How long it takes to lose your muscle mass?
I saw lots of TS girls who was bigger than me before and now they are looks awesome.
I'm 1 year on hrt now but to be honest i'm not losing my muscles.
I'm lost about 23 pounds since i start hrt and i'm still very ''bulky'' :-/
I do cardio 5 times a week (or i try to) i eat well, no junk food, no sweet treats ect, drink a lot of water ( i consume beetwen 1200-1600 calories/day )
Any advices or anything that can help me?
Are you doing any exercise besides the cardio and is your job or home life requiring you to do things that cause you to lift a lot of weight? As long as those muscles are getting a lot of use they will stay around bigger than they would if you were not. The other thing I'm wondering is what are your testosterone levels like. Even your diet could be a source? My muscle mass went down to pretty quickly, but then I didn't have a tone to start with.
Mariah
No,other exercies i'm doing are normal walks, i'm not lifting any weights or need to in my daily life.
My T leves are very low : T 14,16 ng/dl ( norm for a male is 280,00 - 1100,00 ng/dl ) , E 206 pg/ml.
My T levels drop to this level like 3 weeks after i started hrt.
I don't know if my diet can be source of T i doubt it, i eat a lot of veggies ( i love them! ) fruits, not much meet ( maybe once a week or less ) and some eggs.
Muscles feed on protein especially, but it doesn't sound like your taking in a ton of it. Weird. I take it the job isn't manual labor of any kind. Sounds like you have done everything you can.
Mariah
Quote from: Nati on November 27, 2014, 03:24:29 PM
No,other exercies i'm doing are normal walks, i'm not lifting any weights or need to in my daily life.
My T leves are very low : T 14,16 ng/dl ( norm for a male is 280,00 - 1100,00 ng/dl ) , E 206 pg/ml.
My T levels drop to this level like 3 weeks after i started hrt.
I don't know if my diet can be source of T i doubt it, i eat a lot of veggies ( i love them! ) fruits, not much meet ( maybe once a week or less ) and some eggs.
I work on internet it takes me about 3-5 h spend with computer mouse and keyboard per day, 5 days a week.
it seems i stay ''bulky'' :-(
thank you :-)
Hmmm.. I actually did lose quite a bit of muscle mass now that I think about it. I'm not sure when though. Probably... longer than 6 months in.. it's very gradual I think. I used to have a manly back but now my back has a definite, non bulky curve from the side & I fit into jackets better now. They used to always be slightly tight around the back but now there's no tightness. Also, my stomach used to be flat & now there's a bit of a pudge. I have gained a few pounds but it doesn't exactly look like fat deposited there but rather the muscles completely deteriorated. I never had strong arms to begin with since I never worked out. My thigh gap completely filled in by 6 months on hormones but I think that's from fat redistribution.
Yeah, I'm not sure when the muscle mass was lost but I know it was after 6 months. It's just very gradual & you probably won't even really notice it if you're not very muscley to begin with.
Clearly you have done everything you can. I wonder if your bone structure isn't playing a role in how prominent the muscle mass you have looks like because that is the only other thing I can think of at this point. I would highly doubt it, but anything is possible. It also could be just genetics or there a like at play again in your situation.
Maybe your just bulky :)
There are bulky cis girls too and it doesn't make them less of a woman. I can't comment on how long it takes to lose muscle I've been on Hrt for 4 months and lost 8.5 kg of the stuff so I have very little muscle mass everywhere but my back. I guess this is another ymmv thing :)
Ima say about 6 months. I don't know exactly when they went and it was never like I was a muscle freak but my biceps are all gone.
My actual strength was more or less gone after 6 months on HRT. (I don't exercise, though.) Visually, however, there was a bit of lag. It took at least until the 1-year mark or so, and has been continuing ever since, for the size of the muscles to really visually reduce. They're finally starting to approach female levels now, about 22 months in.
Your low calorie in take probably isn't helping, it's not healthy and might well set your metabolism to 'reserve' where it can. Generally fasting on and off a couple days a week while eating normally/plenty for most of the week is considered a good way of setting a healthy metabolism.
It just takes time. One year here and only starting to notice and bulk loss, BUT strength has been declining for months, just as others have said.
I am about 18 months on HRT and I lost a lot of muscle. I added in functional training ( no weights) to keep and gain lean muscle. I also walk 20 minutes a night with a 40 pound pack and 5 days a week I walk up 10 flights of steps in the morning.
Your bulk will go away in time. It is like watching water boil.
My T prior to Progesterone was 20 to 26 ng/dl now it is 36 ng/dl but I added IM 9 weeks ago so March I will see what my T is.
