MtF Weight Cycling

And a discussion of weight gain and weight loss supplements

Personal/anecdotal experience in italics

What is it?

Weight cycling (WC) is the process of repetitively gaining and subsequently losing weight. In cisgender individuals weight cycling is often an unintended consequence of attempted weight loss followed by binge eating or, more simply, an inconsistency in eating habits over a prolonged period of time¹. It is also seen in bodybuilders/athletes who aim to build up lean muscle while keeping body fat percentage low.

Health risks?

While the research on WC is varied and sometimes even contradictory, it has been linked to an increased risk in kidney cancer² (relative risk for weight cyclers vs. non-cyclers, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.16, 1.96), increased risk in developing diabetes³ (individuals who suffered weight cycling had a higher risk of diabetes, RR 1.23. 95% confidence interval 1.07–1.41) but a less significant effect in individuals who are already diabetic⁴ (“The majority of studies [13/17; 76%] did not show a detrimental effect of weight cycling on risk of type 2 diabetes.”), among other possible correlations such as hypertension and mortality risk. In short, the area is still highly debated⁵⁶ although generally speaking its probably not healthy. On an intuitive level, you will be stressing out your body through a continual calorie deficit or surplus. From a mental health perspective, individuals who unintentionally weight cycle are more likely to suffer from eating disorders (often BED and/or bulimia related) or depression⁷.

Effects on fat distribution in cis people?

Some studies say that WC causes an increase in central/abdominal fat⁸⁹¹⁰. WC was seen to be correlated with a higher waist-to-hip ratio (WHR)¹¹, although there seems to be no difference in the WHR of cyclers vs non-cyclers once BMI is taken into account¹² [important!]. Some studies have shown that weight cycling is associated with an increased BMI/body mass¹³¹⁴ [which could then maybe explain the observed increase in abdominal fat…], but multiple others have shown evidence to the contrary¹⁵. It is hard to give a conclusive answer but if weight cycling is done intentionally you can finish cycling at whatever weight you feel comfortable with. Many repeated cycles /might/ shift more fat to the abdominal area in cis people, but maybe not.

Why would you want to do it then?

MtF hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is known to change body fat from an android to a gynoid (female) distribution over time¹⁶¹⁷¹⁸ (and, interestingly, the actual blood estrogen levels did not correlate well with the degree of redistribution¹⁹; genetics is probably the predominant factor here). This process is mediated by sex hormones through a variety of mechanisms²⁰ that affect metabolic processes, levels of hormones such as leptin and ghrelin, fat cell proliferation, adipogenesis and lipolysis.

Estradiol selectively blunts lipolysis in certain areas while permitting it in others²¹²². Testosterone inhibits adipogenesis whereas estradiol promotes it and the fraction of SV cells that are early-differentiated adipocytes is ~35% greater in the femoral depot for women compared with men²³. In essence this indicates that both fat loss and fat gain will contribute towards a gynoid/female fat distribution when under the influence of female sex hormone levels. From this we can state with reasonable confidence that weight cycling will accelerate fat redistribution, a desirable trait for many MtF’s.

Unfortunately, we have no peer-reviewed evidence for this theory (no doubt due to the niche and experimental nature of the subject). That being said, there is a swathe of anecdotal evidence supporting it and Dr. Will Powers, a well known endocrinologist, has written about it in the past²⁴²⁵.

Does the rate of fat loss/gain matter? How many cycles should one do?

If the above theory works as described, the faster the cycle the faster your fat will redistribute. The rate of weight loss does not significantly affect body composition, metabolism²⁶ or hip circumference, waist circumference, WHR, BMI and fat-free mass²⁷. The only significantly affected metric was resting metabolic rate²⁸ (WMD: 97.39 kcal, 95%

CI [78.78, 118.01]), which is an effect that may persist even if weight is regained²⁹. Very rapid weight loss may increase the chance of gallstone formation and resultantly it is recommended that no more than ~1.5kg is lost per week³⁰.

The turnover rate for adipocyte cells at a constant bodyweight is about 10% per year³¹, with half of the adipocytes being replaced every ~8.3 years on average³². At that rate fat redistribution would indeed be a rather slow process. However, due to weight cycling being both mentally and physically straining as well as diminishing returns, a large quantity of cycles is not recommended – two to three cycles should be more than enough and anecdotal data seems to support this.

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The downcycle

You lose weight when your calorific intake is lower than your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). There is a large quantity of resources for weight loss available so I will not go into too much detail here, but will mention some things you might find useful.

