03 Apr Thyroid and Metabolism
Thyroid and Metabolism
Is my Thyroid holding me back from weight loss? One of the most common weight loss question I get asked is, “Could my thyroid be holding me back from my weight loss?” I recently hosted a “Metabolism Monday” on my facebook page and turned the live question and answer session over to my friend Ari Whitten. Below is a Re-cap of the most common questions that were asked and how Ari answered them.
Ari is the best selling author of Forever Fat Loss and the creator of cutting-edge program The Energy Blueprint. (By the way, he’s got an incredible FREE training on how to increase your energy levels. It’s a MUST WATCH for anyone who cares about being healthy, increase their energy or wants to lose fat. You can sign up for that 100% FREE Virtual Training HERE.)
*NOTE: Before reading on it is important to note that this article does not claim to be a treatment or cure for any disease. If you have a serious medical condition, see your doctor and take appropriate action.
Disclaimer
Ari is not a medical doctor and he is sharing his thoughts and practices based on his own research. My advise it to be your own health advocate, do research yourself and always consult with your physician about your individual circumstances. The below are Ari Whittens answers and not those of Natalie Jill’s or the Natalie Jill Fitness team’s.
Ari Whitten does not claim to be diagnosing, treating or curing hypothyroidism. If you have, or suspect you have hypothyroidism (or any other disease), please see your doctor and take appropriate action. Physicians are in the realm of diagnosis and treatment of disease using medication. Ari’s advice and programs are lifestyle and nutrition-based strategies designed to work with your doctor’s treatments by optimizing metabolic health and improving overall energy levels, vitality, and losing body fat).
What is the best diet for hypothyroid? TSH numbers are normal, but I feel exhausted and have all the other symptoms.
Ari’s Answer: There is no single best diet for hypothyroidism. But there are many helpful principles, some of which are outlined in the article linked to in this post. Also lots of helpful info on my website HERE and the free ebook I give away when you take the test, and lots of free info given away on my Facebook page if you browse through my previous posts and articles.
An anti-inflammatory diet that minimizes vegetable oils (canola, soy etc), minimizing goitrogens (like raw cruciferous veggies and millet), minimizing calorie over consumption, has adequate protein with a balanced amino acid profile, minimizes transfats and food additives like gums/carageenan, includes ample fruits and vegetables, etc. These are good places to start.
I am on Synthroid and have normal TSH levels but I’m still having lots of hypothyroid symptoms.
Ari’s Answer: Regarding having normal TSH levels but still having symptoms…Getting a proper diagnosis is a matter to take up with your doctor. But you may be dealing with a thyroid conversion issue where T4 is not converting into T3 efficiently, which sometimes happens with those taking synthroid. Ask your doctor about this. He may wish to administer a full thyroid blood panel to check if your free T3 levels are low, which indicates a conversion problem.
I would also suggest reading this article HERE and asking your doctor about it.
I’m training for an ultra marathon, working out a total 6 days a week, eating between 1600 and 2000 calories per day and have gained fat in both my belly and legs. What am I doing wrong?
Ari’s Answer: First read this article HERE, and then let me know if you have more questions.
It could also be an issue with lack of awareness around nutrition habits which you can read about HERE and HERE, or an issue with N.E.A.T. (non-exercise activity thermogenesis), which you can read about HERE.
I have hypothyroidism. Are there certain things I can eat to help my thyroid? I am losing weight, but I think I could be doing more for my body.
Ari’s Answer: There are numerous aspects of nutrition and lifestyle that have a major impact on thyroid health. Medication is one aspect, and once you are doing that, I strongly advise taking care of the lifestyle aspects of the condition. The free ebook I give away on my website (specifically chapter 6) after you take the free test, will give you more insight into all these lifestyle factors. You can take the test here .
An anti-inflammatory diet that minimizes vegetable oils (canola, soy etc), minimizing goitrogens (like raw cruciferous veggies and millet), minimizing calorie overconsumption, has adequate protein with a balanced amino acid profile, minimizes transfats and food additives like gums/carageenan, avoiding gluten (if you have or suspect you have any autoimmune condition), include ample fruits and vegetables, etc. These are good places to start.
I am currently in menopause. I feel like I can’t have a cheat meal without a huge gain, is this normal?
Ari’s Answer: First let me clarify with regard to the one cheat meal/day and having a huge gain. Significant amounts of bodyfat (enough to show up in your scale weight) will NOT
happen in a single meal or single day. Now, a single cheat meal or cheat day might change your scale weight by several pounds, but this has mostly to do with water weight fluctuations, not bodyfat. So be careful not to confuse water weight fluctuations with bodyfat gain or loss. Regarding not losing weight while eating only 1300 to 1400 calories a day, I would suggest that you have a major FLUX problem.
