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Diet in hypothyroidism

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I am a 24 year old male, who is 248-250(5.11), who is hypothyroid, and want to know the best foods to eat to lose weight keeping in mind my low thyroid disorder. I am currently seeing a personal trainer, and he told me I should lose 25-40 pounds, because I have lots of muscle, but also plenty of fat covering. Please give me an example of the best foods to eat, and a example of a typical day, lastly what is the best fresh juice to drink for my situation? As I use a juicer almost daily, currently I take carrot, apple and beat almost regularly. Thank you

Category: Endocrinologist

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Category: Diabetologist
 24 Doctors Online

Hello,

Thank you for choosing DoctorSpring.

I assume that the hypothyroidism is fully evaluated. Also I hope you had a base level blood test done and it is normal. Dear friend in that case I will have to put it bluntly - weight loss is not about the kind of food you eat, it is just about how you can manage your calories.

See this equation. Your body will need around 2400 Kcal per day to function normally. Imagine you are exercising to burn 600 Kcal. So totally your body will need 3000 Kcal to maintain the weight.

BUT instead of this 3000KCal per day assume that you are only taking 1500Kcal per day as food. That means your body is deficient of 1500 Kcal - which the body will burn from the fat.

If you are trying to loose weigh - you will not be able to eat nutritious diet. But that's ok for short term like 6months to 1 year if you are otherwise healthy. My specific recommendations would be

1. Quantify - Write down your calorie intake and final calorie for a day in a diary every day. Target a Calorie intake final of 1500
2. Exercise per day - Moderate intensity / High intensity training for 1 hour
3. Include lean meat, fish, protein rich nuts, seeds.
4. Avoid bread, rice based food items
5. Include vegetables like Broccoli, lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini once a day. This should replace 1 meal
6. If possible avoid milk, sugar, sweetened drinks, juices.

Now let me ascertain this fact. Your target should be 1500 KCal per day. So calculate the calorie taken each day. There are plenty of online tools like myfitnesspal for this purpose.

If you plan to go without milk it is better to take a Calcium 500+Vit D3 supplement once a day. There are no specific dietary requirements for hypothyroidism

Instead of juice consume the whole fruit or vegetable. This is more filling and healthier.
With this approach you should be able to reach your desired goal in less than 1 years time.

All the recommendations are evidence based
Hope this helps
Feel free to ask followups // clarifications
Thank you


Patient replied :

not as helpful as I would have liked, I wanted a example of a diet that would be the best for my case, and yes I have had lots of bloodwork and I take 0.75 mg of synthroid the purple small oval pill.. How can I increase my metaobolism? and lastly if im going to juice veggies, should i stick with carrot,apple , beet? thanks alot


As I have mentioned earlier, your body will require around 2400K cals per day. I will give you a list of foods you should eat and and ideal plan for a day.
You can kickstart your day with a bowl of cereals with one cup of low fat milk, or a multi grain cereal bowl with a cup of low fat milk. A hard boilded egg. You can add a fruit of your choice. Avoid peaches and pears on a regular bases as they tend to slow the thyroid function.

Mid-day meal : You can have a chicken sandwich with salad with NO dressing.

Lunch: Baked fish with boiled veggies, 2 baked potatoes/ Or a cup of boiled rice/ wheat bread

Evening snack: You can snack on a 2-3 high fibre biscuits

Dinner: Chicken salad with minimal to no dressing. A fruit of you choice.

The above diet will provide your daily requirement of around 2400Kcals per day. You are allowed one cheat meal a week. Add a lot of fish (salt water fish) to your diet as it will help with your thyroid function too.
Avoid a few foods like pears , peaches, cabbage, broccoli, pinenuts, peanuts , spinach on a regular bases. Once a week is fine.

In addition to your diet as I have pointed earlier, it is very important to exercise. Not only will it help you reduce weight but will boost the functioning of your thyroid gland which will make you feel more energetic.
A brisk walk for 40 minutes, for 5 days a week is ideal. But a minimum of atleast 3 times a week is required.

As for your juice you can have any juice of your choice, just avoid the above mentioned fruits or vegetables.
No specific diet modifications are needed for the Thyroid problem
I hope this has helped. Wishing you good health


Dr. J Muthukrishnan
Category: Diabetologist
Experience: 
Fellowships/Training: 
1. 10th Asia-Pacific Pediatric Endocrine Society  Fellows meeting, Seoul, Korea, Oct 2008
2. Eighth ICMR Course on Genetics and Genetic Counseling – Jul 2008 – SGPGI, Lucknow
3. Annual Certificate Course on Endocrinological Laboratory Techniques at National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR) Hyderabad,India, ( Aug-Sep 2006) 
Fellowship: Endocrinology, Diplomate of National Board, National Academy of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 2008, Medwin Hospital, Hyderabad
Senior Residency: Diplomate of National Board (General Medicine), National Academy of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 2002
Residency: MD, General Medicine, 1997-2000, Armed Forces Medical College, 2nd position in University
Medical School: MBBS, Armed Forces Medical College, 1992
Dr. J Muthukrishnan and 4 other Medical Specialists are ready to help you

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