I've had a lot of these moments recently, and I want to hear yours. It's not a bad moment for me, either, because while it is inconvenient to not be able to do as much physically, it's a huge relief and excitement to have yet another sign that my hormones are actually doing their work.
Yesterday, I had band practice, and after I decided to pack up a section of my keyboard setup at the studio and bring it to my apartment. It's been there since last spring, and I've been on hormones since February - so it's been a while since I've moved it, and when I last moved it I was working out a lot in preparation for summer and working with a charter boat company.
It used to be no biggie to lug that setup from my car to my 2nd floor apartment (really glad I'm not a 4th floor person right now, lol). It was just a keyboard in a soft case I have, the keyboard stand (a Z stand that can hold up to 600 pounds, so it's fairly heavy for a keyboard stand), a backpack full of cables, pedals, and other random music gear, and my main bass (a J-Bass I built). Not really that much gear, and I used to be able to carry it around no problem.
Now, it's the day after I carried that stuff up to my apartment, and my muscles are sore like they used to be when I'd -actually- work out really hard. It's blowing my mind that just taking that gear upstairs, that I'd have done without a second thought before, now causes me to have sore muscles the next day, just from taking it up to my apartment.
I have a collapsible hand-truck, so I'm just going to use that for moving more than I used to. I used to just use it for larger speaker cabinets (4x10s or 8x10s usually), but now that use will be expanding haha.
This is just another thing that's happened since I started hormones that's told me this is the right track. Have any of you had similar things happen - did you have a moment, after starting hormones, when you realized you really are losing muscle mass and strength, and gotten excited about it because of it being evidence that your HRT is working on lowering your muscle mass?
Not there yet, but it sounds wonderful. Enjoy the ride. ;)
-Teg
Yep all of the time. The most glaring one is when I buy cat litter in a 35lb jug - I can barely get it in the shopping cart. That's a long way from where I was a few years ago when I would routinely carry two 50lb bags of fertilizer at the same time.
Finally losing it from my upper arms and thighs...
I've stopped losing weight but my band size has gone down 3cm.
And my arms go through my cardigan sleeves really easily where they used to require a certain amount of 'encouragement' :D
I have lost quite a bit of muscle so far at 7 months hormones but still have a long way to go, particularly on my shoulders and arms.
Hopefully it'll keep happening!
I've been excercizing every day since I started hrt and it's been difficult to keep the pounds off and stuff. I figured if I'm going to change my body with hormones, I might as well get in shape for a change. What happened though is that I've gained muscle tone, but still lost strength???
I notice it the most when grocery shopping. I always used a basket and never thought twice about what I was carrying, but now I can barely carry it with both arms.
Quote from: TiffanyT on May 10, 2014, 02:19:20 AM
I've been excercizing every day since I started hrt and it's been difficult to keep the pounds off and stuff. I figured if I'm going to change my body with hormones, I might as well get in shape for a change. What happened though is that I've gained muscle tone, but still lost strength???
I notice it the most when grocery shopping. I always used a basket and never thought twice about what I was carrying, but now I can barely carry it with both arms.
I was in good shape before hormones, and regularly worked out. My main workout was basically doing lots of stairs with interesting things thrown in to make it harder. I've not worked out since starting hormones, though, just because I wanted to lose muscle mass faster. My arms are definitely smaller now, same with shoulders. I could stand to lose more in those regions still, but I'm satisfied with the results so far. Especially considering my starting point.
I'm now at the point where I think I'm going to start up my old routine again, although now I wonder how much I'll have to tone it down. It was all just calisthenics, I have not done weights since I was in high school.
Quote from: ♡ Emily ♡ on May 10, 2014, 04:20:39 AM
And You are going to have quite a surprise about Your current capabilities. Enjoy :).
Yeah, it seems like my next workout session will be a very interesting one - and probably the entire week after. By interesting I mean painful and difficult. Bring it on haha. This coming Tuesday will be the day.
Oh sure I'll wrestle a stump grinder like the good ole days...not.
Was doing some roof work the other day and trying to lift a 50lb. bundle of shingle up a 20ft. ladder was... fun. Had to cradle it in my arms and "hop" up the rungs one at a time.
Just gotta work smarter instead of harder.
