Susan's Place Transgender Resources

I'm having some good luck with body fat redistributing to my butt and thighs, unfortunately my stomach is still bigger than I would like. I'm not really fat or anything, but I know there's still lots of room for improvement.

Anyone have any good tips for reducing this annoyingly masculinising feature, or is it really just a case of eat less, excercise more and hope for the best?

From what I have been always told, there is no such thing as local fat loss. But given time, HRT might slowly allow for fat deposits to prefer your thighs and hips, thus you would lose belly fat, but slowly.

It might.

If you lose weight, you will lose hip and thigh fat as well. Or you could go for a esthetic surgery, it will do the trick. Myself, I lost a lot of weight in my first days of HRT, to lose any belly fat I had, and then regained the weight, the new fat went to my hips and thighs.

Bugger...I'm not even sure how much is fat and how much is muscle...maybe I should just stop doing sit ups and see if it reduces that way. ^^

Failing that, I guess I'll just have to starve myself for a few months!

Lots of cardio and core exercises that target the transverse abdominis.

Here's an exercise:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ms-fit5.htm (http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ms-fit5.htm)

Other good ones are "wood choppers" with cable weights or a medicine ball.

Alternatively, with a medicine ball and a brick/concrete wall, stand with your side facing it, and throw the ball sideways, rotating your torso, catch it, and repeat for reps and sets.

Crunches won't help hide a belly (since exercising those muscles actually makes you bulge out a bit).

Other things like pilates or the front/side plank (not PLANKING  ;D) are also great.

Quote from: Skyanne on February 11, 2012, 06:27:08 PM
I'm having some good luck with body fat redistributing to my butt and thighs, unfortunately my stomach is still bigger than I would like. I'm not really fat or anything, but I know there's still lots of room for improvement.

Anyone have any good tips for reducing this annoyingly masculinising feature, or is it really just a case of eat less, excercise more and hope for the best?

Part of losing the gut is doing "exercises" that will tighten up those abdominal muscles.

An easy one is the yoga dolphin plank. You can find it diagrammed on most any yoga website and youtube.  Try starting out for 30 seconds at a time and working up from there.

Quote from: Bird on February 11, 2012, 06:32:39 PM
From what I have been always told, there is no such thing as local fat loss. But given time, HRT might slowly allow for fat deposits to prefer your thighs and hips, thus you would lose belly fat, but slowly.

It might.

If you lose weight, you will lose hip and thigh fat as well. Or you could go for a esthetic surgery, it will do the trick. Myself, I lost a lot of weight in my first days of HRT, to lose any belly fat I had, and then regained the weight, the new fat went to my hips and thighs.

This is completely true. You can not "target" fat loss". It will be placed in pre-determined places. Unfortunately, it will also be a case of first in first out. Meaning- you will lose the butt before you lose the belly. Good news is that the hormones should (to a certain degree) reprogram you after you loose the belly, but it's certainly not a given. Best to look into what body type your are, and try to work with your new understanding.

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F2threads.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fimg%2Fblog%2FBody%2BTypes%281%29.jpg&hash=2aab0e06fd6e05d55bebd371962d28ddf8092745)

Don't forget that women come in all shapes and sizes!! -- oh..and gentials ;)

FYI - Vegetable fats are the best- ie avocado, olive oil is best.


Jen

OXOXOXO

Core exercises are the key! I'd even suggest getting into yoga. <3 Yoga.

Another option is to wear a belly trimmer. I've been wearing one every night for a few months now, and it has made major improvements!!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QWA2GY/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QWA2GY/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details)

Dude get a bicycle! I know it gets repeated but it works. My waist is 25" and hips have sprung up from 34" to 36" over the past 6 months when biking to work. So my theory is cycling burns your belly while it doesn't obstruct hip (fat) growth at all.

Also you look a bit like minorqback in your avatar.

Quote from: rachl on February 11, 2012, 07:20:55 PM
Lots of cardio and core exercises that target the transverse abdominis.

Here's an exercise:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ms-fit5.htm (http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ms-fit5.htm)

Other good ones are "wood choppers" with cable weights or a medicine ball.

Alternatively, with a medicine ball and a brick/concrete wall, stand with your side facing it, and throw the ball sideways, rotating your torso, catch it, and repeat for reps and sets.

Crunches won't help hide a belly (since exercising those muscles actually makes you bulge out a bit).

Other things like pilates or the front/side plank (not PLANKING  ;D) are also great.

