nullorchis (imported) wrote: Sun Dec 07, 2008 10:24 pm For most people it's all about calories.

"Burn" more calories than you acquire, and you will loose weight.

Thus, the old adage, diet and exercise.

Michael Phelps for example.

He consumed thousands of calories a day.

But since he swam and exercised so much each day, he reamained trim.

If you are willing to exercise enough, you can eat more.

In intact people this theory is generally try but... If you impare the body's ability to create and maintain muscle, fat will be created instead. The avereage 70kg man needs about 2200kcal a day, take away the T and he will only require 1800 or so. Therefore your diet will have to be more strict. Also as muscle mass decreases caloric expendature decreases, so less bang for your buck at the gym. Not to mention decreased energy will also hamper your efforts. If/when I get it done I will be on HRT the next day.

When I was first castrated I was working a very physical job in healthcare. The job required that I help patients transfer from bed to chair and back. Also transporting patients to tests, responding to codes and helping restrain combatitive patients. Then we would go to the gym and lift after our 12 hour shift. Weight gain was not a problem until I was promoted to management and put behind a desk.

I do not have problems with energy. I wake up in the morning before the alarm and I am ready to go. Sometimes I have more energy because I like where I am going. Spending a day off running around I have more energy than going to work. Maybe it is because my body has adapted after 11 years of no hormones.

tugon (imported) wrote: Mon Dec 29, 2008 6:50 am I do not have problems with energy. I wake up in the morning before the alarm and I am ready to go. Sometimes I have more energy because I like where I am going. Spending a day off running around I have more energy than going to work. Maybe it is because my body has adapted after 11 years of no hormones.

Maybe its because you have adapted, maybe you are just a special! Everyone is different ofcourse, the generalization is for the >50% of the population. Just like some men can have erections and have sex after castration, but most cannot. Consider yourself blessed to have that much energy.

do you guys without HRT have joint/muscle pain, does that get any easier?

notalife (imported) wrote: Wed Dec 31, 2008 10:22 am do you guys without HRT have joint/muscle pain, does that get any easier?

Without HRT I experienced a lot of joint pain. It did not get better over time - at least not for me.

saywhat (imported) wrote: Sun Dec 28, 2008 11:18 pm In intact people this theory is generally try but... If you impare the body's ability to create and maintain muscle, fat will be created instead. The avereage 70kg man needs about 2200kcal a day, take away the T and he will only require 1800 or so. Therefore your diet will have to be more strict. Also as muscle mass decreases caloric expendature decreases, so less bang for your buck at the gym. Not to mention decreased energy will also hamper your efforts. If/when I get it done I will be on HRT the next day.

This is most interesting ! I had not read of this anywhere else yet.

Not being on the decimal system, I will have to look up 70kg.

With TRT my latest blood test shows my free T at 3.0

Pretty low.

I don't know what my free T would be if I stop TRT.

I do seem to be "hovering" at a point where I am not having big energy problems, but I do seem to be having irritability issues.

My Dr. thinks my TRT should be increased.

As it is, my testes do seem to be getting smaller and harder, (from the TRT?)

I am tempted to stop the TRT for awhile (again) and see how I get along.

Last time I tried that I had real energy issues that were very foreign to me.

Not just tired, not just exhausted, just like the life went out of me but I was still alive. Not nice. But maybe like someone else who posted here, after time, maybe I can adapt. Since the body naturally lowers T levels over time any sudden increase or decrease might cause unexpected and unintended consequences.

HRT will shut down your testicles. This causes "Atrophy" aka they shrink. There are some fringe doctors (My opinion) that give their patients HCG or Clomid to cause the testicles to continue to produce while your taking HRT. The problem is that neither of these has been tested for long term use and thus there is a fair change you could damage the hormone control centers of the brain. Brain damage is not as important *I think.

The current thinking (Correct?) is that you can be on HRT for about 6 months and quit and they will come back to about the original size. Going beyond that they don't fully recover. My doctor said that HRT is "for life" and once you agree its helping you stay on it for life.

You mentioned getting used to low to no Testosterone. I feel that this hormone regulates our perception. ie whatever level it is WE feel its normal for us. Friends family are often more vocal about how its causing us to behave. If your moody, "PMS", low energy, can't made up your mid, etc it all seems normal to you but of course others are asking "Whats up with you?"

I think that getting on a level of Testosterone that works for you is not easy but worth it assuming your looking for that experience.