weight gain post op...

[DustyDeath]

Ok, so I am a little confused about the interactions of hormones and weight gain for a post-op transwoman.  Every time I try to get information online, I find a lot of great pre-op info, but not much for being post-op.

So, I have not been grossly overweight for my life - typical for me was in the 155Ib-170Ib range, depending on lifestyle. 
I never used anti-androgens with estradiol...instead, what I did was I went right for the orchie and then, immediately after recovering, commenced on 2mg Estradiol, which has been my regiment ever since, never more and never less (except for SRS).  I healed up from the orchie within a couple of weeks and went right back to being active, walking, etc. and, with the shift in hormones, felt that my hormonal transition went just fine.

I had SRS recently, when I was 28.  Upon going in for the operation, I was at around 170Ib and had no concerns.  However, that was in 2009.  Ever since going off Estradiol for the big surgery and then doing nothing more than resting for a good six weeks... I found that -- all of the sudden -- I was hit with SEVERE fatigue and a general sense of malaise and almost an inability to really be very active.  I have been trying to "recondition" my body since surgery, but feel I have not gotten far.  It still wears me out to walk down the street to the park and get worn out doing chores.  In spite of eating less calories, and, at this point, NO junk food/sweets, I have still managed to continually gain weight... getting closer and closer to 200Ib and feeling worse about it and my self-image.  I have had my PCP run several blood tests and they don't seem to indicate a problem - no diabetes, no Thyroid issue, etc.

So, I'm confused & frustrated & honestly a bit depressed... 
Was wondering if...
1) Anyone else has encountered this sort of thing, i.e. is it just part of the price to pay for transition?
2) To what degree are hormones playing an active role in this?  Would it help to have less Estradiol? or more?  For that matter, would a (very small) amount of testosterone help in this area? 
3) Does anyone have good ideas for reconditioning one's body post-op? 

I'm kind of in a rut here and would appreciate insight...
Thanks.

[Kristyn]

I'm just over a year post op and can tell you that, for me, it was really hard to get my full energy levels back--and I'm in excellent physical shape.  Pre op, I worked out like crazy--high intensity intervals which I still do now every second day same as before.  The difference now is that it is so much harder to do and, yes, it is harder to keep the fat off because of the loss of testosterone which once aided in the production of muscle and also helped to increase endurance.  I noticed I can't quite put out the same effort and I get tired much quicker.  I'm not really gaining weight because I eat really healthy and stay away from breads and pasta and stuff, but I am losing a lot of lean muscle mass which is contributing to loose skin in certain areas.  I've actually upped my estrogen doses and will probably go to the maximum allowable post op doses as my doctor has told me that I was always on the lower side of normal for levels.

As for body conditioning, one of the best things to keep the fat off is cardio but, having some muscle mass is beneficial in speeding up your metabolism.  I'm only in the 140-145lb. range at 5'11" and I have to give credit to the lean muscle I have in keeping the fat off, but like I said, it's getting harder and harder to do so I've added some more weight training to my routine to slow down some of the muscle loss.  Here's a good article which will give you some info on why women have a harder time losing fat than men do http://www.tinajuanfitness.info/articles/051005.htm