Low metabolic rate - Boditrax
Today I had the Boditrax analysis done at my lo... - Thyroid UK
Today I had the Boditrax analysis done at my local hospital. Why is my metabolic rate 3 when it should be 12+? I exercise, am on 200mg/175 ?
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Jenthehen
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Is that on the NHS? I would have thought it is your metabolic age they are measuring not your rate. What is your diagnosis?
It was a council initiative held in the hospital. My metabolic age was 62 (I’m 47!) I am overweight but Im physically fit (far fitter than 90% of friends my age). I have been hypothyroid 28 years and take 175mg/200g levothyroxine it my TSh hS always fluctuated (I’m borderline at the moment). I wonder if the metabolic rate of 3 is the equivalent of a tealight trying to boil a pan of water?...
Can you ask them, or your doctor? I’d be interested to find out too. I didn’t know they could measure it.
I remember years ago, a dietician (friend’s friend) explained to me that when you diet, your body goes into starvation mode and slows down your metabolic rate, thereby making it even harder to lose weight. It’s your body’s way of protecting you from starvation when food is scarce. Exercise she said, boosts it. I’ve no idea though, how this fits in with being hypothyroid where our medication controls ( or part controls?) our metabolic rate.
Other more knowledgeable people on here will want to know your latest results with ranges and whether or not you are feeling well. Perhaps you are under medicated?
I’m going to take my results next time I see the GP. At the start of April they were TsH 6.4 but I had them done again at the end of April and TsH was 0.69 (range 0.3-5.5) and the GP has asked me to retest in 3 months
Jenthejen, a TSH of 6.4 is pretty high. I'd expect you to feel terrible with a result like that, and am surprised you were able to exercise!
A change from 6.4 to 0.69 in a couple of weeks is a big jump. And you were taking the same dose the whole time? There's quite a mystery here, and your GP probably won't help you solve it.
You need to see TSH, freeT4, freeT3, and thyroid antibodies to get to the bottom of this. And ideally nutrients: ferritin, folate, vit D, but B12, too.
After years of leaving it to my GP I have just sent off to get the medicheck full thyroid test. At times in my medical history my TSH has shot up to 64 (even though I was taking my meds at the time) I really couldn’t exercise at that point but I force myself too otherwise.
Wow, 64 is a pretty high result. I don't think I've heard on the forum before of a TSH jumping up to such a high number while on a stable dose!
Although its possible you've been very seriously undermedicated the whole time, and strange things have happened. Doctors often leave us undermedicated for years 
When you get your results, make a new post so more people see it. Include as much of your history as you can with old test results if you've got them, and say what symptoms you had at each point, as well.
Have they only tested TSH? Not really helpful if that's the. Saw but sadlyvits becoming an annoying trend. When you see your GP ask him if he can get them to do TSH, FT3 and FT4 as itcdoundsxas though something isn't right. I applaud you for being able to exercise but was this before you had your bloods done? Just wondering if you are over doing it and depleting your T3 and this is where the problem lies as it's showing imup in your bloods.
I’ve always exercised, prior to diagnosis I was a county athlete and hockey player. It’s not always easy but I force myself to do it as the endorphins it releases are good for my mental health. Physically I don’t see the results unfortunately and that’s frustrating. I will phone the gps and ask what tests I had done in April. Thank you.
Jenthehen, exercising or dieting when on hormone replacement can use up the hormone you need to keep your metabolism up. These are needed by every organ and tissue in your body. Unfortunately I think the psychological buzz we get from exercise can be even more than healthy people, so it's hard to reduce.
Could you cut down to doing fewer sessions a week and swap intense things for less intense. Eg if you usually run, change to walking instead? How much you want to do depends on the bad symptoms you're currently experiencing. If you feel great at the moment carry on doing what you're doing. Symptoms are more important than any test results.
Another thing I believe based on anecdote and my own experience is that we need to keep our exercise very similar each week. Because exercise uses up hormone (as does all activity), ultimately we need our dose to be tuned to our own activity levels. If you suddenly do far more or far less, you're effectively on the wrong dose.
Being on the wrong dose also means our muscles can't grow or get stronger, as well. They need their correct hormone levels to work properly. At once point I thought I couldn't grow new muscle or increase strength at all. As I've slowly improved I've had tiny gains in strength, but nothing like what I expected before I got sick.
I am going to start doing strength exercises to improve my muscle mass which will hopefully help speed up my metabolism.
Jenthehen, if your metabolism is low due to low thyroid hormone, nothing will speed it up besides getting your dosage right.
I used to do weightlifting before I got sick, and really loved it. However I think it's a pretty unsuitable exercise while still hypo. It's dangerous to exercise muscles hard while they've got the wrong amount of thyroid hormone in the tissues (both too much and too little). Without hormone they aren't able to protect themselves from damage, and can't grow bigger and stronger in the way we hope they do when we lift weights.
