42-year-old man on testosterone therapy

• A 42-year-old man said testosterone therapy helped him build muscle and regain mood and energy.
• But as a former fitness model, she said it doesn’t measure up to her former peak body.
• He says hormone therapy has downsides like water-weight gain, hair loss, cost and time commitment.

Weston BoucherThe 42-year-old menswear designer and model says testosterone replacement therapy, or TRT, has helped him regain energy, improve his mental health and build more than five pounds of muscle, but he thinks he looked better before treatment. .

Despite benefits such as improved energy and mental health, he He waited longer before trying TRTBoucher previously told Insider.

“I want guys to be careful about it, because it’s not a magic pill,” he said in a follow-up interview.

One result is more muscle mass and an easier time maintaining it. But he’s also gained water weight, and his overall physique doesn’t measure up to his previous peak, he said.

“I’m not really working on building muscle right now, it’s just resting,” says Boucher. “But that didn’t translate to my perception of what lean muscle looked like.”

A longtime health-conscious athlete, Boucher said careful diet and exercise do more for her body than hormones, and that the primary benefits aren’t related to the mirror but to her mental and physical well-being.

The process of adjusting to hormones, including dealing with increased estrogen levels, is long, challenging and expensive, she says, and anyone considering treatment should be aware of the commitment.

TRT can help resolve symptoms in men with imbalanced hormones

Many men may have obvious symptoms of low testosterone, but if their hormone levels are high enough to begin with, low testosterone may not decrease to current levels, Dr. Ananias C. Diokno, a urologist, previously told Insider.

This is a good idea Get tested early and know your testosterone levels by age 30 To identify whether a significant drop could cause problems, Diokno said.

Boucher started TRT after an initial experience Common Symptoms of Low Testosterone Including decreased sex drive, brain fog, depression and fatigue, as well as problems maintaining muscle and energy.

The most dramatic benefits were alleviating his long-term depression, improving his energy and sex drive, and increasing his gym performance.

Testosterone therapy does not replace diet and exercise

Although hormone therapy can be accompanied by aesthetic changes, it is primarily a tool, with appropriate medical care, to address overall health and well-being. Boucher cautioned against using it to gain more muscle and strength for men without first focusing on lifestyle.

“Jumping into any synthetic before diet and exercise is a huge risk and, in my opinion, will lead to regret,” he says. “Never underestimate the power of the human body and our biology. When you give the body what it needs, it can do a whole hell of a lot.”

Boucher said he got his superior physique when he was 36 to 40 years old, after years of careful workouts and a strict, low-fat diet to create a lean, muscular appearance. Instead, he prioritized health.

“I knew it wasn’t healthy or sustainable,” she said. “Now I look more at diet for overall wellness than cover shoots.”

Courtesy of Weston Boucher

Adjustment to hormone therapy takes time and side effects can include hair loss

TRT can cause a variety of complex changes in the body, including changes in other hormone levels. Boucher said it also raised her estrogen levels — a Common side effects.

To cope, she said she had to take other supplements and be particular about her diet in addition to adjusting her TRT treatment over time.

Other side effects include hair loss and shrunken testicles.

“Until your hormone levels are balanced, it doesn’t matter if you have really healthy test levels,” she said. “Know you’re taking this long list of things to deal with side effects. People need to realize that level of commitment.”