'The Thyroid Diet Revolution' & some revelations
Elizabeth_M
Posts: 562 Member
I am only on Chapter 2, but like the site 'Stop the Thyroid Madness', holy eye opener!! I must admit that I skipped forward to have a peek at the what to eat and what not to eat section and am (not-so) surprised that I will likely follow the 'carb-sensitive' diet. This past week I did a little experiment on myself. lol - Nothing drastic, but I didn't exercise (not that hard to sleep beyond my normal 5 am wake up time to exercise) and really watched my carbs. Did I eliminate them? No, but I didn't eat them for brekkie - I ate scrambled eggs (one whole, one white) and some greek yogurt with some almonds. For lunch, I mostly had a protein and veggies. GUess what? I lost 1.4 pounds this week. With no exercise. Go figure. So now, the trick is THIS week - to see what will happen if I eat like that AND exercise. Excited about the prospects! (please please lose more weight) lol
I want to get out of this (now) 4 month plateau!!
I want to get out of this (now) 4 month plateau!!
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Replies
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That's a great story!! I also find that I lose more weight when I eat low carb and don't exercise. Trouble is I am addicted to exercise, not to food!! But if weight loss is stressing you out, stress is not good for your thyroid or adrenals, so maybe just go to less intense exercise and recovery time between and see how that goes?
Congrats on your weight loss!!0 -
Thanks for the suggestion!
I was starting to kinda like exercising - at least, seeing the results in my arms! Still too much fat elsewhere to see anything, lol! But, I know I shouldn't focus on the number on the scale, but I can't help it because I am not going down in size, either!
Anyway, thanks for your response - trying to add some exercise to it this week and keeping my protein intake high (at least, higher than it has been).
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I haven't been going low carb. I am very cranky if I do. But I do notice better results if I don't eat starches at dinner. (and specifically dinner). So I am making this my mission for the rest of the summer.
If didn't seem to have any impact when I skipped carbs at lunch. Maybe I'll try even harder later.
I try to keep up with my exercise, especially intervals and strength training.0 -
Carbs in moderation don't seem to affect me. If I eat a couple of starch heavy meals in a row then I definitely get bloated.
I trained for a marathon last year, barely lost any weight. I did shorter more intense workout and did better. The more I excercise the less I lose or in some cases I gain. You might want to read about reverse T3 hormone.
I would recommend trying Tai Chi or Yoga and seeing how your body reacts to that. I am dialing it down myself as far as excercise and focusing on diet with some Tai Chi mixed in.
Good Luck!0 -
I love "Stop The Thyroid Madness" too!!! A real life changer for me. I'm on Armour Thyroid (instead of synthetic) now. In addition, I avoid glutenous carbs and force myself to take naps on the weekend so my body can continue to heal. So far, so good. I'm finally losing the excess weight again (slowly).0
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I love "Stop The Thyroid Madness" too!!! A real life changer for me. I'm on Armour Thyroid (instead of synthetic) now. In addition, I avoid glutenous carbs and force myself to take naps on the weekend so my body can continue to heal. So far, so good. I'm finally losing the excess weight again (slowly).
Do you find that Armour Thyroid has made a difference overall? I'm currently on Sythroid and I still have symptoms that don't seem to go away even though my tests come back ok with the medication I'm taking.0 -
Armour works great for me. I had been on Levcoxcy and Cytomel. It took several weeks to adjust to Armour but, I now take 4-5 grains on alternating days and it is working well. Try to get off off the synthetic if possible.0
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Armour works great for me. I had been on Levcoxcy and Cytomel. It took several weeks to adjust to Armour but, I now take 4-5 grains on alternating days and it is working well. Try to get off off the synthetic if possible.
Moe - do you have a thyroid? I can't get over how high your dose is -- assuming your thyroid was removed?
Terri0 -
I'm on synthroid, too - and saw the list of 'symptoms' that you may still experience while just on T4 meds, and i can check off quite a few! At any rate, I am still always so freaking tired...even after 8 hours of sleep. I know I am a busy working mom - teacher of SK kids, Mom of 2 kids under 6, etc etc - but this doesn't feel right lately. Am going to try to make an appt with my Doc asap to have a chat!
YES!! When I exercise, I definitely don't lose, and sometimes gain. WTF? Sorry, but what am I supposed to do then? Resign myself to be at this size/weight etc but healthy, because I am exercising? Sorry, but some (ok, a lot) of this journey is because of vanity! I want to look better!
