I am so frustrated! About two and a half years ago I began to put on weight, about 35 lbs in total. There had been no major changes in diet or exercise. I had been very happy and in good shape. I weaned off of anti depressants and birth control pills around the same time that many changes in body began to occur. Along with sudden weight gain, I lost libido, energy, muscle tone and had bouts of anxiety and awful mood swings. In research these symptoms can be caused by the medications I had been taking, also by low testosterone or thyroid problems. In the two years since mood has mostly stablized, but I have only lost 10 lbs, and that in the last year.
I am a 34 year old woman and I am extremely active. I workout 5 days a week, 1-2 of these days I run (walk run sprint). I mostly weight train with Dumbbells, and incorporate HIIT often. I push myself and increase weight when I can. I eat very clean, lots of vegetables and protein; between 1700 and 2000 calories a day (I am 5' 11" and 200 lbs)- which is around a 500 calorie deficit. I rarely sit down and even on rest days I am walking around working on our farm, working in the garden, working with the animals, doing house and yard work. muscles have improved, I can see them in there, but the fat will not budge.
I have tried going dairy, gluten, alcohol free for periods of time, and NOTHING changes. I have written down every crumb I ate and counted calories, increased protein, reduced starchy carbs, increased calories etc. I have seen doctors and had blood checked. Thyroid issues were ruled out and testosterone and estrogen levels are within normal ranges ( so the doctors I have seen won't do anything further to help except throw some weight loss drugs at me), however estrogen is on the high end of the spectrum while testosterone is at the lower end.
It is becoming more and more depressing, I work so hard! It is so difficult not to get bitter when I see someone who simply cuts out her daily fried chicken and soda and 20 lbs melt away.
Has anyone else experienced this? What else can I do? I just want to be able to fit into old clothes and see muscles again. I want old energy and libido back too!
Not losing weight, low testosterone
Moderators: Boss Man, cassiegose
Re: Not losing weight, low testosterone
Hi Scorpea, good to talk to you.
To an extent I can feel your frustration. Not like you can obviously, but I can appreciate you are frustrated and this obviously must be a little distressing for you, because you want to look and feel like your body is something you can truly connect with and it makes you feel beautiful when you're in front of a mirror and unclothed.
For money the doctor shouldn't have been going down the weight loss drug route; that's assuming you accepted their take and used them, so if you're taking them I would suggest you stop, as I do not believe they are anything approaching a solution, particularly if they just advised this, because it helps to keep them sweet where the drug companies are involved, because sometimes doctors "could" prescribe not necessarily the best thing(s), but something(s) that may be considered effective to some extent, but are more beneficial to prescribe based on a drug companies way of looking at it and there's no better business than the business of patients needing repeat prescription after repeat prescription and all because doctors "might" get influenced by free pens and sticky pads with drug company and product names on them.
I'm not outright accusing your doctor of impropriety, as that's a bit unfair, but it would also be prudent to consider possible reasons for them advising on a drug regime, that for your situation and in humble belief, sounds a bit suspicious; not least as I frown upon weight loss products anyway, as I think they're all smoke and mirrors snake oil, designed to pray on people with weight vulnerabilities, not to actually help overweight people from the point of view of being honestly, ethically and philanthropically manufactured.
Call me a part-time skeptic if you like.
One thing I would definitely avoid is test boosters if you've ever considered them, or been told about them. Just don't go there and also have you ever been advised about consumption of any grapefruit products, as there was a case some years ago of a woman consuming grapefruit whilst on birth control pills and her oestrogen shot up and she needed hospital treatment to dissolve and drain a blood clot, because grapefruit interferes with some types of medications and B C P's are one such medication.
Someone came on here several months ago and said a relative had grapefruit whilst taking some pills; can't recall if she said what they were or not, but she had a reaction and died, so being of the B C P's could be a plus point dietary wise, but if you've had a barrage of information from a doctor or two, regarding any foods or liquids contraindicated with any medicines you've taken, then that's fine, but if you want a little more piece of mind, then you might wish to try Webmd and / or Rxlist for some useful advice about medicines.
One thing that might be hindering you is the levels of activity, as you're doing cardio, weights and a lot of farm labouring as well. Sedentary females are supposed to get around 1,800 calories a day, which is 10% lower than men, so 2,000 on workout days is decent enough, but as you seem like you never really have any rest days as such, all thing considered, then 1,700 is a touch low and you might want to consider another 500 calories on those days and around 200 more on the workout days and see how you go. The added calories would help with muscle growth, which will in turn promote a better metabolism, as you can burn around 45-50 added calories a day, for every additional 1lb of muscle you gain, but to lose 1lb of fat a week, you need 3,500 calories more lost per week, either through calorie cutting, increased calorie expenditure or a mixture of both and it seems you've been aiming for a deficit of 500 a day which is not a bad strategy to go.
