Newbie here

[Donmar]

Hi,
I have been reading these posts for a some time now and am very intrigued and yet confused as to what to eat. I see that some people only eat fruit, some eat fruit and dairy and still others include other proteins as well. I am just confused as to where to start. I have tried to just eat fruit and dairy for a couple of days. I also included coffee w/that. But my cravings for junk food just take over and then I am out of control and eat everything under the sun and then feel horrible.

I also have hashimotos, like many here, I am only on 1/4 grain of armour. I have felt depressed, lelthargic and much brain fog for most of my life, and yet no doctors help. Am overwhelmed as to where to start and what would be the best start for me.

Anything that anyone could suggest would be greatly appreciated. I did just yesterday order wp throid.

Thanks,
Donna

 

[4peatssake]

Donmar

I experience intense cravings only when I don't eat enough sugar. I don't mean white sugar, but enough sugar for my body to function optimally.

My sources of sugar are from OJ, ripe fruit, milk, white sugar in coffee (hot) and milk coffee (iced), honey, Mexican coke

Protein sources for me include gelatin, eggs, milk, steak, calf liver, shellfish, chicken (occasionally)

Fat from coconut oil (primary source) small amounts of butter and olive oil.

Salt food to taste

I use Cronometer to record my nutrient intake, particularly when I'm having issues.

Protein should be at least 80 grams per day - up to 150 grams depending on your personal requirements.

It takes time to figure out what works best for each individual as there is a lot to learn and unlearn but it's been well worth it for me to say the least. :)

If you post what you are currently eating, that can give us a better idea of what could be causing your cravings.

Good luck!

 

[Donmar]

Thank you for the good info. For the last 4 days my eating has looked liked this...

bkfst..1/2 cup oj that I take first thing in a.m. to take my 1/4 grain armour. Then I ate a peach and banana, along with a cup of coffee w/4 tsp sugar and 1/2 cup half and half. Then I either eat a hard boiled egg or a 1 oz cheese stick.

Snack...I have been having an iced coffee made w/4 tsp sugar and 1/2 cup half and half.

Lunch today..not much in house so I had 4 slices of deli ham rolled up w/cheese slices. I also had a carrot salad and a peach.

Appx an hour later...I just keep losing it...and started eating everything in sight..from cereal bars to chips to cookies. Unfortunately all PUFA filled...I just don't seem to have any control and this has been the scenario for the last 4 days.

I am so tired all the time and the junk food seems to wake me up. Should I eat more food for breakfast and lunch??

 

[4peatssake]

Thank you for the good info. For the last 4 days my eating has looked liked this...

bkfst..1/2 cup oj that I take first thing in a.m. to take my 1/4 grain armour. Then I ate a peach and banana, along with a cup of coffee w/4 tsp sugar and 1/2 cup half and half. Then I either eat a hard boiled egg or a 1 oz cheese stick.

Snack...I have been having an iced coffee made w/4 tsp sugar and 1/2 cup half and half.

Lunch today..not much in house so I had 4 slices of deli ham rolled up w/cheese slices. I also had a carrot salad and a peach.

Appx an hour later...I just keep losing it...and started eating everything in sight..from cereal bars to chips to cookies. Unfortunately all PUFA filled...I just don't seem to have any control and this has been the scenario for the last 4 days.

I am so tired all the time and the junk food seems to wake me up. Should I eat more food for breakfast and lunch??

Yeah not enough food.
I'd nix the banana, they are high in tryptophan, and be sure the peaches, which are low in tryptophan, are fully ripened.
If you tolerate OJ, I'd increase it and use it for my carbs, up to 1 liter. But some people don't tolerate a lot of liquid so again it's a balancing act in finding what works best for you. Fruit is wondrous provided it's fully ripened. Tropical fruits are optimal.
For the ice coffee I'd use 1% milk rather than the half and half unless you are trying to gain weight.

