Weight Loss Article

Weight Gain Caused by Thyroid
October 14, 2005

Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the body lacks sufficient thyroid hormone. In this condition the body’s metabolism slows down as a result of which the rate at which energy is burnt goes down. Over five million Americans have this common medical condition. It is believed that as many as 10% of women have some degree of thyroid hormone deficiency. The main problem lies in the fact that most of the people suffering from Hypothyroidism don’t even know about it.

 

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism:

• Weight gain or increased difficulty in losing weight
• Coarse, dry hair
• Fatigue
• Abnormal menstrual cycles
• Dry, rough pale skin
• Weakness
• Hair loss
• Memory loss
• Constipation
• Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
• Cold intolerance
• Decreased libido
• Irritability
• Depression

It is not necessary that all the patients have all of these symptoms. There have a few cases in which the patients don’t have any of these symptoms but still suffer from Hypothyroidism.

Due to the slowing down of the metabolism rate it becomes very easy to gain weight and also very difficult to loose weight. But if you follow healthy eating habits and exercise regularly you can avoid becoming overweight.

Hypothyroidism shouldn’t be left untreated. The more the delay there will be in getting treatment, the more weight will be gained. Hypothyroidism can usually be detected easily in by carrying out a simple blood test. But in some cases there might be the need of carrying of some detailed test.

When the treatment of Hypothyroidism takes place some people will see their metabolism returning to normal. Due to this the weight gained will be lost within a few months provided that there is a change in the diet and regular exercise is carried out. People can also try diet pills like Phentermine and Adipex. Since it is not easy to control your diet in the beginning you can make use of medications like Phentermine. You will be able to control your carvings for food easily as Phentermine helps in suppressing the appetite.

It is usually not that difficult to treat Hypothyroidism. In many cases the patients are just required to take a simple pill once a day. However there are a few complicated cases in which other treatments have to be used. If you experience any of the symptoms you should speak to your doctor. Hypothyroidism should not be ignored as it can cause several serious problems.