If you're looking for around 500 more calories a day, then assuming you're eating 6 times a day, you can do this sort of thing.
Add 100 calories to the first 5 meals and go with either of these strategies.
10g protein, 10g carbs, 2g fat, (98 calories approx) more per meal.
10g carbs, 6-7g fat, (94-103 calories approx) more per meal.
These are just rough guides, so don't be to hung up about consuming exacting grams, but this depends on whether you think your protein is fine or you would like more.
If you only consume 5 meals a day, then just do the same thing with all your meals.
On the workout days where the extra 200 calories were suggested, use either of the 2 strategies, but add 100 calories to breakfast to help kick start your metabolism a bit more, then another 100 after workouts to aid recovery.
Remember that whilst it could be said that slightly lower calories on rest days, which you technically don't have, can be seen as beneficial, because the metabolism doesn't get heightened much, it could also be said the extra calories could boost recovery, owing to your muscles taking 24-48 hours to recover based on the size of them, so therefore all or most of the added calories would be getting used to boost recovery and provide energy for all the weights, cardio, walking and farm labouring, but you would also benefit from the added micronutrient intake.
The fact you're getting stronger and pushing harder is great news. I'm a strong advocate of females being strong, though I don't think it should be a universal thing, as some don't want that to be their mantra and I respect that, but WELL DONE on where you've gotten to thus far and that's something to be proud of, as are your efforts in general, so I don't want you to be too downhearted about all this, as there are some definite positives and you seem like a really lovely Lady who just wants a bit more for yourself in life and I think you're worth it, especially after the mental and emotional concerns you eluded to going through in the past and I feel now that I want you to be happier, healthier and feel more beautiful within yourself and to be someone you can appreciate more for just being you.
So I say GOOD LUCK to you and maybe one or two things I said have made sense and the fact you like dogs tells me you've got a good heart and it's a heart that is made for sharing with the world and for loving your own self too; so keep letting your heart and head be guides and tools to help you along the way and don't stop striving to want more beautification and improvement of yourself okay, because it's not a vanity exercise, it's a health and well being exercise, to help you make more of your life and hopefully live longer and be more emotionally and mentally fulfilled and there's nothing wrong with that
.
If you need anything else or you'd like to ask more, or share experiences or support with others, please do stick around, or visit us as often as you wish, as we're here for you and if you need a personal one to one about any sensitive things, I'm here for people to talk to, so PM me anytime and you have word it will stay strictly between us.
Take care Scorpea and have a great day.
To an extent I can feel your frustration. Not like you can obviously, but I can appreciate you are frustrated and this obviously must be a little distressing for you, because you want to look and feel like your body is something you can truly connect with and it makes you feel beautiful when you're in front of a mirror and unclothed.
For money the doctor shouldn't have been going down the weight loss drug route; that's assuming you accepted their take and used them, so if you're taking them I would suggest you stop, as I do not believe they are anything approaching a solution, particularly if they just advised this, because it helps to keep them sweet where the drug companies are involved, because sometimes doctors "could" prescribe not necessarily the best thing(s), but something(s) that may be considered effective to some extent, but are more beneficial to prescribe based on a drug companies way of looking at it and there's no better business than the business of patients needing repeat prescription after repeat prescription and all because doctors "might" get influenced by free pens and sticky pads with drug company and product names on them.
I'm not outright accusing your doctor of impropriety, as that's a bit unfair, but it would also be prudent to consider possible reasons for them advising on a drug regime, that for your situation and in humble belief, sounds a bit suspicious; not least as I frown upon weight loss products anyway, as I think they're all smoke and mirrors snake oil, designed to pray on people with weight vulnerabilities, not to actually help overweight people from the point of view of being honestly, ethically and philanthropically manufactured.
Call me a part-time skeptic if you like.
One thing I would definitely avoid is test boosters if you've ever considered them, or been told about them. Just don't go there and also have you ever been advised about consumption of any grapefruit products, as there was a case some years ago of a woman consuming grapefruit whilst on birth control pills and her oestrogen shot up and she needed hospital treatment to dissolve and drain a blood clot, because grapefruit interferes with some types of medications and B C P's are one such medication.
