As I get closer to the time when I'll be able to talk to a therapist and move forward with full dose HRT, I have become increasingly concerned about the overall shape of my body and how it will affect my ability to pass in the future. I try not to think about it, and I try to tell myself that hormones and fat redistribution will make a big difference, but it's very hard to convince myself of that when I'm looking at myself in a mirror and seeing what's currently there. I have been on low dose HRT for two years, and have experienced some notable positive changes from it, however the overall shape of my body is still not very feminine. Here is what I currently look like (this is was originally a nude shot but anything potentially offensive has been censored, I hope that's okay with the staff):

http://s29.postimg.org/jyb1f3hyv/Before.png

As you can see, there are some serious obstacles here that I'm going to need to overcome if I want to look passable from the neck down. First, I'm still carrying most of my fat on my stomach, and as a result my poor hip to waist ratio really hurts my overall appearance. Thankfully a little exercise will help this, and I do plan on starting a full cardio regimen once I go on full dose HRT to help with fat redistribution. Second, even if my fat does redistribute well, my rib cage is still large for my overall frame, so I'm strongly considering going on a corset training regimen too if I'm still not happy with where I am after my fat redistributes. Third, my shoulders are fairly broad and developed for my frame, even considering that I have no more muscle to lose that might reduce them. I really have no idea on this one, it seems like something there's currently nothing I can do about, although if there is I'd love to know about it. Fourth, my hip bones are a bit on the narrow side. I'm trying hip stretching yoga to see if it helps, but I think that even if it does have an effect, it won't be dramatic. Still, I don't know of any other options to increase hip bone width, so it's worth a try. Last, my chest is not particularly developed, though I guess that's to be expected when you only take low dose HRT. I know that as far as that area goes, what happens happens, and you can always get implants, so I'm not going to worry about it right now.

Here is a photoshopped picture that represents what I believe are realistic changes based on what can be accomplished with fat redistribution and corset training:

http://s12.postimg.org/67mvyfsm5/After.png

Obviously I'm never going to be a super model, not that I really expected to be. But at least based on the changes between this picture and the first, the overall appearance of my figure is much more feminine, and with female level breast development/implants, I think having a figure like this would be more than enough to be considered passable. I know I'd be happy with it.

...But, I have to ask, are these changes as realistic as I think they are? I know a lot of the girls here with really passable bodies probably had a less masculine frame to start out with that I currently do, and although I want to do whatever it takes to have a body that will be perceived as female, I know there are limits to how much you can change things. Is there anyone here who had a starting point similar to mine who can offer advice about what I can expect, and anything else I can do beyond what I mentioned to get my body into a more female shape? I know there are various tricks in terms of the way you dress and other things that can create the illusion of a feminine figure, but right now I want to focus on things that have the potential to change the appearance of my actual body. I'd also be interested to know how much benefit I could get from surgery, even if I can't afford it right now. Like for example, would I be a good candidate for something like liposculpture, and if so, how much of an improvement could I expect from it? Just please, whatever you do, be honest. I would rather know now that my body is never going to be very passable than after years of trying in futility to have a body that just isn't possible for me.

Edit: Whoops, looks like image shack doesn't like nudity, even when it's censored. Links fixed.

I think you'll be fine.. I'll consider posting a picture of my own body changes.. But its very signifcant IMO, and you're better off than I started.. Although I did start with curves to begin with.

Do keep in my though that my "starting point" is the result of two years of low dose HRT, so it's not exactly a cold start.

Ht has made small measurable differences over time. The greatest ht changes I experienced were the loss of back hair and a three inch smaller neck. 

I guess what I'm asking more than anything is, considering where I am now, is expecting to ever be able to look like the second picture reasonable, or do I need to set the expectation bar lower.

You can do whatever you put your mind to. Hrt will deff change your appearance, a feminine diet (low protein, low carb) could help as well. Im no endrocologist, but i think with hard work, and dedication you could achieve that shape. But not overnight fer sure. Think about a biological woman. It takes several years to reach their full maturation. And HRT is no different than a bio-woman's puberty

I think your second picture is close except that you will most likely gain more around your hip area and will lose a little more muscle. 

