Main cause of hypothyroidism:

There are many causes for hypothyroidism. the most common cause being auto immune diseases such as hashimoto thyroiditis.

I will once again start by restating the initial common symptoms and signs of an underactive thyroid.

Common symptoms:

• Fatigue which can at times causes you to be lethargic because all you want to do is sleep.
• Unexplained weight gain and difficulty losing weight
• Constipation
• Sluggishness
• Depression
• Memory loss, loss of mental cognition or difficulty concentrating (this is huge)
• Increased sensitivity to cold
• Pale, dry skin
• Muscle aches, tenderness and stiffness
• Muscle weakness
• Heavier than normal menstrual periods
• Abnormal periods in general
• Brittle fingernails and hair or hair loss

The myth about hypothyroidism and weight gain:

Yes when you have hypothyroidism you do gain weight however obesity is not one of the medical conditions caused by hypothyroidism.

On average if your hypothyroidism is brought under control and properly maintained, then you really shouldn’t gain more than 10 to 15 pounds. If you do then you should probably re-examine your eating and exercise habits and figure out where the rest of the weight gain is coming from.

Doctors

More than likely a primary care doctor will be the one that will initially test patients with hypothyroidism for and discover your hypothyroidism. From that point forward it’s usually the best idea to be treated by an endocrinologist because they specialize in treating thyroid disease and properly measuring your hormone deficiency.

Check-ups

In order to determine what’s causing your thyroid dysfunction your endocrinologist will conduct blood tests to check your thyroid hormones and they should then conduct a physical examination as well.

During the physical examination the doctor will check the typical vitals, run through the list of symptoms with you asking if you are currently experiencing any of them and last move on to checking your fingernails, your hands and feet for possible bloating then they should feel around on the thyroid gland, with their fingers, checking for any abnormalities.

If they find any suspicious abnormalities on your thyroid gland then they should send you for an ultrasound in order to rule out the possibilities of nodules, goiter, thyroid cancer or any other thyroid disorders.

At first your check-ups should happen every 6-8 weeks until your medication is regulated and after that every 6-12 months for the rest of your life if you have permanent hypothyroidism.

Thyroid Medication

Once you have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism your doctor will prescribe a hormone replacement medication. Your medication is not something to fear. If you properly take your medication, it will help you to get back to functioning normally.

The thing that you have to become and remain aware of is the fact that this medicine is a thyroid hormone replacement medication. It is a synthetic hormone meant to replace what the body is lacking in normal thyroid hormone production. Simply put it’s meant for when your thyroid gland can no longer produce enough thyroid hormone to function on a normal level.

When thyroid medication is not taken as directed it is then that it can cause problems with your health. It is not a diet pill and should never be thought of or treated as if it were.

Thyroid Disfunction: Is Not Always an Issue With the Thyroid Gland

The thyroid gland is not the only gland that can cause hypothyroidism, it can also be caused by issues with the pituitary gland. Again your endocrinologist would be able to figure out if this is the case.

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Hypothyroidism and Weight Gain

Life’s Too Fast:

In today’s fast paced society we tend to survive by eating on the go, not paying much attention to the things that we are putting into our bodies or how it will affect our system in the long run. This practice is not only bad for everybody in general but it’s even worse for individuals who suffer from hypothyroidism like us.

A hypothyroid diet needs to be controlled and ongoing. It needs to become a way of life that requires awareness of how you live. It may also require minor changes to your lifestyle and slight adjustments to the way that you eat if weight loss is to be obtained for someone with a sluggish thyroid.

One of the first things that you should become aware of is the food that you are eating and what that food contains. So many of the foods that you put into your body is full of toxins that can slowly destroy your thyroid. This in turn affects our metabolism causing hypothyroidism and weight gain.

You will be healthier in the long run if you stop and consider that it’s probably a bad idea to satisfy your hunger with a muffin or a donut that you grabbed while on the go. A far better idea would be to research ahead of time easy to grab foods that are just as easy to grab and as satisfying to eat. Take bananas for example. Bananas are a good source of iodine and iodine is a key element that the thyroid gland uses to produce the thyroid hormones which regulate your metabolism.

