It is always suggested to develop your plan for weight loss or take help from a professional because if you will not do so, then, it might be possible that due to some hormonal problem like hypothyroidism, you don’t lose weight and all your efforts go in vain.
Yes, it happens in a lot of cases where people are following a healthy diet, exercise regularly and take adequate rest for longer periods but don’t get any satisfactory result means a decrease in weight. Professional counseling is very essential in such cases as they will assess you for any inherited disease or hormonal imbalance.
Thyroid problem such as subclinical and overt hypothyroidism is found to be often related to weight gain, reduced metabolism, and thermogenesis. A study, which has been done on people over 40 years of age who has BMI (Body Mass Index) of minimum 30 Kg/m2, proved that subclinical and overt hypothyroidism is correlated with high BMI and obesity in smokers as well as nonsmokers.
TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) and weight gain relationship
Studies have proven that even slight changes in thyroid functions can result in regional obesity and increase the tendency to gain weight. The fat cells produce a hormone Leptin, which mediates the correlation between TSH and BMI. Leptin is an essential hormone which is responsible for telling the central nervous system about the reserved fat and therefore regulates energy homeostasis in the body. It achieves the homeostasis by regulating food intake and energy expenditure. Low level of TSH interferes with the functioning of Leptin and increase the energy expenditure. In the results, you will feel fatigue, low on energy and to compensate the loss of energy you will start eating more which in turn reflect in your extra pounds.
Get yourself tested for a thyroid problem
Rather than sulking on your overweight problem you can consult a doctor which will help you in rectifying the hormonal imbalance. With the help of a professional, you can lose weight as well as stay fit in a long run. But if you are not sure that your body is gaining weight because of thyroid problem, then you must look out for these 10 signs and if these are visible in your body then you have to consult the doctor without any further delay.
Experiencing extreme body temperature
If your body temperature remains below 98.6 degrees then you should see the doctor as soon as possible. Persons with thyroid problem often experience chills and face difficulties in weight loss. It is because the low amount of hormone reduces the metabolism, which results in less burning of calories. Less energy means less heat and thus the body experience chills, or drop in temperature.
Feeling low on energy
If you feel low on energy in the day time, despite of following a healthy diet and workout regime and continue to gain weight then you should suspect a thyroid issue.
Feeling down or sad
If you feel that everything is gray around you and there is no reason to be happy then it is possible that your thyroid hormone has reduced the level of “feel good” hormone i.e. Serotonin. Thyroid problem can make you gloomy and swing your mood frequently.
Foggy brain
If you forget the things easily and your brain remains foggy most of the times and you are not able to make decisions quickly, then it is possible that the thyroid problem is causing such an impact.
Dry skin
Dry and itchy skin is caused by little hormone production by the thyroid gland and it is a main symptom of hypothyroidism. Low levels of thyroid hormone can slow down the metabolism, which results in less sweating. Therefore, the skin texture and appearance of the body get changed and it becomes dry and flaky.
Constipation
Since the low amount of thyroid hormone can slow down the metabolic processes, therefore, people with thyroid problem faces the problem of constipation. This is among the three main symptoms of hypothyroidism.
Pain or numbness
Normally when you workout you feel pain in your muscle, but if you are feeling a sudden pain in arms, legs, feet or hand or numbness then it can be caused by hypothyroidism. Reduced amount of thyroid hormone can damage the nerves which are responsible for sending signals to the CNS (at brain) and PNS (at spinal cord) which results into numbness, tingles and twinges.
High blood pressure
If you have high blood pressure and increased weight, then it may be possible that the thyroid has anything to do with that. Persons with hypothyroidism are having 2-3 times more risk of developing hypertension than other persons. The least amount of thyroid hormone slows down the heartbeat which affects the pumping strength of heart and flexibility of the walls of blood vessels. Both of these results can increase the blood pressure.
Feeling sleepy all the time
Drop in thyroid hormone level can slow down the body functions which makes you drowsy and sluggish.
Thinning and falling of hair
Less thyroid hormone can disrupt the growth cycle of hairs and halts follicle growth. The hair becomes dry, thin and brittle, which results in the excessive hair fall. Sometimes the body loses all body hair, including the outer side of the eyebrows.
These are some easily recognizable physical, physiological and behavioral symptoms which suspects the faulty thyroid in the body. There are some other symptoms also such as dry and brittle nails which develops ridges in them, loss of libido or sex drive, difficulty in conception or even infertility, irregular periods, increased level of bad cholesterol and some other symptoms. But the above mentioned symptoms are the cardinal symptoms means if you are having one or a combination of these symptoms then your body needs immediate medical assistance.
Your doctor will ask you to go through some test and on the basis of your symptoms, physical assessment and test results the doctor will prescribe you synthetic hormones. You may have to visit your doctor several times since the thyroid treatment involves a trial and error method. With professional help and proper medication, you can fight the thyroid complication and eventually lose your extra weight.