Gaining Muscles with Hypothyroidism

[guavas]

Hi,

if someone diagnosed with hypothyroidism and after that he/she working hard to keep T3 , T4 and TSH on normal ranges , is that mean he/she will be able to gaining muscles and losing fat as a normal person or is there is a difference ?

[trelemorele]

I think you'd be better off asking this question on bodybuilding forums.

A lot of bodybuilders take t3 to lose weight but keep or build muscles at the same time.

Don't be afraid - they don't bite and have a lot of useful info too.

I often read on their sites 're dosing with T3 😀

[guavas in reply to trelemorele]

Hi trelemorele,

Yup , i know some of bodybuilders dosing with T3 to burn fat faster and for shredding purpose , i'm just a little bit different , so if you have any information about how body will building muscles if T3 , T4 or TSH in normal ranges please tell me.

Thanks!

[peter551 in reply to guavas]

Hi Syst3mErr0r,

You will be able to gain muscles completely normal. The problem you might experience is loosing fat as metabolism may not be optimal. And ofc low energy levels. Using T3 for shredding would not be the best idea because when consuming itself our body doesn't recognize muscle from fat so you would be losing too much hard gained muscle.

[peter551 in reply to peter551]

Also read up before using any supplements because they influence your thyroid health, for instance l-carnitine usually in many sports drinks can influence thyroid.

[guavas in reply to peter551]

i'm using Creatine Monohydrate , whey protein , On-Men Multivitamin , beta-alanine , caffeine and L-Arginine also my diet is healthy and Rich in nutrients and all my supplement in Recommended dosage.

[spongecat in reply to peter551]

Yep!

I bought l-carnitine and read after it had been delivered that it was not suitable for people with underactive thyroids...duh!

Into the bin it went!

All my other supplements I take are carefully screened now!

[peter551 in reply to spongecat]

Exactly the same thing I did with mine! And it sounded so good, no muscle loss only fat haha oh well

[guavas in reply to peter551]

Thank you for reply,

i'm already on 75mcg Euthyrox and don't feel better especially very low Energy, i just discovered that i've hypo from 2 Months ago without no reason , i stopped from going to GYM because my energy levels is very low, i hope to recover my energy levels again , if you have any experience on how to recover your energy back or just keep your body active most of time like before please tell me.

Thanks!

[peter551 in reply to guavas]

Hey no problem we were all there I think Its kinda hard at the start until your doctor adjusts your dose correctly because it takes some time for T4 to accumulate and convert to T3. Also there could be problems with T4->T3 conversion if levels do not improve over time. It may take up to a year to get your dosage right for all situations your body is going through (summer/winter, stress, training etc). I think I had hypothyroid for a long time, probably from childhood but it was diagnosed only 6 years ago and only then by pure chance because my sister was diagnosed with hashimoto's. I was like you said without energy or reason to leave my bed but my endo kept adjusting it every 2 months and when we got it right I felt fine (in the end T4/T3 combination did wonders, pure T4 i never really hit the right spot). So take it slow, put your thyroid in front of any quick gain, check all additives you see in thermo boosters, energy drinks etc, learn your foods because they do influence thyroid somewhat and if possible train earlier during the day (for most people its impossible). You will be grand in no time

[guavas in reply to peter551]

Hi Peter - i'm just a new person here and am still discovering about my issue, i don't know if i have a T4>T3 Conversion , or maybe i have some issues with Gluten especially i have a Simple Goiter with pain.

my endo put me on T4 Only and T3 not exist

in my country , so i hope i will adapt with T4 Only , i'm also taking Selenium also Omega 3 and Iodine , about my diet i consume calories intake and i think my diet have no problem.

[peter551 in reply to guavas]

Hey, well you will see that in time. It cant be really seen straight off (at least in my opinion). Gluten usually is not a problem unless you have celiac disease. T4 is default goto starting therapy for everyone so that should be ok (I was 75mcg T4, then 75/100 T4 alternating days, then 75/62,5 T4 alternating days, then 62,5 T4 + 20mcg T3). If it doesn't improve look into combined therapy if possible in anyway. Also if you can get your hands on your blood test results track them for your record cause in due time you will become sort of an expert in thyroid like most people here probably became I do recomend to pick up some online literature about thyroid function, TSH, T4, T3, FT3, FT4 cycles and dependancies and general life choices when you have hypo

Sounds like you have good nutrition. Calories intake will change when your body adjusts to therapy. Also I found that I got along well on keto diets (low carb) and it was helping with my brain fog. Also carb cycling was good for my weight loss. This is my personal experience so it may or may not be the same for others. All in all it seems you take care of your self good so I believe everything will be back on track soon, just a bit of patience.