You could look better than you think.  Once you are on full HRT for a couple months, you may want to try to "bounce" your weight: gain 10, lose 10, gain 10, lose 10. That might help fat redistribution. It helped me.

Hugs,

Jen

Why wait for the cardio till full dose HRT?

Sooner you lose the fat the better surely. Far as I know the way fat works is it gets deposited where fat deposits already are. Far as I know it is ideal to lose it before the HRT, for maximal affect at least.

Not that I am a doctor or qualified in anything medical. Just what I hear is all.

Quote from: LilLivvy91 on December 22, 2013, 09:12:13 PM
You can do whatever you put your mind to. Hrt will deff change your appearance, a feminine diet (low protein, low carb) could help as well. Im no endrocologist, but i think with hard work, and dedication you could achieve that shape. But not overnight fer sure. Think about a biological woman. It takes several years to reach their full maturation. And HRT is no different than a bio-woman's puberty

Believe me, I am not afraid of a little hard work when it comes to transitioning. I already spend an hour a day just on hair removal, and recently started spending about 20 more minutes on the hip stretches I mentioned. The idea of being able to transition is just about the strongest motivation for anything that I can even remember having.

Quote from: JLT1 on December 22, 2013, 09:30:59 PM
I think your second picture is close except that you will most likely gain more around your hip area and will lose a little more muscle.

Gain even more around the hips than my picture? If that's possible I'm not going to argue. What muscle though? I really don't have much to lose at this point. Are you talking about around my shoulders? Because that isn't muscle. The bone structure of my shoulders/collar bone is unfortunately a bit more developed than I'd like.

Quote from: LilLivvy91 on December 22, 2013, 09:12:13 PM
You could look better than you think.  Once you are on full HRT for a couple months, you may want to try to "bounce" your weight: gain 10, lose 10, gain 10, lose 10. That might help fat redistribution. It helped me.

Okay, that sounds like a good idea, thanks. I shouldn't have any trouble on the gaining weight part, though having to lose it again usually is less fun.

Quote from: Seras on December 22, 2013, 09:36:14 PM
Why wait for the cardio till full dose HRT?

Sooner you lose the fat the better surely. Far as I know the way fat works is it gets deposited where fat deposits already are. Far as I know it is ideal to lose it before the HRT, for maximal affect at least.

Not that I am a doctor or qualified in anything medical. Just what I hear is all.

I was mainly afraid that doing too much exercise before going on full dose HRT could potentially raise my testosterone levels. Right now I can get away with taking a very low dose of my anti-androgen and have it still be effective, and I wouldn't want to risk upsetting that balance. I think it will be okay though, to wait until full dose HRT before starting cardio. I don't think it will be very long now anyway...

Quote from: Seras on December 22, 2013, 09:36:14 PM
Why wait for the cardio till full dose HRT?

Sooner you lose the fat the better surely. Far as I know the way fat works is it gets deposited where fat deposits already are. Far as I know it is ideal to lose it before the HRT, for maximal affect at least.

Not that I am a doctor or qualified in anything medical. Just what I hear is all.

I think you are correct.  Weight loss followed by weight gain should work and would be optimal.

However, that was not a realistic option for me.  Two years and 108 lbs lost later, with quite a bit of weight bouncing, did an excellent job redistributing the remaining fat.    It turned out that as I was losing, fat tended to be lost everywhere but tended to go back in a more feminine pattern while on full load HRT than it did when I was just starting out.  There are some changes while on HRT that appear to direct fat deposition in a female pattern even with the body wanting to put it back where it came from.

Hugs,

Jen

HRT Low Dose.. Prolly won't do much. While I wasnt on low dose for two years, I was on a fairly limited doseage for 5-6 months and the changes just didn't happen until I went up those doses.

MtF HT properly dosed and ramped up over time wipes out testosterone, really. Don't worry about running up the T with exercise, testosterone is going bye-bye regardless.