My doctor told me something today that I wasn't aware of. Apparently, fatty tissue soaks up and stores E quite effectively, and that E can continue having effect on the body long after E production has been greatly diminished. That is why over-weight transmen tend to have a greater delay in the effects of T than lean transmen do. I guess that's one more incentive to get this weight off! *sigh*
damn it! ;D
that's me! but i have noticed since i have started a dedicated exercise routine that my body shape is changing much quicker now and my facial hair is making its shy beginnings- i've been on T for 9 months.
Hmm that's interesting! Now I REALLY want to get rid of all extra fat on my body!!!
Well I'm skinny with a high metabolism, so this is hopefully good news for me?
I've heard working out helps speed things up either way.
I'm glad my fat hasn't that figured it out yet. :laugh: I'm 5 months on T and my entire legs are covered in hair, my voice has dropped to a baritone now, and I've got a patchy beard coming in (would be more if my hair dresser hadn't shaved some of it off >:(). The only thing I wish would hurry up is the hair on my stomach and chest.
I had heard there was a connection between fat and estrogen, but I never really put it all together like that. Would the E that was stored be released if I lost weight? Or is that estrogen in the fat affecting me right now instead of just being stored? Either way I don't like it :P My knee is okay enough now for me to do some yoga, so this is some good motivation for that.
Quote from: Adio on May 22, 2010, 02:19:19 AM
I'm glad my fat hasn't that figured it out yet. :laugh: I'm 5 months on T and my entire legs are covered in hair, my voice has dropped to a baritone now, and I've got a patchy beard coming in (would be more if my hair dresser hadn't shaved some of it off >:(). The only thing I wish would hurry up is the hair on my stomach and chest.
I had heard there was a connection between fat and estrogen, but I never really put it all together like that. Would the E that was stored be released if I lost weight? Or is that estrogen in the fat affecting me right now instead of just being stored? Either way I don't like it :P My knee is okay enough now for me to do some yoga, so this is some good motivation for that.
I'm like you in that I am definitely overweight and T pretty much had huge effect within a few months. The beard is still patchy in areas and the voice still needs to drop more (at 40 not sure how much it could realistically drop) but I did get the P90X and returned back to a vegan (with 50% being raw vegan) to lose the weight.
I've lost approx. 40 pounds since starting T and am within 10 pounds of my ideal weight. I lost some initially after starting T without trying, probably because my stress level had decreased. A year into transition I started working out, and that helped more. I went on vacation in October and started eating crap again, put on like 5 pounds (not too bad) but then somehow over Christmas I lost it and a few more. That motivated me to start taking action and I've lost 15 pounds since Christmas.
As I face lower surgery in July I want to be in my best shape so I have been working out regularly and eating very well.
I haven't heard the fat stores E, but know that E does tend to make it easier to get fat and harder to lose fat (BTDT most of my adult life).
Jay
That's interesting. I always thought it was the other way around since fat women tend to have more chin hairs and stuff...
sneakersjay i hope im like u and loose some weight cause uh 230pounds is a lot and gravity sure doesnt like me. so did u go down in pant size or did u lose muscle or somethin? man im kinda exsited i hope i dont gain weight cause man i dont want to see 250 unless i was like 6'6" and all that was muscle.
My heaviest was 265. I was able to lose 45 lbs in one summer by just walking. Maybe that will work for you too.
how far did u walk or for how many minutes? i wanna get in decent shape cause i wanna do wrestling and im not gettin in a leatard with all these rolls. besides none of my jeans fit and at this rate i wont be able to get sex-reasignment cause by the time im old enough and have money saved ill be 800lbs.
What has worked for me has been consciously eating fewer processed carbs (read: chips, candy, cakes, and other junk foods) and eating more fruits and vegetables. And shifting my mindset from 'dieting' to just 'eating healthier'. Every few weeks for a day or two I eat whatever I want, including mass quantities of junk food if I need to, then go back to eating the other way.
Also, I am exercising now, both cardio and weights. Hard habit to get into, but gets easier the longer you do it. I am loosely following the plan (and eating plan) outlined in the book Body for Life by Bill Phillips. I did this plan years ago and followed it to the letter and it works well, but for me I found that because I had more weight to lose than those featured in the book, that I was a bit discouraged at 'the end', and even though I continued I was just discouraged. So, I decided to skip the 12 week part and just do it for life, so that means while I do push myself to go further, I don't push as hard, because the goal for me is just to DO IT and not injure myself by going to far to fast (easy to do with weights!). Changing my mindset to do that has been huge.
I do follow the meal plans but again loosely, I don't eat 6 times a day and while I try to balance carbs and proteins, I'm content to just eat a banana if I feel like it.
