Susan's Place Transgender Resources

There are planned parenthood-informed clinics all around me that I can get set up on hrt hopefully. But my question is should I lose weight before I start? I'm currently unhappy with my weight, especially my body-dysphoria. I'm 23 176 pounds. I'm not terribly muscular but still have quite a bit of muscle- thighs and calves mostly. Don't really have big arms or shoulders. I've seen a lot of comments and posts, mostly from ->-bleeped-<-, about how much harder it gets to lose weight on hrt. I've already started to lose some by working out everyday, and my new diet. Just don't want to be big transitioning and end up getting bigger :/

Don't know about the weight but getting in good habits of exercising and eating healthy can and should be done early. 

Getting rid of male belly might be a good idea, but muscles will be gone faster without T


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I assume you're MTF? All the fat that's on you now is deposited in male patterns. After HRT new fat will accumulate in female patterns. With that in mind, I'd want to get rid of as much fat as possible before starting HRT.

Hugs, Devlyn

It's weird but transitioning has actually helped me lose weight,  eat healthier and maintain a healthy weight.  I'm motivated for the first time in my life to actually care about my appearance.

Also, since I am now hormonally female I don't need as many calories and when I become mindful of this I actually don't have a desire to eat as much.

So yeah, if that's all that's holding you back I would recommend starting HRT like yesterday.

 My experience has been much the same as Jane Emily my appitite is much lower now and i get full on much smaller portions this is the opposite to what I expected but as my daughter said why start being normal now I have lost 15 pounds since starting HRT june 15th
    ymmv

  bobbisue :)

I ended up losing 22 pounds after I started HRT.  I'm down to a weight right now that is actually a little lower than I'd like and believe it or not I'm having trouble putting on weight.  My plan originally was to get to a low weight and then once I knew my hormone levels had reached their targets, start putting some back on so the fat added would then fall in the right places.  So far, it's not working out that way :)   

I know there's women all over this board and in the world in general who would kill to have my problem :)

Anyway, I bring up my experience because you can't be sure what the hormones will do.  Those first 10 pounds I lost were without trying.  After that it was a concerted effort but still easy.  But as someone earlier mentioned, now is always the right time to lose some weight and start eating healthier.  A better diet will help your skin, make you feel better and equip your body to handle that second puberty.

Im 10kg overweight, so 15kg might help me get a more feminine figure on hormones.

I'm afraid my dream of being a dainty little thing will never happen.
Unfortunately dysphoria leads to depression which leads to eating sweets

I would not let your weight prevent you from starting hrt. I have been waiting 2 years to lose those last 10lbs. Silly because that time is lost and I could be 2 years into my journey.

I also dropped weight from HRT... about 25-30lbs ...I didn't have much fat though, it was mostly chest, arm and back muscle from surfing a lot for many years... I'm in the upper 130s now

You failed to mention your height, Chloe.

Yes. Your body fat has been distributed in a male pattern. Lose as much as you can, and then under HRT it will be redistributed to your breasts, thighs, butt, etc. I have lost about 15 pounds (muscle) and most of the fat is going to the right places. My butt looks so good in skinny jeans now!  ;D

I've been wondering about this too, lately. I've put on a lot of weight around my tummy area that I'm unhappy with. I used to be happy at 140 lbs 5'9", but now I'm around 150-155 with a belly that makes me feel fat. It's probably because I've become more comfortable drinking alcohol. I think I'll cut that out of my diet and see how it helps.

Quote from: KageNiko on July 03, 2017, 04:31:31 PM
I've been wondering about this too, lately. I've put on a lot of weight around my tummy area that I'm unhappy with. I used to be happy at 140 lbs 5'9", but now I'm around 150-155 with a belly that makes me feel fat. It's probably because I've become more comfortable drinking alcohol. I think I'll cut that out of my diet and see how it helps.

Alcohol is interesting since in cis males it will put fat in you breasts, butt, and thighs, but also grow that belly, which cancels out all of the other stuff. Best bet is to lose weight by stopping drinking, get rid of as much body fat as you can, and then start HRT and watch the magic. :)

I don't know how it works with MTF's but increased estrogen in biological females can cause weight gain or more so make it harder to lose weight...I'm pretty sure it works that way in biological men as well...

My ex boyfriend and I used to do weight training and I HATE protein powder, so I always put it in chocolate milk...In order to cut out some of the unhealthiness of that I switched to chocolate soy milk. He wouldn't even touch it and when I asked he told me that soy could boost estrogen and that would hinder my weight loss.

Long story short.....Maybe a good idea?

I have lost about 10 pounds since I started HRT in late March 2017. I did not realize the dangly bits would shrink that much!

In all seriousness, starting my journey made me more aware of my health. I changed my diet a bit, significantly reduced the amount of sodas I drink, and I try not to eat dessert too often. Now whenever I do have desert I think about the saying 'a moment on the lips, forever on the hips' and I really hope that is true! The changes are slow, but they are happening.

