Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid)

2»

Replies

  • johnscat1981
    johnscat1981 Posts: 27 Member
    I too have hypothyroidism and am interested in the comments about foods that help or hinder thyroid function.
  • jadesign19
    jadesign19 Posts: 512 Member
    I have Hyothyroidism (hoshimotos of thyroid as well) and have been on medication for probably about 14 years now. In the beginning it fluctuated around a bit til the medication was regulated. I have always had difficulties losing weight to start with and then keeping it off. I was at the doctor about 6 months ago as weight had crept and crept on and was explaining how I felt extremely sluggish and overweight and depressed that I was trying to exercise and eat right and nothing was happening. My medication was nearly doubled and due to that I was pretty much told it was be extremely difficult to lose anything at all. I decided I was not going to take that for an answer as I was practically splitting the seams of my pants at 200.6 pounds and I decided to give it "all or nothing". I started with joining a gym. I have given up all white flour/bad carbs/junk of any kind/pre-packaged foods and condiments (hidden calories) of all sorts. Have been eating good protein and lots of vegetables and fruit. I have started a journal and logged everything going into my mouth until hearing of this site. I have worked out 30 minutes cardio & 30 minutes strength training 5 days a week with extra cardio i.e. walking/floor exercises on the other two days. I have beaten the odds and lost 23 pounds in 8 weeks and feel awesome. I am slowing going to continue this advice to myself and learned that it is not a diet but a lifestyle I will need to keep at especially for the benefit of my health. I hope this is encouraging. Oh and lots and lots of water.

    This is me! I decided to finally give it "all or nothing" after being told I might need an operation. Anyway, this description above noting the hidden carbs, etc., is an eye opener. I haven't had the luck of the huge weight loss in 8 weeks but I am down a pant size. This was a major NSV. I follow this method above and I'm so glad I'm not alone :drinker:
  • michellesz
    michellesz Posts: 429 Member
    I too have hypothyroidism and am interested in the comments about foods that help or hinder thyroid function.
    Eat foods high in B-vitamins and iron, such as whole grains (if no allergy), fresh vegetables, and sea vegetables.
    Avoid foods that interfere with thyroid function, including broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, spinach, turnips, soybeans, peanuts, linseed, pine nuts, millet, cassava, and mustard greens.
    - I eat broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and spinach all the time though and haven't had an issue.
    If you take thyroid hormone medication, talk to your doctor before eating soy products. There is some evidence soy may interfere with absorption of thyroid hormone.
    -This is new to me and I just bought silk soy milk to add to my shakes. I will ask my doctor about this one.
    Taking iron supplements may interfere with the absorption of thyroid hormone medication, so ask your doctor before taking iron.
    Eat foods high in antioxidants, including fruits (such as blueberries, cherries, and tomatoes) and vegetables (such as squash and bell pepper).

    Read more: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/hypothyroidism-000093.htm#ixzz1z3NbvrzR
  • michellesz
    michellesz Posts: 429 Member
    I too have hypothyroidism and am interested in the comments about foods that help or hinder thyroid function.
    Also, I just very recently learned:
    Choose green tea over black tea. Some forms of food and drink affect the thyroid very directly, and quickly. (Read more about Thyroid Uppers and Downers) This is because they either increase or decrease thyroid hormone production, help/hinder the conversion of T4 into T3, or help/hinder the ability of the converted hormone to enter the body’s cells to do its work.

    Read more at Suite101: Why Shouldn't I Drink Tea with Hashimoto's?: Tea Increases Hypothyroidism | Suite101.com http://suite101.com/article/why-shouldnt-i-drink-tea-with-hashimotos-a155115#ixzz1z3P98mXl
  • Martina_Who
    Martina_Who Posts: 172 Member
    Hi there,

    I have an underactive thyroid gland too and was on levothyroxine for years which wrecked my body. have recently switched to armour thyroid and feel amazing on it!
    I gained a ton of weight on my previous meds and felt so miserable because no matter how much I dieted or exercised the weight would not come off.

    You should think about switching to armour....
    I could NOT even lose 1lb while on the levothyroxine no matter how hard I tried :(

    Of course everyone is different but I have done a ton of research lately on it all and I believe Armour is the way to go.

    Feel free to add me, I can email you the links to all the info I found if you want

    :)
  • artslady96
    artslady96 Posts: 132 Member
    I was diagnosed with an sluggish and dying thyroid in May and put on Synthroid. It also coincided with a bout of depression, so I only recently started weight loss on Syhthroid. However, I can attest to the fact that I didn't gain nearly as much weight as I usually do when I'm not carefully monitoring my food intake. Last year, I gained ten pounds in one day from a wedding (impossible, right) but, over the past two months, I gained only eight pounds; big difference.

    As for weight loss, my understanding is that a properly regulated thyroid will make it easier for you to loose weight, but it isn't a magic pill that will make you loose weight. It just keeps your metabolism from working against you.

