The connection between Hypothyroidism Weight Loss and Attitude

It is important to remember that to succeed with any kind of Hypothyroidism weight loss, attitude become a major factor in your overall physical being and can help in losing weight.

Some of the symptoms such as fatigue, uncontrollable weight gain and memory loss can in fact cause depression or a lack of wanting to do much of anything. It’s quite easy to develop a complete loss of interest in everything. This in turn makes it extremely easy to convince yourself that making necessary life changes will be a useless waste of your time.

Think again, because this is exactly what you want to condition yourself to avoid doing. There are steps that you need to take in order to keep your weight gain under control when you suffer from an underactive thyroid.

Hypothyroidism Weight Loss and Attitude – First Step to Weight Control

The first step for hypothyroidism and weight loss is the absolute necessity for thyroid medication regulation as well as regular medical examinations that ensure that your thyroid hormone levels stay where they are supposed to be.

Having proper levels of thyroid hormone processed through your body each day will curb the hypothyroidism symptoms of fatigue, weight gain and depression enough to be able to start changing your attitude and focusing on your hypothyroid weight loss.

Second Step to Weight Control and Hypothyroidism

The second step or requirement in the diet and weight loss process for those who suffer from hypothyroidism can be a difficult task. This step is keeping your attitude positive and realistically in check.

I say that this can be a difficult task but in reality it very often is A VERY DIFFICULT task, especially if your medication isn’t regulated yet.

Once your medication is regulated and your metabolism is back up and running, you have to get rid of that why bother it’s just a waste of time attitude. You can’t keep thinking that you are doomed. This just isn’t true and with this type of attitude you will have a long road ahead of you. A road that’s much longer than it has to be.

You have to take some initiative to remove any negative attitude, bad mood or stress that you might be harboring and replace that with pleasant thoughts and a positive attitude. Keeping an upbeat attitude will make a world of difference in weight loss once you have your symptoms of hypothyroidism under control.

So How Do You Change Your Attitude?

Honestly, changing your attitude is a lot easier than most people think it is. Think about this. How many times in your life have you been in a blah mood and had some function that you wanted to attend? You’re stressed out, feeling down and keep telling your self that you really don’t think that you want to go but then again you do want to or should go. Then eventually you motivate yourself to get out to this event and before you know it your attitude has changed and you are enjoying yourself. Your blah attitude somehow just went away.

The point that I’m making here has everything to do with a reality check on your attitude. It’s about learning to decipher the difference between actual symptoms of hypothyroidism and a lack of wanting to do anything due to everyday stresses and attitude.

If you’re suffering from symptoms of an underactive thyroid then your blah attitude isn’t going to change when you attend this event.  In this case your blah attitude is being caused by very real physical symptoms of your thyroid condition and you should discuss this with your doctor.

Now if your attitude does change and become positive while you are attending this function then this is an indication that your attitude was simply psychological and you’ve successfully changed that attitude. There’s your reality check.

Simple, Subtle Tips for Changing Your Attitude

Making very simple, subtle changes to your general surroundings is a great way to change your bad attitude. Here are some ways to create a necessary distraction that will steer you away from being consumed by a negative attitude:

• Turn on your favorite music. Listening to your favorite music is a surefire way to consume the space in your mind that your negative mentality is starting to take over.
• Call an upbeat friend who you know always makes you feel good. It’s all about feeling good.
• Watch a comedy or go read some jokes, laughter also fills that space and helps to overcome a negative attitude.
• Find anything to add into your current surroundings that just makes you feel good. Good feelings always overpower negative feelings.
• I have to add in here that it’s important that you DON’T turn to eating to make yourself feel good. (That’s going to defeat the purpose)

The basic idea of taking these simple steps is that they are the fuel that you will use to gravitate away from your slump so that you can grow towards conquering the affects brought on by your hypothyroidism symptoms with a positive attitude. Motivation is everything here.

Once you’ve learned to successfully maintain a positive attitude you will be more willing to follow a proper diet and exercise regimen. A positive attitude is a major key toward weight loss when you suffer from hypothyroidism. A positive attitude is the very thing that will get you moving if you just keep in mind the words Hypothyroidism Weight Loss and Attitude.

Hypothyroidism and Constipation Symptom

Constipation, one of the many symptoms of Hypothyroidism is never a pleasant topic of conversation but as with the other symptoms of Hypothyroidism and constipation is definitely a necessary topic of discussion.

Before we get into why people who live with Hypothyroidism get constipated we should have a basic idea of how the upper and lower intestines function during the digestive process. This post will focus more on the lower intestines then on the upper intestine because that’s where constipation takes place.

Hypothyroidism and Constipation – Digestion and the Need for Fiber and Water

Both the initial and majority of the break down of the foods that we eat begins in the upper or small intestine. During digestion the upper intestine is responsible for breaking down foods enough to pass through the intestinal track while absorbing nutrients necessary for our bodies to function.

By the time digestions reaches the end of the small intestine, known as the ileum, what remains of the food that we have eaten is sodium and chloride, water and waste (unused portions of food, fiber and dead cells from inside of your stomach) The ileum absorbs water, sodium and chloride back into the body before passing the waste on for elimination.

There are a couple of things to take a look at here if your constipation is a result of having an underactive thyroid.

The first is the importance of high fiber combined with including plenty of water into your diet on a daily basis. This is important for all people and not just people who suffer from hypothyroidism. Although fiber is discarded as waste the reason why fiber and water are important to your digestion is that fiber acts like a sponge and absorbs water.

