Help with losing weight and looking more feminine!

[Amber Kitty]

Hi there ! I'm pretty new, well actually this is my second day on finally accepting myself, or at least the curiosity of wanting to be a woman? being more feminine? I don't know what it is I am yet but I do know that after accepting myself I have sudden motivation to want to improve my body which I've never had before.

I'm 6"3 and I weigh around 340lbs, I'd say I have a slightly built body, I look in the mirror now and I'm extremely disappointed in myself. I want to be pretty for myself, and just wearing the clothes helps that a lot, but not as much as I want.

I suddenly have self discipline to diet, I've had no cravings and when offered food that I know is bad, I've been able to turn it down without a second though which I've never managed to do before.

What I'd like to know if their is any specific foods I should avoid, I'm going to try and avoid as much as red meat as possible and bread (bread mainly because it makes me feel bloated and groggy)

And some simple exercises I can do to help lose the weight. I can't run, and I can only walk for around 10 minutes before my feet/ankles give in, I'd love to be able to run but I'm not at that point yet.

But I'm scared to do exercises that I know in fear of building more muscle since I want to lose muscle I have on my road to becoming more feminine, especially in my legs. They're very large and naturally firm due to the weight I've carried around for years.

I appreciate any advice,
much love - Amber

[BreezyB]

Hi Amber,

Well the key to losing weight is simply consuming less calories than your using in a day. Sounds easy right? Well I suppose that part is. A healthy balanced diet is the key to good health, including weight and BMI. However men have one thing going for them (or not in our case), they are really good at building muscle, nd also good at burning fat, which is a good thing.

So, how does one change this? Well the secret ingredient in Men which builds muscle is Testosterone. As long as you have that, you'll build muscle relatively easy, compared to women anyway. So you could consider Anti Androgyns, or Testosterone blockers. This will also help with Feminizing. Not so much as adding Oestrogen as well, but it will help with losing some muscle bulk. I would suggest speaking with a gender cousellor first though.

But generally a healthy diet, and good cardio you should be able to lose weight. Losing muscle isn't that easy though and requires some medical intervention through medication.

Hope this helps Amber.

Bree

[adrian]

Hey Amber,

it's funny (well, not really) how accepting ourselves can give us such a boost -- for me it was starting to exercise and trying to gain weight again.

In terms of working out -- more muscle is going to help you burn more calories, so you may want to consider using this advantage of male hormones while you still have them and if this doesn't make you feel too dysphoric. Do you have the possibility of swimming or using an exercise bike? Both would be easier on your joints than walking. Make sure not to over exert yourself at the beginning especially!

As for your diet: I recommend eating as little processed foods as possible. So try to cook your meals from scratch as often as possible. It can be a pain sometimes, but I often do batch cooking and put stuff in the freezer (I have food intolerances and I mostly eat only what I cooked myself).
If bread makes you feel tired consider cutting out wheat altogether, and if that doesn't make a difference, try a week or two of going gluten free. Food sensitivities can be a big factor in weight gain/inability to lose weight and lacking energy. And wheat is often a culprit.

As for the meat, views on that differ, but often organic/grass-fed is considered a good option if you can afford it once in a while. Try not to go too low in proteins. As for fats, stick with healthy oils (virgin olive or coconut for example) -- and don't be afraid of them. They're good for you .

[Amber Kitty]

Hi Amber,

Well the key to losing weight is simply consuming less calories than your using in a day. Sounds easy right? Well I suppose that part is. A healthy balanced diet is the key to good health, including weight and BMI. However men have one thing going for them (or not in our case), they are really good at building muscle, nd also good at burning fat, which is a good thing.

So, how does one change this? Well the secret ingredient in Men which builds muscle is Testosterone. As long as you have that, you'll build muscle relatively easy, compared to women anyway. So you could consider Anti Androgyns, or Testosterone blockers. This will also help with Feminizing. Not so much as adding Oestrogen as well, but it will help with losing some muscle bulk. I would suggest speaking with a gender cousellor first though.

But generally a healthy diet, and good cardio you should be able to lose weight. Losing muscle isn't that easy though and requires some medical intervention through medication.

Hope this helps Amber.

Bree

Hi, thanks for the advice. Can you get testosterone blockers without talking to a counsellor or seeing a doctor first? I'm not looking to do anything that big at the moment, talking to shrinks scares me.

I appreciate any advice,
much love - Amber

[TheQuestion]

Eating right and cardio; results can be seen in often times not that great a time, if your dedicated.  Good luck!!!

[Vicky Mitchell]

I know the feeling I came out last week. I feel like a new person. Waking up not sleepy anymore. Gave up the caffeine and eating healthy seem to be easy now.  Been to the gym everyday and enjoying the new me for the most part.  But I admit I know it is early in this journey but I really do want a sign I am going the right way.  I have been trying to get into a gender specialist have called two that were on my insurance plan but they have not return my calls. Is that usually for them to take so long to call someone back. Going on day 4 with no call backs so guess i need to find some more names to call.


Vicky

[Amber Kitty]

Eating right and cardio; results can be seen in often times not that great a time, if your dedicated.  Good luck!!!

I can't do very much cardio though as I mentioned I can only walk for around 10 minutes before my ankles give in, and I'm afraid of doing other things because I don't want to gain anymore muscle. Perhaps I should just diet until I've lost a little bit of weight and then I can try doing cardio.

[BreezyB]

Hi, thanks for the advice. Can you get testosterone blockers without talking to a counsellor or seeing a doctor first? I'm not looking to do anything that big at the moment, talking to shrinks scares me.

I appreciate any advice,
much love - Amber

It's not advisable and it can have ramifications so you do need medical supervision. I beleive a doctor may prescribe Anti Androgyns without the involvement of a Psychologist or Psychiatrist. But you'll need to keep some testosterone, as its needed for bone strength. Just speak to your doctor.

[TheQuestion]

I can't do very much cardio though as I mentioned I can only walk for around 10 minutes before my ankles give in, and I'm afraid of doing other things because I don't want to gain anymore muscle. Perhaps I should just diet until I've lost a little bit of weight and then I can try doing cardio.

At 6'3" your weight is high, BUT, in being that height, it's not like you'd need to loose a monumental amount before you were more able to be physically active.  There's a big difference in being your height and weight as opposed to some one a few inches shorter, or many inches shorter.  A healthy diet is good regardless.  Just walking a bit and eating right, maybe a little less (not to an unhealthy extent mind you) should take weight off.  Then you can take it from there.  I'd say your first step is dropping that initial weight, until your more able-bodied, then working on your cardio (which, along with dieting, will further decrease your weight)... like you said.  Good luck!!!

[TheQuestion]

Hi, thanks for the advice. Can you get testosterone blockers without talking to a counsellor or seeing a doctor first? I'm not looking to do anything that big at the moment, talking to shrinks scares me.

I appreciate any advice,
much love - Amber

That is a little risky.  Spiro can cause some health problems if it isn't monitored correctly and you may be at an increased risk because of your weight.  I was at the endo's yesterday and they said I was easily approved because I was 1. young, 2. thin, and 3. had no underlying health concerns. 

I was horrified of talking to a shrink, but now I sort of look forward to seeing all these people who seem to genuinely want to help and get to know me.  It's sort of a face your fears kind of thing and it does make things a little easier, or at the least gives you a little confidence.

[Amber Kitty]

I also sadly don't have the funding to see a therapist, I live at home and I'm low on money as is. I'm trying to get another job but I barely cover expenses as is. Maybe one day in the future. Thanks guys and girls ^_^!