Question about hypothyroidism and low body temperature
 

I have been worried about hypothyroidism, because I know after dieting long enough your body will start to slow down thyroid function. So I decided to test my body temperature yesterday.

My temps 10 mins after eating were 98.0 to 98.1 (98.1 being more common) yesterday, and my temps this morning upon waking were 98.3 all times I checked it.

To me this sounds like perhaps my body is conserving energy probably because of the diet, but it is not bad enough to stall weight loss, cause weight gain, or qualify as treatable hypothyroidism. What do you think?

By the way, I compared my temps to my two sisters just to make sure there was nothing wrong with the thermometer. One of them (who diets frequently, inhales sugar and eats almost no protein) consistently registered below 98 degrees every time I tested her. Mid/low 97's were most common.

The other sister (who doesn't really diet and eats much better) registered 98.9 both times I checked. However she had just eaten, so that could explain the .3 abnormality.

Do you think my other sister is hypothyroid? It would explain a lot, since she eats almost nothing but excersizes frequently and is still a few pounds overweight.

I have read that to do the temp. test for thyroid, you should begin on Day 4 of your period and take your temperature first thing in the morning (for a full 3 minutes) for 5 mornings in a row. A temp. less than 97.8 or 97.7 is a sign you should see your doc for some lab work.

I've also read (and have done this one myself) that you can ensure you're getting enough iodine uptake for your thyroid by painting a half-dollar size spot on your belly with tincture of iodine. The spot should last for 24 hours. (The first several times I did it, my spot was completely faded away after about 3 hours). When the spot fades to really light or disappears completely, repaint another half-dollar size spot and continue reapplying each time it fades until the spot remains for a 24-hour period.

My body temp normally runs lower, always have as long as I remember. Hypothyroid does run in the family. But this has not affected my weight loss in anyway. So I dont worry about it.

Low temps are a sign of hypothyroidism. It is true that you should not start taking your temp within a few days of TOM because your temps rise in the days leading up to your TOM. I have hypothyroidism, and my temps were the first clue. Although my temp never went above 97.8 no matter when I checked it.

There is a board here for people with thyroid problems. They might be able to give you more info. The link is http://forum.lowcarber.org/forumdisplay.php?f=76.

There is something in one of the coconutoil threads about it helping raise basal body temp. You mgiht want to check out the suppliments forum :)

Eating soy products can damage your thyroid. After being on this diet for quite a while and eating lots of the bars and shakes which usually contain alot of soy, I found I was cold all the time. I have stopped eating those foods, and eat whole foods for the most part now, and I take a supplement of kelp, which contains iodine, which helps the thyroid. Within 2 days of taking kelp, I started to be much warmer and almost never get cold anymore.