Weight Loss pre-HRT

[Abby_girl]

Hey everyone, I am starting to see a therapist in the next week or so and I have been wondering what is the best diet and excersize to really slim up before Going on HRT if I go that route? I have a naturally thin frame 5'10" 175 lbs and have developed a "tummy" that I want to get rid of. ideally get to about 155 before I do any HRT?

[Northern Star Girl]

Hey everyone, I am starting to see a therapist in the next week or so and I have been wondering what is the best diet and excersize to really slim up before Going on HRT if I go that route? I have a naturally thin frame 5'10" 175 lbs and have developed a "tummy" that I want to get rid of. ideally get to about 155 before I do any HRT?

@Abby_girl
Congratulations on soon seeing a therapist....  as transitioners we need all the help we can get.

Regarding diets, there is no "one size fits all".... there are lots and lots of diets available out there but many of them are full of marketing hype... so be careful what you choose. 

For me, portion control is a good weight loss and maintenance method along with a few days a week of vigorous exercise.... walking, jogging, running, treadmill... gym exercises... weights, sit ups, etc. 

I found that I can basically eat what I want, just smaller portions on smaller plates.   Obviously avoid potato chips and other chips, candy, fast food burgers and fries,  high calorie and sugary drinks, etc, etc,  ... and that includes Lattes and Mochas from Starbucks and similar places.  Salads are good but go easy on the cheese and salad dressings.

It is very wise to lose weight before HRT because if you lose body fat after your start HRT you might sabotage your boobs and hip/butt development somewhat... those areas of the body utilize some redistributed body fat to make up their size and shape.

Good luck to you and please feel free to keep us posted.
Danielle

[Abby_girl]

Thank you for the info!

[DawnOday]

I have found using a diabetic diet to be the best for me. I substituted 6 or more sodas with tea. I eliminated or severely cutback on bread. I reduced portion size. I limit myself to one cookie instead of the whole box. Also minor exercise like walking helps. https://diet.mayoclinic.org/diet/home/google/? I was able to lose 80lbs over two years. I could have done it faster but exercise is hard for me due to poor circulation from heart disease.

[Northern Star Girl]

I have found using a diabetic diet to be the best for me. I substituted 6 or more sodas with tea. I eliminated or severely cutback on bread. I reduced portion size. I limit myself to one cookie instead of the whole box. Also minor exercise like walking helps. https://diet.mayoclinic.org/diet/home/google/? I was able to lose 80lbs over two years. I could have done it faster but exercise is hard for me due to poor circulation from heart disease.

@DawnOday
Dear Dawn:  I had to laugh out loud when I saw your comment about the cookies.
Sometimes I  get carried away, like we all do at times. 

Yep, I am on the Oreo diet, I open the package and eat just 2 cookies then a couple hours later I polish off the entire package..... and then I feel guilty and go out jogging or running for 8 miles or so trying to make myself feel better about my bad behavior.

I understand what you are saying about the diabetic diet and limiting carbs like bread...  if that works for you and especially if you are per-diabetic or similar that is what you should obviously do for your own well-being..

My portion control concept seemed to work well for my body... is just smaller portions and less binging as I outlined in my previous reply post.   
It's pretty simple.....  calories in   versus   calories burned.  
Carbs, fat, sugar, all of that hardly matters, it is all about the calories for me....  if I can cut an appreciable or appropriate amount of calories every day... I will lose weight, or in my case I will maintain my present weight.

Again, I had to laugh at myself.... thanks for your posting.
Hugs,
Danielle

[Abby_girl]

Do you think I will lose what Boob fat I have currently? right now I fit a 40B. I assume it would diminish due to it being fat and not actual breast tissue? My mother has 36C and my sister slightly larger so I am hoping to grow to around that size after being on HRT for awhile....

[Deborah]

Do you think I will lose what Boob fat I have currently?

Yes. It's fat. So if you lose fat you lose it all over. That will happen on HRT too.



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[Northern Star Girl]

Do you think I will lose what Boob fat I have currently? right now I fit a 40B. I assume it would diminish due to it being fat and not actual breast tissue? My mother has 36C and my sister slightly larger so I am hoping to grow to around that size after being on HRT for awhile....