Weightlifting also makes big demand on our energy levels both during and after.
Until you've got your thyroid hormone sorted, I'd suggest swapping all your exercise for gentler forms like walking or Tai chi. Or even better, give up all exercise and spend the time getting good quality rest instead, maybe learn to meditate. You may be lucky and find that cutting out all exercise improves your metabolism. Giving up exercise is the equivalent of a dose increase.
I’m not sure I’m ready to give up on the exercise. I am looking into yoga though.
Its funny to completely change our perspective and think of exercise as more of a guilty pleasure 
Assume there is some guidance on this result. Are you insulin resistant?
Yes, the lady doing the test (not medically trained) was very honest with me and said she had no answers on how I could improve my metabolic rate as I already do loads of exercise and eat very carefully. . As far as I know Im not insulin resistant ? Is there a test to check this? The lady also said on first sight that yes she had judged me, as I look as though so need to exercise and eat carefully.
An insulin resistance test :
medichecks.com/diabetes-tes...
I don't know enough about insulin resistance to know if that is a good test or not.
Hi, sorry can’t help you. However what is this test, Bodytrax? Why exactly is it done and can anybody ask for it? I am hypothyroid, have been since 1980 post thyroid surgery and am having a dreadful time, cannot function at all.
Thanks if you can answer my question. Best wishes.
Hi, it’s a piece of equipment like fancy scales. Quite often gyms and personal trainers own them. I’m sure if you google you’d find one near you.
Thanks for replying. You said your test was done in hospital. So is it difficult to get this test on the NHS?
Unfortunately I am not well enough to go to a gym anymore.
Your GP can give you blood test form to test for insulin resistance, you have to fast for it. Because I was obese, tired, swollen they have tested me for diabetes continually over 20 years. Keep telling them it's my thyroid they need to sort. Hopefully your test will come back clear, it is important to rule it out, then you know where to concentrate. I only eat twice a day and try to stay low carb and eat clean. No eating between meals this helps to keep blood sugar under control and can even put type 2 diabetes in remission. I do it because I really don't need any more problems. Exercise has only 20% influence on weight loss the remainder is what you put in your mouth so I am told. Anyway if your Free T3 is low no diet or exercise is going to make a lot of difference, so concentrate on that too. The only diet I haven't tried is Keto. Going to give it go after my holiday this year and see if all the hype is true. I tried 5:2 for 18 months and lost 18 pounds but ended up with severe adrenal fatigue. However that was before I found out my body cannot process T4. Bit late after 20 years of swallowing and them telling me I am well and me feeling like death. Making progress after switching to T3 only. Hope this help a bit.
I couldn't find the details of the Boditrax test as its a brand name. But if it includes some kind of indirect calorimetry, then it's a measure of how much oxygen etc your body is able to use up and turn into energy in a given time.
This is the most objective form of testing you can get to tell if your body is experiencing the symptoms of hypothyroid. Our body needs thyroid hormone to regulate its metabolism, the more hormone present, the faster the metabolism. All the symptoms and lack of function we get are caused by a low metabolism.
It might be that no hypothyroid person on hormone replacement can get to 100% what a healthy person can get on a test like this. But I'd hope that 80% or a similar decent percentage is possible.
Probably you are undermedicated, maybe quite badly. And/or you may not have vitamin and nutrient levels or other biochemistry to make the most of the tablets you're taking.
A lot of us would love to have access to this test. I suspect its almost impossible to get in a hospital setting, and more common in gyms and fancy personal training facilities. In that case they're looking at people building up their fitness levels, not investigating illness. They may have been a bit surprised and unprepared to analyse your result!!
Does this help? verywellfit.com/what-is-bmr...
I've just tried Boditrax for the first time too so I'm no expert but have just been going through all the stats they give you with a fine tooth comb!
As far as I can see, the metabolic score is supposed to reflect how your basal metabolic rate compares to other people of a similar age, height etc. So a score lower than 12 indicates a lower calorie requirement at rest than the average, and above 12 a higher requirement. If the score is accurate, then I guess it could indicate a slow metabolism, for example.
But basal metabolic rate is calculated rather than measured, so it might not be completely accurate for you and if it isn't, that would throw the metabolic score off too. Most calculated BMRs are just estimates based on age, gender, weight and activity levels, although I think Boditrax may factor in body composition as measured by the scales too. If the figure for basal metabolic rate makes sense in relation to your dietary intake then that might be a sign it's a useful indicator for you (personally I thought my estimated BMR looked a bit low, but that could just mean I'm not as aware of what I eat as I thought!).
I got organised and did the medicheck test (thyroid check ultra vit). My results were interesting as my TSH is now low (suggesting my levithyroxine dose may be high)
Thyroid hormones and antibodies are normal.
CRP is high 6.6 (should be less than 5)
Low vit D 37.8 (range 59-175)
Folate is low
B12 and Ferritin are normal
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