One of the symptoms of the autoimmune disease, Hashimoto’s, is unexplained weight gain and/or the inability to lose weight.
Something’s Off
I experienced gradual weight gain over the course of years, despite intense workouts multiple times a week and eating better than most people I knew. I weighed myself regularly, and was incredibly frustrated as I struggled to lose weight, and fought to build muscle.
Innately, I knew something was wrong. Knowing how hard I worked day in and day out, I knew the results I should be seeing. While I was not heavy, I wanted to lose the extra 5-10 pounds I was carrying around.
When I went to my doctor explaining my various symptoms, I would include my struggle to lose weight. He would look at me, look at my weight, and I could tell he thought I was crazy. I was not overweight. Regardless, I asked him to test my thyroid. He would call me days later with the “good news” that I was fine. Little did I know he was doing just one blood test, and other blood tests would have shown I had Hashimoto’s.
Solving the Mystery
When I was finally diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, I was at my rock bottom, health wise. One of the many things I had little strength to do anymore was to exercise.
Intense work outs were a part of my identity, so I found myself devastated. Years of associating pushing my body past it’s physical limits with strength, left me feeling weak. Nevertheless, my body refused to be pushed any longer. In fact, I struggled to get out of bed and do the simplest of tasks many days. I was sure the extra 5-10 pounds I carried would multiply quickly. After all, my body was holding onto weight despite my intense workouts, so what would happen when I stopped?
Overexercise for a person with autoimmune disease can be harmful because of inflammation and immune suppression, which increase symptoms of disease.
Mickey Trescott and Angie Alt, The Autoimmune Wellness Handbook
Letting Go
Hashimoto’s was wreaking havoc on me in the form of fatigue, fevers, brain fog, joint pain, muscle pain, anxiety, cold intolerance, and so on. Finding myself in a place where I cared very little about the number on the scale or how I looked in the mirror, I simply wanted to feel well on the inside. No longer recognizing my life, I wondered if I would ever feel better.
My dreams no longer included muscle gains or wearing a certain size jeans. Instead, I wanted to be able to play catch with my son, rock climb with my daughter, and go snowboarding as a family. I dreamed of being able to travel again. Honestly, in that moment, I would have been thrilled to be able to shower and get ready for the day without needing to rest or take a nap after. I would have been so grateful to have the strength and energy to tuck my kids into bed at night. Most nights, my husband tucked our kids in while I lay in bed, overcome with fatigue. It was one of the darkest times of my life.
During those dark moments, I consciously decided to stop worrying about my weight, and how I looked on the outside. I stopped weighing myself altogether. Instead, I focused on healing. I chose to do everything I could to feel better on the inside and not worry about how I looked on the outside. I decided I could accept any number on the scale if I could just feel better inside; if I could just get my life back.
Nutrition
Within days of being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, I learned about the autoimmune protocol and decided to give it a try. The struggle was real, but my “why” gave me the determination to stick to it. I also began overhauling my lifestyle choices – learning to manage stress, improve sleep, and adopt a growth mindset.
It was not long before I saw improvements in my health. Gradual at first, then drastic. I felt better inside! Within a couple of months of being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, starting the autoimmune protocol, and overhauling my lifestyle choices, my jeans started feeling loose and my husband started commenting on how much my body was changing. And change it did!
Within months, I was at a doctor’s appointment, where they weighed me and I discovered I had lost around 10 pounds! Ironically, I did not care. While I saw the number on the scale I dreamed of seeing for years, I truly cared more about how I felt on the inside. Although I felt better, I knew I had further to go, and I felt determined to continue focusing on my healing. I went on to lose another 5 pounds.
The picture on the left was taken when I was working with a trainer. I worked out intensely during 2017, quit drinking soda, and did see improvements. At the end of the 2017, I hit my rock bottom, health wise. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s in January of 2018, and started the autoimmune protocol within days of my diagnosis. I lost 15 pounds between December 2017 and March/April 2018. Some of the weight I lost was muscle, but most was body fat. I have maintained my weight since then; I fluctuate within 1-2 pounds.
Arriving at a healthy weight will probably be fairly easy on the Paleo Approach, as your gut heals and your digestion improves, as inflammation subsides, and as hormones become better regulated.
Sarah Ballantyne, PhD, The Paleo Approach
Pressing Forward
I stayed consistent with the autoimmune protocol, and continued to make healthy lifestyle choices in a desperate effort to improve my Hashimoto’s. Wellness did not come overnight. It took time, patience, and a willingness to change. It really has been the fight of my life.
I am incredibly grateful for the wellness I found. While I feel much better than I used to, Hashimoto’s is an incurable disease, and I still occasionally find myself in autoimmune flares. I am happy to share that my flares are fewer and farther between. I notice my flares occur mostly when I fail to manage stress.
It has been almost a year since I accidentally lost 15 pounds. For health journaling purposes, I weigh myself monthly, and find that I fluctuate between one to two pounds. Keeping the weight off is not the result of an obsession over the number on the scale, or an obsession over how I eat, but the result of my passion for continued wellness.
