Hi
Just starting the diet today I have Hashimotos hypothyroidism and take 100mg levothyroxine per day and need to reduce weight any tips? Thanks

Hi Mooster, good question – I take thyroxine too and was wondering the same thing. I would imagine the diet is pretty safe, just go easy on the kale!

Hi, I have been on Thyroxine for years, been on the BSD for three weeks and no bad effects ONLY GOOOD ONES, LIKE LOSING 10LBS!!!

Wow that’s very encouraging, I have my review with gp this week so I am going to discuss with her
Thank you, I am very excited to get started

I can’t see any reason why you shouldn’t do the Blood Sugar Diet if you are also taking Thyroxine. Diabetes and Hypothroidism are often associated, but if your levels are Ok and you are not getting thyroid related symptoms, you should be fine. As Hopeful says – ‘no bad effects, only good ones, like losing 10lbs!!!’ for which congratulations !

Thanks Clare
I will report my progress on here on an ongoing basis

Hi Mooster! I’m waiting for the BSD book to arrive so not started yet. I take 150mgs Thyroxine a day – amongst various other meds. Should be interesting to follow how we each get on and whether we react differently etc. This could make a huge difference to our lives 🙂 fingers crossed. Good luck x

Hi everyone
Quick update as of today Friday I have lost 5lbs and 2 inches from my waist, saw my gp yesterday and she was very encouraging with further review and blood tests in 4 months. What I have done though is bought a Fitbit and although I know not 100% accurate it has shown me that if I eat 2000 calories a day I will put weight on , I am only using on average 1800 calories a day and that is doing at least 10000 steps per day so even when I have reached my target weight loss I will have to keep the calories below the recommended daily amount as my gp said I am 5ft 2in 61 and have hypothyroidism so important to look at what I actually need to maintain and keep healthy. Still feeling very positive and finding it easy to keep motivated , looking forward to furter weight loss

Hi everyone
End of week 2 and 9 lbs lost, finding sticking to the diet fairly easy but finding I rum out if energy by mid afternoon. Could This be my thyroid? Has anyone else experienced this?
Thanks

Hi, I take 100mcg Eltroxin every day for an underactive thyroid – I am usually tired by the end of the day and the walk home is a struggle – my legs feel like jelly but once I am home and been on my exercise bike and eaten it is OK. I have been told that I will be on Eltroxin for the rest of my life but I am hoping that this diet and losing weight might give my thyroid a kick up the rear end!

Yes and on 125mg levo. After several months at the gym working like a woman possessed and having lost only 1 and a half stone and still feeling knackered and only to then be told following a routine blood test that I was pre-diabetic I decided I had to act fast. Started the BSD last Monday and have lost 8 lbs which is great but I seem to have stuck at that weight for three days. Need to exercise more but have just had surgery and so resitance training not a goer at the moment. Does anyone else have a horrible looking tongue which feels like the desert when they wake up in the morning?!

Hi LH
I take 100mg Levothyroxine I think I am only going to lose 1lb every 3 to 4 days from now on due to metabolism but that’s better than when I have tried to diet before so I will continue, just made the pumpkin seed and courgette muffins this morning to keep as a treat when I need something “nice” Sorry can’t help with the tongue thing, one thing I haven’t got LOLThanks for answering it’s nice to know not alone

Hi Mooster likewise nice to know there are others out there. I am hoping this will work as all other attempts at dieting with this blooming thyroid problem have not worked that well…..well possibly thyroid.. but cannot take all the blame as I seem to suffer from an inability to say no to chocolate when presented with it ! Not anymore !! Will watch out for your posts. Good luck !

Hi LH I think wanting chocolate and carbs is linked to underactive thyroid, almost like your body saying (mistakenly ) that it needs it Anyway I am determined to lose this blooming weight and touch wood so far no chocolate
Be Good

