How Thyroid Health Affects Your Metabolic Rate & Weightloss

The thyroid is the most important gland in your body since it’s the conductor of every metabolic process – and it’s absolutely essential to a fast metabolism.

“T3 thyroid hormone is the hormone of life and energy – it’s also the master fat-burning hormone.”

Metabolism refers to the chemical (metabolic) processes that take place as your body converts foods and drinks into energy. It’s a complex process that combines calories and oxygen to create and release energy. This energy fuels vital body functions including digestion, immunity, detoxification, hormonal health, reproduction, elimination, recovery, libido and brain function. So, when our metabolic rate slows – how your entire body functions biologically, mentally, physically and emotionally is also affected.

“Poor thyroid function downregulates your metabolism.”

When your thyroid downregulates (hypothyroidism), your metabolic rate slows down, reducing the number of calories your body burns at rest, which increases fat storage and an array of negative health symptoms:

• Unexplainable weight gain and inability to lose weight
• Fatigue and lethargy
• Brain fog and poor concentration
• Fluid retention
• Depression and low mood
• Poor digestion
• Bloating and reflux
• Constipation
• Cravings
• Poor sleep
• PMS
• Infertility
• Low libido
• Cold hands and feet
• Poor hair, nail and skin health

Thyroid hormone increases your basal metabolic rate.

You burn calories through NEAT (Non-Exercise-Activity-Thermogenesis) and EAT (Exercise-Activity-Thermogenesis). Your body also uses energy when you’re resting. The efficiency at which it does this is called your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Whenever you have excess energy – the result of eating more food than your body can use – this energy gets stored in fat cells and you gain weight.

Just by raising your body temperature to normal (36.6 degrees) you can lose weight effortlessly without eating less and exercising more – and you’ll be able to maintain your ideal weight easily.

Your BMR determines the rate at which you utilise the foods you eat, and it represents around 70% of your daily energy expenditure. The faster your resting metabolic rate, the more food you can eat without gaining weight and the healthier you will be – because the higher your metabolic rate, the more energy and heat your body will produce and ‘heat’ is a byproduct of a high metabolic rate.

More glucose burned equals more heat, equals a higher metabolic rate.

So how do you know if you have a slow metabolism?
Your basal body temperature is an extension of basic metabolic rate as well as thyroid function according to Dr Broda Barnes and Dr Ray Peat. Stay tuned to find out how to measure and track your metabolic rate easily at home – it’s the number one reason for weight gain and an inability to lose weight.

Join BodyIQ to rebuild your metabolism so it burns calories at rest, rather than stores them as fat and to help you regain your health, vitality, energy and a body you’ll be proud of at any age. It’s the only way to achieve permanent, exercise-free weightloss without sacrificing your health.

Article by Kinga Fourie
Certified Nutritionist, BodyIQ Founder & IFBB Figure Champion