Synthroid patients who actually succeed in eating breakfast?
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IHateMyThyroid
Posts: 23 Member
I'm at my wit's end with trying to eat. I'm on Synthroid, and I absolutely can't have anything in my stomach but Synthroid and water for an hour or I don't absorb it. Which usually means that I leave the house for work on an empty stomach every morning. Which leaves me vulnerable to sweets in the office breakroom even though I really don't even like pastry. Completely at a loss as to how to actually manage to eat; I've been in an office job for a year now after working from home for years and I yo-yo between eating junk and starving myself lightheaded.
Constraints:
Can't either wake up earlier or set an alarm in middle of night to take Synthroid then. Already massively struggling with insomnia due to pain and with very long sleep latency. If I eat breakfast but get even less sleep, I don't really have a net benefit.
Nowhere near work that sells anything healthy for breakfast
Food safety in the car is an issue because I live in a very hot climate
Commute is well over an hour, best case scenario
Can't do large-scale meal prep on weekends due to chronic pain, also don't own a big freezer or have room to consider buying one
Help? I'm so tired of starving and/or eating the crappy pastries or candy because I'm so hungry I can't help it even though they don't even taste good.
I've tried asking on the Synthroid site, but all I get is stay-at-home-moms who spend the whole Synthroid Hour waiting on their kids, then eat breakfast once the kids leave and don't have to go to work and leave their kitchens.
Constraints:
Can't either wake up earlier or set an alarm in middle of night to take Synthroid then. Already massively struggling with insomnia due to pain and with very long sleep latency. If I eat breakfast but get even less sleep, I don't really have a net benefit.
Nowhere near work that sells anything healthy for breakfast
Food safety in the car is an issue because I live in a very hot climate
Commute is well over an hour, best case scenario
Can't do large-scale meal prep on weekends due to chronic pain, also don't own a big freezer or have room to consider buying one
Help? I'm so tired of starving and/or eating the crappy pastries or candy because I'm so hungry I can't help it even though they don't even taste good.
I've tried asking on the Synthroid site, but all I get is stay-at-home-moms who spend the whole Synthroid Hour waiting on their kids, then eat breakfast once the kids leave and don't have to go to work and leave their kitchens.
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Replies
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I just take mine at night. There is usually at least 3 hours between dinner and bedtime. I know they recommend taking it in the morning but I have been taking at night for years and it works for me.6
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I just take mine at night. There is usually at least 3 hours between dinner and bedtime. I know they recommend taking it in the morning but I have been taking at night for years and it works for me.
This. When I was started on medicine I was told I could either take it 1 hours before food OR 4 hrs after food. I understand you can't rearrange your morning to take it earlier, so possibly the evening is best way to go.
Other suggestion: can you pack breakfast in with your lunch (or second box) and have icepacks to keep it cold? I get the long commute and climate issue, but ice packs should help keep it safe before getting to office.3 -
I am on a late schedule at work to dodge traffic, so I eat dinner late enough that my stomach isn't empty by bedtime. 3 hours between dinner and sleep almost never happens, let alone 4. 4 hours before bed I'm still in the office!
Your second suggestion. . .implies that I succeed in packing lunch.
I'm a chronic pain patient with a commute of over an hour, severe ADHD, and acquired long QT syndrome that prevents me taking Adderall. Getting out the door on time properly dressed counts as a win. Can't even begin to fathom packing lunch, or what would be in it since my pain prevents me doing weekend meal prep. 2 -
Get a small (tiny) soft-type cooler (some are about the size of a small purse, intended for lunches), and some refreezable/reusable blue ice (gel stuff in a sturdy plastic shell). Keep the latter in your freezer at home. Every day, pack yourself something for breakfast, and eat it at the time you'd normally be falling for that calorie-dense non-nutrition-dense stuff at work.
After work, take the bag home, and put the blue ice back in the freezer for the next day, and prep something for the next day.