My recipe:
2.5 c 1%milk
1 TB gelatin (I used Great Lakes, green can)
2 TB sugar
1 TB instant coffee
.5 TSP canning salt
1 TB MCT oil
1 TSP vanilla (optional)
Ice

I'd avoid processed food like the deli meat and cheese slices. It can be difficult to find good sources of cheese where I live but I can sometimes source raw milk cheese with animal rennet and that is optimal.

I like to drink OJ and milk together with sugar when I'm craving. I know now when my sugar stores are low simply by how much sugar I want in my coffee. It was hard initially to be so free with sugar since I'd been brainwashed into thinking sugar was the problem for decades.

If you want sweets eat 'em. Just make healthy ones. Chocolate milk, flourless brownies.
If you crave chips, make homemade french fries in coconut oil, provided you tolerate pototoes.
My family loves it when I make fries and burgers for dinner. Just nix the bun and eat some gelatin along with the ground beef.

Oh and gummy bears! Yum! You can make homemade gummy bears and snack away on them.

Do you monitor your temperature and pulse?
1/4 grain of Armour is a very small dose. Did a doctor prescribe it for you?
I take 2 grains of NDT (Thiroyd). Had 50 years of untreated hypothyroidism.

 

[Donmar]

Thank you for the wealth of info...I am trying to piece this all together..and it makes it worse w/my awful brain fog to make heads or tails of this. I will definitely put your suggestions to good use. As of right now I have not been monitoring my pulse. And yes, my 1/4 grain of armour is doctor prescribed..I have been trying for years to get more but to no avail (until now)...I have put in an order for wp thiroid and waiting for it to come in. I too have hypothyroidism and have suffered for more than 25 years with no help from any md's at all.
Am looking forward to making this all work!!

 

[4peatssake]

The recipe section of the forum may be a good resource for you as well.
And ask any questions you wish.
Someone on here will likely have an answer for you. It's a pretty great place.

I understand about brain fog.
When it was bad for me I found that lists and meal planning helped a lot.
Don't worry, slow and steady wins the race.

So glad you found us!

 

[Katty]

Welcome!
I agree with 4 peatsssake: "not enough food." There's a reason you're craving/eating a ton of junk food at that point in the day: It's because you haven't eaten enough calories. The body will crave sugar and/or easily digestible food (like "junk" food... cookies, cake, ice cream, etc) when you haven't given it enough food because it needs energy quickly- it knows sugary, easily digestible food will give you quick energy.
So be aware that it's not only about eating the "right" foods, but also about eating enough food. Even if fruit and dairy are good for you, if you've only eaten 500 calories by 3pm, you'll be starving and the body's cravings will kick in to get what it needs (the body ain't stupid).
If you've historically been eating low calorie, then you can go slow with increasing calories (for instance, if you've only been eating 1200 calories a day, you don't need to jump up to 2200 calories in one day), but slowly increase calories daily/weekly until you're satisfied throughout the day.
Good luck =)

 

[Donmar]

Thank you Katty for the above info...I am really enjoying all of this learning and am looking forward to learning so much more.

4peatssake...I have a question...I was going to make your iced coffee recipe and I noticed there was no water in your recipe...do you not use water in your iced coffee...or was it an oversight. Also...if you do not use hot water...does the instant coffee blend well still. Also my coffee is not the instant brand but the slow drip kind you put in a filter, not sure if I could use that kind.

Just one more question...when I was having my breakfast today...I am still confused as to how much and what I should be eating...could you give me an example as to what your breakfast was like.

Don't know if it makes a difference..but I am 52 years old and appx 30/35 lbs overweight.

Many thanks again all!!

