I have a question for those of you who are already on HRT and are MTF. Are you aware of whether or not the estrogen cocktail causes your metabolism to enter the "female" zone or when you are trying to figure out calories should you still calculate things from a physically male perspective? I'm working on my weight loss and this is a topic of interest for me. Faith and love.
Gabrielle
I ballooned up, and had to drastically alter my eating habits. As in all things HRT, YMMV. :)
I actually lost weight my first few months. Though for me stress seems to be the main determinant of whether I gain or lose weight. As Devlyn said, your mileage may vary.
This is something ive wondered about too given the differnet daily calories for men and women differ
Full disclosure: about a week ago I ran my 13th marathon, so I don't have the same body composition or nutritional requirements as the average woman.
PreHRT I was 146 pounds and ate like a horse. Nine years later I still weight 146 pounds and eat like a horse. Hormones had no effect on my weight or metabolism.
There is some variation, based on genetic, epigenetic, and endocrine system factors.
In my particular case, I was maintaining my weight around 150 lbs (5'8") while running on testosterone. My daily calorie intake was 1800 kcal plus a bit when activity is high (software and gadget tracked this). I tracked my diet very carefully for medical reasons.
After a year and a half of HRT including testosterone suppression and Estradiol, my weight was 138 and holding steady for 6 months, and my daily calorie intake was 1250 kcal.
After two and a half years, including Gender Confirmation Surgery (GCS) that took care of the testosterone problem so I could drop the blockers, my weight is 135 lbs (5'7" :) ), and my daily calorie intake is 1250 kcal plus a bit when activity is high. I still track my diet carefully for medical reasons, but nothing major.
Quote from: Gabrielle66 on October 15, 2018, 12:11:08 PM
I have a question for those of you who are already on HRT and are MTF. Are you aware of whether or not the estrogen cocktail causes your metabolism to enter the "female" zone or when you are trying to figure out calories should you still calculate things from a physically male perspective? I'm working on my weight loss and this is a topic of interest for me. Faith and love.
Gabrielle
Hi Gabrielle and all the other girls.
I think you're in the same place I am (although not as much I hope) and I've been seeing doctors and specialists about this. In
MY case part of the weight problem has been very low T levels which, I'm told, causes less muscle mass which is why females need fewer calories, muscle burns calories much faster than the same weight of fat.
As gender issues can cause much mental anguish you may have been comfort or binge eating when feeling down, that is the other issue with me. I'm told, again, that sorting out my hormones will reduce this considerably. I kept a food and mood diary for 6 months and the correlation was stunning. Now I know when I'm due a binge and can prepare for it.
To return to the point I started at the male calorie level, then am following this reduction;
20% of total weight reduction achieved drop 10% of total calorie difference between male/female
Repeat
20% weight reduction drop 15% of total difference
10% reduction drop 15% difference
10% reduction drop 15%
Repeat
Repeat
Repeat
Last 10% reduce gradually to female intake.
The weight percentages are the percentage of what you want to get rid of at the start. So if loss is 100 pounds it's 20 pounds etc.
I offer this as an example only. It is what I've been advised by the medical people and may not apply to you.
General Top Tip: At each stage completion give yourself a non-food reward. That reinforces the improved eating habits. I've made mine all transition related next reward is getting my ears pierced. When I'm at weight it's a boob job and belly piercing ;)
Finally start exercising as soon as you feel able. You won't lose weight directly but will increase muscle where you want it which helps, and you will tone your body which will make a world of difference to your self-esteem.
Reading that back I sound like your Mother. But I hope some is useful to you.
I don't think it affected my metabolism or weight in any specific way. I seem to lose weight as fast as I did before and my metabolism is still super fast, so I'm naturally thin. Now that I'm working out it seems like I can eat almost anything and still keep my six pack intact.
HRT definitely helped me add on a few pounds. Metabolism wise, I guess it did change a bit when progesterone was added. I eat a lot more on progesterone and my stomach is now a lot pudgier :D
When I first started HRT I had an almost immediate weight lose of 2 kilos, from 72 to 70. (I am 183cm) I thought this was because the T-blocker (cyproterone acetate) is a strong diuretic so the weight lose was water lose. Does this make sense? Since then my weight is stable around 70 kilo.