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For those that seem to gain when they exercise heavily (provided you're not confusing muscle gain with "fat" gain), investigate your adrenal health. Adrenal health is highly connected with thyroid health (obviously), and intense physical exercise can be a detriment if your adrenals aren't up to snuff!0
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For those that seem to gain when they exercise heavily (provided you're not confusing muscle gain with "fat" gain), investigate your adrenal health. Adrenal health is highly connected with thyroid health (obviously), and intense physical exercise can be a detriment if your adrenals aren't up to snuff!
In addition, intense exercise + low calorie diets bring on Reverse T3. Reverse T3 basically stops your metabolism. Mine was very high at the beginning of the year and the harder I worked out the more I gained. I got it down to normal with the help of my Naturopath - I went on Armour Thyroid (a pretty low dose), I knocked off intense exercise for a month, and I began guided meditation.
http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/reverse-t3/ - there are some schools of thought that you can only get rid of RT3 by eliminating T4 - however, I got rid of it while taking Armour which is T3 + T4.0 -
Hi everyone. So I had thyroid cancer, so now...no thyroid. I'm on 250mg of levothyroxine. My body doesn't seem to respond well to the meds. I go back and forth with my weight and it is so frustrating. I am now working out 6 days a week, acupuncture weekly, Advocare products for my supplements, and the all important counselling sessions every week. With the advocare products I've lost 7 pounds so maybe I have found something here. If I go up and down anymore I may scream. I'm small, so 133 pounds on me isn't pleasant when I've been 105 my whole adult life. I'm hoping with the support and knowledge of others will also be helpful in my fight!0
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I'm on synthroid, too - and saw the list of 'symptoms' that you may still experience while just on T4 meds, and i can check off quite a few! At any rate, I am still always so freaking tired...even after 8 hours of sleep. I know I am a busy working mom - teacher of SK kids, Mom of 2 kids under 6, etc etc - but this doesn't feel right lately. Am going to try to make an appt with my Doc asap to have a chat!
YES!! When I exercise, I definitely don't lose, and sometimes gain. WTF? Sorry, but what am I supposed to do then? Resign myself to be at this size/weight etc but healthy, because I am exercising? Sorry, but some (ok, a lot) of this journey is because of vanity! I want to look better!
I love your honesty here!!! I am with you in the same boat! I have been battling my thyroid for years & having symptoms that continue with my synthroid. I am also very fatigued and a busy mom but my tiredness is over the top! I cannot sit down for one minute in the evenings or I cannot get back up due to fatigue. I also started having hair loss extremely bad. My Endo blows off my symptoms and just rudely says, "your numbers are fine, so it's NOT your thyroid." My internal med Dr. explored it and again said my numbers are in "normal" range so there is just no explanation! I was also having a lot of severe stomach and back pains that numerous expensive scans found nothing wrong. Last week I started seeing a kinesiologist and I am in love! Immediately she critiqued my appearance & said I was still showing all physical signs of thyroid. She also found me to have a dairy intolerance. She has advised me to take dairy and soy out of my diet. Currently, she is not taking me off any meds; however, she has added some supplements. She said in 5-6 weeks I will be feeling better. I actually started crying in her office when she told me this! I follow up with her tomorrow and since it's only been 1 week I am having periods of time where I feel good and periods where I am still very tired. I do feel better food-wise.
BUT I completely understand about the exercise and eating right and seeing NO results. I have been on a platuea for a solid 3 months with no change in weight or inches. It is so frustrating. Before I went to see the Kinesiologist I had actually talked my mind into thinking I was at my "comfortable" weight. I even stopped exercising for a week. I kept telling myself well, I guess I'm only meant to loose 25lbs (which has taken me 1 1/2 years to come off slooowly) and I need to get comfortable with this body and at least I tried. Now I'm filled with hope again (which I hope isn't false, because I've felt that before too).
I hope you find some answers to help you regain your hope too! We are in this battle together!!
Also, I have never heard of "The Thyroid Diet Revolution"...I suppose I need to check that out!!0 -
Hi everyone. So I had thyroid cancer, so now...no thyroid. I'm on 250mg of levothyroxine. My body doesn't seem to respond well to the meds. I go back and forth with my weight and it is so frustrating. I am now working out 6 days a week, acupuncture weekly, Advocare products for my supplements, and the all important counselling sessions every week. With the advocare products I've lost 7 pounds so maybe I have found something here. If I go up and down anymore I may scream. I'm small, so 133 pounds on me isn't pleasant when I've been 105 my whole adult life. I'm hoping with the support and knowledge of others will also be helpful in my fight!