Someone came on here several months ago and said a relative had grapefruit whilst taking some pills; can't recall if she said what they were or not, but she had a reaction and died, so being of the B C P's could be a plus point dietary wise, but if you've had a barrage of information from a doctor or two, regarding any foods or liquids contraindicated with any medicines you've taken, then that's fine, but if you want a little more piece of mind, then you might wish to try Webmd and / or Rxlist for some useful advice about medicines.
One thing that might be hindering you is the levels of activity, as you're doing cardio, weights and a lot of farm labouring as well. Sedentary females are supposed to get around 1,800 calories a day, which is 10% lower than men, so 2,000 on workout days is decent enough, but as you seem like you never really have any rest days as such, all thing considered, then 1,700 is a touch low and you might want to consider another 500 calories on those days and around 200 more on the workout days and see how you go. The added calories would help with muscle growth, which will in turn promote a better metabolism, as you can burn around 45-50 added calories a day, for every additional 1lb of muscle you gain, but to lose 1lb of fat a week, you need 3,500 calories more lost per week, either through calorie cutting, increased calorie expenditure or a mixture of both and it seems you've been aiming for a deficit of 500 a day which is not a bad strategy to go.
If you're looking for around 500 more calories a day, then assuming you're eating 6 times a day, you can do this sort of thing.
Add 100 calories to the first 5 meals and go with either of these strategies.
10g protein, 10g carbs, 2g fat, (98 calories approx) more per meal.
10g carbs, 6-7g fat, (94-103 calories approx) more per meal.
These are just rough guides, so don't be to hung up about consuming exacting grams, but this depends on whether you think your protein is fine or you would like more.
If you only consume 5 meals a day, then just do the same thing with all your meals.
On the workout days where the extra 200 calories were suggested, use either of the 2 strategies, but add 100 calories to breakfast to help kick start your metabolism a bit more, then another 100 after workouts to aid recovery.
Remember that whilst it could be said that slightly lower calories on rest days, which you technically don't have, can be seen as beneficial, because the metabolism doesn't get heightened much, it could also be said the extra calories could boost recovery, owing to your muscles taking 24-48 hours to recover based on the size of them, so therefore all or most of the added calories would be getting used to boost recovery and provide energy for all the weights, cardio, walking and farm labouring, but you would also benefit from the added micronutrient intake.
The fact you're getting stronger and pushing harder is great news. I'm a strong advocate of females being strong, though I don't think it should be a universal thing, as some don't want that to be their mantra and I respect that, but WELL DONE on where you've gotten to thus far and that's something to be proud of, as are your efforts in general, so I don't want you to be too downhearted about all this, as there are some definite positives and you seem like a really lovely Lady who just wants a bit more for yourself in life and I think you're worth it, especially after the mental and emotional concerns you eluded to going through in the past and I feel now that I want you to be happier, healthier and feel more beautiful within yourself and to be someone you can appreciate more for just being you.
So I say GOOD LUCK to you and maybe one or two things I said have made sense and the fact you like dogs tells me you've got a good heart and it's a heart that is made for sharing with the world and for loving your own self too; so keep letting your heart and head be guides and tools to help you along the way and don't stop striving to want more beautification and improvement of yourself okay, because it's not a vanity exercise, it's a health and well being exercise, to help you make more of your life and hopefully live longer and be more emotionally and mentally fulfilled and there's nothing wrong with that
.If you need anything else or you'd like to ask more, or share experiences or support with others, please do stick around, or visit us as often as you wish, as we're here for you and if you need a personal one to one about any sensitive things, I'm here for people to talk to, so PM me anytime and you have word it will stay strictly between us
.Take care Scorpea and have a great day.
Re: Not losing weight, low testosterone
Thank you so much Bossman. I currently do not take any meds, and wouldn't touch weight loss drugs with a ten foot pole. The doctors I have seen seem to want to medicate symptoms and not really address the issues causing the . I feel that hormonal imbalances must have something to do with it. I only take some supplements like fish oil, garlic, oregano, DT earth, apple Cider vinegar (yum) and vitamins. I now have four meals a day each with a fat, a protein and a carb. I have been told to eat more but it can be hard as I get full easy and do not have a lot of cravings, except for protein. When I first started tracking calories over a year ago I was getting around 1500 on average and wasn't very hungry. I am finally able to get down two eggs in the morning. I will try to add in another meal, maybe a protein kale shake and force it down lol.
Re: Not losing weight, low testosterone
I don't think can medicine help to lose weight. Rather you should walk hard, eat less, and walking in the morning is much more effective.