I cant agree more with what ChaoticTribe said! I've been doing basically what he suggested since new year and I've lost a whopping 4 stone since then by walking to work in a morning and having breakfast when I get there rather than before.  II have changed my diet slightly but its mostly just been reducing portion sizes and cutting out things like chocolate and take aways (I allow myself one of each a month)

Quote from: JamesG on April 27, 2014, 11:46:23 PM
Weight-loss comes off evenly everywhere in a "last in, first out" way because of the way the fat metabolism system works. Where your body choses to put new or replenish existing fat cells might be influenced by hormone tweaking, but since you are losing weight, you aren't giving it much to work with, so results will probably be marginal.

Your best bet is to lose as much weight as you (responsibly, dont go crazy) can before starting, then when you start, eat normal with moderate exercise and your body will do what it does.

I'm a 100 pounds at 5' 6" tall fully clothed which is probably way too thin.  So now that I'm on estrogen how long will it take to see fat accumilation in the typical female areas?  I'm already seeing facial changes and have some very small breasts but I want to gain wait in the thighs and buttocks.

No telling.  Everyone is different, and develop differntly.  How many calories are you taking in, whats your metabolism, exercise rate? ect.ect...  That said,  you are petty close to the ideal for fem. Super skinny girls dont usually have big butts.

Quote from: JamesG on May 01, 2014, 07:29:13 AM
It's not that simple or clear cut.  It depends on each person.  A chubby guy on HRT could become a chubby (or even fat) girl.  A skinny guy could... still look like a skinny guy if their body does not respond strongly to estrogen.

I'm an example of the skinny person whose body shape insists on being male thin, not female thin. Eat moderately all the time? Not sure I can do that.

I got used to eating in a way where I can not eat for a while, and then when I do eat, I feel physically satisfied quickly but emotionally starting to eat makes me want to put more and more things in my mouth. So I can have days where I eat nothing and days when I eat three meals in one go. Most of the time I eat once a day. It's a big challenge for me getting used to eating more meals but smaller portions because of how I got used to living, but I am going to try.

Kylie, I'm vegan too. I also exercise frequently several times a week.

Regarding the belly thing being just fluids and food being digested, the thing is that it's not just the tummy that changes daily. It's also the butt and the waist. So doesn't that indicate it's not just stuff left in the tummy?

Also, regarding checking the scale hourly - I don't care about my weight so much... my weight is always fine no matter how much it shifts. I'm 180cm tall and it shifts between 62kg and 67kg.

What I care about and what I measure every day is my proportions, and what I notice constantly changing according to what I eat and how much I exercise is my waist width, my belly width and my butt width.

  If your old like me, the belly fat otherwise known as the gut, will stay.  Reducing sugars in your diet may help.  The natural sugars in the fruits is mainly glucose, not the type of sugar that contributes to the gut.  Keep away from the sodas, there is about a 1/4 cup of sugar in that 12 oz. can, fruit drinks no different!  Check the ingredient labels.  My weight distrubution had some fat with the subcultaneous lead (Pb) removed from the hands from working aggressively with electronic PC boards in the repair shop and the flushing effects of the Spiro removed the lead from my system.  That returned the feeling in both hands to about 60% from normal.  My hip area is larger from this redistrubution.  More info on my health status elsewhere in the HRT subject area. 

  Joelene

I got breasts and butt/thighs and a full face but I weigh 160 lbs (73 kilos) at 5'6 ½. Too skinny and you won't get those curves.

My gut has slimmed down a lot since switching to injectable estrogen versus oral and it seems to me, it's because there is MUCH less water retention than before. Progesterone has also helped with this.

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has posted on this topic as this is something I have researched but needed to know what actual results were. I chose to loose weight first before starting HRT, and it sounds like I made the right decision to do it that way... Still have a ways to go on the weight loss, but am averaging 2-4 lbs. a week with a no/low carb. diet and three day a week in the gym. Still, the wait is killing me... LOL Pardon the pun. 

Awesome Ruth!  Always nice to meet another!  I saw someone posted on another thread that they consume foods with cholesterol when they take their hormones because it is maximizes their effects.  Did your endo say anything to you about this?  I hope this isn't the case.  Does your endo know about your diet, and if so, is there anything special you have to do?

