Testosterone for Women Over 40 | Why My Labs Were Wrong - 1318
Testosterone for Women Over 40 | Why My Labs Were Wrong - 1318  
Podcast: The Chalene Show | Diet, Fitness & Life Balance
Published On: Fri Jul 24 2026
Description: Testosterone, not GLP-1s, is what finally let Chalene Johnson lose body fat and build real muscle after 40, and she's laying out exactly how in this episode. Chalene explains why her total testosterone always looked normal on paper while she still felt exhausted and stuck in the gym, until a clinician finally tested her free testosterone and SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin) and found the real problem. In her words, total testosterone is the money in the bank, free testosterone is the cash in your pocket, and SHBG is the bank teller deciding how much you actually get to spend. She also gets into why she skipped the growth peptides everyone's talking about (tesamorelin, ipamorelin, CJC-1295) and switched from monthly testosterone injections to a daily cream instead. She talks candidly about the mold exposure that wrecked her hormones, caregiving through her father-in-law's Alzheimer's, and why she stopped weighing herself and started tracking body fat with an InBody scale instead. Topics discussed: testosterone for women, free testosterone, total testosterone, SHBG, hormone replacement therapy, perimenopause, GLP-1, tesamorelin, ipamorelin, CJC-1295, HGH, IGF-1, progressive overload, body composition, InBody scale, DEXA scan, mold toxicity, testosterone cream Midi Health testosterone for women: https://chalene.com/test Midi Health hormone and menopause care: https://chalene.com/midi   Go Beyond The Podcast Join Chalene on her private podcast 👉chalene.com/more    🚨Questions Chalene Wants Your Thoughts on: Have you ever gotten a "normal" lab result but still felt off? I'd love to hear how you advocated for yourself, or wish you had. What's one rule around eating, fasting, or exercise you finally gave yourself permission to break?  When it comes to strength training, are you tracking your weights and reps, or just guessing you worked hard?   Related Links: Chalene's Favorites! OneSkin OS-01 Body lotion and Suncreen 👉https://chalene.com/lotion use Code Chalene at Checkout InBody Scale 👉https://go.shopmy.us/p-73936967 Sign Up to Get the Weekly Newsletter!! 👉NEWSLETTER Camp Be More 2027 Registration is now OPEN!! 👉 CAMP   Join the PodSquad on Facebook! 👉https://www.facebook.com/groups/ChalenePodSquad   We would love to hear from you! Leave your questions or messages for Chalene RIGHT HERE   To advertise on our podcast, please reach out to thechaleneshow@gmail.com and mention The Chalene Show   Connect with me on your fav social platform: Instagram: www.Instagram.com/ChaleneJohnson    Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Chalene    TikTok: @chaleneOfficial Chapters 00:00:00 Why GLP-1s cause muscle loss 00:06:50 Starting hormone replacement therapy in perimenopause 00:11:37 Overtraining, inflammation, and stalled progress 00:13:28 Protein-first eating over intermittent fasting rules 00:18:05 Progressive overload and choosing the right weights 00:20:15 SPF, OneSkin, and skin advice from a beauty influencer 00:29:59 Mold exposure and hormone disruption 00:32:39 Peptides, SHBG, and switching to a testosterone cream