Hypothyroidism: how to lose weight and regulate your weight
Created: 08.12.2022, 20:30
By: Judith Brown
People who suffer from an underactive thyroid often also suffer from weight gain.
How those affected get rid of the annoying kilos.
Weight gain is one of the many symptoms of an underactive thyroid.
Those affected often suffer from the fact that they suddenly gain several kilos, although they have not changed their eating habits.
In addition, losing weight with the metabolic disorder is usually difficult, since hardly anything seems to help.
Nevertheless, the fight against the pounds is not hopeless.
Hypothyroidism: how to lose weight and regulate your weight
When the thyroid gland is underactive, the metabolism runs slower than normal.
This in turn affects the basal metabolic rate and thus the calorie requirement.
Weight gain is therefore not uncommon.
© McPHOTO/IMAGO
If the thyroid gland is underactive, the organ produces too few hormones that influence metabolic processes in the body.
As a result, the metabolism slows down.
This reduces the basal metabolic rate and the calorie requirement decreases.
The basal metabolic rate is the energy requirement that the body needs at rest for vital functions such as breathing and heartbeat.
If it changes, it can also affect the energy balance.
This shows up in some patients with hypothyroidism in the form of weight gain.
However, the falling basal metabolic rate in the case of hypofunction is only partly responsible for the increased weight, since this is not caused solely by the growth of fatty tissue.
Because an underactive thyroid gland accumulates more salt and water in the body.
This fact can also be reflected in the weight.
In addition, usually only 2.5 to five kilos are due to the disease of the butterfly-shaped organ.
If there are no other typical symptoms of hypofunction, such as tiredness, hair loss or dry skin, in addition to weight gain, the cause is probably somewhere else.
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Losing weight despite hypothyroidism: Drug treatment helps
Hypothyroidism is usually treated with medication.
Patients then have to take tablets with the active ingredient L-thyroxine to compensate for the lack of thyroid hormones.
It should not be taken with coffee or minerals such as calcium.
In most cases, those affected automatically get the problem with weight gain under control.
Once the thyroid hormones in the body are back in balance, weight is usually regulated as well.
In this way, most of those kilos that are caused by the water retention take off again.
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However, if the weight gain is not related to the hypofunction, then in some cases less weight can be lost than hoped for despite the treatment.
If you are still overweight despite having your thyroid gland properly controlled with medication, then a healthy diet and regular exercise should help you lose weight.
By the way, you can first find out whether your thyroid gland is working properly with a symptom check.
If you suspect a thyroid disorder, you should see your family doctor.
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. In no way does it replace a visit to the doctor. Unfortunately, our editors are not allowed to answer individual questions about clinical pictures.
