Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Hello guys. I started T 10 days ago and I seem to be getting really skinny... my butt is gone already, it seems like I am losing muscle mass, my pants are falling and my hips already look less wide. I am a bit scared since even my arms seem to be thinning out, like the muscles seem to be fading away/are smaller. I wasn't expecting such changes to happen so fast and I wonder if this is even normal since I seem to be LOSING muscle mass instead of gaining any. I was always a thin guy, so it's not like I am losing fat or anything. Also, yesterday my period started, I wonder if all this is related to it since a few days ago my voice sounded a bit deeper and now it seems like it is back to a higher pitch. Any ideas of what is going on? I'm really worried  ???




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Hi nihil  :icon_wave:

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V M

You are likely experiencing subjective perceptions of therapeutic effects.

Maybe taking T has increased your metabolism so your body is burning muscle since you don't have much fat to burn. I'm not on T yet but I've lost muscle mass like that before when my metabolism increased from doing a lot of cardio and eating under my suggested calorie intake. It's best to talk to a professional about it though if you haven't already.

Quote from: Jamie D on June 01, 2013, 02:59:38 PM
You are likely experiencing subjective perceptions of therapeutic effects.

^This.

It's normal for hormone fluctuations to cause you to bleed irregularly. It can take months and sometimes over a year for the monthly problem to completely stop.

Some guys do experience cold like symptoms with their first few shots. Maybe that is what you're experiencing with your voice?

As far as muscle mass/fat redistribution I don't know what to tell you except for most guys fat redistribution is one of the things that takes the longest to occur. Maybe T is considerably speeding up your metabolism? If you're worried the best thing to do is contact your doctor.

Quote from: Jamie D on June 01, 2013, 02:59:38 PM
You are likely experiencing subjective perceptions of therapeutic effects.

I agree.  This kind of thing will cause distortions of your self image due to anticipation.  This turns a good optically flat mirror into a circus mirror.  This happens a lot with obsessive disorders such as anorexia/bulimia.  Try not to anticipate, this may cause problems with your expectations further down the line.  Most of us here had this, including myself. 

  Joelene

You should lose mass in your butt-- that's normal. You won't get stronger there.  I think men are stronger in the upper body, not lower body.

--Jay

^ Truth is, you will be losing mass in your butt and hips because estrogen in women makes them keep fat in their lower bodies, and starting on T makes your body willing to lose that feminine fat. It has nothing to do with muscles or strength. I feel even a man's lower body should be stronger than a woman's regardless of whether they workout or not just because they can more easily build muscle, and those who do workout will usually have much stronger lower bodies than women. There's a reason men's thighs and calves are usually comparable in size to women's, if not bigger, and men's thighs are mostly muscle while women's are mostly fat.

Ever heard the term "skinny fat"? This is what I am. You can be SKINNY while still having a high body fat percentage. This just means the fat is evenly distributed over your body rather than in specific places like your gut. So there's a chance you ARE losing fat, not muscle. Although it is true that unless you start working out your muscles, they will atrophy over time and become smaller and weaker.

People always told me I was so skinny. But truthfully? Even at my smallest I still had at least 18% body fat, and was probably over 20% after having tried to feminize. Doesn't make me chubby or squishy, just means I have fat to lose before I see great muscle tone.

In the end, unless you've been on both ends of the spectrum, between flabby and muscular, you probably won't be able to tell the difference between losing fat and losing muscle. So just workout frequently and consume a good bit of protein and you'll make sure you're burning mostly fat and not muscle. ;)