Hypothyroidism & Hormonal changes
A practical guide to understanding hypothyroidism and how it fits into your fitness journey
Our bodies are constantly changing, especially as women. While hormonal shifts are completely normal. they can sometimes make your fitness journey feel confusing or frustrating.
You might notice your energy suddenly drops, your progress slows down, recovery takes longer, or your body responds differently to training or nutrition than it used to.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing everything “right” but still struggling to see result - I can tell you, you are not alone. In my years of helping women in their fitness journey, I’ve encountered this plenty of times.
The good news? Progress is absolutely possible when you start working with your body instead of against it. The first step is understanding what’s happening inside your body so you can make smarter, more supportive choices.
I’m here to help.
What does the Thyroid actually do?
The thyroid is a small gland in your neck, but it has a huge influence on your body. It regulates metabolism — which affects how you use energy, recover from training, build muscle, burn fat, regulate body temperature, and even impacts mood and focus.
When your body slows down: Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism happens when the thyroid produces too little hormone, which slows down many processes in the body.
You might experience:
Constant tiredness
Difficulty losing weight or unexpected weight gain
Feeling cold more often
Slower recovery after workouts
Brain for or low motivation
Muscle stiffness or weakness
How hypothyroidism can affect your fitness journey
When metabolism slows down, your body uses energy differently. Fat loss may take longer, workouts may feel more exhausting, and recovery often requires more time.
This is important to remember:
This is not a lack of effort or discipline — it’s your body working under different internal conditions.
When it comes to training with hypothyroidism, the key is building strength and consistency, while seriously respecting recovery.
Strength training is one of the most effective tools for metabolism when thyroid function is slower!
When you build muscle (training + right nutritional support), your body’s muscle mass increases, which increases your BMR (Basic metabolic rate = the amount of calories you would still burn in a day if you were to do absolutely nothing and not lift a finger).
Higher amount of muscle mass = higher BMR. The reason for this is that your body needs to work harder for you to maintain those muscles! A higher BMR means you are burning more calories, without being at the gym. In other words; you will be burning more calories during your time of recovery.
Focus on:
2-3 strength training sessions per week
Focus on compound movements like squats, lunges, lifts, and rows
Keep your intensity moderate instead of extremely high volume.
This last point is important, because intensity and volume directly impact your recovery.
Plan recovery as part of your training.
I repeat: plan. your. recovery.
Recovery is not optional when dealing with hypothyroidism. Your body may take longer to repair and rebuild muscle tissue.
When thyroid hormone levels are lower, muscle repair, protein synthesis, and nervous system recovery slow down. This means your body simply needs more time to rebuild and adapt after training.
If recovery is consistently too short, training stress accumulates instead of leading to progress.
So what does recovery actually mean?
Recovery doesn’t simply mean not exercising. Real recovery supports your muscles, hormones and nervous system
This includes
good sleep quality and consistency - don’t cut your sleep short. This is actually the most important part.
proper hydration - make sure you’re getting in at least 2L per day.
sufficient protein and calorie intake - don’t starve yourself just because you want to lose weight. This could hold fat even more!
This also means we need to look at stress from work, busy schedules or constantly being “on the go”. Chronic stress increases cortisol levels, which can further disrupt hormone balance, energy levels, and in time - weight loss.
One of the most effective tools: walk, walk and walk some more.
Walking is one of the simplest and most effective tools when managing hypothyroidism. It helps increase daily energy expenditure, supports fat loss, improves recovery, and reduces overall stress on the body.
Fasted walking (walking before your first meal) can be an easy way to stay consistent and may slightly increase fat use for energy. However, it is not essential for results — consistency matters far more.
Aim for 20–45 minutes at a steady, comfortable pace where you can still hold a conversation.
*If fasted walking makes you feel tired or impacts your training later, walking after eating is completely fine.
Why nutrition becomes even more important
When thyroid hormone levels are lower, metabolism slows down. This doesn’t just affect calories burned — it affects how your body uses nutrients, produces energy, builds muscle, and supports recovery.
Nutrition becomes one of the biggest tools to support your body during this time. When nutrition is not taken seriously, progress often becomes harder.
Many women will unintentionally under-eat when trying to lose weight, especially when progress feels slow. With hypothyroidism, chronic under-eating can further slow metabolism, increase fatigue, reduce muscle mass, and worsen recovery. Over time, this can make fat loss more difficult.
Inconsistent eating patterns or relying heavily on processed foods can also cause unstable energy levels, increased cravings, and poor training performance.
The goal is not restriction. The goal is supporting your body with consistency and balance.
How to manage nutrition with hypothyroidism
You don’t need extreme diets or complicated rules. Instead, focus on building structured, balanced meals that support your metabolism and recovery.
Prioritise protein
Protein supports muscle maintenance, recovery, and helps regulate appetite.
Aim to include a protein source at every meal, such as:
Lean meats or fish
Eggs
Greek yoghurt or dairy
Tofu, legumes, or plant-based protein sources
How much is enough?
Most women benefit from roughly 1.6–2.2g per kilogram of body weight per day, spread across meals.
Include balanced carbohydrates
This one is so important, because many women believe that cutting carbs will fasten their progress. Carbohydrates actually provide energy for training and support hormone and nervous system function! Avoid cutting carbs too low, as this can increase fatigue and negatively impact recovery.
A simple stating point to aim for:
Rice: 50–75g (uncooked)
Pasta: 60–80g (uncooked
Potatoes: 1 medium potato (150–180g)
Bread: 1–2 slices
Include healthy fats
So important! What most women might not know is that healthy fats are extremely important when it comes to female hormones and regulating them.
Healthy fats play a key role in hormone production and regulation, as many female hormones (including estrogen and progesterone) are built from cholesterol and fatty acids. Consuming enough dietary fat helps support hormone balance, menstrual health, brain function, and helps the body absorb fat-soluble vitamins (like A, D, E, and K)!
Instead of avoiding fats, it’s helpful to view them as a necessary part of balanced meals. Including moderate portions of foods like olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish alongside protein and carbohydrates supports overall health and helps keep meals satisfying and stable for energy levels.
Support micronutrient intake
Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) are essential for supporting thyroid health because they directly influence thyroid hormone production, conversion, and cellular function.
For example, iodine helps produce thyroid hormones and can be found in foods like dairy products, eggs, seafood, and iodised salt.
Selenium supports the conversion of inactive thyroid hormone (T4) into its active form (T3) and is found in foods such as Brazil nuts, fish, eggs, and whole grains.
Iron and zinc help support hormone transport and metabolism. Iron can be found in red meat, poultry, legumes, and leafy greens, while zinc is present in meat, shellfish, seeds, and nuts.
Vitamin D also plays a role in immune regulation, which is particularly important as many thyroid conditions have an autoimmune component. It can be obtained through sunlight exposure, fatty fish, eggs, and fortified foods.
Prioritising a varied, whole-food-based diet helps support adequate intake of these nutrients. If deficiencies are present, thyroid function and overall energy levels can be negatively affected, which is why testing and professional guidance may sometimes be necessary.
The most important thing to remember
Hypothyroidism doesn’t mean you cannot make progress. It simply means your body may need a slightly different approach.
Progress often comes from:
Consistent strength training
Structured and supportive nutrition
Intentional recovery
Patience with your body
Your journey does not need to look like anyone else’s. When you understand how to support your body properly, you can still build strength, improve body composition, and feel confident in your training.