After 4 years of trial, my dosage of Synthroid has finally made my TSH levels steadily in-range.

My Hashimoto's, undiagnosed, caused me to gain loads of weight. I lost 40 lbs with South Beach, but could stand to lose another 40. I'm wondering what diets have worked for all of you, as I've definitely hit a frustrating plateau.

I've been exercising regularly for about 5 months now, more for long range benefits than to get out of this slump, but I definitely thought I'd see better results. I walk/jog my dog, and do weight training (kettlebells) nearly every day as well.

Also, do any of you take extra supplements that you swear by? I know there are products and somewhat snaky experts out there that have swayed relatives of mine with potions and special tricks, but my awesome doc says to be very wary. I would still like to hear your take on that stuff.

Bottom line: What is your experience?

::raises hand::

I was on Synthroid for two years without much result before I finally bullied my doc's locum tenens into ordering tests I'd been requesting the entire time. I have had a diagnosis of Hashimoto's for almost two months now ... as well as an endocrinologist (who also has Hashimoto's ... and thus both listens and "gets it") who is supervising me.

I can tell you that the thing that has helped me most was going gluten-free (which my endo suggested). It helps keep down the inflammation that triggers the anti-thyroid antibodies. I have also learned to accept that this disease is going to fight me every step of the way where weight loss is concerned and to concern myself more with health at every size than with what the number on the scale says.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/05/2014 03:28PM by fiona64.

Have you been diagnosed with any other problems like insulin resistance, adrenal fatigue, cortisol issues?

I agree that you need to cut out any food that will increase you inflammation. The main ones are wheat (gluten), corn and possibly milk. Oh, and the obvious one, sugar! And ANY kind of artificial sweeteners except for pure stevia. Also, some people are sensitive to night shade veggies like tomatoes, bell peppers and even potatoes.

I eat a lot of salads with normal dressing and lots of meat and nuts and low sugar fruits like apples, berries, grapefruit and peaches.

It sucks and I'm having a hard time with it but it really has helped with the inflammation. I lost 20 lbs as soon as I stopped eating wheat and sugar. I have never lost weight that easily. And am now having a hard time losing weight as well because of other health issues.

I've never been a big believer in supplements but I am taking specific ones for the above mentioned other aliments and they are helping. slowly but surely...

Every women should be taking a b-12 vitamin as well as D-3 with K-2 added to help with absorption. (My labs show that they have increased since I've been taking them.) Since nobody has enough vitamin-d now days. It's also considered a hormone now.


So, to answer your question, it really depends on what else you have going on as far as what will help you. IF you have any of these other issue I will tell you what my dr. suggested. I also had to get off of certain medications I was taking that were making things worse on my hoshimoto's like Prilosec and lyrica.

The Carbohydrate Addicts diet is fairly easy one to stick to without a ton of measuring. You can have sweets every day. The hardest part is that you can't have anything sweet, even fruit except for one meal also carbohydrates.

I agree with the above about checking cortisol levels. Most people with thyroid troubles have cortisol issues as well. Go to http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/ for a really good website for thyroid issues.

I'm a Celiac who has some associated thyroid problems (but not an official Hashi's diagnosis). I also recommend trying gluten free. A lot of Celiacs have related thyroid issues aggravated by the gluten.

Dairy is supposed to be really bad for you if you have inflammation too.

My integrated medicine doc (an MD who also does naturopathy and "outside of the box" treatments) put me on a modified paleo diet. No grains, no dairy, no fruit (which is allowed in normal paleo), and no legumes. But all the meat and fresh veggies I can eat. It's a hard diet to follow but it helps reduce the inflammation and I feel great on it. I dropped a ton of weight when I first started eating that way, despite the fact that I was eating like a horse and not exercising much. I've been backsliding lately and the weight loss has stopped. I'm trying to stick to it again now.

There are a ton of books out there about eating paleo. And some great websites too. (Check out marksdailyapple.com)

What does paleo mean?

Paleolithic diet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I also have Hashimoto's. I feel for you. The weight thing was a huge drag for me, and I still struggle with fatigue if T-3 levels are off.

My doctor also recommended going gluten-free and that helps a lot with inflammation. If you can keep the antibody count down, your thyroid will keep functioning.

In terms of resources, Mary Shomon has written some comprehensive books on managing thyroid disease with diet, exercise and medication. I highly recommend her work. She's also pretty active on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thyroidsupport

Second the recommendation to read Mary Shomon.

That's funny, I especially asked my doc about gluten free, and she said there is nothing to prove that it helps a person with hashimoto's. That is what I wanted to hear, however, since going gluten-free terrifies the shit out of me and I really don't wanna have to go there.

Sigh. I guess I can at least try it out. (Kicking and screaming)

spicyspirit Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I especially asked my doc about
> gluten free, and she said there is nothing to
> prove that it helps a person with hashimoto's.
>

What my doc said was "the science isn't quite there for why, but I know it helped me and has helped many of my patients." It was a lot of additional reading that explained how gluten can cause inflammation, as well as mimicking thyroid hormone ... which causes the antibodies to flare up more if you have Hashimoto's.

