Susan's Place Transgender Resources

With the carrot of top surgery dangling before me i have decided to reacquaint myself with the inside of a gym. I need to lose 40-50lbs to get myself into the 'healthy' b.m.i range but i also want to put on the muscle. I know the two contradict each other in terms of diet etc but i figure it should be possible to lose some of the stomach flab whilst building up other muscles. Anyone with any advice will be gratefully listened to- but i'm no good at running and i need to quit smoking(again). By summer i want to be able to look in amirror and actually be proud of what i see for the first time in my life

Tragic because nothing burns fat w/o putting on much muscle as running does.  Putting on muscle puts on weight as muscle weighs more than fat.  Try to set goals using a tape measure rather than a scale.  If you can't run, bikes are a decent substitute, but we're talking about a lot of miles (10-20) on a daily basis, not every once in a while.

Will a steady pace on a stationary bike do it or is it a bit more complicated than that? I own a bike but im a bit of a fairweather cyclist

I don't know, never used a bike that didn't go anywhere, but where I live being outside is our religion in a lot of ways.  I figure that I get about the same workout doing 5 miles of mountain biking that I would get in 20-25 miles of road riding.  And that takes care of the weather thing too, since the real E Ticket Ride on the mountains around here is best done in the rain.  Though no doubt having dual hydraulic disc brakes makes it a lot safer to ride the hills in the rain.  You can walk too.  A few hours of walking - as opposed to sitting and watching TV, or doing the computer - everyday does wonders.

Yeah- i'm good at making up excuses about why i shouldn't be out walking, e.g. i havent got time to walk i'll take the car, or i need to get shopping so i'll take the car, but i guess its really just a case of getting out there and putting one foot in front of the other. Other trouble is i start getting totally de motivated if i dont see instant results so guess i'm just gonna have to get over that as well

Yeah, and it's not just a 'go to the gym' deal, it's an entire life-style shift.  It's always walking or riding when you could take the car.  It's about taking the stairs and not the elevator.  It's about always trying to walk a little faster, a little bit further, and uphill if you can.

That sounds like i need to be organised d'oh. Oh well theres a first time for everything  :D

Good luck, James! Tekla is right, make sure that you do measurements because usually you see more steady change there then with weight alone. You should make an excel sheet, I find that to be the easiest way. :)

Hugs,

Jacquelyn

Excel? As in computer spreadsheets? Now thats harder than an hour at the gym  :D

Quote from: James instead of Al on January 16, 2011, 09:08:13 PM
Excel? As in computer spreadsheets? Now thats harder than an hour at the gym  :D

No, really. :)

Across the top you do a column for date, weight, waist, shoulders, biceps, thighs, etc.

Then you can see what the measurement fluctuation is.  ;)

Now this is the point where i do my little boy lost look and some nice lady offers to do it for me

Quote from: James instead of Al on January 16, 2011, 09:14:53 PM
Now this is the point where i do my little boy lost look and some nice lady offers to do it for me

Haha, I'd be more than happy to make a spreadsheet up for you. Just let me know what you need on it. If you don't want to keep track of it on the computer you could always just print the spreadsheet out. :)

You can send me a PM with what you want on it.

Quote from: James instead of Al on January 16, 2011, 09:14:53 PM
Now this is the point where i do my little boy lost look and some nice lady offers to do it for me

I've tried that, it don't work as well as it used to.

Excel is easy BTW. Now that you sent that hint to Jacquelyn, may you have good luck.

Well if a pretty lady is going to go to so much trouble for me, ive got to stick to it, havent i?

Quote from: James instead of Al on January 16, 2011, 09:22:10 PM
Well if a pretty lady is going to go to so much trouble for me, ive got to stick to it, havent i?

