Weight Gain?!

[TRyan]

Anyone else had a lot of weight gain? 

I've gained 20 pound in the past 6 weeks that I've been on T. 

My eating hasn't changed nor my appetite.  I have been eating a lot of salty foods but cut down.

I'm now very slightly overweight.

I'm unable to work out these days due to some medical issues but geez. I can't afford to buy all new clothes!  I've been dressing male for the past 10 years so have a lot of clothes but can only fit into 2 pairs of jeans. 

Is this a temporary thing?   

I'm on testosterone cypionate.

I can't get in to see my doctor until the end of May.

[Frank]

Yup. I'd probably be gaining faster if I wasn't working out at the same time. I'm about to just say !@#$ it and eat all the sugar in the house. I think this is a typical thing that tapers off...at some point.

[TRyan]

Thanks Frank. I sure hope it tapers off. I've been googling but not finding anything about it.  I can do light stretching and strengthening right now but that's it for the next few months. I don't eat all that much and have had only slight increase in appetite so far.

[sbx]

I think it's pretty typical for people to gain weight on T. In the 3 years I've been on it, I've gain around 25 pounds without changing my diet much. For me it happened gradually over time, not in 6 weeks. I'd say it tapered off after about 2 years, but everyone is different.

I don't know the medical reason for gaining weight on T, I guess it's because you body builds muscle more easily? Although some of the weight I've gained has definitely been fat.

[Kreuzfidel]

It's common.

My belief is that the reasons are twofold:

1.  An increase in metabolism which increases the appetite - thus you eat more.

2.  Gain in muscle (which weighs more than fat).

Just keep a check on your eating.  A lot of guys think that because they're always hungry on T that it means they should just eat everything and huge portions.  Not true.  You have even more reason to NOT do that.  Heart disease, high blood pressure and higher risk for bad cholesterol levels should be incentive to watch what you're putting in your mouth and how often. 

[TRyan]

That's the thing that's weird is I'm not eating more than I did pre-T. My appetite hasn't even increased. Maybe every now and then but I've been conscious of my eating habits so I won't gain weight. 

Especially when my pants started not fitting I cut way back on my eating. I eat about 1200 calories a day and am 5'8 so I shouldn't have gained this much this fast. I wonder if it's water retention? 

I have noticed I have more muscle mass which I like but I also feel like a bloated whale. : ) 

I think I may have to take a break from T out of a concern that I'll gain a ton more weight before seeing my doctor. I'm hoping she can see me sooner than the end of May.

I was hoping with the metabolism increase that I would avoid the weight gain.

I'm also thinking of asking my doctor if other forms of testosterone have this as a side effect. 

[Kreuzfidel]

I wouldn't stop taking T without talking to your doctor.

My advice is to keep doing what you're doing and stick it out until you see her again or try to get an earlier appointment.  It may be water retention, it may not.  There is a reported "puffy" stage that some guys go through during about the timeline that you're in now.  Again, if you're not eating more then it's not due to food intake - it will possibly be muscle weight.  You don't have to have bulging muscles to have muscle weight gain. 

[Emerson]

Anne boedecker says in her book that you can expect to gain at least 10% of your body weight on T and that it is mostly muscle mass.

[TRyan]

I wouldn't stop taking T without talking to your doctor.

My advice is to keep doing what you're doing and stick it out until you see her again or try to get an earlier appointment.  It may be water retention, it may not.  There is a reported "puffy" stage that some guys go through during about the timeline that you're in now.  Again, if you're not eating more then it's not due to food intake - it will possibly be muscle weight.  You don't have to have bulging muscles to have muscle weight gain.

Good point. I can wait (or rather weight, lol) it out. I really don't want to stop taking T. I was starting to get bummed out about stopping. I'm on a wait list so hopefully someone will cancel so I can get in to see her earlier. 