Hi Mooster, I have hypothyroidism and have great difficulty keeping a sensible weight. When I was first diagnosed with Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism it was so bad I had developed a goitre! The consultant told me I was quite likely to develop diabetes which is why I am so keen to do this diet. It has worked well so far – I have lost 22lbs in four weeks and now have a BMI of 24. The thing that worries me is that even if I have done a long arduous hill walk and eat as much as 1000 calories my weight goes up again. I am concerned that as soon as I start eating 1000 calories daily my weight will go up again as I was eating around 1400 calories a day before this diet and was gaining weight rapidly. I’ve decided that when I complete the eight weeks carbs will be a very rare treat as I do feel much better in myself on this diet. I am planning on having my thyroid blood test redone soon as losing a lot of weight may have an impact on how much levothyroxine my body will need. I became gluten intolerant which is apparently not unusual for people with hypothyroidism so watch out for symptoms when you return to carbs in your diet.
Let’s hope those of us with hypothyroidism keep on doing well as a result of this diet.
All the best, Hashimoto

Hi Hashimoto
I also have hashimotos and other autoimmune effects, dry eyes, blocked tear ducts, ibs, hay fever all year round and also developed glaucoma last year, I agree I only need a very small amount of calories to put weight on, I am hoping my Fitbit will keep me on the straight and narrow I would like to lose another stone so I have some leeway for a small increase in weight that I can get under control we will probably need to do the 2:5 diet lol x

Hi Mooater
Time for a low carb snack??
Penny

Hi Hashimoto. When I saw my GP on Monday I asked him whether my levothyroxine might need some adjustment as my weight dropped. He said it shouldn’t make any difference to the amount I need every day which really surprised me.

Hi Reynards, I’m just a bit wary because when I did the 5:2 diet and lost over a stone my blood test showed I was on too much levothyroxine. Then it had to go back up when my weight did. However, my GP is puzzled by the fact that my levels fluctuate a lot – he said usually you find that once you have titrated to correct levels of thyroxine it generally stays stable for life. It may well be that I am just odd. I have made an appointment for mid March so will see what happens then. It would be good to know what happens to everyone else’s levels as they lose weight. I have got to say that I find this diet so much easier than the 5:2 and intend to stick close to it once I have reached my target weight. Wishing you the best!!

Hi Mooster, it’s amazing what hashimoto’s can do to you. I also have dry eyes, dry skin the hay fever all year round, chronic asthma, bronchiectasis, multiple triggers for my asthma and severe gluten intolerance. All these things happened after I was diagnosed with hashimoto’s. It was like being hit with a sledge hammer. Fortunately this diet is helping me to feel so much more energised. A friend who hadn’t seen me for a month was amazed today when she saw me, she commented that I looked really healthy and energetic. She was so impressed she took some recipes home with her and is trying the diet herself.
I’m looking forward to the 8 week mark – not because I want to stop the diet – but to see how much more impact the diet has had.
All the best

Hi there,

I’m also hypothyroid, on 150grm of Levothyroxine. I’ve been doing the 5:2 (2 day ‘fasting’) for nearly a year and have lost 10 Ibs, but struggling now with the last stone, and have not really been very motivated since before xmas. I’m toying with BSD, but concerned the calories are so low it will mess up my metabolism, anyone else have those concerns?

Hi Humming bird
I am on 150mg. Have been on diet 2 weeks and have lost 12 pounds. Most noticeably I have soooooo much more energy and not too many cravings. This is not to say that I wouldn’t like to dive head first into a vat of Cadburys Dairy Milk because to be honest I would love to ..but the feeling of being able to fit into clothes more comfortably and having more energy, plus feeling incredibly pious as I load my trolley at the supermarket with nuts, seeds, natural yoghurt et al is a great buzz and so I have to remember that when I feel a bit peckish ! I asked my GPs about going on it and they didn’t say no so I am doing it for 8 weeks and seeing if this can be the change I need. It took me 5 months of blood and sweat at the gym and diet to lose one and a half stone last year and had truly thought that I would never lose the weight I had put on thanks to my underactive thyroid, but this has given me hope, so as long as your GP is OK with it and you have no other health issues I would recommend it. I was diagnosed a pre-diabetic last month and this was enough to make me get my life sorted out..the BSD is step one !! Best of luck if you do it.

Hi hummingbird I have hashimoto’s hypothyroidism and am now six and a half weeks into this diet. Can only say it has been the best thing I have ever done. I think it will improve your metabolism rather than hinder it considering how much more energy I have since I started. I have now lost 1stone and 13lbs and have a BMI of 23.6. It was 27.8 when I started. So go with it and enjoy the improvement to your life!!!

