Feminization Fitness

[Michelle_P]

Barbie, in my land, we believe in supersizing everything.  Lunch, dinner, people...

It can actually be hard to find a good lunch meal that's under 1000 kilocalories.  I normally cook all my meals from scratch and track everything, which made it pretty easy to lose weight.  If I dined out once a day, my other meals would likely consist of a cup of tea.  I've noticed while traveling that meals are much more reasonable in many other lands, where there is less attention to quantity and more to quality in everyday meals.

Oh!  I hit my goal weight today!   I'm celebrating with a small spinach pizza, chop salad, and green tea.  Yum!  (Really.  I think it's a delicious splurge. )

[barbie]

Barbie, in my land, we believe in supersizing everything.  Lunch, dinner, people...

Obesity among kids and teens already became a very serious health problem here in my country. Remember that the sample survey was taken 12 years ago. It has changed dramatically. I can say that the children obesity here is more serious than in the U.S. Every year I have to greet new students at my university, and I can say that I am slimmer than all of female students in the class, and the age difference between me and them is > 30 years.

Also, they become taller and taller. Lack of exercise, car-dependent life style and all kinds of processed food are the major drivers, IMHO.

barbie~~

[Lyric]

Besides a few basic daily exercises, my main exercise tends to be long walks around my community. I work from home, but try to take at least a 4-5 mile walk every day or two. Walking through a busy middle American metropolis like this makes it very clear why so many Americans are obese with health problems. I frequently walk past traffic jams of hundreds of automobiles, but rarely meet even one other pedestrian on the sidewalk. I think the simplest fitness routine anyone can start doing is to just start replacing some of your auto trips with walking excursions. I often take my tote bag on my walk and stock up on a few grocery or drug store items. I walk to the public library. I walk to go and vote. How many driving trips could you replace with a healthy walk?

[LizK]

I started just over 12 months ago walking my dog, and have built to 5km's per day. Have had a couple of setbacks with knee problems just lately but looks like all that is behind me. I am back up to about 4ks in the morning. I had to take a break for about 5 weeks and that was long enough to loose condition. Trying to build back up to the 5k walks in the morning and want to extend further to 5ks morning and Night.

I really want to move my pudgy belly but I guess sit-ups and the like, are the only way to do this...or is one particular exercise better for attacking that area of your body?

Liz

[EmilyMK03]

I really want to move my pudgy belly but I guess sit-ups and the like, are the only way to do this...or is one particular exercise better for attacking that area of your body?

First you have to lose the fat in your belly, THEN you can do sit-ups to tone the muscle that will appear underneath. 

There is no exercise that will "target fat" in one particular area of your body.  You can do exercises that target specific muscles, but not specific fat.  BTW, targeting a specific muscle group will not magically make the fat above it disappear. 

So the first priority is to lose weight and lower your overall body fat percentage.  You do this mostly with healthy eating: counting calories is the most important.  Also try to reduce the amount of sugars and saturated fat in your diet to below the daily recommended values.

Once you start counting calories, you'll quickly realize that it's impossible to stay below the 1500-2000 daily calorie limit unless you start changing your diet.  That generally means no mode soda, no more baked goods (goodbye cookies, cakes, and pies forever), and of course no more fast food.  The hardest part for me was giving up ice cream, because I absolutely LOVE ice cream, but I gave that up as well.  I don't eat any of those foods anymore.

Exercising is good too, because cardio activities like walking and running will burn more calories (which allows you to eat more).  And cardio workouts promote a healthier heart.  And the heart is a muscle!  Speaking of muscle... it's good to do strength training exercises, because you want to build up and maintain your muscles.  Having stronger muscles will allow you to burn more calories even when you're at rest.  And when you eventually lose the fat, your toned muscles will be visible, which is great.  Since you're on HRT, you don't have to worry about "bulking up" from strength training - instead you'll look lean and fit.  Keep in mind that strength training also includes yoga and pilates.  So if you'd rather do those workouts, that's fine too.

To summarize - there is only one way to get rid of a pudgy belly, and that is with a lower calorie, healthier diet.  Do not fall for those "ab exercise" gimmicks.  They don't work.  It's biologically impossible if you have fat covering your abs.  Exercise can help you burn overall body fat, but again, it's all about the calories and how much and what you eat.  Other than that, the only other option is surgery (liposuction, gastric bypass, stuff like that).

[EmilyMK03]

I just looked up a fitness calculator online, and it said that walking for 5 km burns around 250-300 calories, depending on your weight and speed.