Make Healthy Choices:

So what is a good hypothyroidism diet? Like with any other diet, a hypothyroidism diet is a healthy balance of what the body needs to properly function. As is the case with hypothyroidism it would be the increase of iodine enriched foods coupled with a decreased intake of foods that contain goitrogens that will aid in reducing the symptoms of this particular thyroid condition.

Good foods to include in your diet plans for hypothyroidism are spinach, strawberries, tomatoes, asparagus, bananas, carrots, eggs, garlic, kelp, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, peas, squash, lima beans, radishes, low fat yogurt and seafood because these are foods that can replace the iodine in your body that has been diminished by goitrogens. You may have noticed that some of these foods, such as spinach, are actually on the list of foods containing goitrogens but the amount of iodine contained in them is enough to counteract the goitrogenic effects. This is especially true if the foods are “ground” grown versus “water” grown. Ground grown foods have higher levels of iodine due to its absorption of it from the soil.

You also should avoid excess consumption of the following: Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, peanuts, pears, pine nuts, soybeans, kale, mustard, peaches and turnips. The chlorine that’s in our drinking water and white table salt are some foods that also deplete or interfere with the iodine in our bodies. It would be far better to switch to sea salt and bottled or filtered water.

Only the Right Amount of Iodine:

That being said I also wouldn’t suggest a diet of total iodine consumption because your body needs to maintain a healthy balance of many elements in order to function. The idea when putting together your diet plans for hypothyroidism is to be able to regulate the iodine levels that are being depleted by the goitrogens that are found in other common diet foods that can actually contribute to hypothyroidism and weight gain.

By decreasing your consumption of foods that contain goitrogens and increasing consumption of iodine enriched foods you should eventually be able to strike a balance that will help you to achieve your hypothyroid weight loss goals.

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Losing weight with hypothyroidism can be a long and winding road to follow. But, there are little tips and tricks that can help you feel better and maybe fit into those shorts that you wore last year. One of those tips is how to handle bloating.

You know that feeling. Your lower abdomen is distended and feels puffy. Your pants start to feel tighter for no apparent reason. First let’s discuss what bloat is. Bloat is the inflammation and unwanted retention of water in your lower intestines. So, how do you deal with the “Bloat”?

There are a number of ways to combat the bloat. First and foremost you want to up your water intake. Yes, I know that this sounds counter intuitive but by taking in more water you will trick you body into thinking that it doesn’t need to store water since it’s getting an abundant supply. Also, by drinking more water you’re able to flush the toxins out of your system that is causing the inflammation in your bowels.

And speaking of flushing your bowels you will need to up your fiber intake. By adding both soluble and insoluble fiber you enable your body to retain more of the water that you drink to end up in the intestines where it will do the most good. There are plenty of natural sources of fiber but if you need to you can always use a good dietary supplement. This tip has another benefit also. People with hypothyroidism suffer from constipation on a regular basis. This will help not only with the bloating but also with this often aggravating symptom of hypothyroidism.

In keeping with good bowel health you should add some from of a probiotic into your system. Yogurt can be one of the best ways to get these kinds of good compounds into your system. Make sure that you find a brand that has not only active yogurt cultures but specifically mentions the addition of probiotics. These will help to maintain a healthy balance of good bacteria or flora in your digestive system. This can be especially important if you just have finished a course of anti-biotics. Antibiotics are notorious for killing off the good bacteria in your system.

There are certain foods that can cause inflammation of the digestive track and one of these culprits are sugar substitutes such as the ones found in diet sodas. Some sugar substitutes can aggravate your digestive track causing it to become inflamed and swollen. So, in this case it may be necessary to switch back to regular soda or even better avoid it entirely. Water is always the best alternative.

Last but not least, lower your salt intake. Sodium’s effect on your body causes it to retain water. By reducing your sodium intake not only are you doing your heart a favor you will also be able to flush water from you system more readily.

