I have had thyroid cancer and have no thyroid. Since the surgery, four years ago, I have gained over 30 pounds. My doctor has worked with me to find a correct dose of thyroid replacement hormone, but the weight keeps piling on. My doctor finally told me that there is nothing that can be done to stop the weight gain. I am fast approaching type 2 diabetes and his best advice is that it happens! Has anyone out there been in my situation and had success losing weight on the Atkins diet. In his book even Dr. Atkins is not reassuring about people in my sistuation loosing weight.

Please help!

E

Hi Emerald,

I have no answers regarding Atkins and Thyroid disease but I did want to welcome you to the forum. Low carbing will keep your diabetes in control, my husbands blood work is better then normal since he changed his WOE to a low carb diet.

I wish you much luck. You may want to start your own journal. A good place to share your dailies and meet other low carbers.

GO TO ANOTHER DOCTOR! Thyroid problems can be reversed. It seems like your doctor isn't very experienced when it comes to thyroid. Go to a specialist. Just go to someone else. Maybe the medication he has you on isn't right for you.

I've heard that some people who are on Synthroid don't do well but switch to Armour and do very well. Don't let your doctor give up on you! That's very wrong.

It will be very hard to lose the weight if you are not on the correct medication. So first step, look into other doctors ASAP.

I have hypothyroidism and at first my doctor told me I was fine, but after I gained 60 pounds I went back and gave him a talking to. I gave his assistant a shot and his assistant knows more than the doctor! I actually am doing very well on Synthroid.

But it all depends on the doctor.

I had Thyroid Cancer also and they removed my Thyroid... that was in 97' I went from 186 to 217 ..I started Atkins June 1st and now I'm back down to 188...
You need to Low Carb it !! Sugar/starches is why you've gained the weight and why your going diabete... Thyroid problems can be overcome very easily but you've got to listen to your body and gaining weight is it talking to you....
You just can't do/eat the same stuff as before
I'm 46 so thats another thing I've got to overcome
Stick in there!!

I am also hypothyroid and gained more than 30 pounds when my thyroid started to shut down. You can see my success with low carbing by looking at my stats. My doc told me that people with low (or in your case no) thyoid do not process carbs normally. They turn directly into fat. The only thing that has worked for me since my thryoid issues has been low carbing. I have had to do Atkins because it is stricter-and my doctor warned me I probably would never go above 40-50 g of carbs a day, even in maintenance.

You might need to get a referral to an endocrinologist. That is their specialty. Check out this site:
http://thyroid.about.com/mbody.htm

Lots of good information here. One thing that you can read about is that normal TSH levels have been redefined. They have been lowered-so that the level of medication you are on now might need to be upped. I had my doc up mine because I wanted my TSH between 1 and 2.

Thank you everyone for your advice and support. This is my second day of low carbing and my keto stick turned pink! I know I can succeed now and your support means the world to me. Last Friday was the lowest point in my life. I tried to buy a dress to wear to my daughter's wedding ( This September) and NOTHING FIT. After two days of crying I decided to try and do something about it and found this website. Today I went out and bought the book.

Love to you all,

Emerald

Good for you Emerald! I know if you stick to this, it will work for you too. My weight loss has been slow, but steady. I started out with Atkins at 160 (lost 4-5 pounds in the previous 4 months with low fat) and now am hovering around 128. So that is 32 pounds in 10 months. Just be patient. I also take measurements and my inch loss in my waist is way more dramatic. I think you will find that you shrink more quickly than lose weight. Who cares as long as you are smaller, right?

I also find activity is a must. Try to get some exercise and take calcium suppliments!