Ah, fellow "no thyroid" girl here! What's Advocare/how do you incorporate it into your life if you're seeing good results?0 -
I'm on synthroid, too - and saw the list of 'symptoms' that you may still experience while just on T4 meds, and i can check off quite a few! At any rate, I am still always so freaking tired...even after 8 hours of sleep. I know I am a busy working mom - teacher of SK kids, Mom of 2 kids under 6, etc etc - but this doesn't feel right lately. Am going to try to make an appt with my Doc asap to have a chat!
YES!! When I exercise, I definitely don't lose, and sometimes gain. WTF? Sorry, but what am I supposed to do then? Resign myself to be at this size/weight etc but healthy, because I am exercising? Sorry, but some (ok, a lot) of this journey is because of vanity! I want to look better!
I love your honesty here!!! I am with you in the same boat! I have been battling my thyroid for years & having symptoms that continue with my synthroid. I am also very fatigued and a busy mom but my tiredness is over the top! I cannot sit down for one minute in the evenings or I cannot get back up due to fatigue. I also started having hair loss extremely bad. My Endo blows off my symptoms and just rudely says, "your numbers are fine, so it's NOT your thyroid." My internal med Dr. explored it and again said my numbers are in "normal" range so there is just no explanation! I was also having a lot of severe stomach and back pains that numerous expensive scans found nothing wrong. Last week I started seeing a kinesiologist and I am in love! Immediately she critiqued my appearance & said I was still showing all physical signs of thyroid. She also found me to have a dairy intolerance. She has advised me to take dairy and soy out of my diet. Currently, she is not taking me off any meds; however, she has added some supplements. She said in 5-6 weeks I will be feeling better. I actually started crying in her office when she told me this! I follow up with her tomorrow and since it's only been 1 week I am having periods of time where I feel good and periods where I am still very tired. I do feel better food-wise.
BUT I completely understand about the exercise and eating right and seeing NO results. I have been on a platuea for a solid 3 months with no change in weight or inches. It is so frustrating. Before I went to see the Kinesiologist I had actually talked my mind into thinking I was at my "comfortable" weight. I even stopped exercising for a week. I kept telling myself well, I guess I'm only meant to loose 25lbs (which has taken me 1 1/2 years to come off slooowly) and I need to get comfortable with this body and at least I tried. Now I'm filled with hope again (which I hope isn't false, because I've felt that before too).
I hope you find some answers to help you regain your hope too! We are in this battle together!!
Also, I have never heard of "The Thyroid Diet Revolution"...I suppose I need to check that out!!
You have an encouraging story!! I am hoping that my upcoming appt with my dr. (and hopefully appt with an endo) will help. I am so confused with all of this information that I am reading and hearing now - it's good, it's empowering - but it's also overwhelming. I don't see how if your thyroid 'levels' are ok that the Dr. can assume one's thyroid is ok - when we are still experiencing so many symptoms! There has to be SOMEthing else there. There is no reason that I should feel this tired, every day, after a good sleep, a good diet, and exercise. Sigh. Good luck on your journey, too!!! 0 -
Just curious how many have switched from Synthroid to Armour Thyroid. Thirty years ago I was on Armour Thyroid, easily maintained my weight and really had no problems. I was then chg'd to Synthroid being told it was more accurate,etc. I did have difficulties with it, severe migraines. And for a year or so went back to Armour Thyroid. I was then taken off that and placed back on Synthroid once again. (a different dosage). We assumed it may have been the dyes used. I could not tolerate the generic compounds of synthroid, and again was placed back on synthroid. This has been the case now for many years on 150mcg. I just had this refilled a 90da supply on Sunday at the cost of $100.00. On Monday the doctor's office called and I was told it must be upped to 175mcg. Before I pick up this new Rx. I thought I would try and convince the doctor to put me on Armour Thyroid. It should be about 2 grains,the way I figure for an equivalent amount. Just wondering what others have found when after years of the synthetic compounds they now have returned to the natural. Any differences in how you feel? Sleep patterns? Weight loss? Fatigue? (the time frame encompassed different doctors, who have all been big proponents of the synthetic thyroid.) I am also curious to find out more how stress affects the thyroid. Thanks for any help given.0
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Great post!
I am fortunate enough to have a doctor that LISTENS to me. I am "in range" with my numbers, but still low in range. So, she gave me 3 months worth of samples of a higher dose of Synthroid. I feel fortunate here.
But, even still, I HATE being on a weight-loss journey and having to work twice as hard as some others.... that's why I am grateful for all of the people in this group!0 -
I'm on synthroid, too - and saw the list of 'symptoms' that you may still experience while just on T4 meds, and i can check off quite a few! At any rate, I am still always so freaking tired...even after 8 hours of sleep. I know I am a busy working mom - teacher of SK kids, Mom of 2 kids under 6, etc etc - but this doesn't feel right lately. Am going to try to make an appt with my Doc asap to have a chat!
