# Too much exercise?



## mum2bradley (Sep 27, 2010)

I finally started to feel better in February and I started walking longer with the dog. Most days it was 6Km. I continued to feel better so I started on the elliptical 4x a week and walking the dog. Then I started bootcamp 2x a week in August, still doing the elliptical 4 days.

Since August I haven't been feeling too well and my levels really dropped. The Dr. has upped my meds from 100 mcg to 112 mcg but I am not finding myself feeling any better. I have still been working out a lot and am thinking that I am overdoing it. I was trying to shed a few lbs before we go on our cruise at Christmas.

May 14 - 100 Synthroid

TSH .63 (.3-5.6)

FT4 18 (7.2-21)

FT3 4.2 (2.9-6.0)

Thyrogloublin AB <20 (0-40.99 kiU/L)

Thyroid Peroxidase AB 19 (0-34.99) ** I am not too famililar with these test so I don't quite understand them.

Aug 20

TSH 1.05

FT413.3

FT3 4.2

Sept 6 -

TSH 2

FT4 12.2

FT3 3.3

Oct 31 - Started 100/112 Sept 18

TSH 1.5

FT4 12.9

FT3 3.6


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

My thoughts on this are simple: if you are properly medicated and/or treated, you should be able to do exactly the amount of exercise/physical activity you'd like to do.

When I was getting my meds titrated, I had a lot of ups and downs...I'd feel better, work out more, then feel worse...then get a bump in meds, feel better, and then get worse. I finally found the right amount of t4 that my body needs to feel good and I can do as much (or, um, as little!) as I feel is appropriate for me.

I don't think those numbers look close to being optimal. So I think this is an issue with meds...not needing to back off (on a permanent basis...maybe temporarily) on your workouts.


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## mum2bradley (Sep 27, 2010)

joplin1975 said:


> My thoughts on this are simple: if you are properly medicated and/or treated, you should be able to do exactly the amount of exercise/physical activity you'd like to do.
> 
> When I was getting my meds titrated, I had a lot of ups and downs...I'd feel better, work out more, then feel worse...then get a bump in meds, feel better, and then get worse. I finally found the right amount of t4 that my body needs to feel good and I can do as much (or, um, as little!) as I feel is appropriate for me.
> 
> I don't think those numbers look close to being optimal. So I think this is an issue with meds...not needing to back off (on a permanent basis...maybe temporarily) on your workouts.


My numbers are terrible right now and there is no explanation as to why they dropped so much since May. I am starting the Canadian version of Armour once we are back from vacation hoping that helps.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

mum2bradley said:


> I finally started to feel better in February and I started walking longer with the dog. Most days it was 6Km. I continued to feel better so I started on the elliptical 4x a week and walking the dog. Then I started bootcamp 2x a week in August, still doing the elliptical 4 days.
> 
> Since August I haven't been feeling too well and my levels really dropped. The Dr. has upped my meds from 100 mcg to 112 mcg but I am not finding myself feeling any better. I have still been working out a lot and am thinking that I am overdoing it. I was trying to shed a few lbs before we go on our cruise at Christmas.
> 
> ...


As you continue to build up your exercise regimen, you will require constant titration until you are at your max.

FT3 would be best most likely at about 75% of the range supplied by your lab.

This may be of interest to you!

Understanding the Thyroid: Why You Should Check Your Free T3
http://breakingmuscle.com/health-medicine/understanding-thyroid-why-you-should-check-your-free-t3


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## Swimmer (Sep 12, 2013)

Hi -- my endo told me to take it easy -- I think that it's possible that too much exercised pushed me over into Hashimoto's -- it may have been the final trigger -- so I've been resting TONS and I mean for months... and getting better 

In the meantime however, there "IS" another way  to loose those pounds -- you may already have it... If you buy a heart rate monitor like the Polar FT7 or FT60, you can monitor how many calories your body is using per day every day if you wear it 24/7 and have it set to monitor you constantly. Then you can do the calculations to determine based on what you're burning, what is a correct (and safe) amount for you to consume calorie-wise, and this deficit should bring about the loss of pounds. In this case, you don't have to count on so much exercise to burn those calories.

Another way to use this (depending on which product you purchase) is to get your heart rate up every so often so that you find yourself in the fat burning range (which is lower than the carb burning range). Doing this a few times for a short stint throughout the day could possibly increase your burn 

I just order the FT60 today  (On AMAZON!!! GREAT PRICES!! Ignore the prices you see at the link I'm going to give you and check out Amazon.)

http://www.polar.com/us-en/products


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## mum2bradley (Sep 27, 2010)

Swimmer said:


> Hi -- my endo told me to take it easy -- I think that it's possible that too much exercised pushed me over into Hashimoto's -- it may have been the final trigger -- so I've been resting TONS and I mean for months... and getting better
> 
> In the meantime however, there "IS" another way  to loose those pounds -- you may already have it... If you buy a heart rate monitor like the Polar FT7 or FT60, you can monitor how many calories your body is using per day every day if you wear it 24/7 and have it set to monitor you constantly. Then you can do the calculations to determine based on what you're burning, what is a correct (and safe) amount for you to consume calorie-wise, and this deficit should bring about the loss of pounds. In this case, you don't have to count on so much exercise to burn those calories.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info. I am going to back off my work out schedule a little and see if that helps. Most days though I feel so much better after I have worked out.

