Optimizing Keto for Thyroid: Balancing Health and Weight Goals
I’m the type of person that tends to get obsessed with numbers; especially when I’m dieting. Although I know that keto is supposed to be a lifestyle change, I still get hung up on the weight loss aspect of it.
My husband keeps reminding me why I started keto in the first place; to not only feel better, but to help with my thyroid issues. He keeps telling me not to worry about weight loss. Yes, I have lost ten pounds so far, but it seems to be slowing down. I have been taking synthroid for about two weeks now, and it’s not really supposed to kick in for about a month. I am taking the lowest dose, so I’m not sure if it will be enough to lower my thyroid antibodies, or to lower my blood sugar or cholesterol. Those things remain to be seen.
I have decided to stop tracking calories on my Cronometer app, and instead to focus on carbs, protein and fat. There is some debate on whether calorie counting is needed on the keto diet. I recently wrote a post about that. In the past when I was doing a conventional calorie deficit diet, I would beat myself up if I was going over my daily calorie allotment. I am starting to to the same with net carbs now. I try not to go over 50 net a day, however, in order to meet my caloric goals I find myself going over almost every day. Taking calories out of the equation might allow me to focus more on hunger and fullness cues instead of worrying about eating enough calories.
Eating enough fat and protein should allow me to be satisfied with less food overall. Yes, I do eat keto sweets, but I try not to eat too much of them. Of course, if I go over my carb allowance, am I really doing keto? Technically, no. But I am not obsessed with staying in ketosis. In fact, some days I eat less carbs, and sometimes more. It all seems to balance out.
If I stop being obsessed with weight loss, I might give myself more freedom to focus on how I feel, not what I am eating. Some people on dirty keto don’t track anything. They rely on their experience to know when they are eating enough fat and protein. But they tend to eat way less carbs than me, at 20 net or less a day. I tried to do that, and failed. I suppose I could be really strict, but I would never stick with it.
My biggest problem is guilt that I am not “doing it right”. When I first started out, I started with the Atkins 40 diet. This diet provides a range of macros which I really liked:
Protein
75–135
Fat
81–140
Carbs
48–52
The reason that I switched over to the Cronometer app is that the Atkins app is terrible. It just didn’t give me the freedom that I wanted. There is also an Atkins 100 diet that allows 100 net carbs a day. I am wondering if I might do better on this. After a recent cheat day, I was surprised to find that I felt fine. I was afraid that I might feel like crap after eating so many carbs, but I didn’t. My other fear is gaining weight, although 100 net carbs a day is not that much. In fact my doctor told me that he tells newly diagnosed diabetics to keep the carbs between 100–150 per day. He thought that 50 net carbs a day was really strict.
Allowing myself 100 net carbs a day might be beneficial as I won’t feel so guilty about going over my daily carb allotment. Of course, this is not “keto”. It also restricts the possibility of increasing carbs after I reach a weight loss goal, in order to maintain it. But is that really so important? On an average day before I started keto, I was eating almost 300 grams of carbs. This is pretty accurate as I was eating little to no fiber. My digestion was all screwed up, and I felt sick all of the time.
Weigh ins are the bane of my existence. Even though I have lost ten pounds, sometimes I don’t lose much at all. Sometimes I will gain. And that sends me spiraling into thoughts of being a failure. I’m not saying I won’t weigh in at all, but I will certainly decrease the amount of weigh ins to maybe once a month, instead of every two weeks.
The bottom line here is sticking to this lifestyle for the long-term. I find myself already getting fatigued with it. I am seeing results, but at what cost to my psyche? Increasing my carbs might make it much easier to stick with for the duration. I do not want to gain back the weight that I lost. Perhaps a slow increase by 10 net carbs a month until I can see how I do with it is the way to go. Stay tuned for updates.
Writer, blogger and 60 something housewife who is exploring the keto diet. Follow me on my journey of discovery. View all posts by Janice Schroeder
Originally published at https://fromcarbstoketo.com on June 13, 2024.
