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> Hints > Past Newsletter Editions > Articles > Impaired thyroid function making you fat? Find another excuse

Impaired thyroid function making you fat? Find another excuse

A common contributor to weight gain is hypothyroidism (impaired thyroid function), which occurs when the thyroid gland fails to secrete sufficient thyroid hormones into the bloodstream.

The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped gland located on the front of your throat, just under your larynx (the Adam's apple) and extending over either side of your windpipe. It produces the thyroid hormones T3 (otherwise known as triiodothyronine or 3,3',5-triiodothyronine) and the less active hormone from which it is derived, T4 (otherwise known as thyroxine or 3,5,3',5'-tetraiodothyronine).

Thyroid hormones act on almost every cell in the body to regulate several functions, notably metabolic rate. In fact, if you didn't have any thyroid hormones in your system, your basal metabolic rate would drop by about thirty percent.

In about six to twenty five percent of adults, particularly older women, the thyroid gland ceases to produce sufficient thyroid hormones and the result is hypothyroidism. In developed countries, this is most commonly due to the autoimmune disease Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, where the body produces antibodies and white blood cells that attack and gradually destroy the thyroid gland. Other causes of hypothyroidism include iodine deficiency - now disturbingly common in Australia, the United States, Europe and other developed countries - as well as dysfunction in parts of the pituitary gland or hypothalamus that control the thyroid gland.

Symptoms of hypothyroidism may include fatigue, depression, cold intolerance, hair loss, constipation, difficulties with concentration and unexplained weight gain. Thankfully, doctors can easily treat hypothyroidism with thyroxine tablets, which are a form of hormone replacement, or iodine supplementation if the hypothyroidism is caused by iodine deficiency.

Many people assume that a drop in metabolic rate due to the onset of hypothyroidism and prior to the commencement of treatment will naturally result in large weight gains. That is not the case, however, because not everyone who's newly diagnosed with hypothyroidism has gained a lot of weight. Part of the reason for this may be that while low thyroid function is known to cause a drop in metabolic rate, research suggests that it also causes a drop in appetite.

Could it be that the people who don't gain excess weight as their thyroid gland expires are those that are so in tune with their bodies that they actually eat less when their appetite decreases? More research is needed, but I'm inclined to believe that this may be the case. I've personally seen the effects - or lack thereof - of a deteriorating thyroid gland on body weight in people who've used a Success Diary and learned how to eat only when hungry.

One such example is forty-four year old Raylene, who I introduced in July 2008 as the woman who started losing weight when she stopped eating six small meals or snacks per day as her local gym had recommended and instead started eating according to what her body told her. Raylene has since lost all the weight she wanted to lose and has kept it off for over a year...despite the fact that she was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in that time.

When I first met Raylene via e-mail she was so bright and bubbly. Every few weeks she'd write and tell me about her weight loss adventure, as well as certain aspects of her life. She was working full-time as a receptionist in a busy medical practice while training to qualify as a health councilor.

But after several months, the tone of Raylene's e-mails began to change. Things at work seemed to bother her more than before, so much so that her frustration made its way into her normally chipper e-mails. Raylene counted down the days until her holiday in a Fijian resort with her husband, but when she got back from the long-awaited trip she seemed even more worn down than ever.

"I am suffering badly from post holiday blues", she wrote. "I can not get going at all, it is terrible!!!!!! I am sooooo glad I booked the rest of the week off as there is no way I would have done anything at all productive. We are already looking at where we can go next year, terrible, huh??? We have to have something to look forward to or we will go mad".

As it turns out, the cause of Raylene's fatigue and disgruntlement had been hypothyroidism, which her doctor diagnosed with a blood test when she told him she'd been feeling unusually tired. Raylene's doctor told her that unexplained weight gain was another common symptom of hypothyroidism, but Raylene was unscathed by that one. Sure, during her holidays she'd gained a kilo, but this was readily explained by ten days of resort food.

"The food was just heaven, especially the breakfasts, so much fresh fruit and all sorts, and I ate heaps of lovely Indian food!!!" she told me in an e-mail. Moreover, within three weeks of returning from holidays the extra kilo was gone.

Of course, this didn't all just happen as if by magic. Raylene was scrupulous about making healthy food choices, about eating only when hungry, and about being active.

"I did eat a big breakfast every day at the resort, but then I rarely needed to eat anything until dinner time, so my intake was really not too bad overall, and we were active playing golf and walking all the time we were away. Now that we are back, my appetite is very low I must admit. I really don't feel like eating much, showing that my fat brake is working (it would have been working overtime on holiday!!). We have been eating a lot of salads and Greek salads since we have been back as that is what I have felt like eating", she wrote.

So, if you're not feeling a hundred percent and you've got symptoms of hypothyroidism as described above, you may like to ask your doctor to check your thyroid function.

If you do happen to have hypothyroidism, keeping a Success Diary until you feel confident about eating only when hungry could mean the difference between being one of the people who gain ten or more kilos when their thyroid gland gives up the ghost, and being one of the 'lucky' people like Raylene who successfully manage their weight.

Additionally, the sooner your hypothyroidism is diagnosed and the sooner you commence an appropriate, medically supervised treatment, the less likely you are to gain disturbing amounts of weight.

And once your condition is under treatment that's regularly monitored by your doctor, there's absolutely no reason why you can't manage your weight fruitfully.

Many of my clients have told me that they gained excess weight around the time leading up to the diagnosis of hypothyroidism, but that hasn't stopped them from losing the surplus once they started using a Success Diary and eating according to their physical needs.

One such example is Jocelyn, who lost 8 centimeters off her waist over the course of a year - including some ups and downs with several overseas trips - to reach her target size twelve. This is despite the fact that Hashimoto's Thyroiditis means she'll need to take thyroxine tablets for the rest of her life.

Over to you

Here's something you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

If you struggle with excess weight and you're not entirely sure how it got there, it's worth talking with your doctor about whether any underlying medical conditions - such as hypothyroidism - could be contributing to the problem.

Remember, symptoms of hypothyroidism to look out for include fatigue, depression, cold intolerance, hair loss, constipation, difficulties with concentration and unexplained weight gain.

Many people - myself included - feel reluctant to go to the doctor unless there's something obviously wrong with them. However, regular medical check-ups are important because they enable you to uncover any medical conditions in their early stages when treatment is often more effective.

And if you do happen to have hypothyroidism, early diagnosis and treatment will make it easier for you to maintain your weight, or at least prevent depressingly large weight gains.

If you've already gained weight because of hypothyroidism, please don't buy into the myth that it will prevent you from losing it again because it won't. The trick is to get appropriate and medically supervised treatment, and to listen to your body and make sure you're eating only when you feel comfortably and physically hungry and only until you've had enough, no more and no less. Your Success Diary is the key to learning how to do this.

So, what are your experiences of managing your weight despite hypothyroidism? If you'd like to let me know, click 'reply' and send me a note. It always makes my day to hear from readers, and I look forward to hearing from you, too.

Sincerely,

Amanda

Dr Amanda
Connect with your body
www.DrAmandaOnline.com