Hypothyroidism - ok to low carb?
 

I tried Atkins 9 months ago and was diagnosed with hypothyroidism the first week. I don't believe the lo-carbing was the cause due to the time frame. I went off Atkins shortly thereafter for other reasons.

I am NOT on any thyroid medications due to a current lack of insurance/money and have noticed a substantial weight gain in the last 6 months. I am planning on joining the lo-carb WOL again this Friday but have a bit of fear that lo-carbing will only create more problems w/my thyroid. Is this a substantiated fear? I really don't want to throw my body way outta whack.. just lose a hundred pounds or so :)

Any thoughts you may have on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Mel welcome to the forum!
Just wanted to say...thyroid meds have saved me...took awhile but i'm happy to say my TSH went from 9.56 to 0. I am now on Armour and I have insurance..but my co-pay is 15 and the meds are not that much..so i pay on my own. I was on the rise with my weight....went from 170 - 212. Started on Synthroid.....did nothing. With the help of the web and this forum...I got on Armour and am losing. Now at 190 with alot of hard work. It's not easy being a thyroid disease person. If you need help..please let me know! Best of luck!

Actually, low carbing is one of the best things you can do. My doc told me people who are hypothryroid don't process carbs like others do anyway. All those carbs get turned directly into fat. This is the only eating plan that has worked for me since I became hypo. Good luck!

I hope you are able to get on medication at some point. I have no idea what the synthroid I take costs without insurance, but maybe the doc can give you some samples to hold you over until things get financially better.

synthroid
 

I am also hypothyroid I do not have insurance either.. :( I pay $24.00 for a 3 months supply of my thyroid medication, which is also synthroid . it is well worth it for me to have my meds. :D Without my meds I am a mess :spin:
Good Luck Oregongirl :wave:

Oregon girl!
You don't have a journal...so how do we know you're a mess or not a mess!
I started gaining weight and there was a problem there, my GYN saw a lump in my throat. It went from there..long process..but I started out on synthroid. My family doctor said the weight would melt off me with the meds......boy was she wrong! Went to Endo..he put me on Armour ...after much reading..I think it was the right choice. I would be happy to talk with you about the thyroid.

Thanks for the replies!

Yah, oregongirl, it's not really the cost of the meds, its the every 6 wk dr appts w/all the bloodwork to keep the meds refilled. :(

Thank you very much for the advice tho, I do appreciate it and definately started Atkins today. (boy I dont think Ive drank this much water in years :p )

concerned!
 

Girl,
you must get back on your meds. you can go into a coma if you go long enough w/out them. please ask for assistance from your endrocrinologist they usually have samples. it not only effects the way you feel - it is affecting every organ you have.

best of luck. you will definitely feel better and lose weight when u get back on it.

Hi - I was diagnosed with having hypothroidism this past February. My mother, grandmother, and aunts have it too, so I was not surprised when I found out...I was feeling sluggish, tired, depressed, and was gaining weight (could never lose no matter what I did)...I have been on Synthroid since then - started on 100mg and am now on 75mg. I have no insurance...my monthly meds cost $16.57 at WAl-Mart...and I only see the doctor every 6 months. I go straight to the lab for blood work - I do not see the doctor (costs extra)....and it is only about $72.00 for the bloodwork....YOU MUST GET ON YOUR MEDICATION....My Mom went off hers for awhile thinking she could "control" it...she had a nervous break down and lost her memory for a short time...it controls your whole body....the thyroid is a very powerful little gland....don't mess around with it....I feel like a totally different person now and am so glad they figured out what was wrong with me....if one little pill will solve all the problems I was having I don't mind taking it for the rest of my life....the costs of it all is worth it.....I'd pay double that if I had to - I will never stop taking my meds.....I feel toooooo good.....hope this helps....

I was diagnosed in January. By January I had gained A LOT of weight. Just like my dad did. Luckily I caught it early. My levels were only at about 3.84. Still close to the normal range, but what concerned my doctor was that my level had more than doubled since I was tested 2 years before. That's pretty bad. So of course, I gained weight. Fast.