Give these tips a try. You may not lose a ton of weight but you will look and feel better and whether of not you are suffering from hypothyroidism you have to agree that this is a good thing.

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It goes against everything that you think you know about losing weight on a hypothyroidism diet or any diet for that matter, eat saturated fat to lose weight.

But not just any saturated fat will do. You must eat the right kinds of fats and fatty acids and virgin coconut oil fits the bill.

Why is Coconut Oil so special?

Well, virgin coconut oil is a saturated fat that is mainly composed of medium chain fatty acids. The fatty acids in the oil are known as MCTs or medium chain triglycerides. These medium chain fatty acids can increase your metabolism, raise your basal body temperature and promote weight loss.

The implications of these health benefits for those of you suffering from a low thyroid is tremendous. It means that there are more natural ways to maintaining your thyroid. It also means that as you supplement your diet with virgin coconut oil you can increase your chance of losing weight while on your “hypothyroidism” diet.

How is Virgin Coconut Oil Produced?

Coconuts thrive in most tropical areas such as the Philippines where a lot of coconut oil is produced. Virgin coconut oil is made or processed from the meat of fresh coconuts. The process can include a quick drying and then pressing the oil out of the meat of the coconut. Another method would be wet milling where the coconut oil is then later separated from the coconut milk. Cold pressed coconut oil is oil that has been processed with the addition of very little heat.

Virgin Coconut Oil and Hypothyroidism

So, how does virgin coconut oil help with your hypothyroidism weight loss diet? To answer this we must understand what coconut oil is made up of and how this affects the body. As I mentioned earlier coconut oil is primarily a saturated fat, over 90%. But of this 90%, over 60% are the medium chain triglycerides mentioned of which the majority, over 50%, is Lauric acid. Lauric acid is an essential fatty acid that is utilized by your body to build and maintain your immune system.

Other Essential Fatty Acids

There are a couple of other no less important fatty acids present in virgin coconut oil that help maintain a healthy body. Linoleic acid is a polyunsaturated fat that is has been a staple of the weight loss industry and is typically sold as a supplement know as CLA or conjugated linoleic acid. Usually sold in softgel capsule form this “good” fat has been shown to promote body fat reduction in several clinical studies.

The other compound is Oleic acid which is an omega-9 fatty acid. Just like in virgin coconut oil this acid is also the main compound present in extra-virgin olive oil, another good oil to promote healthy eating. This acid has been shown to raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels while lowering the LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.

I hope that you can see why virgin coconut oil is heavy hitter when it comes to helping you to become more healthy. Its beneficial effects on metabolism, cholesterol and weight loss should make this food a staple for any hypothyroidism diet.

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Goitrogens. The very term sounds alien. What are goitrogens and what does it mean to you?

Goitrogens are compounds that, if ingested, can interfere with the absorption of iodine into your body and can result in the enlargement of your thyroid gland. This, as you know, is not very good for the sufferer of hypothyroidism. It has been suggested that iodine deficiency has been linked to hypothyroidism and mental retardation in children.

For those of you who suffer from hypothyroidism ingesting goitrogens is counter productive to what your trying to accomplish through hormone therapy not to mention the stimulation of your metabolism. You want to try to induce your thyroid and metabolism to work within normal ranges, not the other way around and these compounds will have this effect.

There are several ways in which you can get these compounds into your system but the most common way is through the foods that we eat.

Some of the more common foods that contain these goitrogenic compounds are soy beans or any soy related products such as tofu, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, spinach, strawberries, peaches, pears, bok choy, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, Kale, canola and canola oils, mustard greens, turnips and rutabagas. Although with broccoli, spinach, cabbage, cauliflower and collard greans you can cook the bulk of the goitrogens out of the vegetables. In other words don’t consume them raw.

When you eat these foods they interfere with and have a negative effect on your thyroid. When eating for hypothyroidism or on a hypothyroidism diet it is recommended that you eat foods rich in iodine as iodine in proper amounts contribute to good thyroid health. Seafood is one of the best natural sources of iodine as well as kelp and seaweed. I don’t know anyone personally who actually eats kelp and seaweed, except when eating sushi, but there are some supplements available that derive their iodine from kelp. However you should always consult an endocrinologist before using kelp pills as kelp pills can provide you with too much iodine causing other issues with your thyroid.

