Photo showing weight differences after being on TRT
Health

TRT Helped Me Lose 90 Pounds

“At 670 pounds I was told, “Get busy dying, or get busy living.”

I’ve always been a bigger guy—even as a small child I can remember being larger than my peers. In high school, I was a heavyweight wrestler and played left tackle for the football team. 

As I entered adulthood, my weight gain continued. By 2016, I tipped the scale at 670 pounds. At 33-years-old, my doctors told me to “get busy dying, or get busy living.”

I adopted the keto diet and did a mix of cardio and weight lifting for exercise. By 2020, I had lost 260 pounds. My newfound confidence led me into a healthy relationship with a woman who loved me and my body. But feeling comfortable in my own skin—and indulging in all of the fun activities that so often come with new relationships, like going out to eat and relaxing on the sofa at home— stunted my weight loss journey. 

When the pandemic hit, my gym closed its doors. My motivation to stick with my restrictive diet tanked, along with any desire to work out at home. 

I watched the numbers on the scale creep back up. By 2021, I was over 450 pounds again.

TRT Got Me Back on Track

When the worst of the pandemic subsided, I decided to get back in the gym. But my energy levels and gains weren’t where they used to be. I felt drained after every session. I heard that low testosterone was a common issue for my age, and decided to check out my levels just to see where they were at.

I ordered an at-home test through Hone Health. It revealed that my total testosterone was at 118 ng/dl (normal range is around 175 – 781 ng/dl) and free testosterone was at 2 ng/dl (normal levels are between 3 – 20 ng/dl). After a telehealth consultation with a doctor, I was prescribed twice weekly anastrozole to decrease my estrogen levels and an oral TRT medication to boost my testosterone.

Within a month, my testosterone levels were back in a normal range. Soon after, my energy started to return. I started to hit the gym again; I go five days a week between 4 and 6 am. I’m building gains faster than ever. Taking a couple hours for myself at the gym each day has done wonders for my mental health, too. 

I pair TRT with intermittent fasting. I switched from keto to intermittent fasting because I was tired of the dietary restrictions I had to follow in order to maintain ketosis. I use the 20-4 method: fast for 20 hours a day and eat high-protein within four hours. I try to stay under 2500 calories to support my gains and my weight loss. I’ve found that intermittent fasting is just as effective at maintaining ketosis, without being as restrictive: when the kids want pizza, I opt for a single slice and a side salad instead of scarfing down a whole pie by myself. Even though I lost a ton of weight on keto alone, I was shocked at how fast the fat around my stomach shrunk once I paired TRT with IF.

One Year on TRT

In the year that I’ve been on TRT with Hone Health I’ve lost 90 pounds. I’m 40 years old, and for the first time in 25 years, I’m under 400 pounds. 

Next stop: Under 300.

Hone’s at-home testosterone assessment is the simplest way to uncover whether your levels are low. If you qualify for treatment, TRT can be sent right to your door.  

OPTIMIZE YOUR HORMONES