tampaLisa73 said:

Bloods taken before and after nine months, and the changes are large enough that I want to understand which are cause and which are consequence.

HPA axis assessment on the hormone panel: rarely ordered but informative for understanding the stress-metabolism connection:

4-point salivary cortisol:

• Morning: 17 ng/mL → 13 ng/mL (improved)
• Noon: 7 ng/mL → 6 ng/mL
• Evening: 5 ng/mL → 2 ng/mL
• Night: 3 ng/mL → 1 ng/mL

The cortisol curve is normalizing — less flat, better diurnal variation. Reduced visceral fat = reduced cortisol overproduction. The metabolic benefits cascade into stress hormone regulation.

SarahChen_PharmD said:

HPA axis assessment on the hormone panel: rarely ordered but informative for understanding the stress-metabolism connection: 4-point salivary…

Hormone panel changes on the hormone panel — relevant for anyone curious about endocrine effects:

• Testosterone: increased 35% (weight loss reduces aromatase in adipose tissue)
• Estradiol: normalized from elevated baseline
• SHBG: increased appropriately
• Free testosterone: increased 22%
• Cortisol AM: within normal limits, no significant change

My reproductive endocrinologist says the testosterone improvement alone could explain the energy and mood benefits I've experienced.

tampaLisa73 said:

Bloods taken before and after nine months, and the changes are large enough that I want to understand which are cause and which are consequence.

Same experience, arrived at from the opposite direction.

Adding the clinical framing, because it changes how the question reads.

Sex hormone labs after weight loss on the hormone panel — for the men in this thread:

Testosterone: 313 → 593 ng/dL (dramatic improvement!)
Free T: 6.8 → 13.3 ng/dL
Estradiol: 55 → 23 pg/mL
SHBG: 19 → 39 nmol/L

Visceral fat contains aromatase which converts testosterone to estrogen. As you lose visceral fat, this conversion decreases and testosterone naturally rises. I feel 10 years younger.