intentional muscle atrophy

[Madison (kiara jamie)]

so i have been on hrt for around 8 months now and am still worried with my muscular shoulder/arm/forearm/hands and was having an intriguing thought about how to reduce them, in the winter i usually have a significantly reduced work schedule, some years i just take 4 months off work depending on finances, i was wondering about getting a shoulder/arm immobilizing sling, with a hard hand splint and try to immobilize my entire arm from the shoulder down to the fingers to induce muscle atrophy, the only worry i have is that i was told when on a mtf dosage of hrt, if you have to immobilize an injured limb that you have to stop your medication due to blood clotting

has anyone tried this before for their transition? did it work? any complications?

[JLT1]

HI kiaraja,

I thought about this.  Then, I had ankle surgery, splint and all.  Muscles came back to be the same as the other leg.  Better is lots of aerobic activity with a low protein diet.

However, if that avatar is you, you don't have anything to worry about.  You are beautiful.

Hugs,

Jen

[Jessica Merriman]

As a medic I can say with authority NOT to immobilize any extremity for this purpose, your risk of clotting and/or embolism is way to high especially on Estrodiol. Do cardio to tone and leave the weight pile alone. You also need to keep hydrated and moving while on Spiro or muscle cramping will be much, much more painful. That is all you can really do in this situation.  🙂

[Just Shelly]

WOW! that's a little extreme!

Just give yourself time....you honestly are not as big as you think....I thought the same thing once...and still do!!

When I started HRT my biceps where at least 11" flexed and 10" not flexed maybe a bit more not sure though since I didn't measure them much pre hrt....and now they are 10" flexed and about 9" not.....even my starting measurements were not big...but loosing an inch is huge when measuring muscle circumference. Just google some body building sites and you can see how big of a difference an inch makes.

Even in saying this I still view myself as huge!! even though I am always told I am tiny....in fact I have been told I am petite more than a couple of times. This comes as a total surprise to me...I am sure with how I respond I come across as conceited....but this really comes as a shock to myself!!

We really don't see ourselves as what others do!

[Eva Marie]

I have been shrinking ever since I went on a transitioning dose of HRT. My feet have shrunk a shoe size and i've lost at least .5 inch in height. Even my therapist has made remarks about me shrinking.

I walk A LOT each day. I don't press weights or do any weight training. I just walk...... and walk..... and walk..... and I eat sensible meals...... and I shrink.

My arms have shrunk too. I used to have big forearms from the work that I used to do on mechanical things but that is fading away now thank heavens.

I am definitely experiencing muscle atrophy. I can't get the lids off of a lot of jars anymore LOL.......

[Sammy]

I'd suggest just wait through this and do some cardio from time to time. I have noticed quite a shrinkage in my lower arms, but my biceps circumference is exactly the same as it was ~30 cm. Yet, when I flex it, barely anything happens, so I suppose it has partially melted into fat or smth, but now I need to either starve myself or do lots of cardio - which is tricky in winter and I cant go to gym/pool anymore 🙁 - to burn that excess fat down. Btw, my best female friend is doing a lot of jogging, pilates and such as, and she has bigger upper arms than I do - and she looks in a very good shape for someone who is 40 years old.

[Carol2000]

so i have been on hrt for around 8 months now and am still worried with my muscular shoulder/arm/forearm/hands and was having an intriguing thought about how to reduce them, in the winter i usually have a significantly reduced work schedule, some years i just take 4 months off work depending on finances, i was wondering about getting a shoulder/arm immobilizing sling, with a hard hand splint and try to immobilize my entire arm from the shoulder down to the fingers to induce muscle atrophy, the only worry i have is that i was told when on a mtf dosage of hrt, if you have to immobilize an injured limb that you have to stop your medication due to blood clotting

has anyone tried this before for their transition? did it work? any complications?

Hi,

Like others on here I would advise against trying to cause muscle atrophy. I had the same thoughts early on in my transition. The best advice is to take the sort of exercise women do to keep their bodies toned without adding muscle. The medication you are on will take care of the rest. In your avatar you look fantastic, and no doubt you can't see that yourself. Anorexics have the same problem, so please don't go down that route.

You look very slim and forget about measuring muscles etc it doesn't work like that. You'll find, as most of us have, the hormones will work their magic. Unfortunately it doesn't happen overnight, but I can guarantee that you'll meet up with someone you haven't seen for a few months or so and, depending on how comfortable they feel with you, they will comment on how different you look, and ask how you keep so slim.