:icon_redface: :icon_redface: :icon_redface: Hahaha. You better!

to just say you're no good at running is a cop-out [Unless you have bad knees or some other medical complication that prevents you from being able to run... I'm really not trying to be a douche] it just takes practice.  No one who hasn't run [or worked out] in a while is good at running.
As a band-geek in high school my mile time was the maximum time limit. 
I hated to run, but I was still a pretty active person.  Now I use my parents eliptical machine a few times a week and have an average of about a 9 minute mile doing 4-5 miles in a session.  Granted running on a machine isn't as hard [at least for me] as flat out running in the open, but I believe that in time anyone can come around to it.  Well, those of us with legs.

Its important to take your time, and start slow.  Start taking long walks... start jogging in 2 or 3 minute segments along your route [walking in between] and gradually increase those increments.  Soon you'll find yourself just wanting to keep jogging to get it over with faster.   Depending on where you live start walking or riding your bike to those close by places you once drove to.  Within the past year I've gone from getting gas once a week to filling up every other week just because I gave up driving places in town.  I always either walk or ride my bike.  I sometimes go all week without getting in my car, and I get out of the house and do things every day.

Also, start doing yoga.  Its a [generally] easy and painless way to get yourself feeling healthier and more active, as well as a great way go improve your flexibility, strength, and increase weight loss.  Best part is that its fully customizable, and you can do it in the privacy of your own home.  There are a lot of great websites with poses and sequences, as well as video demonstrations.  Do 30 minutes before bed every night and 30 minutes when you wake up, and I think you'll be surprised at the differences it can make.  That will also really help improve your breathing after being a smoker which will help make other exercise less painful.

After you get into it, every time you do yoga start picking up some free weights afterward and doing a short [10 min] workout with those.  Many websites have examples of exercises one can do [I know at bodybuilding.com you can do a search with the muscle you want to work/experience level/available equipment ect.]  As with everything else, don't be too intense about it to start out with.  Even these little additions to your routine can make a big difference in the long-run.

... wow I rambled for a long time I'm sorry hope I was at least helpful

Quote from: GnomeKid link=topic=91117.msg660810#msg660810 date=129523897.

... wow I rambled for a long time I'm sorry hope I was at least helpful
/quote]
you were very helpful and your right- saying i cant run is a cop out. I should say i dont like running- apart from the fact that it does hurt my knees and lungs, having these two things on my chest bouncing around is enough to send me screaming back into the house. not a lot of things make me yell, but that does

Quote from: James instead of Al on January 16, 2011, 10:43:02 PM
[quote author=GnomeKid link=topic=91117.msg660810#msg660810 date=129523897.

... wow I rambled for a long time I'm sorry hope I was at least helpful

you were very helpful and your right- saying i cant run is a cop out. I should say i dont like running- apart from the fact that it does hurt my knees and lungs, having these two things on my chest bouncing around is enough to send me screaming back into the house. not a lot of things make me yell, but that does

Ah yes... the evil chest mutations.  They prevented me from A LOT of physical activity.  I often forget that fact now, and I'm sorry that you still have to deal with that.  Back in those days I'd go about a mile before giving up and wanting to go straight upstairs and take a cleaver to them myself.  As far as the knees go- If you join a gym I recommend the eliptical machine.  Its very low impact.  Your lungs will get used to it all in time, and quitting smoking will certainly help that.  I've never been a cigarette person, but my roommate is a hookah fan and my lungs always hurt more during weeks that I indulge.

I'm trying to think of other cardio that doesn't involve as much chest bouncing potential as running.  Swimming is GREAT if you have an indoor lap pool in your area [a lot of YMCA's do, and you can get a membership pretty cheap.  I believe they will help you with membership fees depending on your income level also.  I've had a few friends do that]
I'll keep my mind on trying to think of more though. 

You need to pick between losing weight and gaining muscle. You also can't target weight loss to a certain area. If I was you I would focus on loosing the 50lbs first.  You don't need to be good at running for it to burn calories. Remember to stretch. Be sure to drink enough water. If you're feeling thirsty then you aren't drinking enough. Keep a food journal, follow serving sizes, write down everything you do and consume. If you have a smart phone you will be able to find an app for this.

You don't need to be good at running for it to burn calories.

True that, matter of fact the worse you run the more calories you burn, as you get better you work more efficiently and burn less.