I got a fitbit in September and that tracks my steps. I also use My Fitness Pal to track my calories and it syncs with my fitbit.

Thanks!


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## mum2bradley (Sep 27, 2010)

I found this article very informative.

So I have cut back my program to just strenght training 2x a week. I used to run on the treadmill 20 minutes before class but will stop that. I am also dropping the elliptical the rest of the days to just walking the dog hoping that my levels will come up a bit before my trip and I will start to feel better! Funny that my Dr didn't clue into this as I told him I was working out 6x a week!! And I have lost .5 lb this week. Not that I needed to as I am 5'7 and 123 lbs, but I was getting frusterated that I was working out so much and gaining weight.

http://www.thegreatfitnessexperiment.com/2013/10/how-my-exercise-addiction-suppressed-my-thyroid-and-made-me-gain-10-pounds-in-one-month-research-the-relationship-between-exercise-and-hypothyroidism.html


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## Prolixity2013 (Nov 8, 2013)

Interesting article. I do believe my vigorous exercise program in 2005 caused me to get subacute thyroiditis and later perimyocarditis. I was cycling at 20 to 24 mph 6 days a week and lifting weights 3 days a week.

My current bout of subacute thyroiditis started after my cycling got more vigorous again. When I start up again, I'll pare it down to a moderate pace once again. No more vigorous pace for me ever again.

The weight gain was your body's way of keeping the pounds on to keep from starving. The reason this happens is too much exercise lowers your BMR. That used to be how thyroid disease was diagnosed. They'd hook someone up to a machine while they slept and measured their Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR. If it was too low, you were hypothyroid. That is how my hubby got diagnosed in the 1950s. Vigorous exercise, extreme stress, severe insomnia, and/or severe reduction of calories lower the BMR and thus cause one to maintain or gain weight.

An increase in exercise and a reduction in calories resulted in your lowered BMR and thus weight gain.

Look up the Harris-Benedict formula and plug in the needed numbers into the formula. You need your BMR which shows how many calories are needed to maintain your body at rest, your age, weight and height. Then you'll find links to other sites to help you discover the necessary calories needed when one exercises. There are formulas for different levels of exercise and ones for weight loss and weight gain.

http://www.burnthefatinnercircle.com/members/381.cfm

According to the calculator and results your BMR is 1287 calories per day at rest.

Even if you are sedentary, you'd need 1545 calories/day.

Light activity: 1770

Moderate: 1995

Very Active: 2221

Extremely Active: 2446

If you read all the info below the numbers which appear after you submit your age, weight, and height, you'll see an explanation of activity levels and the BMR and about weight reduction.


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## Swimmer (Sep 12, 2013)

mum2bradley said:


> I found this article very informative.
> 
> So I have cut back my program to just strenght training 2x a week. I used to run on the treadmill 20 minutes before class but will stop that. I am also dropping the elliptical the rest of the days to just walking the dog hoping that my levels will come up a bit before my trip and I will start to feel better! Funny that my Dr didn't clue into this as I told him I was working out 6x a week!! And I have lost .5 lb this week. Not that I needed to as I am 5'7 and 123 lbs, but I was getting frusterated that I was working out so much and gaining weight.
> 
> http://www.thegreatfitnessexperiment.com/2013/10/how-my-exercise-addiction-suppressed-my-thyroid-and-made-me-gain-10-pounds-in-one-month-research-the-relationship-between-exercise-and-hypothyroidism.html


WOW thank you for posting that article link!! This is just fascinating!!!! I think it might describe what happened to me!~!!!

I was training for the Portland to Coast racewalk -- just learning "HOW" to racewalk was very challenging. After I finally got how to do that, it was really fun -- but so challenging -- especially since I was almost always DRAGGING... But I just kept putting one foot in front of the next and marching onward, it's fun when you learn "HOW" to push yourself -- but it looks like this wasn't the right season for me to push myself so hard.

I've been resting TONS for months now and my TSH was dropping on its own (still awaiting test results & the next step...) I will quote the title of that article... This is fascinating, encouraging, and something we don't often hear about!! I might just bring this article in to my doctor.

"How My Exercise Addiction Suppressed My Thyroid And Made Me Gain 10 Pounds in One Month [Research: The relationship between exercise and hypothyroidism"


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