After yo-yo dieting for years, Dr. Emi Hosoda tackled hidden thyroid issues, gut health, and sugar cravings to finally keep the weight off.
For decades, Dr. Emi Hosoda struggled with her weight like millions of others. She reached 235 pounds after having children in her 30s, and despite starving herself and exercising heavily, the numbers on the scale would not stay down.
Now in her 50s, the physician has dropped 100 pounds and kept it off. Her secret? Not a fad diet, but a holistic health plan that addressed the root causes of her weight gain — including issues standard medical tests initially missed.
“I think a lot of women struggle with excess weight as we go through the change — the years leading up to menopause and menopause itself,” Dr. Emi said during an interview on TODAY’s “Start Today” series. “There are a lot of hormonal triggers and unresolved issues I hadn’t tackled the first time.”
The Turning Point: A Patient’s Honest Comment
Dr. Emi, who worked in a hospital ICU setting while raising a child on the autism spectrum, admitted that for years she wouldn’t prioritize her own health. A radical diet change in her 30s, cutting out sugar, gluten, and dairy, initially worked. But the weight returned.
The real wake-up call came from an unlikely source: her own patient.
“I had a patient say, ‘You are like 100 pounds overweight and you are giving me advice?’” she recalled. “That was hard. That made me go back to the drawing board.”
Hidden Barriers: Thyroid, Gut Health, and Leptin
What she discovered changed everything. Underlying medical conditions were sabotaging her efforts, even when she ate clean and exercised.
“I had a hidden thyroid issue that didn’t show up on testing,” Dr. Emi explained. “Genetic issues, hormonal issues, leptin and insulin hormones. I had to correct them.”
She also identified poor intestinal health stemming from years of antibiotics as a child for rheumatic fever. By testing herself for food sensitivities and allergies, she removed inflammatory triggers and worked to repair her gut.
To normalize her leptin and insulin levels, she even invented her own supplement. And she addressed sugar cravings strategically — noting that magnesium can help, but cautioning that the type matters depending on the issue (e.g., regularity vs. sleep).
The ‘Low-Fat’ Trap and Sugar’s Hidden Role
Dr. Emi points to a surprising culprit in the obesity epidemic: the low-fat craze of the 1970s.
“Unfortunately, the low-fat crazes of the ’70s actually really increased sugar in our diets,” she said. “Sugar can mess up our hormonal balance and intestinal health. It’s the double-whammy. It’s one of those things that can creep in a lot.”
For women who feel stuck — exercising and still gaining weight — her advice is direct: become your own advocate.
“To them I would say: advocate for yourself, look for what’s going on and figure out what it is that is keeping you from being the body composition you want,” she said. “So many people try hard.”
Rethinking Exercise: Ditch the Aerobics, Start Lifting
Perhaps the biggest shift for Dr. Emi came in how she works out. She retired from hospital ICU work in 2021 and now wakes up at 4:00 a.m. to exercise. But the type of exercise changed dramatically.
“I was always aerobics-ing myself to death,” she admitted. “Now one of the big parts of my workout is lifting.”
She emphasizes that weight-bearing exercises are superior, especially for women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s — a message she shares with her followers on TikTok and Instagram.
“I have people comment — a lot of younger men who are personal trainers — saying, ‘Just eat less and exercise more,’” she noted. “But they are not seeing women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. That’s not always the case.”
The Mindset Shift That Made It Stick
Beyond the biology, Dr. Emi changed her identity.
“Changing my mindset to think of myself as a fit person, as a person who exercises every day,” she said.
That internal shift, paired with repairing her gut, correcting her thyroid, removing inflammatory foods, and lifting weights, finally allowed her to drop from 235 to 135 pounds — and stay there.
Her message to anyone struggling: Don’t settle for “eat less, move more.” Look deeper.