I know fat redistribution was recently discussed, but it seemed mostly geared towards MtFs (don't know if a new post, or simply adding on to the old one would be more appropriate--I'm kinda new here).

What have been the experiences of FtMs with regard to weight distribution, after T was started?  I'm 5'4" 140 lbs and genetically predisposed to fairly large hips, with most weight accumulating there... a little on the belly.  I'm wondering (worrying) if, after going on T, I'm just going to end up being a guy whose body (except for the body hair) might as well be female...  Same goes for the shoulders--I realize that, at 21, the bones are unlikely to broaden.  I expect muscle development to help a bit with the appearance of a larger upper body, but I'm wondering how much--experiences, anyone?

(I weight lift regularly and have been for 3 years now, with definite increases in strength but little noticeable muscle bulk--of course attributed to the lack of T)

Thanks all

'Female' fat distribution is fat accumulating on the hips, thighs, butt, and lower belly. (which thank Jesus mine doesn't do )
Testosterone is supposed to reconfigurate your fat to the 'male' areas - gut, love handles, back, etc.
I've heard it takes about a year or so of T before you really notice a difference.
Some of the T veterans may be better able to answer this. Dennis? Chris? We need your expertise.

I'd imagine that the changes are subtle and tend to be different in every person.  You may find the following link in our wiki to be useful.

https://www.susans.org/wiki/Hormone_replacement_therapy


tink

Quote from: Tink on July 24, 2007, 10:46:11 PM
I'd imagine that the changes are subtle and tend to be different in every person.  You may find the following link in our wiki to be useful.

https://www.susans.org/wiki/Hormone_replacement_therapy


tink

True. From what I've heard from both ftms and mtfs, fat redistribution from HRT isn't what it's cracked up to be.
Whenever someone's been on HRT for a while and has a complaint about the effects, it's always about the fat redistribution. That it hasn't changed as much as they hoped.
I imagine this is partly due to bone structure. HRT can't widen hip bones for mtf or narrow them for ftm.
It can just place or eliminate fat there.
So an ftm with large hip bones may always be somewhat hippy. Even in that situation there are ways to deflect this. (building the upper body, etc)
In short - you may get a drastic change, and you may not.
I'll defer to the experts on this. Dennis? We're waiting.  

Yeah, I think it took about a year for it to be noticeable. And it continues over a long time. I used to put fat on my thighs, butt and hips. Now it's entirely gut - spare tire and beer gut.

Other redistribution is facial - that was noticeable after just a few months. And arms as well. I started lifting weights more seriously about six months ago and women friends say they really notice the difference in my shoulders and arms. A massage therapist the other day (who didn't know I'm trans) said "your shoulders are really built up". So the muscle development also follows a male pattern.

I had thought, because I do have fairly wide hips, that I would be stuck with a female body shape just because of bone structure, but the fat redistribution masks that, and, looking around, there are a lot of guys with my body shape. My father had a wide ass too and his clothes are actually too big for me now.

The other thing that helps is building up the oblique muscles that run down your sides. I'll never have a V shaped body, but I do have a pretty ordinary guy's body now.

Fat redistribution made a huge difference to the way I look, face and body, but it is a gradual process, helped along by weightlifting, diet and other exercise.

Dennis

I believe you also need to burn off the fat that is there. You may start deposting fat in the areas you want over time, but you must get rid of the fat that is already there through exercise and dieting.

The only way sure way to make your hips look masculine is to work off the weight. Even if you have naturally large hip bones, it won't show if you're skinny.

Well I was quite worried about this as I have "love" handles and big thighs however they aren't that big that they look fat they just look muscley! Which is alright. Its just where I have put on weight makes my body look so feminine!

Quote from: Jaston on July 30, 2007, 06:50:15 AM
Well I was quite worried about this as I have "love" handles and big thighs however they aren't that big that they look fat they just look muscley! Which is alright. Its just where I have put on weight makes my body look so feminine!

'So feminine' LOL. Love handles aren't feminine.

Thanks everyone, the news is mostly encouraging.

Dennis--it looks (from your picture) as if you have a pretty good V-shape; have your shoulders always been fairly large bone-wise, or is it mostly muscle development?

Lori--sound advice about having to simply lose weight in the unwanted areas first. I guess it makes sense that flesh isn't gonna just shift elsewhere (ie, from hips to gut).  I've lost the hip-fat before, but landed myself in the doc's office (nothing serious).  Mighta gone too low... damn female body seems to require having a certain amount of fat on it.  I'm hoping once I start T, that won't be such a problem.

Jaston--Yeah, muscular legs help, definitely.  Developed quadriceps & calves seem to de-emphasize the soft, smooth look from hip to ankle that females generally have.

Eryk: yeah, always did have quite broad shoulders. Some of it is muscle development post T as well.

Dennis

I think you look like my Uncle, Dennis 

Bodybuild dood. Thats my advice. Its all proportional.

In my first half year of T, I noticed some small changes, but in the last couple of months, (11 months total now), the changes are starting to really show.

I noticed early on a small increase in the muscle mass of my upper arms, though they're still way wimpy for a man.  If I were into any kind of body building or strength building though, that might be different.  The other early change was that my thighs slimmed down and became much more solidly muscled. (I do a LOT of walking at work...) 

More recently however, and esp since my hysterectomy, the gut between my belly button and genitalia has decreased significantly.  It could have a lot to do with getting rid of a huge fibroid tumour, but it's nice to be able to pretty much see myself again!   

I've also been losing some fat around my neck and face.  In all, I've went from 205 to 172, and am really liking it.  I'd never planned on weight loss being a side effect of T, since everyone always says that "muscle weighs more than fat", so I didn't think I'd really be losing any significant amount of weight.  I'd never been terribly concerned about my previous weight before, but still, it's been kind of nice, and it's helping to make a body better suited to who I am.

I'm thinking that a lot of it is due to T possibly increasing my metabolism; esp since after I lost the estrogen factories, the weight loss accelerated.  I'm not trying to lose weight, but I am anyway, and that's really helped the fat in traditional female areas decrease.

To get the V type of body Dennis has obviously takes some work, and not just a lucky roll of the genetic dice (which is largely what I attribute my changes to), but in general, I have noticed a fairly wide spread redistribution of fat/muscle.

Best of luck with things, Eryk!


Scott