It has been documented that strength training of specific muscles (e.g. the abdominals) prior to endurance training (e.g. a long cardio session) might be able to selectively burn fat in the corresponding area³³ – this could be useful when trying to achieve a lower WHR.

Ketogenic diets (when blood sugar is kept low and the body enters ketosis, metabolising fats instead of sugars to meet energy needs) will increase the rate at which body fat is burned and additionally have been shown to have a wide range of health benefits³⁴³⁵³⁶ (Ref. 34, fascinating paper, would recommend reading).

During intermittent fasting, which comprises of restricting the daily eating time to a small window (e.g. eating a single big meal daily with no snacks inbetween), the body is also likely to enter a ketogenic state and is an effective strategy for weight loss (if you have the discipline for it).

A more extreme alternative, water fasting (not consuming any calories for a prolonged period) can likewise be practiced safely and responsibly if care is taken. The body will continue to burn fat to meet its energy needs (as long as you have fat to burn, although if you have low quantities of fat left your body will start to burn muscle – this is the point at which it may become unsafe and thus fasting should only be practiced if you have a sufficiently high BMI to begin with), thus macronutrient deficiency is not a concern (perhaps counterintuitively). The bigger worry during fasting is micronutrient deficiency i.e. vitamins and electrolytes; a general purpose multivitamin supplement along with a low-sodium salt (which usually contains half NaCl and half KCl; you should aim for an intake of ~2g sodium and ~2g potassium daily³⁷³⁸) should suffice. When supplementing, methylfolate is preferable to folic acid³⁹⁴⁰ and P5P or other forms of B6 are preferable to Pyridoxine⁴¹. All that being said, if fasting is carried out responsibly it has the possibility to be very beneficial for the health – reducing risk of metabolic syndrome, possibly preventing and helping to treat established tumors, improving cognition and stalling age-related cognitive decline⁴² (another captivating review paper that I would highly recommend taking a look at).

Weight loss supplements

There is a whole range of supplements that could be beneficial when downcycling, some of which include…

Acetyl-l-carnitine (ALCAR)⁴³ is an orally bioavailable form of carnitine which is involved in the carnitine shuttle and is vital to fat metabolism. Supplementation has been shown to improve rates of fat metabolism and weight loss⁴⁴.

Water-soluble fibres such as Psyllium Husk or Glucomannan are effective at filling up the stomach/digestive tract and promoting a feeling of fullness, reducing appetite⁴⁵⁴⁶ and promoting weight loss. In my personal experience this has been one of if not the most effective aid to weight loss. Care must be taken to drink enough liquid when using these supplements to avoid constipation⁴⁷.

Some investigational drugs exist for weight loss that were never put into market. Rimonabant, an inverse agonist of the CB1 receptor, significantly reduced appetite but clinical trials were halted after a 10% incidence rate of depressive symptoms and 1% incidence of suicidal ideation was observed⁴⁸. Beloranib, a METAP2 inhibitor, showed highly promising results for weight loss but stage 3 clinical trials were ceased after two patient deaths (unclear if caused by the drug itself)⁴⁹.

A myriad of phenethylamine derivatives have been marketed and later withdrawn for weight loss⁵⁰, including amphetamine (1947-70’s), aminorex (1965-68), fenfluramine (1973-97), phenylpropanolamine (1976-2000), sibutramine (1997-2010) and mixtures of caffeine and ephedra (1994-2004) which combined with aspirin were known as the “ECA stack”. Other related drugs include clenbuterol and aliphatic amines such as DMAA, DMHA and DMBA, which are all still both commonly used in body-building circles during weight cycles. Broadly speaking these are sympathomimetic drugs with stimulating properties⁵¹, acting primarily as andrenergic receptor agonists (another examle of which is yohimbine) or dopamine/norepinephrine release promoters or reuptake inhibitors. Many of these will increase heart rate, body temperature and TDEE (for example 2-5% increase for ECA and 10-15% increase for clenbuterol are values I have seen being mentioned anecdotally). Conversely, many of them may have straining effects on the body, especially the cardiovascular system, and have the potential to be habit-forming and thus should be used with utmost care, if at all.

Thyroxine (T4) and Triiodothyronine/Liothyronine (T3) are the principle thyroid hormones and are essential for metabolic regulation and other related processes. Their supplementation can increase TDEE and body temperature, thus helping to reduce body weight⁵²⁵³. However, if thyroid hormone levels are too high there is a risk of hyperthyroidism or even thyrotoxicosis⁵⁴, meaning that thyroid levels should be monitored closely and utmost care be taken.

Glutide drugs such as Semaglutide⁵⁵ or Liraglutide⁵⁶ act as GLP-1 receptor agonists and promote weight loss through increasing insulin release, decreasing insulin resistance⁵⁷ and decreasing excessive glucagon release. Their biggest downsides include very high price and the only viable RoA being injection.

