Lesson 6: Eating Right and Losing Weight With Hypothyroidism
Barriers to Weight Loss for the Hypothyroid
One of the most frustrating and unwanted symptoms of hypothyroidism is weight gain. It’s usually slow, but steady. You may not even correlate your weight gain with a thyroid condition. After a while, the weight gain is noticeable, so you try everything to lose the excess weight. No matter what you do, it sticks to you like glue.
Although hypothyroidism is not a major cause of obesity, it does cause weight gain, for the majority of people who struggle with the condition. Since hypothyroidism is low thyroid function and low thyroid function indicates a slower metabolism than normal, a person can find him or herself gaining weight while eating less and doing more. (That is, if they feel well enough to do that!)
Until the thyroid receives the proper amount of hormones, most of that weight gain will remain. Even then, it’s possible that you could have another condition that causes weight gain. Your thyroid may have started the weight gain, but it may not be the end-all fix you had hoped it would be.
The endocrine system is made up of a variety of hormones, many of which can have an impact on body weight and metabolism. Sometimes, people are on medications such as antidepressants or certain steroids which contribute to weight gain as well.
Stress can also cause weight gain. Some say it’s because you eat more when you are stressed out. Some people do that. I am one of those!
However, there is a growing belief that the excess hormones released by the kidneys to combat the stress increase a person’s weight. Cortisol is that hormone. It helps provide energy for the body. It also stimulates fat and carbohydrate metabolism which gives the body quick and easy energy. It also causes insulin to be released. (We will discuss this concept further when we get into insulin resistance). The more insulin that exists in your system, the more fat you seem to retain. More fat means more weight.
Serotonin, the feel-good chemical, can also impact weight. Low serotonin levels seem to cause cravings, especially for carbohydrate-rich or sweet foods that often have low nutritional value yet provide quick energy. (Think chocolate!) Low estrogen levels can cause low serotonin levels and affect energy, mood and more.
WOW! This can sure get complex. The point I’m trying to make is that your weight gain may not just be overeating or an under active thyroid. If your thyroid hormones are normal and you feel good – thyroid-wise, you could have another hormonal barrier to weight loss. You should certainly look into it. Too often, however, people don’t think to look or even know where to.
Another problem is that the medical community doesn’t really understand the delicate balance of hormones and weight as well as perhaps it should. (Of course, that’s not the point of this section!)
Regardless, brain chemistry, depression, overeating, stress and hormonal balances including those of the thyroid can all contribute to ‘inexplicable’ weight gain. Before we ‘blame it all on the thyroid’ and learn ways to lose weight despite hypothyroidism, I want to discuss two more conditions that are correlated to hypothyroidism and possibly more likely to cause weight gain. These conditions are referred to as metabolic resistance and insulin resistance.
These two disorders go hand in hand. Metabolic resistance relates to the set point at which your body will burn calories and thus, fat. As your weight goes up, the amount of calories you need to eat to lose weight seems to go down. This can be a vicious cycle, especially for those who are chronically overweight. The longer you remain overweight, the more stress you put on your body’s metabolic set point. Therefore, the longer you stay overweight, the more likely you are to remain that way.
Insulin resistance does not allow a body to use its own insulin with efficiency. Basically, those with the condition become desensitized to insulin’s effect on the cells. More insulin gets produced with fewer results. The pancreas goes into overdrive and the body stores more fat. This condition, if gone untreated, can lead to a host of ills including Diabetes Mellitus, heart disease and stroke.
If a person is hypothyroid, he or she may be more likely to develop certain related conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol, specifically the triglycerides, and pre-diabetes. Throw in genetic factors and lifestyles and you have recipe for potential disaster.
Losing weight with any of these conditions becomes very important for increasing mortality and basic quality of life. The challenge to lose weight gets harder as it becomes more necessary. I think that’s either the definition of irony or a great way to look at Murphy’s Law.
However, it is not impossible to lose weight with hypothyroidism or any of these other contributing factors. You can do it. You just need to know if it’s your thyroid, first and foremost. Secondly, you should learn the landscape of your overall health, especially with respect to all the hormones we mentioned in this section.
Finally, you should eat in such a way as to help yourself, not hurt yourself. That may require that you rethink everything you’ve heard before about nutrition. You’ll also need to exercise too.
I know I’ve presented a lot of ifs and it may be confusing to you know. However, as we get further into this topic, some things will become clear:
- 1. The thyroid impacts weight, usually with the help of other hormones.
2. Eating right with hypothyroidism is usually low-sugar, low refined-carbohydrate and high protein.
3. You should always know your scores: your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood glucose and thyroid levels. These pieces of information are INVALUABLE for helping you to manage your weight and your condition.
4. It’s not all about the overeating, although you do need to be honest about what and how much you do eat.
In the next section, we’ll talk about foods that may harm the thyroid. After that, we’ll jump right into the low-fat vs. low-carb debate. I’ll present some information and you can make your own determinations. We’ll also debunk some myths about low-carb, high protein eating and much, more. So, get ready!