Sometimes the ileum can absorb too much water from what remains of your food causing your stools to become hard and difficult to pass. The fiber that passes through your digestive track holds on to the water that it absorbs and creates that balance that the body needs that helps to insure softer stools.

Exercise and Constipation

The next is exercise. Digestion requires healthy muscle movement throughout the digestive track. When you suffer from hypothyroidism muscles slow down, everything slows down, your blood pumps slower. The main reason for the need to exercise is for the purpose of keeping your blood pumping and maintaining strong healthy muscles. It’s pretty much common sense. It’s also as easy as getting up and going for a 30-40 minute walk each day especially after dinner. Keep moving no matter how fatigued you are.

Hemorrhoids and Constipation

Another issue is that hemorrhoids could be a result of constipation and in turn causing more constipation. Talk about one hand washing the other. Exercise, fiber and water are key to helping in this area. Softer stools eliminate hemorrhoids and constipation.

Hypothyroidism and Constipation Points to Remember

• Remember always, always make sure that you are properly taking your thyroid medication as directed by your medical professional.
• Make sure that you see your doctor on a regular basis.
• Make sure that you are tracking your symptoms and discussing the things that you notice with your doctor at all appointments especially if your constipation is chronic.
• Treatment may be as simple as temporarily needing a stool softener or a hemorrhoid treatment combined with making simple adjustments to your diet and exercise routine.
• Consult a doctor if you start to become dependent on stool softeners and hemorrhoid treatment.
• If you are doing everything right and still suffer from constipation then it could be something unrelated to your hypothyroidism causing your issue.

Hormonal Changes

One last note or reason for the need to discuss the details of this symptom of hypothyroidism with your doctor is that hormonal changes brought about by an underactive thyroid can cause constipation. Your doctor will check your different thyroid hormone levels to make sure that you have proper T3, T4 and TSH levels in your system.

Remember keeping your digestion process healthy can eliminate unexplained fatigue, and the affect of Hypothyroidism and Constipation.

Hypothyroidism Treatment – Start at the Beginning

There are many causes for hypothyroidism. the most common cause being auto immune diseases such as hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Prior to any hypothyroidism treatment it must be determined what is causing your low thyroid condition.

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

Common symptoms of hypothyroidism:

• 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, with proper hypothyroidism treatment, and 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 gain more than this 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 and Hypothyroidism Treatments

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 generally specialize in treating thyroid disease and can recommend the best hypothyroidism treatment by 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 and is the main factor in any hypothyroidism treatment. One of the more commonly prescribed medications is levothyroxine.

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 Dysfunction: 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 and set you up with an appropriate hypothyroidism treatment.

Hypothyroidism Treatment – Treat Your Thyroid Disorder First

Before you start to consider what to do about a hypothyroidism diet there is something that you need to do or all of the diets out there just aren’t going to work. Focus on receiving some proper hypothyroidism treatment.

See your doctor, have your thyroid or tsh levels checked. If you do in fact have thyroid problems, your doctor will start you on a thyroid medication such as Synthroid which is a synthetic hormone. The next step is that the doctor should be checking your thyroid levels every four to six weeks until your body is receiving the proper amount of thyroid hormone that it needs in order for you to function properly. This is a progressive process and an extremely important process as well. Once your thyroid levels are in proper working order you should be re-checked every six to twelve months.

One of the last things that you should ever do if you believe that you are experiencing thyroid symptoms is to try to self treat your potential thyroid disease. You could cause yourself some serious health issues if you try this.

Your doctor will determine your initial need for thyroid treatment based on various potential health conditions that you may have, as well as on your age and any other medications that you may currently be on, that could adversely affect your thyroid medicine. From there he/she will increase or decrease your thyroid medication accordingly until your thyroid levels are as close to normal as they can be.

Supplements Can Be Harmful While Treating Hypothyroidism

You should also be aware that kelp supplements can actually be harmful to the thyroid if a person is susceptible to thyroid disease or thyroid disorders, such as a family history of it. The levels of iodine found in kelp supplements is quite a bit above the recommended daily allowance and if you are pre-disposed to possible thyroid disorders the excessive exposure to the iodine can actually trigger your thyroid disease. This is not good! Besides in the United States iodine is very much available and consumed in so many of our common foods. Never self medicate let your doctor provide you with a good medical hypothyroidism treatment.

Choosing a Doctor to receive Hypothyroidism Treatments

So you might be asking; just how does a person choose a doctor who can properly handle your hypothyroidism treatment. The answer is simple. You want to start with your primary care physician. They can run your initial exam where they should check the front of your neck for the possibility of an enlarged thyroid or goiter as well as conducting blood tests, testing your tsh, t4 and t3 thyroid levels.

Should the results of these tests show that you do in fact suffer from some form of thyroid disease then the next step that you want to take is to have your primary care physician recommend you to a reputable endocrinologist.

An endocrinologist specializes in the endocrine system of your body so they can provide you with a more in-depth diagnosis of your thyroid symptoms and advise you on how to properly treat different areas of your body that have been affected by your lack of metabolism and hypothyroidism.

On a personal note, I highly recommend that you do get an endocrinologist and that you not let your primary care physician talk you out of doing so, especially if you want the best possible hypothyroidism treatment that you can get. Also keep in mind that there are some endocrinologists out there that do specialize in thyroid disease and hypothyroidism treatment.