NAFLD and Losing Weight

This is just my own personal experience, YMMV of course: I had the beginnings of NAFLD back when I was obese (I’m also hypothyroid) I was suffering from liver pains that progressively got worse and my ALT and AST levels were in the high 50’s. After more tests to rule out other causes, my doctor told me to exercise and improve my eating habits then retest in a few months. I ate less and moved more. I lived a sedentary lifestyle when I was obese so for exercise I started walking almost every day then slowly progressed to hiking and a bit of biking and swimming. As far as diet I cut way down on refined sugars and flour but didn’t cut them out completely. I also started eating more fruits and veggies full of fiber and antioxidants. But I do eat any kind of food, I simply eat less calories of it and stay active. A lot of sources say that artichoke tea and dandelion tea are really good for liver function (plain, no sweetener or milk added) I’m not a fan of the dandelion tea but I found an artichoke tea that was just delicious and I’m a tea drinker anyways so I drink that regularly because I enjoy it, don’t know if it really helps the liver or not but it’s yummy. Gonna be honest here though, I believe that simply eating less and moving more is what reversed my case of NAFLD, not anything specific that I ate or drank. For all I know the teas “work” by simply making me drink more water than calorie laden drinks. I also think that being active is key because it uses up the fat that’s stored in the liver for fuel and clears it of excess triglycerides that it shouldn’t be storing abnormally, allowing it to heal. When I began exercising I couldn’t even walk up a single flight of stairs or walk around the block without being completely out of breath and exhausted. So I began simply walking as much as I could and slowly walked a little more each time. It was slow going at first but every step counts! Eventually I was able to go farther and faster. I progressed to hiking which brought its own challenges but I kept at it. Now I run up and down hills and mountains whenever I want, the change has been night and day! After 5 months my levels went down to the 30’s, that was when I was halfway to my goal weight. We retested again after another 5 months when I reached my goal weight (lost a total of 43 lbs over 10 months) and my levels had gone into the high teens and low 20’s which is where they should be normally. Every year since I’ve had a test and the levels remain normal, it’s been 7+ years and I’ve maintained a healthy weight that whole time. I was 38 years old when I began my weightloss journey, I’m currently 46 and I feel like I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been in my life and no more liver pain! If NAFLD is caught early it might be reversed if your liver can heal itself with your help, work with your doctor to find the best solution for you, best of luck on your journey!