The best way to lose weight isn't just cardio, you want strength and resistance too because muscle burns fat, and the best part is that it burns fat when you're not working out. It burns fat while you sleep! Build up muscle and you boost your metabolism and then you'll burn way more fat. So even though the muscles will be hidden "below a layer of cushioning" as ford puts it, just the fact that they're there will increase how quickly you can see them. This is the number one thing people mistake about losing weight. It's especially true of women but some guys also fear the strength/resistance training because they don't want to look like body builders. The truth is that to look like a body builder takes a LOT of work and lifting heavy weights. Instead you can go for lower weights and more reps to give you a cardio + strength workout.
Food: eat smaller amounts more regularly, especially if you workout. If you don't workout, then it's not such a big deal, but if you're working out you'll want a more consistant energy level and eating more regularly will help. As for types, don't be scared of fats, there's healthy fats and you need them. Nuts are a great source of healthy fat for example. There's plenty of advice out there but the typical things to avoid are trans fats, high salt content, sugary foods and processed foods.
Gym: I don't do it. I workout at home. Right now I'm working through a combination of Insanity workouts (from Beachbody) and GSP Rush workouts (MMA). At home I can wear my sports bra instead of binding. It's each to their own but if you want to workout hard, having a binder isn't going to let you reach your full potential and so I workout at home so I can workout harder to get faster results. I also go to Taekwon-do and for that I do wear a binder but it's a looser binder and it's under a baggy martial arts outfit (dobok) so you can't really tell anyway.
At the beginning of the year I was overweight. Since presenting as male full time and especially since starting T, I've actually lost weight. Presenting the way I feel motivated me to give a damn about my weight as well as my appearance. Around Xmas last year I was actually very near 180lbs (I'm 5'8")! Today I'm 158lbs and looking to get to anywhere between 150-155lbs so I'm close to that weight but still a lot of work because I want to lose the fat and have the muscle instead. Now 20ish lbs might not seem like a great amount but I've gained muscle and that weighs more than fat so I like to see it as a little more than that
. As for before and after pics, I can't do that personally. The pics I've taken I took wearing a sports bra and are only for me to see so that I can compare. I couldn't let another soul see those pics; too dysphoric!! And I avoided cameras like the plague because I hated how I looked so there's very few pics of me overweight.
The best thing to remember is that losing weight little by little is better than drastic weight loss. You want to lose weight and have it stay off. So when it comes to fad diets or crash dieting, just stay clear of it. It's not worth it. That's what leads to the yo-yo effect where you lose weight and then put it all back on. It's also why adding some resistance and strength training is important because you want to have the muscle burning fat for you during the day as well as through the night when you're not working out. This helps keep more consistent weight loss. Also when it comes to eating, don't diet, look at it as a lifestyle change. That means you don't stop treating yourself! Have cheat days because it's a life change and you know full well that you're not going to live without having your favourite foods ever again, so don't deny yourself some treats here and there. The key is moderation, not cutting out entirely.
There's tons of advice out there for losing weight and working out. Watch with working out though, you want to switch it up and not keep doing the same thing over and over because you'll stalemate. Have a cardio day, a plyometrics day, a strength/resistance day. Mix it up and keep changing what you do. If one cardio session = bike, make the next one running. If one strength training works shoulder and back, make the next on chest, then the next arms, then the next legs. Switch it up and do different exercises to keep your body guessing rather than it getting used to particular routines.
Best of luck!
