Weight-loss and Thyroiditis
Many with thyroid issues and auto-immune diseases suffer from weight management issues. Those with low thyroid function, hypothyroidism or Hashimoto's disease, often suffer from a slower metabolism, because the body produces less thyroid hormones, or the thyroid conversion is hindered. The thyroid hormones are linked to the metabolism and vice versa. Unless the metabolism is taken care off, weight-loss will be bio-chemically impossible.
Calorie restriction might further the problem, as the body is already in energy saving mode. Your body might think you are starving.
Those with hyperthyroidism or Grave's diseases can have increased thyroid function, which stimulates the metabolism. Naturally, those burn more energy and calories.
In either one of the cases, we do want to make sure that we fuel our body right. After all you would never put diesel in a car designed for petrol.
With either side on the spectrum, many have an impaired ability to naturally detox their body. It is as if the oil filter in your car is missing or blocked.
Additionally, many suffer from chronic, underlying infections and inflammations, which often remain undiagnosed. Click here for a free root-cause manual.
Infections alongside with low stomach acid, often lead to nutritional deficiencies, which disrupt the energy production on cell level even further. The consequences literally are comparable to the car losing horsepower.
We feel exhausted as our body has to work hard to accomplish the same tasks with less fuel. It is just a matter of time before further symptoms surface.
It is important to understand that there is rarely a single cause at work.
Most of us are totally out of sync with our body. We notice symptoms as nuisance to be calmed with pills, opposed to listen and fix the root-cause.
Our body is communicating with us and it is time to decode the message.
Here are 5 major lifestyle factors that impact thyroid function and therefore your weight-loss journey:
1) The importance of gut health
Our gut bacteria takes a strong hit over the years, given the rise in c-sections, bottle feeding, overuse of antibiotics, medication, processed food and overall poor diet. These factors create an imbalance in the gut flora called gut dysbiosis. Additionally, many with auto-immune diseases have low stomach acid, which in reverse psychology manifests for example in heart burn. The standard treatment are acid blockers that further the problem.
The consequences of poor gut health and therefore a lowered immune system are:
-inflammations
-nutritional deficiencies
-gut dysbiosis
-infections such as H. Pylori or SIBO
-leaky gut or gut permeability
-IBS
Anyone still remembers what cells are made off?
Well, basically from the food that we eat and the water we drink.
Just imagine the big gap from what we are supposed to eat to what we actually do eat. Including the toxins bombarding us from all sides such as air, water, food and via skin absorption. Those ingredients counteract with our body function. They especially mess around with our endocrine system aka the hormones. Obviously, the way we digest food has a huge impact on the nutrition available in our blood stream which will feed the cells. If our digestive system isn’t operating at optimal level we are experiencing a range of symptoms and our metabolism will be affected.
2) Dietary recommendations
There are a ton of diets out there. I studied more than 100 of them. I came to the conclusion they have more in common than what sets them apart. The nuances are purely down to bio-individuality, which means different aspects work for different people. To find the perfect diet there are many parameter at work such as: -heritage (your DNA) -gut microbiomes -use of medication -previous diet Each of our health histories are so individual that we need all those nuances in guidelines to honor our bio-individuality. Here is, what I found, most diets have in common: -top priority: gluten free -dairy free -no eggs -no processed food - no junk food -no refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup, or any of its 60 evil sibling -no artificial sweetener, colours or flavours -if animal protein then only pasture raised, and not corn-fed -no soy unless fermented and only in small amounts -no GMO -if organic products are available, give preference
What is left, you might be thinking.
-Well, real food.
The kind of food, we are originally designed to eat. Not the food the industry has made us believe is good for us.
The kind of food that does not need labels.
Not with ingredients that no one can pronounce.
Single ingredient products: -fruit especially berries, melon, banana, papaya, pineapple, apple, dates, citrus, mango -green leafy or cruciferous vegetable -Omega 3's via hemp, chia, flax -complex carbohydrates such as sweet potato, yucca, potato -avocado -nightshades will only be an issue if underlying gut infection or dysbiosis is present -legumes -lean protein: wild caught or pasture raised -those with healthy guts can do seeds and nuts -rice -quinoa -whole grain for those without food sensitivities
Please remember progress over perfection!
We absolutely understand how daunting it is to cut certain food groups out of your daily life all at ones. For any consultation and customized plan please contact us. Alongside an initial elimination and anti-inflammatory diet, we will start a gut healing protocol to restore gut health: -bone broth -probiotics -prebiotics including fermented food -Aloe Vera -supplements based on your symptoms and habits Depending on your symptoms supplementing might be necessary. Quality rules over quantity and price. Especially in auto-immune diseases it is important to pick the right balance of ingredients and highly bioavailable products. We can teach you how to identify a good quality product.
