I have to say right now that the only way you’re ever going to know just how difficult it can be to lose weight when you have hypothyroidism is when you’re actually suffering from the condition yourself! It’s a disease that is becoming more and more prevalent and it not only makes it harder to lose weight but it has a lot of other health implications. There are said to be well over 29 million people all over the United States who have actually been officially diagnosed as suffering from the disease and this figure keeps on rising every single year. Yet there are many, many more all around America and the world who have yet to be diagnosed and given official treatment.
There’s also another condition which is known as subclinical hypothyroidism which is where the person actually suffers from all of the symptoms that are associated with hypothyroidism but officially their thyroid is in perfect working order. This condition usually arises due to bad nutrition and can easily be fixed by the individual getting on a really good low thyroid diet.
Having hypothyroidism will essentially mean that you’re metabolism will become really slow which will make it harder for your body to burn excess calories. A low thyroid basically means that you’re going to experience weight problems. This happens because the thyroid glands are responsible for producing two very important hormones which are officially known as T3 and T4. These two hormones have two very important jobs inside your body.
The first is to maintain your body’s rate of metabolism and the second is to ensure that every cell within your body gets the energy that’s required to function properly. So you can say they are extremely important for your body to be able to burn all those excess calories. If you don’t have the right amounts of these hormones then you’re just not going to be burning the calories you need to burn in order to lose weight. This is why having a low thyroid makes it so hard to lose weight!
But while it does become a little harder it isn’t completely impossible and you’re life will become a lot easier if you just follow the tips that I share below. In fact you can pretty much guarantee that you’ll lose weight with ease if you do so.
Tip 1: Get Down To Your Local Doctor To Get Diagnosed and Treated
The most essential step is to make sure you visit your local doctor to get yourself tested and then treated if it is known that you’re suffering from hypothyroidism. How you’re diagnosed will totally depend on the results of the blood test that you’re given. This test will basically measure two things. The levels of T3 and T4, and the amount of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) that’s running around your body. If the results that come back show that you have high levels of TSH and low levels of T3 and T4 then it’s a good sign that you’re suffering from a low thyroid. While different people have different cutoff points, the American Thyroid Association officially states that an individual needs to have a level of TSH equally 2.5 mIU/L or more for them to be officially diagnosed as having hypothyroidism.
Once it has become official, your doctor will more than likely prescribe you with some medication that is officially known as levothyroxine. This is basically a synthetic form of T4 and will work to getting your thyroid hormones back to the healthy range.
Tip 2: Begin To Consume Healthy and Nutritious Meals That Are Rich in Protein
The most powerful thing you can do is start eating healthy and nutritious meals. Even with hypothyroidism you will begin to notice the weight fly off your body once you start doing this consistently. Every meal you make should contain a healthy portion of vegetables and a good portion of protein. The reality is that protein is very, very satisfying to your hunger and on top of that it will help to preserve all that muscle mass which is extremely important to make sure that your metabolism is running as high as possible.
Obviously not all protein has been created equal and in terms of results and quality I’d definitely recommend that you stick with Whey protein. This form of protein simply contains a lot more branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) which are very important for your muscles and on top of this it’s really satisfying and will keep your hunger at bay for longer!
Tip 3: Avoid Processed Foods and Instead Replace Them With Foods Rich in Fiber
Seriously there are no benefits to consuming processed foods and you’ll literally be digesting empty calories that will just cause you to gain weight! Instead of eating junk you should work hard to consume more foods that are rich in fiber! The great thing about foods that contain a good amount of fiber in them is that they will help to prevent you getting a chronic case of constipation which is common with people with hypothyroidism. The other benefit of course is that you’ll also be keeping your hunger at bay for far longer!
Tip 4: Start Exercising As Often As You Can
Let me just tell you right now that exercise is super essential for boosting your rate of metabolism. Even a few minutes a day will help, and will result in you burning a lot more calories over the course of a single day. Not only are you going to be losing a lot more weight by exercising on a regular basis but by partaking in exercise such as weight lifting you are going to be building up precious muscle mass which will in turn help to boost your metabolic rate even more. Naturally the higher your metabolism the more weight you’re going to end up losing, and on top of that you’ll end up looking great!
Make sure you’re consistent with the action you take, and never allow hypothyroidism to take over your life! Nothing can ever stop you from losing the weight that you want to lose, not even hypothyroidism. You just need to make sure that you’re taking massive action every single day of your life. Do this and it will only be a matter of time before you’re in the best shape of your life!
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