Does HRT effect your metabolism at all? I'm 2 months in on E and haven't noticed a change in my eating or weight. I'm just wonder because I've always had an very high metabolism and would hate to loose that. I feel like I eat a lot and have pretty much stayed the same weight for the past decade which is awesome but I'm just worried that it might change. I know your fat redistribute but do you actually gain weight easier?
In time you will lose muscle and need to add exercise or portion control to compensate.
It certainly seems like my metabolism is lower now on HRT.
I believe the answer is that its dependent on two things: Muscle mass and genetics. Although there's more variables and sub categories under the two primary contributors to weight loss or gain, I feel its easier to explain if you concentrate on just those two.
The more muscle you have the more calories your body needs and will burn. The less muscle you have the less your body will consume. If your weight is low and you have average muscle mass then id suggest increasing your caloric uptake by 500-1000 calories. Exercise is still very important and eat healthy, just consume more. Non-starchy veggies can be eaten in vast quantities but you will never see a gain; lean protein (fish, chicken, even steak) will work far better.
Genetics have everything to do with it as well. In the end its all about what works for you. Consult a dietician and your PCP and work out a method that is suitable for you. Good luck. :)
HRT does slow metabolism because fat is less metabolically active than muscle. As fat replaces muscle, metabolism declines.
My most-feared side effect of HRT was slower metabolism. Indeed, I loved eating so much that the fear of lower metabolism delayed my transition. I, too, ate excessively for years but did not gain much weight, and the thought of losing that ability was terrifying. However, I found that as long as I exercised sufficiently, my metabolism did not change much at first from blocking testosterone and taking a low dose of estradiol. Unfortunately, after increasing the estradiol in December, my metabolism has been in steep decline. I ate similarly but started gaining weight, and noticed I was also more tolerant of the heat and more sensitive to the cold, both of which signify a slower metabolism. Sometimes I even get 'shiver attacks' after taking my oral estradiol, signifying a metabolism in free-fall. Dieting to compensate for that only made the problem worse, and my weight reached a record high on Sunday. Ironically, the estradiol is taking away my femininity because much of the extra weight is coming on to the waist/abdomen and shoulders, making me look more masculine! I can't even touch progesterone; that stuff makes me gain pounds in days. This is my worst fear, realized.
My personal experience after only two short weeks on HRT is that my metabolism hasn't changed much if any yet. In fact, I have lost 8 lbs during those two weeks by watching my diet and getting back to a regular exercise program.
I expect though that the metabolism is more directly related to body composition, fat vs lean body mass, than it is to hormones. So long term metabolism may decline some. The decline shouldn't be extreme though, at most a couple of hundred calories per day which can easily be burned through a half hour or less of walking or running.
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I'm a type 1 diabetic and partaking in a drug study which involves writing down the total carbohydrates per meal and insulin required, me and my doctors noted that my metabolism went down 25% and I require more insulin now than I did before. There is definitely a difference between being T driven to being E driven.