Opinions Appreciated: Better Approach to Fat Distribution?

[TheQuestion]

So right now I'm about 158lbs at exactly 6'0" tall.  I have an almost uncanny ability to loose weight.  I can loose about 10-15lbs in a week by just eating right and jogging around the house for about 30 minutes a day.  I've done it before and I know I still can since I only did it last summer and I often still have several lbs falling off over just a couple days, provided I don't eat like a slob.  With the way I eat, I should probably weigh about 180lbs at least right now, but my metabolism is super fast.  I plan on dropping down to about 130lbs when I begin HRT, maybe even to about 125lbs, then I'd like to pack on about 45lbs (getting to 170-175) before again dropping down about 25-30lbs.  Hopefully I can end up in the 140-150lbs range with a much softer body and smaller measurements then I have now at 158lbs.

So my question is, should I loose the initial weight before HRT, or during the first month or so of being on HRT?  I mean, would it be more beneficial either way?  I know on HRT you tend to deposit fat into the female areas and burn from the male and vice-versa while not on HRT.  So maybe it would be better to burn the fat while on HRT for a couple months as opposed to before starting.  It might give me a better starting point for adding the weight with possibly already having lost some size from the male areas and retaining more in the female then if I'd dropped before starting HRT.

I'm hoping that either way, if I can get down (which I can), especially to 125lbs, and then put on 45lbs or so on HRT that it will soften me up a decent bit and give me good fat distribution results.  Last summer I was 135lb; my waist was 28" and my biceps were about 12" flexed.  My neck seemed a lot thinner too, probably 14-14 1/2" or so.  Right now at almost 160lbs my waist is 32" and my biceps, well, I'm not too sure TBH... neck probably about 15-15 1/2.  If I can have those numbers at about 145-150lbs after transition, the lower measurements, especially if I have a softer physique and less defined muscles and veins, I may be in OK shape.

I asked something similar to this before and people seemed to think I was preoccupied with weight, but I'm primarily concerned with the fat distribution, not really how much I weigh.  I guess it may be worth considering staying at 170lbs or so and having the fat transferred from my male areas to female if that was a better option.  Regardless, I'm still going to be putting about a quarter or more of my body weight on after beginning HRT.  I already know it's generally harder to lose weight after beginning HRT.

Also, I'm going to be changing my diet from pretty inconsistent to insanely healthy while I put the weight on.  I'm going to eat a ton to add the weight; but it's all going to come from white meat, nuts, sardines (lots of fish in general), water, juice, almond milk, fruits and vegetables.  I'm also going to cut down on caffeine.  Right now I'm a Dorito fiend and I drink a TON of Soda.  I also tend to eat a lot of fast-food.  I'm going to totally cut out the bad habits for a few years.  I don't smoke and barely ever drink either, so that's not an issue.

So what do people think?  Which seems better?  Has anyone else taken a similar approach in getting tiny and then packing on a LOT of weight while on HRT?  Thanks everyone...

[Catherine Sarah]

Hi there,

Essentially from my understanding and experience, male fat is not redistributed to female areas. It stays in situ until it's "burnt" off.

My suggestion would be to lose as much male fat as you wanted prior to HT, then once on HT, put as much fat on as you wanted and see where it lands.

It may take sometime for your body to work out which gender it should be, depending on the format and volume of your HT regime.

Lucky you; high metabolism eh!!

Huggs
Catherine

[SuchisLife]

I've also read HRT slows down a lot of people's metabolism.  I'd say use it while you know you'll have it.

[Emily1996]

You should lose weight first and then start gaining after you are in 8 months (sometimes earlier but you don't want to risk to get male fat with the slowed metabolism of hrt) HRT (where you start having most feminization and fat redistribution)

[Evelyn K]

Go as lean as possible before HRT. Burn the fat off. Burn the muscles off. You want the cleanest template to work with.

