estrogen and weight gain

[Raquel June]

I was on estradiol injections for about 18 months, from Sept 2009 - Mar 2011. I don't really remember any weight gain, but when I started I was working out a lot and running about 15 miles per week (but I was also smoking weed and going to a buffet once or twice a week, too). I weighed about 187 when I started the injections. I'm 6'0", so that wasn't so bad.

Around late 2010 after a year of injections, I was actually down to 167 lbs. Maybe that's because I stopped going to buffets (but I wasn't working out anymore, either). Anyway, I felt pretty awesome at 167 lbs. I had a good figure and no love handles, even if I barely had an A-cup.

But eventually I had to detransition and quit HRT and got depressed and gained a bunch of weight. I was up to 195. And then I got my life together a bit. I got back on T-blockers at the end of December 2011. And I got back down to 180 a few months ago.

ANYWAY, here I was a few months ago (late April, early May) running every day and slowly losing weight. And then I started back on estrogen on May 21.

Well, I'm pretty happy about the estrogen. In the first four weeks I saw noticeable boob development. And now this is my 7th week, and I'm definitely too big for an A-cup. But OMG about two weeks ago I got a really uncontrollable appetite.

I used to be able to lose weight pretty easily. I can't really run more than a couple miles when I'm not eating much, but I don't have a problem cutting my calories down to about 1,000 per day and losing weight.

But the past two weeks I'm just soooo hungry all the time. And if I don't eat I can't sleep at night, and I get really tired during the day, and I don't have any energy or desire to work out.

Seriously, I used to eat a little oatmeal, maybe a sandwich for lunch, and a can of tuna for dinner. Maybe a Slim-Fast now and then. Now that's like a joke. I feel like I'm going to pass out if I don't have a decent meal. Today I had a little breakfast, then baked tilapia and some tomato soup for lunch, and when I got home from work I couldn't take it and I went to Waffle House and had two pork chops and eggs and double hashbrowns.

I'm just wondering if this is going to subside a little after a few months, or if I'm going to have to make a major commitment to just buying tons and tons of vegetables so I can actually fill up without consuming a million calories.

But I also don't want to starve myself if I'm just going through some kind of boob growth spurt and need to eat more.

I don't wanna get on a scale, but I'm sure I'm back up to almost 190.

Sorry for the nonsensical rambling, but that's about as good as my thought process is right now.

[Traci Elizabeth]

I think it depends on the individual. I have been on HRT for over 3 years now and I have not gained a pound and I never had the desire to eat, eat, eat. If anything I am eating less.

But wait, come to think about it, if I still weigh the same and eating less, does that imply that I am gaining weight because I should be loosing weight?

That's something to think about!

[sandra-leigh]

I have gained 30+ pounds over 18 months on HRT. It hasn't been welcome.

It is possible I am eating more junk food; not heaping big amounts of it, but more. And it is possible that my serving sizes have crept up as I go.

I do not notice myself as having substantially more appetite than before. Perhaps moderately more.

There was a point 3-ish years ago when I did have a big increase in appetite. It was triggered by the anti-depressant that I had just started taking at the time. The anti-depressant was doing okay for that purpose, but the big appetite went with it. I informed my doctor on my next visit, and he took me off of that anti-depressant, and my appetite went down fairly quickly afterwards. He wasn't surprised, and said that appetite increase occurred for about 1/3 of people on that particular anti-depressant.

[ReineD]

Today I had a little breakfast, then baked tilapia and some tomato soup for lunch, and when I got home from work I couldn't take it and I went to Waffle House and had two pork chops and eggs and double hashbrowns.

I'm just wondering if this is going to subside a little after a few months, or if I'm going to have to make a major commitment to just buying tons and tons of vegetables so I can actually fill up without consuming a million calories.

I don't know anything about HRT, but I can offer advice on the diet.

