Susan's Place Transgender Resources

I'm still really struggling with getting past the look of my legs and my feet. I feel like I've got quite blokish legs, but the kind that belong to a short guy who doesn't exercise, with knobbly knees. And at the end of them are these ugly, chunky, wide, big feet that I really hate.

Part of me feels like my feet have started to look a bit nicer recently since I started blocking injections at Christmas, but they are still a long way from looking female.

If anyone has any suggestions on getting my legs to look nicer (I'm worried about doing the wrong kind of exercise and making things worse) or can offer any coping strategies (beyond 'be more confident') I'd really like to hear them. I'm aware that the dysphoria I feel about this might be verging on dysmorphia because I am generally convinced that everyone has smaller feet than me (I'm a UK 8 wide but I'm only 5'7" and as mentioned they are chunky).

Help?!?

Squircle, it's a universal condition of women to dislike some part of your body. All of us have something we don't like the look of. That's part of being a woman, and something we get used to. Loose fitting slacks will make your legs look like anyone else's.

Welcome to womanhood!

Haa so true Suzi

Hey I'm a short 5'4", size 9 Women's not massive but still on the large size for my height, and I've shortish legs, they used to be squat but over the last few years (been on HRT for 12 yrs) they muscle mass is at last disappearing, despite fitness exercising for the Aussie ski season. Your size is not bad, better than mine (oh-oh  >:-))
I like higher heels, flats don't help my height either...

So gentle consistent exercise like walking, jogging etc. will help as well as time... I also Cycle too

L Katy  :-*

Just for clarification a UK 8 is a US 10.5 or  there about.

I get that a lot of women have parts of their body they hate, that's the consequence of being bombarded by unrealistic body ideals all the time. But those women don't have the underlying truth to deal with that a body part looks a certain way because it's (or was once) male, and its growth and formation has been determined by testosterone.

Yes that's a fair comment about the T ravaging, and yes it affects our sensitivity, cannot deny that.

But I know lots of women here that have huge feet, its not something people really take a lot of notice of, especially with higher heels, despite most wearing flats unless on the town... and legs do come in all shapes and sizes, including CIS, I used to really worry about mine, until I started noticing other women... kind of faded...

OK thanks for the sizing confirmation  :-*

L Katy

Sorry I assumed you were in the US! I shouldn't jump to conclusions! If you take Australian 9s then we wear pretty much the same size.

I know it's something I have to come to terms with, I guess I'd just feel better if there was something I could do to improve things. I have quite flat feet so I've been trying to do exercises to strengthen my arches in the hope my feet will look better.

What I would recommend is wear skinny jeans to slim the legs and pointed shoes to make the legs seem longer. Doing squats, mountain climbers, and running might help also. Confidence and not caring what others think is also helpful.

Quote from: Sabrina on May 14, 2015, 09:03:49 AM
What I would recommend is wear skinny jeans to slim the legs and pointed shoes to make the legs seem longer. Doing squats, mountain climbers, and running might help also. Confidence and not caring what others think is also helpful.

I do wear skinny jeans but pointy shoes elongate my feet too much. My legs aren't bulky or muscly, if anything they could do with a bit more fat on them esp at the top. It's just my knees stick out, and their overall shape isn't great. Then at the end of them are these oversized feet.

I have been thinking of taking up running, do you think it would help feminise my legs or just make them muscly?

Squircle... Men actually have better legs than women.. that why they almost always use mens legs on pantyhose packaging..

Squircle, as for your feet, the only thing that I can suggest is weight loss which may reduce their width. You can shape your legs with a combination of aerobic activity(e.g., brisk walking, jogging, bicycling, etc.) and resistance training (e.g., weight training, pilates, yoga, bicycling, etc.) but if you have fatty knees, then diet may not affect them, in which case you might need liposuction. 

Quote from: kittenpower on May 14, 2015, 12:37:57 PM
Squircle, as for your feet, the only thing that I can suggest is weight loss which may reduce their width. You can shape your legs with a combination of aerobic activity(e.g., brisk walking, jogging, bicycling, etc.) and resistance training (e.g., weight training, pilates, yoga, bicycling, etc.) but if you have fatty knees, then diet may not affect them, in which case you might need liposuction.

I could lose a bit of weight but probably not enough to make a difference (I'm 140 pounds). My feet seem to have quite a bit of muscle in them though, which is odd because I have none anywhere else, so I was hoping that another year of hormones might cause some of that to melt away.

I'm definitely going to try getting some yoga DVDs or something though, and I need to get some kit to go running. I might look into the liposuction, thanks for the advice. I think with more exercise I can at least feel like I have some more control over my body.

