13: The Biggest Weight Loss Barriers for Women with Hypothyroidism

Struggling to lose weight with a sluggish thyroid? You’re not alone. In this episode, Dr. Izabella Wentz speaks with Dr. Rachel Vong, a licensed Naturopathic Doctor specializing in hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, to uncover the biggest barriers to weight loss for women with thyroid issues.

Tune into this insightful conversation about: 

• Diet alone won’t fix the problem – While food plays a role, hormone imbalances, stress, and poor sleep can sabotage your progress. Addressing these factors is just as crucial as what’s on your plate.
• Exercise can backfire – Overtraining or doing the wrong type of workouts can stress your body, making weight loss harder. Discover the best types of movement for thyroid health.
• Your metabolism isn’t broken — but it does need help – Supporting your thyroid function properly can make a huge difference in how your body burns fat. Learn the key nutrients and lifestyle shifts that can help.
• The stress-weight connection – Chronic stress keeps your body in survival mode, holding onto fat. We discuss simple ways to reset your nervous system and reduce cortisol.
• Why calorie restriction is a trap – Eating less isn’t always the answer. In fact, undereating can slow your metabolism even more. Find out how to fuel your body the right way.
• Lowered Metabolic Set Point: Hypothyroidism lowers your metabolic baseline, meaning traditional calorie-restriction approaches can worsen weight loss resistance.
• Insulin Resistance Impact: Insulin resistance is common in hypothyroid patients, causing stubborn belly fat, sugar cravings, and overall metabolic dysregulation. Luckily, there are things we can do to reverse this!
• Gut Health & SIBO: A compromised gut, especially with issues like SIBO, not only hampers thyroid hormone conversion but also heightens inflammation that stalls weight loss. (This was a big factor for me!)
• The Cortisol Connection: How the health of your adrenals (or lack thereof), can lead to weight gain patterns…
• Nourish, Don’t Restrict: Shifting to an anti-inflammatory, nutrient-rich diet — supported by targeted supplements like fish oil, vitamin D, and berberine — can restore balance and promote weight loss.

Weight loss can happen when you get to the root cause. If you’ve been feeling stuck despite your best efforts, this episode is packed with hope, science-backed insights, and actionable strategies to help you break through the plateau.

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For the full list of resources and products mentioned in this episode, and to get the full episode transcript, see complete show notes here.