Hypothyroidism

New subscriber, but have been watching your vlogs (et al) for a while now, very impressed! Anyway, I recall you stating, albeit briefly, something about hypothyroidism causing muscle break down. I don’t recall the exact timing, but I started lifting 20 years ago (age 37) and packed on 40 pounds of muscle in one year (127 lb to 167 lb). I want to think I had not yet started on levoxythyroxin during that time of gain, and once I started taking it, I have not (for the most part) not seen muscle gains. Once I hit about 50 I was OK with just lifting for health, focusing more on HIIT type lifting. I find it very difficult to take in enough calories, and is it realistic that I would pack on more weight/muscle at my age (now 57)? Although I have no desire to weigh what you think I should weigh, I have regained an interest in heavier lifting and have started deadlifting and working on my squat/form - everything’s new (grip, stance, etc)! Anyway, I guess my question relates to your thoughts on hypothyroidism and muscle gain, thanks.

P.S. You would now call me severely underweight at 145; calories are hard to ingest for me, I am at 2,600 a day currently, eating clean to avoid spikes in cholesterol and blood pressure, 200 grams of protein daily, and just recently allowing the 3+ hour window for protein synthesis. You guys have changed a lot of what I do - and how I do it - so it’s sort of like starting over again.

Severe hypothyroidismcan cause a myopathy, but that is not relevant to the question here. It sounds like your hypothyroidism is adequately treated right now, so I wouldn’t worry about it with respect to your training response. Assuming there aren’t any other health conditions that need to be addressed, your reported difficulty gaining muscle is going to probably be due to a combination of programming and diet issues. You just aren’t going to pack on tons of muscle after you’ve been training for 20 years and are struggling to get into a calorie surplus.

Thank you for your time and response Dr Baraki. I guess I was just curious if you thought that condition contributed to my first year gains. No need to reply, you guys rock! I’m absorbing as much as I can from your site, vlogs, forums, etc. Keep up the great work, very much appreciated.