Did exercise and weight loss/gain change for you on E?

[whowhatwhen]

I took my first dose of estrace this morning which is totally awesome, yet I do wonder about if it'll make it easier or harder to lose weight.
Somehow I've put on 10 more bloody pounds and now I'm wondering if it's going to be a bitch to work it off.

Endo told me to be more active though so I guess there's that too :P

[LeaP]

I put on 20 pounds over the winter. I'm not finding it any more difficult than before taking it off. Logically, it SHOULD be harder ... less muscle, etc. - but has not been. But then, it's a pretty aggressive diet, too. Also, my E dosage was increased about a month ago.

[edit] Oh - and congratulations! That's a huge step!

[mikiSJ]

www - good for you1

I started in December and in the four months I have been on estradiol valerate IM, I have lost about 5# and I am starting to see a redistribution of subcutaneous fat from my waist (I can actually see it now) and the hollows in my butt cheeks are filling in.

Stay tuned!

[gonegirl]

Congratulations Corrine!

I've heard differently from some others and YMMV, but my experience is that exercise became much harder due to loss of muscle mass. I gave up weights a few years ago and I only do cardio, but I can't use machines anywhere near the resistance settings I used to pre-HT and my endurance is very much reduced. I had already spent a couple of years at the gym burning away a lot of muscle though, so I had a very good start before starting the drugs. I watch what I eat and try to keep portions to a reasonable size. Sometimes my appetite is so ravenous that I cave and eat half a tub of ice-cream at midnight! I feel totally gross afterwards but I try to get in a run early the next morning as a counteractive measure!

Just to clarify, T blockers will influence your exercising ability and E will likely make you want to eat more. That's what happened to me.

[whowhatwhen]

Thanks all
I think the ravenous appetite is bad enough as it is :/

Sometimes I feel like I could eat an entire large pizza all by myself, then I raid the chocolate chips because I'm absolutely lazy as hell.
Honestly I'm amazed I only gained 10 pounds.

[Jorja]

In the beginning I gained weight. After about 6 months I lost everything I put on and then some. I have beenable to maintain my weight at 148 lbs for over 30 years. Yes, E will cause a person to gain weight. Learning and training yourself not to over indulge is the hard part. Find something else to put in your mouth besides food.

[whowhatwhen]

Find something else to put in your mouth besides food.

Yeah, I'll try to brush my teeth more often as well I guess.

[Anne2345]

When I first began HRT, it really hit me hard with my endurance during exercise. The difference was quite noticeable by me, and made exercise grueling and no fun.

However, since that time, I have completely changed my diet, and increased my exercise. Now, exercise is easy, feels great, and is fun. Plus, I have lost about 30 lbs just in 2014 alone.

Currently, I am at the lowest weight I have been at since my early undergrad days way back a million years ago. Even better, I feel absolutely awesome! Probably the best I have felt physically since high school.

Also, I gotta say, shedding my unwanted pounds has been really, really, ridiculously easy. The hard part was getting to the place in my mind that I knew I really, really wanted to lose this weight. It has become super-important to me that I do. And with this specific goal and need in hand, it's not going to happen on its own, so I have made the necessary changes in my life to do so.

So it just depends on how bad you want it and how important it is to you.

[DeeDee1974]

I was never into exercise, but was naturally thin and of a smaller frame for a male. When I started HRT the combination of inactivity and poor eating habits caught up to me. And I was definitely stress eating. All the crap I was eating also made me feel tired all the time. I had gained close to 40 pounds and a little scare from some blood work on a routine visit with my general physician really kicked me in the but to get me going. I started by eating better mainly by getting a meal service delivered that is all vegetarian. In the first month alone just from eating better helped me to lose 11 pounds. Then I had energy and started to slowly exercise. I have built up to the point that I regularly participate in 5k races. At a minimum I do 30 minutes of cardio a day.

I have lost 35 pounds and kept it off for 2 years. I feel like the weight might have helped in the breast development area as my breasts got significantly bigger during the weight gain and I seemed to have held on to most of the weight there even as I lost it elsewhere.


Personally poor lifestyle choices caused the weight gain more than estrogen.

[I Am Paula]

My first winter on HRT was bad for me weight wise. Too much sitting around, and too much chocolate.
I have started a weigh loss and exercise regimen. So far just indoors, but my new bike is in my kitchen, waiting to be ridden.
Must lose 30 lbs.

[whowhatwhen]

These are bad omens for my sedentary ass :P
I'll have to get up off it more often I guess.

