Low Carb or just Low Cal? also with Hashimotos Disease

A calorie deficit is all that is needed for weight loss, but for some people, a lower carb, higher fat diet helps them to maintain that deficit. It's all about personal preference.

I know that there are people on this site with Hashimoto's and other thyroid problems who have lost weight. You need to discuss that aspect of your weight loss with your doctor, as you will likely need to make sure your Hashimoto's is well-controlled. Your TDEE will probably be lower than someone without Hashimoto's, so weight loss can be slower.

I've done high carb/low fat and now I eat more low carb. I call it lowish carb because I'm not a stickler about staying below a certain amount per day. I have found that keeping my carbs to a lower level helps greatly in keeping my hunger under control. I certainly do still get hungry, but when I'm eating lower carb my blood sugar seems to stay much more stable so that hunger is just something to notice, but not something I feel compelled to remedy. I rarely get that awful "If I don't have something to eat right this second I'm going to pass out or go nuts" kind of feeling when I'm eating lowish carb.

My best friend has Hashi and took 2 months to do an elimination diet. She only needed to eliminate 3 things to feel better. I understand those things can vary person-to-person. Once she eliminated those, which did cut both calories and carbs a little, she felt better and it better able to exercise. She's 22lbs down in 6 months with the tiniest adjustments.

While this isn't medical advice and you should always listen to the pros, this might be a tool to help you as well. Good luck!

I have Hashimoto's and have managed to lose weight just fine (60 lbs so far) without going on a special or trendy diet or eliminating the foods I enjoy. The one basic premise to remember is that if you burn more calories in a day than you eat, you *will* lose weight. It really is just that simple.

Get your Hashi under control - it may slow down your weight loss somewhat, but if properly managed, it really is not a barrier to weight loss.

There's a special group here on MFP that is specifically for members with thyroid issues:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/753-hypothyroidism-and-hyperthyroidism

My thyroid meds went up, up and up, then down, then up and up again. Just keep your appointments and take what they tell you to take.

You can lose weight eating absolutely anything, as long as you keep the calories low.

If you want to eat healthy to be healthy and haven't done it, here are a couple good links to get you started:

https://cdn1.sph.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2013/04/HEPApr2013.jpg

http://www.fitness.gov/eat-healthy/how-to-eat-healthy/

Keeping your salt intake down is good for you, too. Check some of this out for everything you want to know about salt:

http://sodiumbreakup.heart.org/sodium-411/

Hypo/ hashi here as well. Understand that Hashimotos is an autoimmune disease. As with alot of autoimmune it is caused by chronic inflammation.
Hashis and gut health go hand in hand, so elimnating carbs may help. Or gluten. Or diary. Etc. many of those things can help address your hashi and antibodies.

http://www.holtorfmed.com/leaky-gut-linked-to-hashimotos-thyroiditis/

https://chriskresser.com/the-thyroid-gut-connection/

This page talks alot about hashis and diet. Good stuff
https://www.hashimotoshealing.com/hashimotos-diet-keys-to-success/

your body is a machine...like any machine, it requires energy to function...that energy is called a calorie. When you over-consume energy, that surplus is stored for later use...your energy reserves..your backup power generator. When you under-consume energy, you dip into those reserves to make up the difference.

there are numerous ways to achieve a deficit of energy...low carb is one of them. carbs in and of themselves don't cause weight gain or loss...most of the world has subsisted on a high carbohydrate diet for most of our existence. however, many carbohydrates are calorie dense...thus when they are cut, you also cut calories (provided you don't replace those calories with something else)

I would say that most people who eat anything resembling the SAD could stand to reduce their carbohydrate intake and/or make better choices in what carbs they eat. I actually eat a moderate to high carb diet with most of those carbs coming from legumes, lentils, oats, quinoa, brown rice, potatoes and sweet potatoes, veggies, and fruit.

keep in mind also that when you initially cut carbs you will lose a lot of water weight when depleting your glycogen stores...but over time, a low carb diet has now proven to be any more effective than any other calorie restrictive diet.