How to Lose Weight With Hypo Thyroid

Our thyroid controls our metabolic rate and ability to lose weight. Throughout this article we will discuss how to uncover if your thyroid is preventing you from reaching your goals and how to lose weight with hypo thyroid.

If you have been dieting, eating less and moving more but still struggling to shift unwanted weight, there is likely to be a deeper metabolic imbalance at play.

For many of the women I work with, this deeper metabolic imbalance is usually insulin resistance, PCOS, leptin resistance, a thyroid issue or a combination of the previously mentioned.

Losing weight when thyroid function is impaired must be navigated carefully as typical methods of restriction like calorie restriction or carbohydrate restriction can further impair metabolic function and thyroid health

How do I know if I Have a Thyroid Problem?

Symptoms are our best indicators of health imbalances. Functional and Naturopathic Medicine has advanced to the point where we have the option to order thousands of different tests. While symptoms alone cannot be used to diagnose a thyroid problem, symptoms help us to determine what tests (if any) to pursue.

The following symptoms may warrant thyroid testing:

– Fatigue, not relieved by rest
– Brain fog, poor memory
– Fluid retention, feeling puffy all over
– Stubborn weight gain despite eating less
– Anxiety, depression, overwhelm, low mood
– Sluggish bowels, moving bowels less than once per day or feeling of incomplete movements
– Hair loss, eyebrow hair loss (especially the ends of the eyebrows)

How to Lose Weight With Hypo Thyroid: Blood Work for Thyroid Health

The standard blood marker that is used to asses thyroid health is TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). More often than not, TSH will be within range even if an advanced thyroid condition is at play. Further testing for thyroid health is restricted by Medicare unless TSH is significantly out of range. I speak more about this in my article Blood Work for Weight Loss.

For this reason, naturopathic practitioners prefer to order thyroid tests privately. This way we can check TSH, Free T3 (active thyroid hormone), Free T4 (inactive thyroid hormone that is waiting to be converted by the liver), and thyroid antibodies to rule out Hashimoto’s which is the leading cause of hypo thyroid.

What is Subclinical Hypo Thyroid?

Thyroid disorders often go undetected for several years due to the lack of thorough testing and sub optimal reference ranges that are used as a measure of health. Oftentimes, thyroid hormones may fall within the standard range but fall outside of the optimal range. When thyroid hormone levels are outside of the optimal range and several symptoms of hypo thyroid are being experienced, we call this subclinical hypo thyroid. This imbalance is not recognised by mainstream medicine, fortunately, your naturopath can support you to resolve your symptoms with or without an official diagnosis.

What is Cellular Hypo Thyroid?

Cellular hypo thyroid is a term used when thyroid hormone levels are within the optimal range but symptoms of hypo thyroid are still being experienced.

Blood work is fantastic for measuring the amount of thyroid hormone in your blood but it tells us nothing about how well your cells are using thyroid hormone. It is one thing to have perfect blood hormone levels but if symptoms exist, we know something is not right and we must continue to investigate until we find out what is driving the symptoms.

A Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) can help to reveal if cellular hypo thyroid is producing unwanted symptoms and stubborn weight gain.

Interestingly, it is possible to have cellular hypo thyroid along side a diagnosed thyroid condition. In these cases we see thyroid hormone being prescribed with minimal improvements. Thyroid hormone levels look optimal thanks to thyroid medication but troublesome symptoms continue to persist.

In this situation, you can work with your naturopath to improve the way your body uses thyroid hormone. This may require support to improve gut health, improve liver function, reduce inflammation or regulate your nervous system.

How to Lose Weight With Hypo Thyroid: 3 Steps

These are the 3 steps that will help you to understand how to lose weight with hypo thyroid.

1. Eat to Support Thyroid Function

For the thyroid to function optimally it needs protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats and an abundance of minerals and nutrients. In order to digest and absorb these nutrients we need optimal gut health and a regulated nervous system.

Many women who have been struggling with diagnosed or undiagnosed thyroid issues often find themselves on increasingly more strict diet plans due to their lack of success and stubborn weight.

The problem with these restrictive plans is they further deplete the very nutrients that the thyroid needs to heal and thrive while causing unnecessary dietary stress which further down regulates thyroid function.

I often see women with thyroid challenges scared to increase calories. They worry that if they are not losing weight with restriction, they may experience an increase in weight with additional nourishment, but I rarely see this to be the case.

When we focus on increasing nutrient intake from metabolically supportive foods, we can improve the metabolic rate and the way the thyroid functions.

The symptoms associated with sluggish thyroid function like fatigue, low mood, feeling cold, feeling unmotivated, slow bowels and slow digestion tend to develop because the body is conserving energy and lowering your resting metabolic rate.

As thyroid function improves, your mood, energy, body temperature and system / organ function will also improve which greatly impacts your resting metabolic rate in a positive way, allowing you to eat more and burn more.

2. Address Your Underlying Cause

Hashimotos thyroiditis will require a slightly different protocol compared to subclinical hypo thyroid or cellular hypo thyroid. Hashimotos thyroiditis is usually linked to gut issues and may be exacerbated by certain foods like those containing wheat, gluten and soy.

Cellular hypo thyroid may be triggered by long term stress, acute trauma (like an accident, loss of a loved one, surgery, etc) or long term use of certain supplements like high dose Vitamin D or high dose calcium.

Nutrient deficiencies are a common cause of impaired thyroid function. It may be tempting to google and order all of the possible supplements that might help with thyroid function but sadly, many supplements can do more harm than good. It is best to get your nutrients from the foods you eat, and top up what is lacking with key, high quality, professionally prescribed supplements.

3. Seek Support

Thyroid imbalances rarely exist on their own within the body. There are usually other challenges with gut health, hormone health and nervous system dysregulation. Working with an experienced practitioner can help you to navigate thyroid challenges without confusion or overwhelm while addressing the true root cause of your imbalance.

If you are ready to take back control of your health and well being, here are 3 ways I can help:

1. Work with me! Book a consultation in person (Evandale, SA) or AUS + NZ wide online via Zoom

2. Listen to the Holistic Weight Loss Podcast

3. Connect with me on Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube | LinkedIn | Facebook