I am 15... Do I have gynecomastia?

[nycteen]

Hi. I really like this site, it's the only one I have found on the net. I am 15(16 really soon). I am definatly still pubescent since I am a 'late bloomer'. I'm not really sure how long I have had it maybe all of my life but I noticed it over the summer. I'm overweight but I still think I have gyne. I am about 5'8 or 5'8 and weigh 200 pounds. I go to the gym and do cardio and weight lifting. I lost 17 pounds but I havent seen much size reduction. I havent seen much reduction in my belly either so maybe it takes more fat loss. I'm really worried and my family would have no means to pay for surgery. It's very socially handicapping for me. Girls think I'm cute sometimes and try to talk to
me but I always shy away because of my lack of confidence. I really want to know your guys opinion if its fat or gland. Id be so happy to hear its fat taht means they will go away after excersising. Even if its not is it possible its pubescent and is it is when will it go away then. Thanks for all of your help!(by the way the second picture is of me bending over they dont normally hang that much)

[Vanatu]

I think you should excersise and see, it would also be very good to see a side shot, cause from this vantage point they don't seem very large.

[jc71]

You could lose a few, but I'd vote yes.  I think it's both fat and gland.  Contrary to your belief, gyne fat doesn't completely go away with exercise.  My gyne is 90% fat (according to the PS).  I fairly thin now and my chest looks just about the same as it did when I was heavy.

[nycteen]

But its fat eventually your bosy will burn it for energy. I don't have puffy nipples though I thought I was getting off:-\

[brownman]

pseudo-gyne fat will never be burned off for energy. And no you cant distringuish between fat and pseudo-gyne fat

[Yoshi]

My endo said a lot of my gyne was from loose skin from losing a lot of weight...you might have the same thing.

[Bakajin]

pseudo-gyne fat will never be burned off for energy. And no you cant distringuish between fat and pseudo-gyne fat

this is not correct.  gynecomastia and pseudogynecomastia both refer to the problem of male breasts with the difference being true gynecomastia being caused by gland (non-fat) material in the chest where as pseudogynecomastia is a common side effect of simply being overweight.  

Pseudogynecomastia is no different from having a fat stomach  except that it causes more social/mental problems and hence has its own name.  However there is nothing special about the fat and it can be lost in the exact same way as reducing the fat on your stomach.

true gynecomastia (which is actually quite rare) can not be fixed with just exercise and requires some form of treatment.  I think you are probably mixing up true gynecomastia gland material and the regular fat found in pseudogynecomastia

[Bakajin]

nycteen, getting in shape is not an easy or quick thing to do but you just have to stay motivated and try not to get too disappointed.  Your physique will change too gradually to really notice it day by day.  Probably it'll be your friends/family who will notice first, or when you make comparisons back to old photos.  its hard to tell just from a photo but my guess is that your problem is most likely just from fat.  If you can get down to 150-160 (depending of course on how much muscle you have) you should look like a completely different person.

as for girls, your biggest problem is likely your lack of confidence and not your cheast.  Especially when you hit university and beyond you'll find that looks only play a small part in getting a girl, confidence and personality are the main thing.  a confident and interesting average looking guy will generally be a lot more succesful than a good looking but socially inept guy.  of course having good looks/body and confidence isn't exactly a bad point  

[Spleen]

Get in shape and see if you have any post-pubertal change in the next couple of years.  Best of luck.

[nycteen]

Thanks for your posts and sorry for the long delay but you amde me happy when you said it was fat. I lost some more weight in mid october I was 217 and now im 194. My target is 170-ish maybe less. I have also gotten some muscle my biceps grew like 2 inches and my pecs and back have growns to although I havent measured them I just see im stronger. I do see my face is a little slimmer but not my belly or chest but if I look atmyself everyday I wont see the difference. Thanks a lot for your help I was really down thinking even if I lose all this fat id still have my chest now I have hope... and I know that it''s my lack of confidence that I cant get girls... but it  is mainly due to my chest.

[Midwestdude]

nycteen,

Good to hear you're taking steps with the weight.  As I'm sure you've heard and read, it really takes time and patience as fat is distributed throughout the body and seeing the process can be rather slow at times.  It's doesn't come on overnight and certainly we can't expect it to melt off overnight either.

I'm slowly and realistically approaching my problem with a low calorie (NOT starving) diet and regular cardio activity.  So far, I'm finding that eating 5 or 6 SMALL portions throughout the day of healthy foods keeps me satisfied.  Also, I never eat at night when the body's metabolism naturally slows.  (A big change for me)  My attitude is, "change my habits to good ones".

Very best of luck.

[nycteen]

I watch what I eat like I try not eat fatty foods. I havent eaten junk food or fast food in like 6 months. OTher than that  im nto ona ddiet. I cant eat 6 times a day... I don't have enough time especially with school and stuff they dont let you just eat whenever you want. I am satisfied with my weight loss progress so far. I am a bit upset because someone said as you lose weight it becomes harder and ahrder as you become lighter. I hope I don't get un determined when that happens. I do 35 minutes of ellypitcal(cardio) about 5 times a week. Is there any particular order were fat comes off first? Does it come off at one spot first or like a little off everywhere? Is 23 pounds soemthing I should visibally notice?

[outertrial]

I read a book called 'Diets Dont Work' By Bob Scwharz when I was you age. Helped me lose weight and Ive never put it back on these past 15 years.

[nycteen]

Is 500 calories a day too little? I really want to lose weight I dont mind not eating that much if I lose the weight but I want to do it healthy way. Whats a good amount of calories to eat? Im 5'8 and 194 pounds I want to get down to 160-170.

[Midwestdude]

500 calories a day is NOT enough.  That amount is almost starvation.  It wouldn't take long for your body to go into a survival mode, conserving it's fuel and slowing down the metabolism.  Even if you could reasonably function on 500 calories a day for a while, who knows how your internal organs would react to it.

Slow and steady is the pace.  The weight did not go on overnight and one can't expect it to lose it overnight.  It's about lower calories, cardio exercise, and lifting (to build muscle which in turn becomes fat-burning.