[shaws Administrator in reply to guavas]

If you are hypothyroid and on 75mcg Euthyrox which I believe is levothyroxine. If so it is not a very high dose but if you've only been on it for two months it is o.k.

You should have a blood test every six weeks, fasting (you can drink water) and allow a gap of 24hours between your last dose of levo and the test and take afterwards. It is usually taken first thing with one full glass of water and allow a gap of 1 hour between dose and food as food interferes with the uptake. You should have an increase of 25mcg after each blood test until your TSH is 1 or lower. Free T4 and Free T3 should be towards the upper part of the range.

Hypothyroidism means our body slows right down, probably with low pulse and temp and some gain weight with realising it may be due to hypothyroidism. As levothyroxine is increased our metabolism gradually increases as an optimum dose is reached. Optimum means we feel well with no symptoms.

If you've not had thyroid antibodies tested, ask for these at the next blood tests.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to guavas]

You need good free t3 levels as exercise tends to desplte t3 fast and hypo people (esp if on levo only) may not convert from T4 to T3 well enough to make up for it.

[trelemorele in reply to guavas]

Hey

If you're saying you're a little bit different meaning you have thyroid problem then

there are bodybuilders with thyroid problems and plenty of women bodybuilders with thyroid issues on there.

No, sorry I have no info myself on building muscles with t3 as I've never tried to do it on myself.

Most I gathered from bodybuilding forums is that t3 don't waste muscles even if taken in excess up to 200 mcg on disease free people but there were some voices in minority saying it does if not supplemented with all that stuff they normally take.

And that it burns fat 1st.

I honestly think you'll get better info/advise 're muscles building speaking on bodybuilding forums with someone who does it on him/herself and is in similar health-wise boat as you.

[guavas in reply to trelemorele]

Hey,

Thank you for reply.

i will talk with someone In the same state of health as me.

Thank you for reply , i really appreciate it.

Thanks!

[trelemorele in reply to guavas]

Hey

If you're on euthyrox which is T4 only I think,

you won't get any benefit building muscles from there.

None of the bodybuilders I've read about supplemented with T4.

They all use T3 only and no NDT ether.

I don't like T4 myself, t4 gave me painful and stiff muscles.

Apparently also if you train a lot, do physical exercising - T3 gets used up very quickly by your body - that applies to healthy and hypothyroid people. And you won't have much t3 from eurothyrox anyway.

Where healthy people will recovery naturally, ill person has to take more t3 that day.

Read somewhere that woman who runs moderately always takes half a tablet of T3 more than normal, on her running days.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to trelemorele]

T3 does consume muscle unless you are also on steroids. Really, it does. Been there, done that. Ex Miss North Britain ( a very long time ago!!)

[spongecat in reply to guavas]

Only my experience..... (female)

I don't bodybuild / weightlift for competition, just for fun and "goals".

I started of typically with a lot of fat around the waist and mucin build up under skin. I've been training consistently for a year now and I look a lot better than I did but it is a Sisyphean task with this condition!

I have Hashimoto's and take 100mcg levo and my conversion is fairly good with T3 anywhere between 5.1 and 5.5 (3.1 - 6.8). I supplement with selenium and D3+K2 and Omega 3. I think selenium was a massive help, it's important for T4/T3 conversion.

I use BCAA pre/intra workoutand hydro beef protein powders. I take around 15-20g glutamine a day, it's for the muscles and healing my leaky gut.

I'm gluten free and try to avoid any processed food and eat only grass fed organic meat.

What happens? It's really really really slow to lose fat. Muscle gain is not too much of a problem. Strict calorie control would probably help a little but is tricky if you have hypothyroidism so I stick to a maintenance type diet and therefore practice what is usually described as "recomposition".

Mucin is a problem, it acts like a sponge and makes you hold onto water.

I also rest well. I was training over a year ago 5-6 times a week on body splits but even that was too much and I became quite exhausted and developed a lot of joint pain, I expect my T3 levels were being eaten into and not replaced quick enough. So now 3-4 times a week is better for me with 15-30 minutes of cardio every other day, just enough to get the heart pumping. HIIT sessions made me ill as well.

Its certainly different to when I was younger and not hypo! Everything takes a lot more time and you have to really listen to your body.

Also many people on here are unfortunately not even well enough to bodybuild/weightlift and can find any form of exercise completely draining which is horrible for them if they are keen to exercise and are limited to gentle walking and/or swimming so you may not get a lot of advice on experiences.

Probably way off to what you want to hear and not much advice really.

