Would you be surprised to learn that an estimated 30 million Americans are unsuccessful at weight loss because of a thyroid problem, and not a lack of will power or discipline?
The thyroid’s job is to make thyroid hormones, which are secreted into the blood and then carried to every tissue in the body. Thyroid hormone helps the body use energy, stay warm and keep the brain, heart, muscles, and other organs working as they should.
There is a complex relationship between thyroid disease, body weight and metabolism.
Changes in thyroid hormone levels also cause changes in energy balance and similar changes in body weight. An underactive thyroid is generally associated with some weight gain.
There are many other hormones (besides thyroid hormone), proteins, and other chemicals that are very important for controlling energy expenditure, food intake, and body weight. Because all these substances interact on both the brain centers that regulate energy expenditure and tissues throughout the body that control energy expenditure and energy intake.
Thyroid hormones have been used as a weight loss tool in the past. Many studies have shown that excess thyroid hormone treatment can help produce more weight loss than can be achieved by dieting alone.
Leptin the Regulator
Leptin is the regulator of both body weight and your thyroid control. If you haven’t heard of leptin, that’s because it was discovered relatively recently in 1994. It’s similar to insulin in its job description. Leptin acts as an important control system that makes telephone calls to other organs about the state of your fat balance and whether to go or stay in low-metabolism survival mode. It’s made in your fat cells, and more fat cells = higher leptin levels. The high leptin normally tells your hypothalamus that you don’t need to eat as much, so metabolism slows and your thyroid cranks out more thyroid hormone. This is when your leptin is communicating clearly and functionally, and your hypothalamus is responding appropriately.
Signs it’s your thyroid
- Energy dropouts later in the day and continued weight gain despite good diet and exercise.
- Body Temperature. One of the main physical signs is, of course, your body temperature.
- Family history of thryoid problems
- Your Age – Over 40
- Hair Loss
Getting Your Thyroid Tested As a Step to Weight Loss
At Metro MediSpa we provide both hormone and thyroid testing to determine if your thyroid is the culprit before any dieting plan is prescribed.
