Diet on HRT

[Deborah]

That's the nice thing about eating balanced.  You don't have to be deprived.  My vice right now is a big bagel and cream cheese every morning.


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[KatelynBG]

I couldn't start a day without my avocado toast and fried egg topper.

[lisarenee]

The problem with going super low in carbs is that carbs supply the energy needed for any "brisk" activity and supply all the energy needed for brain function all the time.


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Your body can convert protein to Glucose in the absence of Carbs. I did Atkins for over 2 years in college and had no issue running, etc...In fact, I was in much better shape and had more energy than at any other point in my life, save for when I was under 12 and could run forever without ever feeling tired.

It's all about getting the right carbs. Fiber carbs and the sugar from natural fruit are perfectly fine.

I don't know of any diet that counts Fiber. True fiber (not FOS) contributes ZERO Calories and does not negatively effect Blood Sugar (may even help keep it stable). Atkins deducted Fiber when calculating "Net Carbs".

Bananas would make me hungrier than before I ate them and I could eat an entire Watermelon without any effort. For fruit, I would say berries are the healthiest option - lower in sugar (than Bananas and Melons) and loads of antioxidants. Strawberries make a great dessert.

True vegetables (not grains like rice or corn) other than potatoes are generally quite good for you and are naturally high in fiber and low in other carbs. I like green beans, green peas, carrots (raw), celery, broccoli (raw), cabbage, and romaine lettuce.

We all have our vices. I've managed to lose 100+ lbs despite eating pizza twice a week.

I would love to be able to do that as Pizza tastes great and is super cheap if you know how to find discount codes on retailmenot.com . Unfortunately, I gain 10 pounds just looking at a Pizza.

[Deborah]

Probably the real answer is that there is more than one way to successfully diet.  Personally I have been able to lose weight with more than 400 g carbs per day but my activity was a lot higher then too.  Others have success with different strategies.  The best thing is to get educated on nutrition and then track what you eat against what you burn each day.


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[April_TO]

I am curious if anyone has tried using weight watchers while trying to lose weight

[Deborah]

I use a combination of myfitnesspal, Fitbit, and Apple Watch and health app.

[QuestioningEverything]

I'm 1 years in and haven't gained any weight  from HRT nor did I change my diet at all. I'm 5'10 and started HRT around 150 now I'm around 140-145. I feel like its more just get started, see what happens and then adjust your eating habits if needed.

[KayXo]

The problem with going super low in carbs is that carbs supply the energy needed for any "brisk" activity and supply all the energy needed for brain function all the time.

Fat and ketones supply most of the energy. The little glucose that is needed is provided by conversion from fatty acids and proteins. If indeed carbs were necessary for energy, Inuits wouldn't have thrived for thousands of years in the Arctic where all their food consisted of protein and fat and barely any carbs (i.e. berries, plants in summer). Same for the Masai people in Africa and there is even a study on two Caucasian males in the States where they thrived on no carb at all.

You should read Jeff Volek, Viljalmur Stefansson (Fat of the Land), Stephen Phinney.

[Deborah]

When I was training for and running marathons not eating enough carbs made a very profound impact on my body's ability to keep moving. 

Carbs don't make you get fat.  Eating too much makes you get fat.   If carbs alone made you fat I would have gained a lot of weight when I was eating over 400 grams a day.  Instead I lost weight by keeping a negative energy balance.  I was eating plenty of protein and fat then too, usually over 1000 cal worth.

It's true that protein and fat, particularly fat, can provide most of your energy at low exertion levels, usually when your heart is beating less than around 70% max.  At higher exertion levels the body requires glycogen which is produced from eating carbs.  The reason is that fat requires oxygen to be converted to energy.  At lower exertion levels there is plenty of oxygen available so mostly fat is used. 

At higher exertion levels where more energy is required there is not enough oxygen to convert enough fat to supply immediate energy requirements.  So the body increasingly relies on glycogen that it can convert to energy without oxygen.

Yes, you can easily live without carbs.  But your ability to exert yourself at high intensities for any extended length of time will be severely limited.

[melissa_h]

I'm just happy that my stomach is shrinking.  Even on days where I'm eating more than what I'm aiming for, I feel full faster, which limits larger meals.  A local sushi place does 2 rolls for $10 or 3 for $12.  Kind of a no-brainer to do 3, but I was full after 2.  I can't remember that ever happening, and the remainder became a little appetizer before dinner.

[Deborah]

I'm just happy that my stomach is shrinking. 

Yaaay.  That's the important thing.  Find out what works for you, losing the weight while still feeling good, and then stick with it.

[lisarenee]

When I was training for and running marathons not eating enough carbs made a very profound impact on my body's ability to keep moving. 

Carbs don't make you get fat.  Eating too much makes you get fat.   If carbs alone made you fat I would have gained a lot of weight when I was eating over 400 grams a day.  Instead I lost weight by keeping a negative energy balance.  I was eating plenty of protein and fat then too, usually over 1000 cal worth.

