The male belly.

[LittleEmily24]

I'm sure i'm not the only one on here who has begun transition under less than admirable physical stature (in terms of personal preference i mean, not saying that there is a "perfect" body to have for transition or anything), and for those of us who may have had a bit of a gut back then, I would assume we would have wanted it gone.

Now, I'm not talking about being overweight or anything drastic, i'm talking about the usual small gut. I'm not necessarily fat but I have a stubborn tummy that I've been working hard to get rid of (it has reduced but i still have a couple of months of working out to fully get rid of it). I guess my question is more for the people who decided not to worry about their small gut...

-Did the gut kinda flatten out as your hips developed? as in, did it meld together with the fat that distributed around your hips? Or did you end up just losing the gut as a result of having a smaller stomach or less appetite or starving yourself etc.

I guess to put it simply: if you had a gut, how did you get rid of it after started HRT, and if you didn't even try to get rid of it and it still went away, how did it go away?

To be a little more clear on what im talking about, im pretty much talking about that stubborn belly fat that most cismen get from too much young-blooded nights of intoxicated debauchery and late night fried food consumption. I'm pretty much thin every else on my body but my stomach is being a pain in the proverbial ass.

Any advice or experience?

[HoneyStrums]

In the UK we call that "bear belly"
And its not always caused by bear, and is an atractive trait to some i.e "Shes got room for one" in woman its usually called "baby belly" but its the same thing.

Im not on hormoans so i cant answer your question, but if theirs a chance i can say somthing that might ease the dysphoria about it im going to take it.

[Jess42]

Well I am not transitioning but I lost a lot of weight by counting calories. I did not want to workout 'cause I am just too lazy to go to a gym and didn't want to get muscular in the process. I'm not gonna say I starved but I did fast for a couple of days and then limited my caloric intake to around 900 a day. But really it all depends on your metabolism and mine is extremely slow, lazy like me ya' know. Actually I am not that lazy but me and food do not get along. Always though before doing anything like fasting or extreme dieting and so on, check with your doctor because there could be underlying problems such as borderline diabetes or something else. If you are on HRT definately ask your doctor.

BTW I tried all the normal diets, eating healthy, exercise and so on and nothing works for me but counting calories. Losing it isn't the hard part though, keeping it off is.

[LittleEmily24]

Thats the thing though, I mean i've not been necessarily counting calories, but I've just been lowering my calorie intake (and I'm sure at this point I eat less than 1000 calories a day because I eat very small portions and I eat a specific diet) AND I'm also doing intense work out and intense cardio.

I had this theory; not sure if I'm just talking out of my ass lol, but I theorize that because I LACK hips/butt fat, the little stomach fat I have stands out drastically, so when my hips/butt fill in, it will fill in the emptiness between my belly and my thighs that is make the belly fat somewhat "pop" out more. I don't know if anyone can back that theory up with any personal experience fact 

[Michelle G]

Look around while out and about and you will see lots of CIS girls with the same look, not everyone has the flat, trim tummy that we see on models and the girls on tv shows etc.

[LittleEmily24]

Look around while out and about and you will see lots of CIS girls with the same look, not everyone has the flat, trim tummy that we see on models and the girls on tv shows etc.

See, this is why i'm having a hard time explaining. I'm not saying that I need a flat super model stomach.. but my stomach sticks out in a way that announces "HEY, this person is a DUDE!" and really kind of impedes my ability to wear a 2 piece bikini without looking strangely shaped. I know that there are all types of cisgirls with big bellies, but there is a significant difference between this:



and this:



lol. Trust me, I have NO issue with looking like the 2nd picture. i don't find belly's to be ugly, in fact in some cases they are quite cute, but the differences are dead give-aways, no matter how much muscle I lose, its man-gut. Which is why I'm hoping my theory is proven right and that the fat kinda just binds with the fat that will distribute into my hips. because currently my bottom section looks like I'm wearing permanent underwear =/ large quads, bit of a belly, and like nothing but pelvic bone in between. I hope I've described it well enough xD its been hard to explain to people without having a picture for reference.

Btw, those pics are from google I'm not the person in the first picture.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not freaking out or anything. I posted this with the intention of just gathering any helpful info

[Debussy]

I would say my belly still has a masculine shape. I'm 6 months hrt an have had fat distribute to my hips and pubic area somewhat- my partner has a bigger tummy than me but hers looks great compared to mine.. I'm hoping for the same thing- and would like to know how people's fat redistribution in the midsection went... Hopefully now that I'm running again that'll be te first place my body removes fat from...

[Shantel]

I probably have a lot of nerve commenting here since I just confessed to having regained 20 of the 60 lbs I worked my ass off to get rid of over the winter months too much partying, alcohol and munchies.

But I can attest to the fact that there are certain places where fat is stored that is tough to get rid of. I recently had my love handles lipo-suctioned away because there is no way that any amount of exercise and diet will get rid of that fat. Bodies store fat from excess sugars and carbohydrate consumption, carbs turn into sugar and then are stored as fat, so cut out all the bread, pasta, potatoes, white rice sugar and processed foods with high fructose on the label, eat a lean diet, cut fats out of meat, pull the skin off of chicken before cooking, keep your caloric intake down to 1000 - 1300 per day and eat about five times a day in small portions.

