Anyone else with an underactive thyroid doing the Dukan Diet?

[boofle]

Hi had a closer look at book and the review is not brill it says there are 3 plans one is calorie counting the other is called free from which it says 3 meals protein at each low gi carbs healthy fats ans 2 snacks. Other plan carb sensitive which is as the free from but 1 less serving of low gi fruit and 5g extra fibre will let you know if i find anything else x

 

[Raiekku]

Hi All,

I am new to the Dukan diet and I too have an underactive thyroid

At the moment I am just reading as much as I can regarding this diet and and so happy to see other people with the same problems as me...not only do I have an underactive thyroid...but I sure do love my carbs and veg.

The more I am reading the more I am getting excited about it...although i am not looking forward to Ketosis

I Just have to get started now but still not sure where to start

 

[Poppy03]

Hi Raiekku. Have you got the book? If not I would as it is very good to read it through and get all the foods you are going to need for the diet and then start. It was about a fiver on Amazon.

I have not noticed ketosis at all, I did wonder about doing the attack for longer because of that but 2lbs had already come off so I started onto vegetables and that was the right decision. I have been doing this diet for 5 days and have lost 4lbs which I am totally shocked by. I am sure it will slow down after this week but it really has given me the kick start I needed. Also my body feels different and the cellulite is definately shifting.

Is your thyroid now balanced? Have you much to loose? You need to update your profile and put your stats in.

 

[Raiekku]

Hi Poppy,

I received my book today I will study it some before I actually start, even though I am more than eager to get on with it. I calculated on the Dukan Website that I should do the Attack for 7 days with the amount of weight I wish to lose.

As far as I am aware my thyroid is balanced just had my yearly check up so will see when I get the results.

Well done on your weight loss!

 

[Poppy03]

Hey. Really good to get all the stuff you need and have it to hand. Took me an extra day to get the oatbran but I am glad I did. I read it mostly through and then went back to the attack phase and read that as I did it. Now reading it to the end again. I also wrote a list of all the things you are allowed (and I like) so and stuck it to the inside of my cupboard so give me inspiration on what to cook.

I'll tell you though, vegetables have never tasted soooo good. Let us know when you start.

 

[boofle]

Hi does anyone know if ryvita are low carb x

 

[Poppy03]

Ryvita wouldn't be allowed on Dukan as it is a carb and they are not allowed full stop. Not sure about anything else but they are obviously the choice of the dieter. I used to love them smothered with cream cheese (full fat of course)

How are you finding the WW Pro points diet? My friend does it with weekly weigh ins and she has had a fantastic result. I think she has lost 50lbs now

 

[boofle]

Hi poppy yes it is fine it is just weight loss slow poss due to under active thyroid cut carbs this week but have had 2 ryvita did not realise they were a carb never mind how are you doing x

 

[Poppy03]

I am doing well on this diet, I thought after looking at them all this would probably be the one. My body just doesn't process carbs well since the thyroid issue kicked in.

Are you completely non symptomatic now on the thyroid? i am now a bit of an expert on it all because I unfortunately reacted very badly to the thyroxine and have basically had to be my own Dr to sort myself out. I cannot take thyroxine at all and only take T3 which is my life saver. But you also need to have all your other bloods done for your thyroid and its medications to work properly. If they are not balanced you are going to struggle to loose weight. Wonderful condition this!

 

[boofle]

Hi i have recently had my annual blood test and my levels are supposed to be fine i take 75 mg thyroxine but it is still hard to lose weight one of the problems i did have was tired all the time this has improved so i am now trying to cut carbs as i did not realise they were not good for thyroid problems but had a couple of ryvita as i did not realise they were carbs dozy cow i am trying low carb for one week not sure if that long enough but be interersting to see if the scales show a better loss may try for longer x

 

[Poppy03]

My tiredness has improved greatly on this diet, so I can only assume carbs and mostly wheat (since I am eating oat bran) are causing me some problems.

On the thyroxine front, my GP kept telling me my levels were fine, no need for any change etc etc. Then the endo did the same thing. It was only after I got a full set of my records and started researching it did I find that for a GP to say you are fine means your blood TSH is in the range. What is normal or normal for you is a totally different thing. If you know your TSH number and range post it if you like. I have access to a document that can explain most of this. Mine were considered fine on 4.65 on a range of 0.5-5. Now I am 0.1 and my now endo (human being) says that is totally fine because I am so well now.

Sorry, but it is now such a passion with me as most thyroid patients seem to be undermedicated and not living their lives to their full potential because of it.

 

[boofle]

Hi no i do not know this but will try to find it from dr many thanks x

 

[Poppy03]

If you are calling your Dr's ask them for your TSH number and range and your freeT4 number with range. You may get a blank look or silence when you ask for freeT4 number but it is generally the test they do. The range for freeT4 is generally somewhere between 9-23 but every lab is different.

I became nearly disabled with the stupid Dr's you're fine routine. I was about to give up driving, could not turn on the shower or walk to the shops or carry my little girl down the stairs. Bad, bad times. Unfortunately you hear it all the time.

Your results may well be fine, you may well be fully optimized on it but if not, it will have a huge bearing on you being able to loose weight.

 

[Topaz63]

I'm keeping an eye on the great info you are sharing here as thyroid problems run in my family. My mother and her brother both suffer(ed) from it, and my brother has just been diagnosed as having it ( or not having it in the case of the natural thyroxine) So what is TSH.? And T4?
My doc did have me tested a few years ago as a check. Seems ok at the moment.
Poppy, you seem to have had a dreadful time with it. I'm so glad for you that they finally recognised it, but awful that you had to go to such lengths first.

 

[boofle]

Hi poppy thanks for that will let you know x

 

[Poppy03]

Hi Topaz. TSH is thyroid stimulating hormone. Basically your pituatary gland and how much it is having to tell the thyroid to make more. The higher the number the harder it is going to have to work. For example mine was 8.17 in a range of 0.5-5 and I also had very high antibodies which tells the Dr that your thyroid will never recover as your body is attacking it. The T4 or properly said is Free T4 is what the thyroid actually produces (along with T3, T2 and T1 although these are generally never tested). So if you FT4 result sits in the range and your TSH is in the range then they tell you you have not thyroid problem. What they are waiting for is one of them to fall out of the range *shakes head*. On top of that once they start treating you with thyroxine which is T4 your TSH will dramatically fall on quite a low dose which most GP's see as being ok. They unfortunately do not look at the T4 result which invariably has moved little. All this means is your Thyroid no longer has to work as hard but you will probably have all the same symptoms as your T4 test shows you have no more in your system.

A lot of people, in fact the majority do well on thyroxine, unfortunatly for those that don't you have a huge batttle when you are feeling so ill. I don't convert the T4 (thyroxine) well into T3 the active hormone that each cell in your body needs so consequently I just get more and more ill and my body kept failing and the pain was ridiculous. Now I take direct T3 (not many Drs will prescibe it) and I have a life again.

If you want to ask the receptionist at your clinic for your TSH results etc, I can tell you what they actually mean. I have an article written for GP's by a specialist that you can have too if you want.

 

[Topaz63]

That's brilliant, Poppy. I understood most of it. My mother has not had anything like the awful time you've had. She has been having the thyroxine for years now (she's nearly 97). I don't think I have symptoms at the mo, but I will be on the lookout for them.
Yes please re the article, that could be very useful. Is it online, or would you need to email it? Thanks.

 

[Poppy03]

I only have the article on email if you want to message me your email address. It is from Pulse Magazine which is for GP's and it written by an endo for them regarding thyroid. Interesting although I do not agree with all of it, as you will probably see.