Complete ftm noob

[VLX_rider]

Hi all,

I've been lurking for a while. Never really considering even buying or doing anything to change my appearance even though I've always felt uncomfortable in my own skin. Always wanted that "guy" look. Unfortunately I've been blessed with curves. My measurements being 38 36 42.

I started looking for something to smooth out my love handle and stomach area. Not even really my chest but ended up with the 997 from underworks.

I just received my 997 yesterday. I got a medium and it fits. The 997 seems to help my tummy/love handle issue. I only wore it a few mins but I almost felt neasueas. Is that normal??  Course I do have anxiety on a regular basis so I am not sure if my anxiety was just spiking causing my icky feeling or if it was an actual issue. I was thinking of wearing it for a few hours tonight to see how it goes. I would not be wearing it everyday. Just occasionally when going out.   Anyone else experience this?

I also got the compression shorts. They come today. I have a feeling they might hurt.

Did I make the right move?

Confused... M

[Carson]

I've never gotten nauseous while wearing a binder even in the beginning. I would try to put it on again and maybe see if the same thing happens or if it was just a fluke. And as far as the compression shorts I don't have any experience with them but if they hurt I would send them back and then get workout compression shorts from underarmour. They are made of lightweight stretchy material that might give the compression you are looking for. They are super comfortable, I wear them under my swim trunks or in the winter for an extra layer.

[VLX_rider]

Thanks for the reply. I'm hoping it was just a fluke or rather my anxiety kicking up because of being somewhat restricted. I don't really recall trouble breathing or major pain. So I'll give it another go tonight.

I'll look into the shorts you mentioned. The problem with any shorts I fear is that they will cause spillage around my fleshy love handle area. I swear. Those things are so hard to get rid of!!

[kyril]

Probably anxiety. I very nearly had a panic attach when I first was putting my first properly-sized binder on - I got it down over my arms/shoulders, but it had bunched up under my armpits and I couldn't find the bottom edge and I was having trouble breathing and I thought I'd be trapped in it forever. So I got kind of nauseous. But when the anxiety subsided, so did the discomfort.

Compression garments shouldn't generally cause nausea, at least not by any physical mechanism. Difficulty eating and heartburn, maybe.

[VLX_rider]

Ha. That's basically what I went through. Holy cow this thing is choking me and my shoulders may dislocate. Once I got it on it actually fit very comfortably. I can make myself sick without the binding with enough anxiety... So it's really not a good judge. I'll wear it tonight and hope I don't hurl. Lol

[Darrin Scott]

I got dizzy my first day wearing the binder, but I think that was because I was turning my self in all sorts of directions to get it to fit properly. I put it on the second time and it was ok. Be careful with body movement when putting the binder on. That might cause dizziness.

[Samson99]

Since everyone who commented here seems to have used binders before, what do they feel like when you wear them? i hear they hurt an awful lot. I've been wanting to get one, but haven't because I've heard horror stories.

[VLX_rider]

well....an hour and counting with no hurling...but I gotta say sitting with this thing isn't nearly as easy as standing.  I also feel like I am breathing heavily...maybe on purpose to make sure i am getting air.  maybe i am just imagining things but i think i do feel like i could be a little light headed.....which could be from all of the clothes i have been frantically trying on to see if they feel better....ha.  just out of curiosity though...how would i know what too small is??

as for the compression shorts...the same thing goes for sitting in them.  they don't so much hurt standing up....in fact they feel a little loose.  not sure how much they are compressing.

so for now, the 997 is working ok around the house.  I do have to agree with everyone about the rolling up.  If you don't have something to tuck this sucker into and you are curvy...look for them to roll up on you.  I even have mine tucked into my compression shorts and they are still rolling up.  which is actually the most uncomfortable part of the shirt.  hopefully the light headed feeling is either in my head...or from running around like a chicken.

[kyril]

Yeah, calm down and then see

My personal guideline is that a binder's not too small if I can get it on. I have yet to find one that's too small (and I'm down to two sizes below my measurements on Underworks, and one size below on lesloveboat, and I wear the lesloveboat one at its maximum Velcro tightness).

If there existed an Underworks binder that was too small for me, I imagine it would feel kind of like how it feels to wear my current ones doubled up. When I double my binder, I get pain in my ribs in the front, and after a while my back starts to ache pretty badly, and yet there's no perceptible increase in flatness - like there's no more give in the fat/soft tissue, so the binder's trying to compress my actual skeletal structure. That's too tight.

Oh, for rolling up: try folding up the bottom edge of the binder neatly, maybe about 1-2 inches, so it sits on your iliac crest and doesn't reach the joint of your hip. Then tuck it in to the compression shorts or some underwear.

[VLX_rider]

uggg....I had to take it off. (which by the way may have scared the crap out of me)  maybe i am just too much of a basket case to wear that thing!  I am pretty sure my gums were tingling...that cant be normal.  I took the shirt off....left the shorts on....may have achieved what i wanted just with the shorts....I wasnt really looking to flatten my chest, more my tummy, love handles...hips.  when I had just the shorts on it seemed to compress my belly just enough to where its not tight on my shirt. arrgg....maybe i just dont know what i need!! (except....air..lol) or maybe i just need to get my a$$ to the gym to get rid of the fat! 

[Shang]

Try stepping into the binder.  I do it that way and pull up so it's easier for me--and I can spread my legs a little to make it easier to go over my hips (the darn things are huge, but I learned their width is smaller than the width my shoulders).   