Counting calories and calorie restrictions rarely work. It should be crystal clear that 200kcal worth of donut are not the same nutritional value than 200kcal of fruits. Sugars are also not equally built.
A fruit comes as entity, with fiber, carbs, fats, enzymes and fruit water that is literally alive. The donut as delicious as it looks as surely been cooked, baked or fried to death stuffed with refined sugars. Even worse it feeds into:
-insulin resistance
-spikes the blood sugar
-impact estrogen levels
3) Exercise
This a similar case of bio-individuality. You need to find an exercise regime that is right for you.
If it is just 30 min of walking, mixed with some stretching and breathing exercise, that is fine.
If you go full high impact training that is fine too, given that you enjoy the routine and don’t do it to punish yourself for the cake you should not have had the day before.
If you follow a strict work out regime, opt up your nutrition.
4) Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA axis)
The HPA axis controls reactions to stress and regulates many body processes, including digestion, the immune system (80% sits in the gut), mood,sexuality and emotions. It is also responsible for creation, storage and release of energy. The release of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) from the hypothalamus is influenced by stress, physical activity, illness, by blood levels of cortisol and by the sleep/wake cycle (circadian rhythm).
In healthy individuals, cortisol, produced by the adrenal gland, rises rapidly after wakening. Those, that feel tired in the morning and can 't seem to wake up, usually suffer from adrenal fatigue possibly even burn out. In simple terms, their cortisol levels are off.
Cortisol gradually falls over the day, rising again in late afternoon. Cortisol levels then fall in late evening allowing us to fall asleep. If you feel tired but wired in the night, it indicates a disturbed circadian rhythm, which manifests in poor adrenal gland function.Usually accompanied by food cravings especially sweet and salty, which then mess with metabolism and weight management.
An abnormally flattened circadian cortisol cycle has been linked with chronic fatigue syndrome, insomnia and burnout. Click here for more info on how to restore peaceful sleep.
At the same token, that sugar and insulin spike can also cause the crashes that leave us dead tired. Or the lunch time crashes that can be so heard to fight off. Those are caused by various types of stress,which have a direct impact on cortisol levels and the HPA. We are domesticated cave men. Back in the days when cortisol and adrenaline initiated the fight or flight response, we usually ran or fought it off. With cortisol comes a spike of blood sugar to provide the energy to run and fight for our life. These days, we sit idled at an office desk, yet the hormonal response is the same than thousands of years ago. However, as we don’t move, where would the sugar go?! Typically, it is re-absorbed into the fat around our tummy and thighs. In conclusion, if your cortisol levels are off, and they spike due to stress or other triggers, you won't be able to lose weight. Here a simple trick to for stress management.
Our happiness hormones dopamine, serotonin, endorphin, and especially oxytocin can influence the HPA axis and thereby counteracts stress, promoting positive health effects such as wound healing. Read here on how to nourish your happiness hormones.
The HPA axis dysfunction can manifest in many symptoms such as:
-anxiety disorder -insomnia -burnout -chronic fatigue syndrome -fibromyalgia
The question is can antidepressants and other medication really help or would it make more sense to tackle the root-cause, the sluggish or unbalanced HPA axis?!
5) Please never underestimate the power of emotions on your wellbeing. Not just prolonged stress at work can be a huge trigger, but also past trauma and undealt emotions. If you literally swallow your anger, no broccoli can offset that impact on your gut health and immune system. If words remain unsaid, if we don’t feel heard, or we swallow our anger there is an relation as to why the organ in our throat is acting out.
During the Irish famine and world war II there were higher level of Hashimoto's cases. Think of Hashimoto's as a way of the body protecting you. I know, it might not feel that way. But the body always works with us, never against us.
It is systematically slowing down the metabolism, similar to hibernation, in order to preserve energy. Please ask yourself:
What am I doing to myself, that makes my body believe I am trying to kill it ? What am I doing that makes my body believe I am at war? Obviously while the body is running on low flame it is biochemically impossible to drop weight.
The body is a very sophisticated and automated system.
Just think about it for a minute. It begins with an egg and semen. They merge and multiply and the cells know when to grow and when to stop, they can repair themselves. They know when to become muscle tissue and when a hair follicle. I think it is highly unlikely that such a system starts to attack itself. I believe in the theory that the immune system is attacking pathogens and toxins. This is where your root-cause-journey begins.
Book here your initial session.