A range of “fat binders” exist, primarily lipase inhibitors, including pharmaceuticals such as Orlistat as well as a large quantity of patented plant-derived formulations such as those produced by the company XLS-medical. The latter can often be found highly overpriced in pharmacies and, even if they work to some degree, are essentially scams.

Dinitrophenol (DNP) is an uncoupling agent⁵⁸, causing large increases in body temperature and TDEE (around 11% increase per every 100mg taken⁵⁹). There have been 27 deaths from it since 2007 alone⁶⁰. There is a large variability in patient responsiveness to the drug and multiple have died even under clinical supervision⁶¹. If you haven’t got the point… do not take this.

Acetyl-Hexapeptide-39 topically applied decreases PGC-1α expression, diminishing adipogenesis and lipid accumulation as a consequence⁶². The huge advantage here is the local effect of the drug, meaning it could potentially be used to selectively reduce fat in certain areas and thus improve WHR/fat distribution.

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The upcycle

In a way opposite to downcycling, weight gain is achieved when your calorific intake is higher than your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). This does not mean no exercise or junk food as both of these would have an adverse health effect. In my personal experience upcycling can be even more mentally straining than downcycling – the feeling of guilt from purposefully eating large quantities of food or dysphoria felt from weight gain/tummy bloat is indeed unpleasant. The most important thing to remember is that these are all temporary and will help you achieve an ultimately better body in the long term!

Eating after you stop feeling full (instead of waiting to feel hungry) was effective for me, although it does take perseverance. Consuming calorie-dense fatty foods such as nuts, cheese and fatty meat together with something that increases your blood sugar (a modest quantity of carbs is better than sugar) and thus your insulin will promote deposition of fat and weight gain. Keep in mind that fat stores are about 8 times more energy dense than glycogen⁶³ (carbohydrate stores), which itself will be about 2/3rds water weight; you want to minimise glycogen stores and ensure effective fat deposition is occurring to achieve your desired fat distribution. In short, don’t just eat a crapton of doughnuts and pastries.

Moderate alcohol consumption increases abdominal fat, worsening fat distribution, and increases plasma androgens in cisgender females⁶⁴. Therefore it is highly discouraged.

Weight gain supplements

Just like with downcycling, there are a range of supplements that could be used to aid your upcycle…

Leucine and Argenine have been shown to be particularly effective at activating mTOR⁶⁵, a kinase that stimulates lipid synthesis and cell growth. Below is a graph⁶⁶ showing proportions of amino acids contained within different foods:

Acetyl-Hexapeptide-38 topically applied increases PGC-1α expression, stimulating adipogenesis and lipid accumulation as a consequence⁶⁷ (in a way opposite to hexapeptide-39). Again, the local effect of the drug could be leveraged to selectively reduce fat in certain areas and thus improve WHR/fat distribution.

Volufiline is a patented cosmetic preparation containing Sarsapogenin which has been reported to stimulate adipocytic differentiation and adipogenesis by activation of PPAR-gamma⁶⁸. Similarly to the hexapeptide-38, it can be applied topically and perhaps even used synergistically.

Pioglitazone is an anti-diabetic medication that activates PPAR-gamma systemically, reducing insulin resistance, gluconeogenesis and overall blood sugar. High insulin resistance in transgender females is associated with android fat distribution/higher WHR⁶⁹. It has been shown to lower visceral fat⁷⁰ and WHR even in patients who’s overall BMI remained the same⁷¹. It seems to protect subcutaneous fat in a way similar to estrogen⁷². There has even been one documented case of pioglitazone use to achieve female fat distribution in a transgender patient in the medical literature⁷³. The drug would probably be beneficial regardless of whether you are cycling or not. Out of everything I have mentioned this is in my opinion probably the single most effective tool for achieving female fat distribution.

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Personal results

I completed two cycles and am satisfied with the results, judging by my WHR and feeling happier with my body overall. The first downcycle had periods of intermittent fasting and ended with a two week water fast. I used hexapeptide-38 and pioglitazone during my second upcycle, and have been using clenbuterol and DMAA together with ALCAR and psyllium husk supplementation during my current second downcycle.

Some final words…                                                                                             

If you decide that weight cycling is the option for you, my best advice would be to not be too hard on yourself. Nothing you do can make you lose progress – your fat distribution will always keep shifting in the right direction, the only thing you can affect is the rate at which that happens. Cheat days are fine and this should never take priority over the other things in your life, especially not your mental health…

<3

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