Thyroid issues? page

[superdooper]

Hey guys, I've been trying to lose about 50 pounds for a few years now. When I got my first desk job, I sky rocketed up to 225 lbs. For a 5'10" guy, that's no good. This was when I was about 21, so being young, I just cut my portions in half and went jogging, and knocked it down to my svelt 175 with no problem. Then I got married, started cooking for two, and gained it all back.

Now I'm 30 and I can't seem to shed it. I've been doing a lot of reading, and this thyroid specialist in Houston (hope the link is ok) is saying that a lot of people are unable to lose weight because as their diet worsens, it adversly affects their thyroid and that bad thyroid function can make it hard to lose weight.

Has anybody else heard this? Do you think it's a valid thing that I should have checked out? I mean, I always thought that a little diet and exercise would fix almost anything, but I cannot seem to shed this weight. I've got the strength (I lift weights and the like), and I've definitely got the flexibility (martial arts when I was younger, and I'm double jointed everywhere), but the nice thick layer of flab is keeping me from really feeling primal.

Any advice or other avenues of research would be awesome.

[namelesswonder]

What does you current diet look like? What's an average day's meals? How long have you been eating that way?

[superdooper]

Honestly, it's not a bad diet, though it's pretty random. It's tough to diet when cooking for two. She looks great, so I don't want to limit her because I need to lose some pounds. That said, we eat healthy-ish. We'll have a good salad one night. Tomato soup and sandwiches another. Lean Chicken breasts and white rice. Thankfully we both love steamed veggies with a little italian dressing, so that finds it's way into most meals. When I make pasta (I'm Italian, so it's a given, right?) I use mostly vegetable pasta, and make my own sauce with roasted tomatoes, onion, parsley, etc.

It's just weird, because it's not like we're eating burgers and fries every night or anything, and the same diet that got me looking paunchy has her looking amazing.

[magicmerl]

I suspected myself of having a low functioning thyroid, and I did this:
1. Re-added potatoes into my diet (for carbohydrates)
2. Started taking Nori (Iodine) and Brazil Nuts (Selenium) with breakfast

[EagleRiverDee]

Yes, I've heard of it because I live it.

If you have an autoimmune component (Hashimotos or Graves Disease) that is causing your thyroid problem, then foods you are allergic to and foods that are inflammatory will make it worse. Any autoimmune disease worsens with exposure to allergens and toxins because your body releases antibodies to attack them only there's nothing to attack and so the antibodies turn on your own body if you have an autoimmune disease. My diet also very much affects my ability to lose weight- too many carbs and I can't lose weight, regardless of calories.

[RichMahogany]

Why changing your diet is always the first step in treating Hashimoto’s

He's got a whole series on Hypothyroidism, but I thought this would be particularly relevant.

[fiercehunter]

Read Ray Peat's articles.

[anna5]

I think you should check your thyroids.
And check the size of your portions.

[Rueben]

Honestly, it's not a bad diet, though it's pretty random. It's tough to diet when cooking for two. She looks great, so I don't want to limit her because I need to lose some pounds. That said, we eat healthy-ish. We'll have a good salad one night. Tomato soup and sandwiches another. Lean Chicken breasts and white rice. Thankfully we both love steamed veggies with a little italian dressing, so that finds it's way into most meals. When I make pasta (I'm Italian, so it's a given, right?) I use mostly vegetable pasta, and make my own sauce with roasted tomatoes, onion, parsley, etc.

It's just weird, because it's not like we're eating burgers and fries every night or anything, and the same diet that got me looking paunchy has her looking amazing.

You may be gluten intolerant - which may be causing Hasimoto's Thyroiditis. But even if you are not, if you want to lose some weight cut the grains - sandwiches, pasta, and replace with sweet potatoes, potatoes, parsnips etc.

At any rate, read the book, stick to the program, and then come back and tell us how you are going. The way of eating you have described above doesn't sound very primal - and you won't be depriving your SO, but you will be healing yourself. Read Wheat Belly - thats a good book to explain the connection between gluten and obesity.

[marcadav]

What other symptoms, besides issues with weight loss, are you experiencing?
Hypothyroidism Risk/Symptoms Checklist

If you really think you have thyroid disease then I suggest you get things checked out-- TSH, freeT4, freeT3, antibodies.