Hormones weight loss: Are you having difficulty losing weight? Have you tried dieting and exercise but you just can’t lose body fat?

You have probably seen advertisements for all sorts of special diets, the latest exercise programs and even supplements that are supposed to melt the pounds away.  Maybe you have even tried one or more of these approaches. If so, perhaps you have found that most of these strategies simply don’t work or don’t work as well as you had hoped. This may be because you have not found the underlying cause for your weight problem.

What makes weight-loss difficult for some people?

Many people are not able to lose weight (especially women) because their thyroid gland is not working properly. Even if you are taking thyroid medication you may still have a “thyroid problem.”

What does your thyroid do for you?

The thyroid is part of your endocrine system (hormone system) that controls many of your body’s important functions by producing and releasing certain hormones. 

The thyroid’s main job is to control the speed of your body’s metabolism or your body’s metabolic rate.  This is the process by which the body converts the food you eat into energy for your body functions.  Each and every cell needs energy to function so thyroid function has an impact on everything that happens in the body. So, even if it goes without saying, I will say it anyway…if the thyroid isn’t working properly, it can impact your entire body. 

In addition to regulating your metabolic rate, your thyroid hormones affect the following bodily functions:

• Increasing or decreasing body temperature
• Raising or lowering heart rate
• Increasing or decreasing the pace of breathing
• Upregulating or downregulating mental activity
• Maintaining skin and bone quality
• Functioning of digestive system
• Fertility (low thyroid activity can interfere with the release of the egg from the ovary)

Metabolism and weight loss

It does not matter if your thyroid has been removed (and you are taking medication), if your thyroid is intact (and you are on medication), or if neither of these apply to you. What we need to focus on here are the hormones; either the hormones that your thyroid should be making or the amount of thyroid medication that you are taking. These hormones are essential for maintaining a healthy body weight and losing body fat. If you don’t have enough of these hormones or if your body is not using these hormones properly, it will be virtually impossible to lose body fat and keep it off.

Thyroid Hormones: How do these hormones affect weight loss?

They do this by controlling your metabolism.  When you have proper levels of hormones AND your body is using them properly, you have more energy and you burn fat. When this hormone balance is lost, you have less energy and you pack on the pounds.

Are your thyroid hormones doing their job?

For the sake of simplicity, we won’t separate those of you who are taking thyroid medication and those who are not. We don’t need to, because the same principals apply. So, let’s start with the 2 thyroid hormones we will be discussing; T4 (thyroxine) and T3 (triiodothyronine). Your thyroid gland produces T4 and, if you are taking medication like Synthroid or levothyroxine, these are both T4. If you are having trouble losing weight, your thyroid gland may not be producing enough T4 or you may not be getting enough from your medication.

If you are getting enough T4, there may be a different problem and this has to do with conversion. Conversion is the process where your body converts T4 into another hormone called T3. We find that many people have a conversion problem. This process of converting T4 into T3 is essential for proper thyroid health and it is rarely identified in healthcare today. The reason this conversion is so important is because T3 is the truly active form of thyroid hormone and not T4. It is estimated that T3 is 10 times stronger than T4! This means that your T4 levels may be normal but your T3 is too low; when this happens, you have poor thyroid function and decreased metabolism. There are specialized thyroid blood tests that can determine if you have a conversion problem, unfortunately most doctors are reluctant to order them. In fact, most doctors only order 2 thyroid tests (T4 and TSH and neither will of these are testing conversion). 

Functional medicine doctor for thyroid

At Naperville Integrated Wellness, we specialize in natural thyroid health and functional medicine.  We will order 10 thyroid tests when we wish to evaluate proper thyroid function. This comprehensive analysis not only permits us to determine if you have a conversion problem but helps us pinpoint other common problems with the thyroid. It is true that not every weight loss concern is caused by a thyroid hormone problem and it is our job to evaluate and find the cause of your weight concern.

What you can do now if you suspect you have a problem with your thyroid?

If you have not had your thyroid tested you should have this done; but you must have it properly tested by a doctor who understands the many ways thyroid function can be compromised. Most primary care doctors and many endocrinologists do not run sufficient tests to in order to determine if you truly have a thyroid problem and why you have the problem. Typically, testing is only performed to find out if you need thyroid mediation (T4) and how much you should take. If you have been told your thyroid is “normal” or if you are taking medication yet still feel symptoms of being “hypothyroid,” please contact our integrative wellness office in Naperville for a second opinion.

Contact Our Functional Medicine Doctor

If you are looking for a functional medicine doctor in Chicago, Orland Park, Plainfield, Warrenville, Naperville, St. Charles or Wheaton, please contact us today!

Never assume that what you been told is the truth. Do your own research, inform yourself and ask questions. Always consider the source when gathering information; there is no shortage of false, misleading and completely biased information in healthcare today; even from the most respected sources.