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  #1   ^
Old Wed, Jan-02-19, 04:25
79F150's Avatar
79F150 79F150 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 294
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 325/241.8/190 Male 5'7"
BF:
Progress: 62%
Default Testosterone/weight gain and weight loss

I have not seen this topic on the forum so I figured I would post my experience. To start I will give a little back ground. I am 46 and have done physical labor most of my life. I was stocky 190 to 210lbs at 5'7". Dr's never worried with my weight because I was a solid built guy just had a belly. In 2006 I changed jobs and took a maintenance job. Lot less physical and a lot more office environment.

Well at 38 years old I noticed I was tired all the time and by 40 I told my doctor something is not right. Not only have I been tired but started gaining weight. I asked him to test my testosterone as my brother also had this issue. My test came back with a 258 and he tells me its normal. I am looking at the my level and I ask the normal level, he tells me 250-1100. At that point I am like that is 8 points difference and that is not normal for someone my age to be that low. He shrugs it off and says we will retest next year and it will be out of range. Well next year turned into 4 years and weight loss was almost impossible and I have always had good success with LC so back to the Doctor I go. Test results came in I had dropped to a level of 154 and here comes the meds finally. The meds took like a year to get dosages right. That was a pain to deal with! but like a new man now.

Well until recently. Wasn't to happy with the Doctor so I went for a second opinion. New Doctor asked how I felt and told her I had a few things that seemed odd but all in all I felt pretty good. She thought maybe I was a little low dose but I knew my testosterone was dialed in and labs showed an 849 level. However what the old Doctor wasn't doing that the new Doctor did was test my estrogen level and that had went high at a level of 98 which should be between 52-63. Now I am back on track with an estrogen blocker..

Moral of my story here is if your male and struggling with weight loss even though your doing all the right things.

1)go get your labs done to see if something is off.

2)don't have blind faith in your Dr

3)if your Dr is not providing you good health care change

4)if your getting good care out of your Dr but something isn't right get a second opinion or see a specialist

5)trust your instinct when your body seems off

I am not saying this is a magic medical weight loss. However what I am saying to some of us weight gain maybe a symptom of another issue. Now my weight loss is like it use to be/less stubborn. This is my experience.

This is me at 310 2017


This is me at 220 2011


This is me at 190ish 2001
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  #2   ^
Old Wed, Jan-02-19, 23:10
GRB5111's Avatar
GRB5111 GRB5111 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 4,036
 
Plan: Very LC, Higher Protein
Stats: 227/186/185 Male 6' 0"
BF:
Progress: 98%
Location: Herndon, VA
Default

Thanks, 79. Good advice, as your experience is an eye opener.
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  #3   ^
Old Thu, Jan-03-19, 03:27
79F150's Avatar
79F150 79F150 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 294
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 325/241.8/190 Male 5'7"
BF:
Progress: 62%
Default

Thanks man. I think this is a subject most men don't like to talk about and suffer because its not exactly common knowledge. I do think it is better now than it was 20 or 30 years ago.

I think another reason people have issues with talking about testosterone is people associate it like steroid usage. Kind of like a stigma over it.
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  #4   ^
Old Thu, Jan-03-19, 08:25
Ms Arielle's Avatar
Ms Arielle Ms Arielle is online now
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Posts: 19,176
 
Plan: atkins, carnivore 2023
Stats: 200/211/163 Female 5'8"
BF:
Progress: -30%
Location: Massachusetts
Default

Low testosterone in men has become more common. And high estrogens is the new normal . Environmental contaminants are to blame.

Women can also have imbalance issues but getting supplementation is challenging.
Im without supplemental testosterone now and weight loss is very duffucult. Having trouble finding a doctor.

Can i ask what specialty was your second opinion doctor?
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  #5   ^
Old Fri, Jan-04-19, 06:23
79F150's Avatar
79F150 79F150 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 294
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 325/241.8/190 Male 5'7"
BF:
Progress: 62%
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ms Arielle
Low testosterone in men has become more common. And high estrogens is the new normal . Environmental contaminants are to blame.

Women can also have imbalance issues but getting supplementation is challenging.
Im without supplemental testosterone now and weight loss is very duffucult. Having trouble finding a doctor.

Can i ask what specialty was your second opinion doctor?



My high estrogen was related to my testosterone treatment explained here in this video. As you raise testosterone in men estrogen goes up naturally. I have read a lot of stuff about men and the low testosterone in younger men. What I wonder is if low testosterone is on the rise or is men more aware of the issue of low T? Hell even now you have to ask your Dr to even test for it. They don't test for it on their own. If it wasn't for my brother I wouldn't have had mine tested.

My Dr's are GP's but you can go to an endocrinologist and many do. Youtube is actually a pretty good resource for stuff like this. The things you find might not align with the medical community perfectly but it is a good way to start the conversation with your Dr.
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  #6   ^
Old Fri, Jan-04-19, 07:44
Ms Arielle's Avatar
Ms Arielle Ms Arielle is online now
Senior Member
Posts: 19,176
 
Plan: atkins, carnivore 2023
Stats: 200/211/163 Female 5'8"
BF:
Progress: -30%
Location: Massachusetts
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Testosterone is made from Estrogen. Converting the correct amounts is key; and obviously different between men and women.

Plastics are endocrine disruptors-- we didnt have the plague of p lastic 50-75 years ago. While there can be more awareness to check for the levels of T, the percent with low T would be relatively the same if all was fine. That's how I look at it.

My GP is nearly useless; will ask an endo.

To have any work done by my GP I must ask for it--- I need to know as much or more than she knows--- I should have the MD after my name. lol
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  #7   ^
Old Fri, Jan-04-19, 14:33
79F150's Avatar
79F150 79F150 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 294
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 325/241.8/190 Male 5'7"
BF:
Progress: 62%
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ms Arielle
My GP is nearly useless; will ask an endo.

To have any work done by my GP I must ask for it--- I need to know as much or more than she knows--- I should have the MD after my name. lol



Tell me about it! A good GP is like gold and I went through more than I care to count. I know for women their gynecologist is a way better resource than a GP or at least has been for my wife. Hell he prescribed meds for her to try and quit smoking. Its like a one stop shop for all her medical issues. Still haven't figured that one out but what ever it works. lol
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  #8   ^
Old Fri, Jan-04-19, 23:48
jschwab jschwab is offline
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Posts: 6,378
 
Plan: Atkins72/Paleo/NoGrain/IF
Stats: 285/220/200 Female 5 feet 5.5 inches
BF:
Progress: 76%
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 79F150
Tell me about it! A good GP is like gold and I went through more than I care to count. I know for women their gynecologist is a way better resource than a GP or at least has been for my wife. Hell he prescribed meds for her to try and quit smoking. Its like a one stop shop for all her medical issues. Still haven't figured that one out but what ever it works. lol


My allergist is like that for me but often it's the gyn LOL.
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  #9   ^
Old Sat, Jan-05-19, 08:39
79F150's Avatar
79F150 79F150 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 294
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 325/241.8/190 Male 5'7"
BF:
Progress: 62%
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by jschwab
My allergist is like that for me but often it's the gyn LOL.


It is funny how they cross over specialties but I a gyn Dr has to deal with so many health issues with women due to pregnancy that it kind of makes sense.

I hate going to the Dr and rarely wait way to late before going. On the plus side this is the only medications I have to take so I feel very fortunate.
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