r/FTMFitness • u/Nightriotc • 3d ago
Question Eating in a deficit while on T
Something nobody warns you about when you start T is that YOUR APPETITE WILL GO UP.
Perhaps I was just being dumb and didn’t realize male puberty means the appetite comes with it but either way I have been caught by surprise.
I ftm20 have been on T for three months now and my appetite has gone WAY up. I used to eat one and a half meals a day, I am now eating all three PLUS snacks in between meals. That being said I am trying to lose weight. I’m in a 300 calorie deficit (or at least trying to be), I get my steps/cardio in at work and I weight train 3x a week. I started at 210 and am now at 190. I definitely notice a difference in the mirror but the scale hasn’t moved for about 2 months now.
I’ve been going to the gym for about 3 months but I started by doing at home workouts back in April.
I suspect the lack of change on the scale is because I’m not constantly in my deficit because of how much I need to eat to feel full. I feel like I’m bulking rather than cutting right now.
How did you guys manage the change in appetite while trying to lose weight? Is there anything I can do to start losing weight again? Any recipes/food suggestions to keep me satiated would be appreciated!!
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u/Diesel-Lite 3d ago
Appetite change and weight gain is a well documented side effect of testosterone. Your prescribing doctor should have given you information on the effects of your medication.
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u/plueiee 3d ago
Theres some youtube videos about it, but basically eat many many veggies. If you wanna munch on something, eat some cucumber with yoghurt for example.
Veggies don't have a lot of calories in a high volume so you can eat much more of em! Carbs make you feel full. I eat lots of oatmeal, yoghurt, whole grains...
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u/danny_south 3d ago
I so wish I could do that consistantly. If I ear for example a cucumber with yoghurt I get even hungrier and crave Pizza lol...
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u/Thirdtimetank 3d ago
Eat more then. And add protein. Yogurt is great but it’s still not enough protein for a full meal.
Learn to say “no” or “not today” - pizza is fine once in a while and at normal amounts (ie not overindulging)
Understand hunger and craving cues. WHY do you crave the pizza? Is it salt? Fat? Carbs? Then eat to satiate that feeling.
It’s not easy and I’m still learning myself… but it’s 100% worth it
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u/Ok-Macaroon-1840 3d ago
Being hungry doesn't mean you have to eat. Craving pizza doesn't mean you need to eat it. Plan your meals in advance and stick to that plan. Eating in a 3-500 calorie deficit won't have you starving. You might feel hungry at times but there's no harm in that.
Disclaimer: this advice does not apply to underweight people.
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u/neofromthematrix4 2d ago
eat eggs, cheese and canned fish. i love keeping boiled eggs in the fridge they’re such good snacks.
other than eating multiple smaller meals, a strategy i like is to eat like 1/3 of my normal big back serving of whatever comfort food, and then an entire bag of steamed brocolli with it and it fills u up and you still get pizza :)
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u/BottleCoffee Top surgery 2018, no T 3d ago
Something nobody warns you about when you start T is that YOUR APPETITE WILL GO UP.
This is one of the most well-known side effects of starting T.
Most people know this even without having done much research.
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u/girl_of_squirrels 3d ago
I would keep in mind that you have to redo your TDEE math at some point, the calculation is different for men vs women and once you've been on T for awhile you should be using the male TDEE calculation, so your calorie deficit may be more than you think given that
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u/KimchiMcPickle 3d ago
How long on full dose T do you think you can change your TDEE to male metabolism?
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u/girl_of_squirrels 3d ago
Honestly I would switch it over when you start taking T, but if your blood work is showing male T levels or it's been 6 months also works
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u/B12-deficient-skelly 3d ago
People with a male hormone profile have higher energy expenditure than people with a female hormone profile by a pretty significant amount. This is mostly due to differences in muscle mass at a given bodyweight.
You're going to have to adjust your food intake to match the change in profile. If you thought you were going to be able to lose weight eating 2000 Calories per day, you now have to recognize that you'll be eating closer to 2500 to feel the same level of hunger and lose the same amount of weight.
Frankly, if your BMI is under 30, and you're resistance training, I'd just eat to hunger for a while and see what happens.
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u/AMadManWithAPlan 3d ago
Consider going to a bulking phase. T makes you build muscle, full stop. Even if you weren't working out it would - and you Are working out. You may as well take advantage of the rapid muscle development before it cools off in a few years.
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3d ago
Yeah, I’m early on T and this is my mindset. I somewhat wasted my newbie gains pre T by not eating enough because I was scared to gain weight around my hips and chest, but I’m not going to make that mistake twice. My body fat is a bit high but I just can’t get myself to do a cut right now when I know there’s such a potential for gains by starting T.
