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One reason for unexplainable weight gain could be your thyroid, which is another key player in your metabolism. The thyroid gland can make you either love the hell out of your body or want to hide it away in baggy sweatpants. It's essentially your body's metabolic regulator. It controls metabolism by secreting two hormones that control how fast the body burns calories and utilizes energy. If your thyroid secretes too little you end up with hypothyroidism, or slugglish or underactive thyroid. All of this slows down your bodily functions. Hypothyroidism makes you very tired and lethargic which makes it difficult to burn calories. You probably wont have the energy or drive to go to the gym, and even if you do, you're fighting a slowed system. Because everything is slowed, the body will demand quick energy all the time in carbohydrate cravings- which is why low thyroid sufferers often crave refined carbs like breads, pasta, crackers, cereal, cake, muffins, cookies, juice, alcohol, rice cakes, ice cream and so forth.
Simply put, if your thyroid isn't working to stimulate your metabolism, it is VERY tough to get thin. Your body isn't working FOR you, it's working AGAINST you.
So how do you know if your thyroid is sluggish or underactive? Well it's not the easies thing to diagnose, in fact doctors really struggle with identifying hypothryroidism. This is because it tends to show up in a variety of symptoms that may show up if you've overworked or stressed, life is hectic, or you're aging. However some symptoms are:
- Weight gain
- Cravings for refined carbs
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Foggy thinking
- Inability to tolerate cold
- A slowed heart rate
- Painful menstrual periods
- Muscle weakness
- Muscle cramps
- Dry, scaly skin
- Poor fingernail growth (the thyroid gland controls nail and hair growth)
- Hair loss
- Migraines
- Hoarseness
- Itchy skin
- Depression
- Dizziness
- Heart Palpitations
- Weird burning sensations in the body
- Constipation
- Difficulty concentrating
- Bags under your eyes
- Yellow bumps on your eyelids
In general your risks for hypothyroidism increase with age, particularly for women over 35. It's been suggested by some experts (although don't quote me on this) that up to 25% of all women will eventually suffer from a thyroid issue.
If you do have hypothyroidism don't just rely on your doctor to write a prescription. Taking thyroid medication blocks your body's ability to produce hormones on it's own, and this is NEVER good, and you will be on it for life with greater problems. My mother suffered from hypothyroidism for years and has had better luck balancing her thyroid naturally through diet and exercise then she ever had through medication. I'm not saying "don't use a prescription" but if you do have hypothyroidism examine ALL options before making a life altering decision!
