NUTRITION: Why can’t I shed post-pregnancy weight?

When Lucy, a mother of three, came to see me, the needle on the scale was firmly stuck at 75kg. Her last child was four but the weight just wouldn’t come off like it had with the other two. She reasoned that by eating apples and carrots instead of mandazis and samosas, and working out more, weight loss would be easy. Not so.

In such cases, the first thing I ask about is the thyroid. The answer is always the same: “I’ve had it checked and its fine.” That’s when I look at symptoms. Even if an underactive thyroid hasn’t been diagnosed by a blood test, a person may still have an issue and exhibit one or more of the following symptoms; weight gain, hair loss, fluid retention, constipation, depression, cold hands and feet, dry skin and fatigue.

If this sounds like you, the next step would be to test your thyroid yourself. All you need is a thermometer. Your body temperature reflects the speed of your metabolism (the rate at which you burn calories), and this is largely determined by thyroid hormones. Therefore, thyroid function can be determined simply by measuring your basal body temperature.

To perform the test, shake down the thermometer to below 35oC and place it by your bed before going to sleep at night. On waking, place the thermometer in your armpit for a full 10 minutes, making as little movement as possible. After 10 minutes, record the temperature, and do this for 30 mornings. Your basal body temperature should be between 36.4oC and 36.7oC (a consistently low temperature may reflect an underactive thyroid).

The good news is that nutrition can help by providing the raw materials that your thyroid needs to function the way it should. First up, an amino acid called tyrosine, which is found in meat, fish, eggs, oats, pulses and nuts. Tyrosine is also essential for making neurotransmitters and helps to explain why an underactive thyroid can make you feel depressed.

Also, avoid foods containing goitrogens, substances that interfere with thyroid function. These include broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, sukuma, spinach, turnips, millet, peanuts, radishes, soya, and strawberries. Cooking these foods appears to help inactivate the goitrogenic compounds, so you needn’t eliminate them altogether.

Other important thyroid nutrients include selenium (brazil nuts, meat, fish and dairy), B vitamins (wholegrains, nuts and seeds), copper (beans, peas and prunes), vitamin A (dark green and yellow vegetables), calcium (dairy produce) and magnesium (vegetables, nuts and seeds).

Combined with supplementation where the diet is lacking, I’ve seen several women lose weight from following a natural approach. Maybe it’s time for you to try it.

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