FLUX = the level that you are regulating energy balance (calories in, calories out)
Low Flux = You are both consuming and BURNING very little calories each day
High Flux = Michael Phelps consuming and burning over 10,000 calories each day.
In general, you want to be moving towards HIGHER caloric flux as your first goal. Please read this HERE.
If you’re eating only 1300-1400 calories a day, it is almost a certainty that you are eating too little and moving too little. As an example, people in the Victorian era routinely consumed over 3000 calories per day (over 5000 was typical for men) and were much leaner than people today. (Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2672390/)
The difference between them and us is NEAT and overall daily caloric FLUX. Time to get that FLUX up!
Should people with hypothyroid be on synthroid for the rest of their life or is there a natural way to control and produce the hormones?
Ari’s Answer: It’s very individual. Synthroid is one option, and works best for those who don’t have conversion issues. Some people do best with natural desiccated thyroid, and some people with low T3 syndrome do best with compounded T3. This has to be determined on an individual level using blood work and with your doctor.
This study may be of interest to you HERE
I had my thyroid removed and have found it hard to lose weight. I take levothyroxine daily. What is your best advice for someone without a thyroid?
Ari’s Answer: Once you’re taking medication, you’re pretty much in the same boat as everyone else. The same factors that can prevent someone without hypothyroidism from losing weight can also prevent you from losing weight. The main difference (potentially) is if you have a thyroid conversion issue, synthroid may not be adequate and you may want to switch to a T4/T3 mix. Something to check with you doctor about and use a full thyroid panel as a guide. But it also may not be a thyroid issue at all. In the test and free ebook I give away on my website HERE, I go over the 6 most common issues holding people back from losing weight.
I’ve been told my thyroid is enlarged with a nodule yet my endocrinologist never prescribed me anything for the enlargement. Is there anything I can do myself to shrink my thyroid?
Ari’s Answer: On this issue, you
should definitely trust your endocrinologist. I am not aware of anything specifically that can shrink the thyroid.
I had an ovary & tube removed. Ever since the surgery I seem to be gaining weight. Any advice???
Ari’s Answer: Do you work a desk job? Eating that few calories and not losing weight is usually a sign of low caloric flux… please read this HERE.
I just started taking thyroid meds and I gained about 15 pounds. What’s the best diet, exercise and supplement plan for a vegetarian?
Ari’s Answer: As long as you are eating a diverse whole foods vegetarian diet, it’s possible to very healthy on it. Some things to be aware of are deficiencies in B12, DHA/EPA, copper, vitamin A, and some other micronutrients. Also getting ample protein is important. I would recommend reading this article HERE.
What foods should we eat when we have thyroid problems?
Ari’s Answer: A good place to start is getting out trans-fats, vegetable oils (canola, soy, corn oil, etc…which are in almost all processed food), raw cruciferous vegetables, unfiltered water, avoiding gluten (if you have or suspect you have any autoimmune condition), drinking and eating out of containers with BPA, as well as processed foods with gums and carageenan.
I had half my thyroid removed. I am struggling with gaining weight. What to do?
Ari’s Answer: It could be a number of issues holding you back from losing weight. It could still be a thyroid issue or it could be something else. It’s impossible for me to tell you based solely on this info. But I would suggest going to my website HERE and taking the free test and reading the free ebook that comes with it. That will give you a much better idea of what’s holding back your fat loss.
Do you suggest essential oils like lemongrass to help with thyroid?
Ari’s Answer: There is no credible scientific research to show that essential oils have any impact on hypothyroidism specifically. But if stress is an issue for you, it is theoretically possible that destressing in a bath with aromatherapy or meditation etc may help your overall stress level, and indirectly, your health.
I had a total thyroidectomy. If I don’t have a thyroid anymore would thyroid boosting diets actually do anything for me?
Ari’s Answer: There are 3 phases of good metabolic health: thyroid production, thyroid hormone conversion (T4 to T3) and cellular respiration (where thyroid hormone enters the cell itself). Having your thyroid removed only impacts the first of those three stages. So nutrition (and lifestyle) factors can still be very important for boosting the other two aspects of metabolic health. This will explain more HERE
Is there a natural aide for hypothyroidism? I had a thyroidectomy years back and can’t afford the medicine. I need help boosting my metabolism.
Ari’s Answer: Be careful with over the counter supplements. Many are ineffective and contain unproven ingredients. Some also contain large amounts of iodine, which you should be VERY careful with if you suspect you have autoimmune hypothyroidism. See HERE.
If you’re taking about thyroid hormone supplementation, you can take typical medications like synthroid, or use dessicated thyroid gland, which is natural rather than synthetic. But both can work well. Other natural approaches include the nutrition and lifestyle recommendations in my programs (specifically the Metabolism Supercharge program). But please make sure you are being treated according to your doctor’s recommendations prior to trying any natural approaches. My programs are a complement to–not replacement for–treatment (and potentially medication) from your doctor. They address the medication angle and I address nutrition and lifestyle factors that can facilitate good metabolic health.
