The thyroid gland is a small gland located in your neck that plays a vital role in regulating a number of important bodily functions. With weight loss, the function with which you should be most concerned is control over metabolism -- in this, the thyroid can literally make or break your dieting efforts, enabling you to quickly lose weight or slowing your progress to a crawl. As the thyroid is fueled through consumption of iodine in the diet, supplementation can help to improve thyroid function and therefore possibly boost weight loss.
Instructions
1. Consult with your physician. Your physician can set up a time for testing to determine whether you have an underactive thyroid gland. This can consist of blood tests used in conjunction with imaging tests such as CT scans or x-rays to determine whether you are suffering from hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) as a result of iodine deficiency.
Even if you are deemed to have hypothyroidism, not all cases are caused by iodine deficiency. Keep in mind that iodine supplementation will not help you lose weight (and might even hurt your cause) if you are not otherwise deficient, so speak with your doctor first to ascertain whether there is a problem.
2. Supplement your diet with additional iodine (following the dosage recommendations provided by your physician) either through natural means or direct iodine supplementation.
You can purchase a standalone iodine supplement either online or at your local pharmacy.
Or increase your consumption of iodine-rich foods. Generally speaking, the most iodine-rich foods are those found in the sea, including sea salt, seaweed and kelp.
3. Continue with your regular diet and exercise plan. Remember that curing an underactive thyroid through iodine supplementation is not an invitation to forgo your regular diet and training regimen.
Instead, you should use iodine supplementation to buttress the effectiveness of your disciplined eating and hard training, enabling your body to lose weight once again at a "normal" rate.
Tags: iodine supplementation, underactive thyroid, with your, your regular diet, determine whether, iodine deficiency, iodine-rich foods