This is what I'm dealing with. Seriously I'm so disheartened just looking at these photos, and it's taken me quite a bit to build up the courage to upload them. Apologies for the dirty mirror! This is why I don't wear skirts  :(

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1373.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fag371%2Famy211%2FUrghlegs_zpsu59kzusn.jpg&hash=4c34f81c7c9d22f26190999dd540dee0c75013bd) (http://s1373.photobucket.com/user/amy211/media/Urghlegs_zpsu59kzusn.jpg.html)

Amy, please don`t stress too much over your lower extremities; they really don`t seem anything other than a normal pair of woman`s 'pins and plates'.....and to my eyes {especially so the picture on the right} are obviously the legs of a woman.  :icon_yes:

HRT & A.A`s effected a dramatic reduction {in the term of many years} in the upper and lower leg`s musculature that I previously had, and also in the fat distribution of my legs and feet, which combined to have a great positive effect on re-shaping my legs.....Although the profound loss of muscle-mass over the years since, has left me with somewhat 'loose' calves and thighs.

Sometimes, Mother Nature will do what she wants, and we have to go with her flow. ;)

Kindest,
Deb.

OMG, you have cute legs! No kidding, stop stressing about them.

And just wait until the hormones have a couple of years to change your skin - the softer texture and slight changes in fat deposits are quite noticeable on legs.

Also, I have US size 11 feet, and I swear they look smaller when I paint my toenails. ;)

There isn't really any "wrong" exercise other than not doing anything at all.
Walking may be the easiest and least damaging leg exercise.  Get a smartphone app to keep track and walk.  Just around the block at first, then one mile, then more.

I'm 65 years old and have fantastic looking legs.  I walked 700 miles last year, mostly 3 or 4 miles at a time.  A little estrogen added to all that muscle will yield absolutely gorgeous legs.  I used to have knobby knees and really ugly legs.  Now I could give Tina Turner a run for her money.

Muscle looks good on virtually anyone.

Quote from: Squircle on May 14, 2015, 07:02:46 AM
If anyone has any suggestions on getting my legs to look nicer (I'm worried about doing the wrong kind of exercise and making things worse) or can offer any coping strategies (beyond 'be more confident') I'd really like to hear them.

Quote from: Squircle on May 14, 2015, 07:02:46 AM
I'm still really struggling with getting past the look of my legs and my feet. I feel like I've got quite blokish legs, but the kind that belong to a short guy who doesn't exercise, with knobbly knees. And at the end of them are these ugly, chunky, wide, big feet that I really hate.

Part of me feels like my feet have started to look a bit nicer recently since I started blocking injections at Christmas, but they are still a long way from looking female.

If anyone has any suggestions on getting my legs to look nicer (I'm worried about doing the wrong kind of exercise and making things worse) or can offer any coping strategies (beyond 'be more confident') I'd really like to hear them. I'm aware that the dysphoria I feel about this might be verging on dysmorphia because I am generally convinced that everyone has smaller feet than me (I'm a UK 8 wide but I'm only 5'7" and as mentioned they are chunky).

Help?!?

To answer your question
You could do squats especially weighted squats I use to work out for a very long time and squats literally work every muscle in your legs.  Squats will also work that booty girl c ;
Also your HRT is going to make some serious changes to your body, they are not quick but they will happen I promise you your hips legs everything you will get the curves you want especially with the mentioned body type you described. 
If I were you I would not worry
Love,
Alyssa

Edit: Your feet I guess you could shave a bit off with some weight loss but thats mainly your bone structure I wear a size 9 womens US thats one size before the biggest size they make before you really gotta look hard for a pair of shoes.  And to be honest your feet and legs look just fine the way they are and with a bit of HRT just wait c :

Your legs look fine... your feet are not large (about normal for 5'7")

Your legs are FINE.

Besides, more excuses for cute shoes!

My biggest discomfort is with my hands. They look kinda big. Long nails tend to make them appear slimmer though.

I have seen women with chunkier and bigger calves and yours does not even come close.
You're fine and your legs look feminine.

My cis wife just said she'd kill to have legs like yours!  :) 

I also wear US size 11.  I wish my feet were smaller, but honestly I'm just glad they're not bigger.  Most stores in the US will carry size 11, but NEVER larger sizes.  So I just barely made it.

your legs look amazing, but if it bothers you that much, id work out your calfs just abit more to add some shape.  Im a Navy Vet, so I got more musle in places than I like to admit, so depending on the level of professionalism you have to maintain in your daily life/ dress. For me being a full time college student, dress can make a huge difference in presenting certain parts,  to get past my muscle and really toned legs, I wear sportly or beat up T shirts with distressed capris or shorts, and flip flops, or lots of casual Navy Vet cloths and people just assume im a girl who used to kick a lot of butt.    Your legs are fine hun.  But those are just a few ways I got around presenting things I didn't like about my body.