I have an under active thyroid. I eat clean and eliminated processed food, gluten, corn, peanuts and soy from my diet. I feel much better but am not loosing weight.
Ari’s Answer: To get a good idea of what’s likely holding you back from losing weight, I strongly recommend going to my website and taking the free test and reading the accompanying free ebook.
If you are just getting back into an exercises program, how long does it take your metabolism to restore?
Ari’s Answer: It seems you’re presuming that “restoring” one’s metabolism is just a matter of doing exercise, which is not the case at all. Exercise is just one of MANY different aspects of lifestyle that impacts metabolic health, along with nutrition, gentle movement/NEAT, circadian rhythm and other factors. So restoring metabolic health is not simply a matter of doing an exercise program. Check out the free ebook I give away on my website www.ariwhitten.com and read chapter 6 in that book to get an idea of all the different factors that impact metabolic health.
I have been in a calorie deficit for years, working out intensely but am unable to lose weight. Help! Could it be a thyroid thing?
Ari’s Answer: To clarify, what you probably mean is that you have been eating a very low calorie diet, not that you are in a caloric deficit. If you are in a caloric deficit, then by definition, you’d be losing weight. Not losing weight on a low calorie diet is usually an issue of caloric flux. Please read the article HERE.
It can also definitely be a thyroid problem, but you wouldn’t diagnose your issue as a thyroid problem solely based on that information alone. First address NEAT and get your caloric FLUX UP, and if you still have issues, it may very well be a thyroid issue.
If you suspect a thyroid issue, get a blood test from your doctor.
I had a hemithyroidectomy. What recommendations do you have to boost my thyroid function so I can try to wean off the meds?
Ari’s Answer: I have tons of recommendations. I would suggest reading the article linked to in this post to start with. Then taking the test on my website HERE and reading the free book I give away with that. That will give you an overview of all the changes I do to affect thyroid/metabolic health.
Chapter 6 of that book.
How do nodules on the thyroid affect your weight loss?
Ari’s Answer: Nodules are commonly not problematic, so if your doc says you’re okay, then you’re okay 🙂
I have graves disease. What advice do you have for me to lose weight?
Ari’s Answer:That’s a tough situation. Movement is absolutely critical to cellular health and thyroid function. So one way or another, you need to experiment and find *SOME* kind of movement that you can do without pain.
I eat clean and run 5 miles a day. Could my thyroid slow down my metabolism?
Ari’s Answer: It’s certainly possible that it could be a thyroid issue. And yes, low thyroid levels will decrease metabolic rate.
Other symptoms of low metabolic rate are weight gain/difficulty losing weight, depression/anxiety/irritability, digestive problems, cold hands and feet, etc.
I am currently on Thyroid meds for hypothyroidism, will I ever not be on medication?
Ari’s Answer: It’s very individual. Depending on the issue that’s causing low thyroid levels and how long the issue has progressed, there are some people who are able to turn things around and get off medication and have normal thyroid levels. But there are also plenty of people who stay on for life and who deal with a progressive destruction of their thyroid gland.
What is the best way to improve thyroid function and help control weight?
Ari’s Answer: Aside from medication, the whole realm of nutrition, circadian rhythm and lifestyle choices has a massive impact on thyroid health.
Please take the test on my website HERE and then read chapter 6 of the free ebook I give away with that.
Once you are addressing the medication side of things and following your doctor’s advice, I would suggest looking at nutrition and lifestyle for ways you can further help metabolic health.
What are your thoughts on carb cycling for weight loss?
Ari’s Answer: The science behind carb cycling is weak. Most people mistake the fluctuations in water weight (and subcutaneous water storage) for fat loss. Carb cycling isn’t really anything special for fat loss.
My thyroid has dissolved due to Stress and Hypothyroidism. I can’t seem the lose the loose skin and flab around my mid section. What do you recommend?
Ari’s Answer: Sorry to hear that! In your case, the first thing to do is go see a physician who can help you out with medication. Once you’ve done that, I can help you out with all of the nutrition and lifestyle factors that impact thyroid and metabolic health. But you should be working with both a skilled physician on the medication angle as well as me on the lifestyle angle. Hope that helps point you in the right direction!
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So there you have it! I hope this was helpful and gave you some quality information and helped clear up any confusion about your thyroid possibly holding you back from your weight loss goals. Thank you Ari!
Are you ready to take your body and energy to the next level?
Ari has put together what may just be the most advanced and cutting-edge, science-packed health program in the world. It’s called The Energy Blueprint and people are absolutely raving about it. He offers an amazing “Overcome Fatigue and Double Your Energy” FREE Virtual Training course that is a MUST WATCH for anyone who cares about their health and wants more energy. You can sign up for that HERE.
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