OMG, you were doing fine until the meal at the Waffle House! When you get hungry, eat, but don't eat double hashbrowns! :p

Get to a bookstore and find a good, heart healthy cook book. Every Sunday, spend the afternoon cooking for the week so it can be at the ready when you come home from work. Make yourself a big pot of spaghetti sauce (with ground turkey, lots of veggies & herbs) that you will have with whole wheat pasta (Barilla is decent), chicken stews (with lots of veggies & chicken broth base), stock up on frozen fish fillets and have them with brown rice & huge gobs of stir-fried veggies with soy sauce, garlic, & fresh ginger (not too much oil).

Make yourself fruit smoothies for desert with frozen unsweetened fruit and non-fat, plain greek yogurt (protein rich), sweetened with Splenda if you wish.

You can eat healthy and satiate yourself without eating Waffle House hash browns. :)


EDIT - This is a very good fish breading. It takes 10 minutes to thaw frozen tilapia, then dip in breading and saute in just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Andy-s-Red-Fish-Breading-10-oz/16935615

[Melissa Jill]

If anything Ive lost weight since being on HRT. But Ive always had an insatiable hunger, its just I now run so much to compensate for that. (putting me down to 150lb yeeaaah!)

[CharleneT]

When I started HRT my appetite went up dramatically - similarly to what you have described. That phase passed after a few months. I did not really gain much weight, but generally my weight doesn't change much. I'm not sure of the process that under lies, but it seems that when you first start cross sex hormonal therapy you appetite goes up. It could be our bodies reacting to the stimulus of new growth ? One thing is for sure - at least with me - what I am attracted to in food changed permanently. Foods taste about the same, but I desire different things now ( 3 years of continuous HRT ). Exercise has changed too, my ability to do so has gone down a lot. It takes much more effort now, with less results.

[Melissa Jill]

Someone told me that estrogen makes you store a layer of fat under your skin ready for pregnancy.

[Carole Cross]

I have weighed around 200 lbs for the 4 years and since I started on estradiol 10 months ago I have lost a few pounds but that was after putting on a few extra pounds before starting on the estradiol so I am back to where I was. I can't really put on any more weight as my BMI is just below 30 and if I go above it could delay my surgery. So far is is looking good but I need to do a little more excercise to try and reduce my weight and flatten my stomach a bit.

[MC-lite]

I was 303 pounds before I started HRT. I had almost completely stopped taking care of myself for reasons that are obvious to me now. Once I was told that I was TS, I started dieting and cutting out the junk. In 8 months, I went down to 227 pounds.

Oddly, over the 3 or 4 months that I had the brain tumor (Prolactin was between 96 and 104), I started to put weight on almost uncontrollably. I shot back up to 296 pounds. I still have the tumor, but my Serum Prolactin is normal (around 5.0).

I bought a mountain bike and have been riding it almost every day. I've been losing weight and most importantly, loosing my belly.
But it's ever so slow and a constant uphill battle.

I'll probably ride today because I have to pick up meds, but it is supposed to go up into the 100s with very high humidity. :eek:

Gotta' love New York City. :blecch:

[Raquel June]

Thanks for all the responses!



When I started HRT my appetite went up dramatically - similarly to what you have described. That phase passed after a few months. I did not really gain much weight, but generally my weight doesn't change much. I'm not sure of the process that under lies, but it seems that when you first start cross sex hormonal therapy you appetite goes up. It could be our bodies reacting to the stimulus of new growth ?

I guess I'll just give it another month or two before I start actually getting concerned and forcing myself to eat less. I just remember going through a phase when I grew from 5'0" to 6'0" -- I could eat a normal breakfast and lunch, and still have two 12" subs or most of a pizza for dinner pretty easily. And I don't wanna grow another foot, but if my body is trying to develop I guess I need to feed it.

I just think it's weird how different this is from when I was taking EV injections for 18 months. For a couple months I was really scared because I was noticing a lot more hair in the drain in the shower. But that stopped, and then my hair got a different texture, and if I didn't wash it for three days it still didn't get oily. But my appetite didn't change. If anything, I wanted to eat less.

This time I'm hungry all the time, and my hair still seems to get oily just as easily.

