Susan's Place Transgender Resources

So I totally did not expect this and wondering if this is a common side effect of hrt. This began when my dose of E was doubled two months ago. Since then I've gone from 138lb to 155. Very depressing.

Basically in the afternoons and evenings I get these massive cravings that are basically insatiable. All I want is carbs. Bread. Candy. You name it. I have tried to ignore it and discovered my self control has floated out the window. Not cool.

Thought maybe it was sodium deficiency so I ate pickles. By. The. Jar. Then maybe protein? So I would eat proteins. Nope. Then carbs. Ugh.

So my question is if anyone else has had this and how did you get it under control. I really don't want to gain any more weight than I have and I hate feeling hungry. I have an amazingly healthy lifestyle otherwise. Gym 3-5 times a week etc etc.

The cravings did not happen on the lower dose Spiro and E but ramped up immediately when the E was doubled. Recently added P but saw no difference in this regard. Also taking Finesteride in standard dosing.

Pickles and Slim Jims are my weakness.....Now I always loved them especially pickles but I can eat a jar of clausen pickles like an addict

 A similar thread was circulating awhile ago, but I'm too lazy tonight to hunt it down.  For myself it is salt I want I have always liked olives but I find myself eating more of them than usual and drinking the brine. I discovered snacking on hot jalapenos slices and yes drinking the brine. Drinking it can be a bit of an adventure if I don't savor it in my mouth a moment of two before swallowing.( Never cared for coughing fits.)

I have had ups and downs weight wise. Overall I have been stable (after loosing a few pounds in the last two weeks) since starting HRT. But you are right, there are crazy cravings. Doritos and pickles for me. I wonder if I managed to keep those in check, iI may have lost weight.

I have lost pretty much any appetite for sweets.

Salt may be depending on what blocker you use. Spiro is known to create a larger salt intake to compensate it draining salt out of your body, so this is almost a requirement.

In the end the most important part is how you feel in your body and how far off you are from a healthy BMI (I actually think the BMI is overrated and too low, so I stay around the upper end of normal).

It's not that I am a hard worker but I kind of ran out of things to look at so I did a search on the thread that Laurie mentioned.
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,183794.0.html

That one ended before I got here Dena, so there must be another. But yes  that's this same train of thought.

Thanks ladies. This is not a sodium craving as I have a massive intolerance to salt due to some old kidney issues. I look at salt and swell like a puffer fish. My most recent blood test (last Friday) showed sodium levels on the high side of normal and T levels near zero with E on the low end of normal. I'm wondering if T is actually too low.

I tried the pickle thing and was eating a BJs sized jar a day... in a single sitting. And then I was still hungry until I devoured two bowls of Cheerios. And I could have eaten more. Ugh. So hungry all the time and once I give in it's game over for the day. Ugh.

Part of the problem is that eating loads of refined carbs leads to more carb cravings due to a blood sugar crash about an hour after eating.

I have mostly eliminated carb cravings during the day by fasting which over time shifts your metabolism to be more reliant on fat.  This stabilizes blood sugar and reduces the release of hormones that trigger hunger.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

One of the biggest enemy is carbs from Wheat flower. It releases sugar immediately in a spike and does not last long. What has worked for me is to switch to spelt flower based products. Spelt is considered an ancient grain which has recently become quite a hype. It does break down very slowly and releases sugar in a slow constant stream.

A bit hard to find finished products and you may have to bake yourself...

Quote from: Deborah on November 14, 2017, 06:08:21 AM
Part of the problem is that eating loads of refined carbs leads to more carb cravings due to a blood sugar crash about an hour after eating.

I have mostly eliminated carb cravings during the day by fasting which over time shifts your metabolism to be more reliant on fat.  This stabilizes blood sugar and reduces the release of hormones that trigger hunger.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Fasting is (Or was) a big part of my diet for the last two years.

Now I find it near impossible to get past the evening cravings, I make it until about 7 pm then it becomes almost compulsive. Weird. My doc calls it teenage search and destroy.

