Keeping your weight steady when you have Graves' disease

Unintentional weight loss is one of the common symptoms of Graves’ disease. But if you continue to lose weight or struggle to maintain it at a healthy level, it can have some serious health consequences.

It’s not as simple as increasing your caloric intake, as junk food is not a good idea for your immune system! But there are ways to keep your weight stable in a healthy way.

Why do you need to keep your weight stable with Graves’ disease?

When you’re unable to maintain your weight with Graves’ disease, it’s a sign that your condition is not under control. And if that’s the cause, there are some serious health complications that can follow. They include:

  • Cardiac problems

  • Weak bones and osteoporosis

  • Eye conditions and vision loss

  • Thyroid storm – this can lead to fever, rapid pulse, delirium, fainting and even death if left untreated.

But weight loss that occurs with Graves’ disease can also have direct impacts on your health. It can lead to muscle wasting, which causes you to become weaker and have poorer health overall.

So not only do we want to minimise weight loss because it might indicate your condition worsening, but also to prevent muscle loss.

How to keep your weight stable with Graves’ disease

Start with the cause

It’s all well and good to start increasing your calories and rebalance your energy in vs energy out. But for holistic, long-term wellness, we must always start with the driver. In this case, that means getting your Graves’ disease under control.

Graves’ is an autoimmune disease. So we need to look at steps you can take to calm the immune system and replenish your body. That can include diet, lifestyle, supplements and other pillars that support your current medical treatments.

Want to learn more about the drivers behind Graves’ disease? I cover them here.

Maximise your nutrient intake

Sure, it’s tempting to simply eat McDonalds daily to get your calories up. But eating nutritionally empty foods won’t help – and in fact, they can worsen your Graves’ disease. So you could end up stuck in a nasty spiral of weight loss, Graves’ symptoms and junk food!

When you have Graves’ disease, your metabolism is in overdrive. You burn through more fuel in the form of calories, but you also use up more essential nutrients. So we want to get as much nutrition into your body as possible.

That’s where wholefoods need to be the primary focus of what you eat. These include:

  • Eggs

  • Fish & seafood

  • High-quality meat & poultry (grass-fed/organic is ideal)

  • Beans & legumes

  • Gluten-free wholegrains

  • Pseudo-grains

  • Nuts

  • Seeds

  • Fruit

  • Vegetables

  • Herbs & spices

The goal is for 80-90% of your diet to consist of these wholefoods. This will help you to maintain your nutrient levels and reduce the risk of further side effects.  

Load up on nutritious high-energy foods

The one big downside of wholefoods (for Graves’ at least!) is that they are lower in calories compared to less healthy alternatives. But the good news is that there are foods that contain plenty of energy along with essential nutrients.

Some of your best healthy high-calorie options include:

  • Oily fish

  • Ghee (clarified butter) if you tolerate it

  • Healthy oils such as olive oil and coconut oil

  • Nuts

  • Seeds

  • Nut and seed butters

You may find it easier to consume more of these in recipes such as a smoothie. Try adding

Sneak in calories with your fluids

Another way to add in extra energy without feeling too full is by using calorie-dense drinks throughout the day.

Again, we don’t want to reach for milkshakes or sugar-filled coffees! Instead, give smoothies a go. Add some nut or seed butter and a teaspoon of coconut oil to your favourite smoothie recipe to bump up the calories and nutrition.

Keep stress at bay

A body with Graves’ disease is a body that runs a marathon every day. If you add stress on top of that metabolic marathon, it can make you feel far worse (and flare your condition!)

For someone with Graves’, stress can cause lower appetite, high anxiety and significant weight loss. To avoid this, you need to remove whatever stress you can, then support your stress resilience so your body is better able to cope with the remaining stress.

Remember – stress is not just mental. There are physical causes including:

  • Excess thyroid hormone

  • Nutrient deficiencies

  • Food intolerances

  • Insufficient and/or broken sleep

  • Environmental toxins and pollutants

  • Gut health imbalances

And of course, many of these can drive Graves’ or occur as a result of it! So be sure to identify and tackle as many physical sources of stress as possible while you’re at it.

Not sure what you could do to be managing your stress? Start here.

YOU CAN FEEL WELL WITH graves’ disease!

When you are first diagnosed, it’s common to feel overwhelmed and powerless. In the initial stages, you may not even know what is driving the condition, let alone how to manage it!

But that 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.

READY TO FEEL IN CONTROL OF YOUR WELLBEING AGAIN?

Check out my Ultimate VIP Thyroid Recovery Program here.

 

Weight, Thyroid Health, Thyroid ConditionsTara Nelsonweight loss, weight maintenance, Graves'