Trans Masculine Calories question

230137isntmyweight
230137isntmyweight Posts: 256 Member
in Getting Started
Okay, so I've been on this site for a while and have been doing well. But I changed some things and I think I have to change my calories based on this. I am trans masculine and I just started testosterone therapy in September. T should give me a metabolism more in line with that of a cis male individual so I should go with the calorie recommendations for a male of my height and weight, right?? Before I started hormones I just stuck with the calorie recs for a woman but now I'm thinking it's time to change.

I have been hungrier than usual but only slightly and I'm not sure if this is from the T, just something in my head, boredom, or what have you. But also if I can lose at 1500 calories vs 1200 calories I'd rather eat the 1500 calories.

Thoughts?? Also, sorry if this seemed disjointed, I'm just not sure where I stand at this second and I don't want to undo progress.

Replies

  • FourWindsWalker
    FourWindsWalker Posts: 143 Member
    Congrats and well wishes as you continue upon your path!

    I would ask your Dr. They would have the best info for you and your specific needs/goals.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,826 Member
    edited October 2020
    I don't have an answer to your question. But you could answer your own question, by carefully taking your weight trend and the calories you consume, and checking if you're losing at the expected rate or not?

    As a woman myself, I am eating over 1500 kcal a day and still losing weight. So I would just give it a try and monitor your weight trend over 4 to 6 weeks.

    At what rate are you losing now? 300kcal more per week should equate to slowing your weight loss by 0.6lbs per week.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    I'm no expert but think that the metabolic effect of testosterone is in relation to the amount lean mass you are likely to have and that change is likely to be slow to accumulate.
    As a pound of muscle only requires 6cals/per day at rest the effect isn't going to be great or happen quickly.
    Plus that's countered by as you lose weight you need less calories.

    Rather than change your calories by changing settings I would have thought manually adjusting in smaller increments using the feedback loop of your weight trend would work better.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,941 Member
    Congratulations to your transition!

    I think the higher energy expenditure of men is mostly due to a larger amount of muscle, and only secondary to testosterone and other hormones.

    In that situation I would probably watch my weight extra careful with a weight trending app and increase calories slowly, one small step at a time. It's also possible that the hormones have an influence on what makes you feel full. Thus that's something else to experiment with.
  • gisem17
    gisem17 Posts: 50 Member
    As an experiment, I changed my profile from male to female. I lost 300 calories from my daily budget. 100 because I am no longer bound by the 1500 minimum, the rest because the average female of my age, height and weight burns fewer calories then the average male. I agree with others that the difference probably isn't due to the T itself, but to a lifetime of T stimulated muscle growth. If that's right, then you need to give the T time to work before you can assume that average male statistics apply to you. That said, we're only talking a half pound per week difference. If you adjust to profile to male and increase your weight loss goal by half a pound, the two will probably offset each other.
  • SalvatoreDanger
    SalvatoreDanger Posts: 1 Member
    Hey there! I’m also transmasc (he/him) on T, but I’m obviously not all knowing. So feel free to take any of this advice with a grain of salt.

    The effects of T on the body can take months and even years to really take effect, but fat redistribution is one of the main things a lot of people look forward to! Your doc should have explained it to you when you started T, but a lot of people *gain* weight at first when starting T. This can be due to a few things, increase in metabolism, fat redistribution to the midsection (gut) in a male pattern, or just general placating your dysphoria with eating.

    It’s also important to note that metabolism is not strictly a gender thing, but genetic! Take a look at your family members and see what you got.

    In any case! Me, personally, I have been following the calorie recommendations for men my average height and weight, and have noticed a pretty steady decline in weight. I’m also counting in macros, water intake, a regular sleep schedule, and exercise. It took a WHILE for me to find the right routine for me, so take your time and find out what works best for you. Keeping track of everything definitely helps when using the process of elimination!

    Good luck!!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    The size of the 5 largest metabolic organs is the biggest reason for the difference in BMR.

    Study showed using the Katch-McCardle formula for calculating BMR based on LBM (which doesn't use gender) had a 5-10% spread between male and female of equal weight and LBM% because of that fact of the organs.

    Meaning a woman who had the same stats as a man (weight & LBM%) had smaller organs but more muscle mass, and muscle mass doesn't actually increase BMR that much.

    Thought I had the link in my spreadsheet that factored that in, can't find it now so many.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited October 2020
    sijomial wrote: »
    I'm no expert but think that the metabolic effect of testosterone is in relation to the amount lean mass you are likely to have and that change is likely to be slow to accumulate.
    As a pound of muscle only requires 6cals/per day at rest the effect isn't going to be great or happen quickly.
    Plus that's countered by as you lose weight you need less calories.

    Rather than change your calories by changing settings I would have thought manually adjusting in smaller increments using the feedback loop of your weight trend would work better.

    This is what I was thinking. I believe the calculators have average differences between men and women based on assumed differences in muscle mass. So based on your current muscle mass, you may want to stay with the lower estimate or pick something in-between (similarly, a cis man with a low amount of muscle might do better on a lower number and a cis woman with lots of muscle a higher one -- the same factors apply to the loss of cals on average as you age). Gaining muscle is also hard when losing weight, although I imagine the T will help.

Categories