Hi Reynards, I had my asthma review today and asked if I should see the dr and ask for a fasting blood sugar test. Imagine my surprise when she searched my records and found I had had a reading of 8 back in 2011! Though a later one was 4.5. The dr had written on my notes ‘normal. hypothyroidism’. I had no idea about that until today. I hope all you hypothyroids on this site get your sugars tested now if you haven’t already – and ask what the reading was if you are told it was ‘normal’.

Hi Hummingbird
I think there’s quite s few hypothyroid sufferers on the forum. They seem to be ok! Maybe start a special thread?
Penny

Hi LH and hashimito,

Thanks for your replies, and well done on how you’ve done so far!, inspiring stuff! I’m going to do a few 800 cal days to see how it feels, I’ve done loads of 500 cal days with the 5:2 so maybe won’t be so difficult. I’m trying to get my head around the fat content on this plan. The marketing machine did a good job on me, as I’m ‘scared’ of fat, have avoided fats for years, and only use olive oil sparingly, this is going to be interesting, ‘allowing’ myself creme fraiche and such like, sure it’s why I am a sugar junkie, as I don’t get enough of the right fats, although I do eat nuts as am vegetarian..

HB.x

Hi Hummingbird, I was scared of the full fat too but not any more. Try the 800 for a fortnight and then see. I found the 800 much easier because you are allowed more food, it’s more filling and once you get over the first few days you don’t get the hunger pangs. I know everyone is different but I tend to eat at about 10am, 2pm and 6pm. It gives a long fast but if you are diabetic it may be better to have a full fat greek yoghurt like Bill an hour before you go to bed 🙂
Just a thought – you could make a vegetarian cottage pie ( with lentils – do you have Rose Elliott’s books?) because the cauliflower mash on top is totally scrumptious. I will admit I felt strange adding all that cheese and olive oil to the cauli but the weight is still dropping off – go for it gal because you won’t regret it 🙂 🙂

Hi hashimoto

Thanks for the tips 😉 am going to do some ‘practice’ days, and then get prepared to start…watch this space..

HB

Hi hummingbird I’m looking forward to your posts 🙂

Hi have begun the 800 today. I take 200 levythyroxine and am also type 2 diabetic. I do agree about the fat thing still can’t get my head round it. I echo what others have said about thyroid and energy but I am crossing my fingers that this will start the rest of my life and things will improve. So great to hear all the advice.

Hi purplepenguin there are a few of us on this site who have hypothyroidism. Today I had an appointment with my remedial massage lady – I hadn’t seen her for 6 or 7 weeks – and even with my winter coat and scarf on she noticed I had lost a lot of weight. She was surprised at how well I am – she has known me for a long time – and is going to be recommending this diet to other clients. I feel as if my body has been kick started, booted up, reprogrammed or whatever other analogy you can think of to describe the fact that I feel like a new woman and that the clock has been turned back by a decade. Yesterday I experimented with 1500 calories to see what would happen and the scales showed my weight as remaining the same. Unbelievable!!! I was gaining weight daily before this diet no matter how much or how little I ate.
Stick with this diet even if you feel a bit hungry or light headed the first few days – it soon passes and hunger pangs take a back seat. You won’t regret it. You’ll be dancing and bouncing with the rest of us.
I reach the 8 week mark tomorrow. Can’t believe how quickly the time has passed. 🙂

Thanks that’s so encouraging to hear I feel very excited, just gonna take it day by day. Wow eight weeks fantastic are you continuing or stopping there?

Now that I am over the anxiety of what would happen when I increased my calories I am going to follow it for another couple of weeks (like captainlynne) as I would like to shed a few more pounds. If there are friends round for dinner or I go out for lunch I might have a bit more food – but no carbs. I hate carbs now!! Can’t believe how good I feel without them. 🙂

I have hypothyroidism and Pernicious Anaemia and also take a few tablets for heart disease. I have found it very difficult to lose weight since I was diagnosed and was contemplating doing the Mediterranean diet to see if cutting out a lot of carbs would do the trick. I’m not diabetic and don’t have blood sugar problems (yet!). Does anybody know how successful this might be or should I go the whole hog and do the LSD?

Hi carommartin, welcome to the forums. A lot of us on here have hypothyroidism, I had weight loss failures on other diets but have lost 2 stones so far on the 8 week blood sugar diet. I. Would recommended doing the 8 week programme, you won’t regret it.

