Hey so I'm a cisgender lesbian, and my girlfriend is transgender. I'm 19 and she's 21. Unfortunately, she's not starting hormones any time soon, and she's pre everything right now.
But for when she does start hrt, I'm worried that she'll lose too much weight. I talked to one girl who said she lost 25 pounds on hrt without even trying. My girlfriend is 5'4 and 104 pounds. She's not anorexic or anything. It's just how her body is.
Is there anything we can do? Will doctors stop her from taking hrt because of her weight? She's tried gaining weight in the past, but it's very difficult for her.
I'm just really worried about my girlfriend. I love her and I want her to be okay.
Thanks so much. <3
From what I noticed that can vary quite a bit. I recall hearing your metabolism gets like.. less good? Not sure how to even say that in English but you gain more weight and faster.
But I also saw a transgender who lost wayyy to much weight in a short time. Maybe it depends on the way you live? Not being on HRT yet I cannot tell from experience but if your body is changing massively and you don't eat much at all, I kind of guesss that your body loses weight. While when you eat a lot you probably gain weight faster.
Erm.. but I am not sure, just guessing here D:
I am FTM and I gained 20 pounds on HRT. I lost a lot of muscle too. I am in the gym gaining lean muscle mass and burning calories. I have a trainer and that is fantastic. I am told to eat specific protein and specific foods by my trainer and she knows what she is doing. So perhaps a nutrition consultation would help :)
The year prior to HRT I gained 15 pounds because my healthy eating started to slip. My depression was constant and I had to really fight the temptation to get numb. So HRT, a trainer with nutrition experience, group and therapy has turn around my life. Perhaps I turned my life around with the help of the former. I do know facing my challenges and getting past them is changing my personality :)
I know that spironolactone is mainly used as a potassium sparing duretric and a water pill and it can cause people to lose a heap of weight and at her weight that's probably not good for her, she should probably avoid cyproterone as well considering her weight because of it's potential to have negative effects on the liver, so she should probably speak with a doctor about them before starting, if they are out of the question the doctor would probably recommend bicalutamide, some doctors may recommend gaining a little weight before prescribing an anti androgen as well.
micronized progesterone increases hunger and weight gain in some people, but it may also make people sleepy.
Also like said above estrogen can effect the metabolism, some more then others.
Speaking from experience, I found spironolactone made me really thin n I had to drop it right down.
My understanding is that weight loss is because of loss of muscles on hrt. I don't think you need to be worried about ure friend
Quote from: ssneha23 on November 22, 2014, 08:53:14 AM
My understanding is that weight loss is because of loss of muscles on hrt. I don't think you need to be worried about ure friend
Mmm yes that to.
I forgot to explain, that spironolactone helps retain potassium, it's not good for vegetarians because veg has a lot of potassium in it which can contribute to weight lose, plus as a water pill it removes water weight along with salt, salt also helps people to retain water weight
These two links will help to explain the effects of spironolactone
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spironolactone
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldosterone
A lot of people don't seems to know about aldosterone so it's a good read after reading about spironolactone
Quote from: ssneha23 on November 22, 2014, 08:53:14 AM
My understanding is that weight loss is because of loss of muscles on hrt. I don't think you need to be worried about ure friend
You nailed it. Be it due to antiandrogens or estrogens one's shape is sure to change. But asking the doctor
not to prescribe spironolactone is likely to help. A warning on cyproterone: it may cause adrenals to stop producing hormones over time and and that is as serious as life threatening.
Quote from: Indoctrinated on November 22, 2014, 10:02:51 AM
You nailed it. Be it due to antiandrogens or estrogens one's shape is sure to change. But asking the doctor not to prescribe spironolactone is likely to help. A warning on cyproterone: it may cause adrenals to stop producing hormones over time and and that is as serious as life threatening.
I'm really not a big fan of the two
because spironolactone and cyproterone is more for females, so it's probably not great for mtf but on the other hand bicalutamide is made for males, so it's most likely better for mtf.
Spironolactone and cyproterone are commonly prescribed as an off label use like, female hair loss, acne n unwanted hair but bicalutamide is made for males n can do all those things, off label ofcourse because not only dose it block testosterones actions it blocks the most powerful testosterone, DHT's actions.
Quote from: Kirey on November 21, 2014, 07:36:41 PM
From what I noticed that can vary quite a bit. I recall hearing your metabolism gets like.. less good? Not sure how to even say that in English but you gain more weight and faster.
But I also saw a transgender who lost wayyy to much weight in a short time. Maybe it depends on the way you live? Not being on HRT yet I cannot tell from experience but if your body is changing massively and you don't eat much at all, I kind of guesss that your body loses weight. While when you eat a lot you probably gain weight faster.