    Overall, your goal with treatment should be to reduce all your symptoms from tiredness to hair loss to dry, brittle skin, etc. If you seem unable to loose weight with appropriate and sustained effort, then you need to bring it to your endocrinologist's attention. But, don't expect the weight to magically melt off from the pill alone.
  • johnscat1981
    johnscat1981 Posts: 27 Member
    Thank you Michellesz.
  • LaGinny
    LaGinny Posts: 7
    I also am newly diagnosed with a low thyroid but not bad enough to go on medication (yet). I have a great Dr who has recommended Thyroplex - a supplement which has Zinc, Iodine, selenium and other minerals and vitamins. If this isn't enough I will need to look at permanent meds. I have done heaps of research and Armour (or a similar natural product) sounds like the best way to go as it provides hormones T4 and T3, as well as T2 and T1. Most synthetic thyroid meds only provide T4 and there is a lot of controversy about if this is adequate or not. I would encourage anyone on the synthetic meds to research, research and research some more if your symptoms aren't coming right and get a 2nd or 3rd opinion if you need it!
  • delikium
    delikium Posts: 196 Member
    I also am newly diagnosed with a low thyroid but not bad enough to go on medication (yet). I have a great Dr who has recommended Thyroplex - a supplement which has Zinc, Iodine, selenium and other minerals and vitamins. If this isn't enough I will need to look at permanent meds. I have done heaps of research and Armour (or a similar natural product) sounds like the best way to go as it provides hormones T4 and T3, as well as T2 and T1. Most synthetic thyroid meds only provide T4 and there is a lot of controversy about if this is adequate or not. I would encourage anyone on the synthetic meds to research, research and research some more if your symptoms aren't coming right and get a 2nd or 3rd opinion if you need it!

    Hi I have been taking selenium with vit a, c & e and iodine supplements and felt improvement within 3 days. more energy, weight loss, skin improvement on feet (really within 2 days I saw the diffrence!) and haven't been feeling depressed for a while. I take Selenium everyday and lost 20 lbs so far.I stopped taking the iodine because iI need to get a new batch and i read that too much iodine isn't good either, but I've noticed I started loosing weight again (I was on a plateau for about a month).
    I did some research online about using supplements and nutrients to stabilise my thyoride. I wanted to try it this way before taking prescribed meds for my own reasons.
    This is just my experience... hope it supports
  • for2day
    for2day Posts: 209 Member
    I had most of my thyroid removed about 8 years ago and I'm on leviothroid and I have noticed, that it was working for awhile, but the past two years, things have changed for me. I am struggling with losing weight and my hair is driving me insane - I have it, then it falls out and my moods - let's not go there. I have been doing research and have found that my medicine is only for the T4 and I'm seeing my doctor in August and I'm going to ask him about trying something else, that has the T4 & T3. I have never heard of Armour, but it's worth talking to him about it! Thanks for the info!
  • movitos
    movitos Posts: 2
    I too have hypothyroidism and am interested in the comments about foods that help or hinder thyroid function.

    Other things you want to avoid if you have hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto's disease are: gluten, iodine and walnuts.

    Hypothyroid people in general should avoid vegetable oils which hinder the function of the thyroid. Use instead coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil and real butter. Coconut oil supports thyroid health and boosts your metabolism!

    One more thing I'd like to mention is the use of plastic, herbicides and pesticides. They also should be avoided.

    You can find practical information on foods and natural ways to support your thyroid gland at
    http://lowthyroidhelp.com/blog/
  • dtucker3800
    dtucker3800 Posts: 17 Member
    I'm glad I found this thread. I'll ask my doctor about the ArmourThyroid also. The Levoxyl isn't working for me.
  • dtucker3800
    dtucker3800 Posts: 17 Member
    Where do you find your Selenium with Vitamin A, C & E? Online?
  • iwantahealthierme13
    iwantahealthierme13 Posts: 337 Member
    I'm on synthroid, 0.088mg, I'm pretty sure that's the lowest dose a person can be on but before I took this I was miserable. I however LOST 23 pounds BEFORE the medication because I was nauseous all the time but now I have normal thyroid levels.
  • zinal
    zinal Posts: 28 Member
    I had my thyroid remove 2 years ago because of beniegn tumors and have been on levothyroxin since. I have gained 15lbs and struggle to keep weight off. I have noticed by cuttng carbs and exercising more it is slowly coming off. I avoid eatingan hour after taking medicine to let it absorb better, avoid soy because it interferes with meds, and take suppliments with lunch to avoid interference wth them as well. I try not to eat too much raw brocolli and things with natural iodine. At my next checkup I am going to ask the doctor about Armour because I have read it helps with moods and energy. I hope this helps a little
  • kateanne27
    kateanne27 Posts: 275 Member

    I have half a thyroid gland and was put on levothyroxine, since then I have gained 2 stone, no energy, cold hands and feet, slow metabolism. Every time I get my bloods checked I am in the normal range, so I do not agree when people say yes you will lose weight. sinthetic thyroid medication is crap, the thyroid gland produces hormones that regulate metabolism and this a very presice and no medication can replace it.

    Sounds like maybe you need different meds. They told me that Synthroid is always the doc's first option but it's not always successfull.

    Wow, I was told the opposite, Levo seems to be a docs first choice, but it isn't effective in some people, it didn't do much for me, synthroid has helped much more. I still need my dose adjusted maybe once a year, but that can happen with Hashimotos, the thyroid continues to deteriorate, it does make losing weight a challenge.
    I have heard about Armor Thyroid, which is supposed to be better for people who still have symptoms with other meds, but it is supposedly inconsistently available in some areas, and my doc doesn't want to screw with my levels if I can only get it sometimes. But it might be worth asking about.

Categories