Hypothyroidism??
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ginnyraye08
Posts: 20 Member
I've been trying to lose weight for a while and I have hypothyroidism. Does anyone have tips or advice besides the usual diet exercise? Are there types of foods I should specifically try to avoid that would mess with my metabolism?
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Replies
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Are you taking thyroid medication? Taking it religiously and according to instructions (first thing in the AM, with water only, waiting 1/2 to 1 hour before eating)? Stable on it, with good TSH, T3 and T4?
If so, I personally don't think there's anything else we hypothyroid folks need to do to lose weight, beyond what anyone else does. (But I'm sure others will offer different advice.)2 -
Are you taking thyroid medication? Taking it religiously and according to instructions (first thing in the AM, with water only, waiting 1/2 to 1 hour before eating)? Stable on it, with good TSH, T3 and T4?
If so, I personally don't think there's anything else we hypothyroid folks need to do to lose weight, beyond what anyone else does. (But I'm sure others will offer different advice.)
I do have medication but sometimes it's really hard for me to take it consistently at the same time every single day. So I will definitely work on this. I didn't know it was so important to be that specific! Thanks for the input0 -
Best take it in the morning on an empty stomach, and wait with other things for half an hour.0
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I don't have hypothyroidism but my mom does so I ordered her the book "Stop the Thyroid Madness. " I haven't read it yet but it has a lot of good reviews and a website with decent information.1
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ginnyraye08 wrote: »I've been trying to lose weight for a while and I have hypothyroidism. Does anyone have tips or advice besides the usual diet exercise? Are there types of foods I should specifically try to avoid that would mess with my metabolism?
I suggest buying some liquid iodine. It helps tremendously with balancing out the thyroid. It's great even for those who have no thyroid issues. Helps with energy level so much. Tastes nasty but it's worth it!1 -
I have been hypothyroid for years. Taking my pill is the first thing I do after I get out of the shower. I have read to stay away from certain foods. Here is a link I found. I can't confirm its validity, but I have heard this before in talking with a health professional. Personally, I don't follow it as I love strawberries!!
http://www.naturalendocrinesolutions.com/articles/goitrogens-thyroid-inhibiting-foods-you-should-avoid/0 -
I have Hashimoto's that refuses to go into remission, so I'm on every known antihistamine as well as Synthroid. Energy?? I have no recall of such a word...0
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perkymommy wrote: »ginnyraye08 wrote: »I've been trying to lose weight for a while and I have hypothyroidism. Does anyone have tips or advice besides the usual diet exercise? Are there types of foods I should specifically try to avoid that would mess with my metabolism?
I suggest buying some liquid iodine. It helps tremendously with balancing out the thyroid. It's great even for those who have no thyroid issues. Helps with energy level so much. Tastes nasty but it's worth it!
I would not recommend screwing around with liquid iodine. It can increase autoimmune attack on the thyroid. One drop of Lugol's gives you more than the recommended daily upper limit. Can you please provide a reference for your claim of "balancing out" the thyroid?
It is especially dangerous for people who may have Hashimoto's. Unless you know you are good with selenium levels (selenium protects against iodine toxicity), you should not supplement with such high doses of iodine. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20453397?dopt=AbstractPlus1 -
As @KDar1988 and @yirara said, it is extremely important to take thyroid meds every day, and an hour before eating, because it is best absorbed into the body on an empty stomach.
I wake up at my husband's super early alarm, take them and go back to bed. Then when I get up at normal time it's usually 2 hours later.
I was taking just synthroid, but still didn't feel great. My T3 was still off so the dr added cytomel. Now I feel better, exercise gives me more energy, and I personally eat LCHF, but that's for my prediabetes.2 -
ginnyraye08 wrote: »Are you taking thyroid medication? Taking it religiously and according to instructions (first thing in the AM, with water only, waiting 1/2 to 1 hour before eating)? Stable on it, with good TSH, T3 and T4?
