Why Dieting May Make You Fat

Millions of Americans start off their New Year on a quest to lose weight — you may very well be one of them — and that quest almost always involves going on a diet. But your good intentions at cutting your calories, restricting your food intake and otherwise starving yourself thin could be backfiring big time … and even making you fatter than you were before.

What gives?

Both acute and chronic dieting can reduce your circulating T3 levels by up to 50 percent. T3 (triiodothyronine) is the active form of hormone produced by your thyroid, and it plays a major role in your metabolism.

T3 actually helps to increase your metabolism, raising your basal metabolic rate, or the number of calories you burn in a day while at rest, so you burn more calories. But when you diet, you essentially send your body into starvation mode, causing your T3 levels to plummet and thereby lowering your basal metabolic rate as well.

By some estimates, dieting may lead to decreases in T3 that lower your metabolic rate by up to 40 percent, and there is evidence that if you’ve been a chronic dieter your metabolic rate and T3 levels may not return to normal for many years. This means that you’ll burn fewer calories than you really should, and will likely have a very hard time losing weight or, if you’ve already lost weight, keeping it off.

So what’s the solution if you want to shed a few (or more) pounds? Do so in a way that will protect your thyroid hormones, not harm them. This means ditching the diet in favor of healthy meals that keep you satiated, not starving.

Really, who wants to spend their days counting calories and agonizing over every celery stick anyway? When you revamp your meals to include mostly fresh, unprocessed foods, you needn’t keep track of calories — just eat until you feel full and satisfied. Best of all, this type of eating program will NOT feel like a diet at all — you should enjoy eating your meals and experience not only extra energy but also weight loss (if you need it) as an inevitable result.

If you need help to give your eating habits an overhaul, please do not hesitate to call. We can share with you a sensible way of eating that will promote healing and optimal health, without even a hint of the dreaded “D” word.

AOL Health June 11, 2010

National Academy of Hypothyroidism

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The Functional Endocrinology Center of Colorado is passionate about improving the lives and lifestyles of individuals with Type II Diabetes and Hashimoto’s Disease. Call us at 303-302-0930 to schedule your complimentary consultation.