Weight loss pills, hrt, and fat redistribution. Oh and upper arms.

[Ltl89]

Hey all,

So, I hate my body very much and have been trying to lose weight like crazy.  For the past 2 or 3 months, I've been eating about one meal a day.  It hasn't been working too fast, but I just don't want to feel and look fat anymore.  However, even that went wrong thanks to Easter (damn cream eggs and cake), and the past few days I've been eating 2 meals a day.  Anyway, I hate my body and how I look which needs to change because I don't want to look fat, especially not when I go full time.  Right now, I'm ready to just take any sort of weight loss pills so I can feel better and fit into "inspiration" clothes that I bought.  I realize these pills aren't healthy for your body, but believe me, my body has been through and continues to be put through much worse than that.  It will survive.  And I all ready do try to exercise along with dieting.  I lose weight, but not as quickly as I want to.

What I would like to know is do these sort of pills interact with hrt?  Do they counter any effects?  For example, I've been noticing that I'm developing more chest wise this past week.  Would weight loss pills interact with fat redistribution or the development of breasts?  Obviously, I'm worried about that.  Also, I notice that my hips have been growing out more.  Would that be put in jeopardy with these weight loss pills?  Basically, any thoughts or experience with weight loss drugs would be appreciated.  I just don't want to make a mistake and lose all the fat redistribution I had.  That's the only reason I haven't dared to take them yet. 

By the way, anyone have any thoughts and/or tips on how to lose upper arm weight?  It's not muscle or anything, but it's like this annoying bit of fat that is much more noticeable in female clothes due to the tightness.  I just want it gone.  Anything that could help would be appreciated.

Anyway, as someone who feels like she looks like the return of Whalemina, I appreciate any helpful input that can help me here.  Thanks!

[kelly_aus]

Small meals, more often.. Eating only once a day makes the body more likely to store fat rather than burn it. Which is not what you want when you are trying to lose weight. As for diet pills.. Unless they are 70's vintage diet pills and full of amphetamines, I'd be highly dubious of them.

[Jill F]

Cut carbs down to a minimum, especially sugar and starch and anything else with a high glycemic index.
Drink a lot of water. 
Walk for an hour a day.

You WILL lose the weight.  I used to weigh 285 at my fattest.

[JamesG]

I've been taking "Hydroxicut" weight loss aids about as long as I've been on low-dose HRT (spiro and Estradiol), about 14 months.  In combination with reduced diet (~500 cal. day), vitamins, tuned cardio exercise (legs & lower abdominal mostly), and copious water intake (to counter the spiro). Went from 220lbs. and a 38" waist to now 175lbs. and a 32".   I will try to find some "before and now" pics.

Hydroxi is mostly just herbals and caffeine(!) which I take in copious quantities anyway. So there isn't much health issue, and it definitely makes sticking to low cal. intake easier.

I would say that my aim of "feminizing" is working pretty well.  Lost a lot of weight in limbs, neck and face, but not nearly as much in torso, so the weight loss and fat redistribution seems to be following the female script I'm giving it.  Of course that means that "trouble spots" are still there around the waist, but its just temporary spare doughnut now, not a semi-truck tire. But I'm not in that big a hurry. It takes time for your skin to react and shrink down. No good in being a skinny waiff if you are a saggy bag of stretch marks...

Everyone is different of course, I was a skinny beanpole growing up, so my default genes probably favor losing extremity weight first.  The current wisdom is that you cannot "target" fat for reduction because other than dark muscle fat (which you get with building muscle bulk,which we don't want to do), regular fat gets burned evenly from all over the body as the blood flowing thru it picks it up on demand.   You just have to be patient and know that it will all fall off of you as you go.  It takes time.

[Carrie Liz]

Yeah... LtL, don't worry about diet pills, and PLEASE don't starve yourself. Neither of these works.

What does work is going on a low-carb diet.

People who diet and exercise spend months and months sacrificing, suffering, feeling like they're never really satisfied food-wise, and all to lose maybe a total of 30-40 lbs or so after months and months of hard work and sacrifice.

I went on a low-carb diet. No exercising. No cutting calories. I could eat as many delicious things like steak, bacon, eggs, chicken soup, veggies, and low-GI fruits as I wanted. I could even cheat and go to the Chinese buffet once a week. But it WORKS. And it works way better than any other diet. At my highest weight, I was 286 lbs. I'm now down to 219, and with basically NO effort and NO sacrifice whatsoever. And my ex-girlfriend, who is the one who got me started on that diet in the first place, went from 215 lbs down to 145 lbs, after a whole lifetime of being unable to lose weight no matter how much she sacrificed. So do that. You will make your life a LOT easier if you go on a low-carb paleo diet rather than counting calories and constantly feeling hungry.