Quote from: jill610 on November 14, 2017, 05:09:02 AMT levels near zero with E on the low end of normal. I'm wondering if T is actually too low.

T and E should in theory prevent/minimize abdominal weight gain and especially visceral fat deposition. This is why, men and women, as they get older (and E and T drop), tend to gain weight in these areas, in addition to overeating carbs (especially refined). E will, however, promote fat deposition in the gluteofemoral area, breasts and face and also WATER/SODIUM retention. Too much of it and one might suffer from excess fat deposition and water retention. Progesterone also promotes further fat deposition but is theoretically supposed to counter water retention.

My feeling is that having some E (not too much) with some T keeps things in check. How much depends on the individual but for me, too dry skin/hair, excess water retention, lots of cellulite, flabby arms, distended abdomen, excess muscle loss and body hair loss, low libido, low energy mean too much E relative to T. Women typically feel best close to ovulation, when both E and T spike. :)

Hrt causes weird cravings. I like anything pickled. Especially pickled eggs. I also get cravings for raw onions and radishes. I do get cravings to snack in the evenings while I watch TV. But I only eat low calorie stuff. Celery and carrots, rice cakes, dried seaweed chips and dried vegetable chips and air popped popcorn without butter, just spices.

My 17 year old cis sister (cister?) who gets home from school and devours everything in sight, so quite possibly just those puberty level hormones doing their thing. (The frustrating part with my sister is watching her not put on weight. ;D)

Quote from: Roll on November 14, 2017, 10:37:02 AM
My 17 year old cis sister (cister?) who gets home from school and devours everything in sight, so quite possibly just those puberty level hormones doing their thing. (The frustrating part with my sister is watching her not put on weight. ;D)

Oh I know! I totally hate that! My brother and boyfriend totally stuff themselves with high calorie stuff and NEVER gain weight. Not only do the not gain weight they still have washboard abs despite eating like pigs! Sooooo Not Fair!  My dad kind of has to be careful to maintain his abs. So I think you're right about it being an age thing.

Quote from: Roll on November 14, 2017, 10:37:02 AM
My 17 year old cis sister (cister?) who gets home from school and devours everything in sight, so quite possibly just those puberty level hormones doing their thing. (The frustrating part with my sister is watching her not put on weight. ;D)

This is what my doc is saying except I have the metabolism of a 39 yr old female not 17 :(

I try to stick to carrots, rice cakes and air popped popcorn but the first carb that hits is the end of it. Insatiable is really the only description I can come up with. It's the most bizarre feeling to have self control fly out the window.

Not really cravings as such but I've realized that things taste differently now.  Before HRT I couldn't stand the taste of alcohol.  Now I've found that I like some of it.  I don't go getting drunk at all but I keep it in very small moderation.  Still other things taste different, some not for good.  I used to love Ande's mints but now the taste makes me nauseous.

Quote from: jill610 on November 14, 2017, 11:51:21 AM
This is what my doc is saying except I have the metabolism of a 39 yr old female not 17 :(

I try to stick to carrots, rice cakes and air popped popcorn but the first carb that hits is the end of it. Insatiable is really the only description I can come up with. It's the most bizarre feeling to have self control fly out the window.

I've noticed the same thing. As long as I don't eat something high calorie I'm fine but if I even taste something high calorie I start really craving more. That happened with leftover Halloween candy. I totally love those miniature peanut butter cups and I had a whole bag left over. I had ONE and then I totally started craving them. I scarffed like 10 of them before I gave the rest to my brother so I wouldn't eat any more of them.

Quote from: Julia1996 on November 14, 2017, 12:00:26 PM
I've noticed the same thing. As long as I don't eat something high calorie I'm fine but if I even taste something high calorie I start really craving more. That happened with leftover Halloween candy. I totally love those miniature peanut butter cups and I had a whole bag left over. I had ONE and then I totally started craving them. I scarffed like 10 of them before I gave the rest to my brother so I wouldn't eat any more of them.

