Could Your Thyroid Be Causing You to Gain Weight

Weight Gain and The Thyroid Gland

If you’re constantly on a “diet” and eating healthily and exercising but are having trouble losing weight, your thyroid could be making you fat. And with each year of advancing age, some type of thyroid dysfunction becomes more likely.

How do you know if your thyroid is not working efficiently?

Signs of an Underfunctioning or Low Thyroid include:
Fatigue
Depression
Dry or Coarse Hair
Puffy Face and eyes
Dry Skin
Intolerance to Cold
Weight Gain
Inability to Lose Weight
Constipation
Brittle Nails
Goiter – or enlargement of the thyroid gland

It is important to know that there are different types of thyroid testing and many times physicians will only do one type of test for the thyroid instead of a complete panel, and therefore patients may struggle for years with an underfunctioning thyroid because they are told their thyroid tests were “normal.” Especially if you are over 40 years old, female, and are eating well and still struggling with weight issues, ask your doctor for a thyroid test. And, find out specifically what tests your doctor is doing for your thyroid and as always, get a copy of your results for your own files and medical records. To read more about thyroid testing we’ve included some additional resources here on the HospitalSoup.com site.