Building protein intake and muscle after overactive thyroid diagnosis. Help please.

[GreenFries]

I've an overactive thyroid. I had no noticeable weight loss but I was aware of losing my muscle mass which I put down to menopause. It's actually a symptom of an overactive thyroid.

Although I've incorporated free weights into exercise at home for several years, I haven't followed a plan and haven't belonged to a gym for ages. I had in mind to find a women's small group gym session targeted at my age group, but I've suffered with dizziness and fatigue for months - which led to my diagnosis. I'm now on medication.

The loss of muscle is becoming more obvious and I've lost my shapely calves, firmness in my bum and developed wobbly(er)upper arms. 😭

It's recommended more than ever that I have plenty of protein in my diet but I'm going round in circles. The more I consider it, the more confused I become. Usually I'm good at research but this condition causes brain fog and I'm not thinking clearly.

How do I do that without adding more calories? I'm already at the top of my BMI. I eat pretty well, cook from a scratch, avoid upfs etc... But I often don't have breakfast or delay breakfast as that helps set my appetite lower for the whole day.

Does anyone get enough protein without using protein powders? And if you do use a protein powder, what one do you use? It looks costly for the better ones.

Also, has anyone worked out with weights when fatigued and found it went okay? I fear it's going to take so much to get the muscle back that I've lost.

Sorry for long rambling post. It didn't seem appropriate to put this in weight loss - as I haven't been trying to lose weight. Thanks if you read this far!

Since protein fills you up, if you increase this, you'll probably feel the need to reduce portion size elsewhere so you don't feel too full. The obvious thing to reduce would be carbs to reduce your overall calorie intake and because most of us eat larger portions of bread/cereal/pasta/rice/potato than is required for our energy needs.

Try to have around 20-40g of protein at each meal. Porridge, fage Greek yoghurt, eggs, fish (tinned or fresh), beans, lentils, meat (although I would suggest only increasing chicken/turkey if you're watching calorie intake).

My easy wins are:
Greek yoghurt stired through porridge (makes it really creamy too)
Tinned green lentils added to mince based meals
Frozen edamame beans
Adding a few seeds/nuts to a salad
Easy breakfasts/lunches like mackerel or cottage cheese on seeded toast
Egg based breakfast/lunch/snack

So basically increase (non-meat) protein, decrease carbs. You'll feel fuller and be eating few calories overall

You can do it without protein powder. I avoid using it, I don't like processed food.

I'd give yourself a break on the weights just now, a month or two to let the medication and diet do its thing and the weather to cool down.

Thanks - this is reassuring.

I think there are probably days when I do eat like that but I need to understand quantities and what the protein content is so I can make sure I'm doing enough of it each day.

I'm quite low carb anyway as I have coeliac disease and typically don't eat gluten free substitutes. Rice is always brown the rice. Potatoes I don't peel.

Okay, maybe I'm eating the right things already and just need to be more consistent.

I think you're right about the weights. I just need to get well again and then go from there. Maybe just some little exercise snacks like 10 calf raises on the bottom step before I go up the stairs.

I also find it difficult to eat enough protein so I'm watching this thread with interest

In the same boat , post meno, been on a weight loss journey for 3 years and have lost all muscle tone from upper body

I have just joined a small female only gym - 3rd session today

Food wise, because I am on so few calories Ive been making them count for a while now

Ive really upped the plant based protein - lentils are my go to. Just dried red lentil - cheap as chips - stirred into whatever I can get them into . All kinds of beans - chickpeas, cannelloni , kidney etc - And grains more then rice/potatoes and bread

I eat a pile of cottage cheese and tinned fish - one of the other most days for lunch

Oat bran is another of my secret weapons .

I make my own greek yoghurt - so eat it with abandon and use it as a dressing, or base for dips as well

Typical good day for me would be Big bowl of greek yoghurt, with a good serving of oat bran stirred in ( how much depends on how thick the original yoghurt is ) with a good portion of berries ( I use frozen ) and if Ive any other fruit about - that chopped in

Lunch will usually be an open sandwich - slice of dark rye bread, topped with cottage cheese, piles of leaves and pickles and a tin of mackeral

Supper - whatever family meal Im cooking, the protein being from chicken or. turkey usually , or a mince dish made half mince , half lentils - they cook down and no one else knows they are in there

Snacks will be walnuts, cold lean meats - ie chicken drumsticks or even a few slices of meat, baby bels or any cheese cut into cubes

Im not a fan of cold hard boiled eggs , but I do eat loads of eggs - cooked , omelettes feature for supper often and I love a couple of poached eggs on kippers

That's my good days. My trouble is finding the time to eat . Im away out the house at 5am and when I get home at 10am I hit the deck running so its often 3pm before I eat first meal of the day - something Im now really focussing on changing as Im now going to the gym and working on body strength

You can buy egg whites, so that if for example you are making scrambled eggs, quiche, frittata, etc you can add some to increase the protein.