 

[4peatssake]

Welcome!
I agree with 4 peatsssake: "not enough food." There's a reason you're craving/eating a ton of junk food at that point in the day: It's because you haven't eaten enough calories. The body will crave sugar and/or easily digestible food (like "junk" food... cookies, cake, ice cream, etc) when you haven't given it enough food because it needs energy quickly- it knows sugary, easily digestible food will give you quick energy.
So be aware that it's not only about eating the "right" foods, but also about eating enough food. Even if fruit and dairy are good for you, if you've only eaten 500 calories by 3pm, you'll be starving and the body's cravings will kick in to get what it needs (the body ain't stupid).
If you've historically been eating low calorie, then you can go slow with increasing calories (for instance, if you've only been eating 1200 calories a day, you don't need to jump up to 2200 calories in one day), but slowly increase calories daily/weekly until you're satisfied throughout the day.
Good luck =)

Good stuff.

 

[4peatssake]

4peatssake...I have a question...I was going to make your iced coffee recipe and I noticed there was no water in your recipe...do you not use water in your iced coffee...or was it an oversight. Also...if you do not use hot water...does the instant coffee blend well still. Also my coffee is not the instant brand but the slow drip kind you put in a filter, not sure if I could use that kind.

Yes, no water in the iced "milk" coffee recipe and use instant coffee. The drip kind won't dissolve so it will be gritty.

I use drip coffee for regular drip coffee and also for espresso in my aeropress but for the iced "milk" coffee I use instant because the instant dissolves in liquid. I have both a Cuisinart stick blender and a Blendtec so I use either one to blend it all together because they both will crush the ice.

Just one more question...when I was having my breakfast today...I am still confused as to how much and what I should be eating...could you give me an example as to what your breakfast was like.

My go to breakfast is:
Two eggs (I vary how make them, boiled, poached, scrambled or over easy in coconut oil)
8oz OJ
Coffee w/gelatin, 1/4 c half and half, 2 T sugar

Sometimes I'll prefer iced coffee (esp in summer) and if I do that, I'll have that first and wait a bit on my eggs and juice or the other way around because it's filling and so I nurse it. :)

I'll sometimes have left over home fries from the night before with my eggs as well.

Other times I'll make a smoothie for breakfast with Greek yogurt or Skyr, OJ, fruit, honey (a lot but I don't measure), 1 T gelatin, 1 T MCT oil, .5 T salt

Always some kind of coffee.

 

[Donmar]

Thank you so much!!!

 

[tara]

I am so tired all the time and the junk food seems to wake me up. Should I eat more food for breakfast and lunch??

Donna

Yes. And good stuff rom 4peatssake and Katty.

Undereating can cause the body to reduce metabolism to defend itself (so you don't use up so much of your own organs for fuel). Supplementing thyroid while under-eating may cause more stress, and the body may still want do what it can to reduce metabolism.

 

[4peatssake]

Supplementing thyroid while under-eating may cause more stress, and the body may still want do what it can to reduce metabolism.

She's got Hashimoto's disease so taking thyroid is a must.
If anything, I think the dose is too low.

More of the right food should quickly knock down the cravings. That's what happened for me. All the cravings for junk food disappeared once I discovered they weren't evidence of my "addiction to sugar" but my body's way of telling me the problem was a "lack of sugar."

But it wasn't until I began taking thyroid (which in my case was right after I got going on food) that the body began to have enough energy to function.

Everyone's situation is different. RP took a look at my history and saw 50 years of untreated hypothyroidism. First thing he recommended was thyroid supplementation.

 

[tara]

She's got Hashimoto's disease so taking thyroid is a must.
If anything, I think the dose is too low.

More of the right food should quickly knock down the cravings. That's what happened for me. All the cravings for junk food disappeared once I discovered they weren't evidence of my "addiction to sugar" but my body's way of telling me the problem was a "lack of sugar."

But it wasn't until I began taking thyroid (which in my case was right after I got going on food) that the body began to have enough energy to function.

Everyone's situation is different. RP took a look at my history and saw 50 years of untreated hypothyroidism. First thing he recommended was thyroid supplementation.

It makes sense that different situations need different remedies. Maybe both will be needed here. I am no expert on hashimoto's.