[Wynternight]

The best advice I can offer, which is sorely lacking here so far, is be very careful with yoyo weight loss. It can play holy havoc with your body and isn't generally safe, especially in the amounts you're talking about going up and down. I would NOT recommend you do this without consulting a doctor or nutritionist first.

In case anyone wants to know my bonafides: eights years of nursing, seven years as a paramedic, post-massive weight loss under medical supervision.

[Evelyn K]

Yeah there's taking it to the extreme, if you are already extreme, but getting your body fat % down to about 10% is an ok starting point for the average 20% bf person. It isn't anything more drastic than getting ripped (cutting) to see your abdominal six pack. But I wouldn't try to lose more than 2 lbs a week. You'll burn fat, and without supplemental resistance training, you'll lose muscle mass as well. Which for the petite inclined, is what you'll strive for.

My bonafides: I achieved and *had* a body of Adonis

[TheQuestion]

Yeah, I really only dropped that low once last year and I was really impressed with how small my arms got, how small everything got, but I definitely have some volume loss in my face that wasn't there before as a result.  If you don't know what volume loss is, it's when you loose facial fat, primarily in the cheeks and under-eye area.  It makes you look a lot older, skin sort of starts to sag a bit, and I'd say it makes you look more masculine too.  I've recovered, but not fully.  I'm going to do it one last time for the sake of HRT.  If I have volume loss after, I'll get fat transfers to my face.  Once I hit 170-180, then I'm going to slowly take off the weight, hopefully stabilizing at 140-150.  140-150 is, despite technically being pretty underweight for my height, healthy for me.  I'm often at about 145 and look and feel fine.  I very well may already be under 10% body fat.  I'm pretty muscular, but it's thin, lean muscle that doesn't show unless I flex.  When I was 135 I honestly could have had around 3% body fat.  I really wanted to know; it was crazy how fat-less I was.  I didn't look sick or anything.  I just had no fat at all, basically none around my waist.  Anyway, thanks everybody...

[antonia]

I've given it some thought myself, I'm 183cm/6ft and when I was in full ketosis from diabetes I weighed 72kg/158lbs but for me that was way to skinny, now I'm about 82kg/180lbs which is pretty good for me.

Thoughts, ramblings and facts, some simplified:
1. There are 3 main sources of energy, carbohydrates, fat and protein,
2. When you exercise you start by burning free blood glucose from carbohydrates you consume, next up are glycogen in your muscles and from your liver, then you burn fat.
3. When you eat carbohydrates they will be turned into glycogen reserves, this typically lasts your body 3-4 hours, for them to be turned into fat you will need to eat quite a lot of carbs, 8-10g per kg of body mass.
4. Converting carbohydrates and proteins into fat is a highly inefficient process, if you want to deposit fat then eat oils and fat.
5. Your brain burns 20% of all the energy you consume, it can only burn glucose.
6. Your body needs about 50g of protein, per day to maintain it's structure, things like your heart/lungs, etc.

If our goal is to burn as much fat as we can and then redeposit it it would be logical to:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake to the point where you are only supplying those parts of your body that can't burn fats, about 15-20g of carbs per meal should do the trick. Also keep in mind that it's important it's spread out over the day and a part of each meal.
• Exercise every day, since you have made a minimum amount of glucose/carbs available you will start burning fat sooner and burn more fat.
• Eat 50g of protein per day spread over all meals, this will ensure your muscles and organs are in shape to burn the fat
• Add good fat (nuts/sunflower seeds/cheese/olives) to make up the rest of your caloric intake, if you want to deposit more fat just increase intake, to get leaner just reduce.

[Carrie Liz]

It's not as easy as you think to get fat redistributed.

The body's fat-storage system isn't a system where fat cells die off and are replaced every time you gain or lose weight. All that's happening is that the existing fat cells are inflating and deflating. And each fat cell in the body is inflated and deflated equally, regardless of which hormones are in the body.

What hormones do, is that every year about 10% of the body's fat cells die, and are replaced. Hormones DO influence where new fat cells are created.

