maracuya23

It's incredibly hard when you've been eating so little for so long! It probably sounds really frustrating, but give it another several months at least. As your dose gets built up in your system, your body can start doing the work of repairing itself one cell at a time. It's slow, but you'll get there. In the meantime, the…

Both my GP and endo are lovely women who listen. Neither has a scientific approach, neither is very well-versed in any recent science on the thyroid. They're good at fixing big obvious issues, not so much at chasing subtle symptoms they view as more "cosmetic" than worrisome. My approach is from a science perspective:…

I've noticed mine get significantly better when my numbers are good for me (TSH around 1, mid-level ft4, above midrange ft3), and when my iron levels improved. They might go hand in hand, might be a coincidence without any causation. Good nutrition levels never hurt though, so maybe worth asking your doctor to run a…

Can you put together a list of foods that you are not allergic to? That might help with coming up with ideas. A registered dietician might also be really helpful in your situation.

I find it helpful to set myself positive challenges. Three of the most helpful for me personally have been: aim for 3000-4000mg potassium/ day, any kind of treat should inclue a fruit or vegetable (peanut butter and apple, strawberries and chocolate, chips and salsa or guacamole, etc), and aim for 1g protein/ lb lean body…

I lose best when my TSH is around a 1 and my free T4 and free T3 are higher than the middle of the range. I tend to stop losing anything when my TSH rises above a 3. I have also noticed that it's easier to lose weight and keep my levels at a great place for me in the summer (May-Oct). My levels go off again in the colder…

I second the accurate diary. Whenever possible, look for entries that have all of the specific nutrient info (potassium, iron, etc), and that you can cross-validate with the usda database. It's helpful so you'll know a lot more specific information about your diet: your calories, whether or not you're getting enough iron,…

Naturally gluten free foods: Omelettes/ eggs Fruit- fresh/ plain frozen/ dried Vegetables- fresh/ plain frozen Yogurt/ Milk/ Cheese Nuts- peanut butter!/ walnuts/ almonds/ coconut/ etc Corn/ corn tortillas/ polenta/ grits/ hominy Rice/ wild rice/ rice noodles/ rice cakes Quinoa Buckwheat (though read labels closely)…

Have you tried systematically looking for food intolerances? Eliminating all dairy for a week, reintroducing. Then gluten, etc? If it's a food sensitivity, systematic elimination would help you figure it out.

For lunches: I like to bring veggies with dips (guacamole, hummus, eggplant dip). Hard-boiled eggs, roasted chicken. Breakfasts: greek yogurts, fruits, nuts. Oatmeal I pre-portion and add some delicious spices or nuts or dried fruit to so it's quick to make in a hotel microwave or with hot water from the coffee maker.…

I plateau whenever my dose needs to be upped as well. Usually, it seems to take a few weeks for the T4 to build up again in my system before I start to see the scale move again. One symptom of hypothyroidism is water retention, so I suspect that off levels cause plateaus both by increasing water retention and by slightly…

A miniature suitcase style lock with 2 crosswise straps seems like it should do the trick. Someone should make Lunch Lock. It would sell like crazy on SkyMall!

I am gluten free. It definitely helped with the constant bloating and other digestive issues. If that's something you experience, no harm in trying gluten free for a few weeks to see if it helps. I don't know whether it's made any difference for my thyroid directly, but I feel a lot better not eating gluten. If it doesn't…

Definitely report her! I hope you find a great doctor that can help you be as healthy as possible.

Wow- I'd run from that doctor! She's giving you medicine without a prescription, she's getting you to come back far more frequently than necessary- either overcharging you or your insurance for extra visits, and you don't sound comfortable with her. She sounds like a nightmare, and I agree with the suggestion to check and…

I have definitely experienced the sudden stops in weight loss despite meticulous (obsessive?) logging. For me, it's always turned out to be the first sign I'm swinging hypo again. When I get hypo "enough" that my doctor agrees to raise my dose, I lose like a normal person again until the cycle repeats. It is super…

Yes, absolutely. For me, it's gradual, so I always think I'm going crazy. The weight loss slows, despite keeping a deficit and not changing behavior. At the same time, my other symptoms creep back in: tiredness, weird sleep patterns at night, freezing hands and feet, ringing in my ears, etc. After a couple of months, it…

Feel free to add me- I've been gluten free a little over a year now, and I love to cook. My two best pieces of advice: 1. Start from scratch- primarily make things using one ingredient foods (eg: milk, eggs, carrots, potatoes, onions, fruits, etc). They're safer when you're starting out because gluten is in all kinds of…

Article on T4 T3 dual therapy in the European Journal of Endocrinology, 2009. http://m.eje-online.org/content/161/6/895.full.pdf The study design is very robust. The methods section details how the researchers adjusted between T4 and T3 (1ug T3 roughly equivalent to 12.5ug T4).

I'll second the cytomel. There was a great study published in the European Journal of Endocrinology in 2009 (I think), that really supports the addition of T3 medication for the majority of Hashi's patients. I'll dig it up if you'd like- the full text pdf is available online if you wanted to print or send it to your doctor…

I had that bloated, horrible, dysfunction digestion feeling. I tried cutting out gluten as an experiment, hoping that nothing would be different. Turns out, after a day or so, no more bloating after meals. I've cut it out completely now, and feel vastly better on that front. My doctor did a belated Celiac's antibody test…

I'm on my 5th dose increase in a little over a year (25ug to 100ug synthroid now). Still not quite right, and I suspect it will be some back and forth for a while yet til my thyroid gives up entirely and I'm on a full replacement dose.

I'm gluten free as well- feel free to add me. I've found it's generally easier and tastier to stick with one-ingredient foods, and food that are naturally gluten free. So: chicken, seafood, veggies, fruits, rice (& rice noodles), corn (& corn tortillas), potatoes, nuts, eggs, cheese, milk, yogurt (check labels), etc. You…

It gets better! I would ask your doctor to also test you for your nutritional status for iron, B12, and D3 (and any others they might think are helpful), since hypo folks often seem to be deficient in these as well. Low iron can also have the side effect of hair loss, so if you're anemic, correcting that might help with…

Hypothyroidism is definitely frustrating, I empathise! There is a good and fairly active group for Hypo and Hyperthyroidism here- lots of good info and specific support. On the one hand, your doctor is right- getting your thyroid levels normalised will help you be able to lose weight more like a normal person. On the other…

When my levels are off, my feet get insanely cold and often turn blue. It's a pretty reliable marker for me to get tested. The tiredness and weight stagnation come on more slowly, so for me they're subtle symptoms until it's pretty bad. The inhumanly freezing feet, though, super obvious!

I definitely still eat sugar. Just a lot less of the added kinds like honey, table sugar, brown sugar, etc. These days, I'm focusing on potassium. So, for me, I aim to get my sugar with a side of potassium. Yogurt (plain), milk, fruit, kefir (plain unsweetened) all naturally contain sugars. For me, they don't trigger…

A few things that helped me get control over my formerly massive sweet tooth (slow but steady, making gradual changes) 1. Cutting the especially binge-prone foods out of my diet, keeping them out of the house, or only buying single servings. For me, these were pure sugar candies like jelly beans. 2. Made a new rule for…

As a very occasional treat, espresso or coffee blended with coconut milk and almond butter is just delicious. No claims on IQ points etc. Very tasty though- sort of a caffeinated, much less sweet almond joy.

Patacon (plantain flattened & fried) + tuna salad and salsa or hogao (basically cooked salsa). Yum. Little sweet, little salty, great combo of flavors and a boatload of potassium. Honey roasted peanut butter on roasted chicken breast.