[AbiDrew85]

I suppose I should start a new thread for this and I suppose it has to be here, even though I STILL disagree with the subforum name. My brain chemistry is every bit as genetic as my chromosomes, just because they disagree and my chromosomes say male doesn't make that any more valid and the brain chemistry any less valid.

Anyhoo... The main purpose of this temporary program is to at least stop gaining as much weight as I have been lately with poor diet due to lack of money for better food. Hoped for secondary benefits are any feminizing potential the EGCg can provide for me.

I just got my EGCg GTE product today and took my first dose even though it was the middle of the day. From now on, I'll be taking these first thing when I get up with lemonade and no food for an hour after. I'll also be taking 500mg Vitamin C, 400 IU Vitamin E, and 1 gram Fish Oil, alongside the 1200 mg GTE with minimum 600 mg EGCg.

I will say one thing, in the past when I've taken the fish oil product I'm using with it, I've always gotten a slight upset stomach for about half an hour afterwards, I've also heard that GTE can cause upset stomach when taken on an empty stomach. My stomach wasn't empty this time, so I can't say if that might still end up causing some discomfort in the future, but somehow, this combination of pills has caused the fish oil to NOT cause upset for once.

I'm not going to post any pictures and I can't actually measure my weight due to not having a bathroom scale, I will post measurements though.

Current measurements:
Thigh circumference = 26.5"
Hips = 45"
Waist = 40"
Underbust = 39.5"
Bust = 43"
Overbust = 39.5"

As you can see by the raw numbers I have gained significant weight all over but especially in the waist. Calculated out, my WHR right now is an alarming 0.888888888 continuous right now, in other words, I'm obese. It's impossible to tell how much of that gain is due to the amount of sodium in the not-really-food we've been eating to avoid starving, and how much is because of the carbs, but I'm willing to place a bet that a very significant part of it is NOT water weight, but fat. EGCg can help eliminate that part of things, even without any changes to diet. Any increased water weight due to the sodium will remain though.

And yes, I really am saying that I blame most of this weight gain on carbs. Unfortunately broke food is almost all carbs, so that's what I've been stuck eating, and, carbs have always had an alarming weight gain effect on me. The good news is that the EGCg I am now taking should directly cannibalize fat stores more, which means while I'm losing weight I should be able to eat less and not feel hungry, and, even while I continue eating carbs, and they go straight into fat stores, the EGCg will just attack those new stores too just as readily.

My hope is that even as my waist and underbust measurement goes down on just these few items, my bust and overbust measurement will go up, since the other major effect of EGCg when in high doses is to amp up the aromatase activity in fat stores, and, well, I have plenty of fat stores for it to use for that right now...

[AbiDrew85]

It's not even been a full half hour since I took that first dose and already one thing I've noticed that wasn't really even on my wish-list for results from this is that I am noticing a distinct improvement in overall mood and energy. I don't know if this is only temporary and due to any remaining caffeine from the GTE, or if it's something that'll be longer lasting and a side-benefit of the EGCg going to work on my fat stores already. Until proven otherwise by this elevation in mood and energy actually lasting past the next hour or so, I'm going to assume it's temporary and from residual caffeine. I'd rather be surprised though, that's for sure.

[Dianna1395]

Hi, Abi,
Why use fish oil? We've been discussing how it boosts testosterone, but other versions of omega 3s don't have that effect.
I'm also unsure of Krill oil.

There's a version derived from algae, and there are vegetable sources of omega 3s. Not sure of cost, though.

Wondering if you have a specific reason to use fish oil?
-Dianna

[AbiDrew85]

Hi, Abi,
Why use fish oil? We've been discussing how it boosts testosterone, but other versions of omega 3s don't have that effect.
I'm also unsure of Krill oil.

There's a version derived from algae, and there are vegetable sources of omega 3s. Not sure of cost, though.

Wondering if you have a specific reason to use fish oil?
-Dianna

How exactly does it boost testosterone and other sources of EPA and DHA not do the same thing? I don't care at all about any "vegetable" sources of omega 3, none of them are EPA and or DHA. Can you share academic research to this supposed testosterone effect? Full text available to the public only please. Synopsis only is useless for actually understanding the research.

