7 Weeks Of Pregnenolone Use And Gained A Lot Of Mid Section Fat

Hanneke

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Feb 3, 2016
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I'm back with a question. Many have been helpful with replying to my last thread. I've read a lot but now a new problem has come up

First of all, I feel really good taking pregnenolone. I feel happy and positive. Practically all my menopause problems have disappeared.

I used 60 mg of pregnenolone the first 4 weeks and 100 mg the last 3 weeks.

I have gained quite a lot of weight around my midsection. I don't weigh myself but it's very obvious and I can hardly wear my regular clothes anymore unless it's stretchy. Terrible. Nothing else in my life has changed in that short period of time. My diet is the same and I exercise daily.

The only time I can remember gaining so much weight in a short period of time before is when I took anti conception pills, they also made me feel down. This is 25 years ago or so. Also when I was pregnant of my son I gained a lot of weight and felt awful. On the other hand when I was pregnant of my daughter I felt invincible and only gained a total of 30 pounds.

I really hate having gained all this weight, but I like how I feel using pregnenolone.

Any comments, advice, suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!
 

tara

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Mar 29, 2014
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I don't now what the mechanisms are for your fat gain.
Have you checked to see whether you can get most of the benefit of the pregnenolone from smaller doses, and whether that makes a difference?

First of all, I feel really good taking pregnenolone. I feel happy and positive. Practically all my menopause problems have disappeared.
That sounds good. :)
 

jaguar43

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Oct 10, 2012
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I'm back with a question. Many have been helpful with replying to my last thread. I've read a lot but now a new problem has come up

First of all, I feel really good taking pregnenolone. I feel happy and positive. Practically all my menopause problems have disappeared.

I used 60 mg of pregnenolone the first 4 weeks and 100 mg the last 3 weeks.

I have gained quite a lot of weight around my midsection. I don't weigh myself but it's very obvious and I can hardly wear my regular clothes anymore unless it's stretchy. Terrible. Nothing else in my life has changed in that short period of time. My diet is the same and I exercise daily.

The only time I can remember gaining so much weight in a short period of time before is when I took anti conception pills, they also made me feel down. This is 25 years ago or so. Also when I was pregnant of my son I gained a lot of weight and felt awful. On the other hand when I was pregnant of my daughter I felt invincible and only gained a total of 30 pounds.

I really hate having gained all this weight, but I like how I feel using pregnenolone.

Any comments, advice, suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!

Pregnenolone inhibits cortisol, adrenaline, and other stressful hormones. These hormones can keep weight "off" by activating fat oxidation and other stressful metabolic directions. Extensive exposure to Adrenaline and cortisol can cause weight loss through increasing sympathetic nervous system and breaking down tissue. But long term it's harmful to your bones and hippocampus.

Pregnenolone may be uncovering other stressful pathways. But in the process it can cause weight gain by lowering those hormones and chemicals that increase due to the compensating for a low metabolic rate.

When one has a low metabolic rate, the stressful hormones can help by keeping blood glucose up ( cortisol) and energy, sympathetic nervous system, alertness (adrenaline). Thyroid does both by keeping your blood glucose up and energy levels by decreasing cortisol and by releasing adrenaline when necessary.

My advice would be to look into testing your thyroid. Possibly a thyroid panel, However base on your joined date it seems like you are new too Ray Peats ideas and I wouldn't want to rush you into doing something you aren't prepared for.

Another issue with the thyroid situation is that the recommended products that Ray Peat has vouch for have not been produce for over a year. There are other products in the market but it important to keep in mind that they aren't ideal or necessarily recommended.
 

tara

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I like jag's explanation.
I think from your other thread that your temps and heart rate are slightly low but not extreme? May be possible to bring up general metabolism a bit with other tactics - worth a try before considering thyroid supplements.

Eg regular sunlight on skin, good nutrition, avoiding over-training, attending to breathing.
 
OP
H

Hanneke

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Feb 3, 2016
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Thanks for the replies.

I have been tested thyroid when I was on bio identical hormones. It was tested every 6 months for 2 years and according to my physician it was all good. If I did a search online for values it also seemed normal. I have not been tested recently though. The last time was about 2 years ago.