Quote from: Jessica_Rose on July 03, 2017, 09:21:51 PM
I have lost about 10 pounds since I started HRT in late March 2017. I did not realize the dangly bits would shrink that much!

In all seriousness, starting my journey made me more aware of my health. I changed my diet a bit, significantly reduced the amount of sodas I drink, and I try not to eat dessert too often. Now whenever I do have desert I think about the saying 'a moment on the lips, forever on the hips' and I really hope that is true! The changes are slow, but they are happening.

This is a very interesting topic and I wonder if any research has been done on this.

My take is this, before HRT MtF should shed as much fat as possible as it's been directed in an unflattering way for cis males. However, once on HRT, you sorta need the fat cells to be redistributed in a female pattern. Not saying you should eat unhealthy, but a diet that includes a little fat may help shape your desired feminine figure. I have a pretty healthy diet, but, I do let some fat into my diet as I want that distributed in a female pattern. In fact, I do on occasion McDonald's double cheese burgers and fries. The amazing thing is a little fat under HRT goes pretty much right where you want it. It's a balance, but if you want to fill out your butt and thighs, you need some fat to be distributed there. Not too much, because cis females get bellies just like cis males. But, I have noticed that my hips have filled in very nicely. So, bottom line for me, once on HRT I want some fat in my diet to be distributed in a female pattern, but not too much to add a belly issue, etc.

Quote from: Devlyn Marie on June 29, 2017, 03:23:12 PM
I assume you're MTF? All the fat that's on you now is deposited in male patterns. After HRT new fat will accumulate in female patterns. With that in mind, I'd want to get rid of as much fat as possible before starting HRT.

Hugs, Devlyn

That's what I thought and did. I've lost around 7kg and it's super noticeable, the other day I wore one of my female friend's skirts and she's so tiny (I'm still presenting as male so this was such a win for me). So I think losing all the male pattern weight is a good idea. It is kinda difficult feeling like I look terrible (for a man) and my clothes don't fit anymore...But I'll have to get use to the feeling until I make my social transition.

I'm trying to lose before I start hrt. My problem is I ate(and often times a lot) to cope with all of the issues(good or bad) in my life. So I'm not changing what I eat currently but I am changing how much I eat. No more pop and beer, just water and unsweet tea. We'll see how far that takes me for now.

Quote from: VickieBlue on July 05, 2017, 11:05:48 AM
I'm trying to lose before I start hrt. My problem is I ate(and often times a lot) to cope with all of the issues(good or bad) in my life. So I'm not changing what I eat currently but I am changing how much I eat. No more pop and beer, just water and unsweet tea. We'll see how far that takes me for now.

In my experience sugar is what makes people gain weight the most so if you cut out the sweets and start taking and drinking "diet-" everything you'll see a difference. I for one love Coca Cola so Diet Coke is my go to drink. I've also managed to find sugar-free chocolate, etc...which I try not to eat much anyway cuz it still has a lot of calories but if you get the cravings for candy there's that option.

Quote from: Charlie Nicki on July 05, 2017, 11:25:14 AM
In my experience sugar is what makes people gain weight the most so if you cut out the sweets and start taking and drinking "diet-" everything you'll see a difference. I for one love Coca Cola so Diet Coke is my go to drink. I've also managed to find sugar-free chocolate, etc...which I try not to eat much anyway cuz it still has a lot of calories but if you get the cravings for candy there's that option.

I'm not a big sweets consumer normally. But I've found that I eat them more when I don't drink pop. But that's a good tip on sugar free candy when I do crave it.

Vicki

Quote from: VickieBlue on July 05, 2017, 11:38:14 AM
I'm not a big sweets consumer normally. But I've found that I eat them more when I don't drink pop. But that's a good tip on sugar free candy when I do crave it.

Vicki

Yeah but I meant cutting off all sugar, for example fruit juices as well, milkshakes, basically anything that is sweetened. I used to drink juice with every meal of the day but I switched to water and that helped me as well.

O.P. drops this query on us with 2 posts as a guest and disappears days go. These threads fascinate me. I queried as to her height and received no reply. I mean...she could be 4'8" .........and 173 pounds would look like???? Well???...not good. But it turns out she was just another drive by and we've all go down the rabbit hole. Not that this is not an post of interest, but I find this stuff quizzical all the same. I wonder just how many posts this oft handed remark from someone who probably will never be back will generate? Time will tell... :icon_weirdface:

Quote from: Charlie Nicki on July 05, 2017, 04:09:26 PM
Yeah but I meant cutting off all sugar, for example fruit juices as well, milkshakes, basically anything that is sweetened. I used to drink juice with every meal of the day but I switched to water and that helped me as well.

Got ya. The only juice I drink semi regularly is orange juice and I don't think I've had it in a month at least. Got to admit though that I love ice cream/milkshakes so I'm gonna have to really watch how much I eat there.

