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I am hypothyroid and on armour thyroid. I know that people with hypothyroid shouldn't go too low on starchy carbs. Has anyone found a sweet spot for a good starch intake level to not worsen hypo but also still promote weight loss?

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You can lose weight eating a sweet potato almost every day. I did. I didn't know that starchy carbs were something to fear, so I ate them regularly when I did my first Whole30 and still lost weight. So the question is really how much do you need to keep your thyroid supported. You can work from there.

Note: Starchy carbs are not something to fear ever, but if you don't need them to support energy or activity levels, you MIGHT lose weight faster without them.

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I am hypothyroid as well (non-Hashi's) and made the mistake of going too low carb during several Whole30s. Sweet potatoes and fruit weren't enough to support my thyroid and there are few other starchy & compliant foods that I can stomach. So, I suffered. Even had to up my thyroid meds after my last Whole50 and my weight ended up right where I started.

Funny, now that I'm allowing myself more non-Whole30 compliant yet clean carbs, my body is totally responding and is finally starting to lose some weight again. From my perspective, I'd rather get more carbs to keep my thyroid happy - which will in turn help me loose weight - than try to go low-carb just to loose weight. Whenever I try to bypass the thyroid, it lets me know I'm out of line. Everyone is different and it may take some playing around to find the sweet spot, but it's a sweet spot you might want to make a priority during your Whole30. Good luck!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Funny, now that I'm allowing myself more non-Whole30 compliant yet clean carbs, my body is totally responding and is finally starting to lose some weight again. From my perspective, I'd rather get more carbs to keep my thyroid happy - which will in turn help me loose weight - than try to go low-carb just to loose weight. Whenever I try to bypass the thyroid, it lets me know I'm out of line. Everyone is different and it may take some playing around to find the sweet spot, but it's a sweet spot you might want to make a priority during your Whole30. Good luck!

Can you elaborate on what type of carbs you are eating post W30? Are they primarily gluten free? My hypothyroid is generally poorly-controlled and I can't seem to find a balance with it.

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Can you elaborate on what type of carbs you are eating post W30? Are they primarily gluten free? My hypothyroid is generally poorly-controlled and I can't seem to find a balance with it.

Mostly some rice - about 1/2 to a cup every day. I've also had a few white potatoes. I know neither affect me. Everyone is different, though, so you may want to play around with starchy vegs and other things that you know your body agrees with. Good luck!

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  • 4 weeks later...

I also have hypothyroid and have never heard about needed starch to support my thyroid.  Any more info about this would be greatly appreciated.  I have been on meds for about 2 years now and its a pretty low dose.  thanks

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Check out this:   http://perfecthealthdiet.com/2011/08/carbohydrates-and-the-thyroid/  I tend to trust the folks over at the Perfect Health Diet.  

 

Here's one from Paleo for Women: http://www.paleoforwomen.com/carbohydrates-for-fertility-and-health/

 

For me, I tend to have issues converting T4 to T3.  Instead, I tend to convert it all to rT3, meaning my T3 levels plummet whenever I try any prescription that has T4 in it (Armour, synthroid).  The only thing that works for me is straight up T3 taken 3 times a day.  I find it very interesting that the starchy carbs are needed for the conversion, so I'm trying what I can to eat more of them.  

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The Paleo for Women was really helpful.  I do eat many of the Carbs that they talk about already sweet potato, jerusalem artichoke and parsnips. which i believe are all whole 30 compliant .  I am going to check in with my Doc though just to make sure that things are were they are suppose to be.  Thanks  

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  • 1 month later...

For those of you eating Whole 30/paleo, or a modified version of it b/c of hypothyroid, how many carbs (grams-wise) are you consuming a day? I ask b/c I have wondered about energy levels with my hypothyroid while eating proper Whole 30. I have used a free program called Paleo Tracker which will count up your carbs (and other nutritional elements) if you input what you are eating, and I find I eat around 100g carbs per day -- and sometimes that isn't with "compliant carbs" (sweet potatoes etc.) but with things like fruit or carrots in a salad etc. As far as I know, a "very low carb diet" is below 50g, while a Whole 30/paleo eater probably gets in the 90g to 120g ballpark which is "lower" but not "low" per se -- and one of the reasons I think Whole 30/paleo is sustainable, b/c you *do* get those carbs and fiber and it's not Atkins etc. (I think 200+ grams is what a typical person gets -- or maybe some athletes need.) 

 

I'm hypothyroid (non-Hashimotos) and have been under a LOT of stress in recent years, so adjusting the meds (levothyroxine) accordingly but also fully aware I may have tired adrenals... FWIW, my nutritionist (who is paleo supportive) initially recommended I eat a "modified" paleo diet -- v. small portions of carbs at breakfast and/or lunch (1/2 cup max of brown rice or something GF along those lines) and none at dinner -- and otherwise eat paleo. This wasn't a big stretch for me b/c I have gluten/dairy/soy allergies anyway. And if anything I could dabble in larger portions of good fats to make up for lost carbs.

 

She didn't say the small carb portions idea was for my thyroid (though she is aware of it) but now I wonder if the thyroid issue is what she had in mind. I did a paleo 30-day (not exactly Whole 30) at my gym earlier this year and she was all for it -- only reason she hadn't encouraged full-on paleo was that she thought it would be a lot to wrap my mind around, but really the only difference for me is editing my list of GF carbs and becoming more mindful about additives/ingredients in "health foods" like almond milk etc.

 

Anyway, seems like you could stay paleo/Whole 30 and keep your carbs up with things like sweet potatoes, roasting carrots, that sort of thing. And maybe 2 servings fruit per day but not going crazy on fruit. 

 

Love to hear about your grams of carbs before/after adjusting them... 

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On W30, we don't count grams of micro-nutrients. If you follow the meal template, you will get enough carbs. You could make sure you had more of the starchy veggies like sweet potatoes, butternut squash etc.

 

I am hypothyroid and did not feel a lack of energy while doing the W30. I have a lot of issues ioth veggies, so I did eat a lot of sweet potatoes.

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No counting of grams of stuff on Whole30.  I'm hypo/Hashi's, and I eat sweet potatoes daily.  Follow the meal template, it works.  Really.  Whole30 is not a low carb eating plan.

 

I've found that I can fine tune my thyroid situation much better eating this way.  I have some issues I'll be discussing with my doc tomorrow, for instance.  Before Whole30 I wouldn't have been sufficiently in tune with my body to understand that I need to go back and talk to my doc about my thyroid and my Hashi's.  Now I know how my body feels, for real, and I can get the help I need to feel optimally healthy. 

 

Do a regular Whole30, and trust the process. 

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I'm hypo, non-Hashi's, and also hypoglycemic. I'm on day 9. I had an energy slump on day 2 or 3, but not since. I have sweet potato along with other veggies in my breakfasts as a minimum of starchy veg, and not much fruit at all since early in the week. I had half a banana one day at lunch. I haven't noticed any thyroid attributable issues. Mostly I'm so stoked about my rock-steady blood sugar.

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I eat some combination of 1-2 sweet potatoes (or regular potatoes if not W30) per day and I tend to eat a piece of fruit with every meal. This is what I have found works for me, and it's all about self-experimentation. I did not count carbs to figure out the right amount. As others has mentioned above, counting is not part of W30 and even more important than the "rules" is that adopting this style of eating as a lifestyle requires learning to listen to your body's signals. Counting is at best a distraction from this process, at worst it can result in you overriding your body's signals if they aren't in sync with the "correct" number.

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