About the sunlight on skin, that is a problem in Northern Alberta where I live. No sun at all the whole winter. And -40 temperatures. I do supplement with vitamin D3 and go for short tanning sessions which is recommended here.
 
M

marikay

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Are you still on the supposedly bio-identical hormones? If so, I'd stop those immediately. Mid-section fat is usually a liver/cortisone problem that pregnenolone helps to fight, so I don't think the pregnenolone is the problem. Do you drink coffee? Caffeine helps the liver clear fat, which should help your midsection lean out. Also (and I know I say this a lot on this forum) sugar helps everything. :)
 

Tarmander

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I am going to put up an alternative theory here. I used preg for a couple months and ran into a similar problem as you towards the end. I started getting estrogen symptoms, gyno, water retention, etc. I was also feeling really good, happy, etc.

Could it be that you are actually hyperthyorid? Maybe locally? Taking Preg for long periods of time can definitely lead to hyperthyoridism, and as far as I know, being hyper can lead to raised estrogen. I ended up stopping the Preg, and while I miss those nice things about it, I don't miss the estrogen symptoms.
 
OP
H

Hanneke

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Are you still on the supposedly bio-identical hormones? If so, I'd stop those immediately. Mid-section fat is usually a liver/cortisone problem that pregnenolone helps to fight, so I don't think the pregnenolone is the problem. Do you drink coffee? Caffeine helps the liver clear fat, which should help your midsection lean out. Also (and I know I say this a lot on this forum) sugar helps everything. :)

I am not on the bio-identical hormones anymore, they did not seem to do anything for me (unlike the pregnenolone).

My liver function is not great. I had hepatitis as a child and it just doesn't function optimal, however if tested it's not bad either.

I don't drink coffee. I never have, I think it's gross, can't stand it and it makes me nauseous. Caffeine also has no effect on me whatsoever. I can drink several red bulls and go to sleep.

I LOVE sugar, I don't need any encouraging there :)

Thanks!
 
OP
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Hanneke

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Feb 3, 2016
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I am going to put up an alternative theory here. I used preg for a couple months and ran into a similar problem as you towards the end. I started getting estrogen symptoms, gyno, water retention, etc. I was also feeling really good, happy, etc.

Could it be that you are actually hyperthyorid? Maybe locally? Taking Preg for long periods of time can definitely lead to hyperthyoridism, and as far as I know, being hyper can lead to raised estrogen. I ended up stopping the Preg, and while I miss those nice things about it, I don't miss the estrogen symptoms.

I am cutting back for now. See it if improves. I definitely do not want to gain more fat than I already have.
 

tara

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It was tested every 6 months for 2 years and according to my physician it was all good.
The standard thyroid hormone ranges allow a lot of people suffering hypothyroid states to be considered normal.
There are a number of different parameters, and drs often just go by one or two. Symptoms also matter. If you find the numbers you are welcome to post them if you want comments. Peat says people are seldom healthy with TSH over 2, and under 1 may be better. Standard ranges usually go up to 4 or 5.

About the sunlight on skin, that is a problem in Northern Alberta where I live. No sun at all the whole winter. And -40 temperatures. I do supplement with vitamin D3 and go for short tanning sessions which is recommended here.
We need red light (orange through near-infrared) to restore the cytochrome oxidase enzyme after darkness. It is key for glucose oxidation in cells.
Some people here supplement red light at least during winter, and say it has made a big difference.
Tanning beds are usually all or mostly blue through UV, so they don't meet this need.

Caffeine also has no effect on me whatsoever. I can drink several red bulls and go to sleep.
Caffeine (coffee) in even small amounts has an effect on me. One of them is to make me sleep deeper and longer.
 

jaguar43

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I am going to put up an alternative theory here. I used preg for a couple months and ran into a similar problem as you towards the end. I started getting estrogen symptoms, gyno, water retention, etc. I was also feeling really good, happy, etc.

Could it be that you are actually hyperthyorid? Maybe locally? Taking Preg for long periods of time can definitely lead to hyperthyoridism, and as far as I know, being hyper can lead to raised estrogen. I ended up stopping the Preg, and while I miss those nice things about it, I don't miss the estrogen symptoms.

I think you are fundamental wrong. There has been a lot of myths regarding "hyperthyroidism" probably due to diagnosing it on merely TSH.

