You get dressed and realize that your clothes are a lot more snug these days. You’ve definitely crossed over into “Dad bod” territory. But this may be just one change of many that you’ve been experiencing, and you can’t figure out what’s going on.
If you’re just not feeling like your old self and there’s no obvious reason for the shift in health and wellness, it’s very much worth exploring whether hormonal changes are afoot — namely a drop in testosterone levels.
At Advanced Surgeons, our team of weight loss experts understands the many different roads to weight gain in men, and low testosterone is certainly one of them. Our goal is to catch the problem before it (and you) grows larger and reverse the course of your health with bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT).
Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s first take a look at low testosterone and some of the more common signs of a hormone deficiency in men.
Natural testosterone loss versus a deficiency
After you pass puberty and through your 20s, your body produces ample amounts of testosterone. Your levels are highest during this time. But once you enter your 30s, your testosterone production starts to decline by about 1% a year.
This decline is gradual and perfectly natural, but it certainly doesn’t account for all of the 10%-40% of men who have a testosterone deficiency.
In fact, low testosterone numbers are increasingly being found in younger men, largely due to health issues like obesity, which can negatively affect hormone production.
Signs of a testosterone deficiency
Now let’s get into a few of the ways in which a testosterone deficiency, or low T, can affect your health and wellness.
Weight gain
Since we’re weight loss experts, we’re going to start with weight gain. Packing on pounds due to low T is the result of a couple of changes. First, low T can lead to a loss of lean muscle mass, which means you aren’t burning calories as efficiently.
Second, low T can lead to fatigue, which can zap your energy and make you far less inclined to get up and move.
Sexual dysfunction
Another telltale sign of low T consists of changes in your sexual health, such as lower libido and/or erectile dysfunction.
Hair loss
Men are no strangers to balding, but low testosterone levels can lead to a loss of body hair, as well as facial hair.
Changes in mental health and cognitive abilities
Many men with low T experience depression, or they might encounter difficulty with cognitive function, such as remembering things or focusing.
So if you’re dealing with unexplained weight gain, as well as a few of these other common side effects of low testosterone, it’s important that you come see us for an evaluation.
Rebalancing your hormone levels
If we find that your hormone levels are below where they should be, we can easily remedy this issue with our Biote® hormone replacement therapy.
With Biote, we implant pellets just beneath your skin that slowly release bioidentical hormone replacements that boost your testosterone levels and reduce your symptoms.
If you’d like to learn more about BHRT with Biote, we invite you to contact one of our offices in Valhalla, Carmel, or Poughkeepsie, New York, to schedule a consultation.
