How To Exercise Without Lowering Metabolism?

[lampofred]

Hi everyone,

I know Peat doesn't think too highly of aerobic exercise, but the benefits are too much for me to stop. The only issue is that I can tell it lowers my metabolism--my face gets paler, my hair gets thinner, and my eyebrows get shorter. However, the increased oxygenation and blood flow it creates in my body is a great benefit in my opinion. Also, if I stop, I quickly start getting out-of-breath in a few weeks time for the smallest of things.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can continue doing cardio without decreasing my metabolism at the same time? I try to limit cardio to 10-minute sessions per day, but even that causes noticeable thyroid-lowering effects. Maybe increase my intake of sugar? But I notice that increasing my sugar intake is causing me to become insulin-resistant, contrary to what Peat claims...I get VERY sleepy after every single meal after greatly upping my sugar intake, and I don't want to worsen it.

 

[Tenacity]

This is what I'd say, and this is a change I made just this week:

Listen to your body. If you find that your mood, pulse, or other markers of health suffer post-exercise, it is a sign that you overdid yourself that time and should scale back the duration/effort/intensity next time. Even just a small amount of exercise can go a long way to improving strength/health if done consistently. I applied this to weight training - I am now doing fewer sets and resting longer between sets. So far my strength gains have not suffered from this and I'm noticing improvements in mood and skin condition that stress usually worsens.

There may be other methods of getting the intended results you seek other than cardio, also. These may be worth exploring.

 

[barefooter]

Why do you want to do cardio and not weight training? Just preference, or have you not tried much lifting before? I'd think in general weight training and putting on muscle is going to be much more beneficial than doing lots of cardio. Lifting 2-4 times a week combined with some shorter sprints running or biking seems like a good route. And save the cardio for things like hiking in the mountains.

Anecdotally, I've gotten serious about weight training the past month (lift 2x/week and climb 1-2x/week), and the benefits in mood and energy have been pretty drastic. I've also recorded some of my highest temps recently at 99.5 from an ear thermometer.

 

[TheHound]

stick to lifting. also, I remember a study haidut posted stating that zinc prevented the decline of thyroid and testosterone from exercise

 

[tara]

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can continue doing cardio without decreasing my metabolism at the same time?

Close your mouth. Might make some difference by countereacting a common tendency to hyperventilate somewhat during and after cardio. That may mean slowing to a pace you can maintain with your mouth shut.

I get VERY sleepy after every single meal after greatly upping my sugar intake, and I don't want to worsen it.

I don't know exactly what is going on for you, and maybe you have other things to go on than this, but sometimes sleepinesss after a meal is a normal healthy reaction to lowering stress hormones when one is tired. It could be that taking a nap would make good use of an opportunity to rest and recover.

 

[lampofred]

Weight training is actually what first made me realize I was hypothyroid. I can't put on muscle no matter how hard I try. My friends all squat in the 200s easily, and I struggle with 150 after months of work. And squats are my best lift. I'm too embarrassed to even mention my bench...

I started doing cardio because I read about Buteyko and increasing CP and that increasing your CP until around 35-40 eliminates the need to take supplemental thyroid hormone. I'm only at 10, which is really bad, and so even though I don't believe 100% that increasing my CP will magically fix my hypo symptoms, I wanted to just get my CP up there and see what happens. Cardio is one of the two ways you can increase your CP. Btw, I already breathe exclusively through my nose.

I heard sleepiness after eating is a reliable sign of beginning insulin resistance. Peat says sugar doesn't cause insulin resistance, but after I've seen such a clear cause-effect relation, I don't want to push my luck.

I'll try the zinc thing. I get very little zinc (the only animal products I eat are dairy, eggs, and gelatin), so maybe increasing my zinc intake will help.

Thanks for the responses!

 

[DrJ]

Your inability to build muscle /lift as well as hypothyroid symptoms could also be related to inadequate protein intake. Without adequate protein your liver won't be able to produce much T3, and you also won't be able to support muscle growth.

At least 1.5g/kg body weight, but 2g/kg would be much better. It's really a lot and for someone not accustomed to going after that much protein in the diet, it can be surprising how much you have to change your diet to meet that. It will take planning until you get a feel for how much it really is. And, from a Peat perspective, it needs to be 'good quality' protein, so not cysteine and tryptophan (muscle meats), but seems like you are getting your protein from good sources. Just check if it's enough. I've personally had much better results by switching my protein intake to primarily milk/cheese, gelatin, and a casein powder shake. Also cardio puts you in a catabolic state, so is pretty antithetical to building muscle.

 

[supernature]

@lampofred Why are you going for the weight, are you a power lifter, you can do enough damage with a lot less weight, you know right.
I think little cardio to warm up with just enough weight training so one could feel the tension but not killing it could make pretty good results long run.

sometimes sleepinesss after a meal is a normal healthy reaction to lowering stress hormones when one is tired

I've heard that effect explained before on the forum. While this can cover a truth, there are foods that are bogging down like overwhelming the body and there are foods that make you whistle like make you carefree. Im pretty sure there is a reason for both moods.

