Losing weight is difficult at best for most people, but can seem almost impossible for someone who has untreated hypothyroid disease. Hypothyroidism is a leading cause of weight gain for many people, but unfortunately many people do not realize they gain weight because their thyroid gland is underactive.
Some doctors even fail to test for thyroid disease as a cause for weight gain in patients when they come in for their annual visit. Thus, thyroid disease weight gain is an often undiagnosed cause for obesity throughout the world.
If you have any of the following symptoms along with weight gain, you may have undetected hypothyroid disease:
• Fatigue
• Brittle hair and nails
• Insomnia
• Depression
• Mood Changes
• Feeling cold
• Joint pain or stiffness
People with hypothyroidism often gain weight and have difficulty losing weight despite a normal diet. This can be frustrating. Fortunately with successful treatment of hypothyroidism weight loss can become successful and permanent. Long term weight loss for thyroid disease patients is something that patients can realize with the help of their doctors or healthcare practitioner.
Long-Term Weight Loss For Patients With Hypothyroidism Disease
To achieve long-term weight loss goals hypothyroidism patients must first understand how thyroid hormone levels affect weight loss and weight gain. There are a couple of different thyroid hormones that can affect and regulate weight and metabolism; these include reverse T3 and leptin. Leptin helps regulate weight and metabolism. It is a hormone secreted by the fat cells in the body, and it aids in the accumulation of fat cells in the body.
Typically the hypothalamus signals the body when there are enough leptin or fat stores in the body. That means the hypothalamus tells the body that it has enough energy so it should stop producing fat. The body in turn starts to burn fat and stimulates the release of another thyroid releasing hormone that helps increase TSH or thyroid stimulating hormone.
Many people with hypothyroidism who have difficulty losing weight have resistance to leptin because the hypothalamus has difficulty regulating metabolism.
So What Does A Patient Eat?
Obviously a combination of factors influences long-term weight loss. Success is not contingent on hormones alone, as success involves more than leptin or reverse T3 levels. So what does a patient do? Here are some tips that have proven successful for many hypothyroidism patients:
1. Control your intake of sugar. That means incorporating wholesome foods and avoiding sweets as these tend to have dramatic influences on blood sugar levels and leave you feeling even less energetic.
2. Eat more organic fruits and vegetables.
3. Stay away from artificial sweeteners which can actually make you crave more sweets. Remember again that sweets can influence the odds someone with hypothyroidism will develop diabetes, which increases your risk for poor health.
4. Drink more water, which will improve your health and decrease your appetite.
5. Try eating more proteins including those that come from chicken, fish and nuts.
6. Try eating sprouted grain breads instead of white flour breads which have little nutritional content.
7. Avoid drinking too much caffeine which is not good for your body and can influence your ability to regulate your blood sugar.
8. Get enough sleep at night. This helps improve your energy and allows you to make the best dietary decisions to maintain balanced blood sugar levels.
9. Try eating several small meals each day instead of eating three large ones. This will help your boost your metabolism, and help you feel fuller throughout the day. This also helps keep your blood sugar levels steadier throughout the day.
Remember, making changes in your diet is a slow process. By taking baby steps you will make lasting alterations that can change your life permanently for the better. Be sure to consult with your healthcare provider before making any dietary or lifestyle changes that will affect your health and wellness. Together you can make healthy changes that will leave you feeling your best for life.
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