Re: Hypo and diets

[Guest guest]

,

I question the healthfulness of a low-carb diet. I think the best bet

is a balanced diet using low glycemic carbs.

Celeste

P. wrote:

>

> (1) Any data out there that supports the idea that hypothyroid

> individuals HAVE to do a low-carb diet? If so, let me know.

>

[Guest guest]

I was convinced until recently that I had to stay on low carb plans but

for me they did not work I just started dreaming about bread and the whole

cycle would start over again.

I have found that as long as I am on my medicine I can lose weight on a

lowfat diet this does not mean jellybeans all day which is the way i used

to diet. This means lots of water, fruits and vegetables, a moderate

amount of protein, including a healthy selection of breads, potatoes, rice

and grains. I have been losing about two pounds a week. I try to eat

five to seven fruits and vegetables a day and at dinner I always have 100%

pure cranberry, orange or pineapple juice. If anyone has any tips for me

that could help me lose more quickly besides " Spamming " I would be

grateful although it seems to me that patience is going to have to be my

" lot " in life.

T.

=====

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 4/26/2002 5:49:04 AM Pacific Daylight Time,

ekjns@... writes:

> I was convinced until recently that I had to stay on low carb plans but

> for me they did not work I just started dreaming about bread and the whole

> cycle would start over again.

> I have found that as long as I am on my medicine I can lose weight on a

> lowfat diet this does not mean jellybeans all day which is the way i used

> to diet. This means lots of water, fruits and vegetables, a moderate

> amount of protein, including a healthy selection of breads, potatoes, rice

> and grains. I have been losing about two pounds a week.

,

This is fabulous! Great news!

I discovered the same thing you did about low-carb diets. They just didn't

work for me at all. I developed terrible, ghastly cravings for any and all

kinds of sweets, breads, crackers, chips. My old endo insisted I must not

allow myself to eat carbs of any kind or I would never lose weight! The more

I tried to comply, the worse the cravings got. And I kept packing on pounds!

About 12 weeks ago I started going to Weight Watchers since getting

stabilized on my thyroid medicine. I've never tried their plan before but

I've learned from it how important listening to my own body metabolism is in

weight loss. WW has a little booklet on how to tell what mix of food, i.e.,

protein, carbs, fats, your body does best on. I realized I needed them all

at every meal! Since I've been making sure I get enough carbs to satisfy my

craving at dinner, especially, I've been losing weight consistently. Also, I

was eating a lot of low-fat foods at first on WW because they are lower

points. But when I stopped losting weight temporarily I figured out it was

because I needed to use a little fat every day. My WW leader calls is

" accessorizing " with high points foods--cheese, avocado, oils, and, (in my

case) butter. You add those fats or high points items as a flourish to top

off an already satisfying meal.

I really love that I've been able to lose weight with their plan. They've

made me more aware of the five fruits/veggies necessary every day. They've

made me more aware of the potions I used to eat and how to eat smart and

still feel satisfied. They've made me more aware of the benefit of exercise

and encouraged me to find an exercise modality that works for me. And

they've encrouaged my focus on the overall process of slimming down and

looking for positive qualities in myself more than just deciding my self

image on what the scale says today, right now. I've lost a little over 12

pounds in 12 weeks. That's pretty good! The most weight loss I've seen in

ten years!

in LA

[Guest guest]

,

I think that you and have discovered what most people who try a

low-carb diet discover. They are simply not meant to be done long

term. That was also my experience when I used a low-carb diet. The

cravings will do you in and after a while you hit a plateau which

cannot be overcome. They are good for getting rid of water weight,

though.

And I also think (as you have discovered) that the lowfat thing can

be overdone. In fact, it may even be necessary to supplement with

essential fatty acids if a person has been doing lowfat for a long

time. Taking DHA and CLA (Tonalin) can help the body recover and

start metabolizing fats normally again.

I think you are both on the right track to optimum health with the

right kind of diet. And, as you've already discovered, the scale

doesn't tell you all you need to know.

Best wishes,

Celeste

in LA wrote:

> I discovered the same thing you did about low-carb diets. They

just didn't

> work for me at all. I developed terrible, ghastly cravings for any

and all

> kinds of sweets, breads, crackers, chips. My old endo insisted I

must not

> allow myself to eat carbs of any kind or I would never lose

weight! The more

> I tried to comply, the worse the cravings got. And I kept packing

on pounds!

>

> About 12 weeks ago I started going to Weight Watchers since getting

> stabilized on my thyroid medicine. I've never tried their plan

before but

> I've learned from it how important listening to my own body

metabolism is in

> weight loss. WW has a little booklet on how to tell what mix of

food, i.e.,

> protein, carbs, fats, your body does best on. I realized I needed

them all

> at every meal! Since I've been making sure I get enough carbs to

satisfy my

> craving at dinner, especially, I've been losing weight

consistently. Also, I

> was eating a lot of low-fat foods at first on WW because they are

lower

> points. But when I stopped losting weight temporarily I figured

out it was

> because I needed to use a little fat every day. My WW leader calls

is

> " accessorizing " with high points foods--cheese, avocado, oils, and,

(in my

> case) butter. You add those fats or high points items as a

flourish to top

> off an already satisfying meal.

>

> I really love that I've been able to lose weight with their plan.

They've

> made me more aware of the five fruits/veggies necessary every day.

They've

> made me more aware of the potions I used to eat and how to eat

smart and

> still feel satisfied. They've made me more aware of the benefit of

exercise

> and encouraged me to find an exercise modality that works for me.

And

> they've encrouaged my focus on the overall process of slimming down

and

> looking for positive qualities in myself more than just deciding my

self

> image on what the scale says today, right now. I've lost a little

over 12

> pounds in 12 weeks. That's pretty good! The most weight loss I've

seen in

> ten years!