I am passionate in setting a healthy example for my children, and in living well with Hashimoto’s so I can be the mom I want to be. It gives me joy to report I now have the energy to play catch with my son, rock climb with my daughter, and we are planning a snowboarding day next week. Further, I can take a shower and get ready without resting. Best of all, most nights I have the energy and strength to tuck my kids in bed. Those are some of the things that I hold most dear. My family. My health. Not a number on a scale. I feel like I have my life back, but better than before. Losing the 15 pounds was simply a side effect.
What helped me
After being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s and starting my healing journey, the following helped me:
- Changing my mindset. I quit weighing myself, and accepted the reality that I may gain weight in the process of healing. I stopped judging my body, and made the conscious choice to love and accept my body exactly the way it was. My love for my body was no longer conditional, based on a number on the scale. Ironically, that was the stepping stone to my weight loss.
- Eating for my body. Within two days of being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, I started eating according to the autoimmune protocol. Three meals, plus snacks as needed. My nutrition choices include choosing to eat only clean, whole foods, not counting calories or macros, and eating until I am full. When I am hungry, I eat more. I focus on nutrient dense foods to include, rather than on foods to exclude. I am now in the reintroduction phase of the autoimmune protocol.
- Remembering not to worry about what others think or say about me. A couple of months ago, someone told me, “I know you’re not eating anything right now.” I can only imagine the expression on my face when she said that, because I actually eat a lot. Here’s the thing, I eat clean, whole, unprocessed foods. Instead of wasting energy worrying about what others think or say, I focus my energy on having a healthy and loving relationship with my body.
- Allowing my body to rest. My body needed rest to heal. Finally paying the price for years of pushing past my limits, I lovingly allowed my body time to heal. During the first weeks, I did no physical exercise. In time, I added in walking and gentle yoga, as my strength and energy increased. To this day, I enjoy going on morning walks, and practicing gentle yoga. While walking and gentle yoga will always be a part of my life, I am now adding strength training back into my life. As I increase my weight training, and the number on the scale increases with muscle gains, I will smile knowing that my body is getting stronger.
- Focusing on healing Hashimoto’s. My family and I made changes in our lives so I could focus on healing. I gave myself permission to stop trying to be everything to everyone, and instead invested time in healing. As I struggled physically, I focused on the person I was inside, and developed a healing mindset and positive environment.
My Plea
I encourage you to love your body, accept it, and stop worrying about the number on the scale. You are so much more than a number on the scale. Focus instead on healing your body with nourishing, whole, unprocessed foods and healthy lifestyle choices. Build a support network and a medical team who will help you address the root causes of your chronic illness. Nourish your body and feed your spirit. Let go of any weight loss expectations. Just let go. I know it sounds scary, but I promise that it feels freeing! Who knows? You may even accidentally lose 15 pounds!
Thank you for this, it sounds very similar to me, but I’m starting all over in the AIP plan. I lost thought of what I was doing and started adding in to many things and ended up with my gut a total mess again?. But I’m now where you where and back on it and letting my body rest as much as I can. It’s been better this time, cause I have gotten rid of almost all the stuff I need too. It helps to hear someone that’s been there done that say it’s going to be okay.
Hi Roxanne! Thank you so much for sharing a piece of your story with me. I am honored. I think that’s wonderful that you recognize where you are at, and are making efforts to get back to where you want to be. Sometimes that’s the biggest step in the right direction! Letting my body rest was also key for me. Yes, I have been there, and I still eat according to the AIP template, and it’s going to be more than okay. You will feel better, both physically and emotionally. I know it’s so hard, but it will be worth it. You’ve got this! And I’ve got your back 😉
Your beginning story sounds so much like mine but I am almost 4 years into my diagnosis and feeling worse than ever. I was doing well but my husband is military and we’ve been moved overseas where I cannot get the thyroid medication I was on or find a doctor who will listen to how I feel instead of just look at my tsh. Over the course of 15 years I’ve gained almost 50 lbs, going from 110 to 156. Ten of those pounds are in the last few months after switching my medication and swing my tsh rise from around 1 to 2.2 (within normal range according to my doctor). And to add onto that i now have high blood pressure they want to medicate me for. So long story short I am now a week into AIP. It’s hard to do overseas. I can never go out to eat, it’s too hard with the language barrier, and I’m struggling to find AIP pantry staples here. I had an allergy test done with a naturopath once so I know I cannot eat eggs, dairy, or gluten, but i was still eating dairy and eggs, but now, even after this is done I will not reintroduce those things. I’m just hoping no more food groups will be added. This week I’ve lost 6lbs, which I realize is mostly water, but it’s still encouraging. I feel much less bloated and my hands and feet aren’t swollen. I’ve had the worst headache for 3 days which I attribute to my body craving all the things I took away. You said you are starting the reintroduction phase. How long were you on AIP? It will be hard for me to continue for a long time here but I know I should keep going as long as possible. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Nichole! I apologize for the delayed response, I was on vacation out of the country/offline when you submitted your comment. First of all, bravo for all of the efforts you are making to take charge of your health! Starting AIP in the states is hard enough, so way to go taking it on overseas with the language barrier! I am cheering you on!! I am so glad to hear you are already seeing improvements! I felt worse before I felt better initially because I had some food addictions to break. I have a YouTube video (on my YouTube channel: Shanna Nemrow) all about my Reintro phase, if you are interested. Here is the link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcD-XLUfQoo&t=7s
I am sending you lots of love and support! Let me know if you have any questions or need anything!