All bodies are different... I've noticed muscle loss earlier this week and I've been on HRT around.. 3 weeks, mostly my legs. I was wearing a size large leggings, and they used to fit pretty tight and snug... now I have moved to size small...having to wear large again tonight because my small's are all needing to be washed, they feel really baggy :\
As far as weight... within the 3 weeks, I've lost roughly 27 pounds... thinking most of that is muscle mass as no changes really any where except for legs & arms have decreased in size, in general.
NOTE: I was jogging regularly until just about a week ago, and I stopped due to the cold weather (can't stand cold weather)... and my diet has been around 1000 calories a day, sometimes less. So now I pretty much sit in front of a computer most of the day... so possibly, with not exercising, the muscle is being eaten away more quickly with the T blockers.... ideas?
To be honest i don't feel like i lost any strenght, my biceps and my arms overall are did not lost any muscles, maybe just maybe i'm lost small amount of muscle mass on my back thats all...
I got lots of muscles before hrt ( i posted my photos in old ''can i pass as female'' topic https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,163371.msg1476609.html#msg1476609 ) i was doing weight workouts on a gym because i was in need to defend myself and i still feel like i got them all :-/ actually i even feel like i got more of them now :-/
Maybe my calories intake is too low but i can't eat more unless i force myself to.
I know transition takes time its just kinda ''arghhhhh!'' to see i'm not lost any of them...
I even can't wrote all i want because i'm struggling with english :(
(sorry for my english )
if your looking to lose muscle bulk, I'd recommend a low protein vegan diet for a few months. But in all honesty. Depending on your figure/shape. You can use your bulk to your advantage. When in a bathing suit. I look like your average middle weight Women's UFC fighter. I haven't been clocked in almost 2 years. People usually in casual conversations ask me if I play sports/ blah blah blah due to my figure. I just tell them I'm an avid mixed martial artists and Parkour runner. Which I am. That and I do a lot of scout hiking for when hunting session roles around. So don't beat yourself up! cause if you cant lose the bulk style your clothing around it and use it to your advantage. :laugh:
Quote from: Teela Renee on November 28, 2014, 09:41:56 AM
if your looking to lose muscle bulk, I'd recommend a low protein vegan diet for a few months.
That might help lose muscle, but I've read and been told my doctor the almost important part of transition (meaning to really feminize) requires protein and a lot of it. I forget the exact mechanism of how it works but it is essential.
Muscle loss comes with time and usually takes years. I'm tiny and 12o lbs but I still have some muscle tone and only recently have my arms become a lot more feminine. However, if it's just muscle she's trying to lose, you're absolutely right a low protein diet is the way to go. But it will effect feminzation and slow it down.
P.S. I'm not an endo, so I can only go by what I've been told and read. Please take no offense as I really respect you Teela.
I had made peace a long time ago with the fact that certain muscles would just always looks kind of bulky. Particularly my calf muscles, especially in heels. But wearing heels is a lot of fun so I did it anyway.
And I'm not sure when exactly it happened, but it took two years of HRT for me to notice it. One night while doing an outfit check in a full-length mirror I realized that--even in heels--things had changed pretty dramatically. Nothing had really gotten any smaller, yet anything that had once been hard now looked soft. It was like all of the lines just kind of smoothed out. Like all of HRT's effects for me, it was gradual and subtle but dramatic. Maybe it took so long for me to notice the change because I was expecting it to look different.
I'm on some kind of low protein vegan diet, i really don't like meat too much.
Well it seems i just need to wait till my body ''catch up''
It's interesting Joanna Dark, i was reading about transitoning ect and people always recommended low protein diet, i think i go ask uncle Google about that :-)
It's been 8 months on E and I don't think I've really lost any muscle, probably because my job requires physical labor. I'm going by strength though and how heavy things feel, my arms were pretty thin to begin with so in terms of visible mass there really wasn't much to lose.
Quote from: Joanna Dark on November 28, 2014, 11:24:03 AM
That might help lose muscle, but I've read and been told my doctor the almost important part of transition (meaning to really feminize) requires protein and a lot of it. I forget the exact mechanism of how it works but it is essential.
Muscle loss comes with time and usually takes years. I'm tiny and 12o lbs but I still have some muscle tone and only recently have my arms become a lot more feminine. However, if it's just muscle she's trying to lose, you're absolutely right a low protein diet is the way to go. But it will effect feminzation and slow it down.
P.S. I'm not an endo, so I can only go by what I've been told and read. Please take no offense as I really respect you Teela.
