The thyroid determines the intensity of metabolism in the body. If it is slowed down, we speak of hypothyroidism, if it is accelerated, we speak of hyperthyroidism. Hashimoto thyroid and hypothyroidism, what are the consequences on weight gain?
It is the consequence of insufficient production of hormones by the thyroid gland whose function is to regulate metabolism cells in our body.
THashimoto hyroid
There are 2 thyroid hormones, the T3 and T4 that are under the control of another hormone, TSH produced in the brain bypituitary.
The higher the TSH, the greater the hypothyroidism. The causes of the’hypothyroidism are diverse and poorly identified. It was noticed that certain populations in isolated and disadvantaged regions, could suffer from it when they lacked iodine.
Supplementation adding iodine to table salt was then shown to be effective. It has also been shown that a deficiency in selenium and in zinc could also be questioned. But in industrialized countries where there is no such deficiency, hypothyroidism is still a individual pathology.
One of the most severe forms is Hashimoto thyroidism (Hashimoto thyroid), a autoimmune disease, whose origin, genetic, bacterial, has always not really been demonstrated.
Women more affected than men
Hypothyroidism and mainly a female disease: 7% of women against 0.5% of men. It can also occur, without knowing why, following pregnancy. But its growth in the population of industrialized countries has been notable for 35 years.
It has been shown, though not officially recognized, that the increased risk of exposure to excessive levels of radioactivity, which is common in our current civilization, could constitute a factor of onset and worsening of the disease.
Thus, a significant increase in hypothyroidism was observed in the female population of the regions which were crossed by the cloud of Chernobyl after the nuclear disaster in 1986.
The symptoms of hypothyroidism on the following:
- lack of energy tired chronic,
- chilliness,
- slow heartbeat
- arterial hypotension,
- depressive tendency,
- cramps, muscle stiffness, constipation,
- low libido,
- excess cholesterol,
- weight gain, with water retention and abdominal swelling.
All of these symptoms are often worsened after menopause.
Stabilize the thyroid for weight loss
When hypothyroidism is well identified, it is the subject of a prescription, for life, of thyroxine, a synthetic hormone which compensates for the natural deficit.
But while the vast majority of symptoms decrease, not all of them go away. This is particularly the case with regard to the risks of weight gain. Because despite taking thyroxine, and without knowing why, the body of the subject concerned continues to maintain a lower than normal energy expenditure.
This shows that following a varied and balanced diet is relatively effective in preventing and substantially reducing weight gain in hypothyroid patients, even if a return to an ideal weight remains illusory.
The measures to be adopted to obtain satisfactory results are as follows:
- rigorously follow varied and balanced meal plans,
- remove them cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats, etc.) and replace them with sarazin, quinoa and especially rice,
- delete all dairy products with cow’s milk,
- eat a little sheep’s or goat’s cheese and use soy milk substitutes,
- when substantial results have been obtained, we can try to reintroduce in very small quantities the corn (spaghetti) and certain dairy products (yoghurts).
The thyroid is a real engine of our metabolism, a dysfunction of this gland then modifies the energy produced by the body with the consequence of what we have mentioned above, in particular the weight gain.
It is necessary to stabilize your thyroid before starting a weight loss process. Consult your doctor, and once your thyroid has stabilized, it will then be possible to consider weight loss. The Montignac method can help you in this process.
