5 Strategies to Lose Weight with Hashimoto's

WELCOME!

Let's do this!

Hi there! I'm Dr Emily Kiberd, Chiropractic Physician, strength enthusiast and living with Hashimoto's.

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's in 2016 after the birth of my first kiddo. I felt all the "new mom" struggles. Exhausted, couldn't lose that darn weight, and my hair was falling out. Little did I know, all these symptoms were actually my Hashimoto's raring its ugly head.

I took specific steps to put my Hashimoto's into remission (whoo hoo!) including changing what I was eating, how I was working out, and simple lifestyle shifts.

I share my actionable tips on how to lose weight so you can start on taking the right steps in your health journey without all the headache and frustration of wondering what to do.

DrEmilyKiberd

#1 Check your blood work

As my functional medicine doctor says "it is near impossible to lose weight with Hashimoto's if your thyroid hormones are not in check". Make sure you are getting the proper blood work so you know what your baseline is with your thyroid health

Many conventional doctors will check TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). Make sure to ask for a Complete Thyroid Panel to get a full picture of your thyroid health 1 More than just TSH

Thyroid Lab Work (Part 2)

If your doctor has told you that everything checks out ok but you feel anything but "normal", then time to double check for yourself.

Conventional medicine values are a very broad range and include ranges for those who are very very sick.

Want don't want to feel "normal" we want to feel optimize, which include optimal ranges to feel like our best selves

These ranges are not medical advice but are thyroid lab ranges used by functional medicine professionals.

STEP 2 STEP 2

Weight loss is the goal here so there needs to be some caloric deficit. I'm not saying a 50% decrease in calories, but try starting with a 10% decrease. If you are eating 2000 calories a day, try 1800 calories a day, aka a 200 caloric deficit

Where do you start with this? We know that what gets measured gets managed.

Start writing down what you are eating in a journal. Or use an simple tracking app like Cronometer App which you can download here.

#3 CHECK YOUR SLEEP

Getting a good night's sleep is essential to weight loss and maintaining our muscle. Quantity is important (ahem 8 hours) as well as our sleep quality.

Most of us Hashi ladies are "tired but wired" when we hit our pillow at night.

We're exhausted all day, then can't seem to fall asleep when its time. Let's get this step right!

Tips for a good night's sleep

1 | Rule out Sleep Apnea

If you snore, mouth breathe, or have a pause in your breathing at night, this will affect your sleep quality. Get a sleep study to rule out sleep apnea.

2 | Create a sleep haven

Invest in black-out curtains, ear plugs, and an eye mask to block out any light that could affect your sleep quality. I also put tape on top of any accessory light like on a smoke detector and power strip.

3 | Control the temperature

Many Hashi ladies are heat intolerant or have a lil sweat sesh while sleeping. Adjust the thermostat in the bedroom to 65 degrees or invest in an OOLER mattress pad to cool off right between the sheets for deeper sleep.

YOU GOTTA LIFT WEIGHTS

If you want to lose weight, you need to feed your muscle!

How do you do this? With resistance training! In my course Thyroid Strong we learn to how to workout without the burn out.

Our muscle is our metabolic engine, it helps us burn calories even while not exercising. This is key to weight loss.

Tips for a good work out

1 | Go on the heavier side

To build muscle, you need the last couple of reps to feel hard to lift, a 7-8/10 in perceived exertion. Start with two 25 lb kettlebells for a deadlift and a 15-20 lb weight for a squat and row. If you're looking for quality kettlebells, Kettlebell Kings are my fave!

2 | Shoot for Lower Reps

If you replace the 3 lb hand weights, you can now let go of doing 50 reps. With the heavier weights, start with 3-5 reps and work up to 8-10 reps over time.

3 | Long rest breaks

Take a 1 to 3 minute rest break between sets. I know in a normal workout class the rest break comes at the end of the 50 mins. In Thyroid Strong, we like long rest breaks to avoid burn out or a Hashi flare up.

baby BONUS: WORKOUT WARM UP

Warm

up like a

Skip the stretching and foam rolling for your warm up. I use an active warm up to prime the body for my workout. Watch in the video above to see how you can warm up Thyroid Strong style.

#5 Hit your Optimal Protein Targets

When you feed the muscle with resistance training, you also need to feed your muscle with protein. Eating the right amount of protein helps stimulate muscle protein synthesis or muscle growth and maintenance. There's 3 principles to follow when you start your meal with protein and your day with protein.

1

Start with protein

Start your meal with protein. It is satiating and will give you all the amino acids your body needs to operate and recover. Then add veggies to your plate for fiber.

2

30 grams per meal

A minimum of 30 grams of protein per meal helps with muscle protein synthesis aka muscle creation and maintenance.

3

15 min window

Consume your protein within a 15 minute window for activation of muscle protein synthesis. Grazing aka eating a little bit throughout the day is not ideal for weight loss.

I know losing weight can feel like an uphill battle. Let me help you!

The best place to find me is on Facebook and Instagram. Come say hi and tell me your favorite tip from this guide.

@dremilykiberd

Facebook.com/groups/thyroidstrong