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Anyone have suggestions for some supportive underwear (of the boxer-brief variety)? The boys are getting unruly and I'd like to find some underwear that have a little compression as well, for the gym.
"Friends are like flowers; no matter how well you pick them, they all eventually die."
Yes, absolutely. I have had a gradually diminishing sex drive that pretty much bottomed out at ZERO 4-6 months after surgery (I am now 12 months post-op). The lack of sex drive was not my biggest concern as I was focused on so much else in my life and with my health. However, starting at about 10 months post-op I started experiencing other, possibly related, issues. My main complaint was fatigue - not fatigue as in I'm tired and need to sleep, but where I just always felt like my muscles were EXHAUSTED, and it was hard to motivate myself to do anything physical (and I mean anything, like getting up from a chair). In addition, I found myself a little more cranky/irritable than usual.
I made an appointment with my PCP for earlier this week and asked her to check for Low T. She had labs done, including low T as well as all the other usual suspects (Iron Levels, Vitamin B, Vitamin D, etc).
I just got my results back yesterday, everything is fine except Testosterone. Minimum levels from my lab are 240 (from reading online, often 300 or 350 is the low threshold) and mine clocked in at 199. So I now have an appointment with a urologist in a few weeks (yeah, almost a month to get an appointment) to start a treatment plan.
When I started having these issues I could find NOTHING online related to a decrease in testosterone due to weight loss or bariatric surgery. In fact, all google searches tend to result in the EXACT OPPOSITE, so it was tough to get any information. But it was definitely the case for me. I had none of these issue at all prior to surgery/weight loss.
I would also be concerned that you have these complaints and your PCP is saying it's in your head without even running a simple lab to rule out an underlying issue. I mean, maybe it is in your head, but it doesn't take much to find out if it's not. I would be a bit pissed about that.
I have not experienced any decrease in drive. However 2 of my favorite "non-scale-victories" are the ability to urinate standing up and the increased length of my penis due to the large amount of fat that has gone away around it!
Yeah, it's true the muscle-fat thing. Below is a post I post many times over the years for those who hit stalls. Brian
Below is a copy and paste from DX...very knowledgeable man. It might help. He had said after WLS it is like decending stairs...
Still staying on-track calorie-wise? And the scale shows you stopping? Or Even Gaining?!?!?--Re-Post Unsolicited advice/info -------------------------------------- Pull back from your daily charting, and look at a weekly or even monthly. There are up and down spikes each day, But if you graph the highest to the lowest, I'd bet there is still A downward slope over the course of the month. There's an 8 to 10lb. volume of "wiggle room" due to water alone. And it comes into play a lot. This has to do with our bodies using glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, But it is stored in our muscles for quick energy. One pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of water to keep it soluble, And the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, (Like when you drop down to your calorie intake) Your body turns first to stored glycogen, Which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, You also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store it Voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of any diet. As you stay in caloric deficit, however, Your body starts to realize that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue And burning fat for energy. But your body also realizes---- (by way of your liver releasing hormones signaling low Cal intake) ---That fat can't be used for short bursts of energy...Like to outrun a saber-tooth tiger. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, And rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, (Thus showing negative Calorie load overall) Your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while As you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored. Yes? The whole weight-loss process is not a straight "Slide" down the scale. More like "Stair-Steps," (Down then forward, then down, then forward, etc... As your body cycles fat out of "deep storage" and through the Liver Into the muscles as Glycogen. The muscles and Liver can hold about a 3 weeks supply. This is why many people find that their "Stall" or "Plateau" Breaks when adding a bit of exercise And upping their water intake, or in the case of an "extreme exerciser," The total Calorie or Protein Intake, To signal the liver to let go of more Glycogen. Fear not, many people who are now enjoying life at a normal BMI Once had a few weeks or so of thinking- "...my weight loss has been awfully slow, has it stopped..."? Hope this helps some. You are doing Great! Keep it Up! Best Wishes- Dx
on 3/27/17 6:23 am
Hi guys! I thought I'd final post over here in the men's forum.
My current weight is 328.6 as of yesterday (I just weigh once a week), but log everything else pretty much in real time. I just had my 5 mo. surgiversary yesterday.
Consult weight 511
Surgery weight 422
I'll keep an eye on this forum as well. Have a good one.
Last week - 181.4
This week - 180.8
Monday morning numbers. GF and I went to seek Oak Ridge Boys and Neal McCoy in Durant, OK at a Choctaw casino Friday evening. Hard be believe how long that four singer configuration has been together. 43 years! Neal McCoy was more interactive with audience but give concert a 92-94 overall. Did not know how much gambling cost there. .50 ante on every hand of blackjack and you had to pay for drinks, including bottled water, if they brought it to you on the floor. Could draw your own fountain drink or coffee but otherwise $6 on GF's Jack and Diets.
Work still FUBAR'ed. Speaking of which. Have to get there!
Never, and I mean NEVER, trust a fart!!