Weird condition

[argonaut]

This may not be directly related to gynecomastia, but since I am afflicted with that, I am hoping to get some light shed on a weird condition that accompanies it.

I was always skinny as a rail, narrow shouldered and hipped, flat chest and abdomin all the way down, and tall. When I was 29, at 6' 3", I weighed only 125 lbs -- I remember asking a trainer at a gym how long it might take me to increase my weight by 25 lbs!

But when I reached my early 30s, I developed some fat on my upper body. Discovering this creeping up, I began exercising more, cut way back on my fat intake (became vegan -- no animal foods at all), but not knowing better did continue with beer and wine intake.

By the time I hit my early forties, I started to develop fat on my breast area, and belly fat increase continued, something I didn't notice until seeing pics of myself sans shirt. By the time I hit my late forties, I discovered to my horror that I had developed gynecomastia and a growing belly, despite regular vigorous exercise and extremely low fat diet. But even worse is that I discovered that directly below my rib cage, my stomach was protruding, much further out than my lower ab or breasts.

Last year I upped my exercise routine by working with a trainer to build my muscles and reduce my upper body fat. Well, my muscles have developed, but the fat remains, and so too does my upper ab right at the sternum protrude. What's weird is that there is no fat whatsoever between my muscle at that part of my anatomy and my skin. When I tense it, it is hard as a rock because of my exercising.

So I take my shirt off, and I have breasts, a belly, and a protruding upper ab, despite being basically a skinny dude. I am looking into surgery to remove the breasts and belly fat, but what gives with the protruding upper ab?

Another note to add is that my father had a similar condition with his ab all his life, from at least teenhood on. He developed gynecomastia later in life, but when he was younger and thin, his entire ab from rib cage down protruded so that it looked literally like he had a ball sewn in under his skin. Needless to say he was extremely embarrassed about it, as I am now about my condition, which is thankfully not nearly as pronounced. None of my siblings ever developed that condition, although two are now overweight. The deal is that my chest and stomach were always totally flat, as pics of my sans shirt show, until much later in life. With my dad's condition, it was thought to be the result of protruding ribs, but I don't see I have that going on.

One doctor I went to for a free consultation for lipodissolve told me that the upper ab protrusion would diminish with the removal of the lower ab fat. So I wonder if that's what's going on -- the lower ab fat pushing up the muscle tissue of the upper ab.

Whatever the case, it is something I don't see in other guys. Last night I went to the gym with a friend and she commented that she couldn't understand why my upper ab stuck out so much, like no other guys around who were definitely pudgy/overweight, had bellies, etc., and especially when I'm hardly overweight otherwise.

Any ideas?

[argonaut]

I forgot to mention that I'd upload some pics, but I don't see any way to do this, and the help section doesn't offer and instructions on how.

[MSJ108]

Im a little lost man. I prob can help once I see some pictures

[pjnIL]

You are approaching it from the wrong direction.  Weight gain due to body fat is not caused by fat.  A high fat diet will cause heart problems; it will clog your arteries.  Extra body fat is caused by an excessive consumption of carbohydrates and sugars.  One can not build muscle without protein consumption.  Meat is the main source of protein and iron.  Unless your vegan diet is because of ethical reasons you should discontinue it.  It is not healthy.  A human is intended to eat a balance of plants and animals.  That is why humans have teeth meant for meat and teeth meant for plants.  Either way, it is most likely due to a lack of protein.  Belly fat can convert testosterone into estrogen.  You should consult a dietitian.   What you describe with your belly sounds like what happens when people starve.  Your belly starts to protrude when starving.  How much do you eat a day?  Do not go overboard on diet and exercise.  You need a balanced plan. 

[donnieosmond]

Kleinfelter's syndrome?

[argonaut]

Your answer, pjnIL, is not only misguided, it's totally ill-informed.

See the following:

http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/

http://foodrevolution.org/askjohn/6.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOTETXwfIaY


I am far from starving or low in protein intake, and I don't overtrain, thanks.

You are approaching it from the wrong direction.  Weight gain due to body fat is not caused by fat.  A high fat diet will cause heart problems; it will clog your arteries.  Extra body fat is caused by an excessive consumption of carbohydrates and sugars.  One can not build muscle without protein consumption.  Meat is the main source of protein and iron.  Unless your vegan diet is because of ethical reasons you should discontinue it.  It is not healthy.  A human is intended to eat a balance of plants and animals.  That is why humans have teeth meant for meat and teeth meant for plants.  Either way, it is most likely due to a lack of protein.  Belly fat can convert testosterone into estrogen.  You should consult a dietitian.   What you describe with your belly sounds like what happens when people starve.  Your belly starts to protrude when starving.  How much do you eat a day?  Do not go overboard on diet and exercise.  You need a balanced plan. 

[argonaut]

?

--------------------------

Klinefelter's Syndrome
Also called: XXY male
Klinefelter's syndrome is a condition that occurs in men who have an extra X chromosome in most of their cells. The syndrome can affect different stages of physical, language and social development. The most common symptom is infertility. Because they often don't make as much of the male hormone testosterone as other boys, teenagers with Klinefelter's syndrome may have less facial and body hair and may be less muscular than other boys. They may have trouble using language to express themselves. They may be shy and have trouble fitting in.
It is important to start treatment as early as possible. With treatment, most boys grow up to have normal sex lives, successful careers and normal social relationships. Treatments include
Educational services
Physical, speech and occupational therapy
Medical treatments including testosterone replacement

Kleinfelter's syndrome?

[Paa_Paw]

Klinefelters would account for height as people with the condition tend to be taller than average.

People with klinefelters also tend to be rather lean.

I suppose a person could have it and not exhibit all of the symptoms.

It would probably be wise to eliminate it if this has not already been done.