low thyroid?

geneseo said:

I am wondering if anyone else has a low thyroid (hypothyroid). I was just diagnosed the other week and am taking some follow up tests to make sure. my weight is reasonable (have always had trouble losing weight though), at 6'3" and 180 lbs. And I pretty much watch my diet like a hawk. But it has definitely seemed to me that I have not been making the gains that I've expected over time. Has anyone else had this issue, and if so, how has it affected your cycling training once treated?

Hey there!! I have low Thyroid. I have had it for years. I just had my medication increased. I guess as I get older...the more medication I need.

I am not a competitive cycler. I just ride to stay healthy and because I enjoy it. My thyroid troubles only cause me trouble if my thyroid level drops to low, then all I want to do is sleep. As long as I take my medication and have my levels checked every few months I don't have any trouble training. I am not overweight but I'm not thin and I, like yourself have to watch every bite I eat. Just seems to be in my genetic make up.

I hope this helps somewhat...even though I'm a girl and I don't race or compete

I have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism for two years. As long as I stay on the synthroid, I'm ok. I still have a hard time losing/maintaining weight loss; but overall I feel better on the medicine than off. I, too, was tired all the time and still get that way if I forget the meds for ONE DAY!

I've wondered if I don't have a thyroid problem. I've always thought it was a sugar problem. Seems like I'm always hungry and always tired. Can't seem to lose weight either even though I ride up to 12 hours per week. 😕

Doctor Morbius said:

I've wondered if I don't have a thyroid problem. I've always thought it was a sugar problem. Seems like I'm always hungry and always tired. Can't seem to lose weight either even though I ride up to 12 hours per week. 😕

How much sugar/starch do you consume Morbius? I've found you can't shift weight if you're consuming lots of carbs as that keeps your bloody sugar level high and effectively blocks the use of fat for energy. I found cutting back on carbs, to just a level I need for training, e.g. 100-150g per day, and I lost weight steadily and easily and my cycling didn't suffer at all. I was doing 15-18hour weeks at that time, all zone 2/3 riding, but the 100-150g carbs per day (usually eaten immediately after training) was plenty to keep me going.

Doctor Morbius said:

I've wondered if I don't have a thyroid problem. I've always thought it was a sugar problem. Seems like I'm always hungry and always tired. Can't seem to lose weight either even though I ride up to 12 hours per week. 😕

It wouldn't hurt to have it checked by a doctor.....it is often missed. It is just a blood test....doesn't take long at all. Another side effect is hairloss.

TTer said:

How much sugar/starch do you consume Morbius? I've found you can't shift weight if you're consuming lots of carbs as that keeps your bloody sugar level high and effectively blocks the use of fat for energy. I found cutting back on carbs, to just a level I need for training, e.g. 100-150g per day, and I lost weight steadily and easily and my cycling didn't suffer at all. I was doing 15-18hour weeks at that time, all zone 2/3 riding, but the 100-150g carbs per day (usually eaten immediately after training) was plenty to keep me going.

I have found that if I cut back carbs I can't workout at high intensity...just do not have the power.

Thyroid disease (it's usually NOT cancer!) is very common in both men and women. It is easily controlled by medication. If you've got the symptoms, have your doctor check your thyroid levels and ASK WHAT YOURS IS! The range for normal is so vast---5 to 12 points---that you need to know what yours is. I was a 4.5, so for about 6 months, my 1st doctor decided I was so close he wouldn't medicate. But, my symptoms worsened, so I went to a different doctor who agreed with me. The number was so low that I couldn't lose weight, and didn't have enough stamina to exercise regularly. He put me on 150mcg Synthroid. Within 6 months, I was up to 12! So, we backed my dosage off to 100mcg and I've been on that dosage for 2 years. My thyroid is a little large and we're using the meds to control the growth, too.

Symptoms of low thyroid:
Low stamina, fatigue
Hair loss
Dry eyes and skin
Inability to lose weight
Low immunity to common illnesses

Symptoms of high thyroid:
Mostly the same, but you can't keep weight on

6'3" and 180 lbs

Why is anyone that thin worried about weight? I'm 5'10" 180# and thin enough as it is.

jitteringjr said:

6'3" and 180 lbs

Why is anyone that thin worried about weight? I'm 5'10" 180# and thin enough as it is.

I'm not worried about my weight. My question was with regard to cycling training. I am wondering if my energy levels will be better for doing intervals. A lot of times during racing I am able to hang on, but I always feel a little flat. I am wondering how being treated for hypothyroid will affect my cycling, not my weight.

jitteringjr said:

6'3" and 180 lbs

Why is anyone that thin worried about weight? I'm 5'10" 180# and thin enough as it is.

well Different people carry weight differently

example while in the service had a buddy
he was and easy 50 lbs lighter than me eve nthough we wore the exact same size cloths, infact we would wear one of the others uniforms if we ddidnt have any clean

both stand 6'4"
his weight was 160 to 170
my weight was 230 to 235
with out our shirts you could count both our ribs

and I didnt have a musiclur build

sorry to say you cant count my ribs today 🙂 and about 250 but tryin to get it off, was higher and the older you are the slower it comes off

one thing that helped me was started useing sea salt inplace of regular table salt, it cost about the same but seems to be better for ya,
my wife tried it and also started loseing weight
check at you local store see if they carry it
wife got it as a treat for me to give me a little change in taste
several months later someone ask what I had done to lose weight, I had droped maybe 15 to 20 pounds and had not change what I normaly do
or eat