At the beginning of this year, I was ecstatic to find out that I have finally conquered the monster of hypothyroid. After 12 years of struggle with this thyroid imbalance causing disease, I was finally free. I approached it with 5 remedies to fight hypothyroidism and in turn fight weight gain. Here is my experience in a simple to follow steps:

Take thyroid hormone pills

Technology has grown but still not enough to be helpful to fully replace medication by organic resolution of the thyroid. One cannot avoid the thyroxine pills, though the dosage can be altered as per doctor recommendation. The way we service our vehicle every quarter, it is important to have a thyroid test every 3 months as well. Based on the results, alter the dosage of thyroxine you take. Too much or too less of this pill has an adverse effect on the future health of your thyroid glands. If you are lucky to detect hypothyroid early in your body, the right dosage of medication can help cure it fully and very quickly.

Rev up with exercise

Rev up with exercise including weight training and yoga. Often, women tend to underestimate the importance of weight training. The age-old myth of bulking up with weight training still haunts many. The fact is, that bulking up will happen only after thousands of repetitions of lifting weights.

Yoga can be tried for hypothyroidism. It is known to have many specific asanas that help in inducing thyroid secretion, for example, the lion pose. If both Yoga and weight training are not of your interest, get into any other activity. It is important that you stay active and exercise regularly. Whether it is running, swimming, cycling, team sports or any other activity you like. Make sure to work out at least 2 days a week and up to 5 days a week when possible.

Avoid skipping meals

Weight gain is often inevitable with hypothyroidism. It is really tempting to skip meals and some women get into starvation diets. Any starvation diet can only be a short cut that lasts short term. The ideal route to go is the portion control route. Split meals into multiple portions and try to have five to six meals a day to help improve metabolism. Eat as per the activity on that day. Look at it this way. The more you have been active, the richer meal you have earned.

Stay hydrated and limit caffeine

It is a well-known fact that it is important to stay hydrated. But I got to say it. Thyroid related problems can be addressed through lifestyle changes. And this is a very basic necessity to it all. There is not much rocket science to it. Just simple lifestyle improvements like remembering to hydrate on time all day. And in addition, limit the toxic liquids intake. Liquids like aerated drinks and caffeine. Stress is a huge contributor to hypothyroid. And caffeine really creates a fake excitement in the body along with a short-lived spike in energy. It is better to address the stress of the mind with meditation or a walk in nature.

Get enough sleep for healthy thyroid

Thyroid hormone regulates metabolism in humans. A huge reason for weight gain during hypothyroidism is the lack of this activity. But not all of the weight gain should be attributed to hypothyroidism. Unless it is hyperthyroidism, it is very likely that the weight gain is because of poor lifestyle in addition to hypothyroid. Sleep deprivation produces hunger-inducing hormones like leptin and ghrelin. Now that is obviously not good for sustaining weight. Regulating your sleep can not only help with your fight against weight gain but also improve your chances at curing hypothyroid. Especially because you will cause lesser stress on your body, mind and in turn your dear thyroid glands.

For me personally, it was a combination of all these measures that helped. I have been taking medication consistently, ate healthily and have been very regular with exercise. But the driving factor was insufficient sleep and mental stress. Once I took care of those two, I saw immediate results. I consciously worked on all 5 aspects mentioned here and the results are here to see. I am not saying that it will work for all but the fact to admit is that there is no short cut. Lifestyle changes and discipline with good habits is the only route to take.

Hope this was helpful to you and supports you on your way out of thyroid-related problems. Leave a comment on what your journey has been like so far.