 

[Velve921]

Weight training is actually what first made me realize I was hypothyroid. I can't put on muscle no matter how hard I try. My friends all squat in the 200s easily, and I struggle with 150 after months of work. And squats are my best lift. I'm too embarrassed to even mention my bench...

I started doing cardio because I read about Buteyko and increasing CP and that increasing your CP until around 35-40 eliminates the need to take supplemental thyroid hormone. I'm only at 10, which is really bad, and so even though I don't believe 100% that increasing my CP will magically fix my hypo symptoms, I wanted to just get my CP up there and see what happens. Cardio is one of the two ways you can increase your CP. Btw, I already breathe exclusively through my nose.

I heard sleepiness after eating is a reliable sign of beginning insulin resistance. Peat says sugar doesn't cause insulin resistance, but after I've seen such a clear cause-effect relation, I don't want to push my luck.

I'll try the zinc thing. I get very little zinc (the only animal products I eat are dairy, eggs, and gelatin), so maybe increasing my zinc intake will help.

Thanks for the responses!

My first year of following Peat's work I ate 500-600 grams of carbs per day to heal the metabolism; carbs made me tired and I started sleeping better.

My players can only find sleep after games if they overload on sugar; sugar makes them tired after games. Releasing chronic levels of free fatty acids in the blood stream can be a culprit in insulting resistance due to the Randle Cycle; adrenaline and cortisol are used to mobilize fat for energy. I'm not sure how it makes sense insulin resistance from eating sugar could be possible but rather free fatty acids could be largely high and you've become a fat oxidizer. The sleepiness could be a large dumping of stress hormones as your body is not used to running without fat oxidation and lipolysis. I've noticed large benefits from thyroid, aspirin, and coffee with food sugary meals to help blood sugar regulation.

Sometimes larger amounts of saturated fat with smaller amounts of sugar rich foods could be a good assimilation into decreasing the stress metabolism. I found loading on sugar the first year made sense as to break the stress metabolism and get temperature and pulse to normal ranges.

Any temp/pulse results?

I've found kicking a soccer ball against a wall and juggling and rock climbing while listening to music creates aerobic activity but combined with music enhances emotional wellness. I weight lift but take lots of rest between sets and only lift on days when I feel emotionally well! Otherwise I'm humble and just enjoy life.

 

[OldMan]

Watch your breathing... you may be expelling too much CO2 as you exercise which will cause many of the deleterious effects youre encountering.... breath through your nose NOT mouth..... keep your mouth closed during exercise.... this will increase the amount of CO2 in your blood via the Bohr effect will deliver more oxygen to your tissues...

Hi everyone,

I know Peat doesn't think too highly of aerobic exercise, but the benefits are too much for me to stop. The only issue is that I can tell it lowers my metabolism--my face gets paler, my hair gets thinner, and my eyebrows get shorter. However, the increased oxygenation and blood flow it creates in my body is a great benefit in my opinion. Also, if I stop, I quickly start getting out-of-breath in a few weeks time for the smallest of things.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can continue doing cardio without decreasing my metabolism at the same time? I try to limit cardio to 10-minute sessions per day, but even that causes noticeable thyroid-lowering effects. Maybe increase my intake of sugar? But I notice that increasing my sugar intake is causing me to become insulin-resistant, contrary to what Peat claims...I get VERY sleepy after every single meal after greatly upping my sugar intake, and I don't want to worsen it.

 

[tara]

I started doing cardio because I read about Buteyko and increasing CP and that increasing your CP until around 35-40 eliminates the need to take supplemental thyroid hormone. I'm only at 10, which is really bad, and so even though I don't believe 100% that increasing my CP will magically fix my hypo symptoms, I wanted to just get my CP up there and see what happens. Cardio is one of the two ways you can increase your CP. Btw, I already breathe exclusively through my nose.

Great that you're onto the Buteyko methods. Are you seeing benefit so far?
I wonder if there is a way for you to adjust the level of exertion of your exercise so that you still get the CO2 benefits without pushing your self hard enough to knock your metabolism down? What kind of exercise are you doing, and how hard?
I have some similar trouble getting the balance for me. And my CP is similarly dismal. Partly I just don't have the opportunity (time and health) to get out for as much exercise as I'd like, but also I've noticed it's easy for me to push myself over the edge with too much when I do get the chance.
I think Josh Rubin's approach iwas to measure temps and pulse some time after exercise to assess whether t was at a suitable level.
Any movement that uses most of the body should give some benefits for circulation.

I've heard that effect explained before on the forum. While this can cover a truth, there are foods that are bogging down like overwhelming the body and there are foods that make you whistle like make you carefree. Im pretty sure there is a reason for both moods.

Yes, but sometimes it's about the state we are in before the food, too.

For me, I can't sleep if I'm hungry. So if I've been short of sleep (either from under-eating or other factors), and then I eat generous amounts of carbs (sweet or starchy), I'll get sleepy. I don't think the main problem for me in that situation is insulin resistance, and I don't think the solution is to avoid carbs. I think the problem is sleep deprivation, sometimes with a contribution from previous carb deficiency. And the solution would be to more reliably eat and sleep when I need to.

