How to Lose Weight With Hypothyroidism

I can honestly say that the only people out there that are ever going to be able to really and truly understand the struggles of losing weight when they are suffering from hypothyroidism are the people that actually deal with the disease on a day to day basis. Unfortunately as time goes on more and more people are suffering from the condition.

In fact as of today, there are an estimated 30 million people all over the United States who have been officially diagnosed as having hypothyroidism. But the alarming thing is the fact that there are even more people out there that have yet to be diagnosed and given adequate treatment.

Along with hypothyroidism there is another condition that is getting more and more common and that is subclinical hypothyroidism. This is a condition where the person in question suffers from many of the known symptoms of hypothyroidism but when tests are carried out there’s absolutely nothing wrong with his/her thyroid. This is more often than not caused by poor nutrition and if the person would simply implement a solid hypothyroidism diet plan, his or her live would completely transform for the better.

Suffering from hypothyroidism essentially means that you will have a slower metabolism than normal, which means that you’ll be burning far fewer calories over the course of a day.

If your thyroid glands are not working as they should be working then it will lead to you gaining a lot of weight in a really short time frame. This is due to the fact that the thyroid hormones (T4 and T3) are responsible for maintaining your body’s rate of metabolism. They are also responsible for giving your body the energy required to function properly… so you can say that having the right amounts of hormones is essential if you want to burn excess calories.

If you don’t have enough thyroid hormones running through your body they you are just not going to be able to burn enough calories to lose the weight that you want to lose. This is the exact reason why people that actually suffer from hypothyroidism struggle to lose weight.

While rapid weight gain is the most obvious sign that you have hypothyroidism, there are some other symptoms that you may experience as a result of having an underactive thyroid. These include things like feeling tired and weak all the time, having a constant case of constipation, and having thin hair and dry skin.

Working to Keep Your Thyroid Working at Its Optimal

Because you have an underactive thyroid you have to pay extra attention to your diet and the foods you eat. This means you need to start eating healthier and include foods that are rich in minerals such as iodine, iron, zinc and selenium. Doing so will help to keep your thyroid running as good as possible!

Not getting enough quality minerals into your body via your diet is a sure fire way to worsen your hypothyroidism and ultimately never lose the weight that you want to lose.

Here are some simple and easy steps you can follow to lose all the weight that you want to lose in no time at all; even with hypothyroidism!

1. Visit Your Local Doctor to Get Diagnosed and Then Given the Right Treatment

From all the tips that I share with you here in this article the most important is to make sure that you get down to a doctor to get yourself checked out.

Your diagnosis will totally depend on the results of the blood test that you are given. This test will essentially measure how much thyroid hormones (T4 and T3) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) are running through your system. If the test reveals that you have low levels of thyroid hormone and high levels of TSH then it’s a good sign that you are actually suffering from hypothyroidism.

Officially as stated by the American Thyroid Association the amount of TSH you need to have in your body to be officially diagnosed with hypothyroidism is 2.5 mIU/L or more.

If it is known that you are suffering from hypothyroidism, your doctor will typically treat you by prescribing something that is known as levothyroxine, which is essentially a synthetic form of T4. Taking this will help to get your levels of thyroid hormone back to the normal level.

Of course, once your thyroid hormones are back in the normal range, your metabolism will naturally rev up and this will mean you’ll burn far more calories.

2. Begin Consuming More Balanced and Nutritious Meals

Making sure that you consume regular meals that are balanced and nutritious is the key to losing all the excess weight when you have hypothyroidism. Balance out every meal with a healthy portion of vegetables and at least 20 grams of high quality protein.

From all the macronutrients out there, protein is the most satisfying. Not only will you stay full for a lot longer but you will also be ensuring that your metabolism boosting muscle mass is protected from breaking down.

However you need to keep in mind that not all protein is the same. In terms of effectiveness and quality, I’d recommend that you stick with Whey protein because it contains the most amounts of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs), which, of course, are really great for protecting your muscle and on top of that they are great for satisfying your hunger!

3. Cut Out the Junk and Stock Up on the Fiber

The worst thing you can do is start eating a lot of junk foods because this will totally destroy the progress you make towards your weight loss goals. You need to make the effort to totally stop eating unhealthy junk foods from this moment on. This is the most important step you will take and believe me it is the most powerful. You will literally start to see the excess fat melt away.

Instead of consuming junk you should work to consuming foods that are rich in fiber. Doing so will mean that you will feel a lot more full for a lot longer and the great thing about foods with a lot of fiber in them is that it will help you to not get a chronic case of constipation.

4. Exercise as Often as Possible

You really have to implement some form of consistent exercise if you want to shed that excess fat. Even if you’re only able to dedicate 10 minutes a day, it’s enough to get your metabolism going, which will help you to burn more calories.

Not only will you be losing a lot of fat by exercising on a regular basis but by doing specific forms of exercise–such as weight training–and eating really high quality protein you will be slowly but surely be building up your muscle mass, which in turn will help to boost up your metabolic rate, which down the road will mean that you will be losing even more excess fat!

The other benefit of having more muscle mass and less body fat is the fact that you’re going to look and feel remarkable. You’ll literally notice people from everywhere start to compliment you on how great you look.

Just Keep at It – Never Let Hypothyroidism Destroy Your Life

You really need to understand and appreciate that hypothyroidism is only going to stop you from getting what you want if you let it.

Ensuring that you have the right mindset and a go get it attitude will literally mean that you will lose all the weight you want to lose. Start by implementing the tips that I’ve shared with you here today and trust me you will get amazing results in no time at all.

Post written by Avelina Kongoi, who has a deep passion for helping people all over the world overcome hypothyroidism and get into the best health of their lives. She writes interesting articles at HypothyroidismDietPlan.org, so check them out if you’d like to learn more.