I am so trying that! Also yoga sounds like a really good idea, thanks for the tips!

Also, 8888m a bit like Minorqback? Wow, thanks! She's gorgeous.

The No Pain No Gain is very attractive. I'm sure that the only ones who have found this to fail are those who haven't done it enough, or not done it properly, or any number of other faults with them.

If your stomach is sagging it's because the muscles are not sufficiently toned.

To tone up your muscles, practice, pulling them in. Quite hard, for perhaps 30 seconds at a time. Then rest, for at least 10 to 15 minutes, until you feel completely rested.

Never hurt yourself Never over do it. Avoid when walking, it's best either sitting or lying down. And never become obscessed. It will imporve in time.

As for weight, the evidence connecting weight to food intake is not particularly convincing and full of anomalies that the diet industry doesn't like mentioned.

But, Never miss breakfast. Never miss an evening meal. If you are heavy, eat smaller portions. Eat slowly.

Get yourself into a mind set, by convincing yourself you will be better having a little less. But remember you are who you are. If you're not a film star then be glad of that.

Stop worrying about it. It's mostly a money making con anyway.

OK?

Just so we're really clear: I linked to an exercise. I'm not advocating purchasing any "programs" or whatever. Simple hard work is all you need. These sorts of programs are largely a scam (I used to be a high-end personal trainer).

And it's best to perform the vacuum exercise standing...not lying down. Lying down makes it easier, which isn't what you want; moreover, you want to do the exercise standing because that's where you want it to be most effective: holding in your belly while standing.

I think I've done too many crunches without pulling the muscles in which has exacerbated the problem.

Excercises that pull the stomach muscles in look much more promising!

I might also invest in a bike...but I really don't have any where to put it in my tiny flat. :/

Just curious, has anyone tried lipo to loose the belly?  :-\

It's a myth that you can spot reduce fat. Furthermore, crunches or other exercises do not burn fat. There is an old adage in the bodybuilding community: Abs are made in the kitchen. You will lose fat from a caloric deficit through diet and exercise.

Quote from: jdinatale on February 12, 2012, 02:47:27 PM
It's a myth that you can spot reduce fat. Furthermore, crunches or other exercises do not burn fat. There is an old adage in the bodybuilding community: Abs are made in the kitchen. You will lose fat from a caloric deficit through diet and exercise.

I'm not so concerned with fat loss as with reducing the size of my waist. Some of the suggested excercises do that, although crunches just seem to make it worse, lol.

Quote from: Skyanne on February 12, 2012, 03:50:11 PM
I'm not so concerned with fat loss as with reducing the size of my waist. Some of the suggested excercises do that, although crunches just seem to make it worse, lol.

There is no such exercise that reduces the size of a waist. The only way to lose inches around your waist is to either reduce the fat or muscle around your waist.

Quote from: jdinatale on February 12, 2012, 06:02:17 PM
There is no such exercise that reduces the size of a waist. The only way to lose inches around your waist is to either reduce the fat or muscle around your waist.

This is very clearly demonstrably false. Someone with weak obliques, transverse abdomens, and other core muscles will have their belly "hang" out. Merely by tightening up those muscles, not even needing to lose weight, one can reduce one's waist circumference by inches.

Ummm... one of my PE teachers said that 100 sit ups and 100 crunches would burn fat and tone muscle without getting buff.
He's really fit and pretty old now so I trust his advice, now I just need to eat breaky, lunch, and din din.

Then start working out 5-6 days a week~ I'll be fit as a fiddle on the chin of an irish man.

Quote from: Jenny_B_Good on February 12, 2012, 04:14:33 AM
SNIP

FYI - Vegetable fats are the best- ie avocado, olive oil is best.

Yeah!  Another avocado fan!

I work out at a gym about 3 times a week. Mainly cardio, but some weight work. I've remained quite slim over the years and haven't developed a muscular body. The place I go to has personal trainers and every 6 weeks or so they give a free assessment and suggest some knew exercises, if you wish. I realise gyms can be relatively expensive but if you can afford them they can be great motivators as well. To a very great extent I've also 'come out' during my membership and that has been a very positive experience, everyone has been super nice. Once a new member made some disparaging remark to me and two very muscular guys went straight to him and said something. I've never seen him again :laugh:

But yes a good diet, healthy sleep and exercise are my suggestions.