It's good to hear it might simply be a puffy stage and will pass. I just want to make sure that 6 weeks from now I'm not looking at a total 50 pound weight gain. I have a pretty bad back injury and am trying to avoid surgery. 25 pounds has put a strain on it. I can't imagine what 50 would do.

Other than my back and clothes I don't mind the weight gain. I'm mainly glad to be in this stage of the process.

[TRyan]

Anne boedecker says in her book that you can expect to gain at least 10% of your body weight on T and that it is mostly muscle mass.

What book is that Emerson?  I'd like to read it. So far I'm at almost a 25% weight gain. 

I didn't do a lot of research before starting T so I'm hungry for information (that'll probably make me gain weight too, haha).

[aleon515]

I have actually lost weight, but I did have the super appetite increase and so on. I have been super careful and eating really a clean diet and exercising a LOT more than I did before.

--Jay

[TRyan]

I wonder what makes people lose weight as opposed to gain it Jay? 

I'd love to be able to work out right now. I used to be a runner and at the gym all the time.  I have noticed the gentle strengthening program I'm doing for my back has caused some increased muscle mass which I really like.  If I could do weight training right now I think I'd be really pleased with what's happening.

I have this strange combo of feeling very settled in my body for the first time yet wanting certain things to be different.

I guess it feels like what a normal adolescent would feel like. I always wondered what it would be like. Instead of the horror of developing breasts and getting a period it feels pretty normal--like how a teenage boy would compare features with other teen boys (although the rapid weight gain is unsettling and feels like a different ball of wax)

[Mr.X]

My weight increased as well, but not until a few months in. I think I gained a total of 3kg or so, which is 6 pounds, I think? This is less than 10% of my body weight. What I noticed is that my weight is all over the place. Some weeks it's down a kilo, and others it's up a kilo. Really weird.

If you are eating 1200 calories a day, you shouldn't be gaining weight. Neither fat nor muscle (muscle needs proteins to grow). You may want to get your thyroid checked, just in case. I'm no doctor, though.

[Jill F]

Low carbs, weights and cardio, guys.  I want you all to be happy, healthy, sexy beefcakes. 

[Emerson]

What book is that Emerson?  I'd like to read it. So far I'm at almost a 25% weight gain. 

I didn't do a lot of research before starting T so I'm hungry for information (that'll probably make me gain weight too, haha).

http://www.amazon.com/The-Transgender-Guidebook-Successful-Transition/dp/1461006201

[TRyan]

Low carbs, weights and cardio, guys.  I want you all to be happy, healthy, sexy beefcakes.

Aww. So nice of you!

[TRyan]

http://www.amazon.com/The-Transgender-Guidebook-Successful-Transition/dp/1461006201

Thanks Emerson. I just read a sample of the book and it looks good. I think it will be really helpful. Thanks so much for posting about it.

[aleon515]

Low carbs, weights and cardio, guys.  I want you all to be happy, healthy, sexy beefcakes.

Why I am losing or maintaining weight vs gaining weight:

Well actually... this is what I have done. I am not doing anything extreme or anything. Walking the dog; weights and exercises like push ups and reverse crunches, etc.
Diet is just clean type eating-- whole grains, fresh or frozen veggies and fruit, lean proteins and some eggs, yogurt and low fat milk (not much), olive oil, nuts, and avocado mostly as fat (no butter or other oils- I suppose I would use virgin coconut though) and very limited sugars. I have a protein shake 1-2 times a week. I don't buy much from the inside of the store but travel around the outside more. Nothing that you wouldn't find on page anything of anything on what to eat and what not to eat.

If it helps you should eat some smaller meals vs bigger ones-- like nuts, yogurt, etc.

If you are still having shark week you may still have the effect of estrogen in your system. Estrogen loves you to eat for the sole purpose of having you crave chocolate. (What one of my MTF  friend's endo told her, which I thought was an excellent line.) Also it is possible to gain healthy weight if it is muscle mass, that can happen on T.
But this happens with more protein in the diet, I think.

Not sure that I am getting that beefcakeness, but I am happy and healthy.


--Jay