I'm not claiming that is always the case for everyone, just that it is one possible scenario involving sleepiness after food that does not necessarily mean avoiding it.

I do agree that even if one is well slept and nourished, some foods can have different immediate effects on our mood and wakefulness too, and it's worth considering that as well.

.

 

[jb116]

@lampofred Why are you going for the weight, are you a power lifter, you can do enough damage with a lot less weight, you know right.
I think little cardio to warm up with just enough weight training so one could feel the tension but not killing it could make pretty good results long run.



I've heard that effect explained before on the forum. While this can cover a truth, there are foods that are bogging down like overwhelming the body and there are foods that make you whistle like make you carefree. Im pretty sure there is a reason for both moods.

Agreed. To add, if one is in a stressful state and certain nutrition suppresses the response, underlying exhaustion may surface thereby revealing sleepiness in order to naturally recoup from said exhaustion.

 

[Koveras]

Weight training is actually what first made me realize I was hypothyroid. I can't put on muscle no matter how hard I try. My friends all squat in the 200s easily, and I struggle with 150 after months of work. And squats are my best lift. I'm too embarrassed to even mention my bench...

There seems to be a large variation in individual response to exercise, due to some combination of genetic predispositions and environment. If you don't seem to progress much from a certain scheme, give another set/rep/intensity scheme a try for 4 weeks or so to see if that gives you better results.

The 100% Natural "Hormonal Approach" to Personalize Your Resistance Training Program: Using Saliva Testosterone to Discover Your Own, Personal Optimal Set- & Rep-Range - SuppVersity: Nutrition and Exercise Science for Everyone

High responders and low responders: factors associated with individual variation in response to standardized training. - PubMed - NCBI

Understanding the individual responsiveness to resistance training periodization. - PubMed - NCBI

High responders to resistance exercise training demonstrate differential regulation of skeletal muscle microRNA expression. - PubMed - NCBI

Age, sex, race, initial fitness, and response to training: the HERITAGE Family Study. - PubMed - NCBI

Metabolic "responders" and "non-responders" to muscular exercise in diabetes. - PubMed - NCBI

Individual response to exercise training - a statistical perspective. - PubMed - NCBI

Individual responses to completion of short-term and chronic interval training: a retrospective study. - PubMed - NCBI

 

[supernature]

@tara , @jb116
Yes it could be due to undersleeping, exhaustion, undereating, low nutrition. The real thing is, does deprived body reserves of energy and nutrients are the main reason for such outcome as passing out after a huge meal?
I heard ago about an explanation of that drop in energy as caused namely by the food and the response of the body as a big energy consuming event and is esp noticeable when low energy conditions are present already and the overall effect is even further increasing the low energy and suppressed metabolism state.

Initially i was referring also to the foods that no matter the energy levels they gonna make you feel great, im wonder if that state is only reached if the body is nourished enough, however the latter could mean that almost any food can cause good response as long the body have whatever it needs to process it correctly, i guess its all very compound.

 

[tara]

To add, if one is in a stressful state and certain nutrition suppresses the response, underlying exhaustion may surface thereby revealing sleepiness in order to naturally recoup from said exhaustion.

That's so much more concise a way of saying it. :)

Initially i was referring also to the foods that no matter the energy levels they gonna make you feel great, im wonder if that state is only reached if the body is nourished enough, however the latter could mean that almost any food can cause good response as long the body have whatever it needs to process it correctly, i guess its all very compound.

Yeah, compound is probably right.
I don't know of any foods that always make everyone feel great in the short-term.

 

[thebigpeatowski]

I don't know of any foods that always make everyone feel great in the short-term.

Are ya sure?

 

[lindsay]

You could opt for activities which are "cardio" in nature, but don't need to induce "hyperventilation". About a year ago, I sold my long-distance road bike and bought a vintage everyday bike with only three speeds. I ride it everyday for about 8 or 9 miles (about 40 minutes or so) and have found that my leg strength has greatly improved, and unless the wind is REALLY strong one day, I rarely get out of breath riding it and can usually breathe through my nose for the whole ride. Plus, I enjoy it, which is most important to me. Before I got the bike, I was walking a lot, but found that riding the bike was better exercise without becoming breathless. I also have a small trampoline I jump on at home - I can go for 2 to three minutes at a time while nose-breathing. Basically, just don't hyperventilate and train yourself to breathe through your nose and it should be okay.

 

[TheHound]

there's also this study:

Effects of progressive resistance training on growth hormone and testosterone levels in young and elderly subjects. - PubMed - NCBI

I wonder what @haidut thinks

 

[Elephanto]

A solid indicator is if you feel good or fatigued after said training. The anti-cancer gene IGFBP3 was shown to be decreased in fatigued athletes after a soccer match but increased(!) for those who felt good after the match. So non-exhaustive training is actually anti-cancer , and btw IGFBP3 correlates inversely with hair loss so if anything light training will make your hair better. Some other study show that the training that raises IGFBP3 the most is cardio followed by strength training (but not the opposite).