Battling obesity with a thyroid problem

                            (By Lisa Sarah John, Courtesy Bangalore Times, March 5, 2007)

Many people with obesity also suffer from gland problems and hormonal imbalances. The common problems are diabetes, imbalance of reproductive hormones and thyroid gland problems. The first point is to know whether any members of your family suffer from the above problems. Sometimes when you do blood tests at a certain age, they may come out normal or border-line and you may feel you have escaped and don’t have the problem. But it may already be in your genetic make-up and will surface only much later.

The biggest problem you will face gaining weight easily even though you don’t eat as much as others. Also, very serious efforts to lose weight may yield very minor results. The first thing is to accept that you have a harder battle to fight than others.
If you’ve been exercising regularly and seeing no results, instead of just increasing the exercise duration from 30 minutes to 1-2 hours, try to work out twice a day for 30-45 minutes in the morning and again 30 minutes in the evening; or go for a 45-minute walk in the morning and a 25-minute one in the evening.

Set smaller targets and be prepared for a longer duration to achieve it. People can usually lose 3 kgs comfortably in one month. Those with hormone or gland problems may only lose 2 kgs in the same time.

 Many thyroid patients might lose 2-3 kgs in the first one or two months 1 kg per month in spite of being strict about their diet and exercise. The secret is to not give up but to decide that as long as it takes, you are going to stick with it till you lose at least a total of 5 or 10 kgs. Removing 5 or 10 kgs of weight will definitely reduce the load and strain on your legs, knees, other joints and organs.

Last but not least, remember weight loss happens not only through exercise but by combining a daily walk with 2-3 litres of water intake and by saying a very strict no to all fatty foods, all fried food and all sweets. The miracle formula is walk, water and diet.

                              *  *  *  *  *  *  *