Diet and Weight Loss Programs for Thyroid Patients: Pros & Cons

Hi Mary! Just wanted to let you know that I am so glad I found your book and your blog. For the past two years I had Grave’s Disease and my thryroid was so big (even had a goiter) that my doctor recommended a complete thyrodectomy. I now of course have hypothyroidism. It has been only two months since my surgery and I am starting to show some minor symptoms. I found your book two days ago and it has provided so much information about living well with this condition. you have no idea how many questions it answered especially because I am runner, who was training for a marathon, and had to basically start from scratch because my body needs to readjust. I haven’t really tried any diets, but I am starting to see a certified nutritionist to address the nutrition part. So we’ll see. I decided to document my journey on a blog 26.2 Miles To The Finish Line. Yikes!

Like Angie C I originally had Graves, a goitre and eventually after several years on the meds, I had a partial Thyroidectomy. That was 20 yrs ago but although my Thyroid settled down on Levothyroxine alone, I could not tackle my weight problem, (I had put on about 70lbs) if I lost weight it used to creep back on again. On top of that when I hit the menopause I also had those problems as well and ended up having to have a hysterectomy 5 years ago and end up on HRT. My health started to stabilize and 3 years ago I joined Weight Watchers to try and help. I am pleased to say the WW diet worked for me. WW is largely a low fat diet and I managed to lose weight, very slowly I might add, and lost 40lbs out of the 70lb. I am pleased to say 2 years on, I have managed to keep most of that weight off thanks to the Weight Watchers web site which is a great support. I don’t go to the meetings any more, but signed up to their web site to give me the extra support I need. Unfortunately, at the moment my Thyroid is playing up, so I cannot seem to be able to lose any more weight right now, and waiting to see an Endocrinologist so hopefully when I am back on the right treatment, I hope be able to kick start the weight loss, which I desperately want to do as I still need to lose at least another 30lbs. But on saying that if you stick to a low sat fat diet, the Weight Watchers is a good all round diet which you can personalise yourself. Weight loss is slow but if you are prepared to lose weight slowly long term, then it will stay off with a careful maintenance diet.

I have cycled through many diets and met failure. Atkins was terrible. I lost 3 pounds after two months. Vegetarian and low-fat worked okay, but then I was introduced to the Paleo diet. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. I’ve lost 60 pounds and have kept it off for over two years. Not only do I look better, I feel better. The mental clarity, sleep, energy, everything is drastically improved. I would recommend anyone pick up the book and read online about it. It’s basically eating nothing but meat, veggies, fruits, and nuts/oils.

I read in Dr. Datis Kharrazian’s “Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms When My Lab Tests Are Normal?” that if you have Hashimoto’s (which I do), then you should be gluten-free, since the gluten protein looks a lot like the thyroid tissues and the immune system gets activated and it makes the Hashimotos worse. And I have to say after a month I do feel better. Less bloating and stomach issues, and less fatigue. I’ll check back in after I’ve done it for longer, but given that one auto-immune disorder can lead to more of them, I’m willing to do anything to help out my immune system. And for a girl whose favorite food is cake it’s a bit rough, but by cutting out the gluten/wheat, I’ve automatically cut out a lot of the sugar I was eating, and I think that’s really helping. Apparently sugar can wreak havoc on us hypos.

Betsy, Thank you soooo much. I have dealt with hashimotos since my daughter was born in 2000. We tried all the meds and couldn’t get anything under control. They killed my thyroid with radiation therapy in 2004. since then I have been hypo thyroid. The last time I went into the doctor feeling really fatigued and with stomach upset and bloat like nothing I have experienced believing my count must be really off, they said they were normal. Three weeks later I still feel this way. I have an 18 mo old son and my 10 year old daughter and work from home as a freelance writer and walk between 4 and 8 miles a day. I have been so frustrated and will definately look into what you have mentioned. It is difficult to find good information on how to manage weight and condition for thyroid disease. This is the only site I have been on in the past few years that gives me crucial information.

This is a great idea. Thanks everyone for their suggestions.

I struggled (and still do to some extent) with my weight most of my life (even in elementary school I was chubby). I used to be a size 18 and now I’m a size 4. (Believe me, being 185 lbs+ at 5′1″ is no fun.) Although being diagnosed in 2002, after years of going to doctors that were clueless helped (Mary was instramental with that last push finding the right doctor and educating myself), I work very hard to keep the weight off. I have, mostly controlled, Hashimoto’s on Armour thyroid. I take supplements like selenium, b’s, fish oil, etc. I’ve lost 60+ lbs so far with 13-17 to go. So if I was just maintaining I would probably chill out on the workouts a little (just a little).