Hi hashimoto – thank you for your prompt reply. Did you use meal replacement shakes at all? I can’t imagine being able to think of 3 meals a day without bread!

Hi carommartin, No I just went with the recipes in the book ( the 8 week blood sugar diet by Michael Mosley) and adapted some recipes to suit myself.
You need to remember to drink a LOT of water/herbal tea etc 2 – 3 litres a day. I like fizzy water with a slice of lemon as well.
Some quick and easy meals: poached eggs with grilled tomatoes or mushrooms, 2 egg omelette with salad, full fat yoghurt with berries. Hummus and veg, grilled or fried chicken/fish/steak with leafy green veg. Home made vegetable soup etc Just don’t eat refined carbs (bread, rice pasta) and try to keep to 800 calories and the weight should melt away. I don’t know if you have looked at the drop down bars – but one has recipes people have uploaded and if you miss bread I could recommend the two types of carb free flat breads on there. In fact I am having home made curry with the chickpea flour flatbreads for dinner tonight. I have made LOTS of them and freeze them so they are handy. You can also use them as pizza bases. The recipe for coconut flatbreads is really good – I have used them for dessert topped with cream and berries when I have people round for dinner! But you can use them as buns for a sarnie etc
Hope that helps – I know some people have started off on the shakes but I just did not fancy them.
Good luck and there is plenty of help from people on this forum 🙂

Many thanks hashimoto, I am feeling quite inspired! Will look at the flatbread recipes and will post how I get on.

Hi, I’m on week 2 with a loss of 8lbs so far (which is brilliant), but I’m still struggling with feeling hungry/empty, which is making me feel miserable and moody😞, is/has anyone else had the same problem and if so does it go away?

Congrats Hasimoto
You did it 8 weeks completed yesterday ( hope I got that right) have only been doing this for two days but you really have been inspirational and supportive. So thank you.

Hi Lynnie62
are you drinking enough water and putting enough fat into your daily diet ?
The hunger pangs should be long gone by now if you have. Try some full fat yoghurt or a handful of nuts when the hunger starts.

Hi lynnie62, Michael Mosley does say the first two weeks are the toughest. Follow Bill’s advice and make sure you drink enough water – as cold, hot with lemon, fizzy with lemon, herbal tea, normal tea…..I. Still start the day with 1 or 2 coffees. 🙂

Hi purplepenguin, you are right, yesterday was the official end of my 8 weeks, thanks for your kind words. Today I. Begin the new phase and feel well equipped for the future. This diet has been a godsend to me 🙂

Hi, unfortunately that’s a big problem for me I really don’t drink nearly enough, I am trying adding fruit to water, I’ve got a soda stream so I’ve fizzy water on tap, but I just don’t like water (previously I’d have orange squash, such a bad habit!!). I limit myself to one cappuccino (made with skimmed milk) a day now and have herbal tea, so any recommendations to “jazz up” water would be appreciated👍
On the milk note, I’m not sure I should be having it although it’s only half a cup?

Hi Lynne
I have just switched my skimmed milk latte to a soya milk latte and found its actually really nice. I don’t even need to have my usual three sweeteners in it as it has a lovely creamy taste which is nicer than before.

The one thing I do miss these days is pepsi max (again, I am trying to cut out the artificial sweeteners rom my life) but I am just about ribbing along on fizzy water with a fruit teabag in it. You have to jiggle it a bit to get the flavour to release and it is very subtle, more of a fragrance than a taste.

The other thing I do is drink straight tap water in a tiny glass (I guess its a breakfast juice size glass). There are only three mouthfuls in each one so it stops me being over-faced by the thought of it. I try to have one every other time I pass through the kitchen. You should find that the more water your body gets, the more it will want to get, so building up in baby steps is easier than tackling a pint at a time.

A mint tea bag in fizzy water with a dash of lime is quite a good ‘mohito’ too!

Good idea, does the mint really come out in cold fizzy water? I suppose fresh mint would work too.

Yes it does, quite strongly. And yes, fresh mint should be even better

Reported for spam

hi Bill I hope that post at 15:17 ‘Reported for spam’ meant you have reported some spam??? otherwise it makes no sense?