The FastDay Forum

I have an underactive thyroid as well and takes a med (which is here called) Levaxin, reading the description of it it say you can take it on an empty stomach or with a meal, but not to eat much soy products. Also there is no known sideffects unless you overdose it. I personally have felt no side effects at all
I read that you can have problems with loosing weight when you are un treated, but not when the levels are regulated...So hopefully my thyroid will not poke it's nose into my being on the 5:2 method

I am also hypothyroid and finally stabilised on 125mcg thyroxine. I started 4:3 yesterday and will report back with any loss and thyroid changes as I go along. Interestingly my thyroid function stabilised last year when I finally decided to start dieting, lost 18lb last year through diet and exercise, but unfortunately most of it went back on. I was diagnosed 5 years ago.

[carorees]

Hi @JessNight
I'm following you around the forum!

You might like to read the section on fasting with medical conditions in the main site, which has more info on thyroid disorders: https://www.fastday.com/fasting/intermi ... disorders/

Thanks Caroline,

I've checked out the advice for thyroid disorders and I'm doing ADF at the moment as I am going away next weekend for 3 days and don't want to be fasting then! When I get back I will switch to 4:3, with both I'm having 1000 cals on fast days and sticking to my TDEE on the other days. So far so good, 4 days in with 2 fasts and 4lb down. Bought a few books today on ADF and 5:2, but I must come and see you soon for that elusive cuppa and get expert advice!!

Jess

[carorees]

Bought a few books today on ADF and 5:2, but I must come and see you soon for that elusive cuppa and get expert advice!!

@Jessnight For sure...would be great to catch up.

[quote]It can be more challenging to lose weight if your thyroid is underactive but it can be done. I've struggled with my weight for years and have been doing 4:3 for the past 4 weeks and have lost 10lbs so am very pleased.[/quote]
Could you please tell me if you have been eating 1000 cals on your 4:3 fasts? That is what is recommended and I want to know if it works!
Thank you :)

The main problem in the UK is that underactive and also over active thyroids aren't treated soon enough. In more medically civilised countries of the world an under active thyroid is treated when your TSH levels reaches 2.5 (lower in Belguim). In the UK it has to be above 5 before anyone takes any notice and quite often patients are told to up their iodine and see how it goes before being referred to an endocrinologist, which then takes months or even years before you are seen. Its a crap service in this country.

[Tracieknits]

Well my thyroid went bonkers this month. I was losing weight at a pleasant clip since January (23 pounds despite a vacation to Europe). But my seasonal allergies were really bad this month due to unusually high pollen levels, and it caused my Graves Disease (the opposite of Hashimotos, also an autoimmune disorder) to reactivate. Fasting wasn't seeming to touch it at all, so I've had to go back on the meds.

I'm considering getting my thryoid ablated/destroyed/killed with radioactive iodine. My endocrinologist would really prefer I do it, but he's willing to medicate with antithyroid meds. So some of you are saying that the thyroid replacement isn't so terrible?

My mother had the radiation operation. The worst bit for her was having to be quarantined for a while. She found it a big relief in the end as she ended up being hypothyroid but just needed one throxine tablet per day instead of the handfuls she was taking to control the hyperthyroidism. It took about 3 months in total for her to stabalize on the thyroxin level that suited her.

No ore being tired. She was finally able to do a full days work AND still play with the grandkids.

[Tracieknits]

Thanks for letting me know, Julie. The quarantine is the worst part, for me. It's 3-7 days, depending on the dose, of not hugging my son or husband My son is 13 but sometimes he's still really snuggly and affectionate.

I'm glad your mom has had such good results

I'm re-booting this thread because I am probably going to be in for a battle with my doctor. The story goes.