If you are extremely active (Athlete, Olympian, etc..) the carbs won't hurt your waistline. For the rest of us, Carbs tend to make us hungrier. Rice is particularly bad in my experience. If I eat a meal with rice, I'm hungry again almost immediately afterwards. I suspect this is the reason Chinese Food leaves people hungry again so quickly. Some carbs are worse than others, but Fat and Protein does seem to keep me satisfied longer and with less total Calories.

[shoko]

I like to drink.  I know alcohol should be limited on HRT, but is it okay?

[melissa_h]

I like to drink.  I know alcohol should be limited on HRT, but is it okay?

To me at least, it seems somewhat self limiting.  I feel somewhat dehydrated to begin with from the Sprio, and have found myself consuming less.  Now I'm only on week 3, but instead of a glass of wine around 9pm, I'm much more likely to be drinking water.

I'm not forcing that, but it's just what I'm currently craving/feeling.  Definitely still fun to have drinks along the way though.      I wasn't cautioned about anything specific on that front with my APN (after discussing my normal habits), but as with anything, some degree of moderation is probably a good idea, particularly when you first get started. 

Recommendations from your own healthcare provider should be held in much higher regard than what I just posted.  

[KatelynBG]

If you are extremely active (Athlete, Olympian, etc..) the carbs won't hurt your waistline. For the rest of us, Carbs tend to make us hungrier. Rice is particularly bad in my experience. If I eat a meal with rice, I'm hungry again almost immediately afterwards. I suspect this is the reason Chinese Food leaves people hungry again so quickly. Some carbs are worse than others, but Fat and Protein does seem to keep me satisfied longer and with less total Calories.

White rice has this effect, brown rice should not. I prefer quinoa to both anyway.

[Laura_7]

I like to drink.  I know alcohol should be limited on HRT, but is it okay?

Well even many cis women stick to the light stuff... like cider and light wine...
and I'd say none is best...
there are fruit juices, and water and tea....

[RobynD]

I like to drink.  I know alcohol should be limited on HRT, but is it okay?

I once had a legendary tolerance to alcohol. I have lost it with age and HRT i think was a nail in its coffin. The most i can really do is light stuff, wine, beer and cider and then only a couple drinks. More than a couple and i will definitely pay for it. Still, i think wine is good for me health so i tend to have a glass every other day or so.

[Deborah]

My tolerance for alcohol dropped way down too.  Fortunately my desire for it dropped away too once I started HRT.  I think all that drinking was mostly a coping mechanism that I'm happy to no longer need.

[shoko]

Well it's good to know, hopefully my desire for alcohol will decrease likewise.  I don't want to drink that much anymore anyway.

[KayXo]

When I was training for and running marathons not eating enough carbs made a very profound impact on my body's ability to keep moving.

It takes weeks to get adapted to burning fat and ketones and you must remain below a certain threshold of carbs for that to happen. Also, you must increase salt intake to avoid fatigue, dizziness and headaches, if any. There was a study on that, with Stephen Phinney as one of the authors. Called keto-adaptation. You didn't give it enough time, still consumed too many carbs, not enough fat OR salt. It is important go into this, very well informed or you won't succeed. Certain marathoners actually do better on low carb, break records.

Carbs don't make you get fat.  Eating too much makes you get fat.   If carbs alone made you fat I would have gained a lot of weight when I was eating over 400 grams a day.  Instead I lost weight by keeping a negative energy balance.  I was eating plenty of protein and fat then too, usually over 1000 cal worth.

Over time, too many carbs can make some people fat by rendering them insulin resistant due to chronic high insulin levels. This is well researched. Not everyone reacts the same but in many, it can make them fatter than they would be with less carbs. You may not be gaining weight for genetic reasons or other but excess carbs are harmful for other reasons, driving insulin too high constantly, increasing glucose load on the body. In the last century, we have upped the amount of carbs drastically compared to what we ate for most of humanity's existence. It is not surprising that diabetes has increased, perhaps cancer, heart disease. Read about it, Gary Taubes has provided many details about it in his book. It's been also shown in several studies so it's not just about being fat or slim but about health.

It's true that protein and fat, particularly fat, can provide most of your energy at low exertion levels, usually when your heart is beating less than around 70% max.  At higher exertion levels the body requires glycogen which is produced from eating carbs.  The reason is that fat requires oxygen to be converted to energy.  At lower exertion levels there is plenty of oxygen available so mostly fat is used. At higher exertion levels where more energy is required there is not enough oxygen to convert enough fat to supply immediate energy requirements.  So the body increasingly relies on glycogen that it can convert to energy without oxygen. 

Again, not true. Check out Stephen Phinney, Jeff Volek and Peter Attia on endurance, exercising, marathoners, etc. You're about to learn surprising stuff.

If you want to discuss more, pm me instead.


On the issue of alcohol, it could interact with estrogen or other stuff taken orally so be cautious. It could increase dehydration and other side-effects seen with Spiro. I don't really enjoy it personally.