I was at the grocery store the other day, and saw a bag of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies for sale.  I was really tempted to buy it, since I haven't had cookies in forever.  Each individual cookie was pretty small, maybe only 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter.  You know what the nutrition label said?  120 calories for ONE small cookie.  So I would need to walk 5 km (3 miles) just to make up for eating 2 small cookies?  No way, not worth it... so I put the bag of cookies back down and didn't buy it. 

[Deborah]

You can burn a boatload of calories just walking with some running a few times a week.  Break the exercise up so you walk a few times a day and it adds up.  Start with what your fitness permits right now, do it daily, and soon you will find your exercise capacity growing quickly and 1000 calories a day is not too hard.  Then you can still eat a reasonable amount and drop fat at the same time.

[LizK]

Thanks ladies for the advice

I have to admit after quitting smoking I discovered food was fun and I have always had a sweet tooth and a love affair with chocolate. What I found really depressing was just prior to my knee issues I was about 10 kg lighter and yes my overall size was lower and in fact apart my stomach was where it was sitting, I was not holding weight anywhere else. I was at this point 87 KG's with an approximate goal weight of 82kg. Still I had a belly. I know if I exercise and stop eating any rubbish because as you so quite rightly pointed out 2 small cookies is the same as a 3 mile walk...so not worth it.

The sweet stuff is out the door already and I intend to get up to 10ks a day, 5 in the am and 5 in the pm...I do not want to do all that work just to swallow it in mars bars LOL. I have had this belly since I was 18...it was very small then but I still had it. My Dr said exercise made about 10% difference when it came to weight and most of it came down to what you put in your mouth. This surprised me I would have thought exercise would have contributed more...but then I no nothing about the subject


My fitness is actually better than I thought and my knee and hip are now in alignment for the first time in 40 years so I am experiencing some "teething pains" while this all settles in again. Will be up to 5 Ks next week 5-6 days a week then the following one I will try and ramp things up even further. I would like to be at my goal weight of 82kg by May/June Next year when I want to be ready to go full time. Last Weight in had me with 15 Kgs to go in about 8 months which I think it is doable eating a sensible diet(as you have both suggested) and cutting out the rubbish.

Liz

[Deborah]

Doctors say that exercise isn't important to weight loss but I have not found that to be true.  For me it is very important with the one caveat that for it to work I have to record everything I eat.  I find that the primary benefit to exercise, other than its health benefits, is that it both helps to moderate appetite and it allows me to eat normal meals without feeling like I am depriving myself.  It also greatly helps to give me the motivation to skip most of the junk food and empty calories and with those gone it's pretty easy to eat quite a bit and still maintain a sizable calorie deficit.

[LizK]

Doctors say that exercise isn't important to weight loss but I have not found that to be true.  For me it is very important with the one caveat that for it to work I have to record everything I eat.  I find that the primary benefit to exercise, other than its health benefits, is that it both helps to moderate appetite and it allows me to eat normal meals without feeling like I am depriving myself.  It also greatly helps to give me the motivation to skip most of the junk food and empty calories and with those gone it's pretty easy to eat quite a bit and still maintain a sizable calorie deficit.

Deborah

What you say makes sense to me, If I don't do all my walking then it is easier for me to "forget" the cost of the empty calories.

Liz

[V]

I wonder if trans folk become more health-conscious because we are more body-conscious?

I definitely don't need to lose any more weight. From now on I'm just concentrating on maintaining my weight and trying to improve my overall fitness through short workouts and plenty of walking.

I recently met up with some friends whom I' haven't seen for a few months. Plus the following day I went to a family get-together, my Dad's 70th birthday. On both occasions, almost EVERYONE commented that I'd lost a LOT of weight, and a few thought I was ill. They ALL said that I should not lose any more because I was looking (in their eyes) too thin and gaunt. So I think I'll stop where I am. Getting sick of all the comments, especially as they are mostly criticisms and not compliments.

Yes. I guess your body figure is now healthy. Keeping it in the long term is more important!
barbie~~

Yes, that's the thing!

Oh!  I hit my goal weight today!   I'm celebrating with a small spinach pizza, chop salad, and green tea.  Yum!  (Really.  I think it's a delicious splurge. )

Hey Michelle, congrats on hitting your target!
Feels good doesn't it...

First you have to lose the fat in your belly, THEN you can do sit-ups to tone the muscle that will appear underneath. 

There is no exercise that will "target fat" in one particular area of your body.  You can do exercises that target specific muscles, but not specific fat.  BTW, targeting a specific muscle group will not magically make the fat above it disappear. 

So the first priority is to lose weight and lower your overall body fat percentage.  You do this mostly with healthy eating: counting calories is the most important.  Also try to reduce the amount of sugars and saturated fat in your diet to below the daily recommended values.