I have felt that I have a roller coaster thyroid, never going below 1.75 ( range is 0.2 to 4.2) and once having been at 7.0 but normally residing in the 3.5 + range. I fasted successfully for 8 months losing 40lb (thyroid behaving itself?). Then kept the same weight for another 6 months, before my operation (fasting the same). Post operation I didn't fast until I felt able to. I then managed to fast fairly regularly for another 6 months, keeping my weight stable. I had a bout of not fasting and bungled fasting prior to going on holiday , but only put on 4lb. Whilst on holiday I actually lost weight, the same 4lb and was back to my lowest when I came back off holiday. In the 4 weeks after my return everything went to pot. I hit the blackest depression I had ever had, I put on 12lb (in 4 weeks???) my carb cravings were really bad, which I put down to being utterly, bone weary, so tired even crying took effort. My body was saying give me energy and the only way it knew how to was to eat carbs. I managed to keep it reasonably under control, I certainly wasn't eating enough for the equivalent of 9,000+ calories a week. (18 Mars bars a week?).

The tiredness is now at the stage where I pant just walking up the stairs, if I carry a basket of washing up the stairs my heart starts hammering in my chest as if I've been on an exercise bike doing HIIT whilst holding my breath. Just walking to the school (to pick up the neighbors kids) can have me breathing hard (holding on to a tree) and thinking I'm asthmatic. Lately on top of the tirednesss I'm now getting really severe bouts of insomnia, not sleeping at all, or only getting 2 hours before I'm up again all night. There are a host of other symptoms, losing eyebrow hairs, thinning head hair, dry skin etc.

My THS was 'in range' meaning it was 3.7, I have made an appointment with my doctor to ask to be put on a trial of thyroxine. If he won't (very probable) I will buy online and self medicate. I am so fed up of the way my life is and has been for 25 years. Always fat, always tired, always on the cusp of being depressed (or maybe I always have been but I can't remember any better) if not actually depressed. Never being able to make long term plans because I know that I won't be able to complete them due to dive bombing energy levels. And lastly, I would love to feel horny again, though I probably won't know what it is as its been so long.

What bugs me is that I have already had all the usual doctor responses. Its as if they feel they can get away with blaming everything you feel on being overweight (why am I overweight?), menopausal (so I've been menopausal for 25 years?), stressed, not enough exercise (4 times a week at the gym till I couldn't do it any more as the lack of breath scared me so much), and lastly 'its all in my mind'. yet as soon as your bloods go over the 4.2 magic line its going to be 'oh its your thyroid! I am carrying on as i am for now as I suspect that the doctor will ask for more blood tests, but as soon as they are done I am self medicating. I wantto, I need to get off this roller coaster.

Edit: I am now on week 7 and have put on 17lbs

@Julieathome I am so sorry to read what a tough time you are having. Do you know what your T4 is because if that is low it might help to sway things. They can also check the free T3 which is the active form. I think some GPs are coming round to the idea that the blood tests are not the be all and end all. Try taking your resting pulse rate when you first wake up - if it is low that could be supporting evidence.Also mention the hair loss dry skin etc. Do you feel the cold? That was a major issue for me when I first went hypo. In my experience insomnia has not been a symptom of hypothyroidism - rather the opposite. If you do decide to self medicate you should get another blood test done after about 3 months - if it is still in 'normal' range but you are feeling better that would strengthen your case. Good luck and let us know how you get on

My doctor has dismissed everything as irrelevant, he even went so far as to say 'what has low body temperature got to do with thyroid?'. He had absolutely no clue whatsoever. His diagnosis, I'm depressed (I could feed myself for a month on the number of times I have been told that), as I am refusing medication for that diagnosis (because even the very low dosage I was on the last time zombied me) he has now referred me to a psychiatrist. He also refused to do any blood tests. He passed off the over the top range B12 as nothing to worry about (what are ranges for then if they pick and choose which ranges to pay attention to?)
I ordered my first 3 months of NDT online this morning and will start self treating as soon as it arrives. In the meantime I am strengthening my adrenals with supplements to help the start up.
I feel rather sad that its come to this, I had such a good relationship with him all through my neck problem and surgery. Now I will probably question everything he does as his competence has definitely been brought into question, well for me it has.
Edit: I have now put on 20lb in 10 weeks.

[janeg]

Oh Julie, I am so sorry to hear all this. When I was nursing( psychiatry), the batch of tests that were done when someone a=was admitted include T3 and T4. It was drummed into us that a physical cause had to be ruled out before a psychiatric diagnosss/label could be made. What a shoddy and downright neglectful approach by your GP. Perhaps the psychiatrist will order tests; although I do understand the limitations of them. Hoping things pick up for you.