Please NEED help with calories based on metabolism and thyroid
Was wondering how much free t3 levels increase metabolism. The reason why I ask is because I got off a cutting diet that involved supplementing with cytomel. I got bloods pulled 4-5 weeks later and my results were
T3 FREE (QUEST) 2.5 pg/ml Range: (2.3 - 4.2 pg/mL)
T3, TOTAL 50 ng/dL Range: (76 - 181 ng/dL) LOW
T4 FREE 0.7 ng/dL Range: (0.8 - 1.8 ng/dL)
TSH,ULTRASENSITIVE 1.27 mIU/l Range:
0.40 - 4.50 mIU/L
Then I got bloods pulled earlier this month which was 3 months after the first test and my results were:
T3, TOTAL 90 ng/dL Range: (76 - 181 ng/dL)
T4 FREE 1.0 ng/dL Range: (0.8 - 1.8 ng/dL)
I want to know how many calories to eat to bulk but the recommendations are all across the board, 15-23 calories/per lb of bodyweight which is a huge difference!
Then others say it depends on metabolism? Confused maybe some gurus can help. And now that my thyroid is in range, on the lower side but still in range is my metabolism slower? Would my metabolism be a lot faster if my t3/ t4 were in the middle to high end of the recommended range instead of low side? Or would the increase in metabolism not be that great while fluctuating in the recommended range, only a measurable difference if really low or high?
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Cytomel was the only drug used in cutting? Cytomel can cause a rebound and make your metabolism slower...
Ya I understand that but it's been almost 5 months now. My thyroid levels are in range I'm just curious as to if they were higher but still in range how much faster my metabolism would be. Trying to figure that out so I can adjust accordingly for calories. And I used test and ran a cycle or winny and then var.
Stats
Age: 26
Height: 6'
Weight: 215
BF: 12
Ah fella messing with the thyroid is a risky business and not advised unless blood work shows it is necessary. Anyway you did what you did so I'm not going to say more. Your thyroid is recovering and you're in the normal range. Hard to say if it's fully recovered unless you have a baseline. In other words the levels you're at now may be completely normal for you. Yes if you had higher t3/4 levels your metabolism would be faster. As to your question on how many calories to consume to bulk only you can know this. It depends on many factors My suggestion is to use the following calculator http://m.globalrph.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.globalrph.com%2Fharris-bene... to work out yoor TDEE. Add 500 calories to this and see how you go. Pay attention to the variances and adjust up and down accordingly. It is trial and error. Good luck.
Thank you brother and yes taking t3 was stupid, I shouldn't have done it, I regret it. And how much faster do you think my metabolism would be if my thyroid levels were higher but yet still in range? I don't believe I have thyroid baseline levels so I'm not sure what they were previously, but I am sure they were in range before so let's say they were higher but still in range how much of a difference in metabolism Would there be?
That would be impossible to tell. There is no formula that says a thyroid level at this level will burn this amount of calories. Only thing you can do is do as Dacky suggested and get your estimated TDEE and adjust cals up or down based upon how your weight is responding.
Thanks brother love when u chime in. But that's were I am having a mental fuck because I know weight on the scale can go up or down a couple pounds based on more or less carbs, water retention and other factors. And also people say metabolisms are person dependent so how are we to know? Layne norton suggests 15-20 cals/ per lb of bodyweight, based on metabolism. For me that would be 3,200 or 4,300 calories! That's a hugeeee difference! What is one suppose to do?! It's frustrating and I have OCD so it's really bothering me trying to have a plan and not knowing for sure
If you consider yourself to gain fat/weight fairly easily then start on the low end. If you are a so-called hardgainer, then start on the higher end. If you consider yourself average then start in the middle. Kind of goes along the lines of ecto, meso, endomorph body types. So whatever you consider yourself start there. Those are just starting points and you WILL have to adjust based upon what you are seeing on the scale and your goals. Metabolisms vary so much that all you can do is give a starting range and then it is up to the individual through careful record keeping to adjust that level to meet their goals. This is why people who don't log their cals/macros are just pissing in the wind. They have no true idea what is going on and what to adjust.
Well I have always been super skinny but I don't think I am a hardgained, I can put on fat, but deff don't think it's easy to put on fat. Maybe I'll start at the low end and see how I am growing there and then add from there. But the other question I have is obv there is times when u go out to eat pizza or maybe a buffet and don't track macros but it's obv more then you were suppose to eat, so how do you accurately keep track of bodyweight and that stuff if one day a week or maybe two days you go off plan (for example pizza with friends on Friday, or even thanksgiving) my OCD really gets me because I have a need to have a set rigorous schedule and when you go off schedule that's fine but if I am suppose to weigh myself once a week I can't help but thinking that that one or two days I ate more is contributing to the weight on the scale of that makes sense
Don't sweat the small stuff. Just enjoy life and going out with friends and family. You are not competing so don't let it consume you. Write it off as cheat day (there really are no such things as cheat days if bulking so buffets and thanksgiving are your best friends). Just use the days where you were accurately able to log to help keep track of things and use the scale and calipers as guide if you are really obsessed about it.
Ya I guess it really comes down to adjusting as needed, more drugs means you can tolerate more calories, as weight increases more calories, too much fat maybe back then down a little. Even when cutting and contest prep it isn't a linear pre planned process you might need to add more refeeds and stuff so it's touch and go based on how your doing. That's just hard for me I have a workout plan and wish I could just have a set plan for eating but the body doesn't work like that and I have to realize that a set calorie range might not be enough calories for me so I have to adjust upwards, or vice versa and ramp them down a little but not calculator or person will have a dead set accurate number and the body is constantly changing based on hormones, stress, sleep etc. so I have to get over that once I find a set caloric intake or macros that that's the end, no adjustments needed cause there will be
Alright let's say 5-6 days a week I track everything and then one day or two meals I don't track I just pig out with family and freinds, how do I go about judging progress then, cause if I am putting on too much fat then I can't be like well my weekly calories are too much because maybe they are perfect but those one or two days is way more calories ya know?
Pigging out for a day or a couple of meals isn't going derail your efforts for the week. If cutting, it can actually be beneficial because it will help to reset insulin sensitivy and actually keep your metabolism revved up so you will actually be burning more cals over the course of the week then if you didn't say pig out for a meal. If you are bulking, who cares if you ate 500more cals that day. Over the course of the week that is not that big of deal and after bulking for a while it going to become very hard to consume the amount calories you need so sometimes the only way to keep things interesting when bulking is by hitting a buffet or two.
Very true and even if I ate 2000-3000 more calories for the day it's not like that will all go to fat, most will go to muscle some fat maybe and the rest just burned off. And even if I did that every week and there was some fat accumulation over the coarse of several months it could contribute to fat gain, but while using compounds and doing hiit cardio it could actually make no difference. It's just hard to not have a calculated plan so to speak and just go by feel. Never done that