Quote from: Veronica M on May 06, 2014, 01:40:42 PM
Still have a ways to go on the weight loss, but am averaging 2-4 lbs. a week with a no/low carb. 

2-4lbs a week!  That is awesome Veronica!  Congrats!  It almost makes up for that horrible pun 

I've got to tell you, as someone who has been struggling to lose weight as I've gone on in HRT, (I started hormones at 270 lbs, now down to 217,) I have some tips to share about the process.

First of all, fat does not "redistribute." Basically, the way that hormones create more feminine curves is that every year 10% of the body's fat cells die and are replaced. And under the influence of hormones, the new fat cells are more likely to grow in certain gender-specific areas like the breasts and hips. It's this creation of new fat cells that gives you curves. When you lose weight, you are not killing your fat cells, you are merely deflating them. So there is no remedy whatsoever to putting on curves faster through either weight loss or weight gain. The only remedy is time... waiting for the body's slow slow process of death and rebirth to work its magic. (And also exercise. Do butt-building and waist-trimming exercises. Those can definitely help.)

Secondly, once you're on T-blockers and estrogen, losing weight will become a bit more difficult. As the body's muscle mass decreases, losing weight becomes more difficult because your metabolism slows down. Pre-HRT, I lost like 50 lbs over the course of a summer (paleo diet,) while barely even trying. I cheated a LOT and still lost weight. But now that I've been basically eating the same diet that I did to lose that weight as a guy, cheating the exact same amount, it's taken me three months just to lose 18 lbs. I have to stick to the diet twice as rigorously to lose half the amount of weight.

Thirdly, do NOT go off the diet and go on a weight-gain diet once you're on HRT, assuming that all the fat will now go into female areas. It won't. When you gain weight, it distributes the weight evenly among the body's already-existing fat cells. And therefore, you'll basically just be putting it right back where you lost it. The only remedy to getting curves is time. Just letting the body do its thing, create the new fat cells where it needs to create them over the course of months and years. I did try going on a weight-gaining feminization diet, and unfortunately all of the fat just went right back to my stomach.

Fourthly, go on a paleo diet. Trust me, you'll be grateful. You'll feel better, you'll lose a ton of weight, and your body and mind will become VERY healthy.

Again... just have patience, and it will work out. I recommend losing the weight first, because it will be easier plus then you'll have less residual male fat to fight against when the new female fat starts coming in.

My endo didn't mention cholesterol but my mom keeps telling me it's not healthy that I have the amount of HDL cholesterol I have. As far as clinical medicine, my cholestrol situation is marvelous. My mom who studies nutrition claims it's too little and said I should eat coconut oil and avocado.

The endo said "I'll go through the effects of hormones one more time, just in case. Hormones redistribute fat, of which you have none..."

Which is actually pretty true everywhere except my belly and waist

So I was pretty confused what I should do, whether I should try to gain weight or lose weight... I don't know about years from now, but when I manage to eat small amounts of food and exercise every day, I can see results of my tummy and waist trimming a lot within two weeks but it's rare for me to hold up eating such small amounts for that long. I only managed keeping it up for two weeks once and for one day I was happy then I gorged myself and lost all the progress in one day.

Short term it doesn't seem my body responds well to eating heftily at all, it puts it right back where I don't want it to be.

But I can't see myself long term holding up three small meals a day, I am so used to eating a big meal once I start eating.

Clinically the blood results also showed I am just above normal protein levels, so maybe I'm not eating too much after all... I am lacking folic acid and B12 but the supplements I'm taking are showing improvement with each blood test.

As for Paleo diet, I like cooked food too much and I will never eat any meat or dairy for ideological reasons.

Paleo diet is not raw food and dairy is actually avoided. As to eating meat, you can just stick to eggs.

The reason your folic acid and B12 may be low is because you don't eat meat and dairy. Ideological, I understand but be careful with your health please. Things seem to be under control though, with supplements and improving so I'm glad.

I also came across info that taking estradiol may reduce folic acid (and possibly iron). And even certain B vitamins. I'm not sure if taking it non-orally versus orally makes a difference. I personally feel better since going non-oral. Perhaps taking a standard multivitamin could be worthwhile.

I don't eat eggs either for the same ideological reasons - it supports the backbone of an industry that abuses animals. I don't eat animal products at all. Including fish, which I don't understand why there is seperation as if fish aren't animals. