Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Does muscle around the ribs and back feel bony/hardish or is that just bone?

Bone is hard and unyielding.  Muscle can be hard if it's under tension but if you relax it then it becomes softer like a piece of raw meat.


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Quote from: Deborah on August 13, 2017, 04:32:03 PM
Bone is hard and unyielding.  Muscle can be hard if it's under tension but if you relax it then it becomes softer like a piece of raw meat.


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Dang, then I don't have much muscle.  :'(

If you have much fat then losing that down to a low, but healthy, body fat percentage will make you look much smaller.  It's not all that hard to do either.  It just takes a good diet, a decent exercise program, and a big dose of persistence and consistency.


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Quote from: Deborah on August 13, 2017, 06:00:03 PM
If you have much fat then losing that down to a low, but healthy, body fat percentage will make you look much smaller.  It's not all that hard to do either.  It just takes a good diet, a decent exercise program, and a big dose of persistence and consistency.


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Yeah, it seems like I have a decent amount of back fat, and a little rib fat. I measure every day, probably hourly. The tightest at this moment I can get it to is about 34 2/4 inches. Its 36-37 not snug at all.

There was a time when I was like 190 and it was kind of the same, I would pull it real tight and it'd only go down to 36 2/4 inches. So idk, we'll see. Maybe fat stops being squishy when it has so much pressure on it.

There may be a lot of fat under the muscle and rib cage, visceral fat.  While you won't be able to feel it, it does make your abdomen larger.  It also brings along a whole host of health risks.  The good news is that visceral fat responds to diet and exercise also and will gradually shrink away.


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Quote from: Deborah on August 13, 2017, 06:16:17 PM
There may be a lot of fat under the muscle and rib cage, visceral fat.  While you won't be able to feel it, it does make your abdomen larger.  It also brings along a whole host of health risks.  The good news is that visceral fat responds to diet and exercise also and will gradually shrink away.


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Would I have lots of visceral fat at 180 and 5' 7?

Probably, but it's impossible to be sure since I've never seen you.  You said you didn't have too much muscle so then there's probably a fair amount of fat to lose. 

You can check your body fat with fairly good accuracy with body fat calipers.


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For comparison, I'm 5'11" and had to get to 165 lbs before my waist stopped shrinking.


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Quote from: Deborah on August 13, 2017, 06:52:28 PM
Probably, but it's impossible to be sure since I've never seen you.  You said you didn't have too much muscle so then there's probably a fair amount of fat to lose. 

You can check your body fat with fairly good accuracy with body fat calipers.


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How do you use one? And it'll tell you how much fat you have in an area?

The calipers measure skin fold thicknesses at seven places on your body.  Those measurements then go into a formula that estimates your total body fat.

They can be pretty inexpensive for a basic one or expensive for a fancy one.  I have the cheap kind, LOL.  http://www.accumeasurefitness.com/accu-measure-fitness-3000-body-fat-caliper.html

There are lots of other ones also if you google them.

I also have an app, BodyTracker, on my phone where I enter the measurements and it gives me the result.  Below is what it gave me this morning.   The actual result is not 100% accurate but is expected to be plus or minus a percent or two.  However, if you measure accurately the results are consistent and allows you to know pretty well what's happening in your body with respect to fat and lean body mass.  (Lean body mass is everything that is not fat.). Ideally, when losing fat you want to preserve lean body mass for health.  For us, with HRT, this expectation may be adjusted depending on how muscular you are to begin with.

Body Composition
Body Fat: 11.22 %
Date: Aug 13, 2017
Method: Parrillo
Weight: 166
Lean Body Weight: 147.37 lbs
Body Fat Weight: 18.63 lbs

Caliper Measurements
Bicep: 4 mm
Chest: 5 mm
Abdominal: 8 mm
Thigh: 10 mm
Tricep: 6 mm
Subscapular: 8 mm
Suprailiac: 5 mm
Calf: 8 mm
Lower Back: 15 mm


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The BMI table suggest for 5'7 that you be between 120 and 150 pounds. There is a flaw in the BMI table in that if you are muscular you could weigh above 150 pounds and still be in the healthy range.

Quote from: Deborah on August 13, 2017, 07:20:49 PM
The calipers measure skin fold thicknesses at seven places on your body.  Those measurements then go into a formula that estimates your total body fat.

They can be pretty inexpensive for a basic one or expensive for a fancy one.  I have the cheap kind, LOL.  http://www.accumeasurefitness.com/accu-measure-fitness-3000-body-fat-caliper.html

There are lots of other ones also if you google them.

I also have an app, BodyTracker, on my phone where I enter the measurements and it gives me the result.  Below is what it gave me this morning.   The actual result is not 100% accurate but is expected to be plus or minus a percent or two.  However, if you measure accurately the results are consistent and allows you to know pretty well what's happening in your body with respect to fat and lean body mass.  (Lean body mass is everything that is not fat.). Ideally, when losing fat you want to preserve lean body mass for health.  For us, with HRT, this expectation may be adjusted depending on how muscular you are to begin with.

Body Composition
Body Fat: 11.22 %
Date: Aug 13, 2017
Method: Parrillo
Weight: 166
Lean Body Weight: 147.37 lbs
Body Fat Weight: 18.63 lbs

Caliper Measurements
Bicep: 4 mm
Chest: 5 mm
Abdominal: 8 mm
Thigh: 10 mm
Tricep: 6 mm
Subscapular: 8 mm
Suprailiac: 5 mm
Calf: 8 mm
Lower Back: 15 mm


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Thank you!

Quote from: Dena on August 13, 2017, 07:21:49 PM
The BMI table suggest for 5'7 that you be between 120 and 150 pounds. There is a flaw in the BMI table in that if you are muscular you could weigh above 150 pounds and still be in the healthy range.

Then I am well above the BMI lol. I am definitely not muscular haha.