And before you start thinking that it will destroy your cholesterol, think again. My cholesterol actually dropped on this saturated-fat-heavy diet, going from 139 all the way down to 109. So please. Do the low-carb thing. Everything that our medical establishment tells you about cutting calories and eating low-fat things is WRONG. Go paleo. Cavewomen don't get fat!

[Christine167]

Yep what the others have said.

Here's some additional that may help.
Safe weight loss is about 1-2 pds a week

Don't skip meals just eat healthier.

Aerobic Exercise. Walk, jumping jacks, squats, sit ups, a few calf raises, lunges, biking, running, etc.
Lots of low impact moving. Why? As I have learned here and else where aerobic exercise burns both muscle and fat. And lots of it.

If you find yourself plateauing on the weight loss then start counting calories and nutrition and adjust it for the volume you need but at a few less calories.

[Alyssa Rae]

If you haven't already, try drinking water and cut soda out entirely or keep it to a minimum (easier said than done, I know  ). Also, if they have organic fruit smoothies, those are pretty helpful too.  I drink Bolthouse farms, but I'm unsure if they're available in your area.  As for dieting pills, be careful.  They can, over time, cause an irregular heartbeat.  I still used them my first year of college, despite having two open heart surgeries as a child, so I can't really say much, but they're definitely risky if taken for extended periods of time.

[Ltl89]

Hey all,

I don't mind the fitness advice which I'm sure can help, but I'm really looking to lose weight real fast.  Believe me, I've been losing weight all a long for almost a year, but I want to be much skinnier so I can feel comfortable going out in female clothes. Let's say I was in a bad place a year ago.  As of now, I'm vegetarian that takes a bunch of vitamins, drinks coffee all day and doesn't drink soda and stuff like that and avoids snacking.  I don't have a healthy diet, but I don't eat all that much and try to starve myself, though I've relapsed the past few days.  The diet pills is meant for the next month or so. Just something to get me more to where I'l like to be by June.  I'm just afraid of what weight loss pills could do to counteract all the beneifts of hrt.  There doesn't seem to be any info online about this, so I wanted to see if anyone knew if they hurt progress of hrt (like losing chest or hips ratios) or somehow effect you when on hrt. 

Thank you for the nutrition advice, I may implement some of it and will consider all suggestions, but I will be starving myself till June and likely will take the diet pills for me to get where I want to be physically.  It's a short term thing, so don't worry.

Again, thanks for the input!

[naomi599]

I learned that simply cutting out all drinks besides water usually helps me drop about 30 pounds in two months. All sodas, coffee, everything. Every few days or so I would drink an orange juice or some milk. I hike up to the top of a local mountain around 2 miles twice a week. I also Eat like a pig when it comes to healthy foods. so far by following the advice I'm giving you, I'm dropping 1/2 a pound a day. On the other hand I'm not on E just DHT blocker and light doses of a T blocker so I wouldn't know the effects that E would have on my diet. Perhaps this could help a little: http://www.shape.com/blogs/fit-list-jay-cardiello/5-exercises-ditch-arm-flab-forever

Edit: I failed to mention, I drinks lots of water. I practically breath water.

[Jessica Merriman]

but I'm really looking to lose weight real fast.  but I will be starving myself till June and likely will take the diet pills for me to get where I want to be physically.  It's a short term thing, so don't worry.

LTL rapid weight loss is not good for anyone. You can throw off your acid/base neutrality and cause a disruption in your enzymes. If you persist at least take a vitamin supplement with plenty of B12 to ease the shock to your Central Nervous System. You need to tell your Therapist about what you want to do as I feel you could be headed to an eating disorder. I have run many calls of Metabolic shock caused by rapid weight loss and they were ugly. You could also pick up Atrial Fibrillation or many other cardiac abnormalities. Trust me on this I have 28 years experience seeing the effects of rapid weight loss in the public.

[liz]

I would advice you to stay away from those pills too. Most of the "weight loss pills" on the market act kinda like "Amphetamines" which is bad for your body  of course. It's up to you to take any drugs but I'm sure you'll appreciate your new women life better with few extra pounds than with a screwed health. Just think about your future. By taking good resolutions and good life habits you can lose all the weight you want. Just count your calories for few weeks and compare them with what you should really eat. Peoples sometimes "starve" themself with 1 meal a day like you do but don't realize how much calories their meals contain. In my job I often see people saying "I'm fat because of my dna, I eat eat mostly vegetables and don't lose weight" but when following them I often realize that they eat those "vegetables" with over 800 calories of dipping sauce and else.

