Losing weight with hypothyroidism - the tips you need to try
When your thyroid is underactive, it can feel almost impossible to lose weight. It’s not that you’re lazy - it’s simply that your metabolism is working against you. But don’t feel like your weight gain is inevitable! There are steps you can take to shed excess weight, even after a hypothyroidism diagnosis.
How to lose weight with hypothyroidism
FOCUS ON THE thyroid first!
The reason that weight loss with an unmanaged underactive thyroid is virtually impossible? Because it will slow your metabolism right down. That means that it doesn’t matter how much you restrict your calories or exercise – you will continue to burn through less energy in everyday life.
There is no point in taking steps towards weight loss until your underactive thyroid is addressed. That means figuring out why it’s underactive – autoimmunity, nutrient deficiencies, infections or something else. And it means addressing those causes.
Once you’ve worked on the ‘why’, then you’ll notice that weight loss becomes much easier!
Eat enough food
Ever noticed that diets are always about cutting things out? Whether it’s calories, carbs, fats – the restrictive approach to nutrition is never going to work long-term. And in fact, restricting your intake can increase stress on the thyroid and reduce its function.
Make sure you’re eating regular meals every day with enough calories to sustain you. Quality is also key, which takes us to our next point.
EAT PLENTY OF NOURISHING WHOLEFOODS
For a happy, healthy thyroid gland, we want to prioritise nourishing, filling wholefoods in your diet. These can help to boost your metabolism and support your thyroid function.
How do they do that? Firstly, wholefoods give your body the nutrients needed for thyroid health, metabolic functions and other supportive processes. But they also help to fill you up. As a result, you’re less likely to overeat the foods that are calorie dense and nutritionally ‘empty’ – aka the foods that contribute to weight gain in the first place!
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
Pseudo-grains
Eggs
Fish & seafood
High-quality meat & poultry (grass-fed/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.
keep YOUR STRESS under control
Stress in any form - physical, emotional and/or mental – can have a big impact on your thyroid function and your weight loss efforts in general. Some of the ways that stress can hold you back from successful weight loss include:
Reducing your conversion of T4 (inactive thyroid hormone) to T3 (active thyroid hormone)
Increasing your appetite
Giving you cravings for energy-dense foods
Increasing stress hormones that block you from burning fat for energy
Making your cells more insulin resistant
The tricky thing about stress is that we often overlook it, or tell ourselves it’s all in our heads. But there are also physical causes of stress that play a role, including calorie restriction, low thyroid hormone levels, environmental toxins, poor sleep and food intolerances.
Although they are physical, they all add to your stress bucket and eventually cause it to overflow - particularly when you include the mental and emotional stress as well!
Need some guidance on how to start managing your stress? Start here.
sort out your SLEEP
When we think about weight loss, the big focus is on diet and exercise. But we often overlook how much we sleep and how well – which can make or break your weight loss efforts, particularly when your thyroid function is low. When you are sleep deprived, it makes it more difficult to lose weight by:
Increasing your appetite
Increasing cortisol levels & puts the body into fight-or-flight mode
Reducing your insulin sensitivity and increasing cravings for sweet treats and junk food
Feeding into the drivers of your hypothyroidism (particularly if there is an autoimmune picture)
So if weight loss is your ultimate goal, you need to get your sleep sorted.
Struggle to get a decent night of sleep? I share my top 10 sleep tips here.
YOU CAN FEEL GREAT EVEN WITH AN UNDERACTIVE THYROID!
When you receive a diagnosis of hypothyroidism, you might feel overwhelmed and powerless. It could even be that you’re not clear on what’s driving it at first!
But even if you’re still uncovering the cause, it doesn’t mean you need to suffer the symptoms forever! Your daily habits can make a massive difference – all you need to do is learn about your condition and empower yourself.