Hypothyroidism is the most common of the thyroid disorders. It occurs when the thyroid gland becomes under active and does not produce enough thyroid hormones. People having hypothyroidism have too little thyroid hormone in their blood. Hypothyroidism lowers down the metabolism in the body and makes it more difficult to burn calories and lose weight. Symptoms of Hypothyroidism are
- Weight gain
- Intolerance to Cold
- Dry and brittle Nails.
- High Cholesterol level
- Fatigue
- Constipation… List goes on
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is most common hormonal imbalance disorder observed among women of reproductive age. PCOS also affects many teen girls. Women/Girls have irregular or frequent menstrual cycles. The ovaries may have developed numbers of follicles (filled with fluid) and fail to release eggs regularly. The most common PCOS symptoms are
- Irregular menstrual Cycles
- Frequent and Long periods
- Acne
- Inability to lose weight
- Weight Gain (around belly and upper body)
- Hair loss
- Depression and Irritability
- And Many more.
Apart from following healthy eating and regular exercise life style, there are few important tips to be incorporated in daily schedule. I have gathered few tips based on my personal experience that I always follow and that’s helping to lose weight.
Weight Loss Tips for PCOS & Hypothyroidism
- Start your day with ACV. Drink 1 teaspoon of Organic Apple Cider Vinegar ( with Mother) in one glass of water on empty stomach 30 mins before your breakfast, lunch and dinner. Coconut Secret -Coconut Vinegar is little mild in taste, good to consume in evening before dinner. Apple Cider Vinegar improves Insulin Sensitivity and reduces Blood Sugar. I will soon post a blog on Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar.
- Eat Healthy Breakfast Overnight Oats are best to have in breakfast. You can use your creativity to include all healthy things. Different types of Smoothies made with either green leafy veggies, Berries or Organic Protein powder are good to have and that will keep you full till next meal. You can have either Greek yogurt, Cottage cheese, Peanut Butter, whole Eggs, Quinoa, Hemp Seeds, Almonds, Lentils and Beans for meeting your daily Protein needs.
- Eat a high-protein balanced meal.Eating protein rich breakfast or any meal helps to reduce cravings and hunger pangs.
- Follow Mindful eating and Eat in Portion Control. Mindful eating means we need to pay attention to what we are eating and not eat mindlessly. We need to enjoy the food taste, aroma, look and feel of the food with all our positive thoughts, concentration of food that we are eating. This will help to eat when you are hungry and to stop on being satiated. This helps in avoiding over eating and ultimately led to weight loss.
- Eat your food slowly and chew more. It is recommended that we chew our bite of food nearly 32 times before swallowing. This sounds too much. Did you notice how many times do you chew? You can try with at least 25 times chewing. The main purpose of chewing 32 times is to break down the food so that the digestive system can easily work on chewed food and nutrients get absorbed.
- Chewing food thoroughly slows down your eating pace and reduces the number of calories you take in, which can lead to weight loss. To feel full, it takes 20 minutes for the brain to send a signal. Eating in a small plate or plate of size 9 inches to less plays a trick and helps in Mindful eating.
- Check out the Easy and Simple Vegetarian Recipe Full of Protein and Veggies – Healthy Chickpea Salad
- Eat Pulses, Legumes and Lentils. It is very difficult for vegetarian people to get Protein rich food as plant based Protein options are limited but way fulfilling and healthy if cooked and consumed in right way. To gain full benefits and to avoid bloating , gas feeling after eating Pulses and lentils , It is very important to follow proper cooking process after sufficient Soaking period of Pulses, Legumes, Lentils. Ideal soaking time for Pulses, Legumes is 8-10 hours. Pulses and lentils are nutrition powerhouse packed with protein, fiber, vitamin and minerals.
- Drink water a half hour before meals and no water for 1 hour after meal.
There are several studies that shows by consuming water right after meals we are disturbing natural digestion process and also tampering natural time of digestion of food. Water after meals dilutes the gastric Juices which makes hard for nutrients to get absorbed. Also It will make you hungrier faster and will result in bloating, hyper acidity or heart burn issues. - The disturbed and interrupted digestive process also leaves behind a lot of undigested food behind in the system. The glucose from this undigested food converts into fat and is stored in the body. This process leads to the upsurge of insulin, which causes a rise in the blood sugar levels of the body, and can lead to diabetes and obesity.
- Eat healthy fats in foods. Certain foods rich in healthy fats -Monounsaturated fats are very useful for losing weight. Monounsaturated Fat helps in lowering the bad cholesterol, boost brain function, improves moods and strengthen immune system. It also helps in cutting down belly fat, stop building the plague in arteries, reduce risk of type 2 diabetes and decrease risk of hear diseases . Include Avocado, Coconut, Coconut Oil, Ghee, Butter, Cheese, Fatty Fish, Whole eggs that are rich in monounsaturated fats.
