If you have an underactive thyroid, you know how difficult it can be to lose weight. A sluggish thyroid can reduce your body’s metabolism and ability to burn fat, making it harder to lose weight. A slow thyroid can also cause weakness and fatigue, further hindering weight loss. Learn about ways to stimulate thyroid and lose weight.
Overcome Thyroid Problems and Burn Fat
You can do several things to stimulate your thyroid, which will activate your metabolism and help your body burn fat.
- Avoid Foods That Cause Inflammation
Avoid foods that trigger systemic inflammation. Processed foods, refined sugar, and refined oil can increase inflammation. Furthermore, food intolerances can cause inflammation. The top food intolerances include soy, corn, gluten, and dairy products. Eliminating these foods can help heal the thyroid gland and boost fat-burning capabilities.
- Iodine Consumption for Improving Thyroid Health
Iodine is your best friend. For your thyroid to function correctly, you need to include iodine in your diet. Iodine is a mineral the thyroid gland uses to make T3 and T4. Most people know that seafood, seaweed, and saltwater fish like tuna and cod are rich in iodine; however, many do not realize that dairy products, cereals, and breads all contain ample amounts of iodine. Iodine deficiency can lead to the development of goiter (an enlargement of the thyroid gland) or hypothyroidism.
- Eat Small Meals Frequently
Eat as soon as you wake up. Waiting more than 30 minutes after you wake up to eat can place undue stress on your body. When you do not feed your body upon rising, the famine response can activate and prevent the thyroid from converting T4 into T3. Your body will begin storing fat for a backup emergency food source once it triggers the famine response. Finally, eat small meals throughout the day to prevent the body from thinking that food is scarce, and it should activate the famine response to protect against starvation.
- Toxins
Contaminated toxins may cause your thyroid to not function properly. Toxins are present in groundwater, nonorganic foods, mercury-laden fish, and oral fillings. Following a detoxification program can help remove toxins and heavy metals from the body and improve thyroid function.
- Nutritional Deficiency
Nutritional deficiencies can impact thyroid function. Several minerals can reduce the thyroid hormone produced by the thyroid gland. Selenium, zinc, iodine, and tyrosine are necessary for thyroid hormone production. Taking a vitamin and mineral supplement can help improve thyroid health.
Choose vitamins and minerals that can help decrease stress hormones’ effects on your metabolism and thyroid. When you are under stress, your body produces cortisol. Cortisol decreases thyroid hormone production, T3 production, and T3 destruction in the body. In addition, high cortisol levels can cause blood sugar imbalances, further exacerbating thyroid problems.
- Adequate Sleep
Get a good night’s sleep. While you sleep, your body produces many hormones necessary for improved health. If you are having trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep, go to bed and wake up at the same time every night, lower your bedroom temperature by a couple of degrees, and only use your bedroom for intimacy and sleep.
- Exercise
Exercise is an essential part of any weight loss plan. You should include strength training and cardiovascular exercises if your thyroid functions poorly. Cardio exercises increase respiration and heart rate, melt fat, and burn calories. Examples include aerobics, swimming, walking, jogging, and biking. Strength training helps build muscle. When your muscle mass increases, your fat-burning capabilities increase. Strength training exercises develop and tone your muscles and improve your strength and endurance.
- Consume Enough Water
Drink water throughout the day. You must stay hydrated to stay healthy. Did you know that drinking two glasses of water increases your metabolic rate? In addition, drinking water before you eat can reduce the amount of food you consume and improve your thyroid weight loss efforts.
- Manage Stress
Stress decreases metabolism and slows down thyroid function. When stressed, people are more likely to overeat, which can lead to weight gain. Stress reduction techniques like meditation, deep breathing, and yoga can help improve thyroid function, burn fat, and increase metabolism.
Heal your Thyroid and Lose Weight
Our functional medicine clinicians understand the importance of treating the body as a whole rather than treating the symptoms. When you suffer from a low-functioning thyroid and low metabolism, you must address the underlying issues preventing your body from burning fat and losing weight. Some of the most common underlying problems include stress, sleep deprivation, nutritional deficiencies, and toxic buildup in the body.
It is advisable to consult with a holistic doctor who specializes in thyroid health. Your doctor will help determine how well your thyroid functions, identify any nutritional deficiencies, discuss dietary changes, and recommend a fitness program to bolster metabolism and fat burning.
