Is it really possible to be skinny and hypothyroid?

[RenaissanceMan]

Asking for a family member. He's a young athletic guy on the skinnier side and I'm helping him out with exercise/health. Some thinning hair on the front and top but nothing noticeable unless you look closely.

He said some days he feels tired during the day but has trouble sleeping at night. Do you think he'd benefit from thyroid supplementation to build muscle like Peat says it can? Maybe T3?

 

[aniciete]

[Do you think all athletes should supplement thyroid?] No, if the diet and level of activity are right, it shouldn't be necessary. - Ray Peat

If I’m not mistaken, he also says younger individuals shouldn’t need thyroid and can heal themselves via diet and proper sleep.

 

[gaze]

it's very common actually. they should get a blood test to confirm low T3 though. although a low t3 doesn't necessarily mean supplement. for young skinny males it's usually caused by a weak liver causing poor T4-T3 conversion. they can try to eat more food (carbs) + use selenium to see if that helps with the conversion. under eating for athletes is a common cause

 

[redsun]

Asking for a family member. He's a young athletic guy on the skinnier side and I'm helping him out with exercise/health. Some thinning hair on the front and top but nothing noticeable unless you look closely.

He said some days he feels tired during the day but has trouble sleeping at night. Do you think he'd benefit from thyroid supplementation to build muscle like Peat says it can? Maybe T3?

No he doesnt need thyroid supplementation. Considering the fact that he is an athlete, without a doubt he needs more calories and probably needs more nutrition to sustain his physical activity. Fat content may need to be increased to make getting calories easier. Its not surprising hair would be thinning. An athlete who doesnt eat enough or properly is bound to get health problems, hair loss being particularly common when the body is under stress without enough support.

Animal products should be staple foods for athletes for superior nutrient content. Their choline needs are higher as they need more for acetylcholine as this neurotransmitter is responsible for muscle contractions. If he feels especially fatigued from exertion then he could be low in acetylcholine due to not meeting his increased choline needs.

He needs more food and carbs especially in the afternoon so the body can relax. Otherwise basal stress hormones will stay high, contributing to insomnia. This is especially due low glycogen which leads to hypoglycemia, which triggers the release of stress hormones to stabilize blood sugar. These stress hormones unfortunately also make it harder to fall asleep.

 

[aliml]

22 Low Insulin Causes in Regular Carb Consumers

1) Lower Carb and Protein Consumption
2) Low ATP From Poorly Functioning Mitochondria
3) Low cyclic AMP / Decreasing gut flow
4) Low cyclic GMP / Not getting enough sun
5) Oxidative Stress
6) Circadian Dysrhythmia / Low Progesterone or Testosterone
7) Lower Vagus Nerve Stimulation / Low HRV
8) Adrenaline
9) Hypoxia / Low Oxygen or CO2
10) 5HT2C Receptor Activation / High serotonin
11) Lower Vitamin D Receptor Activation / Magnesium deficiency
12) Lower Liver X Receptors (LXRs) / Liver fatigue
13) Osteocalcin / Vitamin K2 deficiency
14) High Hydrogen Sulfide / NAC and Garlic increase hydrogen sulfide
15) Lower Vasopressin Hormone / Salt and Glycine increase vasopressin
16) Lower VIP / Glycine increases VIP
17) Cortisol
18) Lower Glutamate Dehydrogenase / GDH is activated by BCAA’s like leucine
19) Higher Ghrelin Hormone / Zinc deficiency
20) Secretin Hormone
21) Retinoid X Receptors Overactive / Excess Vitamin A
22) CRH Stress Hormone / Take Aspirin

22 Low Insulin Causes in Regular Carb Consumers - SelfHack

Do you have problems gaining weight or at risk for Type 2 Diabetes? You may have low insulin levels. Learn all the reasons why your insulin may be low.

selfhack.com

 

[HighT]

Im athletic on the skinnier side and they told me Im severly hypothyroid in another topic. I measured my pulse 58 per minute. Today was measuring it at 75 twice and then again 58.

 

[mrchibbs]

Yes. I was hypothyroid all my life and until my mid20s was very very thin, and couldn't gain any weight.

 

[AlaskaJono]

I Thumbs Up particularly Gaze's and redsun's above recommendations. It is important to consume "sugars" or carbs pre/post workout to replenish energies and also protein if he is lifting weights. Don't need to buy special powders but have (Clean unadulterated) OJ or apple juice/watered down a bit during, and post work out chicken/fish/cheese something!! with more juice or fruit (or coke shhhhh) meal or mini-meal.
Dude isn't eating enough protein/carbs/fats - in no particular order, from what you say.
(Also not mentioned among other things is if his digestion is good, meaning solid poos every day, not frequently loose or loose then constipated, etc.. Otherwise, fix that first.)