Quote from: jentay1367 on July 05, 2017, 04:29:41 PM
O.P. drops this query on us with 2 posts as a guest and disappears days go. These threads fascinate me. I queried as to her height and received no reply. I mean...she could be 4'8" .........and 173 pounds would look like???? Well???...not good. But it turns out she was just another drive by and we've all go down the rabbit hole. Not that this is not an post of interest, but I find this stuff quizzical all the same. I wonder just how many posts this oft handed remark from someone who probably will never be back will generate? Time will tell... :icon_weirdface:

I get your concern. But, it's a valid topic. MtF HRT loses muscle, not fat. It's not a diet program. It's a loss of muscle and if your goal is to slim those arms and legs of muscle, like me, I'm very happy with the results. The issue is how to achieve the best results. Legacy fat from cis male fat distribution will never be "fixed" by HRT. So, I think the learning points of this thread are two things: If you are MtF and are over weight, drop it before HRT. HRT will not move your belly fat to your butt, for example. Existing fat tissue is actually anchored to the body and can only be moved by surgery or suction. The better option is to lose the fat. Exercise, diet, etc, this destroys the fat cells. IMO, once this has been accomplished, then allow HRT to redistribute the fat one consumes in a female pattern. However, HRT will not move beer belly fat cells to your breasts, for example. You need to introduce fat into the body that HRT will place in a female pattern. As stated above, I'm not aware of any research in this area, I'm only talking from my own experience. I have lost significant muscle from my arms and legs, but have seen nice increases in my butt, thighs, and breasts. In fact I have posted that my breast increase is a little over my comfort level at my stage of transition. That said, I do exercise and eat well, but I purposely add fat in my diet as I see it go to the right places. Now, I'm naturally slim and tall, not sure adding fat will help everyone, but it works for me since my body is sending it to the right places. :)

Simply adding fat to the diet won't work.  The best way to add bodyfat is to eat often and eat a lot of carbs, especially processed sugar and wheat products.  It also screws up your health long term.

My experience is that if you ever had even a moderate leveled of fat on T then the best thing to do is lose it.  The fat cells are already there and if you gain fat those fat cells are going to fill up and the standard male "fat" shape comes back.  I also found that muscle loss from the lower body is minimal no matter what you do.  That's actually not bad because if you can lose the bulk on top then the bottom staying larger leaves a better overall proportion.


Conform and be dull. —James Frank Dobie, The Voice of the Coyote

How much weight is enough to lose and keep a female shape when starting hormones? I'm currently one month on spiro, 1.75mt (5.7ft) of height and my weight is 64.5kg (142lbs). I was 71kg like 3 months ago (156lbs) but made a conscious effort of dieting before hormones.

How much weight is really dependent on your body type and your lean mass amount.  My personal rule is that enough fat is gone when all the belly fat is gone.  I'm getting close.


Conform and be dull. —James Frank Dobie, The Voice of the Coyote

This is an interesting thread for me. I have lost 9lbs so far and want to lose another 16lbs. With the posts provided it really looks like I should do it before starting HRT for best results. Many thanks!!!

Jenna

Quote from: Deborah on July 06, 2017, 12:41:34 PM
How much weight is really dependent on your body type and your lean mass amount.  My personal rule is that enough fat is gone when all the belly fat is gone.  I'm getting close.


Conform and be dull. —James Frank Dobie, The Voice of the Coyote

I'm still stuck on the last bit of visceral belly fat. It's not budging. Have extra skin there too, but there is still a good amount of jiggle. Dead give away.  My weight loss has also plateaus. Though I'm at a good stable weight (132lbs for about six weeks now). I'm hoping the gradual pound gained and lost going forward will be enough to get rid of the belly fat. I still notice that when I lose weight now, my body prefers to lose it from typically male regions and put it on in typically female regions.

A few corrections in some of the previous posts.

You will always have fat cells in the same number and same place unless you do liposuction or fat transplant.

This is different then fat deposits. That is when you put fat on, your storing it in these pre-existing fat cells. The cells essentially just get bigger when filled with fat. When you lose weight that is fat, your basically extracting the fat from these cells, but not actually damaging/killing/getting rid of these cells.

My understanding is that even once on hrt one still we keep the same amount of fat cells in any given area, the density of those areas are determined by birth sex (and the following puberty).

Basically hrt just changes the order preference of which areas to store and burn fat to/from.  This is why fat "redistribution" will occur over time, many years even if you are at a stable weight. Doesn't matter if that stable weight is within a healthy range or not. We all fluctuate by a pound or two. It's this constant fluctuations combine with preference changes that causes the fat "redistribution".

Beyond breast growth I don't believe there will ever be more/less fat cells in a female/male regions than there already are. Why some transwomen can still put weight on in typically male area if obese. The fat cells in the top areas of preference are completely used up, fat is stored to full capacity. Instead of the body creating more fat cells in the preferred area, it will use the fat cells that are already there, even if the cells are in areas that are lower in preference order.




~Brooke~