I don't think there is much info out there really, you need to devise a custom plan for yourself. The "bro-science" on bodybuilding forums is not much help at all, especially if they don't have hypothyroidism themselves.

So yes we are different.

[guavas in reply to spongecat]

Hi spongecat - Thank you for reply and for great info , experience

i was 10% body fat until i was diagnosed with hypo i became 20% body fat or maybe more , i think it's from water retention , anyway you are right bodybuilding forums maybe offer more experience.

Thanks again!

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to guavas]

It depends where in the normal ranges. If it is optimal for you, you'll work like any other person. If it isn't you may find it easy to build muscle but hard to lose fat, or you may just be skinny. Impossible to say as everyone is slightly different

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to trelemorele]

If you are a bodybuilder, it's usually T3 to cut, and gear and/or clen to stop muscle loss at the same time. T3 doesn't spare muscle. You should work more or less like a "normal person" when TSH is under 1 and free T3 and free T4 in the top quarter of their ranges. It's also a good idea to go gluten free.

[radd]

Syst3mErr0r

Welcome to our forum,

To lose fat & gain muscle you need to exercise and for this it is important to not only have optimal thyroid hormone (particular T3) that is being utilised correctly by the body but also other balanced hormones & optimal iron & nutrients, etc as all work as a team & depend on each other in providing a stimulus that aids muscle growth and recovery, whilst influencing each other's production.

Exercise usually stimulates thyroid hormone but for those who don’t have a thyroid gland, replacement meds must be adequate as once these reach the muscles, they are released from binding proteins & carried inside the cells by receptors on the cell membrane.

Inside the cell T3 binds to genes and increases protein synthesis and the number & size of mitochondria so increasing it’s ability to burn calories and thus raise BMR (basal metabolic rate) & make ATP that drives muscle contractions. Increased BMR also causes muscles to demand more oxygen which strengthens the heartbeat, increasing blood volume so allowing greater amounts of oxygen-rich blood available for muscles and to carry away metabolic waste.

T3 also increases the level of free fatty acids in the blood, although should lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

It is also important to have enough calories (protein & carbs) to prevent the body going into a preserving “slow” mode as you are trying to crank everything up. T3 will stimulate carbohydrate metabolism by increasing the absorption of glucose by the intestinal tract, increasing the uptake of glucose by the cells, and increasing glucolysis (the excess glucose that is not needed for glycogen production that is broken down and burned by the mitochondria to produce more ATP).

Excessive intense exercise can prove negative for those dealing with stressors such as low thyroid hormone, autoimmune disease, gut dysbiosis & adrenal issues, as can affect the neurotransmitters (glutamine, dopamine, 5-HTP ) leading to fatigue/depression, and compromise adrenal glands by depleting T3 levels too quickly.

Exercise increases turnover of all hormones & should have a positive effect. I have found regular not-too-demanding exercise sessions to be more beneficial than erratic strenuous sessions. It appears the more I build exercise, the more I can do …. exactly like that of a healthy person with a normal working thyroid gland.

[Mikegov in reply to radd]

For those people that can train and dont convert well (taking T3) would there be any merit in the idea of taking additional T3 after training to assist in recovery?

[radd in reply to Mikegov]

Mikegov,

I too wondered this when went back to training as it was taking so long to recover.

I posted a question & researched the net but the general consensus seemed to be that we should only take our regulated doses of T3 as it is so influential on all other aspects, & not to train so hard in order to establish a more sympathetic recovery period that can be built upon.

Tired muscles are fine but when other hypo symptoms start creeping in, it is time to ease back.

I am sensitive to thyroid meds & only require low doses anyway and it took me about 2 years to really recover. I guess our well being & so the ability to resume normal exercise depends on how long we were left undiagnosed with low thyroid hormone & our previous levels of fitness.

[Mikegov in reply to radd]

Yes my own understanding is similar although I have spoken to individuals who never seem to be able to exercise properly regardless of how easy that take it.

I'm on T3 only and from studies I have read, my understanding is that ft3 will deplete significantly with intense exercise. My experience bears this out; I can manage swimming or badminton (both are at a gentle pace) but after a few sessions of weights I "crash" which I assume is a sign that ft3 is depleted too much and take a few days before I feel normal again.

I'm still tempted to try a protocol of additional T3 after weights due to an experience back in the summer where I crashed after spending a few hours surfing. Basically had to be helped back to my car and flopped on my hotel bed. Had planned to go into town a few hours later and being desperate due to feeling so ill. Took some extra T3 and went into town. After walking around like a zombie for 30 minutes or so I started to feel "better" and within another 5-10 minutes felt "normal" (whatever that is.)

Obviously unscientific but does make me wonder if there would be any merit to this approach.

Mike