Low carb diets: Heart healthy or not?

[AnonChick]

Originally Posted by jade408

I tried for four months. That's when my levels dropped again.

During my "no supplement period" I took iron 1-2 times a week and upped my iron consumption (more iron-rich foods, using a cast iron pan). I hoped that the semi-regular supplementation would be sufficient, but clearly it wasn't enough. My levels dropped significantly in the 4-6 month experiment without supplements.

Before that, I was on a 2-3 supplements per day regimen (for about a year and a half). That was just too many to continue for me. The higher dose supplement generally upset my stomach unless I take them with a big meal.

So right now I am back to super-supplementing (3x a day) to get back to normal, then I'll try reduce the supplements, hopefully I can find a happy medium, I hate taking the supplements. At the moment I am taking 2x a "mega dose" and 1x a smaller chewable dose every day. The chewable doesn't taste awful or hurt my stomach, so it is a big improvement.

That's what I mean though. You went from 2-3 supplements per day at a high dose - to 1-2x/week with more iron-rich foods.

I'm asking - why not go to 1 supplement/day and more iron rich foods? Why were you going to such extremes? To me, a happy medium between mega-dosing and barely-dosing, would be moderate-dosing.
I'm not seeing that you have even tried that.

Maybe try 2 of those chewables every day. Or even three of them, since they don't bother your stomach.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by AnonChick

That's what I mean though. You went from 2-3 supplements per day at a high dose - to 1-2x/week with more iron-rich foods.

I'm asking - why not go to 1 supplement/day and more iron rich foods? Why were you going to such extremes? To me, a happy medium between mega-dosing and barely-dosing, would be moderate-dosing.
I'm not seeing that you have even tried that.

Maybe try 2 of those chewables every day. Or even three of them, since they don't bother your stomach.

Once my levels are back to normal, I'll gradually decrease. Next round of blood tests is next month. Then I can cut down and evaluate. (When I was diagnosed with low iron, it was at the same time I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, which can cause iron deficiencies. So it was assumed, since I was treating the hypo symptoms, the iron issues would take care of themselves. My iron levels had been pretty normal for a while, even though I had reduced the supplements -- 4 per week. So we reduced them more, after the last blood test since things looked pretty stable. During the same period when the iron decreased dramatically, my thyroid levels were way off, after almost a year of good results. With my last test the thyroid levels were back to normal, so hopefully this will help keep my iron levels up) My health issues (minor) all seem to directly or indirectly relate to my thyroid issues, so it is a little tricky to diagnose. Like the whole chicken or the egg problem.