Quote from: Dorit on October 26, 2018, 04:04:39 AM
When I first started HRT I had an almost immediate weight lose of 2 kilos, from 72 to 70. (I am 183cm) I thought this was because the T-blocker (cyproterone acetate) is a strong diuretic so the weight lose was water lose. Does this make sense? Since then my weight is stable around 70 kilo.
Cypro is not a diuretic, you may be confusing it with spironolactone, which is a diuretic.
For me, my metabolism crashed around month six and is solidly in the female zone and extremely sensitive to carb intake. I look at a pretzel and gain five pounds. It's ridiculous.
My "don't care about myself" weight in 2014 was 267, my stable weight 2015-2017 was 120-130, my 12+ month HRT weight was 165, now 172 after implants. I am 40, 5-10, and size 8. Most of the weight is going to hips, butt, and belly. Two of the three are welcome :)
Full disclosure, I used to go to the gym 2-3 times a week. Now maybe 1 time a week and my routine is far less strenuous. Now that the new gym is open at work, I will probably go more often so hopefully that helps.
I do walk around 10 miles a day though.
My partner was extremely skinny and ate like a bird pre-HRT. He now eats a lot more and has put on about 2-3 kilos. He's always also had a sweet tooth, like 5 cookies with his coffee, which previously made no difference to his weight, but now I think it does. I did warn him, lol!
My metabolism sucks as it is and I am pre HRT. This really is a big concern for me because I want to lose a very significant amount of weight. At least 80 up to 100 pounds. It's time to get my butt in gear and do way more exercise. I want a bikini body. I may not look good in one but I want that body. Love and faith.
Gabrielle
I believe that it is logical that the metabolism will decrease. Once the testosterone declines atrophy to the muscle tissue begins to decrease the rate of caloric intake resulting in weight gain.
Quote from: PurplePelican on October 26, 2018, 05:14:22 AM
Cypro is not a diuretic, you may be confusing it with spironolactone, which is a diuretic.
Then what caused me to have to urinate so much after I began HRT? It seems that the general consensus here, where spironolactone is never used in HRT, is that it has a diuretic effect. Maybe it is just a difference in degree.
I'm on the opposite end here, HRT for the last 5 or 6 years has done nothing for my metabolism and I'm still very thin. I take it orally, so I'm not sure if that would make any difference. Most people blow up, but there are mutants like me who experience no changes.
Good luck~
Quote from: Dorit on October 27, 2018, 02:11:58 AM
Then what caused me to have to urinate so much after I began HRT? It seems that the general consensus here, where spironolactone is never used in HRT, is that it has a diuretic effect. Maybe it is just a difference in degree.
Nope, it has no action by which it can be a diuretic - it's chemically unable to act that way. It's not listed as a side effect by the manufacturer, nor in any reference I've seen.
There's really no such thing as gendered metabolism (where metabolism is the process of taking in nutrient energy and expending calories as work energy).
If calories in are less than calories out then you lose weight and vise versa. The exceptions to that include that in addition to protein, the body must have some fat (it's possible to starve on a diet of rabbit).
It seems clear that appetite can be affected by hormone balance e.g. I've found that progesterone seems to make me crave a bit more fat in my diet.
If you have a training history emphasizing power & strength then loss of testosterone may result in some loss of muscle mass. I always trained for endurance and minimal mass strong musculature so this point has been moot for me.
For me HRT changed my metabolism. I could stay or lose weight without really trying to. Once on HRT, my weight started to go up and I had a hard time trying to keep it under control. I'm at a point now that my weight is stable but I would like to lose some lbs and it is very hard. I exercise and watch what I eat but I can't lose much.]
Julie
Quote from: PurplePelican on October 27, 2018, 05:40:47 AM
Nope, it has no action by which it can be a diuretic - it's chemically unable to act that way. It's not listed as a side effect by the manufacturer, nor in any reference I've seen.
This is a very interesting discussion and may reflect the fact that there can be differences between what is written about a drug's side effects and what people actually experience. :) In my country, Israel, Cyproterone Acetate in pills is used as the T-blocker in HRT. Those of us who have been on HRT experience increased urination. As a matter of fact, because of what you wrote about it not being a diuretic, I asked a new friend who just started HRT about four months ago, if she experienced increased urination. Her reply was yes, I have had very increased urination. Could it be the Estradiol, I doubt it?
