How Do You Lose Weight With An Underactive Thyroid

If you're struggling to lose weight despite exercising and eating healthy, it's time to consider what's going on with your thyroid health. Most people see weight gain as a problem, not a symptom, but healthy thyroid function is crucial for regulating body weight and metabolism. When it's working properly, it keeps your whole body in balance. When this system is malfunctioning, it can feel like it's impossible to lose weight. More troublingly, millions of people who have a thyroid problem are completely unaware they have it. Let’s learn the signs that your thyroid is interfering with weight loss, and what you can do about it.

The thyroid is a gland located in the neck that produces thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormone production is important for hormone balance, metabolism, and energylevels–and basically every other system in your body. Thyroid hormones also help to control other essential functions such as heart rate and blood pressure.

Many people with hypothyroidism don’t notice symptoms until the condition has progressed. By that time, it can become more difficult to treat.

Reasons You Aren't Losing Weight

If you have any issues with thyroid dysfunction, you’re not alone. As many as 20 million adults in the U.S. have some form of thyroid disorder (1). Symptoms of

As many as 60 percent of those who have thyroid issues are completely unaware they have any issues with their thyroid (1). This may be due to thyroid dysfunction symptoms often overlapping with what people consider “normal” signs of aging or chronic stress.

Thyroid hormones directly impact the basal metabolic rate (BMR), or the number of calories your body burns at rest. They also help to control how efficiently the body uses energy from food and influences carbohydrate, protein, and fat metabolism.

Tips To Help Lose Weight With An Underactive Thyroid

To illustrate just how important healthy thyroid function is, remember this: Every single cell in your body has a receptor for thyroid hormone. The only other thing that comes close to the whole-body effects of thyroid hormone is vitamin D (4).

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, or just Hashimoto’s, is the most common type of hypothyroidism. It is an autoimmune thyroid disease in which the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the thyroid gland. Those with autoimmune thyroid disease will likely find it hard to lose weight until the root cause of their low thyroid is addressed.

The thyroid gland is responsible for producing two main hormones: triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). T3 is the active form of thyroid hormone and is responsible for the body’s metabolic rate.

Weight Loss: Weight Loss Tips That Might Not Work If You Have Hypothyroidism

T4 is the storage form of thyroid hormone and is converted to T3 as needed. With autoimmune thyroid disease, like Hashimoto’s, the body makes antibodies to certain thyroid hormones, preventing them from doing their jobs and also reducing thyroid function.

To test for autoimmune thyroid disease, your doctor will need to detect the presence of thyroid antibodies. These tests typically aren’t included in most conventional metabolic panels. In integrative medicine, doctors can help you determine if a full thyroid panel that includes testing for autoimmune thyroid conditions is appropriate for you.

Hashimoto’s is a progressive thyroid disease, which means it gets worse over time. The earlier it is diagnosed, the better the chance of reversing some of the damage.

How Can You Avoid Underactive Thyroid Weight Gain? A Guide

In functional medicine, treatment for Hashimoto’s may include a bioidentical thyroid hormone replacement, as well as diet changes like omitting gluten and optimizing other nutrients like iodine and selenium.

Another major factor that makes it very difficult to lose weight is the balance of blood glucose and insulin within the body. These two factors are also relevant for thyroid function.

Studies show that insulin resistance and inflammation may increase the amount of damage to the thyroid in those with autoimmune thyroid diseases like Hashimoto’s (5).

The Hypothyroidism Workout

The thyroid impacts your blood sugar levels, which means that thyroid dysfunction may result in unhealthy blood sugar levels (6). Unfortunately, this only places you at increased risk for metabolic syndrome, the symptoms of which include increased body weight.

Subclinical hypothyroidism is a condition in which you have some, but not all, of the symptoms of hypothyroidism. Many people with subclinical hypothyroidism don’t know they have it because their thyroid hormone levels fall within the normal range on standard blood tests. The most common cause of subclinical hypothyroidism is autoimmune Hashimoto’s (7).

