You are not alone if you think a sluggish thyroid is causing you to gain weight. Contrary to this popular belief, in most cases it is just the other way around. Gaining weight is actually causing the thyroid to become sluggish. If your thyroid is struggling the problem tends to get worse the more times you go on a diet and lose some weight and then gain it all back again, typically with a few extra pounds for good measure. Once in motion thyroid and weight problems feed off each other like a chicken and egg, locking in a nasty metabolic catch 22 that is quite difficult to solve.
Leptin is the key hormone that governs body weight. Leptin is produced in fat, travels through the blood and up to the brain, enters the brain and informs the subconscious brain how much fat is in reserves. If there is an adequate amount of fat in storage leptin permits the thyroid system to set a faster basal metabolic rate. Leptin is in control of thyroid, thyroid does not control leptin. Think of thyroid hormone as the drummer in the band, setting the pace or tempo. Think of leptin as the conductor of the band, determining what piece of music will be played.
This leptin and thyroid relationship is fundamental to survival. During evolution there was often a scarcity of food. This required that stored fat be broken down to use as fuel. The stored fat now produces less leptin, which means to the brain it is time to slow down metabolism to conserve energy so as not to perish. If a faster basal metabolic pace was allowed a person would die from malnutrition at a quicker rate. Thus, leptin intentionally creates a hypothyroid state in order to survive.
Then, when more food is available, leptin commands that fat storage is replenished before thyroid is allowed to go faster. This is a mode your body uses to recover from a period of famine, otherwise known as a diet. This mechanism is the bane of any dieter, and the cause of the yo-yo dieting response.
The curse of prosperity is that we now have ready access to too much food. Our bodies did not evolve with overeating as the primary issue. Too much food really creates a lot of stress. Extra pounds of fat crank out way too much leptin. At the same time extra fat in the blood (triglycerides) blocks leptin from getting into the brain, inducing a problem called leptin resistance. This makes your subconscious brain think you are starving even though you have plenty of extra fat on hand. This is a false state of perceived starvation, with the undesirable side effect of slowing down thyroid function to set a slower metabolic pace (hypothyroid).
Now it is certainly possible to create a thyroid problem in some other way, such as chemical poisoning of the thyroid gland by exposure to fluoride or perchlorate. This will slow down metabolism and make a person more likely to gain weight. However, once the person starts gaining weight then the leptin problem makes the thyroid problem worse.
The problem isn’t too bad if a person can cut back on calories and increase exercise and lose the extra weight. However, this leptin-thyroid conundrum is at the root of difficult weight loss and ongoing sluggish thyroid problems in overweight people. Such people run out of energy and get in a really bad mood from cutting calories long before they reach their goal weight. And they easily gain weight back eating even moderate amounts of food.
The only way out of this trap is to understand leptin and to eat in harmony with the hormone. By following the Five Rules of <i>The Leptin Diet</i> you can readily improve thyroid function. This enables your metabolism to run faster while eating proper portions, permitting weight loss without inducing the thyroid-deteriorating starvation response that is invariably followed by weight gain. Those who consistently follow the Five Rules for a number of months in a row have the best results. Nutrients that support thyroid function and leptin function are also helpful tools, along with consistent exercise, to assist you in overcoming this thyroid and leptin rut.
See Byron's new Leptin & Thyroid Weight Loss Blog at: www.byronrichards.com
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