I was grocery shopping as usual. It's a 10 minute walk home from me from the grocery store. I had a 4L bag of milk in one shopping bag, and stuff equally heavy in the other. Nothing special, just a small handful of groceries like I've done thousands of times before. By half-way home my arms were in so much pain and shaking from the strain. It was only like 2 weeks since I did it the last time!
I started noticing the loss of muscle mass when I was cooking dinner and realized that I needed both hands to pick up my Lodge Cast-Iron Skillet. Once upon a time I could pick it up one handed and flip pancakes with a flick of the wrist. Not anymore.
I didn't have much to lose to begin with, but I noticed it when I had to get supplies (heavy boxes of bags) to the floor for work. Now I just make one of the guys do it.
Quote from: Eva Marie on May 09, 2014, 11:58:24 PM
Yep all of the time. The most glaring one is when I buy cat litter in a 35lb jug - I can barely get it in the shopping cart. That's a long way from where I was a few years ago when I would routinely carry two 50lb bags of fertilizer at the same time.
Definitely this /\! 50 lbs. of Dog Food feels like a Toyota or something. ;D This coming from someone who used to strap on 60 lbs. of firefighting gear every day. ::)
I'm still waiting for it to start, though I'm not sure I'd notice it anyway. I've never had very much upper body/arm strength.
Once upon a time I actually carried a three seat couch down three flights of stairs by myself, and now I ask guys to help me with immovable objects I can't even budge and they pick it up with one arm like its a bag of groceries and I'm like.. well ok, then...
Not that I was a weightlifter or anything, but I was pretty athletic I guess, but now... Idk it makes me feel kind of useless sometimes tbh, but I just have to find other ways to help out I suppose.
It's been a very slow process for me. I've never been muscular, but I do have upper arm fat that I hate. While that hasn't really gone down too much, I have noticed a decline in strength and little things have gotten harder to lift. Once I've been on my current dose for enough time, I'm sure the process will continue even more. For now, it's been slow, like everything else with hrt.
UGH! Muscle always stuck to me without much effort on my part. I put on 25 pounds of it in 2012 doing construction and I still have at least half if that left to lose. I probably have to go back to eating less protein again. Oh well, I can probably still kick some ass...
I've lost a lot of muscle I guess but it feels so good to become more normal I could care less. It's not like I'm weak or anything, I feel great just not as strong. Bottom line, no big deal at all.
I really hadn't lost that much muscle, I mean I have a noticeable decline in strength but I have went out of my way to mitigate that. The biggest reason is I am steadfast on maintaining independence even if this means buying a rubber wrench or two for the lids of jars. The way I see it since I have no romantic interest in men and I won't have roomates forever I should get used to my bodies new endocrine system and all of the practical implications that brings.
Also of note that my many reps of light weight have really helped my muscles look toned, but they have lost size and strength so, I am looking better IMO than if I had just let them atrophy.
Once I tried to open a jar but how hard I tried I couldn't open it and then my ex girlfriend she took it and opened it for me. That's when I realised I've lost so much strenth. My muscles just melted away on HRT.
Quote from: anais on May 11, 2014, 04:54:56 AM
Once I tried to open a jar but how hard I tried I couldn't open it and then my ex girlfriend she took it and opened it for me. That's when I realised I've lost so much strenth. My muscles just melted away on HRT.
That happened to me well before HRT! Admittedly i was about 15-16 at the time, but I managed to pinch a nerve in my neck the attempt and then passed out on the floor! :embarrassed:
Quote from: Ms Grace on May 11, 2014, 05:06:30 AM
That happened to me well before HRT! Admittedly i was about 15-16 at the time, but I managed to pinch a nerve in my neck the attempt and then passed out on the floor! :embarrassed:
Lol I remember when I was little my mom asked me to open a jar for her and I just kept trying because I didn't want to let her down but that never happened to me.
I never had much of an upper body to begin with, but I have noticed some reshaping and a definate loss of strength since starting hrt. And then there's heavy doors. My friend actually had to push open this heavy door as we left the thrift store two days ago cause I just bounced back while trying to push it open, lol!