Part of it is that I still have remaining fish oil product, part of it is likely going to be cost. Part of it is that there IS academic research that says FISH OIL improves absorption of EGCg. While any dietary fat will probably help, fish oil seems to have the strongest synergy. The Vitamin E on the other hand, has been proven to improve the synergy of the fish oil. Vitamin C is for the same reason as the fish oil, however. Remember, I'm broke as hell, whatever I use has to be as cheap as possible while remaining effective. Otherwise I'm right back at nothing, getting even more grossly obese while remaining stalled on everything important.

[AbiDrew85]

On the note of a progress update, not going to bother with new measurements yet since it's only been half a day since I started, I woke up a half hour ago and took today's dose. Last night I slept a little better than I have been lately, not great, but, better, and the energy and mood improvement lasted right up to when I went to sleep. We'll see how that goes today, but I am starting to think it may be a side benefit of the fat cannibalization, since yesterday does NOT follow the typical pattern for caffeine for me. There was no crash, there was no only lasts an hour or so, and caffeine usually worsens sleep, not improves it.

EDIT: Oh, and today since I actually took it properly this morning, with an empty stomach, I am happy to report that I still am not experiencing stomach upset from this combination of supplements. I don't know if it's some kind of synergy for the GTE as well, or if I'm just one of the lucky ones who don't experience that particular side effect.

[Lotus]

Abi has a butt........cool.

[AbiDrew85]

Abi has a butt........cool.

Huh? How do you get that idea just from measurements? I mean, I do, but whilst I don't have the hips of most XX women, I do have wider hips than most XY folks, including transwomen who've fully transitioned.

As to today's report, still not going to actually post the new measurements yet, it's still far too soon, but I HAVE already seen significant losses in the tape measure. I'm feeling a little lighter too. Unfortunately, it seems I'm losing in the hips and butt as well, not just the waist. As I said though, still too early to know for sure that I'm really genuinely losing and this isn't just some random fluctuation of some sort.

I might need to add back a progesterone cream as soon as possible to avoid losing too much in the hip area over time. Definitely won't be right now, but maybe the BF can land a better job and then we can afford it...

[Lotus]

Abi has a butt........cool.

Huh? How do you get that idea just from measurements? I mean, I do, but whilst I don't have the hips of most XX women, I do have wider hips than most XY folks, including transwomen who've fully transitioned.

Yes, from the measurements. Have you ever used PC on your hips?, marvelous stuff for hip building lol.

[charrr]

I am in desperate need of an occasion, amongst the friends that already know how weird I can seem, to use the term "fat cannibalization!" Lol! Thanks for that!
PS: I looked it up. So understand muscle cannibalization- just a little. Could you please give a small explanation of fat cannibalization? I think that was what I was trying to achieve, or the reverse, with the unfortunate weight gain from PM and other herbs.

[AbiDrew85]

Yes, from the measurements. Have you ever used PC on your hips?, marvelous stuff for hip building lol.

Again I ask, how do you figure that just from the measurements? Lots of women have hips but NO butt, so how could you know the hip measurement wasn't exactly that and only that?

I am in desperate need of an occasion, amongst the friends that already know how weird I can seem, to use the term "fat cannibalization!" Lol! Thanks for that!
PS: I looked it up. So understand muscle cannibalization- just a little. Could you please give a small explanation of fat cannibalization? I think that was what I was trying to achieve, or the reverse, with the unfortunate weight gain from PM and other herbs.

Basically getting your body to use the fat stores you already possess for energy rather than food. EGCg is well known for doing this even with no changes in diet or exercise. Normally I'd have to go into a catabolic or ketogenic diet to lose weight because carbs make me fat. Ketogenic btw == mostly consume fat, some protein, no carb, catabolic == mostly consume protein, some fat, no carb. Basically, the important thing is staying away from carb. But broke "food" == carb. Ketogenic would make most people lose weight the fastest, but it's also the most dangerous, especially long-term. Catabolic is a pretty balanced weight loss diet, and a very healthy long-term diet in general. Eating primarily carbs has no special name, and is just plain bad for you. It shortens your lifespan, but you'll still live to a fairly old age, and it causes lots of "livable" health problems. Livable as in it won't kill you suddenly, but it'll still kill you slowly and make you live a miserable life.