If you’re finding it hard to lose weight while eating healthy and staying active, you may want to get your thyroid checked out. Subclinical hypothyroidism can be treated with thyroid hormone replacement therapy, as well as dietary changes and supplements like iodine and selenium (8).

Can Having A Normal Thyroid Hormone Level Make You Lose Weight?

In functional medicine, we take a holistic approach to healing hypothyroidism by addressing the root causes of the problem. This may include diet and lifestyle changes, as well as supplements and thyroid hormone replacement therapy.

For autoimmune thyroid disease, and others, the goal of treatment is to keep thyroid hormone levels as close to normal as possible. This helps to protect the thyroid gland and prevents it from being further damaged.

Some of the dietary changes that may be recommended if you experience thyroid issues include omitting gluten–especially for Hashimoto’s–and foods that can reduce gut health, eating plenty of healthy fats, and consuming iodine-rich foods like seaweed and sea vegetables.

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In general, it’s best to avoid processed foods and eat a whole-food diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and healthy proteins. In general, this eating pattern is supportive of weight loss after you address the root cause of your low thyroid hormone production.

When it comes to foods to avoid if you have hypothyroidism, some of the biggest culprits are foods that are high in sugar and refined carbs. These foods can cause blood sugar spikes, which can have a negative effect on thyroid health.

The best way to approach problems with your thyroid gland is by working with a Functional Medicine physician who’s equipped to address the root cause of your issues–not just their symptoms. Depending on what’s causing your difficulty losing weight, your doctor may also recommend targeted supplementation and/or medication as well as lifestyle changes, like removing gluten from your diet.

Does Underactive Thyroid Lead To Weight Gain—or Vice Versa?

This is where it helps to have a collaborative team of professionals who specialize in the functional approach to helping you overcome your health issues. At your care team might include:

If you’re experiencing difficulty losing weight despite exercising and eating healthy, it could be that your thyroid hormone levels are not within the optimal range. Hypothyroidism makes weight loss very difficult for men and women alike. It is estimated that up to 20% of adults in the U.S.–or about 30 million people–have hypothyroidism, but go undetected on conventional tests because their TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) level falls within what’s considered “normal”.

If you suspect hypothyroidism may be interfering with your ability to shed pounds – talk with an integrative medicine doctor about testing your thyroid levels.

Lose Weight With Low Thyroid

CentreSpring MD, formerly known as Atlanta Center for Holistic and Integrative Medicine, provides the best medical care by using an integrative approach to find a patient’s centre—their core—empowering them to spring forth into health.

Our team of dedicated board-certified providers relentlessly pursue your health until you have the answers that you deserve to change the trajectory of your health—and your life.I was only 9 years old when I realized I was big. I watched my athletic brother and sister score runs and goals while I kept packing pounds onto my small frame. I would hide food in my room, scared that anyone in my family would see me eating, and I started to dislike my body more with every bite. Years later, at 16, a routine blood test revealed that I had hypothyroidism. The doctors didn’t really explain to me then what I know now: I have an underactive thyroid gland that doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormone to keep my body running normally. They prescribed me synthroid, a hormone that can help normalize thyroid production, and I’ve been on it ever since. For me, and some of the 12 percent of women who also have hypothyroidism, that meant a slowed metabolism, low energy levels, and at my lowest points, depression and thoughts of self-harm.

For years, I let my condition convince me that I just couldn’t lose weight. I resolved that I would never feel happy in my own body because it was fighting me at every turn. But at just 4’11, when I saw the scale hit 170, I knew I couldn’t let it win anymore. It was time to start fighting back. It was time to feel healthy, confident, and happy for the first time since I can remember.

Hypothyroidism And Weight Gain

For over a decade, my weight yo-yoed. I got pregnant with my first son when I was 21, and I gained 35 pounds. After he was born, the weight stayed on. I lost 10 pounds before my wedding two years later, but my weight hovered between 150 and 160 for almost eight more years. At my height, that range was considered obese, my doctors told me.

Every time I started working out and eating better, I’d stick with it for a while and lose about 10 pounds. But I always found an excuse to stop, and I always put the weight right back on. When my husband was deployed,