Be patient

Caroline

[KabitTarah]

I'm pre-HRT... and I've definitely experienced some already. You don't look like you have a lot of weight to lose, but as others have said, the right kind of diet and exercise can promote atrophy. I lost 40+ lbs by eating mostly salad (with some protein). My arms are much smaller and weaker now... I think I lost a good amount of muscle from my arms and shoulders (not that I was muscular before) while my legs are still big (and not too unfeminine for it ).

[Ltl89]

so i have been on hrt for around 8 months now and am still worried with my muscular shoulder/arm/forearm/hands and was having an intriguing thought about how to reduce them, in the winter i usually have a significantly reduced work schedule, some years i just take 4 months off work depending on finances, i was wondering about getting a shoulder/arm immobilizing sling, with a hard hand splint and try to immobilize my entire arm from the shoulder down to the fingers to induce muscle atrophy, the only worry i have is that i was told when on a mtf dosage of hrt, if you have to immobilize an injured limb that you have to stop your medication due to blood clotting

has anyone tried this before for their transition? did it work? any complications?

Please don't do that it sounds risky.

I've heard cardio and lifting small weights (like one pound)  can help speed the process.  I've never been muscular,  but my upper arms had a little meat to it.  I notice it is thankfully going down and imagine it is related to cardio exercise and hrt. 

[randomdude5]

CARDIO! Have you ever watched professional cycling? Their upper bodies are extremely skinny lol. Of course you don't have to be doing cardio to that extent, but you know... 😛

[JLT1]

I was out shopping today with my wife.  I found this beautiful winter coat that was on sale and I wanted it.  My arms didn't fit at the top as my biceps were too big.  I was very disturbed and almost cried right there.  My wife, a cis-woman who is not big, tried it on because she liked it as well.  She didn't fit either. 

Sometimes, we seem to be striving for our perceived definition of perfection when in reality, we need to strive to be the best us we can be.

Hugs,

Jen

[JoanneB]

Muscle mass tends to drop a lot as the T level drops. Just about everyone reports how things are a lot heavier to move/lift or harder to do. Even those who do heavy lifting for work have.

I certainly would advise against immobilization. Just become a couch potatoe this winter. Screw the workouts. Just watch your diet to avoid blowing up. If you aren't burning up 3Kcal a day you can't keep on eating as if you were

[Miyuki]

I have no more muscle than most girls I know. Even before starting low dose HRT my muscles were really small. I think I have always had a harder time building muscle that a typical guy would have, but a big part of it was that I just always avoided any sort of strenuous physical activity, and recently have kept myself on a low calorie diet. I would try that before doing anything as drastic as putting your arm in a sling. It worked well for me at least...

[Madison (kiara jamie)]

well thanks everyone for all the input, it seems that everyone agrees that immobilization isn't the best idea, and i agree

i really just need to change my employment because currently i am lifting 30lb's over/around my head all day and installing sheets of glass, my job would turn a scrawn  into a bodybuilder in a summer, its a very physical job in the arms/shoulder/back area's, it also doesn't help that i eat about 8-10k calories a day and still lose any spare little bits of fat i can build up over my one day off

i was just thinking if it worked for someone else then maybe it would be worth trying, but i guess not...ugh cardio lol

[KabitTarah]

well thanks everyone for all the input, it seems that everyone agrees that immobilization isn't the best idea, and i agree

i really just need to change my employment because currently i am lifting 30lb's over/around my head all day and installing sheets of glass, my job would turn a scrawn  into a bodybuilder in a summer, its a very physical job in the arms/shoulder/back area's, it also doesn't help that i eat about 8-10k calories a day and still lose any spare little bits of fat i can build up over my one day off

i was just thinking if it worked for someone else then maybe it would be worth trying, but i guess not...ugh cardio lol

If you use the muscle... it will be maintained. There might be extreme ways to still lose muscle, but they must be dangerous and they would make your job even more dangerous!

[Seras]

NASA was recruiting people to lie around for months on end to simulate being in space or something before. They were paying too. Maybe you should look into it 😛

[Madison (kiara jamie)]

nah im starting an oilfield company in six months or so, as a silent partner, and about a year after that, money won't be an issue or physical labor for employment. nothing but de-stressing and lazing around a beach hopefully