Timing weight loss with HRT and weight in general after HRT (mtf)

[Roll]

I'll go ahead and pose the main question first: What is the typical practice in regards to losing significant weight and starting HRT? Essentially, is it preferred to finish losing any desired weight first? My main "whether I transition or not" goal of the past year has been dropping down from a depression driven 280 to a healthy weight for my height of 170 (up to +20 even due to genetics, as even my extremely thin little sister is 145), and I figured logistically it would be smart to get to that point before attempting to start HRT (get some use out of that testosterone at least). Yet more and more I'm starting to want to move things along a bit more quickly, and if I do decide to start transitioning I don't want to hold myself to some theory I based on assumptions and waste a perfectly good couple of months or more I could be on hormones. I'm down to 225 right now, so at the recommended 5-6 lbs a month rate that is almost another year, assuming I don't have any plateaus or roadblocks (which are all but guaranteed in any major weight loss). The more I think about it the more that just feels like way too far away.

Second question that is just a matter of pure curiosity, but how does typical weight end up after HRT has worked its magic? Do you maintain male average weights for your height, start dropping down into the female averages, or does it wind up somewhere in between? (I guess this question works for ftm too.) I know the muscle loss will account for a sizable bit of weight, but I don't really know how much proportionally compared to other development factors that won't change (bone density or whatever).

[Dena]

It depends on your time table. If your ready to start HRT now, then do it. If your not ready, then delay starting HRT. It's a little more difficult losing weight on HRT but if you are determined, you will lose the extra weight you are carrying. As for what your body will do on HRT, it's anybodies guess. Your genetics will determine what will happen. In my  case, I have about B cup breast and no rear. I have seen people do better in both departments however the lack of development doesn't bother me enough to do anything about it.

[Sluggy]

I wonder this too. I started HRT at 219lbs and dropped to 179 in 4-5 months. I didn't stop eating or anything, I just changed my diet habits a bit. Now I feel like maybe that had an affect on my breast development, but as Deena said, it's anyone's guess due to genetics...

[Brooke]

If the weight is in part due to depression, and starting hrt might help alleviate that depression, I would consider starting hrt if you're ready.

Over the past couple years I've lost 115 lbs. highest was 245. Currently sitting at 130lbs.

I started hrt just over a year ago, at which point I was around 185. What I personally found was that as the dysphoria lifted I was even more motivated to keep losing weight as I now was working towards a body I actually cared about. In my opinion this more than made up for any slowdown in my metabolism.

As for weight after hrt. Just remember that current standards based on bmi are a height/weight ratio or the other standard the up and coming hip to waist ratio, both are gender neutral. I.e. Healthy weight is considered the same for each of these no matter if your male or female.

I'm not sure where I'll end up in terms of weight in the long run, but I know I have extra motivation to keep a figure I like now. I imagine I'll probably end up somewhere around 145 permanently.

As for weight loss pre hrt. I tried to get as much done as I could as fat redistribution only happens when fat storage preferences take over based on hormones. If you've exhausted your fat stores before those preferences change you're more likely to put weight back on in the right places. Though there is a hypothesis that hormones also change the preferences of where to burn fat first, typically the opposite of where the fat is preferred to be stored. I found that after hrt losing the male beer belly became much easier while fat in my chest, hips,  and thighs stuck around helping my shape as the pounds dropped from more typical male fat deposits.

As always though ymmv and each person will react differently to hormones.

Good luck!


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[Roll]

If I'm being honest the weight was due to a fair bit of simple laziness as well. (And I'm trying not to jump to the convenient explanation of semi-repressed dysphoria being the sole cause of depression in thinking of transition as a panacea, as I know that is a common pitfall that can leave a host of other issues being untreated during/post transition.)

Thank you all, this is exactly what I wanted to know and then some! Honestly this question was a bit premature on my part, but I'm in a sort of "lead-up-to-Christmas-morning-begging-to-open-presents-early" mentality after my last few days on this site. I'm definitely not ready to start HRT now (still trying to find a therapist to really get the ball rolling so it's not even really possible to if I were ready), so really this isn't even going to be an issue for at least a few months.

On an aside, I've had a pretty immediate reaction to even just finasteride (for regardless of transition purposes with hair) to a degree that I was told I must be sensitive to hormones, so now I'm crazy curious how I'd respond to HRT.