Omg yes. I did the same thing but we had two huge buckets of candy my kids scored trick or treating. Maybe forty pounds of it or more. I hid them in the closet where it was accessible to them but out of sight for me... my spouse gave me a hard time on that one. I could not walk past the candy bowl without drooling for one... or ten.

Before HRT I wouldn't have even noticed the bowl as I didn't eat sugary foods or have any desire to.

So my E dose got upped today by 50% and Spiro reduced by 25% so we'll see if that makes a difference.

Quote from: jill610 on November 14, 2017, 12:05:24 PM
Omg yes. I did the same thing but we had two huge buckets of candy my kids scored trick or treating. Maybe forty pounds of it or more. I hid them in the closet where it was accessible to them but out of sight for me... my spouse gave me a hard time on that one. I could not walk past the candy bowl without drooling for one... or ten.

Before HRT I wouldn't have even noticed the bowl as I didn't eat sugary foods or have any desire to.

So my E dose got upped today by 50% and Spiro reduced by 25% so we'll see if that makes a difference.

Well one way to kill a craving for candy is to eat one of those chocolate protein bars for people who lift weights. I always have them because my dad and brother eat them. Once when I had a bad craving for chocolate I decided to eat one of those. I picked a chocolate peanut butter bar and was looking forward to eating it. OMG! It was disgusting!  It tasted like a chocolate sawdust bar. It was nasty. That killed my craving pretty quick. I don't know how they can eat those nasty things. Ewww

Quote from: Julia1996 on November 14, 2017, 12:21:48 PM
Well one way to kill a craving for candy is to eat one of those chocolate protein bars for people who lift weights. I always have them because my dad and brother eat them. Once when I had a bad craving for chocolate I decided to eat one of those. I picked a chocolate peanut butter bar and was looking forward to eating it. OMG! It was disgusting!  It tasted like a chocolate sawdust bar. It was nasty. That killed my craving pretty quick. I don't know how they can eat those nasty things. Ewww

Most of those are definitely gross. Zone bars are the only ones that are decent in my opinion. (Though some of them are outright delicious.) Aversion therapy aside, they actually are a good way to feel full. (Double dark chocolate zone bars are a little too delicious though...)

Quote from: Roll on November 14, 2017, 12:26:22 PM
Most of those are definitely gross. Zone bars are the only ones that are decent in my opinion. (Though some of them are outright delicious.) Aversion therapy aside, they actually are a good way to feel full. (Double dark chocolate zone bars are a little too delicious though...)

Luna bars are like real candy bars. My dad and brother also use that protein powder. It's equally disgusting. I mentioned how nasty that protein powder was to my brother and he rolled his eyes and informed me that stuff was for the protein you need for working out and not for the taste.  Well excuuuuse me Mr universe. Have your sawdust bars and chalk protein powder. Ewww.

Im always losing and gaining weight. Mostly gaining though- its rough. I try to drink water and balance things out with sweet/salty/savoury but i really have to watch my cholestrol. I've always had this issue with food and its still the same with hrt. I just stopped eating meat and poultry recently so I can work on keeping my cholestrol in the healthy range.

Its stressful but i did lose 20 pounds since about a year ago so thats nice. Also my arms are big, is that muscle, fat or both? I think a little of both even though i dont work out.


Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

Quote from: dist123 on November 14, 2017, 02:02:53 PM
Im always losing and gaining weight. Mostly gaining though- its rough. I try to drink water and balance things out with sweet/salty/savoury but i really have to watch my cholestrol. I've always had this issue with food and its still the same with hrt. I just stopped eating meat and poultry recently so I can work on keeping my cholestrol in the healthy range.

Its stressful but i did lose 20 pounds since about a year ago so thats nice. Also my arms are big, is that muscle, fat or both? I think a little of both even though i dont work out.


Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

Hrt makes weight maintenance totally hard. I'm trying to gain weight for a more female figure but I don't want to actually get fat. That's proving very hard.

