LauraCoth Member

Gluten-free four mixes are high in carbs, so I would avoid them.

Hashimoto's is characterized by fluctuations in thyroid hormone levels, which can go on for years before the thyroid finally give out. It sounds as though you're going through this. Hopefully your doctor will be able to sort you out. Lucky you, to find someone knowledgeable.

:) :) :) The nurses who took care of my spouse in hospital were awesome. The doctors were...doctors.

Thanks for the support. I do seem to have numerous issues right now. For a start, I think I'm going back into hyper territory at night with the thyroid meds. They just never seem to be right. I had a very low carb day yesterday (probably around 20) and consequently the foot cramps came back with a vengeance last night.…

Blue cheese sirloin steak salad at a local restaurant last night.

In the bad old days when I consumed a low-fat, high-fibre diet, I was usually so bloated by evening that I was in serious discomfort. I got to the point where I wouldn't go out for dinner because of the pain. I was also chronically constipated. Now I just take magnesium.

I have run across doctors who do prescribe low carb diets to their patients, who know about the food pyramid scandal, and who understand the basics of how carbohydrates are processed in the body. It seems to me that this is finally becoming better known. Otherwise, I mostly ignore what doctors say. Most of them -- with the…

Be careful with doctors telling you that your thyroid (usually from a near-useless TSH-only test) is "fine or "normal. Accepted lab ranges for what is "normal" vary, but even worse, the ranges go up to TSH levels that are unacceptably high. For example, a TSH of 5.0 falls into the "normal" range, but most hypothyroid…

With me it was 20 years of being told I had anxiety/was nuts/lazy/ until finally someone thought to check my thyroid. Then I had 20 years of the wrong medication. It took several expensive visits to a licensed naturopath in Vancouver to find out what was really going on.

Yes, the deprivation with very low calories makes dieting impossible. On a strictly low calorie diet without regard for carbs I always end up being able to justify eating something ridiculous like a Cliff bar, with its 39 carbs and almost zero nutrients. That's why I chose to restrict my carbs instead. And to be honest, I…

I have a very painful hip. After 6 months of physio I can now walk and sleep without agony, but I have to be careful not to jar it. Walking is it, for me. I can supplement with small hand weights, but anything else will put me right back where I was. Eventually it will mean a hip replacement, but I'm putting that off.

Ditto. Love the calm atmosphere in here.

It's terribly difficult to live with an alcoholic, especially if they can't admit it. It takes a terrible toll on you.

Me, too. I'm learning, though. I now put a pat of butter on just about everything.

Ditto.

Also true.

Yes. And progesterone can make being post-menopausal so much healthier and happier.

This is just an opinion, though. No evidence presented.

10-11 may not be too young. Kids have sex. Cancer kills.

None of my pretty tops fit me anymore -- and I stocked up on really expensive, good quality stuff when I retired. Bummer. Have to get my size back to where it was.

Atkins proved to be more or less correct, after all.

The OP is long gone. Probably scared off after the second post or so. She`s young. Give her a break.

And I should add, the TSH test is a very inaccurate measure of your actual thyroid hormones, as it's influenced by many things like stress and lack of sleep. At the very least, you should be looking at Free T3 and Free T4 as well as TSH to accurately gauge where you're at. If your Free T3 is low, you still aren't going to…

Some thyroid patients don't do well on Synthroid or other T4-only medications and need T3 as well for our bodies to function properly. Much of the time this is because we don't convert T4 into T3 as we should. T3 can be added to T4 as Cytomel, which is a synthetic like Synthroid, or you can take NDT (natural desiccated…

OP, you mentioned that you're now taking estrogen. Estrogen HRT can make you gain weight. You might want to check your progesterone levels as well, as progesterone can shut off the estrogen receptors.

So...update on the thyroid medication: I am now taking my extra T3 every other day with no side effects. Once I have my next blood test (end of August) I'll consider taking it daily if there is a need. The bottom line for me is that if I want to sleep, i have to take two doses of medication daily. Adding the time-release…

I come from a family full of Hashimoto's sufferers. Obviously the genetic predisposition is there and we all encountered the same autoimmune trigger (s). Could it be fluoride? Possibly. Or iodized salt -- too much iodine can also be a problem for us. It could be wheat. That being said -- the idea that our water was…

My suggestion would be to check out the thread on what low carb meals look like -- it's here on the forum somewhere, probably close to page one. That should get your appetite working!

Thank you all for the responses. There's a lot to think about here. I am truly reluctant to cut calories to 1200 daily or less because that's how I end up eating something I shouldn't, just from sheer hunger. I am pretty sedentary at the moment because my spouse is recovering from chemo and is still tired much of the time.…

I absolutely love retirement. I left a very stressful profession four years ago and never looked back. I have time to do anything I want -- or nothing, if that's what I want. I have hobbies and I love to read. I love hiking. I like gardening. The main thing for me is to keep my mind active, and there are many ways to do…