Jay
I've tried so hard to lose weight, even got a gym membership and worked my butt off, kept a food diary, only lost a few pounds...lasted for six months, then I got sick with bronchitis for eight months, doctor had me taking steroids to keep my lungs opened up, gained everything back and then some. >:(
I'm really overweight. My thyroid's been checked three times over the years, and I've been checked for PCOS. Bloodwork normal. My sugar does run a little high. The doctor said I might have insulin resistance.
The dysphoria's the only thing that gives me the motivation to keep trying to lose weight. Otherwise, I think I'd give up.
It really doesn't give me more reason to lose weight. I feel that when I go on T I'll exercise and it will be easier to make a difference. Right now I walk for 20-30 minutes a day and eat pretty darn well. I've lost a fair amount of weight from this simple stuff, and have been able to maintain it. I can't do anything like running because of my chest but walking is okay for now.
Quote from: Devin87 on May 22, 2010, 08:34:36 AM
That's interesting. I always thought it was the other way around since fat women tend to have more chin hairs and stuff...
But so do skinny women. I think you're looking at overweight women going through menopause who have higher levels of testosterone than before and do end up growing more fuzz on their faces.
you no what i need to start walking my dog and i could walk like for 30 min a day and that would give me and my dog some excercise. i should start but saying and doin are 2 different things. i can jog and breasts arnt an issue but i cant go for very long before i need a break. i wish i had a treadmill then i could walk for and jog and whatever for hours off and on. actually 80lbs ago i shouldve been like ur fat ass is goin on a diet gwapo.
I weighed about 220 when I started T, and my voice dropped within the first month. I could grow a full beard by month 4. By the time I got on T the third time, I was 250. Voice dropped even further right away, but then I started losing weight rapidly. I'm now at 185, and the masculinization process has slowed down significantly (from what I can see, anyway). This is likely an effect of my having been on T for 2 years... but still. I don't think my extra weight really inhibited the T from taking a pretty swift effect.
SD
Quote from: Adio on May 22, 2010, 02:19:19 AM
I'm glad my fat hasn't that figured it out yet. :laugh:
Me too, then again having PCOS has definitely helped. 3 months on T and I can grow a full beard.
Am I the only one who feels that being over weight has actually helped with passing? helps make the boobs pass for moobs easier I think.
Quote from: Linus on May 22, 2010, 07:55:07 AM
but I did get the P90X and returned back to a vegan (with 50% being raw vegan) to lose the weight.
I was thinking about getting P90X, what do you think about it?
Shaun - Walking is a great way to lose weight. Especially if you push yourself to walk as fast as you can. When I was in high school I got super-thin, mainly because I was always running late, and had to really push myself, up a steep hill, in order to make it to school on time. :D
For me, I find I need to put myself in a position where I have to get exercise, or I just won't do it regularly. I lost 40 pounds in the first 4 months or so when I started working at a job that had me walking (slowly) all night long. I dropped another 20 or so when I moved into the shipping department, which was much faster paced. Unfortunately, though, I've hit a plateau. I'd like to take up weight lifting, but I've developed tennis elbow from repetitive motions at work, and I'm afraid to aggravate it more. :-\
Sebastien- I suspect it depends a lot upon genetics, as well. And there's also the fact that my doctor wasn't comfortable prescribing me the hormone blockers that I was asking for, and was probably trying to come up with an alternate suggestion, that would also be good for me in general. It's probably true, but may not have as great an effect as he would like me to believe.
I think I may try for a second opinion on the hormone blockers.
Quote from: Evan on May 22, 2010, 11:57:06 PM
I was thinking about getting P90X, what do you think about it?
I also have the Power 90, which was the set that Tony Horton created prior to P90X. And I gotta say, if you do it and follow it religiously, you'll succeed. It's just a matter of being consistent. I think what I like about the program, especially the Power 90, is that you don't need a lot of weights since it's based on polymetrics.
O MY GOD i might get up to 250 pounds. Oh my i'm starting to worry. Alot of transmen on here are like " i cant wait to get T so i can gain weight). So, Sebastion i am like 220 lbs, was the weight gained in muscle or fat? When you started losing weight did you do anything different? Do you know what your hip size was when you were at 250 and now? Serouily if i gain 30 more punds it'll be more energy efficient if i just roll down the street instead of walk.
When I gained the initial 30 pounds on T, I think a lot of it was muscle; a lot was also the fact that I was eating more to keep up with my changing metabolism. When I started losing weight, I was doing a landscaping job, so I was on my feet a lot, but apart from that, I just added vegetables and fruit into my diet, and tried to make it more balanced. Really, any exercise you do on T (or so I've learned) will make at least twice the difference it did before T in terms of losing weight.
