Problems With Weight Loss and Libido — Is Testosterone the Answer?
“I’m having problems with weight loss — libido is lagging too. Is testosterone replacement therapy for me?”
Possibly — if low testosterone is at the root of your problems.
Low testosterone can affect you sexually, mentally, and physically, to be sure.
However, jumping prematurely to a medical treatment option — just giving it a try to see if it works — can cause a lot of problems.
There are other possible health concerns that involve weight gain and loss of libido that you should be aware of.
Difficulties with Weight Loss and Libido — Testosterone Isn’t the Only Factor
First, let’s go over some possible factors that can leave you feeling much less than “yourself” and lead to choices that negatively affect your weight loss or sex drive.
After all, the real question is, “What’s at the source of the problem?”
Have You Considered Your Level of Physical Activity?
Poor exercise habits can lead to feeling down, and feeling down leads to even less exercise — the vicious cycle.
Feeling down can lead to poor choices of diet, like impulse eating or using food in an attempt to change how you feel.
Those types of eating behaviors can quickly put you in a pattern that would cause anyone to have trouble with weight loss. Libido is affected as well — a serious loss of energy, the feeling of being drained, can definitely hinder your sexual appetite.
On the other hand, are you eating well enough? If you’re eating little, or eating poorly, you may fail at weight loss, and low libido will continue to haunt you — low energy and low mood can come from poor nutrition, too.
We’re often asked, “Does weight loss increase libido?” If poor overall health is a problem, weight loss could certainly increase libido, but mostly, it will help you feel better in general — your weight has a significant impact on your feelings of wellness.
Have You Been Ill Lately?
Have you had a bout with the flu recently?
Almost any physical illness, including viral infections like the common cold, can put a drag on your energy reserves for an extended period of time.
Also, some medications that treat common illnesses can hamper your energy and your efforts at weight loss while reducing your libido simultaneously.
While these might seem like overly simplistic causes, ruling out health events that cause a dip in energy is a good first step.
If these physical causes seem unlikely, but you’re still feeling “off,” then it might be good to look for emotional causes.
How’s Your Emotional or Relationship Health?
Stress resulting from strain on your emotional health can lead to poor eating and a loss of sexual interest.
Have you experienced any serious changes in your life that have led to an increase in anxiety lately?
The loss of a job or a death in the family (or even the threat of a crisis) can put you under a lot of stress that can present in a variety of ways.
Threats to your relationship security, such as a perceived breach of trust, feelings of betrayal, frequent arguments, or sensing a disconnection can also lead to a serious low — and these issues, in particular, can reduce the desire to be intimate with your significant other.
Weight Loss and Libido Troubles When Everything Else Seems Fine
If nothing we’ve mentioned so far seems to ring a bell, but you’re seeing changes to your personal “normal,” physically or sexually, it may be best to start considering medical causes — that includes hormone imbalances like low testosterone.
What other symptoms of low testosterone are you experiencing?
What about the severity of your symptoms?
The following is a list of some of the more common symptoms of low testosterone:
- Fatigue
- Sexual dysfunction
- Weight problems
- Trouble concentrating
- Loss of endurance
- Depressed mood
- Muscle weakness
- Muscle loss
(Read more about the symptoms of low testosterone here.)
Multiple symptoms, beyond the troubles with weight loss and libido, could be a strong indicator to get your testosterone levels checked and talk to a health provider about whether hormone replacement therapy could benefit you.
Difficulties With Weight Loss and Libido — Something Is Wrong!
The symptoms, like trouble with weight loss and libido being lower than it should be, might be indicators of a larger problem — low testosterone or another hormone imbalance are possibilities.
The key is that you’re noticing a departure from your what you perceive as “normal” for you, and if you’re noticing significant changes that leave you dissatisfied, let’s see if low testosterone is at the source — you don’t have to live with the effects of low testosterone.
Click the button below to find out how testosterone replacement therapy may be able to help you in your struggles with weight loss and libido issues —‚if it’s found that low testosterone is the root of your troubles.
