A month ago I had the right side of my thyroid removed because of enlarged nodules. It started with a lump by my Adam's apple a year and half ago, which lead to an ultrasound that found the nodules. The surgeon said to wait and watch it for a year. During that year I continuously gained weight regardless of diet and exercise, couldn't sleep, had night sweats, cold hands and feet, brain fog and other issues. After a year I was put on 25 mgs of levothyroxine, had another ultrasound and after a biopsy of the lump in my neck and one of the larger nodules the surgeon decided to remove the lump and one side of my thyroid. 2 weeks after my surgery I started feeling really bad, like my body wasn't my own, felt weak and shaky. So my gp upped my levothyroxine to 50mgs. I also take a multivitamin, D3, B12, B6, selium, zinc, probiotic, fish oil, digestive enzymes, magnesium, melatonin and a sleeping pill. I still feel exhausted after too much activity. I really want to lose this weight. I have always struggled with my weight but was able to control it to some extent with diet and exercise. Now I am so confused...some say don't exercise...some say it's ok but don't push it. I like to run and lift weights...but I don't know how to do either of those without pushing it. Any advise?
Exercise with Hypothyroidism : A month ago I had... - Thyroid UK
Exercise with Hypothyroidism
Just gentle walking or swimming until your thyroid hormones are optimised. You won't be able to sustain heavy exercise with low T3, and it will make you bad. Also, as it uses up a lot of calories, it will lower your conversion rate, making you more hypo. And, certainly no low-calorie diets, either. Once you get your FT3 back up to a level that makes you well, you can gently ease yourself back into your exercising. Don't forget hypothyroidism is a serious thing. It will affect every single part of your body. 
Unexplained weight gain is the commonest question but it is nothing to do with eating too much. It is due to hypothyroidism - i.e. hypo means low/slow and until we are on an optimum dose our body slows right down i.e. heart/pulse are usually low and are not normal. Levothyroxine or other thyroid hormones provide the 'energy' our body needs to function and the heart and brain need the most and we have millions of T3 receptor cells in our body and all need T3. T4 should convert to T3 but we need an optimum dose or if we cannot convert properly we need T3 added but they refuse to do so.
How long do I keep increasing the levo before I know that I am also going to need T3?
An optimum dose is one that relieves all of your clinical symptoms, so there isn't really a number i.e. 50mcg or 100mcg. As your symptoms are relieved that will be our optimal dose. However, if symptoms return in a few weeks you will need another increase. A blood test will confirm this.
Before blood tests we were given NDT and doses could vary between 100 and 250mcg. Some might have needed a higher dose.
Always take pulse/temp which are usually low when first diagnosed. They should slowly increase dose until they are normal and you are symptom-free.
Many people recover on levothyroxine and there's no 'ideal' dose, just one that resolves the clinical symptoms of which there are many (see link below).
Levothyroxine is T4 only and it has to convert to T3 (liothyronine) and it is the only Active Thyroid Hormone needed in our millions of T3 receptor cells. Brain and heart contain the most. If people can convert levo into T3 as an enormous amount of people do, they only need an optimum dose of T3. with a TSH of 1 or lower and a Free T4 and Free T3 towards the upper part of the range. The latter are rarely tested in the NHS but we find them informative if we don't feel so good and/or still have symptoms. See links below:-
You should not supplement without testing first and multivitamins are not usually recommended on here as they are too little of what we need
Do you have results and ranges for vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
You also need to know if you have Hashimoto's also called autoimmune thyroid disease diagnosed by high thyroid antibodies
If not had all these then ask GP to do so or test privately
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4, TT4, FT3 plus TPO and TG thyroid antibodies. Plus very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Private tests are available. Thousands on here forced to do this as NHS often refuses to test FT3 or antibodies
thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...
Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have money off offers.
All thyroid tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. When on Levothyroxine, don't take in the 24 hours prior to test, delay and take straight after. This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, GP will be unaware)
If antibodies are high this is Hashimoto's, (also known by medics here in UK more commonly as autoimmune thyroid disease).
About 90% of all hypothyroidism in Uk is due to Hashimoto's. Low vitamins are especially common with Hashimoto's. Food intolerances are very common too, especially gluten. So it's important to get TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested at least once .
Thank you. I have done blood tests and my gp said they are in range and it doesn't look like I have hashimoto's. I don't know if they are optimal though...
Then you must get a print-out of your results, with the ranges. Don't ever just take your doctor's word for anything. It's very unlikely that he knows what he's doing. And, if you live in the UK, it is your legal right to have a copy.
Then, post them on here, with the ranges, and let's have a look. But, optimal is not a number, it is how you feel. Even so, we can see from your results if you are under-medicated, or have an absorption problem, or a conversion problem.
Ok, I will get them. Thank you
Not what you're looking for?
You may also like...
Hypothyroid, exercise, activity
Hypothyroidism and exercise
Hypothyroidism and Exercise
Hypothyroidism and exercise
Hypothyroid, Strenuous Exercise & AFib
Is this hypothyroidism?
Can you exercise with hypothyroidism? can you recommend different types of exercise
Hypothyroidism
hypothyroidism?
Hypothyroid
