Testosterone and calorie needs

Options
2»

Replies

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,425 Member
    Options
    cmriverside wrote: »
    You've cracked the Code.

    Go on holiday. Eat only bread and crisps. Maintain weight.

    I can see no downside here.

    I know less than zero about the topic here. Congrats...if that's the right thing to say. Aack. I'm so awkward, but I'm happy for you! :flowerforyou:

    Aww, thanks a lot hun <3 Really appreciated <3

    I did eat meaty things, salads and additional stuff, mind. The best was probably a slightly fermented buckwheat porridge with duck <3 Hmm.. maybe I should write a diet plan and sell it for 💰
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,156 Member
    Options
    Calorie needs are probably not a specific subject here but Sam Bettens (lead singer of K's Choice, famous Belgian band) did a series of vlogs on his transition, in case it interests you: https://www.youtube.com/@SamBettens557/videos
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,425 Member
    Options
    Oh wow, thanks a lot! I do know the band name and that they're Belgian, but that's pretty much it.
  • loulee997
    loulee997 Posts: 273 Member
    edited November 2023
    Options
    yirara wrote: »
    So here it is: my big secret. 🏳️‍🌈 I'm on testosterone now. I'm non-binary and I'm planning top surgery, and I want to see what T does to me and how I feel with it. Not sure I'll stay on it though. I tried to figure out what T alone means with regards to calorie expenditure, but could not find a lot of info in the community. Some transdudes do heavy lifting and need a lot more calories than before, some see a sudden increase in weight (likely waterweight I'd guess), others just continue as before and feel constantly hungry. So.. at the moment I'm a bit confused on whether I need to change anything. Being a not tall, possibly menopausal xx-chromosome bearer, my weightloss calories are at 1400 plus exercise. And I'm trying to lose a bit more weight before surgery for the best possible outcome.

    Has anyone actually looked into this? I'm slightly at a loss and not sure whether trial and error and just observing helps, or whether I might just imagining things 😅

    I don't know about transition. However, you may want to look into studies where testosterone was given to patients who stopped producing their own through accident, surgery, or disease. There have been more studies on that. It won't be the same, but might give you a jumping-off point.

    Study on increased Testerone and weight loss

    I'm assuming --and it may be wrong--that when people first go on T, they get increased appetite--just like you would with puberty. Technically, it is a 2nd puberty. The hunger increase should taper off. Eventually, the T should build higher muscle tone and make it slightly easier to maintain your weight.

    But transition is slightly different than childhood puberty--so things may vary.

    In the short term, i wouldn't change anything. If you gain or lose to fast, you can adjust.

    Good luck.

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,425 Member
    Options
    Well, one thing I can say: I have absolutely no hunger. Like: If I eat something I do because I want something yummy or because I'm bored or because I always eat at that time. But then my stomach feels really full very early on. I do put this down as some odd kind of placebo effect.
  • drv123
    drv123 Posts: 62 Member
    Options
    I can share a bit of second hand data, hope it will help. I'm CIS but a close family member is a trans man taking testosterone. He is around 5 foot 2 and 120ish pounds so pretty small and does work out but unfortunately hasn't had a huge increase in caloric burn since transitioning. Maybe 100 extra calories per day after a few years of T.

    Wishing you the best!
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,718 Member
    Options
    Not hungry was not what I was expecting to hear!

    I guess the trend, in the end, will still tell you what the trend really is! At least once things settle down a bit! 🤷‍♂️
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,425 Member
    Options
    Yeah, it's seriously odd, but I'm sure things will settle and all will go back to normal. :s For now, sitting in a meeting that overruns massively and I'm not getting hungry is somewhat pleasant. Not the meeting obviously, but feeling fine is. :D
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,425 Member
    Options
    drv123 wrote: »
    I can share a bit of second hand data, hope it will help. I'm CIS but a close family member is a trans man taking testosterone. He is around 5 foot 2 and 120ish pounds so pretty small and does work out but unfortunately hasn't had a huge increase in caloric burn since transitioning. Maybe 100 extra calories per day after a few years of T.

    Wishing you the best!

    Thanks a lot! That's super interesting. I honestly don't expect anything dramatic, but the community is so full of bro science it's unreal.
  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,354 Member
    Options
    No insight or anything from me, but just sending you good vibes for your journey 😀
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,425 Member
    Options
    Aww, thanks a lot <3
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,550 Member
    Options
    yirara wrote: »
    … the community is so full of bro science it's unreal.

    That’s really scary, considering you’re probably already facing a world of what ifs and unknowns. Glad you’re researching carefully and have a salt shaker nearby for the occasional “grain of”.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,425 Member
    Options
    Right, reached the next goal. Only about 3.5kg left to reach my goal weight. All going well, and I've managed to slow weightloss down a bit by eating more cheese. Something odd has happened: my body usually needs a lot of carbs to function properly. Since starting this I've been eating more protein and at times more fats and I feel good. No hitting the wall, no getting wobbly on my legs. That, and less freezing is still the only thing though.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,425 Member
    Options
    Cheese is always good, @AnnPT77 I'll try to get my favourite cheese this coming weekend when I'm visiting the Netherlands. A slow-aged, mature, small edition gouda. Not sure I'll be lucky as it's not something you find in tourist shops in city centers. 🤗🥰
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,425 Member
    Options
    So maybe this bit of normal weight is of interest to anyone (in case anyone reads along)

    Returned from vacation, about 1kg heavier. Took 5 days to get back to my pre-vacation weight. It was just water weight.

    As usual, after a big waterweight dump I'm a bit constipated. Cue weight going up a tiny big every day despite being in a deficit due to only minor bowel movements. This goes on for 6 excruciating days (because the scale hated me). And then everything normalized and I realized I was right on cue for my weightloss goal.

    Basically: all totally normal even though the weight didn't go down every day, and even went up for a bit.
  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,354 Member
    Options
    Ooh younger looking skin is defo an advantage! 😀 are you having any side effects (beyond the fluffy hair) or is it all good?
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,425 Member
    Options
    claireychn074 wrote: »
    Ooh younger looking skin is defo an advantage! 😀 are you having any side effects (beyond the fluffy hair) or is it all good?

    All good so far, and I do like the fluffy hair. It's a nice change to having spaghetti hair :D

Categories