Ally :icon_flower:
I didnt lose much, but I never had much mass, so to speak. No matter how much I worked out, or how much I lifted back i the day, the muscle never grew much, but it would get so toned you could see the muscle fiber/ ridges under the skin. I went from being able to throw my own body weight of 147 over my head in free weight, to barely managing 100. Can still do it with difficulty. I dont mind it, my lil red neck girl strenght doesnt show, so no one expects it, guy I dated last fall tried to grab me up and cuss me out, I told him to let go or he wouldnt like what happens, he slapped me real hard for "mouthing off" So I punched him square in the mouth and had to pick a few chunks of teeth out of my knuckles as I stared at the fear on his face and said "Are you done, or would you like seconds." Think word got around in my part of town, the guys leave me alone lol.
Noticed I had some trouble putting the AC's in the windows this year also :/
I have no idea. I've been on HRT for going on 15 months, though the first six months I missed a week here and there and my dose of spiro was half the norm and the dose of E was also half the norm (e.g. Mazzoni Center norm), but it still worked and people started asking if I was a transsexual by month two and I started passing at 73 days. But since last June, I've been all about my BF and don't really pay attention to changes, which is prolly better. I mean, hell, I thought I would be completely, totally alone for three years when I started transitioning, and I've never been less alone in my entire life and had someone, a man, who card about this much. But, I still feel huge and must have aneroxia or BDD or something. I gained seven pounds and I'm up to 126 lbs.--wooo hooo!!!--but still feel my upper arms are too big and my neck is too big. Well, not big, but I still have muscles. Sometimes I just feel huge. I'm hoping by gaining weight it'll be mostly subcutaneous fat and that it'll hide the rest of the muscles I have before they disintegrate. But, I'm a lot weaker than ever and this started around six months or so...but really, i noticed in a month. The actual reduction is mass though takes a lot longer, like 18+ months.
I've been noticing it a lot lately. It's getting harder and harder to lift things at work and bring in my groceries. I absolutely love it but it would be nice if the muscles would actually seem to look smaller but they don't look any different to be honest but I at least know that I can't do the things I use to before I started HRT.
(Evelyn K waves)
If you are serious about losing muscle mass then calorie restrict and do heavy cardio especially running. Lots and lots of running. You'll burn fat and muscle as well. The body is amazing, with extended running your body will try to optimize itself to be lean and efficient.
You do not see bulky muscular long distance runners.
To that end, yeah once you get to where you want in leanness then start building up the fat again.
"Once I tried to open a jar but how hard I tried I couldn't open it and then my ex girlfriend she took it and opened it for me. That's when I realised I've lost so much strenth. My muscles just melted away on HRT."
Last month, I'd been trying to get this bottle of salsa open for several days, to no avail. But I liked it so much that the next time I was at Safeway, I picked up some more. I then stopped at a nearby fruit market. As I was getting ready to drive away from the market, I stopped and tried to open one of the new bottles. However, it was just as tight as the first one, and it wouldn't open. The guy working at the market is big and burly, so I thought I would get him to open it for me. I walked up to the counter, and he was gone, but his gf was there. So, I thought, "What the heck, I'll have a little fun...," as I smiled to myself. I asked the girl if she could open it for me. She took the bottle, grunted a little, and before I knew it, she twisted the lid right off! She laughed and gave me a look like she felt sorry for me, and said she did a lot of work with her hands. I just said I definitely already loosened before I brought it up, and she just kindly smiled and agreed, as I made a quick exit out of there.
Starting T-blockers: I'd always had a hard time putting on weight/muscle. In fact, if I'd never worked out, I'd probably weigh less than 100 lbs. About 15 years ago, I added a course of steroids to my working out. BIG DIFFERENCE. But in the Fall of 2012, I started spiro and fin. After a couple of months, there was nothing in the way of any changes. A couple of weeks later, though, I was looking as I walked by a mirror with no shirt on, and was shocked! My whole chest was sunken in from the loss of muscle mass! I quickly realized how much muscle I had actually built. Since then, the chest has fortunately filled back out a little with other tissue, since I've continued with the spiro and fin. Makes me wonder what changes E would bring.
I've lost like 99% of my muscle mass...Didn't have a lot to begin with but still it was enough to be noticeable. Like just to give an idea my younger sister is stronger than me and shes a bit shorter and skinnier than me.
Living in the city so I don't drive. My arm strength is down to about 60% what I was before so picking up groceries now requires some creative multi missions. Once to get liquid goods, once for dry goods.