Cindy

Quote from: jdinatale on February 12, 2012, 06:02:17 PM
There is no such exercise that reduces the size of a waist. The only way to lose inches around your waist is to either reduce the fat or muscle around your waist.

Now you're just being kinda negative and unhelpful.

Quote from: Beverley on February 13, 2012, 05:20:07 AM
The bodybuilding community might disagree

http://www.iron-dolls.com/articles/the-stomach-vacuum.html (http://www.iron-dolls.com/articles/the-stomach-vacuum.html)

Arnold Schwarznegger used to swear by it... (or maybe at it...)

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffeminizationsecrets.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F01%2Fvacuumpose.jpg&hash=fea575d2843656abb5d89310903c51a49fb4823a)

Beverley

That's completely different than suggesting that crunches or sit-ups burns fat, which they don't.

If you want a smaller waist, get in a caloric deficit through your diet and exercise, it's as simple as that.

Quote from: jdinatale on February 13, 2012, 02:10:03 PM
That's completely different than suggesting that crunches or sit-ups burns fat, which they don't.

If you want a smaller waist, get in a caloric deficit through your diet and exercise, it's as simple as that.

You're misunderstanding: no one's saying that you can target burning fat in the belly, and especially not through crunches. The claim is that one can reduce one's waist size through core tightening exercises. And this is clearly true.

Quote from: Skyanne on February 11, 2012, 06:27:08 PM
I'm having some good luck with body fat redistributing to my butt and thighs, unfortunately my stomach is still bigger than I would like. I'm not really fat or anything, but I know there's still lots of room for improvement.

Anyone have any good tips for reducing this annoyingly masculinising feature, or is it really just a case of eat less, excercise more and hope for the best?

Exercise like crazy! especially the stomach muscles. HRT helped me put all the fat on my belly and not where I wanted it.

Make sure you don't do exercises that will hurt you, for example, my physical therapist and primary care physician told me not to do sit-ups, that they'd hurt my back, but to do crunches instead. Pilates is quite the workout.

  I'm into reducing the portions I eat.  It worked before and for a long period.  Again, I am in the process of losing weight.  I could not reach my feet from a sitting position to tie or untie my shoelaces after Xmas.  I had to exhale, it was an ooff-ooff situation.  Standing, I couldn't reach far down enough for one my feet to clear the waistband of my pants or underwear.  It was the belly, my 36" inseam didn't help either.  My arms and legs did gain muscle mass, but little fat.  It's just the belly.  Bad belly!  Bad, bad belly!
  Joelene

Ive always found a combination of leg raises, stomach crunches and press-ups (not at the same time obv :P) are good ways to lose weight and/or tone up your stomach. Also if you combine that with cardio 2/3 times a week (I run and occasionally play football *still* :embarrassed:) then you'll get in shape quite quickly and should notice the benefits.

  :) Im not an expert or anything, but thats what helps for me.

Quote from: Naturally Blonde on February 14, 2012, 04:27:51 PM
Exercise like crazy! especially the stomach muscles. HRT helped me put all the fat on my belly and not where I wanted it.

Hello

It is not a matter of eating less and more exercise it is a matter of discipline.
I myself do not eat Macca's, KFC, Pizza's or any other rubbish.
One of the first things I would suggest is buy yourself a steamer to steam all your vegetables, this locks
all the nutrients in instead of boiling them, you lose most of the nutrient's this way(boiling).
If you can cut out potato chips and so on as I have and eat healthy you should be on your way.
Regarding exercise if you don't want to ride a push-bike(highly recommended) you can exercise at home.
You can find a program that suits you but you really should devote at least 60 minutes a day 3 times a week
if doing high intensity workout which I do myself(no rest between sets).
Do not do High intensity workouts if you have not done serious exercise before.
But if I were you I would just eat well and ride a push-bike.

Namaste'

Atomic Kitten

2 bits to add..wanted to double back to the biking idea. During the warm months i ride my bicycle nearly five times a week, an avg of 10-15mi, the support that you need to keep your body up and balanced goes along way to get your stomach flatter.  A few weeks off the bike and the a little tummy can pop back on there.  If you can stay fit even by running a few miles a week that could help.  Just a thought.

Quote from: Jenny_B_Good on February 12, 2012, 04:14:33 AM
Unfortunately, it will also be a case of first in first out. Meaning- you will lose the butt before you lose the belly.

I have found this to be true, whenever I lose weight it comes off everywhere I don't want it to and the muffin top is still there...