Fixing My Hormones Gave Me More Gains Than Shedding Pounds

I’ve always been the biggest guy in the room. In high school, I weighed 196 pounds, but most of it was muscle, so it didn’t slow me down. I was a star athlete on the baseball, football, tennis, and track teams and could run five miles a day without getting winded.

Then I graduated. I became less active and gained weight. For the next two decades, the number on the scale increased. Eventually, it read 400 pounds. 

I was unhappy but put off making changes until I realized that the physical limitations of being over 400 pounds were impacting my relationship with my son. It killed me that I didn’t have the energy or fitness to teach him how to shoot hoops. When even going on a walk with him became painful, I knew it was time to get serious about my health. 

I made an appointment with an obesity doctor. He checked my body composition and told me that while I had a lot of fat to lose, I was also carrying a good amount of muscle. He said I was a candidate for a weight loss surgery called a duodenal switch, a combination of a gastric sleeve and an intestinal bypass.

I had the surgery at 36 years old, and the weight started to fall off quickly. I ate 140 to 160 grams of protein every day to maintain my muscle, per my doctor’s recommendation, and exercised regularly.

TRT TRANSFORMATIONS

My Doctor Said My Testosterone Was Normal—So Why Did I Have Symptoms?

I Feel 10 Years Younger After Treating My Low T

In a year, I lost 200 pounds. While that was a huge win, I still felt completely exhausted. It made no sense, but I was actually more fatigued than I was before the weight loss. The worst part? My muscles seemingly disappeared. 

A recheck of my body composition confirmed that, along with fat, I’d lost a lot of muscle. I upped my protein intake and increased the intensity of workouts despite my low energy. But none of it helped. I still couldn’t pack on any muscle.

Then I saw an ad for Hone while scrolling Facebook. Low energy? Struggling to build muscle? It could be low testosterone. Yeah, those were my symptoms to a T. I ordered an at-home hormone assessment. 

I got my results a few weeks later: My total testosterone level was 363 ng/dL.

The doctor prescribed clomiphene to stimulate the natural production of testosterone along with anastrozole to balance my hormones. Within six weeks, my energy started to pick up, and I started to build muscle. 

My three-month follow-up labs revealed my estrogen levels were too high, which explained why I was struggling to lose fat around my chest. 

BALANCE YOUR HORMONES

Clomid®* for Men: Can It Help With Infertility and Low Testosterone?

Do I Need to Take Anastrozole with Testosterone?

My doctor adjusted my medications to bring my estrogen levels back down to a healthy range. My energy levels improved even more. I could lift heavier weights for more reps at the gym, which helped build chest definition. 

Six months into hormone therapy, I’m able to share my passion for fitness with my son. We go to the gym together every day—my wife practically has to drag us off of the basketball court. I’m down to 184 pounds, the lightest I’ve been in my adult life.