I'm 5'1 and have buoyed anywhere between 100-160 over the last several years.  At this point, I've settled at a nice 115, which feels perfect...

But I eat SO MUCH.  I've always had a voracious appetite and high metabloism, and I've chalked that up to being short, having anxiety, and drinking coffee.  Like, people are amazed when I put away a full rack of ribs without batting an eye.  Lately, I've been eating so much junk, the fattier and saltier the better.  I'm not bragging when I say this, but looking at me, you would have no idea I eat the way I do.  So I'm blessed in that way right now, but needing to eat or ignore hunger is irritating at times.

I can eat a big dinner and go to bed a couple hours later, and then wake up two hours before I intended to the next morning because my stomach is doing it's best Cookie Monster impression (the real Cookie Monster, not the latest healthier revision). 

Does this taper down?  Will there come a point that I'm not ravenous just thinking about food, or am I going to have to "feed the habit" for years to come? 

If you are on progesterone, that will do it. Progesterone also tends to bump up the sex drive and if it becomes a problem for you, your doctor might reduce the dosage.

Quote from: Dena on June 23, 2017, 02:52:31 PM
If you are on progesterone, that will do it. Progesterone also tends to bump up the sex drive and if it becomes a problem for you, your doctor might reduce the dosage.

I'm on Spiro and Estradiol, no Progesterone though.  I know that the Spiro flushes out sodium, so that explains the craving for salty foods...though I'm kinda wanting to see if there are alternatives as an AA

I'm older but also ate everything in arms reach for a while and went from 145 to 175.  What worked for me was getting crazy amounts of exercise which reduced my appetite as well as burned off some of the lard.  I can't say I envy your food bill, but as with all things this too will moderate I think. 

AA eh?  Congratulations I'm 28 years clean and always willing to talk if you need an ear.

Peace,
Julie

Quote from: JB_Girl on June 23, 2017, 04:29:05 PM
I'm older but also ate everything in arms reach for a while and went from 145 to 175.  What worked for me was getting crazy amounts of exercise which reduced my appetite as well as burned off some of the lard.  I can't say I envy your food bill, but as with all things this too will moderate I think. 

AA eh?  Congratulations I'm 28 years clean and always willing to talk if you need an ear.

Peace,
Julie

I think I'll just go with it for now, I don't eat much between meals (and I literally just ate a full rack of ribs with bread and corn  )

And I'm sorry, by AA I meant anti-androgen.  I was already prone to dehydration, and the Spiro is just making it more difficult.  But congratulations on 28 years for sure, that's fantastic!  I have a friend who jokes that he's been sober since before I was born

If you are specifically interested in not having to worry about food, you could consider giving intermittent or alternate day fasting a go. I know that sounds like the opposite of what you're trying to achieve, but it's can actually recalibrate your hunger signals, satiation, and can help with learning how to live (voluntarily) in a state of hunger. That is you may be hungry, but you won't be distracted by it, be tired or lethargic from it. Of course IF has many health benefits beyond just hunger and weight control.

I for instance fast daily for 19 hours and feast for 5 hours. A couple times a week I fast for at least 24 hours, and once per month I fast for several days. I've been fasting daily for about a year now, and keto for 18 months.

I am also on a ketogenic diet that makes fasting much easier , though it's possible to fast on any diet.

Fasting is when you eat; diet is what you eat.

If you want to learn more, try heading over to the IF sub->-bleeped-<- https://www.->-bleeped-<-.com/r/intermittentfasting/ and/or check out dr Fung' book "The complete Guide to Fasting ". Of course if you have any questions I'm happy to answer them.


~Brooke~

I am also always feeling hungry. I did start progesterone with a full dose of estradiol at the same time. Salt is my one big thing but I am always craving something.

I started getting packets of salt from drive through and convenience stores. Since I work outside alot between driving I sweat alot of water and salt out. What makes it more complicated is over the years I have easily gotten hypoglycemic when working. So I keep a soda around and sip on it all day. Well now when I feel weak it's lack of salt usually. I'll pour a packet or two right on my tongue. One thing about the body, if you need salt it will taste better than anything, if not it will taste bitter.

The other day I bought a bag of tortilla chips and ate the whole bag while driving. I don't even know how many calories I took in.  I couldn't stop. They were so salty delicious. Anyway I have been off my exercise routine since spring work picked up and I have regained 5 pounds I strived to loose. I have a good 30+ lbs of belly fat I need to work off. I'm 5-11 and 206 lbs yesterday. When I was muscular at about 30 years I was 175 lbs. I should probably be shooting for 160 given my much smaller muscles these days. I'd like to be rid of my belly fat. Among other things, if it was gone my body would look alot more feminine and my breasts would look better.

Hey Girls,

I feel like I go through these binging stages, some days I just feel like I could too devour anything in sight then there are days when I hardly eat at all. 