Just try to stay active if your health permit you and try to change your eating habits. Be patient if greatly overweighted and especially if consuming big sodium quantity because body tend to replace the fat you lose by water retention. It's easier for you body to stock back "energy(fat)" when there is water retention. In this situation if you stay constant your gonna lose weight by "blitz", what I mean is like 2-3 weeks without any lose then poof 4-5 pounds less. That happen because the body "turn" your fat to water then when it realize that you don't need this "reserve" anymore it let it go.

Sorry for my bad english and good luck to you. You deserve to be happy and healty so hold on!

[Veronica M]

Yep... What others here are saying for sure... I am doing a modified diet like Carrie Liz and limiting my calorie intake to about 1200 - 1500 calories a day. No Carbs... I eat a good breakfast then use stuff like celery and veggies throughout the day. Then eat a balanced small portion meal in the evening. I am dropping 2-4 pounds a week. I also go to the gym three times a week and when the pool finally warms up I will most likely be in there a lot. It is really more a lifestyle change than a diet.

PS: Damn them stupid Cadberry eggs... LOL

[Ltl89]

LTL rapid weight loss is not good for anyone. You can throw off your acid/base neutrality and cause a disruption in your enzymes. If you persist at least take a vitamin supplement with plenty of B12 to ease the shock to your Central Nervous System. You need to tell your Therapist about what you want to do as I feel you could be headed to an eating disorder. I have run many calls of Metabolic shock caused by rapid weight loss and they were ugly. You could also pick up Atrial Fibrillation or many other cardiac abnormalities. Trust me on this I have 28 years experience seeing the effects of rapid weight loss in the public.

I take Vitamin D, Vitamin B complex along with a regular multi vitamin.  I've talked to my therapist about this.  She's aware I'm trying hard to lose weight and doesn't see a problem with that on the short term.  REmember, I'm only doing this for a little while, so please don't worry about an eating disorder.  However, I need to lose weight really quickly for the short term.  This is needed for me to go full time and I'm really trying to get into a zone where I'm comfortable enough to do that.  I;d only be taken the pills and continuing my dieting until June or so.  Then I can be more comfortable with my body to take the next steps of my transition.  I don't want to wait forever and I feel really fat and ugly.

Thank you everyone, for the tips and concerns.  I will do these things in the future and appreciate all the help, I'm just trying to find something quick for the short term.

[liz]

Just take the right informations about the pills you're gonna use because if they do contain Amphetamines then yes they are gonna interfere with your hormone. Amphetamines do boost E naturally and lower T in an unstable way. In few tests Amphetamines taken with T-blocker has nullified the effect of the T-blocker.

[Skyler]

the thing is with only eating two meals a day or one meal a day will you lose weight..well yes you will however your going to end up doing the rubber band effect once you start eating regular meals your body is going to store it all mostly as fat because you have been depriving it.  It can take a few months to over a year for your body to recover after that.  Your best option is to start eating a whole foods life style (vegan or vegetarian to your preference im also vegan) and just exercise every day and you will lose weight. ya...not as easy as it sounds its definitely hard and a struggle but its something to over come because the benefits are high..I'm still working at it.

[ath]

About 5 or 6 years ago I lowered my calorie intake to 700-1300 cal per day, cut carbs way down, and started working out using stairs. I lost 100 pounds. Right now I'm about to start another weight loss cycle, doing what I did before because it worked for me. I didn't use any diet pills or anything, just was a total nazi about what I could eat, how much I could eat, when I could eat, and also a nazi about working out heavily 3-4 times a week, and I stuck with it until I hit my goal.

Persistence is the most important thing - with time, if you stick to it, your weight loss will come. Weight loss isn't the easiest thing to rush, just take it a day at a time.

[JamesG]

I'm a sucker with no native willpower for sweets so need a crutch...  they are kind of expensive though. If you can do it without, more power to ya.

I don't mind the fitness advice which I'm sure can help, but I'm really looking to lose weight real fast.

The problem is that your body starts to fight you if you push to hard. Your lower brain (the one in charge of the housekeeping of keeping you alive) will release relentless hunger signals and it will start hording fat tenaciously every time you slip up and eat a cupcake, thinking, "OMG things must be really terrible out there because there is no food!". So it will hold onto existing fat cells instead of letting them die off.