Once you start counting calories, you'll quickly realize that it's impossible to stay below the 1500-2000 daily calorie limit unless you start changing your diet.  That generally means no mode soda, no more baked goods (goodbye cookies, cakes, and pies forever), and of course no more fast food.  The hardest part for me was giving up ice cream, because I absolutely LOVE ice cream, but I gave that up as well.  I don't eat any of those foods anymore.

Exercising is good too, because cardio activities like walking and running will burn more calories (which allows you to eat more).  And cardio workouts promote a healthier heart.  And the heart is a muscle!  Speaking of muscle... it's good to do strength training exercises, because you want to build up and maintain your muscles.  Having stronger muscles will allow you to burn more calories even when you're at rest.  And when you eventually lose the fat, your toned muscles will be visible, which is great.  Since you're on HRT, you don't have to worry about "bulking up" from strength training - instead you'll look lean and fit.  Keep in mind that strength training also includes yoga and pilates.  So if you'd rather do those workouts, that's fine too.

To summarize - there is only one way to get rid of a pudgy belly, and that is with a lower calorie, healthier diet.  Do not fall for those "ab exercise" gimmicks.  They don't work.  It's biologically impossible if you have fat covering your abs.  Exercise can help you burn overall body fat, but again, it's all about the calories and how much and what you eat.  Other than that, the only other option is surgery (liposuction, gastric bypass, stuff like that).

There is a lot of sense in this post.

Look at it this way.  There are a LOT of ciswomen who would dearly love to have a waist of 30" or less.
The 30" waist is in the 10th percentile for women over 50, and the 5th percentile for women over 60.  Yes, our waists are smaller than the vast majority of US women our age already.

Barbie, V, Deborah, and I all likely have Body Mass Indices in the 5th percentile (95% are higher).  Lots of data here:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_11/sr11_252.pdf

Does that mean if I see a slim-looking woman in the US, they're quite likely to be trans? (joke!)

[JenSCDC]

You can burn a boatload of calories just walking with some running a few times a week.  Break the exercise up so you walk a few times a day and it adds up.  Start with what your fitness permits right now, do it daily, and soon you will find your exercise capacity growing quickly and 1000 calories a day is not too hard.  Then you can still eat a reasonable amount and drop fat at the same time.

1,000 calories a day through exercise is on the high side. When I was in racing shape for rowing when I was younger (and obviously pre HRT), I could burn close to 1,100 per hour at a sustainable pace. Now, after 3 months of HRT I'm down to 850-875 per hour.

[Deborah]

I usually walk and run 2 hours a day broken up into several sessions.  That also includes calories from just normal walking around.  If I get to 20,000 steps, about 10 miles, that comes out to about 1000 calories.  I'm tracking it all with my Apple Watch and have found it to be fairly accurate as long as I update my weight.

[barbie]

Calorie in itself does matter, but what you eat is also critical in diet. Avoid processed food, especially those products containing trans fat, because our body does not know how to digest, process and excrete it.

Diet without exercise can cause malnutrition, deteriorating your immunity and overall health in the long term.

Eat wisely and exercise regularly.

barbie~~

[Lily Rose]

exercises for feminization?

  i have read yoga lengthens the muscles and i would assume make them slimmer.

p.s. congrats on your up and coming 1 year, and love your devianart gallery very pretty.

[Deborah]

Muscle length is dependent on its connection points into the bones so it physically cannot get longer once you are done growing. 

Yoga is a very good exercise though for other reasons.


It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.
André Gide, Autumn Leaves

[Lily Rose]

Muscle length is dependent on its connection points

  i realize this but i have gotten reading about yoga i think if it makes sense is. no muscle building exercise + yoga appears to me to have the result of slinderizing (best word i can think of lol)

  there are articles out there exactly what you are saying telling people that what i am saying is a myth, but they are targeting people who have been living in a "female" body their entire life.

[Deborah]

Maybe what's happening is that some who have been previously inactive are losing fat off their limbs making them appear more slender?


It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.
André Gide, Autumn Leaves

[Lily Rose]

  have no idea it is just something i have been looking into. personally i want to stay away from any activity the increases muscle mass. it would seem to me though that inactivity would increase fat not reduce it. unless of course one starves one self.

[barbie]

  have no idea it is just something i have been looking into. personally i want to stay away from any activity the increases muscle mass. it would seem to me though that inactivity would increase fat not reduce it. unless of course one starves one self.

Aerobic exercises including jogging and cycling do not increase muscle mass. I have run regularly during the past 14 years without any noticeable increase in muscle mass.



I would recommend running for everyone with a caveat of slow pace, preventing injuries.

barbie~~