[Maddie86]

I decided back in February of this year that I was going to transition, but focus on weight loss first. I was around 286. I originally planned on starting HRT in september, but I did really well with the weight loss so I decided to start it early, I started on July 17th, my birthday. before HRT I was consistently losing weight each week, I was losing 10lbs or more per month! then once I started HRT it got a bit rough. my first week I lost 4lbs, then my 2nd week I gained 2! I was so mad about that, but somehow the next week I ended up losing 7lbs! after that big week though I was stuck at 208 for 3 weeks, until 2 days ago when I weighed in and I finally got down to 204! My goal was 200 by labor day, and it's gunna be close but I hope I can do it! my next goal is to get to 175. I lost weight back in 2006 and 179 was the lowest I got, so I want to beat that and then once I'm there I'll see how I look and feel and then decide how much more I want to lose. Good luck on your journey, you can do it!

[Deborah]

Second question that is just a matter of pure curiosity, but how does typical weight end up after HRT has worked its magic? Do you maintain male average weights for your height, start dropping down into the female averages, or does it wind up somewhere in between? (I guess this question works for ftm too.) I know the muscle loss will account for a sizable bit of weight, but I don't really know how much proportionally compared to other development factors that won't change (bone density or whatever).

Right now I'm about 10 lbs lighter than I was before when I was in a similar physical condition and similar body fat (around 12%).  I'm working to regain some of that in lean body mass just for health and fitness reasons.  (Also to build a bigger butt through squats and deadlifts since fat redistribution wasn't doing the trick, LOL)

Since starting HRT though I've lost 40 lbs from 205 lbs to 165 lbs at 5'11".



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[KayXo]

I was 125 lbs, 5'6.5 before HRT. Within months of starting and quitting smoking, my weight went up to 155 lbs. Post-op, stopping the anti-androgen and progestogen, cyproterone acetate, I lost 15 lbs within a few weeks and remained at 140 lbs despite being on high doses of estradiol for several years. Eventually, it caught up to me, something changed, I started responding more strongly to hormones and my weight went up again, to 156 lbs, another 10 lbs added after I started progesterone and switched to injections.

YMMV.

[Roll]

I decided back in February of this year that I was going to transition, but focus on weight loss first. I was around 286. I originally planned on starting HRT in september, but I did really well with the weight loss so I decided to start it early, I started on July 17th, my birthday. before HRT I was consistently losing weight each week, I was losing 10lbs or more per month! then once I started HRT it got a bit rough. my first week I lost 4lbs, then my 2nd week I gained 2! I was so mad about that, but somehow the next week I ended up losing 7lbs! after that big week though I was stuck at 208 for 3 weeks, until 2 days ago when I weighed in and I finally got down to 204! My goal was 200 by labor day, and it's gunna be close but I hope I can do it! my next goal is to get to 175. I lost weight back in 2006 and 179 was the lowest I got, so I want to beat that and then once I'm there I'll see how I look and feel and then decide how much more I want to lose. Good luck on your journey, you can do it!

I have to say I love seeing your picture. I feel like your general face structure looks extremely similar to my own and you look so beautiful it gives me a lot of hope! (Though you have a much better nose.)

I was going about the same 10 lbs/month pace last year but got completely derailed between a hurricane evacuation causing excessive stress and then hitting the holidays, winding up stalled at 240 for the first part of 2017 only having just really picked the thread back up since this previous June(dropping another 15 since then). Though just since posting here for the past few days I've seen a huge motivation increase and I've really kicked up exercise a notch, so maybe I can see that level of improvement again and make my original question somewhat of a moot point. (And funny enough, I'm also competing against weight loss I did back in 2006 as well in which I dropped down to about 195ish.)

I'm getting that it does sound like weight loss first is the easier path, but that it isn't insurmountable.

(Also to build a bigger butt through squats and deadlifts since fat redistribution wasn't doing the trick, LOL)

Ha, I've been doing squats as part of my work out for that very reasons. I read that squats are the way to go for butt and helping to give the balance against male-size shoulders somewhere early on and so it's just been my daily go-to exercise from the beginning. So i actually now have a pretty firm butt but am still flabby most places, it's kind of weird honestly.

[Maddie86]

I have to say I love seeing your picture. I feel like your general face structure looks extremely similar to my own and you look so beautiful it gives me a lot of hope! (Though you have a much better nose.)

aw, that is so sweet, thank you!!

I still gotta try doing squats! I mostly just jog