Is your belly fat loss being hampered by hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid)?Is a malfunctioning thyroid gland sabotaging your efforts at belly fat loss? Is it making weight loss harder and can it actually be making you gain excess belly fat? Can it be the reason why you have slipped into the realm of the obese? When the thyroid gland fails to produce adequate amounts of what are called thyroid hormones, a condition known as hypothyroidism results. Hypothyroidism does not cause obesity but can contribute to an increase in weight gain and can make belly fat loss much harder. Anyone can develop hypothyroidism but it mainly occurs in women over 50. For some middle aged women, can their frustration with weight loss in part be contributed to hypothyroidism? The risk for developing this disease increases with age. Other risk factors include: Where is this thyroid thang and what the heck does it do exactly? 
The thyroid is a small butterfly shaped gland (picture) located at the base of the front of your neck, just below your Adams apple. Its small but mighty. It releases hormones which have a huge impact on your health, affecting all aspects of your metabolism.
Thyroid hormones control the rate at which glucose is burned or oxidized and converted to body heat and chemical activity. This affects weight loss and belly fat loss. This activity affects every cell in the body which depends upon a continuous supply of chemical energy to power all activity. As long as things are cool with the thyroid, proper amounts of hormones are released and the body works fine. But, release too little thyroid hormones, and walla!! hypothyroidism results. For those with weight loss issues, this ain't a good thing. Symptoms of hypothyroidism Thyroid hormones The thyroid produces 2 hormones we call thyroid hormones (t3 and t4) and calcitonin. Thyroid hormone is the bodys main metabolic hormone and is actually two iodine containing hormones called thyroxine (t4) and triiodothyronine (t3). Thyroxine and triiodothyronine maintain the rate at which your body uses fats and carbohydrates, help control body temperature, influence your heart rate and help regulate the production of protein. Calcitonin regulates the amount of calcium in your blood. The amount of thyroid hormone made by the thyroid is regulated by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus located at the base of your brain. The pituitary gland releases thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which signals the thyroid to produce more thyroid hormone. When the pituitary gland senses that there is the right amount of thyroid hormone in the body, it will decrease thyroid hormone production. If too little thyroid hormone is released, hypothyrodism will occur, but if too much thyroid hormone is released, hyperthryodism results. Thats a whole nother ball game altogether!
Complications If left untreated, hypothyroidism can lead to a number of health problems such as goiter, heart problems, mental health issues, myxedema, infertility, birth defects, weight gain and a resistance to belly fat loss. If you suspect that you are suffering from this condition, your doctor can perform what is called a TSH test. It measures the level of TSH in your bloodstream. Your doctor might also test the level of thyroxin in your bloodstream. A low level of thyroxin and a high level of TSH indicate an under performing thyroid. Thats because your pituitary gland produces more TSH in an effort to stimulate your thyroid gland into producing more thyroid hormone. The standard medical practice is to prescribe the oral drug-synthetic thyroid hormone levothyroxine (levothyroid, levoxyl, synthroid, unithroid). You may be on this drug for the rest of your life. The dosage may vary with the severity of your hypothyroidism. As an alternative to synthetic thyroid hormone your doctor may prescribe a thyroid hormone from the thyroid gland of pigs. Dr. Marc Hyman, MD. Who is Editor-in-Chief of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine and who is a leader in the emerging field of Functional Medicine, recommends the following steps if you are diagnosed with low thyroid function: Eliminate the causes of thyroid problems, like toxins, food allergies and nutritional deficiencies. Exercise and take saunas. Eat foods that provide nutritional support to your thyroid and avoid those that dont. Use supplements that protect your thyroid, such as vitamins A and D, selenium, zinc and fish oil. Work with your doctor to choose the right thyroid replacement for you. If weight loss is an issue, I highly recommend taking advantage of a good belly fat loss program. . Since most sufferers of hypothyroidism are middle age women who tend to accumulate excess fat around their middle, a good weight loss program that targets belly fat loss can provide valuable assistance in shedding unwanted pounds and fat.
As you can see, having a properly functioning thyroid gland is very important. If hypothyroidism is left unchecked, serious medical problems can occur. An underactive thyroid may not make you obese but it can cause mild weight gain. Unfortunately these extra pounds are usually stored as belly fat as we age. This makes belly fat loss a much harder undertaking. Having hypothyroidism is a condition which is easily managed with proper nutrition and the help of your doctor. As always, prevention whenever possible is the best key. A strong, nutritionally nourished body will always be your best ally in dealing with any health related issue.
The heart that gives-gathers.
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