How to lose weight with Hashimoto's
Have you gained weight, only to be diagnosed with Hashimoto’s? Having an underactive thyroid can lead to weight gain, but not all hope is lost. It is possible to lose weight even if you have Hashimoto’s.
How to lose weight with Hashimoto’s
Focus on the Hashimoto’s first!
The reason that weight loss with Hashimoto’s is so tough is because of the disease process. Hashimoto’s will slow your metabolism down. It doesn’t matter how much you count calories or exercise - in fact, these can even make the situation worse as they put your body under additional stress!
The most important step you can take to achieve weight loss is to see your weight gain for what it is - a symptom. That means that the symptom will naturally ease once you address the underlying cause of Hashimoto’s.
Unsure what is driving your Hashimoto’s? We cover it in more detail here.
Eat plenty of nourishing wholefoods
When people diet, they usually focus on what to restrict or cut out of their food choices. Instead, we want to prioritise getting plenty of nourishing, filling wholefoods into your day.
This approach has two key benefits:
It supplies your body with the nutrients needed for thyroid health, metabolic functions and other supportive processes
It fills you up, meaning you’re less likely to overeat the foods that are typically restricted on a ‘diet’'
So what do I mean when I say wholefoods? Wholefoods are foods that are unprocessed or minimally processed, including:
Fruit
Vegetables
Herbs & spices
Nuts
Seeds
Beans & legumes
Gluten-free wholegrains
Pseudograins
Eggs
Fish & seafood
High quality meat & poultry (grassfed/organic is ideal)
You’ll want 80-90% of your diet to consist of these major ingredients. This will mean you’re getting more nutrients & more fibre into your diet, and you’ll feel fuller for longer.
Prioritise a good night of sleep
One of the most overlooked areas when it comes to losing weight is how much (and how well) you sleep. When you are sleep deprived, it makes it more difficult to lose weight by:
Potentially flaring your Hashimoto’s
Increasing your appetite
Reducing your insulin sensitivity and increasing cravings for sweet treats and junk food
Increasing cortisol levels & puts the body into fight-or-flight mode
These are just some of the reasons why you want to make sleep a focus if weight loss is your ultimate goal.
Need to work on your sleep? Start with these 10 steps.
Manage your stress levels
Given the massive role that stress - physical, emotional and mental - plays in Hashimoto’s, it’s no surprise that managing stress is key here. Some of the ways that stress can hold you back from losing weight include:
Reducing your conversion of T4 (inactive thyroid hormone) to T3 (active thyroid hormone)
Making your cells more insulin resistant
Increasing your appetite
Giving you cravings for energy-dense foods
Increasing stress hormones that block you from burning fat for energy
The tricky thing about stress is that we often overlook it, or tell ourselves it’s all in our head. But there are physical causes of stress such as Hashimoto’s, environmental toxins, poor sleep and food intolerances.
These add to your stress bucket and eventually cause it to overflow - particularly as they are in the same bucket as your mental causes of stress!
If you need some guidance on how to start managing your stress, this will get you started.
Want to learn how to manage your Hashimoto’s effectively so weight loss is easier to achieve?
My Hypothyroidism & Hashimoto’s Recovery Program will give you the tools you need. Click here to join today.