This could be bad for me :(

I have loads of will power, its my won't power that I have trouble with.

"I won't eat this"
"I won't eat that"

It occurred to me that my biggest problem right now is already if you put food in front of me, I'll eat it. Therefore, I don't keep food around to begin with. Problem solved! :D Hopefully this approach works for HRT as well.

(I bought a box of 40 rice krispie treats at sams club for 8 bucks, because it was so cheap how could I not? IT HAS BEEN MY UNDOING. Seriously that's like a pound and then some of calories right there.)

Quote from: Roll on November 14, 2017, 03:14:03 PM
It occurred to me that my biggest problem right now is already if you put food in front of me, I'll eat it. Therefore, I don't keep food around to begin with. Problem solved! :D Hopefully this approach works for HRT as well.

(I bought a box of 40 rice krispie treats at sams club for 8 bucks, because it was so cheap how could I not? IT HAS BEEN MY UNDOING. Seriously that's like a pound and then some of calories right there.)

I wish I could do that but unfortunately there is junk food around all the time because my brother likes junk food. I've watched him scarf Doritos, Oreo cookies and snickers bars (his favorite candy bar) while we watch TV.  But he never gains weight. When he does that it makes me want to bake him a chocolate cake made out of chocolate laxative.

Quote from: Roll on November 14, 2017, 03:14:03 PM
It occurred to me that my biggest problem right now is already if you put food in front of me, I'll eat it. Therefore, I don't keep food around to begin with. Problem solved! :D Hopefully this approach works for HRT as well.

(I bought a box of 40 rice krispie treats at sams club for 8 bucks, because it was so cheap how could I not? IT HAS BEEN MY UNDOING. Seriously that's like a pound and then some of calories right there.)

Easier said than done with an 8 year old in the house [emoji17]

I live with a brother as well but he does all his own cooking.  I just go on living on boring healthy stuff and haven't experienced any of these weird cravings; maybe with more E it'll happen. For now water and salt are just extra medications I have to take, the former by the gallon, crystal clear pee is mandatory.

On a couple of occasions pints of beer left me feeling totally woozy, and I thought that meant my brewski days had come to an end; but last month I guzzled down a whole big bottle of Guinness and nothing happened.  The entire medium supreme pizza and pint of ice cream must have helped.   :D  Famished+needing comfort foods=disgusting spectacle. 

Quote from: Lucy Ross on November 14, 2017, 06:09:40 PM
I live with a brother as well but he does all his own cooking.  I just go on living on boring healthy stuff and haven't experienced any of these weird cravings; maybe with more E it'll happen. For now water and salt are just extra medications I have to take, the former by the gallon, crystal clear pee is mandatory.

On a couple of occasions pints of beer left me feeling totally woozy, and I thought that meant my brewski days had come to an end; but last month I guzzled down a whole big bottle of Guinness and nothing happened.  The entire medium supreme pizza and pint of ice cream must have helped.   :D  Famished+needing comfort foods=disgusting spectacle.

Without getting into dosages, the cravings didn't start for me until I went up to what my doctor considers transition dosage which. Before that I had no issues, maybe even low appetite.

Quote from: jill610 on November 14, 2017, 06:20:40 PM
Without getting into dosages, the cravings didn't start for me until I went up to what my doctor considers transition dosage which. Before that I had no issues, maybe even low appetite.

I starred getting weird cravings about 2 months into hrt. But I have been on high doses of both estrogen and spironolactone from the start.

I've been craving mexican food a lot more since starting HRT. I always thought it was alright but never really went out of my way to get it, now I need it once a week!

The only thing that changed about my eating habits was that I developed a tendency to binge eat when I was stressed/depressed.

Quote from: Maddie86 on November 14, 2017, 06:53:41 PM
I've been craving mexican food a lot more since starting HRT. I always thought it was alright but never really went out of my way to get it, now I need it once a week!

Perfect timing for taco Tuesday then!