HRT and Muscle Loss

[JulieAllana]

Ok, I am curious about what sort of muscle I can expect to lose on hrt.  I am a bit over 6 foot tall and weigh 252 down from 320.  I will be about 15% body fat around 225 pounds.  I am hoping to lose muscle mass once I start hrt which would allow me hopefully to drop below 200 pounds.  I especially want to lose some mass in my legs and calfs which are very large and very well muscled.

I am curious to hear anyone else's experience as well as maybe some ideas on how to accomplish what I want.

      Thanks,
                Julie

[Deborah]

Ok, I am curious about what sort of muscle I can expect to lose on hrt.  I am a bit over 6 foot tall and weigh 252 down from 320.  I will be about 15% body fat around 225 pounds.  I am hoping to lose muscle mass once I start hrt which would allow me hopefully to drop below 200 pounds.  I especially want to lose some mass in my legs and calfs which are very large and very well muscled.

I am curious to hear anyone else's experience as well as maybe some ideas on how to accomplish what I want.

      Thanks,
                Julie

You will lose muscle no matter what just by losing weight so you might find your bodyfat higher than 15% at 225.  HRT will cause you to lose more over time, around a year.  How much is hard to say without knowing how much you have now. 

I didn't lose much in my legs.  They started out at 25" (thighs) and dropped two inches with weight loss and HRT.  Since then they have gained the size back with exercise.  The difference now is that unless I deliberately flex my quads the muscle definition doesn't show like before.  I like my large legs though and think they look good with the rest of my body.

My calf size started out at 16" and did drop an inch with time.  I haven't measured them lately and they too may have regained some size.

Leg size is at least partly genetic.  My daughter, six inches shorter than me and 50 pounds lighter has thighs nearly as large as mine.  She also exercises a lot and is a fitness instructor.


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[Harley Quinn]

Muscle is a slow reduction, but it will happen to some degree.

[Shannon14]

Congratulations on the weight loss!

I am 5' 11" and started out at 320 pounds also. I'm down to 225 now, shooting for 180-185. I have lost quite a lot of muscle mass on my thighs and a little on my calves. I just started HRT so none of the muscle loss has been due to that yet. My body fat is definitely over 15% though. I don't lift any weights and my exercise consists  of walking a couple of miles 4 days a week.

Good luck on your continued weight loss.

[Meghan]

I'm drop 17 pounds since beginning HRT four months ago, and my [emoji481] belly is gone.

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[Allison S]

Well I'm 6 months and noticed overall size is changing. Not sure about weight but around my midsection I'm noticably smaller. Still have broad shoulders though

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[JulieAllana]

I saw a cis-woman at the gym the other day with very broad shoulders.  Whenever I bring up my big shoulders or any other big feature to my therapist she inevitably feels obligated to inform me that there are lots of cis-women with large features.  True though it may be, it still isn't very comforting for me

        Julie

[Northern Star Girl]

I saw a cis-woman at the gym the other day with very broad shoulders.  Whenever I bring up my big shoulders or any other big feature to my therapist she inevitably feels obligated to inform me that there are lots of cis-women with large features.  True though it may be, it still isn't very comforting for me

        Julie

@ Julie:  Unless fat and muscle loss are helping with reducing upper body bulk, the is very little you can do about the skeletal makeup and size of your body.
 
When people observe a transitioning person they see the whole package...  body shape, curves, clothing, hair, make up and many times most important is how you move, walk, sit, talk, eat and interact with other females and males... (women do interact with males differently than with females)  Just go to a busy place with lots of people, like a mall, sit and watch and learn.

One of the most important things is when you go out and about is to display self-confidence and self-assurance... and a nice smile goes a long way too.  In my opinion if you are called out, outed and clocked, it is best to ignore it and move on.

Best wishes to you in your transition journey.
We will be looking for your updates as you feel comfortable posting them.

Hugs,
Danielle

[Allison S]

@ Julie:  Unless fat and muscle loss are helping with reducing upper body bulk, the is very little you can do about the skeletal makeup and size of your body.
 
When people observe a transitioning person they see the whole package...  body shape, curves, clothing, hair, make up and many times most important is how you move, walk, sit, talk, eat and interact with other females and males... (women do interact with males differently than with females)  Just go to a busy place with lots of people, like a mall, sit and watch and learn.

One of the most important things is when you go out and about is to display self-confidence and self-assurance... and a nice smile goes a long way too.  In my opinion if you are called out, outed and clocked, it is best to ignore it and move on.

Best wishes to you in your transition journey.
We will be looking for your updates as you feel comfortable posting them.

Hugs,
Danielle

How do women interact with men? I feel like I'm generally the same

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[Northern Star Girl]

How do women interact with men? I feel like I'm generally the same

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Allison:  Just watch them... if they are not mad at the guy they smile more, keep better eye contact, talk with their hands more, and if they like the guy they flirt in varieties of small ways....  by touching and brushing their hair out from around their face with their hand, touching guys on the arms or shoulders, using a more seductive and sweet voice, alluringly looking at a man, etc.... usually women are more animated than men when they talk and interact...........  of course, if the woman doesn't like the man.... look out all you men... a woman's wrath is nothing to mess around with.

As a trans MTF we have a big advantage, we observed those things first hand as our old male self with females that we came across in all kinds of social and work situations.
Danielle

[Deborah]

One advantage I have in being on an Army Post a lot is that I see many women who are in good shape and have a fair amount of muscle.  Not all women are frail and built like sticks.  You can be if you want to but you don't have to become frail to pass.


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[EllenJ2003]

As others have said.  You will lose muscle mass (I certainly did), but don't necessarily expect to (figuratively speaking) wind up as "weak as a kitten" like some people think you do from HRT.  I can't lift as much as I could lift 20 plus years ago, but I'm still relatively strong.  My arms are a bit slimmer (though admittedly, I never had a ton of upper body muscle mass), but my calves are still way too thick for my preference.

[Charlie27]

I've been on HRT for 2 and a half years now and I honestly haven't lost any noticable muscle mass.  I'm 5' 6" and up from 150 lbs to 160 lbs, but for a while I was riding around 180.  I am pretty sure I am not losing muscle because I work construction, nothing has gotten any more physically difficult for me to do. 

[CarlyMcx]

My shoulders, upper arms and calves are all noticeably smaller than they used to be.  My old male suit jackets hang on me when I try them.  I have two Brooks Brothers sport coats that I had hoped to repurpose into my female wardrobe but they will need a lot of alteration.  Skinny jeans that I used to struggle to get over my calves are now loose at the ankles.  Even my forearms are shrinking—all my watch bands are loose.

[Deborah]

As others have said.  You will lose muscle mass (I certainly did), but don't necessarily expect to (figuratively speaking) wind up as "weak as a kitten" like some people think you do from HRT.

Yes.  You don't have to be weak at all.  Strength does not equal muscle size.  With the right training a smaller muscle can be much stronger than a larger one.  I am stronger now with 99.6 percent lower testosterone, and lower bodyweight, than I ever was before HRT.  I train for it now though whereas before I did not. 


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