Whole30 for those with no thyroid

[Karen@DFBlog]

Anyone out here who has done Whole30 that has no thyroid? I have no thyroid due to thyroid cancer and curious about others like me that have done it and their results/follow-up. 

I finished mine 2 days ago. I lost 0 lbs. My brother did it with me and lost 25 lbs and my husband lost 15 lbs. I feel no different at all. Was hoping it would help with energy and digestive issues. If anything my digestive issues got worse and spent quality time on toilet. Need to further figure that out. I'm pretty in tune with my body. I know Whole30 is good. But what about for people like me? Does it tend to affect us differently? Maybe it takes longer?

I'm on thyroid meds to keep my levels suppressed so cancer doesn't come back. My 1st cancer was at age of 23 and had partial thyroidectomy. It came back anyway 12 years later and so then I had the rest taken out. Gained about 50 lbs with each removal. I'd love to lose 120lbs. Currently 5'4" and 250 lbs. I'd pretty much been eating about 80% paleo before Whole30. 

I'll continue on with Whole30 and may cheat every now and then with something but just curious about how it went with others like me.

[ShannonM816]

Hi, Karen. I don't have personal experience with thyroid issues, but I wanted to point you toward Mel Joulwan -- if you've been around the paleo/Whole30 community for very long, you've probably heard of her cookbooks and blog -- Well Fed.  What you might not realize is that she also has no thyroid, and while she doesn't write about it often, there are posts on her blog that talk about her struggles. This is a good intro post that tells the basics of her story, but if you search thyroid on her blog, you should find other past posts. I know she mentions some books and cookbooks that you might find helpful. It is not going to be easy, but eating this way sounds like it can help.

Assuming the digestive stuff is not related to the thyroid stuff, it might be helpful for you to keep a food and symptom diary to see if you can find any pattern to what is causing issues. If you can think of anything offhand that was either brand new for you on Whole30, or that you suddenly found yourself eating a lot more of, that might be a place to start -- if something does come to mind, try leaving that out for a while and see if that helps. If you're not sure what it might be, or if it seems to happen with several different foods, you might look into FODMAPS or nightshade vegetables and see if either of those classes of foods sound like possible culprits. 

[Karen@DFBlog]

This is wonderful info Shannon and thank you for sending. Will definitely read up on it.

Here is what I know for sure I am allergic to: mild allergy to plums and egg whites; medium allergy to brewer's yeast, baker's yeast, candida yeast, and cane sugar, high allergy to whey. 

I'm 46 and have had a hysterectomy 4 years ago due to severe endometriosis with a lot of endometrial scarring in rectal area which I think has something to do with digestive issues as well. Not discounting the fact that digestive issues could be running in conjunction with some food issues and endometriosis. Also now wondering after reading the blog post you suggested with FODMAP and fructose how that would play in conjunction with my allergy to cane sugar. Lots to think about.

And maybe since I have no thyroid or metabolism what 96% of people may see in one 30 day iteration of Whole30 might just take me Whole300!   

[berry straw]

I have Hashimotos and follow the autoimmune protocol.  You may find that helpful (though more restrictive).  Also, how are your thyroid lab numbers?  If your meds aren’t being managed perfectly, it could explain the lack of weight loss.  I couldn’t lose any weight until I got my meds adjusted.  You can read a lot about optimal numbers and what to have tested at Stop the Thyroid Madness.

[Karen@DFBlog]

Thanks Berry Straw for the reply. I am going to look into the AIP as well. My thyroid #'s are very well managed but they have to keep my levels very suppressed because of the previous 2 times of cancer. So, I can't take thyroid meds to keep me at normal thyroid levels. I basically have no metabolism. 

[MimiHi]

Hi Karen, 

Sorry to hear about your thyroid issues. My daughter had a hemi-thyroidectomy 2 years ago, so I'm very empathetic anytime I hear about someone dealing with similar issues.

Have you heard about SIBO?? You might want to check out the symptoms because your allergies/intolerances sound a lot like mine (eggs, yeast, whey protein)

I was recently diagnosed with SIBO--the symptoms of which really flared up during after the second week of my whole30...I ultimately had to stop at Day18 because my doctor wanted me just to focus on SIBO approved foods, and not worry about following a Whole30 at that time. Like you, I didn't feel any better on my Whole30, only much much worse, this was due to the fact that about 90% of what I was eating was NOT SIBO Specific Diet approved. Even though it was Whole30 compliant, certain foods are not allowed on SIBO diet (for reasons I won't go into here right now)... this is not to say one can't do a SIBO version of Whole30, you definitely can, but I wasn't doing that because at the time I didn't even know I had SIBO! The SIBO Specific Diet combines low-fodmap and SIBO diet. You can definitely do a Whole30, but the food lists will be a bit different. Some might say they're more restrictive but I definitely think you could do it. An example of the difference is things like fruit. If you have SIBO, you can have grapes, tangerines, mandarin oranges, pineapple, bananas (there are more but I won't list them all here), but not apples, dates, pears, peaches, nectarines...you can have peanut butter but only a tiny bit of almond butter (wouldn't have PB on Whole30,but could have hazelnut butter). Then there are certain vegetables you can and can't have (FODMAP)...so it's very do-able but takes a bit of getting used to it all. 

