Underactive thyroid

You don't need a special diet for underactive thyroid, and I speak from experience. If you are concerned about specific dietary needs, your physician would be the person you should talk to.

marcelle_a_yacoub wrote: »

I have Underactive thyroid i need a diet for my cade please

If you're medicated correctly, you don't need a special diet. Just eat at a deficit.

If your worried about your diet I would ask for a referral to a nutritionist as there is no special diet

Once you are on the right dose of synthroid your metabolism will pick up- no special diet needed. However if you are still under active, be sure to get plenty of fluids and fiber as constipation can be common. Good luck!! I have autoimmune thyroid disease and have rode the weight and medication rollercoaster over several years.

Ditto! My medication handles it. I also make sure I have sufficient vitamin intake, because being under on a few critical vitamins may affect how well your thyroid continues to perform.

Hi everyone, I might be glad I found you! I had sudden weight gain at age ~31 of about 30 lbs in 3 months. Before then, I was a long distance runner with a solid healthy diet and always thin / fit. My weight gain made me unable to run, so I started long distance walking, and eating less, but it made no difference.

I'm 34 now and thyroid issues do run in my family on my mom's side, but I have never had health issues before so I am the first to be accountable for my own weight gain and not rush to "blame" it on a health issue. I immediately started doing the math of TDEE etc.. and for a woman my height and weight: 5'4" (I'm rounding up a little bit ) and 185 lbs (weight has only gone up despite having eaten under 2000 cals for the past 3 years and exercising) calculators are telling me that even if I'm SEDENTARY I should not eat below 1600 calories a day!

This is bewildering to me, because I do 30-45 minutes of cardio every day and I started with a trainer doing weights 6 weeks ago. I have not lost 1 lb and my trainer is TOTALLY baffled (she asked me if I was eating donut holes every day after my workouts!)

She told me she's concerned and wants me to see a doctor, that she has had other clients like me that have actually had thyroid problems and not known about them. She's an older, very experienced trainer and has been doing this for a long time so I trust her judgement.

Currently I work out 6 days a week, 3 days a week with weights and 6 days a week with 30 mins of cardio and have been doing that for 6 weeks.

Currently I eat between 1200-1500 calories a day, and that's the only way I see my weight go down (I think its water weight though, because Ill see 2 lbs go down in the morning, but then they'll be back on in the afternoon). If I eat more (like 1600 - 2000, which is what I WAS doing) my weight doesn't budge. If I eat any more than 2000 cals a day, even while exercising 6 days a week, my weight goes up.

Unfortunately, with how active I am (I wear a fitbit and so I have lots of stats!) every TDEE calculator tells me I need to eat 2000 calories for a 500 - cal - a - day deficit.

But, I've eaten 1600 - 2000 calories a day consistently (before this past week, as you can see by my diary) for the past 3 months, and my weight didn't budge at all.

If this doesn't sound like thyroid, and I am just lying to myself and overeating, please tell me. But the numbers don't lie, and I've been working very hard for the past 3 years, counting calories, trying to figure out that spot where I'll start to lose, etc... and once my trainer brought up thyroid I was like you know, it's been in the back of my mind this whole time I've just been scared to go to the doctor.

I weigh and measure everything with a scale in grams, if anyone was wondering.

Hi all I had an overactive thyroid for some time until I went to gp as I couldn't loose weight and had hot sweats??? was it menopause or underactive thyroid. No galloping heart rate of 120. 2 years on carbimazole - no change except I put on some weight. Radioactive iodine and my thyroid levels plummeted. I gained massive amount of weight could brush my hair or teeth without my arms feeling like dead weight. Brain fog was the worst. that was at 42 years old. Since then I have had several major illnesses including thyroid eye disease - yes still underactive massive amounts of steroids which made me even bigger major operations and a few small ones onto a nsaid to try to get me off steroids but no change except my growing waist. Then cancer treatment so mobility even worse and growing waistline. But now 2 years cancer free starting to get around better and went to weight watchers - lost 28 lbs in less than a year Now saving so cant go but doing 5;2 with the help of mfp and have lost 3lb all while being underactive > so monlog over, it is possible to loose weight with little exercise and no fancy shop bought "DIET" aids . As I have 3 grandchildren living with me I have food and treats round me all the time, but I have always cooked from scratch tried to keep sugar and fat down and it is working. I need a "regime" to stick to without giving up good food so find what suits you there is no magic wand just keep going chat to people on here really good community. This year I will be 60 we will have been married for 40 years and are taking the family on holiday to FLORIDA so getting swimsuit out and running round those rides

smelliefeet wrote: »

