Is Your Thyroid Messing with Your Weight?
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Could your Thyroid be the issue with your weight?
Did you know more than 12 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease, including hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism? Many don’t even know.
It may be small, but your thyroid is your body’s power center. Take care of it and it can pay off when it comes to your fitness. If you notice you seem to be doing all you can to lose weight and get in shape and things aren’t quite going in the right direction for you, you may want to have your thyroid checked out.
Your thyroid is small but mighty. This small butterfly shaped gland at the lower part of your neck is responsible for many things that go on in your body. Your thyroid not only affects your metabolism, but it also affects many other things, like your heart rate, cholesterol levels, body weight, digestion, energy levels, muscle function, fertility, menstrual regularity and mood.
Your thyroids job is to produce and balance 2 hormones: thyroxine (T4) and triiodothromine (T3). When the balance is off and the thyroid cannot produce enough hormones, it is referred to as hypothyroidism (underactive). I myself have an underactive thyroid. On the other hand, hyperthyroidism, (overactive)occurs when your thyroid produces too much hormone. At one time, I also had hyperthyroidism.
Overactive thyroid is characterized by weight loss, I weighed about 99 pounds when mine was overactive, jitters, I couldn’t hold my hands still, fatigue, tremors and heart palpitations. My resting heart rate was usually anywhere between 130 and 140.
When medicine couldn’t control bring my thyroid function down my doctor decided to treat me with radioactive iodine, which in turn destroyed my complete thyroid function.
Today, I have an underactive, if you want to even use the word active, thyroid. I take meds to control it. Symptoms of underactive thyroid are weight gain, fatigue, feeling cold and heavy or irregular periods.
Thyroid disorders are not preventable and may be genetic. My mother had 80% of her OVERACTIVE thyroid removed in high school; I think I know where I got it from. There are steps you can take to help keep it tip top shape.
Stay lean, keep your BMI under 40.
Maintain your iodine levels. You can find iodine in seafood.
Hit the Gym. This will help keep your metabolism up.
Manage stress. I know easier said than done right.
As much as I try to do the above listed steps, there are just times that my thyroid wins that is when I get it tested. I generally have it tested every year since having the treatment. I felt like it was a little off at the beginning of this year, I was seeing weight gain and just felt a little sluggish. Upon having it tested my doctor raised my dose of medication and things are all good now. It’s good to know the signs and know when you should get it tested.
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