Diet Secrets for Thyroid Patients Who Wants To Maintain A Normal Weight

People who wish to lose weight but suffer from hypothyroidism may have different diet regimens as compared to those who do not suffer the same condition. Many hypothyroid patients have a hard time in losing weight. If you gained weight before the thyroid condition is diagnosed, you would probably be told that you can lose weight more easily once you start your thyroid hormone replacement. However, this is not entirely true.

Despite the “normal” TSH levels and lower-calorie diets and exercise, you notice that you are gaining weight or not losing weight. Thyroid patients need to know is that there are three factors that can trigger the difficulty in losing weight. These are the changed metabolic set point, changes in brain chemistry due to the illness and insulin resistance.

Low calorie diets can lower the metabolism and can send the body into “hoard” mode where thyroid patients are susceptible to. This will also offset weight loss efforts and will only give you negative weight loss results. And if you think that you have tried your best to diet but you don’t see any positive change in your body, the problem may be is that you are eating too little and not in the proper balance.

To know how many calories you need, you have to divide your current weight in pounds by 2.2 so you can convert your weight to kilograms. Then, multiply your weight in kilograms by 30 since this is the number of calories you need per pound of body weight. Take for instance you are 160 pounds, you divide 160 by 2.2, which is results to 73 kilograms. Multiply 73 by 30, which equals to 2190. This result therefore is the amount of calories you need to maintain your current weight of 160. The next step is you subtract 200 calories for your thyroid condition, which is an estimate to reflect the reduction in your metabolism and calorie requirements. The result then is 1990 calories. This number of calories is needed by a thyroid patient like you to maintain the weight of 160 pounds.

Thyroid patients who plan of losing weight must cut the calorie requirements by 5 calories per kilogram. This only means that you need to multiply your current weight in kilograms by 25 and not 30. You just need to repeat the procedure mentioned earlier and just substitute 25 to 30.

The most effective weight loss programs for thyroid patients also focus more on breaking up the calories into multiple “mini-meals” in a day. Experts also suggest that thyroid patients should eat 40% protein/25% fat/35% low glycemic carbohydrates in smaller, 250-300 meals.

You may also be lacking enough fiber. Getting a good amount of fiber is one of the basic tactics you can do as a thyroid patient who wants to lose weight. Fiber provides so many benefits for people with hypothyroidism and it can come from food, supplements, or even both. Water can also help the metabolism work more efficiently. It can also lessen appetite and get rid of water retention and bloating and improve the elimination and digestion.