I was wondering if there was any sort of health criteria to be taken into consideration before starting HRT?
Would being overweight or smoking etc. be an issue, and if so, are there any guidelines laid down covering this prior to starting?
I sort of gave up a while back and just let myself go, but as I now have renewed hope, I'm working hard to give up my vices and get back in to shape.
I've just had a medical check and everything is normal apart from sorting out my fitness.
If I don't get there as quick as I want, will this have any affect on future progress?
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Bobbie XXX
Its very hard to lose weight on HRT for many. Its helpful to lose it before starting. As far as smoking, you will need to stop. It destroys HRT as much as it does you, they do not mix. It can lead to health problems that wouldnt exist before HRT started such as clots and ..well the list is too long. It makes smoking more unhealthy than it is already.
As far as exercise walking is probably the best. I dont mean to the end of the street but a good 3 mile walk will do wonders. I ride my bike too much and it was building muscle and burning off fat so fast I didnt think I'd ever change. Some ppl jog, some do other things. My goal was to reduce my upper body so swimming was out of the question. You need to exercise your biggest muscles because they burn the most calories and eat a sensible diet and take a multi-vitamin daily. Look at it as a lifestyle change...not a diet.
Suffice it to say that in any circumstance good health and physical fitness is always recommended and not being that way will negatively affect your life whether you are on HRT or not. In fact many of the surgeons insist that you are healthy and not overweight before they consider SRS/GRS. Dr Brassard is one of these surgeons and he emphasized this during my pre-op consult with him.
Steph
I don't believe its hard at all to lose weight on HRT.
I lost 25 pounds in 10 months just checking what
I was eating, not startving myself at all.
People just don't want to make the effort of
watching what they eat.
It takes quite a while to lose muscle mass
(which is the main difference in metabolism between
men and women) and so, in the first year at least,
losing weight should not be that hard.
If you want to lose weight and not starve, boost your muscle mass in the large muscles Thigh, core, buttocks. That will also make you look more shapely and female.
i would suggest not trying to lose really any weight(unless of course youre obese) cuz in the end its actually benefitual. the fat distrubution is a lot more noticable when you actually have some. you can hav more pronounced hips... and youll definately notice that youre breast seem to be a bit bigger. along with that... the face needs fat to give you that baby-gurl like face( so the bones and shape are less pronounced) and women on average carry much more weight than men( the bmi is at 18 for men... and 23 for women).
Im not saying not to exersize...by all means go ahead, a flat stomach is very hot with a nice top...but it shouldnt be stalling your hormone therapy. and along with stoppng smoking and drinking...just watch what u eat... dont go crazy on it now
Thank you for your replies.
I wouldn't say I was obese, but I do need to loose a fair bit of weight to get down to a reasonable level before I start anything as I don't really want to worry about that along with everything else.
The pounds are dropping of now I have something to work towards but I'm trying not to rush it because if I exercise a lot I tend to build a lot of muscle mass especially around my arms and shoulders even when doing a low impact exercise like cycling which isn't really desirable, so I'm trying to loose it mainly through sensible eating and a light exercise regime like walking instead of taking the car, using stairs instead of elevators and taking the dogs out instead of letting my partner do it all the time. It seems to be working but at a slow steady pace. I loose a few pounds every week. Its just the time scale and, I guess, impatience on my part.
My main problem is giving up smoking. My work is one that requires a lot of concentration and I find that when I'm under a lot of pressure I smoke constantly without realizing I'm doing it even though it is now against the law to smoke in the workplace here in the UK, but as I work alone a lot of the time nobody says anything so I just carry on doing it. I have spoken about it with my GP and hes given me lots of advice and people to contact who will help me but its really down to me to find the will power. Having a goal to aim for is helping and I've set a date to quit after my holiday in two weeks so I've told everyone around me to get on my case which they assure me they are going to do. I know I can do it. I just need a kick in the butt.
Transitioning has been a life long dream, and I'm willing to sacrifice anything that stands in the way of achieving it, good or bad.
Bobbie XX
I always find it funny when people say that ohhh should keep fat because of fat distribution, etc. well, look at the most attractive women in their early 20's, they've got about 22% fat and just about none in the middle and not that much on the lower body (they've got substantial muscles with a strategically placed thin layers of fat on top. That's how you can a nice shape WITHOUT cellulite. Their WHR ratio is around 0.7.
If you don't lose the male waist fat, you won't get that WHR.
Most women with big hips also have a lot of fat around the waist and fat on their breast, but also all around their body which make them look wider (why do you think there are size 20+ in blouses). When fat levels pass a certain point, insulin levels increase and metabolic syndrome works against estrogen in fat distribution. That's why fat gets accumulated in the mid section even if estrogen wants to send it somewhere else.
I was 185 pounds BMI 25 borderline OK with much visceral fat, now I'm 158, BMI 21.5. WHR about 0.71. I think that makes me look more female than if I'd let myself balloon.
<<<<<<<<<<<<I always find it funny when people say that ohhh should keep fat because of fat distribution, etc. well, look at the most attractive women in their early 20's, they've got about 22% fat and just about none in the middle and not that much on the lower body (they've got substantial muscles with a strategically placed thin layers of fat on top. That's how you can a nice shape WITHOUT cellulite. Their WHR ratio is around 0.7.>>>>>>>>>>>>>
well im sure most of us wont exactly fit into the stereotypically perfect woman... as the stats u pointed out. i was just pointing out that a little fat actually helps mask the masculine body. ever seen a fat white guy... alot less hostile then a buff guy. it works here too, and a little can go a long way. and GG's get fat in the stomack area too.
i just find it a litle hurtful that you would just shoot a suggesting down like... "thats such a typical response, so lame...ha ha ha"... and im actuallly in my "early 20's" and am told many times im very attractive... same woman u describe there, and myself... as well as many other attractive women ive dated, pack on a little weight, or have the so called "muffin top". were not proud of it... but it happens to alot of women. its life. why do you have to force yourself into another stereotype and be a thin (and ill bet blond) woman? whats wrong with just being urself?
You didn't read the rest did you?
I'm not talking being stick thin here.
A women who's healthy and not dieting and exercising normally will have the ideal body shape from a esthetic and health point of view.
Substantial weight in the middle is a sign of early metabolic syndrome, which itself promotes more fat accumulation in the middle through insulin resistant, for a women in her 20's and its has nothing to do with having a little fat or promoting stick like women.
Men in good shape have about 12% fat and a women would have between 18-22%, if you've got over 30%, well excuse me, you're eating too much and not exercising enough.
I'm not blonde, but I've been in good shape as a man, and now I'm aiming for the same thing as a women.