I'm currently on Synthroid, but it doesn't help much. I sleep a little better when I'm on it and I don't gain weight, but that's about it. I'm still fatigued during the day. At least until I started the Atkins WOE. And now things are a lot better.

I'm ready to get rid of all that extra weight I gained!!

I have to agree that low carb is the only thing that worked for me.

Hello!
 

Hi girls, I'm so glad I found this site,... I think I'm probably the weirdest hypothyroid in here right now, I was diagnosed with it when I was 12 years old! It's been six years since then, I'm now 18, and have been on synthroid ever since. For anyone who is wondering if low-carbing is bad for your thyroid, it is the exact opposite! When I was about 10 I decided to become a strict vegetarian, No meat what so ever, I hated tofu and beans, and all other sources of protein, so I had virtually none in my diet... low and behold about half a year later I began gaining weight rapidly, losing all my energy, my hair was falling out, nails brittle, you all know the symptoms,... funny thing is though It took my doctors plus a gland specialist a year and a half to finally diagnose me with hypothyroid, they had never seen anyone that young have their thyroid go out like that. It is now that I am finally realizing that I put myself into hypothyroidism, by not eating protein for so long... After reading several low-carb books and getting info off the internet, I'm finally beginning to understand my condition, and ways I can fix it myself without having to take meds for the rest of my life. Have any of you heard of BHB Plus? I read about it in the Living Low-Carb book, and it is supposed to help with thyroid. I'm thinking that I may need to raise my dosage of meds because I've been feeling tired durring the day again for the past few months, and weight loss is slow, though I'm not gaining any either, does anyone prefer that Armor over Synthroid? If so I would love to hear your thoughts on it! Thanks so much!

Jessica :roll:

I am Hypo due to Hashimoto's Disease - my doctor (and others, in my research) recommended a low carb diet even though I don't have much weight to lose. Apparently, like someone else said, we don't process carbs as well as we should so low carb is best.

However, going very low carb (under 50 grams) is reportedly not good. But 50 grams is still quite low compared to the average carb intake.

I believe it was Broda Barnes who first reported this info.

River

hi lissame,

1. Synthroid is a brand name for levothyroxine, or synthetic T4 hormone. There are brands on the market in both Canada and the US which are MUCH less expensive. I take Eltroxin which costs me $18 Cdn for 3 months (that's about $12 US, or ½ the price of Synthroid). It's a simple matter to ask the dr. to prescribe something less expensive .. in the US there's Levoxyl or Levothroid.

2. Every 6 weeks for blood and check-up? That's excessive. It takes 10 - 12 weeks for the hormone level to peak, so it's meaningless to check before that time. In the beginning, you should be prescribed a very low amount, such as 25 mcg (0.025 mg) and then increase to 50 mcg (0.05 mg) after 1 to 2 weeks if there have been no symptoms such as flushing or heart palpitations. After 3 months, a blood test is in order - do it first, then revisit the dr to check and have the med increased as needed. Once the optimal level of hormone is reached, once yearly blood checks are all that's needed.

Don't put it off though. Hypothyroidism can cause serious harm inside your body that you can't see ... more than just feeling tired and gaining weight. Low thyroid affects your sex hormones and reproductive cycles, can cause increased blood sugar and insulin problems and increased cholesterol. Not to mention high blood pressure and fluid retention, and depression :(


Doreen

hi there,

It's safe to go very low in carbs ... as long as you take care to NOT go low in calories. Both low calorie and low carb can suppress the conversion of T4 hormone to T3 at the cellular level (ie, it doesn't affect the thyroid gland itself) ... but this effect will be more pronounced in a low-carb diet that is also low in calories, generally less than 1200 cal per day for women, a bit higher for men.

If you eat low amounts of carbs and moderate amounts of protein .. you can round it out with moderate amounts of fats to keep the calories up. No need for big gobs of butter or cupfuls of olive oil .. a few Tbsp here and there is sufficient. One Tbsp provides 120 calories and 14g fat :)


hth,

Doreen

I haven't had any issues loosing. I'm Hypo on synthroid. I work out like a mad man though. This is very important for any kinda diet as well as overall health. I think I may try to switch to Armour