Counting calories achieves approximately the same thing as measuring oxygen consumption, and is something that will allow people to evaluate the various thyroid tests they may be given by their doctor. Although food intake and metabolic rate vary from day to day, an approximate calorie count for several days can often make it clear that a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism is mistaken. If a person is eating only about 1800 calories per day, and has a steady and normal body weight, any “hyperthyroidism” is strictly metaphysical, or as they say, “clinical.”

Preventing and treating cancer with progesterone.


I think Ray Peat has the right idea regarding the quote i posted. Did you lose weight when taking pregnenolone ? If you didn't then it wasn't hyperthyroidism. The OP has gained weight while on pregnenolone she's also sounds like she is around middle age.

Ray Peat has written about a women who had graves diseases and her eye was almost out of the socket. When he gave her pregnenolone her eye reattached to her socket. I think that proves that pregnenolone doesn't cause hyperthyroidism.

As for hyperthyroidism and pregnenolone leading to high estrogen. Whether or not that is true, I think the fact the medical and scientific establishment can't even correctly diagnosis hyperthyroidism shows that one should take their conclusions with a grain of salt.
 

Tarmander

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I think you are fundamental wrong. There has been a lot of myths regarding "hyperthyroidism" probably due to diagnosing it on merely TSH.

Counting calories achieves approximately the same thing as measuring oxygen consumption, and is something that will allow people to evaluate the various thyroid tests they may be given by their doctor. Although food intake and metabolic rate vary from day to day, an approximate calorie count for several days can often make it clear that a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism is mistaken. If a person is eating only about 1800 calories per day, and has a steady and normal body weight, any “hyperthyroidism” is strictly metaphysical, or as they say, “clinical.”

Preventing and treating cancer with progesterone.


I think Ray Peat has the right idea regarding the quote i posted. Did you lose weight when taking pregnenolone ? If you didn't then it wasn't hyperthyroidism. The OP has gained weight while on pregnenolone she's also sounds like she is around middle age.

Ray Peat has written about a women who had graves diseases and her eye was almost out of the socket. When he gave her pregnenolone her eye reattached to her socket. I think that proves that pregnenolone doesn't cause hyperthyroidism.

As for hyperthyroidism and pregnenolone leading to high estrogen. Whether or not that is true, I think the fact the medical and scientific establishment can't even correctly diagnosis hyperthyroidism shows that one should take their conclusions with a grain of salt.

A while ago there were a group of posts from people talking about how taking thyroid led to increases in estrogen for them. Preg taken long term will definitely raise metabolic rate, I think that is pretty established. I do not really want to get into the whole how you define hyperthyroidism and diagnostic criteria pit of doom. I will take your word for how it is defined and all that. The underlying thing I wanted to point out is that some of the OPs symptoms may be estrogenic from raising metabolic rate, similar to some other's experiences here.
 

DaveFoster

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I don't drink coffee. I never have, I think it's gross, can't stand it and it makes me nauseous. Caffeine also has no effect on me whatsoever. I can drink several red bulls and go to sleep.

I LOVE sugar, I don't need any encouraging there :)

Thanks!
You should think about taking caffeine pills; if you don't react to coffee, your liver is good and you can reap the weight-loss/cognitive/anti-estrogen/anti-aging benefits.

200 mg/day can make an impact on weight loss, while 600 can dramatically reduce your weight. 1200 can be used as thyroid replacement.

50 mg/day is a good start. 50 mg increased every week is a good plan. 300-500 mg/day is an ideal dosage for most people.
 
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moss

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Sep 1, 2013
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305
I don't now what the mechanisms are for your fat gain.
Have you checked to see whether you can get most of the benefit of the pregnenolone from smaller doses, and whether that makes a difference?
Good suggestion.
I am cutting back for now. See it if improves. I definitely do not want to gain more fat than I already have.

I have been taking pregnenolone for the past couple of months and experimented with dosage and found around 40 mg (for me) seems to be the sweet spot, at least for now. I have not gained any weight since taking pregnenolone. I dose once a day in the evening before bed and sleep like a log.

Do you take in enough salt?
Edit: When do you dose? Personally, I think taking Pregnenolone in the evening works best.
 
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