Hi everyone, I might be glad I found you! I had sudden weight gain at age ~31 of about 30 lbs in 3 months. Before then, I was a long distance runner with a solid healthy diet and always thin / fit. My weight gain made me unable to run, so I started long distance walking, and eating less, but it made no difference.

I'm 34 now and thyroid issues do run in my family on my mom's side, but I have never had health issues before so I am the first to be accountable for my own weight gain and not rush to "blame" it on a health issue. I immediately started doing the math of TDEE etc.. and for a woman my height and weight: 5'4" (I'm rounding up a little bit ) and 185 lbs (weight has only gone up despite having eaten under 2000 cals for the past 3 years and exercising) calculators are telling me that even if I'm SEDENTARY I should not eat below 1600 calories a day!

This is bewildering to me, because I do 30-45 minutes of cardio every day and I started with a trainer doing weights 6 weeks ago. I have not lost 1 lb and my trainer is TOTALLY baffled (she asked me if I was eating donut holes every day after my workouts!)

She told me she's concerned and wants me to see a doctor, that she has had other clients like me that have actually had thyroid problems and not known about them. She's an older, very experienced trainer and has been doing this for a long time so I trust her judgement.

Currently I work out 6 days a week, 3 days a week with weights and 6 days a week with 30 mins of cardio and have been doing that for 6 weeks.

Currently I eat between 1200-1500 calories a day, and that's the only way I see my weight go down (I think its water weight though, because Ill see 2 lbs go down in the morning, but then they'll be back on in the afternoon). If I eat more (like 1600 - 2000, which is what I WAS doing) my weight doesn't budge. If I eat any more than 2000 cals a day, even while exercising 6 days a week, my weight goes up.

Unfortunately, with how active I am (I wear a fitbit and so I have lots of stats!) every TDEE calculator tells me I need to eat 2000 calories for a 500 - cal - a - day deficit.

But, I've eaten 1600 - 2000 calories a day consistently (before this past week, as you can see by my diary) for the past 3 months, and my weight didn't budge at all.

If this doesn't sound like thyroid, and I am just lying to myself and overeating, please tell me. But the numbers don't lie, and I've been working very hard for the past 3 years, counting calories, trying to figure out that spot where I'll start to lose, etc... and once my trainer brought up thyroid I was like you know, it's been in the back of my mind this whole time I've just been scared to go to the doctor.

I weigh and measure everything with a scale in grams, if anyone was wondering.

RE the bold - sounds like your maintenance is probably a bit under 2000 calories. You eat more than that, you gain. You eat about that, you maintain. You eat at a deficit of that, you're losing. All the numbers you shared make sense for you as a person. You may just need to eat in the 1200-1500 range to lose.
TDEE calculators can be helpful, but they are just a guess and everyone is different.
Fitbits also tend to over estimate calorie burns. My fitbit often tells me that I burn upwards of 4000 calories a few days a week, yet I have tracked my calories and body weight for a few months and determined that my maintenance is actually around 2600 calories. If I went by what my fitbit suggests, I would be eating far too much.
It would probably be in your best interest to have your doctor do bloodwork for your thyroid numbers, especially with family history of problems. I'm not trying to suggest it may or may not be thyroid related, just that the calorie numbers you shared in relation to each other make sense for you as a person (as far as maintenance being x/gaining at x/losing at x), aside from seeming like they might be lower than average.
Also, we are lightest in the morning because we are empty, as we put food/beverage into our bodies we will weigh more at night. Being 2 lbs or more heavier at night is not uncommon.

The one thing ive realized is every person has their own walk with this, what works for one wont work for another. Meds work for some, diet and lifestyle changes on top of meds for others. You will just have to play around and see. I wish i had started diet sooner instead of waste years thinking meds should make me feel better.