Going gluten free can be a little intimidating at first but its not that bad after a while. And there are many restaurants and food products available now that are gluten free, so that makes it easier. If you do want to try going gluten free, I'd suggest visiting www.celiac.com. Even though you're not a Celiac, this site has a ton of info on eating gluten free, lots of recipes, the latest medical article and a great message board with lots of helpful people on it.

I've been GF for almost two months now. I'm still in the "aw crap, I can't have that either" phase ... and discovering which products taste nasty (gluten-free bread, hello, I'm looking at you) and which are decent.

It isn't easy ... but I'm working at it.

Its also hard, because when you try and research hashimoto's, a lot of the info tells you that your doc is wrong, and you need more thorough testing, and its a fight to get proper care, and synthroid is the devil. But who do you trust? I feel like I have to be my own guinea pig.

spicyspirit Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Its also hard, because when you try and research
> hashimoto's, a lot of the info tells you that your
> doc is wrong, and you need more thorough testing,
> and its a fight to get proper care, and synthroid
> is the devil. But who do you trust? I feel like I
> have to be my own guinea pig.


You are more right than you know. You really do need to be your own big-mouthed advocate and not back down. A lot of labs are going by old values for "normal," and many doctors will not treat as a result. You need to take materials with you and, if necessary, fire the docs who won't listen. When I finally got my endo referral, the second thing he said after introducing himself was "I also have Hashimoto's."

I have to tell you, I was close to tears at the end of that appointment. He was so helpful and caring, and gave me hope that I could learn to live with the disease that I now know I have ... and have had for probably 20 years or more (did you spend a lot of time being misdiagnosed as having clinical depression, even though the psychotropics never helped? I sure did. And when they continued to not work, I was told that I was "medically resistant," and sent out to work through life on my own. Yay.).

I knew I came to the right place. Thank you EVERYONE for your input and experience. Its so damn helpful! Xoxo.

I've had Hashi for nearly 25 years now and find that losing weight is hard, but not impossible. Mainly, I've found what works for me is not to diet. I DO NOT DIET.

What I do though, is to have small portions and up my protein intake and cut down on carbs. This makes me not too hungry; not have cravings; and feel like life is worth living.

I am slim and happy living this way and I've tried everything.

Another thing that helps is to have a salad nearly every day with only a good quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing on it. I try to steer clear of the creamy dressings now.

what are your PTO labs like? Are you really high or just moderately high. Do you eat bread? What kind of symptoms do you have. HAve you learned anything through the years that were different than when you were first diagnosed?

"what are your PTO labs like? Are you really high or just moderately high. Do you eat bread? What kind of symptoms do you have. HAve you learned anything through the years that were different than when you were first diagnosed?"

I just had my levels checked about 4 months ago and I was spot on (although I can't tell you my numbers because I forgot them). I eat very little bread or carbs of any kind, unless I really want to and then I do!

When I was first diagnosed, my doctor thought I was just a depressed housewife and he proscribed an antidepressant. This was back in the '80's and they weren't good back then. Even so, it made me even sicker. I kept called back and insisted this wasn't the problem and that it was something else wrong. He finally did a full check of my thyroid and once the results came back, he said I was the worst case he'd personally ever seen!

So, he put me on meds, and I instantly felt like a million bucks. I dropped 20 pounds in two weeks and would sprint everywhere I went. Well, that didn't last long, as we overshot the goal and had to work at getting the dosage right. It took several years and several doctors (due to several moves) to get stable.

I still, occasionally have to have the dosage changed. About two years ago, the dosage was lowered (always a cause for panic as you don't want to get low and feel lousy!), but I am actually doing better as I was having some trouble with an irregular heart beat.

So now, I just walk as much as I can (I'm rarely in a car) and I eat whatever I want, so long as it's small portions and lots of veggies. And I feel great and don't have much of a weight problem.

I hear you and i said the very same thing! I was in major denial. i keep waiting for some new study to come out telling me it has nothing to do with gluten! :)I've been diagnosed for only 8 months. My family doctor said hashimoto's has nothing to do with gluten. He even told me to just follow the word of wisdom and everything would be fine. Especially since I don't technically have a wheat allergy. I've been going to wellness dr. for hormones and that is where I found out all of my symptoms were related to hashimoto's. I never once had my PTO tested before that. It seems like some doctor don't have a clue about the connection. But in more recent studies it is being shown that gluten actually mimics your thyroid so when you eat it, it causes inflammation and seeps through your intestines into your blood stream where your body tries to fight it off and in the mean time attacks your thyroid as well. It mistakes your thyroid as an intruder like it would gluten. it has to do with something called leaky gut syndrome which is kind of a new catch phrase for everyone's food allergies and IBS. The book that made the most sense to me about the topic is "Why do I still have thyroid symptoms? When my lab tests are normal". By Datis Kharrazian. It explains it way better than I can.

It does get easier. And definitely experiment. I miss the sugar more than bread though!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/05/2014 06:45PM by stoppedtheinsanity.

I just want to say THANK YOU for this post!!!

