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Old 06-26-2006, 01:04 AM   #1  
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Default Testosterone To Help Women Lose Weight???

I was laying in bed trying to sleep, and thinking about how much easier it is for men to lose weight then women, they say its b/c of testosterone and how men usually have more muscle, which burns more calories, and testosterone has alot to do with muscles, and blah blah so Im thinking why not have something for women that has lower amounts of testosterone to help women lose weight? Now I know blood work would need to be done, to check their level of testosterone, b/c we can't have too much of it...but maybe thats another problem some women have? They have too low of testosterone levels, and maybe doctors should start checking for that when a woman patient complains of trouble losing weight?

I found this website http://www.mesomorphosis.com/article...inology-01.htm

The article is written by two doctors, and it discusses testosterone replacement in women for weight loss, I think it is a very interesting read, and this might make for some interesting conversation.

So what do you all think?
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Old 06-26-2006, 01:21 AM   #2  
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Testosterone turns into estrogen if there is too much of it in the body and estrogen works to store fat. Too much testosterone causes things like baldness, facial and body hair, infertility, ovarian cysts, and a host of other problems.

I bet there are some women who could benifit from more T but they would have to be carefully screened to avoid giving it to someone who may be producing too much
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Old 06-26-2006, 01:31 AM   #3  
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I had no idea it turned into estrogen, maybe that is why most women gain weight when going on the pill, b/c it works to store fat??
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Old 06-26-2006, 12:21 PM   #4  
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Increased muscle mass does increase a person's metabolism and make it a little easier to lose weight, but if they are taking testosterone - it may also make them bigger instead of toned.

In a way, it does make sense, but it would definately have to be closely monitored to find personal levels that don't result in bad side effects.
Personally, I don't think testosterone therapy would be a good idea to give to most women because of the undesirable side effects - increased muscle mass, body and facial hair... just look at female body builders who take androgens - male sex hormones.
It might also be a problem with women trying to have children and cycles and all that... It seems like there might be another better way for weight loss than testosterone therapy.

Last edited by thirdangel; 06-27-2006 at 01:51 AM.
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Old 06-26-2006, 08:14 PM   #5  
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The thought of excess facial hair and chest hair are enough to say let me stay fat.
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Old 06-27-2006, 04:39 AM   #6  
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I've got PCOS, and one of the chief issues with it is an overabundance of male hormones (including testosterone). It makes weight loss more difficult than for the average woman. So I just don't see how it could be a good idea, if your hormones are normal, to take testosterone & hope it'll help you lose weight.

Like thirdangel said, increased muscle mass does help a person lose weight (and it is generally understood to be this difference that makes men lose weight faster than women). So the best thing to do is--wait for it--LIFT WEIGHTS. Coincidentally, there's a great forum here on 3FC devoted to just that:
Ladies (and Gents) Who Lift - Bodybuilding

Much safer than tinkering around with hormones.
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Old 06-27-2006, 10:37 AM   #7  
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What I think needs to be adressed...is that we are WOMEN. Women are not men, and we are not meant to have the same physical makeup as men do.
I do not believe the women whould be taking testosterone for weight loss under really, any circumstances.

Women are meant to have a naturally higher body fat percentage than men...even in the most fit men and women-if you compare a super fit man to a super fit woman-the woman will 99% of the time have a higher body fat percentage-simply because she is a girl.

Women and men have different hormone levels and different body compositions, simply, because that is how babies are made, carried to term, and fed (breastfeeding) afterwards.

The female body is much more complex in this fashion-because while men simply "fertilize the egg", women were meant to take on the bulk of continuing the human race onward-carrying a baby to term, delivering that child, and nourishing it from our own bodies. Men simply cannot do that-and because of that, they don't need the same hormone levels and body fat levels that we do.

Men in most cases do lose weight easier than women-but that does not mean that we should be taking hormones to raise our testosterone levels. It means that if we were in a famine and pregnant or breastfeeding-that our bodies are designed to "make the most" to sustain that baby off of our own body fat reserves. We were not designed "wrong". We were in fact, designed beautifully in that aspect. Our "curves" if you will, from our higher body fat percentages, would be converted to food to sustain our pregnancy and to nourish our nursing baby in times where food was not plentiful.

This is the reason why extreme athletes, or women with eating disorders, often stop menstruating once their body weight, or body fat percentages get too low. This is nature's way of saying "Hey, you don't have enough padding here to make nature feel comfortable letting you get pregnant right now".

This is also the same reason that a lot of women who have a baby and nurse 100% (no formula, before the aby is ready for solid foods, etc.) often do not menstruate until formula or baby food is introduced. This is nature's way of knowing that you already have a newborn completely dependant on you as nourishment right now...and it is not the time for you to concieve again.

Testosterone has some weight loss advantages-FOR MEN. It also has a lot of other side effects that we really don't want. The hormone levels in a man cause them to gain size/mass when they strength train...while a female's body chemistry will cause them to get firmer, tighter, and stronger-from doing those same strength training exercises. We don't get "big like Arnold".

We are different...and in my opinion, designed perfectly in that aspect.
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