If there's a microwave at work, things like microwaveable frozen burritos or mini-quiche or frozen meals (bought at the grocery store already made, or home-made) will work. Otherwise, any food at all that you like that you can put in your mini insulated bag will work. Hard boiled eggs, string cheese, meat, leftovers, fruit, yogurt, peanut butter on nutritious bread, whatever. (If you need tableware to eat it, put that in a plastic bag or small box so you can take it home unwashed and wash it at home if necessary.)
The bag will keep warm things warm enough to be safe for an hour commute (wrap in a dish towel for extra insulation if you like) without the ice; cold things will keep fine for an hour with the ice.
Or, if there's a microwave or hot water available at work, get those "soup in a cup" or "oatmeal in a cup" or whatever sort of thing that are "just add water" and eat those. You could even put your own hot water in an insulated thermos.
There exist prepared foods in cans or packets that don't need refrigeration, or are dehydrated and just need cold water, that are palatable and nutritious: Hummus, refried beans, tuna, chicken, mixed dishes with rice/beans/veggies, dried fruit, more - lots of choices. Browse your local grocery store or health food store, you'll find options.
Find a nutritious dry cereal (granola-type thing) or trail mix you can eat plain. Get single-serve versions, or put some in a reusable container at home, and take it to work daily. Eat freeze-dried soynuts, or pumpkin seeds, crispy chickpeas, or other nuts in reasonable portions. You can get these in shelf-stable single-serve packets. (I keep some in my car in case I'm delayed somewhere and get really hungry, so I don't fall for something that doesn't help me meet my goals).10 -
IHateMyThyroid wrote: »I'm at my wit's end with trying to eat. I'm on Synthroid, and I absolutely can't have anything in my stomach but Synthroid and water for an hour or I don't absorb it. Which usually means that I leave the house for work on an empty stomach every morning. Which leaves me vulnerable to sweets in the office breakroom even though I really don't even like pastry. Completely at a loss as to how to actually manage to eat; I've been in an office job for a year now after working from home for years and I yo-yo between eating junk and starving myself lightheaded.
Constraints:
Can't either wake up earlier or set an alarm in middle of night to take Synthroid then. Already massively struggling with insomnia due to pain and with very long sleep latency. If I eat breakfast but get even less sleep, I don't really have a net benefit.
Nowhere near work that sells anything healthy for breakfast
Food safety in the car is an issue because I live in a very hot climate
Commute is well over an hour, best case scenario
Can't do large-scale meal prep on weekends due to chronic pain, also don't own a big freezer or have room to consider buying one
Help? I'm so tired of starving and/or eating the crappy pastries or candy because I'm so hungry I can't help it even though they don't even taste good.
I've tried asking on the Synthroid site, but all I get is stay-at-home-moms who spend the whole Synthroid Hour waiting on their kids, then eat breakfast once the kids leave and don't have to go to work and leave their kitchens.
How about protein bars instead of candy bars? You can buy them by the box and leave them at work, and there are so many out there that I'll bet you can find one that you like. I have a Quest bar for breakfast every day (I'm a creature of habit) and it's like having a guilt-free candy bar everymorning
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Grab a granola/protein bar on your way out and call it a day? Should be simple enough to eat in the car but if not just keep a box at your desk for when you get there- that way you don't even have to make your way to the breakroom.
Also, for what it's worth, I take my synthroid at night like some of the posters above.2 -
Could you take the pill before you leave work to go home? That would take care of the hour you are unable to eat.4
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Taking pill before commute means trying to drive without coffee! Not gonna happen--unsafe! Granola bars have so much sugar there's hardly any difference between that and the junk in the breakroom, and practically all protein bars are soy-based (too much soy is not recommended for Hashimoto's) as well as sugary. I think maybe I implied that I'm eating junk in the breakroom every day. I'm not. Usually there's no junk to be eaten. Most days I'm fasting all workday and trying to stay coherent. It's only maybe one day a week that there's a sugary thing that tempts me.
I probably sound terribly picky, but there are two additional problems in here that are making life impossible. I am autistic with sensory integration disorder, and I have raging ADHD. So: with ADHD, packing lunch in the morning is simply not going to happen. Ever. I've tried every year of my career that I wasn't working from home and I can probably count my successes on one hand. (I can't take Adderall because I have long QT, so we're talking raging unmedicated ADHD!)
