obesechess
Member
Hi y'all,
for a bit more of my background (optional) I have a thread here about being on HCG Monotherapy for many, many years: Long-Term HCG Monotherapy Results and that'll go into some specific blood work.
But here's the situation.
I have kept 100lbs off for over a decade and cannot get the last little bit off - all of the weight is concentrated in my stomach. I've tried every possible diet and my body usually adjusts rapidly with all the lost weight coming back after a few weeks (ie, I did IF/keto at a deficit and dropped 10lbs in two months, and then by month three of that diet, with no changes to caloric intake, it had all come back).
I weigh all of my food and track all of my calories meticulously. All of it. If I put two tablespoons of whole milk in my coffee, it gets logged. Splash of cooking oil in my stir-fry? Logged. Believe me when I tell you I know exactly how many calories I am eating. I also have a very "clean" diet. Yesterday's eating, for example, was as follows; Breakfast - oatmeal, fresh fruit and some almonds, protein shake. Lunch - grilled chicken thighs, stir-fried vegetables, steamed rice. Dinner - lean flank steak, black beans, brown rice, steamed veggies. Dessert - a very small bowl of dark chocolate granola with some whole milk. I drink plenty of water. That's an average day for me, though on Friday or Saturday night I may have 1-2 beers and a slightly larger untracked meal (ie, going out to dinner with friends, but not going totally nuts and eating a large pizza by myself).
I otherwise don't drink, nor do I use any recreational drugs.
I am physically active, doing at least 30 minutes of Zone 2 cardio 4-5 times per week and lifting weights at least three times per week. I do not have any trouble gaining muscle in the gym.
I have gotten my metabolism clinically checked in a hospital setting, which showed my RMR to be 2350 calories per day. Working with a nutritionist, we set that as my "floor" for my caloric intake and I started eating 2450 calories per day, at which point I started gaining one pound per week despite being ravenously hungry. We also did a body fat check via skin fold, later independently confirmed by BodPod scan - my arms, legs, upper back, and shoulders were all in the single digits or close to it (8% to 10%) but my upper chest/pec area was 28% body fat and my abdomen was 44%. The doctor said he had never seen anything like it and that usually the variance is at most 10% between body parts.
The following blood values have all been tested and are within normal ranges: T3, T4, TSH, Free/Total Testosterone, Estrogen, Cortisol, A1C, fasting and un-fasted blood glucose, full liver and kidney panels.
I am currently taking three prescription medications: HCG monotherapy for low T as indicated, 350iu subcutaneously per day. Trintellix for depression, 10mg per day. Vyvanse for ADD, 20mg per day.
So, my thought here is that something chemical is going on. To support this hypothesis I will note that about two years ago I took compounded semaglutide for a few months before losing my job and having to quit for financial reasons. With with no other lifestyle changes I lost ten pounds in two months, and this weight has not come back. I'm not opposed to going the GLP-1 route again, but I am worried that my symptoms are indicative of a larger issue.
Are there other labs I should be looking at? I'm just totally stumped here.
Cheers!
for a bit more of my background (optional) I have a thread here about being on HCG Monotherapy for many, many years: Long-Term HCG Monotherapy Results and that'll go into some specific blood work.
But here's the situation.
I have kept 100lbs off for over a decade and cannot get the last little bit off - all of the weight is concentrated in my stomach. I've tried every possible diet and my body usually adjusts rapidly with all the lost weight coming back after a few weeks (ie, I did IF/keto at a deficit and dropped 10lbs in two months, and then by month three of that diet, with no changes to caloric intake, it had all come back).
I weigh all of my food and track all of my calories meticulously. All of it. If I put two tablespoons of whole milk in my coffee, it gets logged. Splash of cooking oil in my stir-fry? Logged. Believe me when I tell you I know exactly how many calories I am eating. I also have a very "clean" diet. Yesterday's eating, for example, was as follows; Breakfast - oatmeal, fresh fruit and some almonds, protein shake. Lunch - grilled chicken thighs, stir-fried vegetables, steamed rice. Dinner - lean flank steak, black beans, brown rice, steamed veggies. Dessert - a very small bowl of dark chocolate granola with some whole milk. I drink plenty of water. That's an average day for me, though on Friday or Saturday night I may have 1-2 beers and a slightly larger untracked meal (ie, going out to dinner with friends, but not going totally nuts and eating a large pizza by myself).
I otherwise don't drink, nor do I use any recreational drugs.
I am physically active, doing at least 30 minutes of Zone 2 cardio 4-5 times per week and lifting weights at least three times per week. I do not have any trouble gaining muscle in the gym.
I have gotten my metabolism clinically checked in a hospital setting, which showed my RMR to be 2350 calories per day. Working with a nutritionist, we set that as my "floor" for my caloric intake and I started eating 2450 calories per day, at which point I started gaining one pound per week despite being ravenously hungry. We also did a body fat check via skin fold, later independently confirmed by BodPod scan - my arms, legs, upper back, and shoulders were all in the single digits or close to it (8% to 10%) but my upper chest/pec area was 28% body fat and my abdomen was 44%. The doctor said he had never seen anything like it and that usually the variance is at most 10% between body parts.
The following blood values have all been tested and are within normal ranges: T3, T4, TSH, Free/Total Testosterone, Estrogen, Cortisol, A1C, fasting and un-fasted blood glucose, full liver and kidney panels.
I am currently taking three prescription medications: HCG monotherapy for low T as indicated, 350iu subcutaneously per day. Trintellix for depression, 10mg per day. Vyvanse for ADD, 20mg per day.
So, my thought here is that something chemical is going on. To support this hypothesis I will note that about two years ago I took compounded semaglutide for a few months before losing my job and having to quit for financial reasons. With with no other lifestyle changes I lost ten pounds in two months, and this weight has not come back. I'm not opposed to going the GLP-1 route again, but I am worried that my symptoms are indicative of a larger issue.
Are there other labs I should be looking at? I'm just totally stumped here.
Cheers!