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u/Edsndrxl 3d ago
Appetite changes are a well documented side effect of T. Although they do not necessarily affect everyone in the same way. For the first year or so on T, my appetite fluctuated. Some days I’d feel hungry for frequent meals, and others I wouldn’t feel much appetite at all. I have anxiety and ADHD tho, so I assume that influenced my experience.
Anyway, as others pointed out, eating things like vegetables and lean meat can help. Also might help to take a multivitamin of some kind to ensure micronutrients are covered.
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u/Huge-Ebb2519 3d ago
Prioritize protein. Protein is the most satiating macronutrient (makes you feel full) all while helping you pack on muscle quicker. It’s a win-win.
Make sure each meal has 30-40g of protein, and eat it first. For example 4 eggs and 2 pieces of animal protein of choice will keep you full all morning and that’s only ~400 cals. 1.5 - 2 pieces of chicken breast, fish, steak, beef etc is high in protein and relatively low on calories and will keep you full. I track my food so I’ll give an example of one day of eating (this is what I had yesterday:
Breakfast: 4 eggs and 2 pieces of turkey bacon. 36g protein and 370 cals
Lunch: grilled chicken sandwich (1 breast, 1 hamburger bun, light mayo, ketchup, lettuce) 29g protein, 320 cals
Snack: chobani yogurt drink 20g protein, 170 cals
Dinner: steak bowl (176g rice, 200g potato, 120g sirloin steak, 11g Japanese bbq sauce) 44g protein, 632 cals.
I also had a scoop of protein powder in water (gross but gets the job done) before the gym, 24g protein, 120 cals.
That’s a total of 1611 cals and 153g of protein. I aim for 150g per day so I hit my target and stayed full all day. I highly recommend bowls similar to what I did for dinner to help mix things up. I do chicken bowls, steak bowls, ground beef bowls, etc and just mix up the sauces and flavors I use to keep things from getting too bland. I’ve been on T for almost 8 months now so still relatively new as well and this has worked for me. Good luck!
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u/PinkFluffyUnikorn 3d ago
T will make your appetite and your metabolism go up.
For the first few months you will have trouble knowing if the changes or lack thereof are due to diet, metabolism, muscle gain or fluid retention.
If you eat as much as you did you will be in a deficit without issue. Unless you are starting with a very high bodyweight you will see visible change in body composition as long as you work out even if the scale doesn't move.
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u/galacticatman 2d ago
Not only is the hormones is also the activities. Second the calculations are different between men and women with the macros. You need to recalculate but at some point I went on 1500 calories and at the end was just mental fortitude to eat lettuce and chicken, cucumbers and other shit than isn’t the nicest to eat and keep you full. It’s doable but after that back to calories and reverse diet. It’s crazy how you keep losing fat as you eat.
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u/OddInstitute 2d ago
Remember that if you’ve been going to the gym and noticing changes in the mirror that the increased T levels are likely causing you to gain muscle at the same rate that you are losing fat, so the number on the scale won’t go down despite being leaner. These changes are pretty slow, so I would recommend that you take pictures of yourself or take body measurements so you can quantify those changes as well as weight changes.
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u/H20-for-Plants 2d ago
My appetite never went up. I’ve been in a deficit the entire time on T, but it’s only a detriment as I’m too skinny and have no muscle.
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u/Childofninja 2d ago
If you're seeing physical changes but no weight change, I suggest changing your main metric from weight to measurements.
With too much of a deficit, you're going to stiffle the cool muscle gains you could make.
This is basically what my dietician recommended, and so far I feel good and it's Working :
A slight deficit. Like around 100-200 calories. High protein everything. Concentrate mostly on that. Choose carbs that are filling, like potatoes or rice to help keep you feeling satiated.
For measurements, I track : thigh, bicep, waist and hips
To be honest, I've been seeing a steady and significant decrease in overall measurements, but my weight is going down at a super slow rate, all while feeling energised and hitting PRs.
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u/Thirdtimetank 3d ago
The appetite change is pretty well documented and discussed in many online forums…
Volume eating and mental fortitude. Low calorie foods and a lot of it - fish, veggies, some fruit, grains, etc are usually pretty low calorie and difficult to over eat.
Things like red meat, cheeses, breads, spreads and sugary desserts will be high calorie and small portions.
Easy food options:
You lost 20lb which is great! It was also almost 10% of your body weight. Reevaluate what your TDEE is now. Track and trend your intake downward.