- Healthy Snacks -Eat nuts and seeds. Pumpkin seeds, Sunflower seeds, Walnuts, Almonds, Flax seeds, Chia seeds, dried fruits are healthy snack options. Try to avoid flavored or salted ones. Fat content is high in nuts but it is a healthy fat that helps in reducing weight. Check out to see my Healthy Snacks List
- Eat whole and unprocessed foods. Avoid eating frozen ready-made food as they are loaded with preservatives. Minimally processed food s have been manipulated. Some processed foods are cooked with ingredients such as salt or sugar and are high in sodium content which is not good for health. Cook and consume a diet made from whole foods, green vegetables, and lentils. They are healthier and more filling. Check out to see my Kitchen Grocery
- Avoid sugary drinks, fruit juice, processed foods. Eliminate all sugary drinks and sodas, Fried foods, avoid eating bread, pasta, noodles, food made from white flour, all-purpose flour. They are full of complex carbohydrates and are the most fattening things to eat and avoiding them can help you lose weight.
- For some recipes that needs sugar, can be substituted with Organic Coconut Palm Sugar or Organic Date Syrup.
- Take your Vitamins and Supplements. Along with your prescribed medications for PCOS and Hypothyroidism, Vitamins and Supplements for Fish oil, Vitamin D3, Inositol, Magnesium, Iron, Boron etc may help to improve your symptoms and aid in losing weight. Do read on my blog post on “Best Supplements for PCOS & Hypothyroidism”
- Try Natural Remedies along with Supplements. Natural Remedies like Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Turmeric, Coriander seeds, Fennel seeds, Cumin seeds and many more described in “Natural Remedies for PCOS & Hypothyroidism”. Do give it a try. There is no harm or cost to you to try these natural remedies that may be lying in your kitchen closet.
- Regular bowel movement– Constipated body holds toxin waste and creates more problems in body. Eat diet rich in fiber, eat raw or little cooked vegetables. Avoid eating salty food. Consuming Psyllium husk or Haritaki or Triphala mixed in water at night cleanses the colon and helps in easily passing the stool.
- Get a good night’s sleep, every night.Good and Deep sleep for 6-7 hours daily is key to weight loss along with other contributing factors. Poor sleep is one of the reasons for the inability to lose weight. Natural Calm is very good for the person who are struggling with Sleep issues. Natural Calm is the solution to both restoring a healthy magnesium level and balancing your calcium intake-the result of which is natural stress relief.
- Stay hydrated by drinking water. Drinking good amount of water flushes out the toxins from the body. Helps in curing Constipation and maintains skin elasticity. For Sports or Outdoor purpose, Use BPA free bottles and for home or at work use Stainless Steel bottles for drinking water.
- Avoid use of Plastic. Use Glass or Pyrex containers for food storage. There are studies that shows things made from Plastic have chemicals that can mimic the sex hormone estrogen and creates havoc on hormonal imbalance in body. For water, use Stainless steel or BPA free water bottles or Travel or Coffee tumbler.
- Avoid using harmful chemicals in Cleaning products, Cosmetic and Personal use products. You can look and try for products that are made up of herbs or natural ingredients. Best option is to DIY options.
- Walking for 4-5 times a week. Walk for at least 30 minutes a day. Walking not only burn calories but also reduce stress level in body and helps improves mood. Walking improves happy hormones in the body. All you need is good pair of shoes. Read more on Walking benefits.
- Weight yourself but don’t get disappointed with scale reading. I know it is very hard to lose weight and stubborn belly fat with PCOS and Hypothyroidism. Don’t get disappointed and don’t give up. Measure your body with threads or wool yarns and keep eye on the inch loss. It happens people loses inches and moves size down without losing any pounds of weight.
- Personal Inner Happiness. Do some activity that makes you feel good and helps you boost your confidence. Dancing, Singing, Yoga, Meditation, Boxing, Fishing, Hiking, Skiing, Running, Swimming, Walking in woods or beach. Take some time out for yourself and get involve in activity that makes you happy. May be Sewing, drawing, makeup or anything that helps you make happy.
You might be aware of imbalance of Insulin, Thyroid and Progesterone hormones if you suffering from PCOS and Hypothyroidism. There are many other hormones good to know if you are not able to lose weight in spite of healthy eating lifestyle, regular exercise and Gym. Do read on Important Hormones Imbalances – Reason for not losing weight with PCOS?
Feel free to comment below and let me know what other tips had worked for you.
Eat Healthy, breath deep and Stay Happy…
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