No offense taken ^_^. Well I thru it out there because I don't know how fem she looks already ect ect ect. I simply thru out the quickest way to destroy bulk muscles lol. Sadly its the only fix I can offer her aside from like you all are saying. Give it time.
Hey,
I was thinking abo9ut asking the same question....
I'm close to two years on full HRT and close to 3 years with little testosterone. Still build like a like backer....
Waiting....
Hugs,
Jen
I've definitely lost strength and muscle mass almost three months in. I've also lost 15 lbs. so as we always say - YMMV!
I lost 90% of my muscles within the first month of being on an anti-androgen. I'm also pretty young and my metabolism is crazy fast so that might've helped a bit. Surprisingly I shrunk before losing my strength, but by the end of month two, I'm noticeably weaker.
I'm actually working overtime to keep my legs and ass.
Quote from: Joanna Dark on November 28, 2014, 11:24:03 AM
That might help lose muscle, but I've read and been told my doctor the almost important part of transition (meaning to really feminize) requires protein and a lot of it. I forget the exact mechanism of how it works but it is essential.
Here was a really bulky girl pre-transition (Sonna? SonaTS maybe? don't remember the exact nickname) that followed a very low protein diet (and heavy cardio routines) while transitioning (if I remember correctly), and her results were amazing. Since proteins can be important for transition, if those can be taken from muscles, it shouldn't be a problem. Taking from suplements or diet those that can't be obtained from the own muscles should do. Anyway, check this with your physician.
I don't know what cardio training are you doing, but if I were you I would try running over 45 minutes (if possible 90 minutes) at 75%-85% of your mhr. If possible fasting or at least no eating 3-4 hours before. This way glycogen deposits will be depleted fast and carbs needed from running should be taken as proteins from your muscles. If your sweat smells like ammonia while eating a low protein diet, then you're doing it right, that should be a sign of muscle burning (correct me if I'm wrong). Also making sure eating less than 1.5 gr protein per each pound body weight. How are your macros? If I were you I'll be trying to do something like 55/15/30, very very low on proteins. You can check this with your endo.
Definitely your calorie intake is low, very low specially if you're doing cardio 5-4 times per week, so make sure you're really taking very very little protein. This also takes time. Also, make sure to avoid "plateaus" due to very low calorie intake having short high calorie periods (just take the extra cals from carbs and fats).
Sona Avedian.m 225 lbs. of heavily muscled Marine. Now....look her up.
(https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSE4ts2FPACYLi_maSS2tCvprCPHRUh8GvAO4FUh8Hs0UQ0DYVI)
Quote from: Wednesday on November 29, 2014, 12:02:23 AM
Here was a really bulky girl pre-transition (Sonna? SonaTS maybe? don't remember the exact nickname) that followed a very low protein diet (and heavy cardio routines) while transitioning (if I remember correctly), and her results were amazing. Since proteins can be important for transition, if those can be taken from muscles, it shouldn't be a problem. Taking from suplements or diet those that can't be obtained from the own muscles should do. Anyway, check this with your physician.
I don't know what cardio training are you doing, but if I were you I would try running over 45 minutes (if possible 90 minutes) at 75%-85% of your mhr. If possible fasting or at least no eating 3-4 hours before. This way glycogen deposits will be depleted fast and carbs needed from running should be taken as proteins from your muscles. If your sweat smells like ammonia while eating a low protein diet, then you're doing it right, that should be a sign of muscle burning (correct me if I'm wrong). Also making sure eating less than 1.5 gr protein per each pound body weight. How are your macros? If I were you I'll be trying to do something like 55/15/30, very very low on proteins. You can check this with your endo.
Definitely your calorie intake is low, very low specially if you're doing cardio 5-4 times per week, so make sure you're really taking very very little protein. This also takes time. Also, make sure to avoid "plateaus" due to very low calorie intake having short high calorie periods (just take the extra cals from carbs and fats).
Thank you for advices.
I was trying to eat more calories but i just can't :-/
And sadly i can't check anything with my endo i don't have one, no i don't HRT myself just here things looks a bit diffrent... i got doctor who take care of my transition prescribe hormones and blokers but he is not endo you hardly find one in my country who know anything about TS.
I saw Sonna before when i was digging in internet and it is awesome how much she changed.
It took maybe a good 3-4 years of HRT. I was never really "muscly" to begin with, but did have the awful shoulder buldges as well as bigger arms. Now from the collarbone down it's almost perfectly straight. I have the tube like arms some cis females natrurally have. When I flex my arms, hardly anything pops out. ;D Any extra fat I had appropriately moved to my boobs and butt region.