If so, I personally don't think there's anything else we hypothyroid folks need to do to lose weight, beyond what anyone else does. (But I'm sure others will offer different advice.)
I do have medication but sometimes it's really hard for me to take it consistently at the same time every single day. So I will definitely work on this. I didn't know it was so important to be that specific! Thanks for the input
This will be a bazillion times more helpful for you than any special foods or exercises.2 -
I'm on Armour and I take it around midnight (or when I wake up and remember). For me this works because I get up early in the morning to workout and have coffee and there's no way I'm going to forgo coffee because I have to take my medicine!! I have to get blood work done again because my levels are still off and my doctor thinks I might not be processing T3. I'm supposed to be taking my temperature upon waking to see if it's consistently low which I am going to start doing on Monday.
I have to say since being on the medicine (I've been on it since the end of October) while I don't physically feel different (doctor always asks me that but I don't know HOW I'm supposed to feel exactly) my hair has started growing again and my nails aren't as brittle. I have to say the hair thing is HUGE for me, especially since last April I had a relative comment on my hair cut when I haven't had it cut in years.
As far as foods go, I don't eat anything specific/eliminate anything from my diet.0 -
As @KDar1988 and @yirara said, it is extremely important to take thyroid meds every day, and an hour before eating, because it is best absorbed into the body on an empty stomach.
I wake up at my husband's super early alarm, take them and go back to bed. Then when I get up at normal time it's usually 2 hours later.
I was taking just synthroid, but still didn't feel great. My T3 was still off so the dr added cytomel. Now I feel better, exercise gives me more energy, and I personally eat LCHF, but that's for my prediabetes.
I felt great prior to being diagnosed but when I was put on synthroid, it felt horrible (lack of energy, severe lower back pain, water retention...). Recently, my dr. added cytomel as well and am feeling so much better!
It has nothing to do with metabolism but as @KDar1988 said, I do avoid some foods that may mess with the absorption.0 -
Not hypothyroid, but my mom has Hashimoto's, and has been dealing with it for over 20 years. And is always telling me to get my thyroid panel checked.
Do not take iodine as a supplement as previously suggested - you can really mess yourself up with that stuff, especially if you are not medically trained and have no idea what you're doing, which most of us don't. It is very easy to go over iodine limits, which can actually do more (irreversible) damage to your thyroid.
I agree that you should start taking your meds at the same time everyday to make sure you're getting the best benefit. You will not be able to gauge how well the medication is working if you're not consistent with it.
That said, once you have the meds down and have given them some time to work, you may want to see how you're feeling and if foods are affecting you adversely. You didn't say that you had Hashimoto's specifically, but that is the autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid. Many times, people who have one autoimmune disorder can have co-existing autoimmune diseases, or have sensitivities similar to those that occur in people with those other disorders. For example, my mom was having a hard time getting some weight off, but after cutting back on alcohol and gluten-intake (Celiacs are allergic to gluten, and Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disorder), she was able to drop those last few pounds and as a bonus, her skin cleared up.
TL;DR - Let your meds work first, and then see how your body feels and think about doing your own elimination diet if you don't feel better.0 -
i'm hypothyroid and the only thing it took for me was a whole lot of consistency and time.
But i also follow my doctor's instructions and take my thyroid medication first thing in the morning about an hour before i eat anything else. I take some supplements like vitamin b12, d, iron, etc. at night time before bed.
I also found that i needed just a smidge less calories than others (around 1100/ day) to lose weight.0 -
Another thing that might potentially be of use is to make sure you are screened for celiac disease - just a blood panel. If you have hypothyroidism or celiac disease, you are in a higher risk category to have the other disease. Celiac disease can impact your ability to absorb your thyroid meds, plus the nutrient deficiencies can make the body do everything it can not to lose anything (like you're in a famine, basically), PLUS hypothyroidism has been known to mask the symptoms of celiac disease so you can have it and not even know (some docs aren't aware of this, however, so they don't test).
I know a number of people who had this happen and their thyroid issues were much improved after figuring out the celiac /hypothyroid combo, as it were.