Your internal stomach dimension is no larger then your fist, no need to stretch it. Exercise daily and do some crunches to tighten the stomach muscles, within a few years you'll be looking great! It took time to put on and it will take time to get rid of it. Meanwhile redistribution of body fat is a joke, you'll get some subcutaneous girly fat on HRT, but there is no major redistribution. Been on HRT for 20 years I should know.

Meanwhile I am going to get on the stick and take some of my own advice because I need to and know that it works.

[mandonlym]

I danced seriously for most of my life so I didn't start out with a belly, but I stopped training regularly two years ago and did develop one, and that's still where my fat tends to go when I gain weight, and I have a little bit of one right now. I don't think it looks masculine on me even in a swimsuit. I went out on a date at a Russian spa last Friday and the guy was really complimentary. Though I guess even with the fat layer you can still sorta see my ab muscles, which gives it shape.

I'd consider doing pilates maybe? I'm pretty sure that's how I ended up with those contour lines around my belly.

[kelly_aus]

My 26yo adopted daughter gave me an odd look last week when I complained about my belly.. And then showed me hers - which looked much the same as mine... She has had 3 kids though.

I can't say it's high on my list of priorities now..

[Christine167]

Exercise and weight loss will only take you so far.

IF and I say IF you have a bit of saggy skin there then you may consider surgery as an option as that's the only way to get rid of excess skin outside of growing into it.

HOWEVER the abdominal area, the belly, is the only area on the human body, that I know of, that reshape itself with exercise to pull that fat in. Love handles and the like will still stick out but the belly proper will shape up if you work hard, change routines so that belly doesn't get used to the work, and give yourself the time for it to reshape.

I need to get back on it myself as I too have a mini belly but I have accomplished this several times in my life. You can too and it doesn't eat up a lot of time during the week to do. I found a 20 minute program on YouTube for it and that was working great until my endo said to stop or the HRT won't have any fat to work with. And of course I see it has been taken down now but I do plan on finding a new one now.

[teeg]

I had the same goal of reducing my belly size from pre-HRT fat gains. Your best bet for weight loss is walking at a decent pace in a fasted state preferably for an hour most days (if not every day) if you can. The main goal is to keep your heart rate elevated constantly throughout the hour. I woke up and went for a walk around town every day for a few months and the pounds came off.

I totally agree with Shantel. I believe people are actually experiencing estrogen reducing the amount of fat that's burned, and that fat being deposited in female areas, giving the illusion that fat is moving around. Fat doesn't move around -- it stays put, and it's first in last out.

My best advice is to lose as much fat from your body as you (safely) can through a strict cutting diet. Supplements can really help this. I used caffeine and baby aspirin supplements to be able to work harder and have a bit of an appetite suppressant, this info is all over the internet. After that you can go back to your normal lifestyle and regain the weight, which now under the influence of estrogen, will deposit in typical female areas giving much better results than going into HRT with your old testosterone influenced fat.

[Jenna Marie]

Heh. Well, I kind of went from the first picture to the second, if that helps. I still seem to have a tummy, but the fat on it is a bit lower down and resembles the way cis women carry weight. And yes, adding boobs, butt, and hips gives me the impression of a curvier overall figure and distracts from the belly anyway.

[LittleEmily24]

Well, I decided to ask my PT and she pretty much assures me that I'll have a regular flat stomach within 1-2 months if I continue on my current path. Intense training, an hour of interval resistance cardio, a low carb diet. I've been losing about 1-2 pounds a week so I'm sure at some point my body won't have enough fat to even support the belly anymore.... I mean I have noticed that my belly has reduced drastically, it's just still stubbornly present.

My Endo told me that dieting and exercise won't negatively effect my fat distribution so

[LittleEmily24]

Heh. Well, I kind of went from the first picture to the second, if that helps. I still seem to have a tummy, but the fat on it is a bit lower down and resembles the way cis women carry weight. And yes, adding boobs, butt, and hips gives me the impression of a curvier overall figure and distracts from the belly anyway.

Awesome! Exactly what I'm hoping for xD

[Kyra553]

The best I can do to really help my shape is a waist cincher and feminizing exercises. With a cincher alone, I've lost a ton of weight in that area and after eight months I still am trimming down.  I'm going to move into tight lace corseting next to really get things aligned propper.

[Debussy]

What cincher do you use?

edit: I wanted to get one that didn't press down on my hips as much as the one I have...

[Christine167]

Well, I decided to ask my PT and she pretty much assures me that I'll have a regular flat stomach within 1-2 months if I continue on my current path. Intense training, an hour of interval resistance cardio, a low carb diet. I've been losing about 1-2 pounds a week so I'm sure at some point my body won't have enough fat to even support the belly anymore.... I mean I have noticed that my belly has reduced drastically, it's just still stubbornly present.

My Endo told me that dieting and exercise won't negatively effect my fat distribution so

That'll do it Emily.

[Ms Grace]

I did flatten up in the belly area a fair bit after starting HRT this time. First time it was the opposite for some reason, different meds though.

[Kyra553]

What cincher do you use?

edit: I wanted to get one that didn't press down on my hips as much as the one I have...

I've used this one for a few months now and its been the best one I've had so far. It really gave me shape with great firmness. Though its meant for the lower half of the body. If it was a high waist cincher I would just keep sizing down with this one.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BZ4CFLM/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


I just ordered this one and I hope it works out well for me.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EV5GCSY/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1