I've taken synthroid since I've been 18 (I'm 54) In 2009 I became very ill with systemic lupus and at the same time my thyroid went crazy. Not until today have I ever heard of Hashimoto's. I wasn't going to read this post, but changed my mind and am so happy I did! After reading the Mayo Clinics website I have called and made an appointment with my dr. Not much may change with a Hashimoto's diagnosis, but it sure answers a lot of questions.

RFM is a lot more than just exmo therapy. Thank you, again.

I also have lupus and hypothyo. I've been tested for Hashimotos three times and it has always been negative, but my doctor is convinced that I have it. I was also recently diagnosed with Leaky Gut, so this is a very interesting thread to me...

That is great to hear!

a new doctor. He put me on Synthroid. The instructions said you had to take it on an empty stomach and not eat anything for at least an hour. This made me so miserably nauseated that I quit after a single tablet.

I researched on the internet and found Armour Thyroid, which does not require an empty stomach. I asked my doctor to prescribe it for me, and explained why. He did so, and it has worked fine. My insurance won't pay for it, but it isn't very expensive. I could not tolerate that daily nausea.

I don't have any symptoms that I know of - just the abnormal lab results.

Mine says the same thing, plus you're supposed to take it in the morning. I've never done that. I always take it at night, before bed. I figure that if I take it the same way, every time, and they keep testing me and my dosage is right, it's ok to to do it the way that's working for me.

the other autoimmune disease of the tyroid - i've been diagnosed with graves' disease some weeks ago and am pretty helpless, because my doctors are no help at all.

I don't have Graves' (as cited above, I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum). Keep hammering until you get an appointment with an endocrinologist ... do not let your GP blow you off. If you already have an endo, and that person isn't helping, doctor-shop on your plan until you find one who does.

And read Mary Shomon's "Living Well with Thyroid Disease"; she looks at hyperthyroidism as well.

thank you for answering and the book recommendation.

my primary care physician is clueless and the endocrinologist (recommendation of my primary care physician) is 'uninterested'- just gave me the diagnose and tablets - and that was about it. no further information. nothing! i am angry and desperate (alternately) ...

Sadly, most endos are interested in the 'glamour' side of endocrinology, like diabetes and fertility issues. Not a lot of emphasis on thyroid disease out there, despite about two-thirds of the population being likely to have it in one direction or the other ... many folks being undiagnosed.

I hope you find a doctor who listens. I truly feel blessed that my endo also has Hashimoto's (not that I would wish it on anyone) and thus is not about to blow me off. He lives what I live.

Yes. Mostly what I read and hear is go gluten free, or more extreme paleo, or more extreme than that paleo - autoimmune protocol.

I've had a super hard time being gluten free, but when I am, I notice a difference in how I feel, weight loss, and energy - even how likely I am to catch a cold, I think because of body inflammation...

I have success with getting up and working out first thing, even though I'm not a morning person, because as the day wears on, I get way too tired. My experience - it's all about the cardio, and lifting heavier weights to build muscle, which burns the cals.

Some people have problems with their bodies converting t4 to t3, which is the usable form for the body. Synthroid is only t4. So, you should be sure your t3 is tested too, and you may need a t4/t3 regimen.

Still, yea, it sucks, but it ain't goin anywhere....

dogeatdog Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Some people have problems with their bodies
> converting t4 to t3, which is the usable form for
> the body. Synthroid is only t4. So, you should
> be sure your t3 is tested too, and you may need a
> t4/t3 regimen.
>

This is a very important point. One size does not fit all. I'm fortunate that I have no trouble with T3 conversion; it makes my treatment regimen simpler. But other people are not me ... and vice versa.

I work as a pharmacy tech, and have hypothyroidism, and in the 4 yrs since my diagnosis, I've learned the following.

Take your thyroid meds an hour before/after drinking *anything* caffeinated, or brushing teeth with a fluoride toothpaste. Caffeine and fluoride both inhibit the body's ability to absorb the thyroxine, as does calcium/dairy products and if you are prescribed an iron supplement (as a lot of us can become anaemic, take the supplement 12 hours after the thyroxine)

B12 supplements are a very good idea - a great number of thyroid patients lack 'Intrinsic Factor' which is vital in absorbing B12 naturally from diet.

Also - TSH is dependant on time of day. Your level is lowest in early to mid morning, and highest at mid to late afternoon. If you have to get a blood test to confirm hypothyroidism, get it done as early in the morning as possible.

Btw - I take my meds at night. It's worth figuring out what is best for you.

OK. I'm confused. TSH is Thyroid Stimulating Hormone. This is a gauge to whether or not you're thyroid is putting out the right amount or not. If not, your TSH is high.

If you want to confirm hypothyroidism, you should want your TSH to be high. Did I get that right?

No you want it to be low. My level was 25, and should be in the 1-2 range. Finally there!

I have taken levothyroxine for several years with my thyroid underachieving and shockingly my metabolism has been effective enough where my weight has never increased dramatically... Plus I drink tons of water. I suppose that stands for something..

Can anyone give names of doctors that treat this? I am in Utah, hoping someone is too. I am sick of feeling like crap day in and day out, extreme fatigue.

Great post:)

I would like to know as well!!!