Is the pelvis totally unfixable?

[AnxietyDisord3r]

I used to have nice slim hips but then during my early twenties they spread to make the ridiculous platter they are today. I've started wearing tighter clothing to show off my new flat chest but it makes my hips more obvious in some ways. My sides are filling out but it seems like my hips won't shrink down and I'm afraid it's the way my pelvic bones stick out.

Is there no way at all to fix this? Am I screwed? Do I get misgendered forever for not going on T back when? 

[FTMax]

Are you at an ideal weight? I always felt that my hips were ridiculously curvy and I was very self-conscious about them, especially after being on T and otherwise looking male. It took about 40lbs of weight loss plus the fat redistribution from T to make mine disappear. I had always thought it was the pelvic bones themselves, but it was really just the way fat had settled on top.

As far as a quick fix goes, I used to wear compression shorts. If you put the waist band at the curviest point on your hip, and wear pants that sit a bit looser, that should at least mask the appearance of hips.

[AnxietyDisord3r]

I may try the compression shorts. It's gotten to where I am self conscious about them.

I am overfat, that is, I was pushing it for fat composition as a female and as a male I'm way over ideal. I'm 170lbs and 5'4.5" (4" or 5" depends who's measuring, lol), which I don't think is overweight, but it's not enough of it muscle. T has helpfully redistributed that fat on my arms, so if I could recondition (I'm post op) I think I could get some nice muscle there.

I've noticed the other problem is while my middle is thicker, it's not thick enough. My neck and traps aren't as thick as I want them to be either. I seem to have reverse body image problems, when I took at myself I think my upper body looks AWESOME now but apparently it's still too small because I don't look that studly to others ... I look like a woman. And that sucks.

Another thing I noticed is that my hips look worse if I have stuff in my pockets due to how that distorts the fabric but you know I'm at a point where I've come to hate having anything in my back pockets (I drive for a living, so it's really a habit now to put everything in front pockets). What do I do? Carry a gym bag everywhere?

[FTMax]

Focusing on your shoulders and back could help once you're able to get back to working out comfortably. I didn't wait that long post-op to start working out again, but I also didn't care if my scars stretched. This may help as far as setting an upper body goal to help reduce the appearance of your waist: http://www.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding_900/974b_the-golden-ratio.html

I'd talk to your doctor and see what kind of weight range and body fat percentage they'd like to see you at. I'm 5'5" and was around 200lbs when I started T. Both my primary care doctor and the surgeon I'm working with currently would like me to be in the 140lb range for my height, with 18% body fat or lower. I've made a lot of progress toward that, and in doing so, there are a lot of really noticeable changes to my physique that make it look a lot more masculine. So having a specific number or set of numbers you're looking for may help.

As far as carrying stuff, stuff in my pockets really bothers me too. I'm a former police officer, and people having to dig in their pockets freaked me out so I purposefully never want to be that guy. I slimmed down my keys with a KeySmart and got a thin Line of Trade wallet. My phone typically goes in my shirt pocket. There's a bunch of other stuff I everyday carry/like to have near my person, and that all goes in a small range bag. The stuff I carry in the bag is probably not necessary for most people, but I work between my house, my car, and various points in a 50 mile radius so I need to be a little more prepared than most.

[Mal]

I carry a messenger style bag most places because I have to have various emergency medication with me, and I usually have my tablet with me, too.

[FreakOfNature]

I had always thought it was the pelvic bones themselves, but it was really just the way fat had settled on top.

You make it sound hopeful Max, I wish this was the case with me.

[Kylo]

Looking at images of actually anorexic cis women for reference in the past, I'd say that no, it's not really the bones. It's the fat distribution. Some people do have wider pelvises but that does seem minimal visually compared to images of the same people after they had gotten over their anorexic illness when their waist-to-hip ratio returned to that of "female" mode.

[FTMax]

I had always thought it was the pelvic bones themselves, but it was really just the way fat had settled on top.

You make it sound hopeful Max, I wish this was the case with me.

You might be surprised! But anybody through an X-ray machine and there is not as much variation in bones as you would think from looking at the way people are shaped. Unless we're talking about someone that is at or below their ideal weight, I'm convinced that the goal should be focusing on fat reduction while you wait for fat redistribution.

[AnxietyDisord3r]

But I knew when my pelvis spread because my weight was stable at the time. I know I'm not crazy. It changed how my pants fit. I had to switch from men's to women's pants. It really sucked. I know I've gotten a lot fatter since then, but I am stuck with this change.

I like being 170lbs but I guess I would have to earn it in the gym or something and I've had so much going on I haven't had much energy for that. My fat compo is well over 20%, terrible, I know.

I stretched my scars a bit by sleeping on my side too early. The stretching happened when I tried to get up from that position. I really couldn't have not slept that way so I'm not sorry. I was taking an anti-histamine and felt like my breathing was depressed.

[FTMax]

I'm not saying your pelvis hasn't spread, I'm just saying that you may find it to be workable if you get to an ideal weight and then build up your upper body to reduce the appearance. I didn't start T until 25, so I was stuck with everything puberty gave me, and this has been my experience. I've also known several guys who focused heavily on doing the above whose experience has been similar, so whenever folks are looking for hip fixes, that is what I encourage.

If you're not worried about your scars stretching, I'd say get back in the gym and start working out slowly. Obviously you can't spot reduce the fat from specific areas, but overall weight loss should help reduce the fat there, and whenever your fat redistribution from T kicks in, you should see a world of difference. Building up your upper body is a failsafe in case you experience limited fat redistribution on T.