The sensory integration disorder is a really tough one too. Autistic people with that have certain sensations that are, completely honestly, unbearable. Not just unpleasant, more like no effort of will can get you past the revulsion. My two strongest ones in any sense are both food-related: anything rubbery, and anything paste-like and bland. So anything like dehydrated beans or lentils, oatmeal (I've tried to force myself to eat oatmeal SO many times!), shelf-stable rice and beans, etc. It's not that I'm a "picky eater"; it's that the autism actually makes it physically impossible to choke those textures down, so that I will consistently choose to starve. I manage snacks with dried fruit, etc., but snacks aren't a meal. My co-workers would probably feed me to the alligator if I brought tuna to the office.
So, SO frustrated. This started as a thread about breakfast but it's really a thread about eating at all, with this particular disability cluster and a long commute and an office I can't leave until I clock out. Not trying to shoot everyone down. Genuinely dealing with a super unfortunate constellation of disorders on top of each other.
P.S. One more person to respond to: I don't eat candy bars. I don't even like them. That's another one where, even if/when my only option is the gas station, I end up choosing not to eat at all.1 -
IHateMyThyroid wrote: »Taking pill before commute means trying to drive without coffee! Not gonna happen--unsafe! Granola bars have so much sugar there's hardly any difference between that and the junk in the breakroom, and practically all protein bars are soy-based (too much soy is not recommended for Hashimoto's) as well as sugary. I think maybe I implied that I'm eating junk in the breakroom every day. I'm not. Usually there's no junk to be eaten. Most days I'm fasting all workday and trying to stay coherent. It's only maybe one day a week that there's a sugary thing that tempts me.
I probably sound terribly picky, but there are two additional problems in here that are making life impossible. I am autistic with sensory integration disorder, and I have raging ADHD. So: with ADHD, packing lunch in the morning is simply not going to happen. Ever. I've tried every year of my career that I wasn't working from home and I can probably count my successes on one hand. (I can't take Adderall because I have long QT, so we're talking raging unmedicated ADHD!)
The sensory integration disorder is a really tough one too. Autistic people with that have certain sensations that are, completely honestly, unbearable. Not just unpleasant, more like no effort of will can get you past the revulsion. My two strongest ones in any sense are both food-related: anything rubbery, and anything paste-like and bland. So anything like dehydrated beans or lentils, oatmeal (I've tried to force myself to eat oatmeal SO many times!), shelf-stable rice and beans, etc. It's not that I'm a "picky eater"; it's that the autism actually makes it physically impossible to choke those textures down, so that I will consistently choose to starve. I manage snacks with dried fruit, etc., but snacks aren't a meal. My co-workers would probably feed me to the alligator if I brought tuna to the office.
So, SO frustrated. This started as a thread about breakfast but it's really a thread about eating at all, with this particular disability cluster and a long commute and an office I can't leave until I clock out. Not trying to shoot everyone down. Genuinely dealing with a super unfortunate constellation of disorders on top of each other.
P.S. One more person to respond to: I don't eat candy bars. I don't even like them. That's another one where, even if/when my only option is the gas station, I end up choosing not to eat at all.
I get that your life is chaotic with the issues you are dealing with, and taking meds on a schedule can be difficult. Is it possible to get a referral to a registered dietician to talk about how you can incorporate your meds into a routine that allows you to manage your food and nutrition within the limits you're forced to work with?
IF you're fasting all workday anyway, there's a window in there for you to take your pills. If your only objection to a protein bar is that they contain soy, my Quest bars are soy-free. I have celiac disease and I carry them around with me in case I need to eat and there's nothing safe available, it really can be a good solution.
