, were falling asleep mid-sentence, losing handfuls of hair, and letting this continue for years. And obviously not just an elevated TSH, but extremely low T4 too. I have heard it happen from drs in my family, but it is extremely rare, despite what many people think about hypothyroidism.
Carbs or anything else you eat do not affect you at all, despite all the nonsense you read on the internet. Sure, some few people have other autoimmune disorders that are affected by diet, but hypothyroidism itself is not.
Opem your diary if you need specifi advice. You are not eating 1200 calories.

You need to give the medication more than a week to start working.

I would suggest asking your endocrinologist about the article/adrenal fatigue.

I have hypothyroidism and several other more complex/serious metabolic issues. I am able to lose on a moderate-carb diet (70-100G/day) with LOTS of exercise.

footloose_gypsy wrote: »

I was curious if anybody has any experience or advice with hypothyroidism and low carb diets and whether or not they are bad for the thyroid function.

Thyroid function is not affected by carbs.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hypothyroidism/expert-answers/hypothyroidism-diet/faq-20058554

Although claims about hypothyroidism diets abound, there's no evidence that eating or avoiding certain foods will improve thyroid function in people with hypothyroidism.

I have Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease). I lost more slowly than most MFPers, but I did it just like everybody else—by eating fewer calories than I burn. And I lost long before my thyroid levels ever entered the "normal" range. Logging works.

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

People who say you can treat your thyroid issues with food are either lying or very stupid. Don't take advice from them.

See an endocrinologist for your thyroid.

I don't have a thyroid, eat a very high-carb diet and have lost 90 pounds.

I was dx'd with Hashimoto's when I was 20. I probably had it for much longer than that. I take 200 mcg of levothyroxine. It takes about six weeks for a dose change to take full effect. My TSH has been as high as 187. I suggest getting a full panel and seeing an endocrinologist. I also recommend taking your medicine on an empty stomach about 30-60 minutes before any food or drink at about the same time every morning. If you take antacids often, then make sure that you don't take them in combination with your thyroid med as it will inhibit the absorption.

FWIW, I lost more weight while hypothyroid at a TSH of 187 simply because I lacked the energy and motivation to eat. I gained weight while euthyroid. I realize that I'm an outlier. I'm currently euthyroid and have lost almost 40 pounds while eating a moderate carb diet. It's only moderate because of my type 2 diabetes.

footloose_gypsy wrote: »

I didn't say I gained 100lbs because of hypothyroidism - I gained that weight back a long time ago because of poor choices during a depressive period in my life. I was only just recently diagnosed hypothyroid. So sorry if I made it sound like I was blaming hypothyroidism, that isn't the case. If carbs don't affect me at all then I will continue low-carbing. Thanks for the advice. I eat just under 1200 most days. I don't know why you are telling me otherwise. The girl above stated she gained 20kg in 15 months eating 1200 calories/day and exercising with hypothyroidism - so I think it's safe to believe that someone eating very few calories with hypothyroidism struggle to lose weight - and usually end up maintaining, losing very slowly or gaining.

Hey girl. I totally believe you. I was eating 1300 cals/day plus working out and not eating back those cals and with my hypothyroidism it took me a full month to lose 1 lb. Then I went to a birthday party for my friend's kid, had a piece of cake, and the pound came back on for two weeks. At my height/weight (5'11", 230 lbs) eating 1300 calories a day should have me losing 2 lbs a week.

My doctor, 18 months and one baby after my diagnosis, added some Cytomel to my Synthroid under the suspicion that my body is not converting T4 to T3. I'm happy to say that because the Cytomel doesn't require time to build up in your system, I began losing weight immediately. I lost 10 lbs in 6 weeks and I continue to lose about .2 lbs/day.

Hang in there. It will take time, but be patient with the process. And don't be afraid to change up the meds if they don't work after a while.

I don't have a thyroid anymore (thyroid cancer) but losing weight has been just as easy for me as it used to. I eat tons of carbs & it doesn't matter

WBB55 wrote: »

If you're on medication, them you don't need a thyroid. Plenty of people function without a thyroid (by taking the meds).

Much sense here - but if you've only JUST started on thyroxine, remember it can take around 8 weeks to bring yourself up to a 'fully functioning' state. (This is why, when you go for an iodine dye scan on your thyroid you have to stop taking your meds for at least 6 weeks beforehand to get you fully back to 'non functioning' state for them to monitor).

It's less the thyroid that makes weight loss difficult than the fatigue that goes with it! I've had hashimoto's for over a decade and my weight has gone up and down (mostly up), but I've found that exercise does actually REDUCE fatigue. Taking the 'little and often' approach during difficult thyroid times helps, when you think you really can't do anything today then force yourself to do a five minute walk around the block. You'll feel better for it, I promise!

I follow a high protein, lower carb diet but that's more for PCOS than the thyroid (PCOS causes insulin resistance). I also found avoiding foods that are known to be poor for thyroid function (raw cruciferous vegetables, soy) seems to help too. Cooked cruciferous is fine, so yay broccoli! I realise many people don't agree that plant chemistry can have an effect on the thyroid, but this is just my own anecdotal experience. I've been following a high protein, lower carb (not low carb) 1500 cal diet since January 1st, with workouts, and have as of today lost 15lbs - so it is possible to lose weight at a decent rate with thyroid issues if you're properly medicated

Now you've got the meds, hopefully you'll feel better soon and you'll start to see an increase in energy, which you can put towards exercise. Good luck!

ninerbuff wrote: »

My DW went from 165 to 130 in about 8 months and hypothyroid. She didn't cut carbs (we eat rice), she just ate less and moved more.

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This. This is why hypothyroidism is so hard to explain to other people. It's not about whether you eat less or move more, it's about whether you are physically capable of moving more due to fatigue, muscle cramps, swollen ankles, and all the rest. It's about being properly medicated - it took 8 years for doctors (in the UK) to agree to put my meds up to push me slightly outside the 'clinically accepted range of normal' because weirdly enough, normal for one person ain't normal for another person. It took a further 3 years for them to realise the meds weren't working because I have the same issue of not converting T4 to T3. Suddenly with the right stuff, and a functioning thyroid, I actually AM able to 'eat less and move more'. But that's a dangerous and frustrating phrase for a clearly very healthy person to bandy around to anyone struggling with hypothyroidism.

I sympathize. A young friend of mine gained 40 lbs last year until her Dr. figured out she had developed hypothyroidism. This is an extremely active person and she now stays on low sugar but healthy carbs, protein and fats. Sometimes I think low sugar is always linked with low carbs but you can have very healthy carbs without a lot of sugar.