How much muscle mass did you lose in your transition?

[Keaira]

I'm just curious if anyone lost their 'guns' or body building physique when they transitioned. So far, I haven't noticed anything  anywhere else except my arms. I have a huge and heavy air impact gun I use to un-bolt molds from presses, and it was pretty heavy pre-HRT but now it's one I have to wield with 2 hands. So will the muscle still be there in a weakened state? or turn to jello? Will I end up with the body I had before I turned 20? so to speak. I've switched to a smaller impact gun because of this and I'm hoping that cycling helps.

[Re: Joyce]

Those beautifully formed, masculine muscles that looked so good, are now things of the past. 

     I took weekly photographs over a long time to monitor my transition and you can see the development, or fading away of the man and the emergence of the woman.

      I also took measurements at regular intervals.  The photos said it all. 

      Your male strength is gone.  Poof.  You can build up strength, but it will never be like you had and it's not likely you'll ever have any mass, either.  I've really gotten into bicycling and I used to have fab man legs.  After hundreds of hard miles, I have great girl legs and some strength.  But I've not "gotten all muscular" as I was told would probably happen if I kept cycling.  I just became better toned.

      But I still look like a girl....

      I love it.

[Lynne]

Joyce, that sounds wonderful, I can't wait to start HRT.

[Lilly19]

you just elminated any leftover fear of the workout regimen im stuck with for the foreseeable future ^^ thankyou!

[Keaira]

Those beautifully formed, masculine muscles that looked so good, are now things of the past. 

     I took weekly photographs over a long time to monitor my transition and you can see the development, or fading away of the man and the emergence of the woman.

      I also took measurements at regular intervals.  The photos said it all. 

      Your male strength is gone.  Poof.  You can build up strength, but it will never be like you had and it's not likely you'll ever have any mass, either.  I've really gotten into bicycling and I used to have fab man legs.  After hundreds of hard miles, I have great girl legs and some strength.  But I've not "gotten all muscular" as I was told would probably happen if I kept cycling.  I just became better toned.

      But I still look like a girl....

      I love it.

So as long as I keep fit, I'll loose a lot of my muscle size to more female proportions? how long did it take? Right now I feel like a female body builder. A little tank, so to speak.

[Padma]

My torso has definitely started to slim down slightly, after 2 months of HRT. I've been taking measurements, and my chest size over my boobs is the same - which means my chest has slimmed down a little, because my boobs are more prominent than 2 months ago. I think my shoulders are less massy too, which is a delight .

[Re: Joyce]

I've been on hormones for 2 years now and I'm still changing.  It seemed I lost my "male strength" within a few months of starting hormones. 

      We all have to remember that those little girls and boys who ran shirtless together through the sprinklers in the hot Summer heat took 5 years or more to morph into men and women. 

      My second year on hormones showed more body progress than the first.  I'm still building my hip area.

      At my beginning of my new life, I looked like a classic male body builder.  I could make muscles very easily and had legs that rippled when I flexed.    I have female legs to die for now.

      Change your diet.  Eat like a girl--lots of fruits and veggies, Greek yogurt.  Get lots of rest and take care of yourself.

      Oh, and take lots of pictures from all angles.  Use the exact same places and poses for the photos.  They'll show you your progress and give you lots of encouragement.

[Cyndigurl45]

I actually gained definition, primarily going from slow heavy reps to light fast high reps I wish I could lose some shoulder mass, I wear a size 7 bottoms but my top have to be 12's to fit my shoulders

[Nurse With Wound]

Only been on for like nearly 2 months but there's no noticeable muscle change yet and I doubt I'll see any since I hardly have any muscle to start with.

[eli77]

I actually started with very little muscle mass, but got pretty intense effects. I lost about half my upper body strength in the first 3 months on HRT. I used to be able to say "I'm much stronger than I look," now I'm exactly as strong as I look.

[Forever21Chic]

I used to be able to say "I'm much stronger than I look," now I'm exactly as strong as I look.

     



    Yeah i didn't have much muscle to begin with, now after 9 months HRT i can barely lift 30 pounds.   

[Lone Cypress]

I've lost about 30 pounds and I struggle to carry around a thanksgiving turkey 

[El]

Lol oh noes! I havent had any hormones and i struggle with pickle jars already! im just gonna implode when i get hormones, all thats gonna be left is a pair of smoking size 9 converses and some chicken fillets!

[kelly_aus]

I haven't lost any great amount of mass.. but I can no longer lift my own body weight (135 lbs)..

[umop ap!sdn]

Never had much mass to begin with - always had slender feminine arms - but I did lose a lot of strength. Not sure if I can lift 50 lbs anymore.

[Alainaluvsu]

Muscle loss is 1 of the first changes I experienced. My chest went from a 37 to about 32.5" in about a month. I used to be able to open any jar without worry, now I struggle and have to take deep breaths. Slinging around 20lb boxes is part of my job, now I struggle with that! I've pretty much had to get co workers to help me out. The other night, I was overpowered with ease by a 5'11" 140 lb effeminate gay guy while wrestling around.. when a few months ago he probably would've been in my shoes.

I've stayed pretty much the same weight however. I'm almost always weighing in from 135 - 140, last time I weighed myself I was at 134.0

Oh and btw, being legitimately overpowered by a guy is 1 of the hottest things that's ever happened to me

[Annah]

i lost two hundred pounds in body fat. Not sure about muscle mass tho

[Keaira]

Wow Annah! That's great in anyone's book.  Yesterday I had problems being able to swing my brass hammer to release a stubborn knockout bar from a mold. I was kind of shocked actually. I used to be able to swing it at the same press doing the same thing and it would come loose every time. I think my big impact gun weighs a good 20lb. It used to be heavy to me even before HRT, but now it feels like someone added another 5pm to it. I just hope my arms eventually shrink down in size. Getting up into press 22 is becoming more of a challenge too because I have to essentially pull myself up. Some nights at work can really wear me out if we do a lot of mold changes. I keep telling myself that it's excersise.

[JoanneB]

Offhand, after 2 years on HRT, I can't say for certain that I lost a significant amount of muscle mass due to hormones vs just being old, loosing about 50lbs and in a more sedate working environment. I was never muscle bound to start with, hardly any hand/finger strength compared to most guys. Tools like impact guns, SUV tires and brake drums do seem a lot heavier these days. I always relied on being wiry and body mechanics for a leg up there, even back in my truck mechanic days.

I believe the biggest hit from HRT was from the T-blocker. My T is in the sub-basement now. I was on estrogen for about 6 months prior and felt no change in strength. Within a month on the t-blocker I felt weaker and many of the other typical side effects except tiredness.

[Cyndigurl45]

i lost two hundred pounds in body fat. Not sure about muscle mass tho

OMG that's off the hook incredible.......