Loosing Weight after Thyroidectomy: Exercise

This topic is part of the Loosing Weight After Thyroidectomy series.

Exercise

Suppose you are determined to loose weight by diet alone. Or by exercise alone. It is by combining diet and exercise that the magic formula falls into place. For most people a dieted calorie does not equal an exercise calorie because they play different roles. A diet calorie tends to do better with weight maintenance. An exercise calorie tends to do better with increasing MBR for a short/quick calorie deficit. Combining the two will help with weight loss that has the best chance to stay off for the long term.

Kinds of exercise

Not all exercise is equal: there is, generally, cardo and resistance training. 

Cardo is things like the treadmill, Zumba, walking, etc. Cardo will burn calories while you are exercise, however, the moment you stop? Calorie burning stops. Also, Cardo weight loss isn't solely focused on burning fat. Cardo will also reduce muscle during weight loss. 

Resistance training is things like lifting weights, push-ups, naudalis, exercise bands, etc.  This activity tends to burn less calories during exercise than Cardo does. However, the caloric burn continues after the exercise as your body repairs and strengthens those muscles. These kinds of exercise will increase your metabolic rate (how fast your body burns calories).

The best exercise plan? Is to combine Cardo with resistance training.

Body confusion

The human body is an incredible machine. It is built to adapt and survive. If you walk on a treadmill everyday, you body will adapt to that a find a way to efficiently burn calories. That means a workout that once produced results no longer will. 

To avoid adaption, use body confusion. Mix things up. Don't do things the same or in patterns. If you did the treadmill yesterday, do an elliptical today. Resistance training tomorrow. Zumba the next day. By continually changing a routine, your body will stay confused and unable to adapt.

Another approach is to design 10 Week exercise plans. At the end of ten weeks your body will have adapted, so, it is time to do something completely different. Perhaps you spend 10 weeks walking at lunch time, then spend the next ten weeks swimming after work.

The Exercise Machine Says I Burnt 300 Calories!

Exercise machines, like treadmills and stationary bicycles, will estimate how many calories it believes you used. But the machine really has no idea. It can get close if it knows your weight and age, but it really doesn't know the intensity of your work out and various other factors. Use these as just an estimate and not as a true number.

Exercise with Intensity

Intense workouts will have the most impact. If you are on a treadmill, don't just plop along a 3mph for thirty minutes. Mix it up - go faster, go slower, raise the elevation, and have short periods where you are very challenged and your heart rate goes up (to a safe level), and then cool back down, and then hit it again. If you are doing resistance training? Start with a light weight to get the blood flowing (50 reps). Move to a medium weight to get that muscle pumped (12 reps). Then blast the muscle, tearing the fibers and promoting growth with something really heavy (5 reps). Keep the intensity high to get good results

Eating Back Your Calories

Under this concept, suppose you exercise 300 calories. You would then eat 300 calories to return to zero. I have read that many people can lose weight by eating back their calories.

Actually, I think they have miscalculated their BMR. Somehow, even with eating back their calories, they must still be producing a deficit. 

If you are in a situation where you overeat (perhaps you are going to a party of a festival) then it makes complete sense to exercise extra to counteract obtaining those additional calories. But that isn't really 'eating back your calories'.

I Have No Energy

I often hear people with no thyroid or thyroid problems complain about a lack of energy. Sometimes they'll work out one day, and be wasted for the next two. I have not experienced that, so, I don't have any specific advice. I just have some ideas that I hope will help. First, to get energy, we must use energy. As we build our stamina, we can do more. Perhaps do some lighter/shorter exercise and slowly increase over time. You don't have to run a marathon. just walk to the mail box and see if the mail has arrived if that is all you can do today.

To look like an athlete

We all look at athletes and appreciate the long muscular frames. Many people would prefer a body that looked like an athlete versus the body they have. If your goal is to look more like an athlete, you must be prepared to do the things that athletes do: eat they way they eat, train the way they train. Many athletes have spent all day at the gym for years - are you really prepared for that level of dedication?

Just get started

Regardless of what your goals are? Just get started. What can you do today? Right now? Can you stand up and walk to the front door? Do it. Tomorrow, walk to the driveway. They next day to the end of the driveway. Then to the neighbor's driveway. And then beyond. Starting small will leave you with a sense of accomplishment and encouragement to do more the next day. You may find exercise will have a snow ball effect to the point where as you slowly increase your activity, you'll crave to do more activity. To get energy you must burn energy, and the euphoria may be enough encouragement to keep you going.