How does your Thyroid affect your weight loss?
Try and try and trying to lose weight, only to fall short with every effort? Hypothyroidism could be a problem that’s keeping you from achieving the weight loss goals you desire, even though you seem to be doing everything right. Although hypothyroidism can be extremely subtle, especially in the early stages, a correct diagnosis and regimen of (very tiny) pills can get you back on track with your weight loss.
Hypothyroidism is a condition where, for various reasons, your thyroid gland does not put out enough thyroid hormone to balance the body. As the thyroid gland effects the rate of metabolism, a decrease in thyroid hormone means a decrease in the metabolism, causing mental and physical slowness (along with a host of other possible effects).
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A low thyroid level can be extremely subtle. I was diagnosed about half a year ago… the doctor didn’t even think to look at the lab results from my routine physical – I seemed to be in excellent physical condition, maybe a couple too many pounds easily explained by my office job (but not my high level of physical exercise…). Looking at my lab results online, _I_ had to ask _her_ if the abnormal level of thyroid hormone meant anything. Embarrassed, she started me on a low dose of synthetic thyroid hormones… months later, and my weight is much closer to what I want it to be. It wasn’t an earth-shattering change – definitely not night and day for me – but it’s made a difference. I’m glad I knew about my family history of hypothyroidism to keep me alert to the possibility.
Here are some of the ‘side’ symptoms of hypothyroidism that might help prompt you to get your blood checked:
- Fatigue
- Sluggishness
- Increased sensitivity to cold (I’ve always been the freezing one with a sweater, didn’t make sense to me until I learned this)
- Constipation
- Pale, dry skin
- A puffy face
- Hoarse voice
- An elevated blood cholesterol level
- Unexplained weight gain
- Muscle aches, tenderness and stiffness
- Pain, stiffness or swelling in your joints
- Muscle weakness
- Heavier than normal menstrual periods
- Brittle fingernails and hair (this is the one that confirmed the diagnosis for me, in my mind – my fingernails, always soft, had abruptly started shattering at ridiculously small impacts. I felt like such a ditsy girl – ‘oh no! i broke another nail!’ this problem is gone for me now)
- Bradycardia (low heart rate – less than sixty beats per minute – I just found this effect in re-researching for this article – I was so proud of my 52 bpm for a long time, I thought it meant I was _really_ in shape. It’s recently bumped up to an average of 65 or so – I guess this is good news… pout)
- Depression
(source: MayoClinic.com)
Continue reading page two for the only real test of hypothyroidism and more information on how your thyroid affects your weight loss dieting.