[melissaK]

Be sure to discuss these changes with your endo. Certainly we are messing big time with our bodies and MTF HRT medicine tells us estrogen will change how our bodies make and store fat. Estrogen grows breasts adding some weight. And it gets more complicated because drugs like Spiro are diuretics which can cause some weight loss, and they reduce testosterone which reduces hard muscles causing weight loss. Then, no two of us are much alike anyway in how we gain weight vs muscle. So because your endo is measuring all your blood markers and is watching for changes, she/he will make sure something else is not going on that alters weight or appetite.

Hugs,
'lissa

[AudreyTN]

this is something I really really fear. I have always had a super high metabolism, and when I had hyperthyroid issues I lost weight, then it fluctuated to hypothyroidism (a la Graves Disease) and I started gaining weight. I went from 160 to 140 with hyper, then rose sharply to 175 and I had a bit of a gut that was unpleasant and unsightly. I had radioactive iodine therapy, which killed off the majority of the thyroid and ended the Graves Disease, and I went back to about 155 for awhile. That was in 2009. Last year I got put on adderall for ADHD and to help with school, and I dropped back down to 140, because it decreased my appetite.

That said, i'm pretty fearful that the hormones will drop my metabolism and I'll begin packing on weight, and I've never been really good at self-disciplining myself to maintain a steady workout. I usually start, get discouraged and then stop. :( I'm praying I have Traci Elizabeth's luck and never gain a pound, lol. But we'll see what happens. I don't wanna be super skinny, maybe just hwp, and average. nice hips that flare out a little bit, a cute round butt that sticks out and up just a tad.

I couldn't find the ideal picture, but this is pretty close
http://static6.depositphotos.com/1007847/673/i/450/dep_6738602-Red-Bikini.jpg

[Kristy_K]

I myself have not gain any weight from HRT since I started over a year ago. I also feel as if I eat less now.

[DeeDee1974]

I gained about 40 lbs in the first 6 months. I blame it on lack of exercise, unemployment and stress eating. Besides none of my clothes fitting, a routine check up with my doctor revealed some potential health issues if I didn't get my butt in gear.

It's been almost 2 years since I started running 3 to five miles almost everyday. I also got a pilates instructor and started eating right. I have lost 25 of the lbs I gained and feel really good. So much more energy.

I did manage to hold onto some excess weight in the breast and butt.


I am trying to find a picture from the weight gain to post, but I'm afraid they were on an old computer.

[Badtranny]

I couldn't find the ideal picture, but this is pretty close

Get in line. It starts right there and ends waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay over there.

[CharleneT]

Thanks for all the responses!




I guess I'll just give it another month or two before I start actually getting concerned and forcing myself to eat less. I just remember going through a phase when I grew from 5'0" to 6'0" -- I could eat a normal breakfast and lunch, and still have two 12" subs or most of a pizza for dinner pretty easily. And I don't wanna grow another foot, but if my body is trying to develop I guess I need to feed it.

I just think it's weird how different this is from when I was taking EV injections for 18 months. For a couple months I was really scared because I was noticing a lot more hair in the drain in the shower. But that stopped, and then my hair got a different texture, and if I didn't wash it for three days it still didn't get oily. But my appetite didn't change. If anything, I wanted to eat less.

This time I'm hungry all the time, and my hair still seems to get oily just as easily.

Stopping and re-starting may have something to do with the two experiences being so different. Maybe your first round of HRT sorta "primed the pump" as it were ?

[StaceyJane]

I've been on HRT for a year and a half and while I haven't gained any weight I can't seem to lose any. My doc wants me to lose 20 lbs.
I;m not even close to getting there.

[barbaraclothes]

After reading all these posts Im a little older and the metabolism seems non existent , Im a lot scared.....

[Jorja]

I don't know anything about HRT, but I can offer advice on the diet.

OMG, you were doing fine until the meal at the Waffle House! When you get hungry, eat, but don't eat double hashbrowns! :p

You can eat healthy and satiate yourself without eating Waffle House hash browns. :)

I don't know about Waffle House hashbrowns but Cracker Barrel Biscuits and Gravy are to die for! :)

[amielts]

Estrogen is known to cause weight gain. To remain on the same weight your diet should probably change.
You should probably discuss this with your endocrinologist.