Graves disease and lifting

[kmochi]

Fellow Gravester here. Diagnosed end of Dec 2018, been on methimazole 15mg since then and last blood test in Feb showed nearing normal levels. There is hope with the meds, however, everyone responds differently. I think so far I have been very lucky.

The part that has been unlucky is the fat gain/muscle loss. Seems to me that everyone seems to lose weight in general with undiagnosed Graves. Undiagnosed I was staying the same weight but body comp changed into higher fat and less muscle

Being on methimazole, i am still struggling to lose the fat and put on muscle even with a clean diet and being cleared to lift and do some cardio. Anyone else have this issue?

As far as exercise goes, I was told to do nothing until my HR was down. Also, endo said that your muscles are basically trashed from the high thyroid levels, so any lifting or workouts wont do much except make you super sore etc. The last thing you need is to put more stress on your body. I did gentle yoga and lots of walking to maintain some level of activity and it was helpful.

Best of luck to everyone. Hoping to connect with others despite this post being a bit old!

[bigcat3655]

Fellow Gravester here. Diagnosed end of Dec 2018, been on methimazole 15mg since then and last blood test in Feb showed nearing normal levels. There is hope with the meds, however, everyone responds differently. I think so far I have been very lucky.

The part that has been unlucky is the fat gain/muscle loss. Seems to me that everyone seems to lose weight in general with undiagnosed Graves. Undiagnosed I was staying the same weight but body comp changed into higher fat and less muscle

Being on methimazole, i am still struggling to lose the fat and put on muscle even with a clean diet and being cleared to lift and do some cardio. Anyone else have this issue?

As far as exercise goes, I was told to do nothing until my HR was down. Also, endo said that your muscles are basically trashed from the high thyroid levels, so any lifting or workouts wont do much except make you super sore etc. The last thing you need is to put more stress on your body. I did gentle yoga and lots of walking to maintain some level of activity and it was helpful.

Best of luck to everyone. Hoping to connect with others despite this post being a bit old!

Your Endo is full of crap. I was diagnosed in 2016. I had two instances where I got sick and lost a ridiculous amount of weight. Lifting brought it back to a healthy level and while I'm not shredded, you can tell I lift.

One thing I'll warn you of though, you are going to feel like absolute chit when your levels come down far enough. Excess thyroid hormones act like an upper and you'll basically go through withdrawal when they come down. Although 15 of methimazole might mean your level wasn't all that high so hopefully you're spared. My levels were high enough I was hospitalized for three days when I was diagnosed and getting on the meds absolutely wrecked my chit for a good 6 months.

One thing I will say, I can't take pre-workout due to the graves. My kidney level is elevated due to it and pre puts it over the red line. I only take it every once in a while when I really need it to get through the workout

[Draganaut]

Hey
I just wandered how do you go with whey protein and Graves and do you strictly avoid dairy,salt,sugar and gluten or do you consume some ?
Regards

[Mumra]

I had a hyperactive thyroid for years and had no idea. I would bust my tail in the gym and basically eat non-stop and not gain a pound. I was 5'10" 140lbs. long story short I found out that I had the thyroid problem. we tried to medicate it to get it down and nothing worked. so the Dr had me do radioactive iodine which killed my thyroid. I had to be quarantined in my apartment for 3 days. my dog had to go stay with someone else and at the end of it I had to scrub down the entire place before anyone came back.

fast forward 3 months and I had put on almost 50lbs. I felt like a million bucks, I was finally sleeping and I didn't start sweating whenever it got above 60 degrees. best decision ever getting that fixed. currently I'm in the mid 220s and strong AF.

now if you do end up having to go on synthroid GET THE NAME BRAND. half the time the generic doesn't work. you'll pack on weight yo don't want and you'll get all kinds of muscle cramps. I forget what it is about the generic that is bad. iirc they only guarantee that the correct amount of the meds are in the pill at production and not at some other point. I donno. but I struggled getting my levels right for the longest because I was trying to save money on the generic. my Dr found a legit online pharmacy in Florida that gave a great discount on the name brand. I think I'm paying like $65 for a 90 day supply. not to shabby. imo.

the trick with the synthroid is taking it first thing in the AM with a lot of water and not eating for a solid 30min. personally I wait about an hour or little less just to be safe. also if you are taking iron, magnesium or similar mineral supplements to close to when you take your pill that can interfere with the meds absorption.

GL OP. once you get it under control it's pretty easy to manage.

[ark4mom]

I have Graves disease and hyperthyroid. I was in remission for 7 years. I have been powerlifting for about a year. I'm training for a meet right now and feeling frustrated. What used to be my opener is now either my max, or I'm failing. I am taking a natural approach and want to avoid medication. I'm starting to wonder if I need to back off of lifting. I really hope not, but it seems that I'm getting weaker instead of stronger. Thanks

[RippedUp]

I have Graves disease and hyperthyroid. I was in remission for 7 years. I have been powerlifting for about a year. I'm training for a meet right now and feeling frustrated. What used to be my opener is now either my max, or I'm failing. I am taking a natural approach and want to avoid medication. I'm starting to wonder if I need to back off of lifting. I really hope not, but it seems that I'm getting weaker instead of stronger. Thanks

Hi ark,
How are you feeling? Update us.
Tx

[ThickPipeKSA]

Yea, diagnosed a little over 2 months ago, and I've been taking 15mg carbimazole & beta-blockers since the first endo visit (keeping trying to convince him to give me test haha). ****ing sucks!! But I've used this opportunity to make some serious life style changes. Biggest being dumping the cigarettes' and switching to a dynamic routine.

I swim a kilometer almost everyday now, and do isometrics. Taking a **** ton of vitamins, minerals, and herbs (I'm not a hippie) I could get into that if anyone is curious.

Putting on weight sucks but I think it will balance out when I drop the dose. I'm bulking up like crazy though, the gainz are ****ing insane. This **** effects everyone differently and I may have some body dysmorphia, but I look ****ing great.

Stay in there bros!!

[bigcat3655]

Yea, diagnosed a little over 2 months ago, and I've been taking 15mg carbimazole & beta-blockers since the first endo visit (keeping trying to convince him to give me test haha). ****ing sucks!! But I've used this opportunity to make some serious life style changes. Biggest being dumping the cigarettes' and switching to a dynamic routine.

I swim a kilometer almost everyday now, and do isometrics. Taking a **** ton of vitamins, minerals, and herbs (I'm not a hippie) I could get into that if anyone is curious.

Putting on weight sucks but I think it will balance out when I drop the dose. I'm bulking up like crazy though, the gainz are ****ing insane. This **** effects everyone differently and I may have some body dysmorphia, but I look ****ing great.

Stay in there bros!!

I posted in this thread a couple years ago. My Endo closed and I got another one who delayed drinking the iodine. I'm currently in remission and not taking methimazole although I've recently spiked in weight without changing any eating habits whatsoever so I'm going back for another checkup soon.

[LoganJ99]

It's a bit harder for patients with Graves disease to gain muscle mass. But you can still lift for sure. You may have to eat more than usual to gain some mass with hyperthyroidism since your body metabolizes everything faster, but with your height I wouldn't worry too much about that. It'll be much easier for you to go for a ripped lean body and still be strong. You can go for that Jon jones look.