Hypothyroidism (Underactive thyroid) and weight loss are two words you don’t often hear together.

In fact, most people who have been told that they have a hypoactive thyroid are also told weight loss will be impossible.

Well, I have great news for you: nothing could be further from the truth!

Your sluggish thyroid is not a thyroid problem at all, it’s a toxic load problem. And when you identify which toxins are affecting you the most, you can create strategies to start losing weight again.

So how do you go about doing that?

This is the three-step process I take all my hypothyroid patients through:

STEP ONE: Stop clogging your receptor sites

Every cell in your body has a receptor site for thyroid hormones. These receptor sites are like gates that allow thyroid hormones into your cells. Once your thyroid hormones enter your cells, the magic of metabolism can happen. But when toxins clog these gates, it’s impossible for your thyroid hormones to be used by your cells.

Most of my patients who have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism actually have a thyroid that’s working just fine. You might have had this frustrating experience: your doctor tells you that your blood work is all normal, but you are experiencing all the symptoms of a sluggish thyroid.

If that’s you, start by repairing the cells that receive your thyroid hormones. If these cells don’t have an open receptor site to let the hormones in, you will continue to exhibit the signs of an underactive thyroid.

What blocks your thyroid hormone receptor sites?

Here are the worst offenders:

  • Pesticides
  • Soy
  • Fluoride
  • Bromine
  • Percholates
  • Plastics
  • Heavy Metals

When you start researching these toxins, you will be shocked to find that they are in many of the food and beauty products you use on a daily basis. Because of that, I strongly recommend the following tips:

  • Eat only organic foods.
  • Avoid all soy products.
  • Stop brushing your teeth with fluoride toothpaste.
  • Get a water filter if fluoride is added to your water.
  • Avoid all breads, especially the ones that have bromine in the ingredients.
  • Eat organic, grass fed animals to minimize percholate ingestion.
  • Stop using any type of plastic bottle or cup.
  • Don’t microwave plastic containers.
  • Scan all your beauty products with the Think Dirty app and only use products with a score of 3 or less.

 STEP TWO: Implement a ketogenic lifestyle

You may have noticed that the ketogenic diet is getting a lot of attention these days, and for a good reason! Ketones are incredibly healing. When you put yourself into a state of ketosis, your cells will heal at a ridiculously fast rate. And yes, you can even unblock your thyroid hormone receptor sites with a ketogenic diet.

In fact, the best diet for hypothyroidism to lose weight is a ketogenic diet.

So what does it mean to implement a ketogenic lifestyle?

Here’s the magic formula I implement with my patients to get their bodies to start producing ketones.

  1. Lower carb intake

This means grains, pastas, sugars, alcohol, and even fruits. Once you start counting carbs, you may be shocked that they are everywhere. Download the Carb Manager app and track a day of food. It will likely be eye-opening.

You should keep your carb count below 50 grams a day.

  1. Moderate protein intake

Some people think that when they lower their carb intake, they should increase protein. Nope, not true. Too much protein will not only prevent you from getting into ketosis, it will accelerate your mTOR pathway which controls the aging process.

Keep your protein intake under 50 grams per day. Athletes can go up to 75 grams.

  1. High good fat intake

Remember all that butter you took out of your diet in the 1980s? Well, add it back in.

Your brain needs it.
Your cells crave it.
Your liver loves it.

And your taste buds will thank you.

Not to mention that you’ll notice a decrease in hunger, an increase in energy, and it can kickstart your sluggish metabolism.

  1. Start fasting

Stop eating six meals a day. It’s not speeding up your metabolism. Quite the contrary: fasting is one of the best ways to heal your cells and allow your thyroid hormone receptor sites to become sensitive again.

There are many different fasting strategies you can implement. I outline four different ones in my 21-Day Ketobiotic Reset.

For more information on fasting, join my Resetter group on Facebook. Once a month, we do a 5-day fast together as a group. It’s very empowering!

Step 3: Detox Regularly

When I say THYROID, you say TOXIN!

This is how I want you to think of the thyroid from this point forward. When your thyroid malfunctions, it’s because toxins are piling up in your body. End of story.

Here’s the tricky part.

For some of you, these toxins are building up in your brain. Some of you have toxins accumulating in your liver or gut. And for some of you, these toxins are destroying your thyroid.

We live in the most toxic time in human history. Even the most health conscious person is getting a barrage of daily toxins. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to have several good detox strategies that you can implement on a regular basis.

If you are new to detoxing, I have outlined a beginner detox protocol on my webpage. It’s a great detox to start with.

However, when it comes to moderate to severe thyroid conditions, my preferred detox is our heavy metal detox. Before you launch into this detox, I highly recommend that you get your heavy metals tested.

There you have it. Three really good steps you can take to start to heal your own thyroid condition. If you have been following these three steps and still feel like your thyroid is off, I highly recommend you get a comprehensive thyroid blood panel. There are 11 measurements that you need to look at to find out where your thyroid has gotten off course.

Hope that helps! Reach out if you have any questions.

Your body is a miracle.
You CAN heal your thyroid.
You deserve to live in a body you love.

I’m cheering you on!
Dr. Mindy