YES!! When I exercise, I definitely don't lose, and sometimes gain. WTF? Sorry, but what am I supposed to do then? Resign myself to be at this size/weight etc but healthy, because I am exercising? Sorry, but some (ok, a lot) of this journey is because of vanity! I want to look better!
I love your honesty here!!! I am with you in the same boat! I have been battling my thyroid for years & having symptoms that continue with my synthroid. I am also very fatigued and a busy mom but my tiredness is over the top! I cannot sit down for one minute in the evenings or I cannot get back up due to fatigue. I also started having hair loss extremely bad. My Endo blows off my symptoms and just rudely says, "your numbers are fine, so it's NOT your thyroid." My internal med Dr. explored it and again said my numbers are in "normal" range so there is just no explanation! I was also having a lot of severe stomach and back pains that numerous expensive scans found nothing wrong. Last week I started seeing a kinesiologist and I am in love! Immediately she critiqued my appearance & said I was still showing all physical signs of thyroid. She also found me to have a dairy intolerance. She has advised me to take dairy and soy out of my diet. Currently, she is not taking me off any meds; however, she has added some supplements. She said in 5-6 weeks I will be feeling better. I actually started crying in her office when she told me this! I follow up with her tomorrow and since it's only been 1 week I am having periods of time where I feel good and periods where I am still very tired. I do feel better food-wise.
BUT I completely understand about the exercise and eating right and seeing NO results. I have been on a platuea for a solid 3 months with no change in weight or inches. It is so frustrating. Before I went to see the Kinesiologist I had actually talked my mind into thinking I was at my "comfortable" weight. I even stopped exercising for a week. I kept telling myself well, I guess I'm only meant to loose 25lbs (which has taken me 1 1/2 years to come off slooowly) and I need to get comfortable with this body and at least I tried. Now I'm filled with hope again (which I hope isn't false, because I've felt that before too).
I hope you find some answers to help you regain your hope too! We are in this battle together!!
Also, I have never heard of "The Thyroid Diet Revolution"...I suppose I need to check that out!!
You have an encouraging story!! I am hoping that my upcoming appt with my dr. (and hopefully appt with an endo) will help. I am so confused with all of this information that I am reading and hearing now - it's good, it's empowering - but it's also overwhelming. I don't see how if your thyroid 'levels' are ok that the Dr. can assume one's thyroid is ok - when we are still experiencing so many symptoms! There has to be SOMEthing else there. There is no reason that I should feel this tired, every day, after a good sleep, a good diet, and exercise. Sigh. Good luck on your journey, too!!!
Thanks!! You are too kind!
I completely agree with your statement of, "There is no reason that I should feel this tired every day..." We will prevail! We have to! Good luck with your upcoming Dr. appt & keep us posted! 0 -
I am so glad I found this group! Sometimes I feel like I'm on my own with this and it's so frustrating. Previous doctors had me on Synthroid and Levoxyl and I felt like I couldn't function....constantly exhausted, sad and depressed because of it....you know the drill. I'm typically a people pleaser and had a hard time being pushy with doctors when they insisted that my levels were fine. Of course, they were only testing TSH and I knew there was more to it then that. I am currently on Armour Thyroid and I refuse to let any doctor change it...and several have tried! I pulled up a list of endocrinologists that were covered by my insurance and just started cold calling to ask if the doctor regularly prescribes Armour Thyroid; if not, I moved on. My new doctor is amazing and he explained that endo's are typically trained on synthetic medications like Synthroid and Levoxyl, so they are more comfortable using it. Armour isn't as predictable (in terms of what to expect on lab results) so many don't feel comfortable with it. My quality of life has improved tremendously so I know how important the right medication can be. I also am lactose intolerant so I stay away from dairy and have had to take a vitamin D supplement. The best thing I ever did was find a doctor whose philosophy of medicine is in sync with mine...and trust me, I've been through several that didn't and I know how daunting and hard the process can be. I hope you find success!! Don't stop looking!0
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Hi everyone. So I had thyroid cancer, so now...no thyroid. I'm on 250mg of levothyroxine. My body doesn't seem to respond well to the meds. I go back and forth with my weight and it is so frustrating. I am now working out 6 days a week, acupuncture weekly, Advocare products for my supplements, and the all important counselling sessions every week. With the advocare products I've lost 7 pounds so maybe I have found something here. If I go up and down anymore I may scream. I'm small, so 133 pounds on me isn't pleasant when I've been 105 my whole adult life. I'm hoping with the support and knowledge of others will also be helpful in my fight!