Its nice to see some women who have not struggled as hard core with hypothyroidism! (I dont mean not suffer, any form of it is horrible) It really depends on why you have it. Etc. For some women who have mild or moderate, sure you probably aren't far enough in being sick to need anything other than meds! Yay! Lol Even with Hashis, depends where you are in your sickness. By the time i was diagnosed i had severe autoimmune tissue damage to my thyroid 2/3 of it, and my antibodies were 5,000. and TSH was 156. T4 was .56.
So it was not just take meds and you're optimal.

But it wasn't until I changed my diet that i felt human, So its not for every person, were all different in out Thyroid issues, But if you're on meds and you arent feeling better even with labs being Dr "optimal" Then a diet change is a must! And I can add 100 women here who will tell you! Clean up your diet! Start with a Autoimmune paleo, reduce inflammation foods, start to heal your body! CICO foods? With a thyroid condition, you dont want to eat 1200 calories of cheetos. Even under you will poison your body!!

Thyroid patients eating high sugar foods? But still staying "under" calorie goals, Sugar is a inflammation food. And an hormone disruptive. Why would you only think calories vs healing? I guess for me now, its not about just losing weight! Not anymore! Its a bonus, but Ive evolved past the scale. After feeling like death for so long ill take 170 lbs over feeling hypo anyday! But as a bonus getting rid of these foods and changing my diet created this whole mind body feel, i feel strong, sexy, normal! I work out again! Cytomel and synthroid didnt do that, it was a combo of meds and diet, and I am so damn grateful!!!

Prayers to you all that even know what its like to struggle with this and cheers to losing as much as some of you had! Awesome!

burtisfamily7 wrote: »

marcelle_a_yacoub wrote: »

I have Underactive thyroid i need a diet for my cade please

I happen to disagree to a point As a Nurse who teaches nutrition for illnesses, and a Autoimmune sufferer I have Hashimotos autoimmune hypo thyroid my self, NOTHING and I mean nothing helped me to get my body back on track, feel optimal etc like the combo of a autoimmune paleo diet, certain supplements and getting meds optimal. But if you dont work on your gut health, making sure vitamins are optimal (Hypo thyroid is known for very Low Vit D, vit B12, intestinal permeability, IBS, etc etc)

I dont have celiacs, but i cannot eat wheat, potatoes etc. Some people can take a med and be ok. Depends where you are in your journey. I was undiagnosed for 10 years, by the time I was diagnosed my Vit d was 9 (optimal is 80), I had severe IBS, My B12 was 166! (optimal is 800) I was fat, puffy, depressed, low digestion and stomach acid, and serious brain fog and fatigue, i had to quit working as a nurse for 3 years. And i have 5 kids
.
So it was not black and white, CICO. No no no. Or just take meds and boom your ok. It is usually a whole body treatment, why are you hypothyroid? Did you just have a baby? Do you eat a lot of hormone dosed meat, milk, cheese etc? Have you had your antibodies checked?

I would highly suggest you get your vitamins tested, get enough sleep and start eliminating stuff from your diet. A paleo diet to start is suggested until your body starts to get right, so many foods create inflammation in an every day diet. Scientists are finding up to 70% of our immune system is in our gut, so the types of food we eat vs CICO is critical.

I can eat *kitten* food, but 1200 cal a day and i bloat up, gain weight like no tomorrow and i am sick sick sick. But I can pay attention to calories and make sure i am eating non processed foods, whole foods and probably eat 2000 a day and im losing like crazy.

Some people will lose with just the CICO, but you will see the success rate is not good long term, So for people with Hypo Thyroid, I do think there is a special "diet" And stop using endocrine interrupters, (certain chemicals) like plastic food containers, perfumes, etc etc The list goes on. We use things in the US that are banned in other countries for everyday items. Parabens, fragrance etc

Sorry for the book LOL

I agree with much of this. Do some reading on it. Consider trying GF and more whole foods. Not everyone needs dietary changes but it can help others. I would stay open to it.

I have Hashimotos and am on meds, levels are getting better. Unless you're confirmed hashi's I wouldn't worry about the GF thing (reguLar hypo). My doc told me to go gluten and soy free since they are inflammatory to an already under attack thyroid. I dont know if I believe it but I mostly cut all the simple carbs anyway just to have more cals in my day. Deficit is king and meds don't help much with additional weight loss.