Its super confusing and I am on progesterone. Is it normal to eat like this? Or to feel like this?

Hugs
Kelly

I'm constantly hungry since I started progesterone. I had to go on a calorie counting diet to keep myself under control. I think I could easily gain 30 lbs if I didn't keep myself conscious of what I eat.

Quote from: Charley on June 24, 2017, 08:17:58 AM
I'm constantly hungry since I started progesterone. I had to go on a calorie counting diet to keep myself under control. I think I could easily gain 30 lbs if I didn't keep myself conscious of what I eat.

So its most probably the progesterone having this effect?

I've always had a good appetite but I never had a problem controlling it. When I started HRT I also changed my eating habits and lost 35 lbs in the first 6 months and stayed at that weight. The progesterone took it to a new level I've gained 10 and am trying to lose 5 of that. It's not easy! I've managed to hold at 140 but just can't drop any.

I've been on progesterone about 8 months now. Haven't really noticed any appetite change. During those 8 months  I also lost about 25 lbs. I'm not convinced that hunger can't be recalibrated once on hrt.

In regards to salt. I use saliditos- salted try Mexican plumbs. Easy to keep on hand, no refrigeration needed. I also use "better than bouillon" and make a cup of broth that I can drink.


~Brooke~

My appetite before HRT was huge and progesterone didn't change it.  Fortunately, my metabolism is pretty good and between working out and incorporating some dietary changes I can still eat a lot and keep my weight well under control.  I even lost 40 lbs since HRT started.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

From what I'm reading, it seems that my appetite isn't really gonna disappear anytime soon.  I am, however, definitely going to check out the intermittent fasting, so thank you for that, Brooke!

I eat a lot at meals, and I allow myself to follow the cravings, and it's actually making me feel very happy in general.  In not denying myself, I don't feel nearly as anxious as I did before when I would agonize over gaining two pounds or feeling "fat."  I actually don't care much about my fat content, since I know I'm going to start developing new body patterns as I progress with HRT.  In not eating between meals, save for a dill pickle (something I never would have eaten before, but LOVE now) or fruit or somesuch, I feel a lot freer to eat whatever else I want when I actually feel hungry.

I'm not on Progesterone, and am not particularly interested in trying it at the moment, and I'm still adjusting to my fairly new doses of Spiro and Estradiol.  God, I'm loving this phase, there are so many new and strange and wonderful things I'm learning about myself and and experiencing for the first time.

I don't take progesterone, and don't need an AA (since I don't have testicles). I am 5' 10", and skinny, even tho I eat like a horse. There seems to be nothing I can do about it. 165 pounds is my norm, and is what I weighed in high school.
If you ain't gaining weight, I wouldn't worry about it.

Quote from: ds1987 on June 24, 2017, 10:23:45 PM
From what I'm reading, it seems that my appetite isn't really gonna disappear anytime soon.  I am, however, definitely going to check out the intermittent fasting, so thank you for that, Brooke!

Your most welcome. One great thing about intermittent fasting is you are able to tell what is a craving and what is real physical hunger. I of course notice those too and can make a mindful choice if I want to indulge in a craving or not, but it is a choice rather than being a slave to the cravings.

If you have any questions, need help, resources or want to learn/talk about the science/health benefits, shoot me a message, I'm happy to help.

And of course good luck!


PS. #1 rule about fasting. Don't talk about fasting. People will think you're crazy, or unhealthy.

Rule #2 When you fast you fast, and when you feast you feast. I.e. Don't even do small snacks when fasting, and don't feel the need to restrict food when your feasting. Eat to satiety.


~Brooke~

I eat like utter misery, I try my best to keep myself at 65kg, I am succeeding at the minute. I never craved food like this before HRT, it's not to say I ate much before either, my eating habits haven't really changed.
I am going to begin working out to really tighten my body

After reading some of what Brooke said about fasting I started doing 16 hours a day a little over a week ago.  It's really very easy to do, especially if you combine it with low carb/high fat and eat only real nutrient dense food.  And it really works with a bunch of other health benefits added on.  The only time I really get hungry is after working out and even then the hunger doesn't become bothersome until very close to the 16 hour mark.  The best thing is that it lets me keep my eating pattern of a substantial supper without risk of going back into a weight gain spiral.

And, as Brooke said, do not restrict calories at the same time.  There is no need to.  The fasting manipulates your hormones to restrict the amount of fat storage and increase the amount of fat burned for energy.

My appetite is much better since I started hrt but the stuff I like to eat has become really weird. I'm thinking it has to be the hrt because the stuff I get cravings for now I didn't even like before hrt. I never liked spicy stuff before but now I love raw onions, radishes and jalapeño peppers. I also like eating garlic cloves.  I don't like pickles but I love pickled eggs and green olives. I never liked any of this stuff before. I always thought pregnancy cravings were just like power of suggestion but it looks like hormones really can give you weird cravings.