Anyway, I might suggest checking out the Sibo Specific Diet and perhaps getting tested for SIBO...Like you, I've had a hysterectomy (and breast cancer), so lots of surgeries and antibiotics, and all that good stuff which can create SIBO....I suffered for 3 years, feeling like cr*p everyday, trying to lose the 30 pounds I instantly gained after my hysterectomy and nothing worked. I started my Whole30 and things got so bad I thought I was having an appendicitis every day! Thank goodness it wasn't that, just too many foods not allowed for those with SIBO.

I feel very grateful for my Whole30 experience, even though the outcome wasn't what I initially hoped would happen. It forced my SIBO to the forefront of my health and now I'm on the herbal antibiotics and following the SIBO diet, I feel much much better. So much better, that I'm strongly considering giving myself another go at doing a Whole30 SIBO Style!

[sdoyle]

HI Karen - I'm sorry to hear about your struggles with cancer but glad you are still on the planet!  Like @berry straw, I've got Hashimoto's and I found AIP to be very good at helping me find my trigger foods. I'm "graduating" to Whole30 and hope to get to a lifetime of paleo.

From everything I've read about thyroid disorders, it sounds like you'll always have a hard time losing weight. I didn't realize just how important the thyroid was until mine stopped working! I still don't lose weight easily. For me, it was about changing my mindset. I was otherwise healthy, but overweight. My doctor isn't too concerned. So, in the end, I'm healthy, I'm happy, I have a great network for family and friends and they really don't care that I'm a few pounds heavier than I should be. I know it's not easy, especially for women. I still struggle with keeping the mindset. I do Crossfit 3-4 times a week and I eat Whole30. The weight should be dropping off, but it's not. 

Keep eating clean and doing what exercise you can. If weight comes off, great. If it doesn't, you know you have a thyroid condition so try not to stress about it too much (again, easier said than done!). Remember, "being fit" is not synonymous with "being thin". We can have a few extra pounds and still be better shape than people much younger (and skinnier!) than us!

[britgirl]

Hi Karen glad to find you! I’ve been trying to research diet post total thyroidectomy - I’ve piled weight on since I had mine in December for cancer. Glad to have a good outcome but can’t currently bend in my jeans as so tight and I refuse to buy a whole new wardrobe! 

Have been quite unwell so eating anything anyone put in front of me until recently ( and cared not) but need to have a rethink before my jeans split or make me bleed! Must go to bed but thought I’d say hello. I think no thyroid is profound in terms of effects on the body so great to be doing this with some others. 

Best wishes jenny

[424242]

Hi Karen!

I've also had a total thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer and my TSH is suppressed because I still have detectable cancer. So I hear you!! I had my first surgery 3.5 years ago and I still struggle hard with my energy levels. (I am a 43-year-old female.) I also did a round of RAI right after my first surgery that destroyed my gut. In the six months or so after the treatment, I developed intolerances to a whole list of foods, and because my gut wasn't functioning properly and absorbing nutrients, I became malnourished. I was a mess! I rarely had the energy to leave the bed/couch/house. Healing my gut even to this point has been a long, long road.

I've decided that there are two likely major reasons why I still struggle with my energy: 1) My gut is not yet flourishing. I know it's not as there are many signs. If my gut isn't healthy, then it's unreasonable to think it's doing all it should/could be doing to support all my systems. 2) I don't think my thyroid hormone replacement dosages are exactly right. I take both T4 and T3 (adding T3 changed my life by the way!), so one or both might need adjustment.

Since it doesn't make sense to adjust my meds and then heal my gut....just to have to adjust the meds again....I'm working on getting thriving gut health first. The more I read, the more I believe this is kind of the foundation of all my (our) health. In the last couple years, I'd gotten SO much better than I was that first year after my thyroidectomy so I'd gotten a bit complacent. I've actually even started working out! 5 days ago I was walking into town (which is only one mile) and I was soooooooo tired. I was just slogging myself down the sidewalk getting angrier and angrier that 3.5 years later this is still a thing for me. So, I've decided to get it handled.

I can't answer your weight loss specific questions, but it might be beneficial to see what's going on with your gut first and then focus on weight loss. Like the other people who posted said, you could have been eating foods that are compliant on W30, but still cause inflammation/SIBO in your body. Nuts are like that for me. My body hates them now, which makes me sad. Heal your gut!!

Also, I definitely agree with the recommendation for Mel Joulwan! When I found out I had to stop eating gluten, I hung up the phone with my nutritionist and cried. I didn't even like meat and nor did I know how to cook it. Well Fed 2 was the first paleo cookbook I bought and the first recipe I made was citrus sage turkey burgers (probably called something else). They were delicious! I had cooked meat that was delicious! And then I cried again. (I cried a lot there at the beginning.) She literally changed my whole experience and I love her.

So, I know your post is a few months old, but I just wanted to let you know you're not alone! Hugs!

[Yelizaveta]

Hi, I am in middle of my first go around at the whole30 (day 23). I have no thyroid due to cancer (from about 10 years ago). I have found this thread very interesting and plan to watch myself and see how i do in a week. That said, the reason i decided to give this a try is because I was post-partum with my son and my weight jumped up and didn't really go down and due to thyroid issues I had to do everything i can to bring it down (specially if i want to try for another baby). 

[Maxi645]

I am so happy to find this thred.  I had Thyroid cancer a little over 10 yrs ago and no thyroids.  I too am monitored on medication and have had a beast of a time trying to lose weight and feel good.  I am planning to start Whole30 in 2 days, I just want to feel better and I really hope weightloss happens as a result.  Hearing others makes me feel less crazy and I realize my struggles are more common than I thought after thyroid cancer.  I plan to keep an eye on this thread.