Tired arms carrying a half gallon of milk and a jug of OJ. Thank gawd they are going away! :D
Quote from: Lady_Oracle on May 12, 2014, 12:18:01 AM
I've lost like 99% of my muscle mass...Didn't have a lot to begin with but still it was enough to be noticeable. Like just to give an idea my younger sister is stronger than me and shes a bit shorter and skinnier than me.
Can I ask how long did it took for hormones to do that??
Im 5 months on hrt , Ive lost a lot of strength and just a tiny amount of muscle , but they are still bery noticable and manly :(
I haven't noticed it just by looking but I do feel it.
When I'm out in the neighborhood walking somewhere I notice my legs get tired quickly. I'm a FAST walker when I have my ipod on. I used to be able to zip from one place to the next but now I cant.
With my extra weight it's hard to tell really, I guess I'm just use to looking at myself who knows. I'm sure once I have my bbl and do a little working out it'll show.
My calf muscle was kinna large for a woman and pretty defined. The muscle itself is softening and the defined edge under the skin is smoothing with fat.
That along with my skin on my legs turning totally creamy soft and pale, I'm ecstatic.
Also some examples from the before and after threads:
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Foi59.tinypic.com%2F1zwjg5y.jpg&hash=8244ad643f352709453def2001a3aa87fe79dad1)
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Foi61.tinypic.com%2F307vqtc.jpg&hash=a55933270702abe342798b9d4e13d9b4a7dc5ed9)
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Foi62.tinypic.com%2F29q1pb4.jpg&hash=6a046b631b9f52dd45ec994d2fe393d90d8d323b)
The moment came for me when I pulled a muscle in my shoulder trying to move a computer chair; bittersweet to be sure! :laugh:
I've lost 5kg/11lb in the last 5 months, some of it is probably fat but I guess some of it is muscle too (not that I was that muscly to begin with)
Quote from: ath on May 09, 2014, 11:17:17 PM
It used to be no biggie to lug that setup from my car to my 2nd floor apartment (really glad I'm not a 4th floor person right now, lol). It was just a keyboard in a soft case I have, the keyboard stand (a Z stand that can hold up to 600 pounds, so it's fairly heavy for a keyboard stand), a backpack full of cables, pedals, and other random music gear, and my main bass (a J-Bass I built). Not really that much gear, and I used to be able to carry it around no problem.
I totally sympathise. My keyboard and case combo weighs 40kg (88lbs). Really strains me to lift it these days. And I know the strength is dropping because I can't pull the cork out of a wine bottle without a levered bottle opener.
Quote from: FalseHybridPrincess on May 12, 2014, 02:02:32 AM
Can I ask how long did it took for hormones to do that??
Im 5 months on hrt , Ive lost a lot of strength and just a tiny amount of muscle , but they are still bery noticable and manly :(
It took about a year and a half. Don't fret though, you'll see results in time!
Though I can't be sure, according to my wife and a somewhat unsubstantial view on my part, I think my legs have shrunk in size greatly. Don't know if this could also be closely related to dieting and advanced muscle training. But in the course of a month I went from a size 14 to a size 10. Sooooo... honestly I'm not sure, can't say I'm not equally ecstatic about it either way :laugh:
I have noticed a reduction in arm size and shoulder/upper back bulk. Weaker too. My weight has drifted down about 10lbs this year without exercise. I am not happy with that and want more but my wife and GP are concerned and want my weight to stay where it is. So the next step is to start toning a bit. At my age (52), things do still shrink and disappear but tend to leave the wrapping the way it was!!!
Losing muscle mass and strength is not really a good thing. you get muscle fatigue you end up with no muscle tone just mush. It is sad to think some people believe this is a good thing.
a genetic woman has muscle tone and strength not mush.
Like Marci Bowers said she doesn't have the strength of a man.
some genetic males don't have the strength of a man. some GGs are just as strong as men.
A person needs muscle mass and strength for health and well being . I don't mean body building muscle mass.
Also as we know the heart is a muscle also.
We want health Trans people.
Ugh, I just measured my bicep at 17 inches. Down from 18.5. I read that the average male is 13, and the average female is 11.
I feel like that Jim Carrey character from "In Living Color". *gag*
I need those pinches cojonitas gone yesterday...