Impossible Weight loss

[ggenovez]

Hi all,

I've been on TRT for about 2 years now. I feel much better but one of my complaints is I still can't lose weight. TRT started with the patch, then I moved over to a TRT "specialist" who only would give me shots once a week and having a SGHB of 16 didn't work out. I finaly moved over to Defy and been pretty happy.

That being said, I have been 290 Lbs for over 5 years and nothing I can do has made a change. I was hoping that TRT would be an answer.

I work out 3-5 times a week, weights and cardio, I eat about 2200-2500 calories a day. Body composition is overall lean but I carry all my weight in my belly. 48" at the widest point.

Any thoughts about this?

 

[Vince]

Have you considered going to healthy low carb. That's what I did to control my weight and eating. The best benefit was how it has improved my lipid panel. Also you may want to get a complete thyroid panel TSH, free T4, free T3, reverse T3 and both antibody. Just to make sure your thyroid isn't affecting your weight.

 

[Nashtide]

Have you given up ALL added sugar ALL the time? If not, I have no further advice for you.

 

[theoneguy]

I would definitely do what both above have said when I first started TRT for the first 3 months I gained muscle but lost little to no fat. After figuring out my thyroid was not working properly and supplementing with iodine selenium and vitamin d without changing my diet the fat started to fall off me. Intermittent Fasting and low carb will definitely accelerate the fat loss as well if you can manage it.

 

[ggenovez]

I do low carb. thyroid panel is perfect.

 

[Nashtide]

I do low carb. thyroid panel is perfect.

Need to reduce carbs to about 100 grams per day eaten in the peri workout period. The carbs should be as little wheat as possible, zero added sugar foods. Think oatmeal, rice, potatoes, veggies and even some fruit. What I did was eat 200 grams of carbs on workout days and none on off days. Second, I would use intermittent fasting of at least 16-8 every day. Eat lots of protein and good fats with the carb allowance so that you are in a calorie deficit of about 250-300 calories every day. Along with weight lifting, you should do HIIT cardio 3x/week. The carb restriction needs to continue until you are at 15% bf. Right now you are insulin resistant at 15% you'll most likely be insulin sensitive. Then you can up your carbs. This is obviously just advice from a guy you don't know, but what you're doing isn't working. Your body will not use your fat for fuel as long as you are providing enough carbs through your diet.

 

[ggenovez]

Thanks Nashtide. I'll give that a whirl

 

[Nelson Vergel]

You may want to read this:

Nelson's Top Tricks for Fat Loss

 

[Systemlord]

I was wonder if watermelon good for diabetics?

 

[dnfuss]

I was wonder if watermelon good for diabetics?

Fruit, in general, is not "good" for diabetics.

 

[OMI100]

A good book to read here:
The Secret Life of Fat: The Science Behind the Body's Least Understood Organ and What It Means for Y
What Vice said: "Also you may want to get a complete thyroid panel TSH, free T4, free T3, reverse T3 and both antibody. Just to make sure your thyroid isn't affecting your weight."
A good baseline of tests to request:
FREE T3 (not part of a “thyroid panel” and must be written in on a lab request)
FREE T4
TOTAL T4
Reverse T3
TSH
TPO (Thyroid Peroxidase) antibodies
Tgab (Thyroglobulin) antibodies
Full iron panel (includes serum iron, iron binding capacity, and % saturation)
[iron is essential to thyroid metabolism]
Ferritin (not included in the full iron panel and must be requested separately)
CBC or Complete Blood Count (includes RBC, hemoglobin, hematocrit, MCH)
Vitamin D
Vitamin B12
Lipid panel (includes cholesterol, triglycerides)
[high cholesterol is a symptom of low thyroid]
Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (includes fasting glucose, sodium, potassium)
Morning cortisol (24-hr saliva labs preferred, but at least this gives one reading)
[cortisol is essential to thyroid metabolism]
Estradiol (men and women; women should test on day 19-21 of their cycle, or 5-7 days after ovulation)

 

[OMI100]

Here is a great read on fasting. Medical points are hyperlinked to the underlying research.
Fasting for Weight Loss: Does it Actually Work?

 

[blackebob]

It might not be fat, lit could be water. I switched to injections9 months ago, and I have been fighting the bloat ever since. I was finally starting to lean out til I started HCG again four weeks ago. I took two 500iu injections in a week and shortly after the second shot I had gained 12 pounds of water in my abdomen. My E skyrocketed, I am pretty sure it is my E that is doing it, even when I get my E under 29, my free E still stays high. I dont know if thats from a daily injection of 24mg cyp with a SHBG of 16 or not. I fluctuate 6 to 7 pounds from morning til bed time at which time I have a much larger paunch than I did on awaking.

 

[Nashtide]

It might not be fat, lit could be water. I switched to injections9 months ago, and I have been fighting the bloat ever since. I was finally starting to lean out til I started HCG again four weeks ago. I took two 500iu injections in a week and shortly after the second shot I had gained 12 pounds of water in my abdomen. My E skyrocketed, I am pretty sure it is my E that is doing it, even when I get my E under 29, my free E still stays high. I dont know if thats from a daily injection of 24mg cyp with a SHBG of 16 or not. I fluctuate 6 to 7 pounds from morning til bed time at which time I have a much larger paunch than I did on awaking.

Ugh, that sounds terrible!

 

[blackebob]

Ugh, that sounds terrible!

It sucks, I wish someone had an answer to solve the problem.

 

[BradWI]

What's your HOMA-IR score? (Fasting Insulin * Fasting Glucose) / 405. I had Defy put a fasting insulin test on my last blood work ($12 add on) and found that I still have severe insulin resistance (3.17 score) - even though my A1C is 5.0 and I don't eat carbs (Carnivore diet). So I do things to help my insulin resistance - no carbs, less frequent meals (IF style), Defy put me on metformin at my request, and I do a bit of cardio. The weight is finally coming off...

 

[OMI100]

Here is a great explanation of insulin resistance :
Insulin Resistance Diet Guide for Beginners + Advanced Weight Loss Tips
and if you are also hypothyroid:
Hypothyroidism and Insulin Resistance (4 Steps to Reverse it)

 

[VinceR]

Thanks Nashtide. I'll give that a whirl

What he said! In a nutshell, I was on "Low carb" for years, was at a constant 275-280 lbs, on TRT for 4 yrs. Weight did not want to come off. I decided to fine tune my low carb and introduce Intermittent Fasting 18/6. Within a month weight started melting off. Now at 230-240.