Dysphoria itself can also cause low body weight. I was underweight at 19, and it was mostly because I was afraid of gaining masculinity. In that way, transitioning may be helpful for someone who is too thin. I would discourage weight gain pre-transition because it can cause unwanted development in the birth sex - and that may be difficult or impossible to reverse. I would be so much more feminine now if I had stayed at my teenage weight until transitioning.
The effects of hormonal changes on weight, metabolism, and appetite are so individual that it can be misleading to draw wide conclusions. For me personally, suppressing T and increasing E had no effect on my weight, appetite, or metabolism.
Since T increases muscle mass, suppressing T could theoretically cause weight gain by slowing metabolism. That would seem unlikely in this case, when the person is already thin. On the other hand, T also increases appetite, so suppressing T could cause weight loss in that way. Some people have found that E increases appetite as well and may counteract that effect.
Given the highly individual effects on weight and the negative consequences of living in the wrong body, I do not think that concerns about weight should influence someone's decision on whether or not to transition, but it would be wise to monitor weight during the process if there is any concern about it, and to make sure the doctor sees the whole person.
Estrogen usually slows the metabolism, so it's probably going to make her gain weight instead. :)
Quote from: Steph34 on November 22, 2014, 11:14:00 AM
Dysphoria itself can also cause low body weight. I was underweight at 19, and it was mostly because I was afraid of gaining masculinity. In that way, transitioning may be helpful for someone who is too thin. I would discourage weight gain pre-transition because it can cause unwanted development in the birth sex - and that may be difficult or impossible to reverse. I would be so much more feminine now if I had stayed at my teenage weight until transitioning.
The effects of hormonal changes on weight, metabolism, and appetite are so individual that it can be misleading to draw wide conclusions. For me personally, suppressing T and increasing E had no effect on my weight, appetite, or metabolism.
Since T increases muscle mass, suppressing T could theoretically cause weight gain by slowing metabolism. That would seem unlikely in this case, when the person is already thin. On the other hand, T also increases appetite, so suppressing T could cause weight loss in that way. Some people have found that E increases appetite as well and may counteract that effect.
Given the highly individual effects on weight and the negative consequences of living in the wrong body, I do not think that concerns about weight should influence someone's decision on whether or not to transition, but it would be wise to monitor weight during the process if there is any concern about it, and to make sure the doctor sees the whole person.
strange I've always found it hard to gain weight, even tho I've always ate full meals, I've always been the smallest in the family, other then my mum, even tho I did more exercise then anyone in my family n I never really gained any muscle mass, then spironolactone made me really thin. Umm??
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Quote from: Clhoe G on November 22, 2014, 11:37:33 AM
strange I've always found it hard to gain weight, even tho I've always ate full meals, I've always been the smallest in the family, other then my mum, even tho I did more exercise then anyone in my family n I never really gained any muscle mass, then spironolactone made me really thin. Umm??
Not the first person I've met like that. I hate you ALL! ;-)
Two friends, for comparison, James and Kim (Names changed to protect the guilty.)
He would eat a Jr. Bacon chesseburger as a snack, get a full Baconator meal, and be full for hours. He weighed like 300# at the time - not all muscle.
She would eat the same, except she STARTED with a Baconator, ate the meal 5 minutes later (after being "full"), and then eat ANOTHER one 5 minutes after that.... while eating fries! And she was about 100#, 5'2", with a waist you could ALMOST wrap your hands around, and not an inch to pich ANYWHERE. (Yes, even there.)
it's a conspiracy, I swear! ;-)
(Just joking around, of course! but the story is true...)
LOSE weight? I keep gaining weight. I've gained anywhere between ten and fifteen pounds since starting estrogen. On the plus side, my boobs and butt look nice. :)
Quote from: ssneha23 on November 22, 2014, 08:53:14 AM
My understanding is that weight loss is because of loss of muscles on hrt. I don't think you need to be worried about ure friend
Yes and no. Some people lose fat too for a variety of reasons. Motivation, changes to insulin sensitivity, etc.
After starting t I went back to my weight from high school days. My doctor wants me to gain basically 40 pounds, which is damn hard, as it's all muscle weight. Lots of hard hard work. I am not, obviously, that fond of food. So....I'm on protein, eating good lean clean food, working out even though I work heavy physical labour for a living, and ugh.....
Feminine hormones do cause water weight gain, and work cyclically, so girls be prepared to learn how to handle that. Watch your salt and sugar intake. Know you'll get cravings, pay attention to them. And this sounds like myth but it is an eternal truth, cycles follow the moon, full moon affects water, on the planet, in our bodies. If you are taking feminizing hormones, this is your lot in life, pay attention to your body, know that fluctuations are normal and necessary, and learn how to go with the natural flow. Just my two cents of living with a female body forty years.
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