So basically, you're going to have to stay at that lower weight for YEARS before the body will have significantly changed enough of where its fat cells are before you can really gain weight and have it be on mostly female areas.

I tried gaining weight about a year into hormones, because I figured "well now it will go to female areas." It didn't. It went straight back to my stomach, with almost none of it going to my boobs or hips or butt. It's taken almost another whole year on HRT before I'm finally starting to see the amount of fat on my waist decrease and butt/thighs increase.

So yeah... really, it doesn't matter. No matter what weight you're at, the fat redistribution is going to take just as much time, and time is the only remedy that will make it happen. So pick a weight that you're comfortable with, and just be patient. And then maybe 4-5 years down the line when a decent portion of the body's fat cells have been reborn in more "female" areas, then you can gain it and have it go to mostly female areas.

[antonia]

I think this should be made into some sort of sticky

It's not as easy as you think to get fat redistributed.

The body's fat-storage system isn't a system where fat cells die off and are replaced every time you gain or lose weight. All that's happening is that the existing fat cells are inflating and deflating. And each fat cell in the body is inflated and deflated equally, regardless of which hormones are in the body.

What hormones do, is that every year about 10% of the body's fat cells die, and are replaced. Hormones DO influence where new fat cells are created.

So basically, you're going to have to stay at that lower weight for YEARS before the body will have significantly changed enough of where its fat cells are before you can really gain weight and have it be on mostly female areas.

I tried gaining weight about a year into hormones, because I figured "well now it will go to female areas." It didn't. It went straight back to my stomach, with almost none of it going to my boobs or hips or butt. It's taken almost another whole year on HRT before I'm finally starting to see the amount of fat on my waist decrease and butt/thighs increase.

So yeah... really, it doesn't matter. No matter what weight you're at, the fat redistribution is going to take just as much time, and time is the only remedy that will make it happen. So pick a weight that you're comfortable with, and just be patient. And then maybe 4-5 years down the line when a decent portion of the body's fat cells have been reborn in more "female" areas, then you can gain it and have it go to mostly female areas.

[Lady_Oracle]

It seems that most of what everything I read about hrt before I started hasn't been true for me. My hips widened, fast fat redistribution and so forth, I even managed to shrink my adam's apple. I guess this is all because I have a super high metabolism so the effects hit me faster than most. I guess my point is if you're someone like me with a high metabolism and the right genetics, you'll get results faster than average.

[Allyda]

I too have had almost phenominal development even with less than desired E levels. Pushing 8 months hrt I wear a 32B bra and fill it -no padding required. While I've always had hips, they've been enhanced considerably. In addition my voice has raised in pitch, my face has really softened turning back the clock 20 years and I only expect things to get better. Oh, and I'm 49 years old.

Genetics play a huge factor with hrt. I'm certainly living proof of this.

Best wishes girls.

Ali

[Leila]

I've given it some thought myself, I'm 183cm/6ft and when I was in full ketosis from diabetes I weighed 72kg/158lbs but for me that was way to skinny, now I'm about 82kg/180lbs which is pretty good for me.

Thoughts, ramblings and facts, some simplified:
1. There are 3 main sources of energy, carbohydrates, fat and protein,
2. When you exercise you start by burning free blood glucose from carbohydrates you consume, next up are glycogen in your muscles and from your liver, then you burn fat.
3. When you eat carbohydrates they will be turned into glycogen reserves, this typically lasts your body 3-4 hours, for them to be turned into fat you will need to eat quite a lot of carbs, 8-10g per kg of body mass.
4. Converting carbohydrates and proteins into fat is a highly inefficient process, if you want to deposit fat then eat oils and fat.
5. Your brain burns 20% of all the energy you consume, it can only burn glucose.
6. Your body needs about 50g of protein, per day to maintain it's structure, things like your heart/lungs, etc.

