Hormones & BodyFat

[rashdudes]

Will i be correct in saying that not being able to loose body fat (even after exercising regularly
and eating clean) be as a result of abnormal hormonal levels (low testosterone or high estrogen)?

There could be 2 scenarios here:

1. Being able to loose bodyfat initially and gain some muscle in the process, and later to stop loosing fat
   - no matter what you do (even hours of cardio).
2. Not being able to loose fat at all.

I belong to category 1. I am 25 and 5' 7.5" tall. I weighed 170lbs 2 years ago. I then joined a gym
and brought my weight down to 152lbs. I have also gained some muscle in the process (but its not much).
I try to lift heavy (max out) and take protein regularly (1gm per pound of body weight). I also take
creatine supplement (alternating ever month).

I am not sure what my body fat is. My back and arms are lean; however, my chest, legs and stomach have
some fat. These areas are resisting to any training i do (i don't think i have hit a Plateau as i did cross training
for a month and it didn't help). I also have some amount of glandular material below my puffy nipples.
My goal is to gain get a 6 pack  yes, yes i know... I can feel all the six of them now (about 1/2 inch under a layer
of fat). I don't know how to get rid of this lower mini-gut now

I understand this could only be achievable by lowering my bodyfat - but I am loosing patience now. I don't know if
i will see results if i continue my workout regime. It would be a waste of body and will-power if i don't get anywhere.

BTW, I stopped doing prolonged duration of cardio (45 to 60 mins) recently and started HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)
twice a week; as too much of cardio was causing muscle loss. 

Can anyone tell me (roughly) how long does it take for this last layer of fat to vanish? any experiences?

I am going to visit a specialist in endocrinology tomorrow and will probably ask him if he can write me some tests.
Will keep u folks updated!

[matthew1]

  check  hormones, if  you  have low  testosterone  and or  hi estrogen  that last bit of fat will never go away

[9Wolf]

my thoughts:

many things could be at play here... one very important thing to have checked which relates to BOTH gynecomastia AND fat metabolism is your thyroid function. i think low thyroid levels (hypo-thyroidism) leads to a lower metabolism and linked to gyno as well... i've done a lot of research in this area and amazingly, your carbohydrate metabolism specifically also affects your propensity to 'hold fat' on your body no matter how hard you exercise. i now do the low-carb diet and it works very well with finally getting to that hard-to-lose amounts of fat...

[rashdudes]

Thanks Matthew & 9Wolf!

Last week i visited a specialist in Endocrinology. He wrote me 3 tests (24 hr urine, Cortisol and a basic test).
I should be hearing from him in a couple of days. Will keep you folks updated.

[rashdudes]

Got my results from the lab. this morning - doc says all is in range.
I am skeptic about the results because if i remember correctly many
members were told the same only to find out later that a 'normal range'
can be that of a 70 year old  So here it goes:

Creatinine, Urine(24 hr) :

Creatinine, urine - 138.2 mg/dl
Creatinine excretion - 1732 mg/volume
Free T4 - 1.1 ng/dL
Prolactin - 7 mg/ml
TSH - 2.11 uIU/mL

Testosterone, TOT & FREE:

Testosterone, Free, S - 24.2 ng/dL
Testosterone, Total, S - 538 ng/dL

Cortisol, FREE, 24HR URINE:

Cortisol, Urine - 41 ug/24 h

(This was collected early in the morning - report says 3.5 to 45 is within range).

[cobol465]

Hi,

Same scenario here. I have managed to lose weight - got some lean arms and back and relatively front abs but with huge side handles. I managed to lose 20 lbs but it felt that I'm stuck. I should say I have that kind of "watery" fat like that of a woman and I don't grow muscle that much. I eat 6 small meals a day and even changed my weight training program. Alternately I run cardio HIIT style every other day for 20 minutes.