Thank you for all of your replies. I get so worked up about it, and the fact that my feet will never be small drives me crazy, but I am aware that my own perception of my body is probably quite warped.

It's pretty clear from some of your replies that the best way for me to get past this is to exercise, and really make my body my own, if that makes sense. I feel that if I am doing something, and seeing a change from that, it will help my brain come to terms with accepting the things that won't change. So once I get paid at the end of this month I'm going to invest in some sports gear and get out there and work on making my body the way I want to.

Thanks again, every reply has been helpful and it's much appreciated :)

I wear size 9 now but I couldn't fit a size 10 before I started HRT. Even 9 feels looseish. So there could be some shrinkage.

Quote from: Squircle on May 16, 2015, 07:41:48 AM
Thank you for all of your replies. I get so worked up about it, and the fact that my feet will never be small drives me crazy, but I am aware that my own perception of my body is probably quite warped.

It's pretty clear from some of your replies that the best way for me to get past this is to exercise, and really make my body my own, if that makes sense. I feel that if I am doing something, and seeing a change from that, it will help my brain come to terms with accepting the things that won't change. So once I get paid at the end of this month I'm going to invest in some sports gear and get out there and work on making my body the way I want to.

Thanks again, every reply has been helpful and it's much appreciated :)

if your lookin to focus on just your legs, you don't even have to buy anything. There is a plethora of workouts for your legs you can do with no equipment. toneing your calfs you can do simply my slowly raising up onto your tippy toes over and over, stupid amounts of work outs ya can do.

Has no one yet mentioned Pilates?! Because your weight is under control I would suggest working on muscle "lengthening" exercises. If there is another antidote to stockiness, I'm unaware.

Your yoga instinct is good too. They make many Pilates/yoga work out videos. Get one of them big inflatable balls! They're fun and a good routine on one will Tear You Up!

Then again if you don't exercise at all right now literally anything will help! But although you can't go wrong, I would still start off on the right foot. (Sorry, couldn't resist)

Your legs are great already! I ride my bicycle when I can, and have recently picked up doing squats and "leg kickbacks" for a more firmer ass but I feel it in my lower legs when I squat. Also wearing some kind of heels makes your calves look better.

Quote from: noleen111 on May 14, 2015, 12:05:28 PM
Squircle... Men actually have better legs than women.. that why they almost always use mens legs on pantyhose packaging..

Yes. That is true here, too.

Many women here comment on my legs like "I wish to exchange my legs with yours".
But they still do wear skirts, revealing their bulky legs, sometimes with high heels.
They admit that their legs look ugly compared with mine, but that fact does not dissuade them from showing their own legs while walking next to me. That is woman.

barbie~~

Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate several times a week. Moisturize all over every night. It makes a huge difference for my pale legs and feet that I don't completely like yet. You erase away all the scars eventually. Smoothness helps anything look more feminine. You can't do much about your structure so you gotta do what you can: take care of yourself.

Quote from: iKate on May 16, 2015, 07:44:01 AM
I wear size 9 now but I couldn't fit a size 10 before I started HRT. Even 9 feels looseish. So there could be some shrinkage.

I'm on a low dose of E, and I've noticed this a bit.  11's were tight before, and now I fit most 11's perfectly.  Some 11's are just a a bit too loose. 

Quote from: femmebutt on May 16, 2015, 08:30:09 AM
Has no one yet mentioned Pilates?! Because your weight is under control I would suggest working on muscle "lengthening" exercises. If there is another antidote to stockiness, I'm unaware.

^^ This!!

Pilates is the best. It focuses on the core muscles and legs.  No arms.  What could be better?

You will always be the biggest most harshest critic on yourself.
Thats kinda how our brains work i guess

I'm definitely going to give Pilates and yoga a try. I guess exercises like that will help with posture and flexibility as well.

Yes I am my harshest critic, I see all of the male cues I still think I have. The thing is that I've spent time with people who have not known that I am trans so I must be doing something right, I just wish I could let go of the insecurity and body issues. I guess some of that is part and parcel of being trans in this society though.

A friend of mine was recently subjected to multiple instances of transphobic abuse whilst walking through a less progressive northern town and it made me realise the cost of not passing and perhaps refocus on my own deficiencies.