Oprah Winfrey's battle with hypothyroidism and managing it naturally!

Do you struggle to lose weight even when you exercise and eat a healthy diet? Are you about to give up trying to slim down? Don't! Hear what famous talkshow host, Oprah Winfrey, has to say about the small gland in your neck that could be responsible for your weight gain and how to fix it! Here's how to finally start losing weight today! 

Fat Detective: Is your Thyroid the culprit?

As many of us know, eight years ago in 2006 Oprah managed to slim down to an impressive 80kgs - she thought she had finally said goodbye to her days of being overweight and unhealthy… but then she started suffering with weird symptoms and gaining weight although she was exercising and eating healthily. She was shocked to discover that a small gland in her neck - the thyroid gland - was not functioning properly and that it was the root cause of her weight gain! Here's her story...

Oprah's first signs of possible thyroid problems

Oprah says: "It started slowly. At first I was unable to sleep for days. My legs started swelling. My weight started creeping up. I was lethargic and irritable. My internal clock seemed totally out of whack. I began having rushing heart palpitations every time I worked out. I actually developed a fear of working out. I was scared that I would pass out. Or worse. I felt as if I didn't know my own body anymore.". What Oprah was experiencing was the first signs of the thyroid gland not functioning properly (a small butterfly shaped gland in the neck that regulates hormones responsible for temperature control, weight gain or loss and even sleep patterns). She went to the doctor and after numerous tests, discovered that she had an under-active thyroid (hypothyroidism). 

What the diagnosis of hypothyroidism meant for Oprah

Oprah says: "The thyroid diagnosis felt like some kind of prison sentence. I was so frustrated that I started eating whatever I wanted - and that's never good. It seemed as if the struggle I'd had with weight my entire adult life was now officially over. I felt completely defeated. I thought, "I give up. I give up. Fat wins!". Many people feel this way when they are diagnosed with an under active thyroid gland. They feel that no matter what thy try, their efforts to lose weight are pointless and a waste of time. BUT as Oprah soon discovered, there is a way through and a road back to weight loss!

How Oprah felt about prescribed thyroid medications

Oprah says: "At one point I was on three medications: one for heart palpitations, another for high blood pressure, another to moderate my thyroid. Who knew this tiny butterfly gland at the base of the throat had so much power? When it's off, your whole body feels the effects. Being medicated, though necessary, made me feel as if I were viewing life through a veil. I felt like an invalid. Everything was duller. I felt like the volume on life got turned down." After realising that the medications her doctor had prescribed were making her feel more depressed and flat, she called her doctor and they agreed to slowly wean herself off the medication. Natural remedies can greatly help the thyroid gland to produce thyroxine, the hormone that is deficient when the thyroid is under-active. Natural remedies come without side effects associated with prescription medications - Thyroid Assist does exactly what it's name suggests, it assists the Thyroid gland to produce correct levels of hormone and function properly.

How Oprah dealt with her Hypothyroidism

Oprah says: "I sipped soy milk, downed vitamins, snacked on flaxseed, and allowed my body to restore itself. Some days I exercised by walking with my dogs in the hills of Maui; gradually I started working out on the treadmill, at first with a heart monitor to make sure there were no palpitations (it was a black box smaller than a BlackBerry, which I wore on my belt). By the end of the summer, I felt I could do a full hour of cardio without dropping dead. I've gone back to the commonsense basics we all know: eating less sugar and fewer refined carbs and more fresh, whole foods like fish, spinach, and fruit."

Oprah's final thoughts on weight loss and tips for you

Oprah says: "Regaining my footing hasn't been easy. What is true for every one of you is also true for me: Life's responsibilities don't lessen just because you aren't feeling your best. " If you feel your thyroid may be the culprit for your weight gain - then your doctor may recommend a thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) blood test. TSH is released by the pituitary gland; when the thyroid bogs down, the pituitary releases more TSH. Natural remedies like Thyroid Assist (to help an under-active thyroid). 

Here are Oprah's final tips for you:

• Stay fully conscious and aware of every bite you eat, taking time and chewing slowly. 
• Focus on being fully alive, awake, present, and engaged, connected in every area of your life. Right now.
• A weight issue isn't about eating less or working out harder - it's about body and mind being out of balance.
• Self-care problems that manifest through weight. "Your overweight self doesn't stand before you craving food. She's craving love."
• Ask: "What am I really hungry for?" the answer is always "I'm hungry for balance." 
• Put yourself back on your own priority list!

Oprah's final thought: "My goal isn't to be thin. My goal is for my body to be the weight it can hold—to be strong and healthy and fit, to be itself. My goal is to learn to embrace this body and to be grateful every day for what it has given me."