[Jorja]

Get up off of that thang and move!

[Kathryn Martin]

Find something else to put in your mouth besides food.

Good advice......

[whowhatwhen]

Why I have no idea what you're talking about, my mind is as pure as the driven snow.

I have noticed today being extraordinarily dry with a headache, it happened with the first dose of spiro a while ago so I guess it's another week or so until my body adjusts again.
Lots of water intake and some tea because, sometimes you've just had enough water y'know? :P

e:
I forgot to mention that the dose of spiro has been doubled, just so that above makes sense.

[Cheyenne Skye]

Well, as a long time runner, I was forced to take most of the winter off (snow every other day and no access to indoor fitness equipment). I've slowly started getting back out but my endurance has lapsed greatly. I've run a marathon, half-marathon, several ten milers, 10 and 5-ks. But right now three miles is enough to kick my butt. I've put on about 10 pounds since starting HRT (mainly in the midsection ). Even before hibernating for the winter my average mile times were starting to slow a bit. I really need to lose the weight. My doctor will probably give me grief over the weight gain when I see him next week. I also plan to start riding my bike to work once the weather finally stays warm.

[spandexgirl188]

I didnt gain any weight, if anything i did the opposite, i lost a bunch. When i got my hormones tested the doctor said that males testosterone is around 15 to 18. Mine was at a 42. I was at my all time heaviest (270lbs) and no matter how much i tried to work out the weight just came going up and up and up. When i was in highschool i weighed 195 lbs and thats where the weight gain started. So after i took E, the first thing i noticed was my stomach. i noticed it going down. I had muscular legs because of football and wrestling. I could leg press 375lbs and till this day i still hold the record for leg pressing the entire stack at my old school. Today however, i doubt i could leg press anywhere close to 200lbs. My stomach went first, but followed by my man muscle. My huge thighs went down in size and so did my calves, i lost all muscle around my shoulders, arms and my butt. I had a very muscular butt, but now its very soft, very very femenine. My stats currently are 38 - 30- 41. I weigh 202lbs and im 5foot11. The doctor wants me to get down to 165 to 170lbs. I have been walking from work every day which is five miles. I take the bus to work and walk back, i also been eating healthier. Its been well over 2 years since i had a hamburger. Instead of eating half a pizza to myself now, i have two slices and i find myself full. Even then i only eat pizza every so often(weeks) ive stayed away as much as i can from carbs and eat more fruits and veggies. it seems that all the fat either went away or went straight to my butt/hipp area or boobs

jade.

[whowhatwhen]

My stomach went first, but followed by my man muscle.

Funnily enough as I half-woke up this morning I said "haha, nice try" and went back to sleep.
That spiro is fast!

The endo asked me to keep a close eye on things though because, as he said, he hasn't heard of anyone doing mtf hrt while having crohns disease O_o.
I'll have to see how the E reacts to my overall gut health.

Now the fun part is feeling something sore or something and playing the "new medicine is this a side-effect" game

[PretzelGirl]

I have seen comments like these before and went in with a partial plan Corrinne. A week before starting HRT, I changed my drinking habits so that I would get far more water and less of my pacifier at work (a tumbler of coffee that I leave everywhere and I get random emails saying I can pick up my pacifier at their office). I am already not feeling like I need to snack as much. One of the possible side effects I have read is lower metabolism. Well I don't burn off enough already and have a not-perfect diet to compensate. The part of my plan I need to improve is the cardio. I get it irregularly but need to force it to be a priority.

I hope you do well with it! There is enough to deal with, without the weight taking off on us. And depending on your plans and goals, being in great shape is good for your recovery should you choose to have surgery later on. It can be a contributing, motivating factor.

[Ann Louise]

I started transition at about 235 lbs and about two years later just weighed in at 173 (clothes on in Dr.'s office) , lost mostly fat (Yaay!) but lots of muscle mass (lots, and soo what!) . I started forcing myself to eat half of what I "wanted," i. e. put on my plate, eat lots of vegetables, and quit drinking alcohol totally. I ride a bike and walk alot. My tops went from a 1X to an L, and jeans from a tight 16 to a loose 12 (goal 10 jeans and 12 dress) . I still have those damn little side rolls, and a too-skinny butt (bummer :-).

If you sit around and eat like a guy does don't expect miracles. If you eat lightly and wisely and are moderately active you'll likely do just fine. Working for me anyway :-)

Good Luck, Ann