Are you among the many individuals that has been diagnosed with hypothyroidism? If you are, I’m sure you will appreciate exactly how tough it can be to lose excess body weight. It is a condition that has seen a massive increase in the number of people affected by it over the last few years and unfortunately has a huge effect on the bodies ability to maintain a normal weight.
As of right now there are said to be over 26 million people all over America who have been diagnosed as having the condition, but there are even more people out there who have yet to be diagnosed and therefore given the treatment they need.
Another condition that has seen a massive surge in the number of people suffering from it in recent years is subclinical hypothyroidism. This condition usually comes about as a result of poor diet and results in the person experiencing a lot of the known symptoms normally associated with hypothyroidism but when the doctor does some simple tests their thyroid is working perfectly. All this person needs to do is change their diet and usually, everything will be fine.
An individual that has hypothyroidism will basically end up having a slower metabolism, which will result in him or her burning far fewer calories over the course of a day. This is precisely why you may struggle to lose the excess body fat. The reason this happens in the first place is because your thyroid glands are not producing adequate amounts of thyroid hormones known as T3 and T4. These are very important because they are responsible for making sure that your body’s metabolism is working correctly.
If you don’t happen to have the right amount of thyroid hormones in your body then you will essentially end up burning far fewer calories. Fewer calories burnt means less fat is being lost! So being a person that’s suffering from hypothyroidism it’s going to be in your interest to do whatever you can to get your thyroid working as it should be working. But you really don’t need to worry because if you’re prepared to follow the steps below then you will find that your health will drastically improve in no time at all and you will end up losing a ton of weight really quickly.
5 Steps To Help You Lose Weight With an Underactive Thyroid
1. Get the testing you need to diagnose and treat your condition: The most essential step of all is to make sure that you get down to your Naturopath or doctor to get yourself tested for hypothyroidism. Only once it is official will you be able to actually get the treatment you need to get your health back in order.
To give you a diagnosis your doctor will essentially give you a blood test which will measure two things. The amount of thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) you have in your body as well as the amount of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) you have running about. If the blood test comes back to show that you have low amounts of thyroid hormone and high amounts of TSH then it’s a very good indication that you indeed are suffering from hypothyroidism.
Officially as stated by the American Thyroid Association, you’re required to have a TSH level of 2.5 mIU/L or greater to be officially diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Once it has been officially declared that you have an under-active thyroid, your doctor will more than likely prescribe you with medication that’s officially known as levothyroxine.
This medication is a synthetic form of T4 that will help you get your levels of thyroid hormone back into the healthy range. There are some side effects, so it’s up to you to weigh the pros and cons and research alternatives. Book stores are a good place to start!
2. Start eating healthier, more nutrient rich meals: It is very, very important that you start eating more healthy and balanced meals from now on. You need to make sure that every meal contains a healthy portion of vegetables and a good source of lean protein.
The reason why protein is very important is because it is the most satiating of all macronutrients out there, so you will find that hours upon hours go by before you feel hungry. The other benefit of consuming quality protein is that it will help to preserve your precious muscle mass, which is important for keeping your metabolism running high.
3. Start consuming foods rich in fiber and cut out the processed junk foods: Processed foods are literally an empty source of calories that are doing you no good, and are actually working against your goal of maintaining a healthy weight.
Instead of junk foods you need to start consuming more foods that contain a good source of fiber. I say this because fiber is very important to help prevent a chronic case of constipation which is very common among people who have a low thyroid. Fiber rich foods are also very satiating which is good to help get you into shape that much faster!
4. Exercise on a consistent basis: Even if you dedicate just a few minutes a day to exercise it is enough to help you get your metabolism up and running and get your body to burn a few more calories!
So instead of taking the lift you should run up the stairs, doing small things like this throughout the day will massively help to boost up your metabolism which is very important when you want to lose weight and get into great shape fast. The best part of implementing a solid fitness routine into your life is that you don’t just burn calories when you actually do the exercise but you also help to build up muscle mass which will work to increase your metabolism.
Of course, the higher your metabolism the more calories you are going to end up burning over time. And over time you are going to start to look and feel better.
Make sure that you always remain consistent with your effort and never allow hypothyroidism to stop you from getting the body and health of your dreams. You are the only person that is standing in the way of the body you really want. So please don’t ever allow hypothyroidism stop you, because it really can’t!
Just remain positive and keep working towards your goals every single day. Keep this up and you will end up in truly exceptional condition in no time at all.
- 5 Steps to Losing Weight with Hypothyroidism - Apr 5, 2014