But, if you are trying to eat iodine rich food as well as these goitrogenic foods it will have a nullifying effect and you won’t get the benefits from these thyroid stimulating foods. So, eat these goods foods rich in iodine and limit those goitrogens.

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A hypothyroidism diet can mean many things to a lot of people. Some people might think of it as a means for them to lose weight. Others may think of diet for hypothyroidism as a way to maintain the weight they have and hopefully to not gain any more. While still others don’t even bother maintaining a proper diet thinking that losing weight with hypothyroidism is the holy grail of weight loss and that it doesn’t really exist. I hope this last one doesn’t describe you.

If you’re suffering from low thyroid function this question can mean a lot of things to you. What group do you fall into? What does a diet for hypothyroidism mean to you?

Hopefully you fall somewhere in the middle. It’s a positive goal to want to lose weight. Millions of people everyday work towards this goal. It’s good to want to be healthy and fit. But, when your thyroid is under producing your chances realistically decline. So, is that the end of it?

Absolutely not!

First and foremost, you goal should be to become the healthiest you that you can be. Whatever that means to you. It could mean getting into shape so that you reduce your blood pressure, resting heart rate and stress. Or, it could mean getting your triglycerides and cholesterol down. It could even mean getting your muscles stronger so you can enjoy some activity that you like to do. It should at least mean getting your thyroid levels regulated.

But, it doesn’t have to mean that you lose a whole lot of weight. Unless of course you’re so overweight that it is dangerous for your system.

You should keep your goals realistic. You should realize that for you to be able to maintain your weight or sustain any kind of weight loss you must get your hormones regulated. This typically means getting a prescription for a synthetic thyroid hormone.

By getting your thyroid levels regulated you give your body the fighting chance it needs to stay healthy and even possibly lose weight. But don’t make this your only priority. Unregulated thyroid levels can reek havoc on the body over the long term.

Next, since you have hypothyroidism, you should be looking at what foods are good for you to eat and which ones to steer clear from. There are also others that you can have in moderation. Essentially you stay away from most foods that are what they call Goitrogens. These are foods that interfere with the body’s absorption of iodine and as a result suppresses how your thyroid functions. These include raw broccoli, anything soy, peanuts, raw spinach and Brussels sprouts. Just to name a few.

So, I’ll ask you again. What does it mean to be on a hypothyroidism diet? Hopefully, at least part of the answer is to be a more healthier you.

Cheers!

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Have you been dieting and exercising but the weight isn’t coming off? Have you been faithful to your hypothyroidism diet but nothing is working? Are you thinking of giving up?

Before you quit read this post.

On the Today show this morning they had Mom, CEO and super model Kathy Ireland talking about her new book “Real Solutions for Busy Moms”. During the segment it came up that Kathy had gained 25 pounds over the course of time because of being too busy to take care of herself the right way.

Now, she didn’t go into detail as to how she lost the weight but something she said did resonate with me and it should be a good message for you to get. Especially if you’re thinking of quitting your diet.

What she said is that besides the way she looked, it had occurred to her, “What she was doing to herself on the inside?” What were her protein and triglyceride levels in her system? What was she doing to her body by not taking care of it?

You should be asking yourself not “is this worth it, I’m not losing any weight, why bother” but what the cost of not eating healthy and exercising is doing to your system on the inside. First of all, you can lose the weight. In all likelihood it’s just going to take you longer to achieve your goals. But, in addition to this, the goal for your hypothyroidism diet should also be to maintain a healthy system by keeping your triglycerides and cholesterol levels in the normal ranges, building muscle that’s going to burn fat and most of all by maintaining your thyroid levels.

Please don’t let hypothyroidism become a springboard for other diseases and conditions. Heart disease, various kinds of cancers and diabetes become real possibilities if you don’t take care of yourself. This is even more true if you lose your enthusiasm for being healthy because of hypothyroidism.