In that regard a somewhat slower diet and weight loss regimen might be better instead of a fast and quick drastic weight loss....

[DawnOday]

Danielle... Famous Amos was the bain of my existence. They were the originals back then. A little brown bag with grease spots. I ate a bag or two, every night for about four years. I went from around 160 to 200 lbs in that time period. But I played a lost of basketball back then. I didn't notice my heart problems yet. That came in 1993 when I went for a physical to drive the car pool. Talk about fate. Within three months they were cracking my chest and inserting a prosthetic aortic valve as mine was deformed. The could have done it sooner but they wanted me to build up a blood supply.

Abby-  I have very little difference between my band size when I started two years ago and now. However inside the cups they have grown to a nice set of "C"s. Most my weight loss has come from my gut. My waist size has gone from 48 to 37. One of my biggest advancements has been being able to buy clothes off the shelf. Aside from the most of them being about 2" short. They fit pretty well.

[LauraE]

@DawnOday

Yep, I am on the Oreo diet, I open the package and eat just 2 cookies then a couple hours later I polish off the entire package.....

oh, I miss cookies. I've been dieting for five weeks now and have shaved off 12 pounds. I've 12 more to go to get to my goal weight of 150 points. I'm 5'8".  Like you, I can open a box of cookies and polish them off in a few hours (or less). Sugar is my heroin.

Laura

[Abby_girl]

Good to know, thanks for the input!!!

[heather3791]

I lost 45 pounds in about a year. The first thing I did was started eating Chick-fil-A salads every day Monday through Friday for lunch. I get the market salad and order an additional four "grilled" nuggets to add to it. (the extra chicken fills me up nicely and adds minimal calories) Then stick to Balsamic vinaigrette, lime vinaigrette, or low fat honey mustard dressings. No ranch or Blue cheese...as they will add back a ton of calories. I also started running 3 days per week and doing weights that I've always done 5 day per week. (with the weights I do low weight and reps 20 to 35 for good burn and toning) No eating dinners out Sunday night through Thursday night. On either Friday or Saturday I designate my free day. I'll get a burger or wings, and french fries. Then I'll enter a blissful state by indulging in ice cream with mini M&M's. (Gotta have one day to cheat in order to remain disciplined the other 6 days! It's not easy but the results are worth it. You can do it!

[Rachel]

I was 180 pounds pre-hrt. I went to 190 after I started HRT ( there was a few months when my hormones were cycling up on E and down on T when fat flew off me). Then I went to 210 after about 2 years. Dr. McGinn wanted me at 170 or 180 pounds because I had a lot of fat is in my groin area and that does not promote good blood circulation for GCS.

I got down to 190 for GCS and then put on 30 pounds after GCS. Now I am at about 188 but I have a lot more lean muscle. My goal is to get to 180 and then see if I should stop of go to 170.

What I have found to be super effective for me is a 6 hour feeding schedule and 18 hour no eating schedule. Dr. Satchen Panda on Dr. Ronda Patricks you tube pod cast (2 pod casts) explains the biology of the feeding schedule, how it increased muscle and reduces fat. I understand why I was gaining weight, while going to the gym, having a personal trainer and having a nutritionist made no difference.   

Green leafy vegetables every day, no sugar unless a treat, regular exercise you like to do and feeding behavior modification helped me. I eat at noon and have a small dinner before 6 pm.

Anyhow, find out what works for you, you like and can do over time and has slow but steady results. I really think changing my eating behaviors has helped greatly.

You lose weigh all over and you can not spot reduce no matter how much exercise in a particular location. For me E is for life so dealing with a different set of parameters for food intake was a must.

Good luck with HRT and I am happy for you.

[Maid Marion]

Abby-  I have very little difference between my band size when I started two years ago and now. However inside the cups they have grown to a nice set of "C"s. Most my weight loss has come from my gut. My waist size has gone from 48 to 37. One of my biggest advancements has been being able to buy clothes off the shelf. Aside from the most of them being about 2" short. They fit pretty well.

Congratulations.  Being able to buy clothes off the shelf is a wonderful goal to reach!

It occurs to me that guys typically work on the upper body when exercising. 
But, girls really need to work on their lower body for very functional purposes.