With the promptings of some of the guys here, I went to see an endocrinologist just a while ago. He had me take some and test and God they are so expensive.  I'm planning to do it next week. Here are tests that I should take hope you can help tell me what they are for:

FSH
LH
Testosterone
Creatinine
SGPT
FBS
Prolactin-RIA
FT4
TSH
and an Ultrasound in testicles (not sure if this is really related)

Got my results from the lab. this morning - doc says all is in range.
I am skeptic about the results because if i remember correctly many
members were told the same only to find out later that a 'normal range'
can be that of a 70 year old  So here it goes:

Creatinine, Urine(24 hr) :

Creatinine, urine - 138.2 mg/dl
Creatinine excretion - 1732 mg/volume
Free T4 - 1.1 ng/dL
Prolactin - 7 mg/ml
TSH - 2.11 uIU/mL

Testosterone, TOT & FREE:

Testosterone, Free, S - 24.2 ng/dL
Testosterone, Total, S - 538 ng/dL

Cortisol, FREE, 24HR URINE:

Cortisol, Urine - 41 ug/24 h

(This was collected early in the morning - report says 3.5 to 45 is within range).

[matthew1]

as too much of cardio was causing muscle loss. 

it this true?

[rashdudes]

^^ your reply looks Kludged 

Yes. Too much causes muscle loss. Your body can get catabolic.

[rashdudes]

Hi,

Same scenario here. I have managed to lose weight - got some lean arms and back and relatively front abs but with huge side handles. I managed to lose 20 lbs but it felt that I'm stuck. I should say I have that kind of "watery" fat like that of a woman and I don't grow muscle that much. I eat 6 small meals a day and even changed my weight training program. Alternately I run cardio HIIT style every other day for 20 minutes.

With the promptings of some of the guys here, I went to see an endocrinologist just a while ago. He had me take some and test and God they are so expensive.  I'm planning to do it next week. Here are tests that I should take hope you can help tell me what they are for:

FSH
LH
Testosterone
Creatinine
SGPT
FBS
Prolactin-RIA
FT4
TSH
and an Ultrasound in testicles (not sure if this is really related)

Hey there! Sorry I am no expert on this  The doc must hav written these tests based on your case study.
Definitely, these tests will give you a  clear idea whether u have a hormonal problem or not.

Do post those results in this Forum, there are many experts around that can help.

[pjnIL]

Just to give you all some useful info.  Excessive body fat around your stomach converts testosterone into estrogen.  So if you are overweight do not take extra testosterone.  All there is to do is lose weight, with a reduction of the excessive fat, the testosterone will no longer be converted.   

[matthew1]

Just to give you all some useful info.  Excessive body fat around your stomach converts testosterone into estrogen.  So if you are overweight do not take extra testosterone.  All there is to do is lose weight, with a reduction of the excessive fat, the testosterone will no longer be converted.   

   problem with me is I have the stomach fat,  VERY hard to loose with  high estrodiol levels and low  testosterone levels. Kind of a vicous circle.
           I am taking testosterone cream anyway

[rashdudes]

Just to give you all some useful info.  Excessive body fat around your stomach converts testosterone into estrogen.  So if you are overweight do not take extra testosterone.  All there is to do is lose weight, with a reduction of the excessive fat, the testosterone will no longer be converted.   

   problem with me is I have the stomach fat,  VERY hard to loose with  high estrodiol levels and low  testosterone levels. Kind of a vicous circle.
           I am taking testosterone cream anyway

So, do you think i should be able to loose stomach fat - considering that my testosterone levels are not very low?
Off course while continuing cardio, healthy diet, yada yada

[matthew1]

  your doctor sucks,  they did  not   order the correct tests

  just being in''normal'' range  with  testosterone does  not  mean shit.

   SOOOO many important  tests not included in above post

 estrodiol  is a major  player in the ability  to loose  fat, especially the ratio to  testosterone.
  your endo is clueless

go to
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/forumdisplay.php?f=81

  read up in the HRT  area  for what test you need and what result mean
   

[rashdudes]

  your doctor sucks,  they did  not   order the correct tests

  just being in''normal'' range  with  testosterone does  not  mean shit.

   SOOOO many important  tests not included in above post

 estrodiol  is a major  player in the ability  to loose  fat, especially the ratio to  testosterone.
  your endo is clueless

go to
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/forumdisplay.php?f=81

  read up in the HRT  area  for what test you need and what result mean
   

Hey man! Got a bunch of other tests done.

Got Estradiol diagnostic, its 23

So my testosterone to estradiol ratio would be like 24/1