Part 2 | The Effect of Hypothyroidism on Weight Gain & Your Metabolism
Gaining weight and the inability to lose weight are key symptoms of hypothyroidism. Many individuals with low thyroid have very low metabolisms. In addition, a major indicator for hypothyroidism is a low basal body temperature. One of the easiest methods you can do at home to discover whether or not low thyroid could be affecting your metabolism, begins by taking your temperature.
The regulation of your metabolism is an intricate system. Your body functions because of a beautifully designed and complex series of chemical reactions. These chemical reactions hinge on enzymes that catalyze each reaction. There is a reason why the human body is meant to function at 98.6 degrees. This is the temperature at which enzymes function the most efficiently.
There are two main thyroid hormones: triiodothyronine (T3), the active hormone and thyroxine (T4), the inactive thyroid hormone. T4 must be converted into T3 in order to be used in your cells. When there is not enough T3 inside the cell, your body’s chemical reactions begin to slow down.
And this is where the domino effect begins. Because these reactions create the heat within your body, your temperature begins to drop. When your body’s temperature begins to drop as caused by thyroid hormone not being utilized, every chemical process in your body begins to slow down. Your cells are responsible for converting food molecules and glucose into energy, also known as metabolism.
Think of how you function in a freezing cold room. You tend to move around very slowly and your body systems shut down to conserve energy. Now imagine you are in a room that is at an optimal temperature for your body. Having enough energy to move around is no longer an issue or even a thought. Your cells work in a similar fashion and they work most efficiently at an optimum temperature.
If you are doing everything in your power to keep the weight off to no avail, it would be worth it to record your basal body temperature for several days. If it is consistently lower than 97.8, consider asking your physician for a therapeutic trial of natural desiccated thyroid.,