Plus the heavier you are the more calories you will burn. It requires more energy to move a larger mass.

For biking.

I find that I get a better work out on a stationary bike then on a real bike (mountain biking - unless it's hill climbing). I can spend 20 minutes on pushing myself hard doing intervals on a stationary bike, and have to do an hour on a real bike of the same thing to get to the same exhaustion point. Weird I know. I hate riding stationary bikes. but am able to push myself much harder because I can get wayyyy more resistance on them then I would out on the trail. But that being said, I can easily torque out as much power into a crankset as the average proeffsional male road racer (had that tested a while back).

But the key to losing fat is going to be doing intervals. With interval training you burn about 8 times as much fat in the following hour then if you just set out an average pace. I tend to do my intervals over a 20 minute period where I raise my heart rate up to 170-180 for 30 seconds, then back it off till it hits the 140-155 range which is the good aerobic range for my age - keep it in that range for maybe a minute, then pound it back up to the 170's again. You can google interval training to adapt it to yourself - though it's def the best way to burn fat when riding or running. Swimming is also a great way to gain muscle and lose fat. Biking is primarily going to build up your thighs and calves and ass, though depending on the style it will also build up your upper back and shoulders.

At this moment I do interval cardio training and then off to the weights portion of the gym 2-3 times a week (rest of the days are recovery). I've been noticing my aerobic fitness going up and also my biceps are expanding faster then my skin can (getting stretch marks DX).

Hi James

If you don't want to do running etc try a spin class or/and body pump classes.  If you are not familiar with them spin is static bike riding with an instructor who will make sure you get a work out to music and in a group session. Body pump is sort of aerobics using weights and again in a class so you get pushed. If your motivation is a little low they can be really good because you are pushed, you meet people and you will lose weight.

Good Luck
Cindy

Good luck to you man!  Losing weight was a precursor to transition for me.  Due to depression and the meds used to treat it, I'd gotten to 245 pounds (and I'm only 5'5" sadly) by 2009, and over the course of about 15 months, I got down to my current weight of 130, where I've been for about 6 months and had no problems maintaining.

In the beginning I lost 50 pounds in about 3 months, (which I don't recommend doing and probably only happened because I had over 100 to lose), by going on a diet of mostly whole grain  cereal, lean turkey sandwiches, and grilled chicken with steamed vegetables, all while spending 1-2 hours a night on a treadmill 6 days a week.  That's for the obsessive and impatient though, and losing weight that fast isn't really healthy, but still, I recommend a treadmill over road running any day, it's much lower impact.

I had originally bought a cheap treadmill from Wal-mart, but I'd check out local community recreation centers, they tend to have gyms that cost a fraction what the corporate ones do, usually $15 a month or less, vs. $30-40 for Urban Active and their competitors.  Also, no contracts with the community centers.  Also, if you do find a gym, elliptical machines burn just as many (usually more) calories as a treadmill/running, with virtually no impact on knees and other joints. :)

Thank you all for your great replies. I started changing my eating habits a couple of days ago and tomorrow is my first day back at the gym so i'll see how i get on.

I'm also trying to loose weight this year, well actually mostly fat because now that i'm on T I would like to build up a little muscle.

As you go to the gym you might want to talk to someone there as they might be able to make a program for you, I find mine very useful. Also don't be put off if you can't do as much as you would like at first, it takes time.

If you don't want to run because of your chest then walk, it may not burn as many calories off but it's better then nothing. I can't run because it makes me really dysphoric so I understand, just find something else you can do.

I am going to chime in for the DON'T RUN side of the equation.

When you are overweight, running puts tremendous strain on your joints, particularly your knees. Most people hate running, because it is boring and uncomfortable. You are not 20 years old. You are almost 40 years old, and you have no fitness base from which you are starting. Starting out by trying to run (or jog) is a surefire way to injure yourself at worst or simply not stick to it. Are there people who decide they like running at this age after they stick to it enough? Yup. The runner's high is real. Are there many many many more people who try to start running - in January of all months! - and quit within weeks because running is uncomfortable for them and/or boring (esp in place where Jan = winter)? Yup.