Likewise, you can add cottage cheese to scrambled eggs, and it’s not noticeable in the general creaminess.

Snacks of nuts, or a sliced apple dipped into a tablespoon of peanut butter (or any nut butter).

DD1 likes chopped fruit in Greek yogurt, as a dessert.

I use red lentil pasta for her, which obviously has a higher protein content (and it’s gluten free), I get it from Tescos. There’s also chickpea pasta, although I’ve never tried it.

DD1 has to have 30g of protein a meal, due to a metabolic disorder. I use ChatGPT to plan a 7 day menu for her - I put in her dietary requirements, the desired calorie intake and food likes and dislikes. It produces the menu, recipes and a shopping list.

I also use My Fitness Pal to track her nutritional intake through the day, so if she’s not getting enough protein at a meal, I know to give her some more protein; and at the same time, it’s calculating calories.

Hi op.

I had 4 gynae surgeries in 9 months a few years ago. This meant weeks and weeks of not exercising. I also do free weights at home.

Each time, I started with very easy YouTube workouts. I think I even did a chair workout once. Then I move to low impact bodyweight. Then started very easy weights. Each time took about a month to get back to my normal weights again.

As a result, I found out I was hypermobile and my years of weight lifting had disguised it. So after all the surgeries I had a lot of hip and knee pain. So I did lots of band exercises for hips and glutes and knees. Those might help you build up your bum and support you as you start with weights again.

Regarding protein I find it very difficult. I'm opposite to you and love a massive breakfast but can't be bothered with dinner as I'm shattered.

I do eat a shed load of those kefir quark pots that Biotful sell. Plus Fage. Black beans are brilliant as are high protein and high fibre.

Eggs are OK for snacks but really low in protein for a meal, you'd have to have 5 to hit the 30g per meal target. I mix eggs with cottage cheese and a mashed banana for breakfast with oats and flax on top. Some seeds are high protein.

I have some success when I shred a full chicken and have a handful everytime I get peckish.

Good luck, it's horrible when you've been poorly.

I had surgery on my spine in my early forties and could not move for a very long time. Lost all muscle mass and was super weak.

My gym has e-weights where you log into each weight machine and it tests your strength and then sets a weight and number of reps for the next two weeks then tests your strength again and hopefully increases the weights.

It has a funny system where it tells you your bio age for strength. My bio age when I started was 78 as I could tolerate only the lightest weights. I was consistent in visiting the gym and eating protein and now my bio age is 26. I am late forties with a bad spine and four kids in real life! It took two years of slow and steady but my body feels so strong and firm now.

diet wise I also skip breakfast and just drink black coffee all morning. If I need an energy boost I have a boiled egg as protein fills me up quickly or chia pudding with coconut and mango chopped on top for fibre. Lunch I tend to have a poached salmon steak with cottage cheese and salad. Dinner I have grilled meat or fish with salad in summer and in winter it might be chilli con carne or a stew but not with carbs. Chat GPT is my meal finding secret weapon as I just ask it to plan the day for 90g protein and v low carb but some decent fibre and over time it learns what you like.

I'm late 60s and eat 100g a day without powders.
Greek yoghurt, eggs, fish, chicken, chickpeas.

You could take amino acids instead. They are what your body gets or manufacturers from eating protein. Without the calories. Creatine is the main one you need for building muscle mass but you might also benefit from some of the others.

Widely available but use a reputable source.

I bought theanine from eBay last month and it wasn't soluble in water and didn't taste umami, so it certainly wasn't theanine.

Low calories protein - chicken, seafood, cottage cheese, egg whites, fat free skyr, high protein milk. Have a look on IG, lots of calorie controlled recipes.

Easy lunch is things like a couple of eggs and 100g egg whites (Lidl sell bottles of them) which would be 23g of protein for 175 calories for example.

I average about 100g protein a day, sometimes 120. I do add whey to my overnight oats in the morning (20g protein) but the rest is actual food