Hypothyroidism contributes modestly to obesity by slowing your metabolic rate.

Your thyroid gland is a small butterfly-shaped structure located in the front of your neck.  Its job is to make a substance called thyroid hormone, which helps to regulate your body’s metabolism.

Your thyroid gland doesn’t always work perfectly. Sometimes it can make either too much thyroid hormone, which is called hyperthyroidism, or too little, which is called hypothyroidism. We’ll only be talking about hypothyroidism in this threat, since it is the problem associated with weight gain.

Hypothyroidism means that your thyroid gland can’t make enough thyroid hormone to keep the body running normally. As many as 10% of women and 3% of men have hypothyroidism.

What does the thyroid hormone do for you?

 Low thyroid hormone levels slow your body’s processes down. You may notice that you feel colder, you tire more easily, your skin is getting drier, you’re becoming forgetful and depressed, you may be constipated, and you may gain weight.

With a slower metabolism, your body doesn’t burn as many calories, which means you’ll gain weight and find it harder to lose weight. The double whammy is that you feel tired, which means you’ll probably exercise less than you otherwise would.

The only way to know for sure whether you have hypothyroidism is with blood tests. Please see a doctor if this sounds like you.