SD
Quote from: Sebastien on May 23, 2010, 02:24:18 PM
When I gained the initial 30 pounds on T, I think a lot of it was muscle; a lot was also the fact that I was eating more to keep up with my changing metabolism. When I started losing weight, I was doing a landscaping job, so I was on my feet a lot, but apart from that, I just added vegetables and fruit into my diet, and tried to make it more balanced. Really, any exercise you do on T (or so I've learned) will make at least twice the difference it did before T in terms of losing weight.
SD
And that's the key. Doing some kind of exercise -- any kind -- beyond what the daily activities you normally do is what's key. T helps that just a little bit more but you do have to do something.
Well i jog or did jog 3/4 of a mile everyday and i skateboard, not intense though. This does nothing now. I think my body got used to jogging the same distance, once on T will this be enough exercise?
I don't eat a lot of veggies or fruits or meat. I'm more of a grain person, I'm addicted to hamburger helper the cheeseburger kind and the fettucini alfredo.
That's a plus that it was muscle. I gain muscle really fast and I'm not on T. All i have to do is exercise. When i used to jog everyday, which was only for 6 min. I lost 4 in of my waist in 2 months. I stopped joggin and I've gained 5in on my waist. :'(
Shaun, FWIW I didn't gain on T, I lost about 20 pounds right off the bat (slowly, yes, but with no effort). So gaining isn't always the norm. If you're aware that it's possible, you could take steps to avoid it.
I've found T is so much more forgiving than E!
Jay
When I came out, I knew I had to lose weight. So I started in earnest. I lost about forty pounds before I started HRT. While on HRT, I mostly maintained. I know I lost some fat because I was exercising regularly, but I also gained muscle.
I maintained a pretty consistent weight until it came time for me to move. For various reasons, those few months were highly stressful and my good habits slipped. I had lost nearly forty-five pounds but gained back almost twenty in three months. Now I'm losing again, but very very slowly. I don't know whether the T is helping or hurting, and I don't know whether the E that's still in my system is a problem.
Big mystery. All I do know is that I want to lose about fifteen more and then see where I stand.
I have learnt not to look at the actual weight too much because after a consistent 4 weeks at the gym now i have gone down a pants size and look noticeably smaller yet my weight has stayed the same, so I'm assuming it is muscle mass. So that's actually pretty cool!
Ok that's it. I'm not gonna ignore my weight any longer
It's push-up time tonight xD
It's true. I'm skinny and suffer T related symptoms that heavier woman don't. Like excessive sweating and body hair. Why can't E be stored in muscle?
I'm sorry but Uni your confusing me. Why would it be best if E was stored in muscle if u were having problems with T related issues. Maybe I'm understanding wrong. But by god if T was stored in muscle I'd either commit suicide or get uber fat and never do anything that way I had no muscle.
Quote from: mcalistershaun on May 23, 2010, 08:55:54 PM
I'm sorry but Uni your confusing me. Why would it be best if E was stored in muscle if u were having problems with T related issues. Maybe I'm understanding wrong. But by god if T was stored in muscle I'd either commit suicide or get uber fat and never do anything that way I had no muscle.
Because there's nowhere for the E to stay on me since I'm mostly muscle so the T is the dominate hormone.(And I hate it!)
okay i get it. you could lay around and eat a crap load of junk food ur bound to get some fat that way.
I'm gonna sound stupid but what's E? Estrogen?
Yes.
Huh...T made me gain weight, actually. Even so, the effects of each injection were pretty immediate.
Quote from: Xren on May 25, 2010, 09:02:29 PM
Huh...T made me gain weight, actually. Even so, the effects of each injection were pretty immediate.
How long have you been on T? It's been 7 weeks for me and I'm noticing the weight gain.. which is odd because I eat very healthy and workout more than I did pre-T....but my belly continues to grow.
Quote from: TheOtherSide on May 25, 2010, 09:21:37 PM
How long have you been on T? It's been 7 weeks for me and I'm noticing the weight gain.. which is odd because I eat very healthy and workout more than I did pre-T....but my belly continues to grow.
I'm not on T right now, but I was on it for three or four years--I went from 110 to 170, though it may not be as bad for other people--but yeah, fat redistributes on hormones and I personally had an appetite increase. Same foods, just too much of them. Maybe your stomach growth is a combination of those two things? Appetite increase can be very subtle, and even if the food itself is healthy, the quantity can be a factor. That and the redistribution of body fat. I'm not a doctor, so I might be way off the mark, but this is my guess based on my own experiences.