You have to look at the long term and slowly work down to your ideal ACTUAL weight which is the mean between your heaviest (after eating and fully hydrated) and lightest (empty and "dry").  Gotta remember that weight loss stairsteps because those fat cells take a while to go away.  Even when depleted of fat, your body fills them with water (which is heavier lol) until it is sure it doesn't need them (ie: you are't starving yourself on a crash diet). Then you will lose more weight.  That pause (can't recall the medical term for it OTTOMH), is what frustrates and fails so many attempts at weight loss.   You just have to do what has been recommended here, change the way you eat and live and the weight will come off (and stay off) over time. 

[Ltl89]

the thing is with only eating two meals a day or one meal a day will you lose weight..well yes you will however your going to end up doing the rubber band effect once you start eating regular meals your body is going to store it all mostly as fat because you have been depriving it.  It can take a few months to over a year for your body to recover after that.  Your best option is to start eating a whole foods life style (vegan or vegetarian to your preference im also vegan) and just exercise every day and you will lose weight. ya...not as easy as it sounds its definitely hard and a struggle but its something to over come because the benefits are high..I'm still working at it.

I'm a sucker with no native willpower for sweets so need a crutch...  they are kind of expensive though. If you can do it without, more power to ya.

The problem is that your body starts to fight you if you push to hard. Your lower brain (the one in charge of the housekeeping of keeping you alive) will release relentless hunger signals and it will start hording fat tenaciously every time you slip up and eat a cupcake, thinking, "OMG things must be really terrible out there because there is no food!". So it will hold onto existing fat cells instead of letting them die off.

You have to look at the long term and slowly work down to your ideal ACTUAL weight which is the mean between your heaviest (after eating and fully hydrated) and lightest (empty and "dry").  Gotta remember that weight loss stairsteps because those fat cells take a while to go away.  Even when depleted of fat, your body fills them with water (which is heavier lol) until it is sure it doesn't need them (ie: you are't starving yourself on a crash diet). Then you will lose more weight.  That pause (can't recall the medical term for it OTTOMH), is what frustrates and fails so many attempts at weight loss.   You just have to do what has been recommended here, change the way you eat and live and the weight will come off (and stay off) over time. 

Good point.  I've heard that going into starvation mode can have a counter productive side; however, I have been losing weight.  I just want to lose more quickly and look better in my clothes.  I feel like a walking and talking whale right now. 

Just take the right informations about the pills you're gonna use because if they do contain Amphetamines then yes they are gonna interfere with your hormone. Amphetamines do boost E naturally and lower T in an unstable way. In few tests Amphetamines taken with T-blocker has nullified the effect of the T-blocker.

Thanks.  I guess I'll have to make sure to use the right kind.  Thank you for pointing that out.

Thanks everyone for all the tips.  I'll go through each post more throughly tomorrow.  I'm just looking for really fast methods that will get me to where I want to be.  Diet pills may suck, but using them for 2 months won't kill me.  It may even get my body where I'd like it to be, so I don't feel like a whale and can get over feeling awkward in girl mode as much as I can.  Got to get past this stuff.

[Ltl89]

Again, I would like to thank everyone that's posted and shared your advice.  I do appreciate it and will implement some of those things.  However, I want to bump up this thread to see if anyone has any experience with diet pills.  It's so hard to find info on the effects between the two and I really don't want to end up with a boys body for taking it either.  I just don't want to be a whale anymore, and I'm at a loss here.  So, anything that you may know about diet pills or even your own experience with them would be appreciated.

[EllieM]

LtL, there is no quick fix. Slow and steady. Here's the big repeat: More veggies, cut out sugar and fat, cut out highly processed foods, reduce your meat intake, learn to love the garbanzo. You don't eat less, you eat better. Desert? Fruit, fresh, not canned. Celery takes more calories to metabolize that you get by eating it. Don't buy your salad dressing, make it. Stop using butter and margarine, use olive oil. Don't eat ANYTHING after 8:00PM. Oh, this is hard... consume... less... alcohol... whew, got it out

Me: 250lbs --------> 175lbs; not bad, I'm 5'11" did that in my late 50s.

I know how unkind the mirror can be, but like everything else on this journey, it takes patience. Be careful, don't hurt yourself. In addition to the pathologies described by our resident EMT (thank you Jessica) there is this little factoid: rapid weight loss is often followed by rapid weight gain. You have to let your body get accustomed to the "new" situation, or it will rebound unpleasantly. Hope this helps.