Quote from: Dorit on October 28, 2018, 01:23:05 AM
This is a very interesting discussion and may reflect the fact that there can be differences between what is written about a drug's side effects and what people actually experience. :) In my country, Israel, Cyproterone Acetate in pills is used as the T-blocker in HRT. Those of us who have been on HRT experience increased urination. As a matter of fact, because of what you wrote about it not being a diuretic, I asked a new friend who just started HRT about four months ago, if she experienced increased urination. Her reply was yes, I have had very increased urination. Could it be the Estradiol, I doubt it?
Well, that was quite a rabbit hole..
As it turns out, it may well be the estradiol. It's known to play a part in fluid and sodium regulation, leading to increased thirst, amongst other things. Add to that the change from a primarily testosterone-driven system and I can see how estradiol could cause increased urination.
Oh, here's a question.. When you refer to "increased urination", do you mean increased volume, increased frequency or both? Increased frequency is often a function of low testosterone - and that can be achieved with estradiol alone.
There is zero scientific or medical evidence to suggest that cyproterone acetate is a diuretic. It's method of action is not one that can effect fluid regulation. I took the crap for 5 years, until I gave it up as a bad and unneeded joke a bit over 2 years ago - in consultation and agreement with my doctor. Yes, for the first year or so I did have increased urinary frequency, but that settled, along with some other things, as my body got accustomed to the new hormone balance. I'm non-op, take only estradiol now and have mid-range female T levels and a sufficient E level to keep it that way.
All of the HRT meds are being administered for off label usage. It's going to be a crapshoot for each and every user. Hence the common wisdom of YMMV.
Quote from: PurplePelican on October 28, 2018, 02:12:03 AM
Well, that was quite a rabbit hole.. Quote
Hi PurplePelican,
Its time for this girl to climb out of the rabbit hole! I can let it remain a mystery why I lost weight when I started HRT. It was nice to chat with you!
Quote from: SadieBlake on October 27, 2018, 11:58:30 AM
There's really no such thing as gendered metabolism (where metabolism is the process of taking in nutrient energy and expending calories as work energy).
If calories in are less than calories out then you lose weight and vise versa. The exceptions to that include that in addition to protein, the body must have some fat (it's possible to starve on a diet of rabbit).
It seems clear that appetite can be affected by hormone balance e.g. I've found that progesterone seems to make me crave a bit more fat in my diet.
If you have a training history emphasizing power & strength then loss of testosterone may result in some loss of muscle mass. I always trained for endurance and minimal mass strong musculature so this point has been moot for me.
This is exactly what I believe (and know from my profession). Calories in, and calories used is what puts fat on or not. I am diabetic (TypeII) and have to watch my diet pretty well, and I know exactly when I sinned! And if I sinned a lot, the scale will tell me!
Females have naturally more fat than males. But that more fat should be located in the boobs and in the butt. Fatty tissue in any other place is fatty tissue that is not good and should go!
Quote from: SadieBlake on October 27, 2018, 11:58:30 AM
There's really no such thing as gendered metabolism (where metabolism is the process of taking in nutrient energy and expending calories as work energy).
If calories in are less than calories out then you lose weight and vise versa. The exceptions to that include that in addition to protein, the body must have some fat (it's possible to starve on a diet of rabbit).
It seems clear that appetite can be affected by hormone balance e.g. I've found that progesterone seems to make me crave a bit more fat in my diet.
Thank you Sadie for your scientific clarification on this subject which is one I have also thought about.
Just for the record, my weight for 9 months of HRT has remained stable at around 150 pounds.
Hugs
Pamela
My wife studied this. She was an inch shorter and 1/2 a shoe size smaller. I had the girly figure because I ate significantly less, on average. We would eat fast food and I'd have the salad or a regular hamburger with some fries. She would eat two larger entries in the time it would take me to finish my burger. I'd eat a lot at a really good meal, but on average I ate a lot less.
My wife would buy large tough cuts of steak. I look for good deals on ribeye, NY strip and tenderloin. I am really good at butchering meat and calculating on my feet, so not only do I look for nicely marbled ribeye, but I want what I buy to nicely divide up into 6 oz steaks (4 oz is my target for tenderloin).