Ah, fellow "no thyroid" girl here! What's Advocare/how do you incorporate it into your life if you're seeing good results?
I'm curious about the Advocare too. I have a friend that is a distributor, I told her I wanted to run it by my Endo before starting anything. What and how do you take it in relation to your thyroid meds.0 -
Catching up on this post -- so many here on Synthroid or Levoxy still having hypo symptoms -- then sprinkled in are the folks on Armour reporting that they are feeling so much better.
I saw one post where doctors were "cold called" until she found one that prescribes Armour!! Brilliant!!!
What have you got to lose to find a doctor that prescribes Armour? And amazingly, when you find one, he will also care about your other symptoms, your adrenals, your sleep, your weight, your fatigue.... doctors that prescribe Armour are more likely to pay attention to all the aspects of your metabolism.0 -
If my Doctor doesn't prescribe Armour for me in 2 days, then I am going to request an endo that does. If she doesn't know of one, I'll see if I can get a blank referral or something. There has to be someone in this huge megalopolis that I live in that will prescribe it!
I feel as though my atigue is getting worse, though, which is one reason why I am so glad I have an appt with the dr. I can sleep 8 hours and i am still exhausted, eyes burning, feel like I have been hit by a mack truck.
Wrote down a HUGE list of what labs to run and am going to DEMAND that my Doctor run ALL of them!
This is what I am asking for:
TSH
Free T3
Free T4
Reverse T3
SHBG
Antithyroglobulin antibody
TPO antibody
ferritin
iron
leptin
Glucose
Average glucose
Vitamin D
insulin
Homocysteine
CRP
urinary iodine
Did I miss any? It's a crazy list!0 -
WOW - that's some list!! I didn't really have a list of labs because my ND just did it!
There is a "Find a Doc" page on stopthethyroidmadness.com
It also suggests asking your local pharmacy for names of doctors that prescribe Armour.
Good luck!!0 -
I love stop the thyroid madness too!
I was on levothroxine for a few years and it destroyed my body
Recently I've switched to Armour thyroid and feel so much better! I've started losing weight too, 10lbs in 2 weeks wheras before even on a 1000kcal a day diet and a rigorous exercise regime I didnt even lose 1lb but gained! go figure eh 0 -
Hoping that my Dr. will prescribe me Armour tomorrow - your story (above) has given me hope! I am on the Levoxothyrine or whatever - not the brand name.
Yes, a huge list of labs, JUST to make sure that the Doctor does it right!!! I know with previous thyroid tests there for SURE was not that many tests done - I saw!
Wish me luck! 0 -
Tell him you will find a doctor that will -- that Levoxyl is not helping any of your symptoms and you are not crazy.
There's a STTM group on Facebook -- they have a post called "How many doctors have you fired" -- there are literally thousands of people posting on that thread. All my life I followed what the doctors recommended and ended up on 11 prescription drugs, fat, tired and sick. I now take only Armour thyroid and run 5Ks and do triathlons at 60 years old.
So, you can turn this around - hopefully before you are 60 years old!!
Terri0 -
Hi Terri - thanks for your support and reply! I actually *just* joined the group on Facebook!
Sadly, here in Ontario, finding a new family doctor is next to impossible. There are many many people who rely on walk-in clinics as their primary care. There are a few Doctors, however, in my region, accepting new patients (probably new doctors or new to the country) so I will check them out. There are sadly many other reasons I want to leave my doctor ANYWAYS - even though I have been going to her since I was 12. I am 38 now! lol
Take care!0 -
WOW I have been MIA for a little while and it looks as though I have MISSED a ton! I have gone back to eating carbs over the last month and I feel OK... Not great.... Just OK no better no worse! I did Paleo for a while and I just could not stomach all the meat.... so I am looking for a better way... I guess I will be searching out the Thyroid Diet Revolution at the library. Thanks for all the Info 0
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Hi Kylie's Mom! I was thinking of trying paleo, but I don't think I want to eat all that meat! lol
It's a great book, and not too bad of a read - the Thyroid Diet Revolution.
Hope you find it informative, too!!0 -
I love stop the thyroid madness too!
I was on levothroxine for a few years and it destroyed my body
Recently I've switched to Armour thyroid and feel so much better! I've started losing weight too, 10lbs in 2 weeks wheras before even on a 1000kcal a day diet and a rigorous exercise regime I didnt even lose 1lb but gained! go figure eh
Yikes! That's because 1000kcal was too low!0