>

> T. wrote:

> > I was convinced until recently that I had to stay on low carb

plans but

> > for me they did not work I just started dreaming about bread and

the whole

> > cycle would start over again.

> > I have found that as long as I am on my medicine I can lose

weight on a

> > lowfat diet this does not mean jellybeans all day which is the

way i used

> > to diet. This means lots of water, fruits and vegetables, a

moderate

> > amount of protein, including a healthy selection of breads,

potatoes, rice

> > and grains. I have been losing about two pounds a week.

>

[Guest guest]

>> I've lost a little over 12 pounds in 12 weeks.

, that is terrific - keep up the hard work

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[Guest guest]

Bianca,

When I was interested in weight loss I just got a custom nutrition

plan from Gold's Gym (I used to work there as a personal trainer).

They use Apex Fitness program and you can find out about that at

www.apexfitness.com . That was several years ago, but I might still

have the diet plan around somewhere.

My current diet emphasizes carbs and protein. I don't eat sugary stuff

like baked goods. I don't drink fruit juices, but sometimes I do have

Gatorade. I eat about 3 pieces of fruit a day. I try to eat more

vegetables than fruit. I use protein powder (Designer Whey) in my

breakfast cereal. I eat meat, poultry, or fish at lunch and dinner. I

eat a lot of calories . . . probably at least 2500 a day if not more.

I work out at the gym with heavy (for instance, I bench press 135

pounds for reps and do several sets) weights for an hour or so every

other day. On the off days I either run, walk, or bicycle for an hour

or so. I had knee surgery about a year and a half ago. I had torn the

cartilage in my knee and it had to be repaired (cartilage does not

repair itself). Once I worked back up to being able to run 6 miles I

backed off on the running and started to diversify my cardiovascular

exercise more. I do love to exercise. It's like meditation. I also do

stuff like SCUBA diving and climbing just for fun. I think it's

important to be strong because muscle is pretty much the only tissue

in the body that is metabolically active.

Best wishes for great health!

Celeste

Bianca wrote:

>

> Celeste- you seem to be knowledgable about diet and

> exercise. Would you feel comfortable sharing your

> method of eating and exercise?

>

> Thanks-

[Guest guest]

Jim,

You do a LOT heavier wheights that what my friend and I do( we're

both women and really don't need big bulky muscles. I used to 90 lbs

on the leg press and that was a lot for me! ) I do 3 days weights,

and 3 days cardio. My work-out clothes are my " uniform " .

I'm just trying to find a diet that is something I can live with. It

sounds like you watch calories more than anything. Have you looked at

Bill 's plan? It's the same as some of the Protein diets in

that you eat 6 times a day. I'll check out that website you mentioned

previously though.

As a note to everyone..............

I went with my husband and kid to a car show today. Because of the

high restrictions of a protein power diet, I couldn't eat hardly

anything there. I did eat some tuna salad and lettuce but that was

it.....I was ABSOLUTELY starving by the time we got through. I ate

everything( within reason, still no breads or rice)in site when we

got to the restuarant. I drank some water but nowhere near my gallon

that I normally eat. It was rough. Now I'm gonna have to work out

extra hard tomorrow to combat the " damage " done today. Low-carb diets

are VERY HARD.

Okay..I'll quit whining!! LOL

P.

> >

> > Celeste- you seem to be knowledgable about diet and

> > exercise. Would you feel comfortable sharing your

> > method of eating and exercise?

> >

> > Thanks-

[Guest guest]

OOOOOOOOoooooooooppppppppppppppssssssssssssss!!! I thought that was

Jim that wrote that.

Sorry about that Celeste!

> > >

> > > Celeste- you seem to be knowledgable about diet and

> > > exercise. Would you feel comfortable sharing your

> > > method of eating and exercise?

> > >

> > > Thanks-

[Guest guest]

,

No, I do not count or restrict calories. I was only trying to provide

you with an idea of the minimum amount of calories that I probably eat

in any given day. I do try to avoid free fats (that is, fats that are

separate from the foods they belong in). So I don't use butter or

margarine. I don't even use much oil in cooking. I do, on the other

hand, eat avocado, peanut butter, olives, and other foods that are

naturally high in fat.

I think that low carb diets cause damage to thyroid function. When you

cut back on carbohydrates too much then you also cause the brain to

produce too little serotonin. Lack of serotonin leads to lethargy,

depression, and sugar cravings. Also, restricting carbs leads to the

shutdown of T4 to T3 conversion. It may even be responsible for so

much of the 's Syndrome that is currently being seen. Of course,

if your T4 to T3 conversion is already too low then you are " stuck "

with having to maintain a low carb diet . . . at least until you can

reverse the damage it has done.

Please do take a look at the Apex Nutrition web site for a sensible

approach to nutrition for fitness and weight loss.

Much aloha,

Celeste

P. wrote:

>

> I'm just trying to find a diet that is something I can live with. It

> sounds like you watch calories more than anything. Have you looked

at

> Bill 's plan? It's the same as some of the Protein diets in

> that you eat 6 times a day. I'll check out that website you

mentioned

> previously though.

>

> As a note to everyone..............

>

> I went with my husband and kid to a car show today. Because of the

> high restrictions of a protein power diet, I couldn't eat hardly

> anything there. I did eat some tuna salad and lettuce but that was

> it.....I was ABSOLUTELY starving by the time we got through. I ate

> everything( within reason, still no breads or rice)in site when we

> got to the restuarant. I drank some water but nowhere near my gallon

> that I normally eat. It was rough. Now I'm gonna have to work out

> extra hard tomorrow to combat the " damage " done today. Low-carb

diets

> are VERY HARD.