The problem stems from a society that promotes beauty in unhealthy way by rewarding us for when we look like or strive to look like super models and condemning us when we don’t. My sister-in-law knows about this first hand. She is overweight and she has heart trouble. She was the victim of depression eating but she’s on the mend both mentally and physically.

The reason I mention her is that just a week or so ago when she was in the supermarket parking lot, she had used one of the motorized baskets to get her goods to the car. While she was packing her stuff into her car some “lovely human being” commented in a not too nice a fashion that “if she wasn’t so fat she wouldn’t need to use the cart to carry her groceries to the car”. Oh my God! I couldn’t believe it when I heard it. I couldn’t believe that there are such uncaring and insensitive people out there and who are brazen enough to act like this guy did. But they are out there. She took it in stride so don’t worry about her.

The point I’m trying to make is that you shouldn’t worry about what society thinks about you or how you look. You should only be concerned about how you feel and how healthy you are. The message that I’m trying to send is that you shouldn’t give up on your hypothyroidism diet. Your goal should be not only to lose some of the unwanted weight but also to become the healthiest person that you can be.

I know you can do it!

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If you’re suffering from hypothyroidism and are struggling to lose weight I’m sure the thought has crossed your mind as to whether or not you can succeed while on a hypothyroidism diet.

I’ve seen many questions come up in forums where men and women are concerned that they can’t lose weight since they are hypothyroid. They’ve tried a number of ways for a short amount of time but didn’t see any improvement in their weight so they get disgusted and quit trying.

First, let me say that it is possible to lose weight even if you are suffering from a low thyroid. But, let’s discuss what it means to be hypothyroid for a moment. When suffering from hypothyroidism one of the unfortunate side effects is that of weight gain or trouble losing the weight they already have. Why is this? Well, it’s due to the fact that when your thyroid isn’t producing the proper amount of hormones your metabolism starts to slow down considerably. You begin to feel fatigued all of the time even after sleeping all night but, you also begin to have weight issues.

“But Karen, I already know this. How does this relate to me? What do I do to succeed at my hypothyroidism diet?”

Ok, fair enough question. Here is the answer. To be able to control your weight you need to get control over your metabolism. One of the first ways is to either get on a hormone therapy prescribed by your doctor.

One of the drugs commonly used for this is called Synthroid or a generic substitute.

Another way would be to try a thyroid health supplement such as Thyromine. But always consult with you Doctor before using supplements. There are certain foods that also promote healthy thyroid function.

The point of this boils down to one common denominator increasing your metabolism. By boosting your metabolism through various techniques and strategies you improve your chances of losing weight.

Your primary goal should be to become a healthier individual in general and not to get hung up on being a size 4. Some of us will never get to that size no matter how hard we diet anyway. So it’s best to set realistic goals to become healthy, improve your cardiovascular system, to lose unwanted weight and to eat as healthy as possible.

If you think in these terms you’ll be surprised just how well you succeed at your hypothyroidism diet.

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How to measure you metabolism

This time were going to talk about getting your metabolism measured. Getting your metabolism measured could be one of the single most important aspects to getting started with a hypothyroidism diet. Reason being, if you’re trying to attain a goal, such as hypothyroid weight loss, it’s important to know how your body is consuming the calories that you’re taking in during the day. This is one way to make sure that you’re taking in the correct amount of calories, not too much or too little.

How metabolism measured?

Your metabolism can be measured a couple of different ways. The first method is called direct calorimetry. This method measures the energy expended in the form of heat. This test is not practical for our purposes. The other method is called “indirect calorimetry”, it measures the amount of oxygen consumed over a period of time. Traditionally this was only available in hospitals and research facilities due to the cost of the apparatus used and the need for trained technicians to run it. But, nowadays it’s possible to get the test done almost anywhere the machines are available. I know of some dietitians that now have these machines to aid them in properly gauging a client’s daily caloric needs when creating a diet for them.

