Weight and Hormones

[EllenP]

I have a question for all you girls on HRT.  Has HRT caused you to gain weight?  I have read that both estrogen and testosterone cause weight gain.  At 240 Lbs. I am obese by AMA standards.  I hope to lose 70-80 lbs?  I am guessing that losing that amount of weight will be easier if done before HRT, and not waiting, or still trying to lose weight during HRT.  Any thoughts on this?

[Deborah]

I lost weight on HRT.  I think that was mainly because I got motivated to improve myself.  However, weight loss takes some discipline and isn't all that easy before or after HRT.

[EllenP]

Thanks Deborah,

I am the type to lose it and then gain more back, a constant struggle.

[RobynD]

Agree with Deborah. Although i have fluctuated, there has been a general downward trend in my weight. I could easily gain weight though. I have had to have 3x the discipline compared to before HRT.

That sort of loss is definitely possible on or not on HRT but it will take a big effort either way. You will love the results though and a younger/healthier you is waiting out there.

[EllenP]

And, Robyn, a completely new wardrobe!

[chrissydr]

I started transitioning about 3 and a half years ago. And was massively overweight when I started it. Due to personal problems. within my relationship with my now ex, I was on and off of the hormones for 2 of those years.

Last year, I decided to change alot of things. I decided taht the transition was going to happen with or without her, due to it killing me doing what I was doing. And to lose the weight. I have lost all together about 80 pounds and this has been while on the hormones. I did the whole slimming world bit and it worked for me. But now I am sitting at a weight and I jsut can't seem to go any lower. I did just have a change in my hormones about a month ago, and this might not be helping but I haven't really gained or lsot any weight. I just sit at this level of weight.

I will also point out, that my chest has grown a bit out of control at the moment. I was a kinda flat chested except for a small a cup of manboob. But am now sitting at a d cup after just a few months. Mostly within the last 2 months, so I think that might be why i am not losing anymore as its jsut moving about. Esp since I have still lost a dress size, but my weight is the same.

So keep this in mind with weight loss. you never know. The weight might jsut move to the more appropriate places but not leave your body so to speak.

Chrissy

[Lady Sarah]

I never gained weight with hormones, and am still at my high school weight. My level of activity is not what it was, and I still don't gain weight. I am even looking at needing back surgery, because of bulged discs and pinched nerves that prevent an active lifestyle.

I have heard that metabolism changes can occur with hormones, but not necessarily.

[Michelle_P]

At this point, I've been on spiro several weeks and a starter level of estradiol for about 10 days.  My calorie intake has been constant, but my weight has started rising.  I was consuming 2200 calories a day (50% carb, 30% fat, 20% protein) plus another 400 on days where I had workouts (5 days a week).

I've jut switched to the 'female' dietary guidelines for someone my size, activity level, and age, putting me at 1950 calories a day, plus the 400 on workout days.  I'll see what happens now.

(Yes, I'm arguably OCD or something. Probably 'or something'.  I track everything.  Everything.)

[Rachel]

I had gained 25 pounds on HRT then lost 15 of those pounds. I eat more healthy now and exercise.

[EllenP]

Thanks for sharing your trials and tribulations of weight and HRT.  I have to lose at least 40 lbs just for health reasons, but shooting for the low of recommended weight for men my size and the high for the recommended weight for women my size.  Can't wait for when I pull that off.  Have been doing treadmill 5-6 times a week and am now stuck at 242 lbs.  Happy exercising!

[Deborah]

Don't worry about those weight plateaus.  Weight loss never seems to be linear.  You may not lose anything for a while and then one day 10 pounds seem to have vanished.  It's all quite a mystery.

[EmilyMK03]

Thanks for sharing your trials and tribulations of weight and HRT.  I have to lose at least 40 lbs just for health reasons, but shooting for the low of recommended weight for men my size and the high for the recommended weight for women my size.  Can't wait for when I pull that off.  Have been doing treadmill 5-6 times a week and am now stuck at 242 lbs.  Happy exercising!

I can already tell you why you're not losing weight, just by reading what you wrote.  Although the treadmill is great, and I encourage you to continue with your workout, losing weight really isn't about how much you exercise.  It's mostly about eating less.  You just have to eat less in order to lose weight.  It's that simple.  And by "eating less" I mean "consume fewer calories per day".  The fact that your post focused on the treadmill and exercising instead of what you're eating shows that your priorities are in the wrong place.

The only way to lose weight is to have strict discipline in what you eat and drink.  Keep a notepad with you and write down the calorie content of literally everything you put into your mouth - including beverages.  You may be surprised at how many calories you are consuming per day.  (You need to consume no more than 2000 calories per day.)

[V]

I was a lot heavier before hrt and transition. I wonder if that was to do with the hrt, or just motivation to improve my life?
Unfortunately for me, I lose the most weight when I'm severely depressed. I literally stop eating. It's not good, but the weight loss is dramatic. I can't begin to wonder what damage this 'feast or famine' diet is doing.

[Dena]

I started HRT at 145 pounds which was the bottom end of the scale for me. HRT added about 20 pound where I was stable for a long time until I started cleaning up to many leftovers. Over the years I peaked at 203 which is 13 pound to much so a little over a years ago, I worked on getting my weight back under control and I am now at 170 pounds. HRT makes it possible to put weight on but if you are careful with what you eat and you move around a bit, it shouldn't be difficult to control your weight.

One of the best tricks I have found for controlling my portion sizes is to make large batches of food and freeze them in single serving sizes. This may not work if you live with others but when you live by your self and you don't feel like cooking, you only need to warm up something and dinner is ready.

