Keto Diet and Hypothyroidism

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clholbrooks
clholbrooks Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Has anyone had luck losing weight with the keto diet and hypothyroidism? I was diagnosed a couple of years ago, had most of my thyroid removed, take 75 mcg of Levo per day, have gained about 15 pounds, and struggle to maintain my current weight. I've tried every other diet with no luck. I exercise regularly and eat at a deficit. I would love to hear from others who have had luck or hear what diet is working for you.

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  • clholbrooks
    clholbrooks Posts: 5 Member
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    clholbrooks wrote: »
    Has anyone had luck losing weight with the keto diet and hypothyroidism? I was diagnosed a couple of years ago, had most of my thyroid removed, take 75 mcg of Levo per day, have gained about 15 pounds, and struggle to maintain my current weight. I've tried every other diet with no luck. I exercise regularly and eat at a deficit. I would love to hear from others who have had luck or hear what diet is working for you.

    I have my levels checked regularly as well.
  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
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    Also hypo here.
    Eating at a deficit has been all I've ever needed. I've lost 60+ lbs a few years ago and 35+ more recently.

    I enjoy and eat a good amount of carbs and I see no reason to restrict any foods (unless medically necessary). For me, heavy restriction (something like attempting a keto diet) usually leads to binge eating.

    Keto isn't magic, you still need to be in a deficit with it to lose weight.
    If you really enjoy eating high fat and don't have a problem keeping a very strict diet it may work well for you.

    I find eating everything in moderation to be much more forgiving though. If I want to have cake on someone's birthday I can still make that work tracking calories. If you're doing keto that would throw you out of ketosis.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    I had a total thyroidectomy in 2000 and put on ~70lbs over the next 14 years. This had nothing to do with my thyroid. I transitioned from a high active military career to cushy civilian job in academia and ate like I was running 6 mi/day and swimming 2 mi/day, only I wasn't running or swimming. I found MFP in 2014, started logging and exercising and lost ~60 lbs in the first year.

    I keep my levels checked including TSH, fT3, fT4, and rT3 with no issues to report. I eat everything, only in moderation and maintain a deficit and trending to maintenance. Still want to lose a few lbs of fat and get to an optimal race weight.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    I've seen some (very limited) research that shows keto and a rise in TSH/T4 levels (it was mostly as a we measured this and saw this and not explicitly correlated/researched (although I just found a pediatric study that looked at using keto to treat epilepsy and correlating thyroid issues - summary an increased baseline TSH and female gender increased the likelihood of hypothyroidism in kids on a ketogenic diet for epilepsy - https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/jpem.ahead-of-print/jpem-2016-0281/jpem-2016-0281.xml)
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    Me. I'm on 180 mcg of natural desiccated thyroid. I still have my thyroid but it doesn't do much anymore. LOL

    I have only really lost larger amounts of weight (20-40lbs for me) when I cut carbs. I tended to eat for energy, and usually I ate higher carb foods. Cutting carbs helped.

    This past fall my thyroid took another dip and I started gaining weight on a diet that I was maintaining on. Maybe 100-200 kcal more per day. I put on 10 lbs in less than half a year. Once I had my thyroid meds adjusted to a better level, I started slowing losing again at the same maintenance level.

    I'm a big believer that having meds at the right level helps, but I lost weight before I ever took medication. It just took more effort (fewer calories and exercising 60-90 minutes per day). Having meds right helps, and for some levothyroxine isn't enough.

    Anyways, I've been keto for most of the past two years. While gaining I was in and out of keto (eating carbs for energy - dumb for me) but I feel MUCH better, and steadier energy while keto than I do with carbs so I am sticking with it. Maybe one year I'll go back to just low carb.

    Try the Low Carber Daily MFP group for more info. There are a few of us with thyroid problems in there. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group
  • Tried30UserNames
    Tried30UserNames Posts: 561 Member
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    I'm a believer that for many, a very low carb diet long-term will exacerbate hypothyroidism. Now, since you don't have a thyroid, I guess that wouldn't be an issue so why not give keto a try? It could be your dosage of Levo isn't right...make sure your FT3 and FT4 are optimal and that your doctor isn't just going by TSH. Or it could be you need a different medication if you're having trouble losing weight.

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