You could also just wear it at short intervals and slowly build up to wearing it longer.  I can't wear my binder longer than 2 hours right now, but I'm slowly working on making it so I can wear it longer (the heat here kills me).

[Tad]

I had the nauteousness at first, and a bit of a plegmy throat cold for the first few weeks.

I got past it. I started at wearing it only 4 or 5 hours a day, and taking breaks on days when I felt like crap.. then moving up a couple hours. Around 5 to 7 hours the nauteousness would hit, then it would go away after an hour. Eventually after a few weeks.. I was able to wear my binder as long as I wanted with no discomfort. I can wear it 12 to 14 hours a day now and don't have issues with plegmy throat, pain, or nauteousness anymore. It just took a while to get used to breathing properly in it and such I think.

[VLX_rider]

thanks for all the replies.  I tried the binder again today.  i think its just not for me.  If I only wore it when i had to stand maybe....but when I sit i feel like my unwanted ovaries are going to pop out.

I think I will end up sending the shirt back and keeping the shorts.  they seem to hold my little tub of belly fat pretty well.

[VLX_rider]

yep....shirt back....keeping the shorts....

I've tried every day...and it didnt even make me feel like i couldnt breathe....it was just that it kept rolling up and cutting into me.  i tried all the suggestions...but I think if you are on the heavier side, there is no keeping that thing from rolling!  when it does it creates a roll of extremely tight fabric.  I wish it had worked out.  I suppose I will either try the tripod or frog bra....the shorts really work well for the lower tummy and a little for the thighs.  although I suspect that you could buy any workout shorts and they would do the same thing.

thanks for all the help.

[insanitylives]

Um.. have you consitered getting a size up?

[Fie]

While I don't use an underworks binder, but rather a women's 'love handle' type slimming binder, my comment might be invalid, but in any case. Since starting to wear my own binder more I have noticed some things in regard to nausea. If I'm stressed out anyways and am wearing the binder for even as few as three hours, I begin to feel nauseous and sometimes too ill to really even more about. The other thing i've noticed that when not feeling gross anyways, I can go for very long periods of time in my binder (longest time being about 8-9 hours) without feeling sick UNLESS, the binder bunches. My binder slips over my bust and ends around the end of my rib cage and i've found that it may sometimes roll up at the bottom (simply from lots of movement throughout the day with no privacy to correct the problem), this pressure very quickly contributes to a feeling of illness and i'll usually start feeling ill soon after, but simply running off to the bathroom and adjusting the binder takes the pressure off my ribs and organs (I guess?), which relieves the sick feeling. So I suppose the issue with what you experienced is that maybe your binder was just putting pressure on some sickness triggering areas? Try stepping into your binder and spending a bit of time figuring out how to position everything in order to get a more comfortable fit, would be my suggestion. Good luck!

Edit: And I just saw that you've already addressed 'rolling up' as an issue. I don't know if this would work, but they do make the 'slimming' body binders for women (one of which I use for breast binding) and I'm pretty sure they make them in variable lengths. What may work is finding one that goes down far enough that it won't start rolling, or even long enough that you could form a kind of sewn latch to connect to pants or underwear (though that could result in an glorified wedgie... The only true problems I am finding with my current binder is that it descends if I do anything over a fast walk, and it roles every now and then, resulting in the nauseous feeling. However due to my desire to not give up hope on this binder, I'm currently in the process of creating shoulder straps (just like those found on any normal FTM binder) in order to stop the decent and the awkward 'up-the-shirt' maneuvers to try an fix it. o_O

[aidengabriel]

you really shouldnt be feeling anything other than discomfort at first. trust me you'll get used to it. i wear mine every day, unless im spending the day at home. i ALWAYS step into mine and pull up, to avoid getting stuck with it around my shoulders.

[jacob.ayden.averi]

Well hm. Maybe I'm weird, but I never had a bad experience from binders. Only Ace wrap, which should never be used for binding. The first time I wore a binder-my counselor bought it for me-it was the most amazing feeling ever. I wore it all the time. It was a bitch to put on, don't get me wrong. I got stuck the first time and it tore up my armpits, but whatever. The next day, my girlfriend at the time noticed a total change in me. I looked confident and happy and wow. I was. Binders...are a necessity for me. Like air.

[aidengabriel]

forgot to mention, if you have the cash you should deff invest on trying different ones out and see which one binds best/is more comfortable. i know binders get old and sure you can shrink it a bit in the dryer but to avoid not having a binder ready for school, i bought FOUR. i had a summer job and underworks has some buy 3 for $___ deal. I'm only using 2 tho

[VLX_rider]

Thanks so much for all of your replies.  So I ended up wearing the shorts only to the event that got me started thinking about this.  then, all of a sudden on halloween (admittedly after a few beers) I stepped into the binder, put the shorts on and my costume. i was out all night and never really thought about it.  I think what happens is what most of you have said.  i have really bad anxiety anyway....so when i was trying the binder i was just sitting at home, literally sitting thinking....i cant breathe...i might hurl...the moment I got out and got my mind off of it, it felt completely natural.  I do agree with the comments on stepping in. the whole dislocating of the shoulders does not help the anxiety!  I'm going to give it another go when I go out again.  As for the rolling, it seems when I step in and then put on my shorts, I dont have such an issue with it rolling up.  maybe next time i will try it without the beer so i can remember....LOL.

cant say thanks enough for all the comments