 

[Apple]

Yes. I was hypothyroid all my life and until my mid20s was very very thin, and couldn't gain any weight.

What helped you gain weight?

 

[RenaissanceMan]

Thanks guys

 

[Kris]

isn't lower metabolism making one fat according to common knowledge at least?

 

[mrchibbs]

What helped you gain weight?

Taking thyroid and drinking more milk.

 

[mrchibbs]

isn't lower metabolism making one fat according to common knowledge at least?

There are more nuances. Until I was about 25 I was always cold with a low pulse and didn't have the greatest appetite.

As a teenager I played A LOT of sports so I think that elevated my calorie requirement to such an extent that I never gained weight.

 

[Apple]

isn't lower metabolism making one fat according to common knowledge at least?

It is RP forum, everything works the other way around here :)

 

[Vileplume]

Taking thyroid and drinking more milk.

It's so funny how metabolism works. This same combo allowed me to finally lose weight.

But your experience seems to mirror Ray's -- thyroid helped him not need to eat so many calories to sustain or gain weight.

 

[Apple]

Taking thyroid and drinking more milk.

Were you diagnosed low thyroid?
I think you just became steadier, less acitive , better eating, less testosterone after 25 yo...it helped with gaining weight. It happens to most teenagers that age. No magic here.

Milk/cheese does nothing to me now... never did it anything before. I feel the more I drink milk the skinnier i am. But I find beneficial 1-2 glass of milk a day.

 

[mrchibbs]

Were you diagnosed low thyroid?
I think you just became steadier, less acitive , better eating, less testosterone after 25 yo...it helped with gaining weight. It happens to most teenagers that age. No magic here.

Milk/cheese does nothing to me now... never did it anything before. I feel the more I drink milk the skinnier i am. But I find beneficial 1-2 glass of milk a day.

Yes I was diagnosed with low thyroid, and was severely underweight for most of the time around between 16-24 no matter how much I ate I didn't gain nor developed my bones and muscles fully.

I became very sick at 25-26 and despite the poor health, taking thyroid along with more milk allowed me to develop muscles and gain a lot of weight within 2-3 years. So clearly I was lacking something because in many ways I went through a puberty-type phase in my late 20s.

Yours and @Vileplume's experience are very telling, it's clear that milk is pro-metabolic and won't increase weight when it's not necessary but for me I think I was far below my optimal weight for many years and taking thyroid (which raised my pulse and temperature from 55 and 96 up to 80 and 98.6) along with milk for easy calories, calcium and protein really allowed me to gain a lot of functional muscle mass.

 

[mrchibbs]

It's so funny how metabolism works. This same combo allowed me to finally lose weight.

But your experience seems to mirror Ray's -- thyroid helped him not need to eat so many calories to sustain or gain weight.

You're right, I had forgotten about Ray's experience.

I think milk+thyroid just helps people shift towards anabolic process and get towards optimal metabolic health and that can mean gaining weight for those who need it and losing weight for those who are overweight.

 

[Kris]

I personally have to be careful not to gain weight. I know this is not how people eat in this forum, but I have to eat just one meal a day, and some fruits in between to keep or loose weight. I have no idea if i have hypothyroidism or not. My temperature would certainly indicate that, but then I am wondering if RP is right about that temperature thing; maybe this is just his 'opinion'. My heart rate is high, like 80. All I can tell is that supplementing with Thyroid, natural or T3, changed nothing. Like now, i have the Thyroid-S from Thailand, and even if eat 10 grains, I don't feel a thing. All you could say that I need to eat more, but even if I eat regularly, my temperature remains the same. i can never get to 37C even when measured in the middle of a day. maybe I should try to drink milk, i don't particular like it; i prefer other dairy products.

 

[Vileplume]

I personally have to be careful not to gain weight. I know this is not how people eat in this forum, but I have to eat just one meal a day, and some fruits in between to keep or loose weight. I have no idea if i have hypothyroidism or not. My temperature would certainly indicate that, but then I am wondering if RP is right about that temperature thing; maybe this is just his 'opinion'. My heart rate is high, like 80. All I can tell is that supplementing with Thyroid, natural or T3, changed nothing. Like now, i have the Thyroid-S from Thailand, and even if eat 10 grains, I don't feel a thing. All you could say that I need to eat more, but even if I eat regularly, my temperature remains the same. i can never get to 37C even when measured in the middle of a day.

The temperature concept makes a lot of sense. Heat is energy. So the heat produced by your cells seems like a sensible measure of their energy production.

Plus, it's not just Ray's idea.

"As low temperature rises with thyroid treatment, the symptoms associated with hypothyroidism will disappear." -- Broda Barnes, PhD, MD