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hashimoto's disease and dieting

I'm a 21 year old female with hypothyroidism and hashimotos disease. I have recently began to gain weight and of course find it hard to take it off. Are there any special foods or dieting tricks that help with thyroid disorders? thanks
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649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hashimoto's IS the autoimmune disease.  I have it and yes, I've gotten better.  

Is your mother allergic to all of those foods or did the doctor just arbitrarily take her off them?  The only one I agree with giving up completely, unless she's allergic, is sugar because it spikes the blood sugar causing the pancreas to produce more insulin, which is often referred to as the "fat storage hormone".  

There are doctors who believe that Hashimoto's can be cured by a certain diet and that is totally wrong.  Once a person has an autoimmune disease, they have it for live.  The major symptoms of Hashimoto's are those of the hypothyroidism caused by the Hashi, and with proper testing and treatment, those can be controlled.  

I'd suggest that you take a look at the thyroid forum, here on MedHelp.  There's a ton of information you can get on Hashimoto's that may be helpful.  Be prepared to have your mother's current thyroid blood test results to post, along with the reference ranges from her lab report, since these vary from lab to lab and must come from her report.

Here's a link to the main page of the thyroid forum.  Just click on the orange "post a question" button at the top of the page and you'll get a blank form in which to type your questions.

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Thyroid-Disorders/show/73?controller=forums&action=show&id=73&camp=msc
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Avatar universal
My mother has been ill for over a year now.  She has been to a thyroid specialist, her regular doctor and now to a specialist in the Mile High City.  She was diagnosed with Hoshimoto's disease.  This newest dr. has her on a no food diet it seems.  She can't have wheat, oats, gluten, cheese, milk, butter, sugar, etc.  All that seems to be happening, is that she is more depressed since she can't eat anything she likes and she still feels so tired and achy.  They have been trying to get her Thyroid regulated but now they say it could be an auto immune disease.  Has anyone out there had this and gotten better?  Any suggestions would be great.
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649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
I agree that low levels of B12 can make you very tired.  While I self inject, many people do well with taking a oral supplement.  Try a liquid or sublingual and see if that helps give you more energy.  

It might be worth your while, you, too, Jessieschneider, to check out the thyroid community here on MH.  There are a lot of people who can help you sort things out.
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Avatar universal
Hi jackie7169! My name is  Jessica and I am the same boat as you. I am 25 and was diagnosed with the same diseases about two years ago. I had horrible symptoms- bad weight gain, could not focus for anything, was always exhauseted not to mention. After getting on the right meds (I started on Thyroid Armour then switched to levothyroxine). That helped a little. Next, I suggest getting vitamin B shots. I was so tierd all the time, I could lay my head down at any point of the day and fall asleep. After a few shots it was like night and day- you will have so much energy. Lastly excercise, excercise, excerise! This will help you loose weight. I like the other post too. Hang in there!
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649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
The first step to losing weight with Hashimoto's is to make sure your thyroid levels are optimal FOR YOU; not just within the lab ranges.  I have Hashimoto's, also, and for quite a long time, my levels were "normal" according to the lab report, but I still had a lot of symptoms of being hypo.  It wasn't until we got my levels up to a good level for me, that my symptoms started going away, including the inability to lose weight.

My problem is that I got so frustrated trying and not able to lose weight, that I gave up and haven't gotten back into eating and exercising properly.

My doctor has recommended that I implement the Miami Mediterranean Diet.  I just ordered the book and am waiting for it to come.  

Some people find that eliminating gluten from their diet helps; this would be particularly true if one were allergic or intolerant.  I've also had people tell me they GAINED on a gluten free diet and for others a g/f diet caused some other medical issues.  That would be a personal decision.  My doctor has advised against it for me.

I think the key is make sure you center your diet around fresh fruits and veggies - mostly veggies (if you can't do fresh, then frozen is next best) - lean protein, "good" fats (such as olive oil, avocados nuts, etc), low/no fat dairy and whole grains. Portion control is a major factor, as well.  I know someone who lost over 100 lbs, simply with portion control.  

Another key factor is exercise.  I, personally, find yoga to be one of the best forms of exercise.  Yoga centers around breathing, stretching and relaxation, which not only helps with weight loss, it helps reduce stress and it relieves a lot of the muscle/joint pain that often accompanies Hashimoto's/hypothyroidism.  Walking is another good exercise.  If you don't have time to "take a walk", try parking further from the store, or climb the stairs instead of taking the elevator, hand deliver a memo to the co-worker down the hall, rather than e-mail it, etc.

Make sure you drink plenty of water to stay well hydrated, and get plenty of sleep.

Now, all I have to do is follow my own advice...........lol   Stick around - let's all try to do this together.

It might also help you to check out the Thyroid Forum, here on MH; reading through the posts and comments will give you a lot of information on Hashimoto's and hypothyroidism.  

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