1. First, check with your doctor, for when he/she says you can start exercising. Julie was told to not lift anything heavy for a certain number of days, after surgery. I seem to remember, approximately 10-14 days.
2. Listen to your body! What I remember from Julie's experience, is that her body told her when she was ready. If she tried too much, too soon, during the recovery process, after RAI, she'd just be exhausted...or she'd do it well and then not feel she bounced back from the workout. I might be wrong, but it seemed that aerobic energy and stamina correlated pretty closely to muscle readiness with Julie. So, it might be good to start with walking or bicycling, and when you feel that's going well, then start with light muscle work. But really listen to your body and don't strain anything. It's a fragile time.
3. Ask about muscle weakness. Although you can pretty much use your body and energy as a clue, you should also be aware of a heightened potential for injury or strain to your muscles, when you are hypothyroid. Ask your doctor about this. You might not feel you are straining or pushing too hard, but you can still injure yourself, if you are hypo and experiencing weakness in the muscles.
4. NO PAIN just might be GAIN! Be very careful and kind to yourself. I'd say it's definitely time to NOT push it. The "no pain no gain" saying does NOT apply! :)
5. Timing and scheduling? There is no surefire time schedule for when you can workout, again. I think Julie stopped most workouts within a few weeks of going off Levoxyl...but she was also taking Cytomel during that time, so she wasn't really hypo, yet. She definitely stopped everything while off the Cytomel, and for a few weeks after RAI. Just walking around to class and to bed was enough exercise for a while. Then, she started back with some easy longer distance walking and stationary biking.
6. Not popping back? If you're not popping back as much as you think you should be in 6-8 weeks....definitely consider whether you are on the right dose, or type, of thyroid meds. Julie was just not popping back over Xmas, and then realized the doctor had switched her from Levoxyl, which she'd always used, to Synthroid. She did NOT do well on the Synthroid (nausea, muscle soreness, lethargic, etc). As soon as she switched back to what she was used to, she started recovering and doing better workouts.
6. Weight gain and dieting? You have to do what works for you. In that you're recovering from surgery and RAI's...I'd say to do things that help with endurance and energy. There was an article, recently, that said sleep deprivation was fattening. Think about it, and you'll realize it's true. When we're sluggish, we think maybe a little food will help. It's the one thing we can do that doesn't take a lot of energy. :) So, probably the best thing, besides daily movement and exercise, is to get lots of sleep (so you aren't eating all the time and getting fat from sleep deprivation), eat little bits, often, and keep your energy and blood sugar up.
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