What to do? Clean up your diet, and get moving. As Tad pointed out, it's interval training (also known as High Intensity Interval Training) that helps you lose fat, not steady state cardio. You can do that on a bike or via any other cardio activity, not just running.

Also, strength training will help you lose fat as well, faster than steady state cardio. If you eat right and lift weights, you will drop fat even faster. Will you *also* gain some muscle on the way? Probably. But that muscle weight will help you look better and increase your metabolism for losing even more fat. In the short-term, as a beginner, you will probably be able to both lose fat AND gain muscle at the same time! As you get used to healthy habits, you will find that you need to focus more on losing fat or more on gaining muscle, but that comes down to your caloric intake. First develop healthyeating habits and find exercise activities you enjoy. In three months, you can worry about tinkering with your intake levels.

Stick with the basics: Eat lean proteins, whole-grain carbs, moderate fat (predominantly unsaturated) and fruits/vegetables. Get moving. Even doing HIIT cardio twice a week for 30 minutes and lifting weights twice a week for 30 minutes will produce major results. It is about developing the HABIT of eating healthy and the HABIT of exercising, and then once you do it routinely, tweaking and adding based on what works (and what doesn't).

it may not burn as many calories off but it's better then nothing.

In fact it will.  Running five miles, biking five miles, walking five miles all burn off about the same amount of calories, it's just a difference in the time it takes to burn them.

Now, perhaps it's just the Californian in me, but I really like doing the outdoor stuff, because along with the exercise I also get lots of sun, I'm breathing fresh air, and I'm more likely to find other idiots doing it with me.  That can be critical, that finding another idiot to do this with because they then provide other levels of motivation.  It makes it harder to do that 'I'm tried, so I just will skip today' - which becomes tomorrow, and the next day, etc. - and they can push you further, which is what a good trainer does, except they charge for it.

I ride a lot with my brother, who is a huge road rider, does 50 miles a day, 300+ days a year.  Not me, I like the trails and mountains, the climbs and the bombs, the fact that that kind of riding gives me more of what I feel is a total body workout and not just the legs.  But he has a mountain bike and a spare road bike, so we go out a lot together.  He can push me on the road rides, and I push him on the hills.  It's a nice trade off.  And its hard for either of us to try to cop out on the other, because one of us will just say "shut up you wimp, get over here."

I also like the outdoor stuff because I think that being a part of the beauty and dynamics of change is also further motivation.  Really, when I think of running on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike that stuff could bore a nuclear explosion back into its shell.  And the key to any exercise program is that you have to keep on doing it.  Sure you could target the weight, lose it, stop doing the work-outs, and pow! it's right back at you before you turn around.  And the exercise is nice and all, but living in the real world has it's advantages too.  Granted sometimes we're riding out along the river or Westside Road and we end up stopping at a winery, or two.  Sometimes we pass by a brew pub and I guess we gain back whatever we lost that day, but so what?

Because I see it as not just some 'time set aside to work out' (that crap is way easy to give up on) to me it's part of the fabric of my life (much harder not to do), it's not just 'working out' it's just living.  It's like I have this real weird part of my life, in that I often get off work at such a time that the bus I need to take home is not going to run for five or six hours.  And it's 1,2,3 AM, so there is not a lot to do, even in SF (how many cups of coffee can you drink with crazy people anyway?).  So I have really used that time to walk and ride.  I can ride down to the Embarcadero, along the Bay, out to the Bridge, over the Bridge, down into Sausalito, out around Richardson Bay, over a hill and down into San Rafael and then at least I'm having coffee with hip, trendy Marin types, and not crazy homeless SF types.  And the beauty of that is breathtaking to say the least.

Or I'll just walk, and walking in SF is (or can be) an almost Olympic sport.  Up the hill, down the hill, up the hill, down the hill, I love getting out to the area around the Bridge and walking through the old forts and bunkers in the moonlight, or being at the Bridge for dawn, walk 7 miles in SF and you'll be feeling it if you're not used to it.  And its like a zero impact deal.