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Also, I've tried meal delivery from three different sources. Fitlife Foods was delicious but crazy expensive, and Daily Harvest only delivers to my area on Thursday afternoons, which doesn't really work when they religiously clean the office fridge and freezer at 3PM every Friday. Grocery story delivery once made the mistake of speaking to the office receptionist instead of calling my cell, and the receptionist sent an enraged email and cc'd my boss, so that's terrified me out of that otherwise excellent solution.0
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Ugh, that sucks. All of it.
FWIW, I take my synthroid as soon as I get up (it's next to the alarm button) and by the time I'm in the kitchen and have breakfast ready, it's been an hour or pretty close to it. I've also been told that 30 minutes is long enough to wait before eating.
https://synthroid.com/starting/taking-synthroid-the-right-way
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IHateMyThyroid wrote: »I'm at my wit's end with trying to eat. I'm on Synthroid, and I absolutely can't have anything in my stomach but Synthroid and water for an hour or I don't absorb it. Which usually means that I leave the house for work on an empty stomach every morning. Which leaves me vulnerable to sweets in the office breakroom even though I really don't even like pastry. Completely at a loss as to how to actually manage to eat; I've been in an office job for a year now after working from home for years and I yo-yo between eating junk and starving myself lightheaded.
Constraints:
Can't either wake up earlier or set an alarm in middle of night to take Synthroid then. Already massively struggling with insomnia due to pain and with very long sleep latency. If I eat breakfast but get even less sleep, I don't really have a net benefit.
Nowhere near work that sells anything healthy for breakfast
Food safety in the car is an issue because I live in a very hot climate
Commute is well over an hour, best case scenario
Can't do large-scale meal prep on weekends due to chronic pain, also don't own a big freezer or have room to consider buying one
Help? I'm so tired of starving and/or eating the crappy pastries or candy because I'm so hungry I can't help it even though they don't even taste good.
I've tried asking on the Synthroid site, but all I get is stay-at-home-moms who spend the whole Synthroid Hour waiting on their kids, then eat breakfast once the kids leave and don't have to go to work and leave their kitchens.
I completely relate, I’m a huge breakfast person and I always wake up starving. I’ve found that running curbs my appetite, so I run first thing in the morning after taking my pill. It completely kills that hunger for a good hour (and it burns some of that hyperactivity so I can be more productive throughout the day). If you’re like me a structured schedule can help a lot, I’m less likely to forget something when I’m on a routine and the running really clears my head. By the time I get back I can eat 😊. Before this I used to take my pill at night, my endocrinologist said it wasn’t ideal... but if it really bothers you maybe it’s something to consider? I also eat cookies for breakfast, I just make sure I get some protein too so I don’t crash. Find a good protein that works for you since you have unique preferences, perhaps hard boiled eggs? Protein shake? Yogurt? I like Greek yogurt mixed with protein powder, it keeps me full for hours. And make room in your calorie allowance for those goodies at work! After a run you should be able to fit one or two in anyways.
Ps: I’m hashimotos and ADHD too 😉 I also don’t take meds for the ADHD, I’ve found the running helps more.0 -
This is why I set my alarm an hour before I actually have to wake up, take it and go back to sleep for an hour.
I eat breakfast when I get to work.
ETA - I either pack my breakfast or pick up oatmeal from Starbucks on the way to the office (plus protein powder that I bring).
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Kathryn247, I'm curious--what do you do in 30 minutes between gulping your pill (I use the shot-glass-on-the-nightstand method from synthroid.com so I can do it practically asleep) and eating? I'm such a zombie without my coffee that I seriously can't do anything but glance at Twitter until the Synthroid Hour ends! And for me it is an hour; I've experimented with half an hour and the difference was overwhelming. I think absorption speed can differ person to person.
Wow, FL_Hiker, another actual person with both Hashi's and ADHD? (Though not the trifecta.) Didn't think that would ever happen! Feels great to be a bit less alone in this weird mess.