To control my weight I work out 5-7 days a week for 1/2 hour-1 1/2 hours+ which includes cardio (jogging or elliptical/treadmill with the incline up a lot) and regular weight training. I go to sleep with everything out & ready to work out – no excuses. No work outs = weight gain, depression/mood swings and fuzzy memory. Really, the half hour days are usually cardio when I’m super busy or just exhausted. It helps that my husband is a personal trainer but he doesn’t sweat for me.

I don’t eat processed food at all or carbs after 4 pm. Lots of fruits & veggies & lean meat. I am allergic to wheat so grains are a little tricky (lots of brown rice and oats). I drink lots of water and try to keep sugar/salt to a minimum. I try to sneak in lots of fiber and I supplement my protein with whey powder shakes (”fast food”). Chicken, ground turkey and, when I can afford it, fish are great with salads or sauteed veggies at night. I don’t really limit my fat by much because it comes almost exclusively from olive oil. Plus when you cut out processed food you’re not getting as much fat anyway. It’s easier to control what you eat if you make everything from scratch. To save time I make big batches of stuff I like and eat it over a few days with salads or healthy snacks. I love stuff like apples with peanut butter or cheese and grapes or yogurt for snacks. I always try to have something healthy and easy to snack on for those times I’m too tired to cook and would be tempted to get something in the drive thru. Have healthy stuff you love and it makes eating the right thing easy.

Oh and I eat about every 3-4 hours. This is a very important point most people miss. It keeps your blood sugar regular, fuels your brain and muscles and, best of all, keeps your metabolism running higher. Eat small and often! That is what really turned things around for me after years of diet failure.

I think we (with thyroid issues) just have to work harder just like someone with a learning disability has to work harder to read/learn. They say nothing worth having is easy, right? I hope that helps.

I try to eat unprocessed foods, raw foods, lean meats, juice veggies and fruits for a meal replacement once a day, and avoid white rice, flour, bread, sugar. I pretty much use primarily Stevia for sweetness. If I’m not very diligent then I shoot up 15 lbs seems like overnight Power on people!

Also, I walk or exercise when I can but I’ve gone through a couple injuries over the past few months, so I’ve not been able. The weight was creeping back up so 2 weeks ago I went back to oatmeal or a homemade fruit/veg drink (I love my Vitamixer) for breakfast and very little carbs and today I weighed in down 5 lbs. When you can’t exercise the only choice it to change what you eat. Dr Oz website has a green juice recipe which is good.

I hate to say it but it’s a lifelong thing to watch your diet if you are hypo like me. I used HCG last year and took off 15 lbs in 2 months but I slipped back into old eating habits.

I have hashimoto’s and had a complete thyroidectomy about 3 years ago. I have gained 12 lbs since then, in spite of “watching” what I eat. I now see a nutrionalist who put me on a low carb diet. I am limited to 150 gr. of carbs per day. It’s taking time, but I’ve dropped 10 lbs in the past 5 weeks. I feel good. I put an app on my I-Pod that helps me count carbs – and that’s been a HUGE help in keeping me on track!

Hi Betsy, ythat;s extremely interesting. I have Hashi’s bypothyroididism, but I haven’t gone gluten free, as when Itested for celiac disease, the test came back negative – no gluten allergy. My hypo is managed with medication, gettig enouh sleepl, exercise, drinking 2 – 3L of water a day (every DAY) and getting enoug fibre. I switched from white to brown in terms of rice, pasta and bread – tho I’m not much of a bread eater but the pasta has no iull effect in terms of sluggishness or bloating so seems different things work for different people.

I was diagnosed with Graves disease..had weight loss and a goiter. The doctors wanted to radiate my thryroid, but I was persistent and went to a specialist for a second opinion. I reacted very well to the medine for overactive thyroid…but a couple years later became excessively tired. I changed doctors again..and took blood tests for Hashimoto’s…that was it!! Now I am on medicine for an underactive thyroid. The doctor said it is tired and just about burned out….Have been considerng using ARMOUR since it has T3 & T4 in it…can anyone give me their opinion?? My numbers are good with the synthetic.

My body reacts well to the low carb diet…Atkins..yes it is slow weight loss..I am 56 and almost through with menopause. My body is operating at snail pace..I find I have to workout daily to lose. But I am losing inches – and have always been a slow loser.