If our goal is to burn as much fat as we can and then redeposit it it would be logical to:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake to the point where you are only supplying those parts of your body that can't burn fats, about 15-20g of carbs per meal should do the trick. Also keep in mind that it's important it's spread out over the day and a part of each meal.
• Exercise every day, since you have made a minimum amount of glucose/carbs available you will start burning fat sooner and burn more fat.
• Eat 50g of protein per day spread over all meals, this will ensure your muscles and organs are in shape to burn the fat
• Add good fat (nuts/sunflower seeds/cheese/olives) to make up the rest of your caloric intake, if you want to deposit more fat just increase intake, to get leaner just reduce.

I have to say that I totally agree with everything thing you have written above Antonia. I've been following an eating regime very similar to the points you have mentioned and it has definitely been working for me. In nearly the four months I have religiously followed this way of eating I have lost 11Kg or 24lb with minimal exercise and never feeling ravenously hungry. I'm now 64Kg/141lb @ 170cm/5'7".

I have also been blessed with mostly glandular tissue in my breasts, such that as the weight has gone down my cup size has remained the same. However with the weight loss I am now finding I am more suited to a 34C and the previous 36B bras I wore are too loose around the chest.

[Emmaline]

I too had the body of an Adonis, but it started to smell and I had to bury it before the police came.

[antonia]

I personally don't follow this strictly since I exercise quite a bit more and I'm a Type 1 diabetic but the theory is as far as I know the basis for what almost every dietician preaches, although they will tell you that a woman should eat 45g of carbs per meal and a man 60g since they are assuming you want to maintain body weight and are doing 45 minutes of cardio per day.

I have to say that I totally agree with everything thing you have written above Antonia. I've been following an eating regime very similar to the points you have mentioned and it has definitely been working for me. In nearly the four months I have religiously followed this way of eating I have lost 11Kg or 24lb with minimal exercise and never feeling ravenously hungry. I'm now 64Kg/141lb @ 170cm/5'7".

I have also been blessed with mostly glandular tissue in my breasts, such that as the weight has gone down my cup size has remained the same. However with the weight loss I am now finding I am more suited to a 34C and the previous 36B bras I wore are too loose around the chest.

[Leila]

I personally don't follow this strictly since I exercise quite a bit more and I'm a Type 1 diabetic but the theory is as far as I know the basis for what almost every dietician preaches, although they will tell you that a woman should eat 45g of carbs per meal and a man 60g since they are assuming you want to maintain body weight and are doing 45 minutes of cardio per day.

I don't weigh the food out gram per gram either, as life isn't about that. Protein I do try to limit to that of about the thickness and size of my palm per meal bulked out with plenty of leafy and non-starchy vegetables. Eating too much protein is counter-productive to a ketogenic diet as the body converts excess protein to glycogen to be used as energy. I eat enough of the foods that are low in carbs and high in good fats to feel satiated. I don't exercise much (that's just who I am), but I could just eat more fats to increase the calorific intake as suggested in your previous post if I knew I had to exert myself. I find cheese is a good on the go energy snack for me if I need a boost.

[TheQuestion]

Thanks everyone, some great tips, appreciated.  The initial drop to 125-130ish I'm not concerned about; it's easy for me at the moment.  I'm also not worried about eating right, or, I am worried about it, but it won't be a problem.  I can live on chicken, fish, fruits, salads, nuts, water, juice, and other "health foods."  I'm very disciplined when I want to be and for this I would want to be.  Plus, I like those foods.

I never really knew about the whole thing with 10% of your fat cells dying and being replaced each year.  That's OK.  I could put the weight on more gradually and do a bit of cycling every year or so I guess.  I don't plan on being transitioned or even presenting as female for about 3 years anyway.  I'm very health and my metabolism is wicked fast, and in conjunction with my still being 26, I'm hoping by then I'll be in good shape.  The most I've ever weighed was 171 and I was eating hardcore at that time, so hopefully I don't have a whole lot of "male" fat cells to begin with.  I'm almost always at about 150-155, give or take a few lbs.