Hypothyroidism slows down your metabolism, making it more difficult to lose extra pounds and maintain a healthy body weight.
The best way to lose weight with hypothyroidism is to focus on eating vegetables, fruits, lean meats, and healthy fats. These foods help you feel full faster than processed and high-sugar foods and may promote a healthy weight.
Treating an underactive thyroid may cause a person to lose some weight, but thyroid medication is not a weight loss drug. People who do not have an underactive thyroid should not take thyroid medications in an attempt to lose weight.
The Thyroid Weight-Loss Problem
Leptin and ghrelin are hormones influenced by T3 and T4 that regulate weight and appetite. Low levels of these hormones contribute to obesity and an inability to lose weight.
Generally, people begin to notice weight loss about three to six months after hitting a therapeutic dose of their medication. People lose about five to ten pounds on thyroid medication or less than 10% of their body weight.
Thyroid hormones have been used as a weight loss tool in the past. Many studies have shown that excess thyroid hormone treatment can help produce more weight loss than can be achieved by dieting alone. However, once the excess thyroid hormone is stopped, the excess weight loss is usually regained.
While undertreatment with levothyroxine can lead to weight gain, overtreatment can result in weight loss as well as adverse effects including bone and muscle loss and heart problems, especially arrhythmias. Once the excess hormone is stopped (that is, the dose is adjusted downward), the weight is typically regained.
Weight gain
Even mild cases of hypothyroidism may increase the risk of weight gain and obesity. People with the condition often report having a puffy face as well as excess weight around the stomach or other areas of the body.
An unexplained change in weight is one of the most common signs of a thyroid disorder. Weight gain may signal low levels of thyroid hormones, a condition called hypothyroidism. In contrast, if the thyroid produces more hormones than the body needs, you may lose weight unexpectedly. This is known as hyperthyroidism.
When you start taking thyroid medication like levothyroxine, don't expect instant weight loss. The first barrier is getting the right dose of thyroid medication. Once you have reached your ideal dose, you may notice some weight loss after around three to six months of continuous use.
This occurs when the thyroid gland produces too much of the hormone that regulates the body's metabolism, causing unintentional weight loss, increased appetite but no weight gain, fatigue, more frequent bowel movements, hand tremors, irregular heartbeat, increased sensitivity to heat, etc.
Many people do not take the right dosage of levothyroxine, and both undertreatment and overtreatment can have an effect on weight. Levothyroxine weight gain may be tied to undertreatment, according to the ATA.
Walking. Walking is the easiest and best exercise for thyroid patients to lose weight. It is a low-impact exercise that individuals suffering from hypothyroidism can do anywhere. Walking improves cardiac health and has potential mood-boosting benefits (including depression and fatigue).
With thyroid fatigue, you may feel like you can't get through a day without a nap. You may sleep more than usual but still feel completely exhausted. You may not even have the energy to exercise. At times, you may fall asleep during the day or very quickly at night.
The afternoon crash means your blood sugar has dropped too low for your brain and body to function normally, causing you to become drowsy, mentally foggy, tired, and unmotivated. Unstable blood sugar is notorious for making it difficult to manage an autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto's hypothyroidism.
Thyroid disease can affect a person's weight by regulating how fast they burn calories, or how slow they burn calories. It all works toward speeding up if it's overactive, or under active, it can slow everything down, so it makes them gain weight uncontrollably.
In general, when the thyroid hormone binds to its intranuclear receptor, it activates the genes for increasing metabolic rate and thermogenesis. Increasing metabolic rate involves increased oxygen and energy consumption.
As with most medications, if you've gained or lost weight, you may need to adjust the dose of your thyroid medication. Your provider will calculate how much to add or take away based on your weight change and monitor how well you do with the new dosage.
Common side effects of levothyroxine include heat intolerance, a fast heart rate, and diarrhea. More serious levothyroxine side effects are also possible. If you experience side effects like tremors or mood changes, talk to your healthcare provider as soon as you can.
In some cases, the symptoms and side effects of taking too much levothyroxine are similar to those of hypothyroidism. For example, you may feel more exhausted than usual, feel achy (as if you have the flu), or feel jittery and anxious. You may also gain weight.
Sensitive Skin and Skin Discoloration
Thyroid hormones also influence the quality of your skin in various ways. For example, with hyperthyroidism, you may notice itchy and dry patches of skin. Your face may feel softer and swollen. You may even notice swelling around your fingertips.
A swollen fingertip, curved nail, and thickening skin above a nail are often signs of thyroid disease.