I have been on the verge of tears for months. I take 100mcg synthroid and 25 mcg of cytomel. I can hardly get out of bed and foggy most of the time. I ache. I have gained weight and it only makes me feel worse.
I think I have finally come across a real blog for those of us without a thyroid. I am coming away with the start of a plan. Thank you all for being so open about your struggles. Any recommendations would be welcome. I just want to lose the weight and feel even 1/2 of what I did

I am on Synthroid and Cytomel for Hashimotos, yet I have continued to gain weight. That has me depressed, unable to work up the energy and enthusiasm to get the extreme amount of exercise I need to control this. I eat a very natural diet, sort of Primal, eat only meats such as wild-caught salmon and elk and deer. I am going to try gluten-free since I hardly eat any simple carbs anyway, but lots of fruits and veggies from my own garden. I need ideas on how to get motivation for exercise when all I want to do is sleep!

I have just been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s – trying to get an understanding of what this means. I have all my numbers and a seemingly concerned doctor. Have been prescribed 100mcg of Synthroid. I hope it works. I just want to feel like myself again. I am constantly tired, and have put on 20 lbs in the last 7 months…ugh.

I’m nearly 50, with the menopause looming and the Mirena IUD not helping much with the desirable loss of about 14 extra pounds.

I was lucky to be diagnosed very early on before the hypothyreoidism did too much damage. I now see a lot of friends around me (here in the Czech Republic, Europe) facing the same problem. One thing I observe is that the condition is easier to handle for people who had to watch their food intake even before (like me). Those who could eat their fill with impunity are really taken aback to see the slightest indulgence have great consequences.

What works for me is listen to my body, have a little bit of everything I crave (eliminating the really bad stuff), take time to eat and to drink a lot of water and tea. I suppose you’d call it the “phase” diet”. Still, progress is slow and sometimes I cannot believe what the bathroom scales show the morning after a day modest in food and rich in exercise (walking and cycling). The thing is to laugh it off and keep on going! If you’re innocent you feel it in your waist whatever the scales say and vice versa. Good luck everyone!

I was diagnosed with Hashimotos two years ago. At the time I could barely get out of bed I was so foggy all the time and could barely manage to do anything when I got home from teaching.

First I was on Synthroid,now I take synthroid and cytomel.

I feel best when I take the medications at the same time every day. I take the synthroid in the morning and a whole cytomel in the afternoon. The cytomel gives me a late afternoon energy boost.

I have also eliminated gluten in my diet and eat low carb. I check everything I eat, not just the grain products. Gluten is included in many additives so you have to watch out for food labels. You can visit some gluten diet websites for more information.

If you are one us hypo’s still experiences tiredness, mental fatigue and body ached I URGE you to eliminate gluten and try to eat less carbs (sugar).

It is not easy at first. If you mess up keep trying. It is worth the results. You also have to give your body time to heal. Don’t expect to feel better the very next day you change your eating habits. Give the new eating habits a chance to change your overall health in about a month:)

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s 10 years ago. My endo put me on a diet and right from the start I began gaining weight. Every time I complained he accused me of over eating and said I needed to “eat less”. Thing is, I’ve never been a big eater and in fact would go for days without eating because I never got hungry. I finally decided it was time to change doctors and found a gem. He put me on what is basically the Paleo diet…as well as a gluten free diet and told me I had to “Eat MORE”…not less as my other doctor had said. In less than two weeks I lost 20 pounds! It’s been almost a month and a half and I’m down 35 pounds…and I feel great. I wake up with energy and my chronic pain level is down from a 8 to a 2. All those years of suffering and the answer was so simple!

I was diagnosed with Hypothroid about 3 years ago. I am 5′8″ and my perfect weight was always 140-145. My weight has gone up to 210 pounds! I started out at 25mcg of Synthroid, then upped to 50mcg..

The past year, I have felt so bad that I can barely crawl out of bed! I had a blood test that the doc said was within ‘normal’ range. 2 months ago, I had my GP do a test, and he said it was a little low, and was going to up my meds to 75mcg. The wrong dosage was accidently called in so I have been taking 100mcg.

I am feeling better after 2 months, but still tire out so fast! No weight lost. I also have Lupus and RA, so I know that contributes. But I have been so tired and depressed, that I have not tried to find a good diet for me. I don’t know where to start.

All the articles I have read talk about why throid affects weight, why it’s hard to lose it, etc. But where is the info on DIETS for THYROID people?
Please help me!!!!!

I exercise every day i am on the lowest dosage of medication and try to eat as healthy as possible, but recently i started shaking my eyes feel as if theyre going to pop out of my head, i cant sleep i feel too bad to eat. i am not in my home country and wont be going back for a few months. a docter told me to get more iodine into my diet, but im one in 2% of people worldwide that has a deadly allergy to Iodine, im totally stuck on what to do.