What are the needed preparations for the test?

The aim of the test is to gauge the RMR or the Resting Metabolic Rate of an individual. Therefore, he or she needs to avoid eating anything for a while before the test, avoid exercising on the day of your test and avoid the use of stimulants such as caffeine on the day of the test. I had the procedure done and I was asked to fast for 4 hours prior to the test.

What happens during the test?

You will relax in a seated position. A mask or mouthpiece would be used and you have to breathe through there until the test concludes, usually ten to fifteen minutes. If a mouthpiece is used a clip will typically be place on your nose to reduce the infiltration of any oxygen that could ruin the test. If this is bothersome to you ask if they can get mask for you to use.

The only problem I had was when I swallowed the saliva that built up in my mouth during the test my ears would block up. After the test completes a report will either be printed out by the machine or displayed on its screen. The important part is that the dietitian will use the results in order to come up with the best plan for your hypothyroidism diet.

The bottom line is once you have a starting place or baseline to go by and a goal; your chances of reaching your desired weight will dramatically increase.

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Hypothyroidism Diet Mistakes

We’re not speaking about little stumbles where you ate a bowl of “Cookie Dough” ice-cream which probably wasn’t on your program, but the big 3 mistakes that lead to being unsuccessful at losing the weight that you want to lose.

Realizing these booby traps can assist you in developing the proper attitude that can lead you to permanent weight loss.

1. The All or Nothing mental attitude

All or nothing hypothyroid dieters will frequently choose an elaborate diet that is just about impossible for them to maintain. Before starting out, they’ll hunt the kitchen for anything that doesn’t conform to their program and throw it in the garbage. They’re planning to be the perfect dieter, and so they shall be, for a few days or even a few of weeks.

But then, inescapably, something occurs that keeps them from staying on the diet. Right away the whole thing is “done for” in their eyes and the diet is over. They’ll go to the store and re-purchase all the food that went into the garbage just prior to starting the diet and then they begin to gain back all the weight that they initially lost.

If you’re this sort of dieter you have to ask yourself a few difficult questions. Do you truly want to reduce your weight permanently, or only lose a couple of pounds just so that you can put the weight back on again?

You have to remember that you’re fighting with a medical condition that by its very nature can cause you to gain weight without any extra help from you. Don’t adopt this all or nothing strategy.

2. An Attitude of Sacrifice

Another common mistake is to consider your diet as a period of sacrifice. You don’t permit yourself to eat the foods that you love most while you’re on your way to your goal of a healthy body. You might have a great dieting plan and be very successful in slimming down, but what happens once you accomplish your goal? Will you go back to your old habits?

You’ll have to learn to eat ‘bad foods’ in moderation so as soon as you start your diet, or you’re likely to lose control. It’s always best to include a little of everything in your diet and learn to enjoy them in limited quantities. This is the staple of any good diet. Give yourself a day to “cheat” on your diet.

This doesn’t mean that on that day you eat like crud at every meal but give yourself one meal out of the day to enjoy yourself.

3. Goal Failure

Setting achievable goals is critical in any weight loss program, especially for the person suffering from hypothyroidism. Goals had better be clear, realistic and whenever possible, set out in writing. While you in all likelihood do have an ideal weight in your mind, unless you’re only very slightly overweight the time frame for achieving this goal probably too far out to be of value. A more effective goal would be to lose two pounds per week for the first few weeks and then one pound per week thereafter, consistently week in and week out.

Some weeks you’ll drop off more weight and some weeks it’ll be less, some weeks you could even gain weight, but if you track your progress on a chart you’ll see that ups and downs are normal and don’t stop you advancing steadily toward your goal.

In closing, if you’ve been making these mistakes, don’t stress about it. It’ll only make things worse. The most significant point in any hypothyroidism diet is, as in so many other things, to move on. Learn by your failures as well as your successes and do not use a slip up as an alibi for giving up.

The only way to accomplish your goal for good is to make a commitment to become an all in all fitter person.

Learn to enjoy food in moderation and you have every chance of avoiding these mistakes.

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