Only trouble is (I swear my health problems emerge like clowns out of a VW Bug), hard-boiled eggs fall firmly into my other massive autistic sensory aversion (rubbery stuff), AND I haven't been able to run or do any other high-impact anything since I was 13. Hideous nearly-severed leg, took almost two years and three surgeries to heal and any impact sends shooting Level-10 pains through it! I also have five herniated spine discs and a torn meniscus, among other injuries. So cardio in the morning isn't an option: the only cardio I can do safely is ballroom dance (because the footwork creates almost zero impact, only problem is you need a room the size of an average pro yoga studio to break a sweat!) or elliptical (if I go to the gym then, whoops, there's no food because I left the kitchen!) So while I do enjoy Greek yogurt and smoothies with non-soy proteins (pea, hemp, chia, etc.), the challenge is making them with no coffee and no cardio wake-up. And no medication! Hopefully you at least get to take ADHD meds.
There just HAS to be a way. I'm not actually a negative person. I've just...been trying to solve this literally since New Year's and I've gotten nowhere, except with meal deliveries I can't afford except in crisis weeks of the production schedule.0 -
Wish I could do bellaa_x0's alarm clock trick, but my sleep latency is 30-45 minutes. So if I set my alarm early, that's the same as waking up an hour early! Grr.0
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I just take mine at night. There is usually at least 3 hours between dinner and bedtime. I know they recommend taking it in the morning but I have been taking at night for years and it works for me.
This is a good option...synthroid has a long half life & does not need to be taken in the morning necessarily. Night time dosing is perfectly fine; just stay consistent with time of day dosing0 -
Can you keep oatmeal (the instant stuff at your desk)
I’ve been on synthroid for 5yrs - I get up at 5:15; take pill, let dog out; rummage in laundry basket to find clothes; iron them, shower and dress - by then I’m at about 40min of putzibg around0 -
I am not a breakfast food for breakfast person. I tend to eat things like dinner leftovers, a sandwich, fruit, or a granola bar. I like soup for breakfast. I don't work away from home but pack food for my dh every day. I usually put in 2 pieces of fruit, a granola bar, yogurt or cheese, a sandwich or dinner leftovers in an insulated bag with a reusable ice pack. It takes 5 minutes or less to pack. This is for breakfast, lunch, snack for him. It is limited options but that probably makes it faster to pack.
What foods can you eat? What did you have before starting this medication?
If I were you I'd pack food before you go to bed, prepare meals for the week on the weekend or see if you can leave food at your workplace. If you live with someone or have a friendly co-worker maybe you can make an arrangement where they'd help you out by packing some food.
Eating something less than nutritionally ideal is probably better than just not eating all day. Toast or crackers might be better than nothing. If tuna is the only thing you can stand eating then your co-workers can deal with it.
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I take my thyroid meds when I leave the house. It's just 30 minutes until my breakfast but it's good enough for me, plus the brand I have causes reflux if I wait too long with eating. Sometimes those recommendations just don't work for individual people. I could take it right after waking up but there's a bit risk of it going into my lungs, and I tend to forget it. My pills are right next to my keys.
Morning routine:
wake up, surf the net for 20 minutes (or a bit longer if I wake up earlier). go to loo, step on scale, wash, get dressed, brush teeth.
Switch on computer, take electricity/gas meter readings and jot into spreadsheet.
Make sandwiches and oats/skyr concoction if I forgot that the previous evening.
Take pill, grab keys, pack bag, grab bike, check for keys again. Leave. Cycle to work.0 -
Thanks everyone for your help! It does look like the vast majority of people here are WAY more functional than I am within the first hour of waking up with no coffee, eat dinner significantly earlier such that they have empty stomachs by bedtime, and, most of all. . .well, don't have ADHD. That would be SO NICE. And the idea about taking it later in the day since I'm fasting anyway would be great. . .except it's not my only medication, and I can't absorb it at the same time as any of the others. I took a Claritin too early once by accident and it felt like I'd skipped the Synthroid.
This has slightly morphed into a discussion of "How do you succeed in eating at all with an office job and unmedicated ADHD?" And so far, the answer seems to be "Either get expensive meal delivery, or don't eat". Ugh. I really appreciate everyone's help, but maybe this challenge would be better sourced out to ADDitudemag.org or wrongplanet.net.
Thanks everyone for attempts to help. 1
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