[Artesia]

I am not on hormones....yet.  I have since starting therapy, and seeing a dietitian, lost 30 pounds.  Now I am around 270 and am hoping to lose more before hormones start.

Treadmill is working great, got some exercises from the Dr to help in addition to walking, and eating less.  You must practice self control, the first month of eating less was the hardest for me, because I was hungry ALL the time.  Now 2 months on it is a bit less, but I still am hungry more often than not.  DO NOT go over your calories, and in my case avoid pasta, and keep walking at a brisk pace, and you should do fine.

[jujubes1986]

I have a question for all you girls on HRT.  Has HRT caused you to gain weight?  I have read that both estrogen and testosterone cause weight gain.  At 240 Lbs. I am obese by AMA standards.  I hope to lose 70-80 lbs?  I am guessing that losing that amount of weight will be easier if done before HRT, and not waiting, or still trying to lose weight during HRT.  Any thoughts on this?

i became fuller on HRT... but since i started "working out" i maintain a certain weight

[IdontEven]

Unfortunately for me, I lose the most weight when I'm severely depressed. I literally stop eating. It's not good, but the weight loss is dramatic. I can't begin to wonder what damage this 'feast or famine' diet is doing.

Are you me?

As for the original question of if HRT causes weight gain, for me at ~10 months in I'm still within my usual range. Which has a pretty wide variance due to the thing I've quoted here. But I haven't had any actual weight increase except for this very last dose increase. I gained 5 pounds in the first week afterward, and I had a friend tell me she had the same thing happen when she hit this dosage level as well.

I think that even though my weight has stayed relatively stable, I'm actually a lot fatter than I used to be. My muscle mass has been dropping and my boobs butt and thighs have all gotten bigger. I have this soft layer of fat over most of me now. Not enough to change my shape really, it just makes me squishy :/

In fact, I'd have a pretty decent hourglass figure if I could lose some weight around the mid-section. It was actually migrating away from there on its own for a while, but I think I've managed to defeat that process with poor eating. I win

If I had money I'd pay Michelle to tell me what to eat 

[V]

Are you me?

As for the original question of if HRT causes weight gain, for me at ~10 months in I'm still within my usual range. Which has a pretty wide variance due to the thing I've quoted here. But I haven't had any actual weight increase except for this very last dose increase. I gained 5 pounds in the first week afterward, and I had a friend tell me she had the same thing happen when she hit this dosage level as well.

I think that even though my weight has stayed relatively stable, I'm actually a lot fatter than I used to be. My muscle mass has been dropping and my boobs butt and thighs have all gotten bigger. I have this soft layer of fat over most of me now. Not enough to change my shape really, it just makes me squishy :/

In fact, I'd have a pretty decent hourglass figure if I could lose some weight around the mid-section. It was actually migrating away from there on its own for a while, but I think I've managed to defeat that process with poor eating. I win

If I had money I'd pay Michelle to tell me what to eat 

You too huh?
It's not good is it :/
My weight pre hrt and transition was 198, my weight now (18 years later) is currently 138. As I'm on a depressive streak right now, it will probably drop further. The clothes I recently bought to replace older bigger clothes, now are loose on me too
But my primary concern is to not kill myself right now, so weight gain will have to wait 

I too think I'm fatter than I was as a guy, and of course lots less muscle too.
My figure is pretty straight, chest (under boobs) 33, waist 30, hips 37.
Most of my bulk seems to be in my broad shoulders, they are almost ruler-flat, I sure don't need shoulder pads! 
The fattest flabbiest bit of me are my thighs, most of my 'female fat' seems to be there, but sadly because my pelvis (bone) won't widen on hrt, my thighs now look and feel too close together, and they touch all the way down to my knees. When I walk they rub terribly and get very sore where they touch. I have to wear trousers or tights at all times to be able to move about without getting sores on my inner thighs. Stupid body!

[Michelle_P]

I'm using a free piece of software on an iPad called MyFitnessPal to track my diet and exercise.  I got started with this when I had to stick to a very low sodium diet to control hypertension.  That's not necessary now that I'm on spironolactone, but I do need to limit potassium and make sure I get enough sodium.  Once I got started, I found myself watching the other things the software tracked, like total sugar, and the ratio of calories between carbs, fats, and proteins.  It's all tweakable, but the defaults appear to match the current National Institutes of Health guidelines.

The software lets me save meals that I often prepare, so frequent stuff is really easy to enter. I can tweak one or two variations after I enter a meal pretty easily.  I was able to set weight goals, activity levels, and whether I wanted to lose or maintain weight, which the software uses to set calorie targets.  I also log my daily workouts and water intake.  (Yeah, I might be OCD, but I don't worry about it.  Which means I'm probably not OCD.  But I should take some time to think about it...)

Anyway, I've been engaging in this sort of tracking for around 3 years now.  I dropped from 215 to 170 pounds by trying hard to follow a DASH diet for hypertension and working out, but it wasn't doing that much for the blood pressure, so I switched to tracking software, which was an eye opener regarding where the sodium came from.  That got me from 170 to 140 pounds. The MyFitnessPal free version is probably the best thing I've run across, as there is an enormous number of foods already in the database.

I actually have to pick and choose among multiple entries for the foods I want, as not all entries include the sodium and potassium levels I need.  Fortunately, once I have used something in the log it shows up as a suggested item when I start typing a food in.  That makes it relatively fast, along with my collection of saves meals and recepies.

I guess this sounds like a bit of a plug, but it is what works for me.

[EmilyMK03]

Yea, Michelle_P has the right idea.  That's how you lose weight!  Discipline in keeping track of everything you eat!  Great job!