Another, slightly quirkier, thing to check out might be black radishes, or radishes in general. Radishes have a chemical in them that seems to be useful in stabilizing the thyroid somewhat, with black radishes containing the most (I would say what the chemical is, but in the years since I first read about this, the internet fad-mongers seem to have picked it up and now I can find how black radishes cure everything from cancer to hangovers, but not the actual information any longer on the component specifically related to thyroid. :-P).
Black radishes were, and still are, used frequently in Russia for thyroid issues, actually. I know some folks here I spoke to were adding them to their veggie juices, you know?0 -
Thank you for all the help guys!! I will check out that book for sure! I do have hashimotos but my doctor just told me it was the old name for hypothyroidism. I had no idea it was a separate thing. Reading all you guys'advice and experience has definitely showed me that I need to begin educating myself.
And on the medicine note, does it really need to be taken in the AM? or just as long as it's the same time every day and on an empty stomach w/no food after, is that okay?
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ginnyraye08 wrote: »Thank you for all the help guys!! I will check out that book for sure! I do have hashimotos but my doctor just told me it was the old name for hypothyroidism. I had no idea it was a separate thing. Reading all you guys'advice and experience has definitely showed me that I need to begin educating myself.
And on the medicine note, does it really need to be taken in the AM? or just as long as it's the same time every day and on an empty stomach w/no food after, is that okay?
I would definitely research a new doctor if that was his response to your having hashimotos.
I don't take mine at exactly the same time every day. I take it around midnight, which could mean: 11:45, 1:30, etc. But yes, you do have to take it on an empty stomach with no food for an hour before and an hour after. That is why I take mine when I do. I'm NOT postponing my morning coffee to take a pill!0 -
Sassie_Lassie wrote: »ginnyraye08 wrote: »Thank you for all the help guys!! I will check out that book for sure! I do have hashimotos but my doctor just told me it was the old name for hypothyroidism. I had no idea it was a separate thing. Reading all you guys'advice and experience has definitely showed me that I need to begin educating myself.
And on the medicine note, does it really need to be taken in the AM? or just as long as it's the same time every day and on an empty stomach w/no food after, is that okay?
I would definitely research a new doctor if that was his response to your having hashimotos.
I don't take mine at exactly the same time every day. I take it around midnight, which could mean: 11:45, 1:30, etc. But yes, you do have to take it on an empty stomach with no food for an hour before and an hour after. That is why I take mine when I do. I'm NOT postponing my morning coffee to take a pill!
Is it OK to take the pill, then have coffee?
What about other supplements? I have B12, Flintstone and Vit D that take I about an hour after my thyroid pill. If I don't take them before I walk out the door I forget.0 -
Sassie_Lassie wrote: »ginnyraye08 wrote: »Thank you for all the help guys!! I will check out that book for sure! I do have hashimotos but my doctor just told me it was the old name for hypothyroidism. I had no idea it was a separate thing. Reading all you guys'advice and experience has definitely showed me that I need to begin educating myself.
And on the medicine note, does it really need to be taken in the AM? or just as long as it's the same time every day and on an empty stomach w/no food after, is that okay?
I would definitely research a new doctor if that was his response to your having hashimotos.
I don't take mine at exactly the same time every day. I take it around midnight, which could mean: 11:45, 1:30, etc. But yes, you do have to take it on an empty stomach with no food for an hour before and an hour after. That is why I take mine when I do. I'm NOT postponing my morning coffee to take a pill!
Is it OK to take the pill, then have coffee?
What about other supplements? I have B12, Flintstone and Vit D that take I about an hour after my thyroid pill. If I don't take them before I walk out the door I forget.
it's recommended to wait at least an hour before eating anything or taking any supplements. You cannot take your thyroid medication with coffee because the caffeine may have interactions with levothyroxine.0 -
Keep your thyroid pills next to your bed and take them as soon as you wake up. You could even set an alarm to take the pill and go back to sleep.0
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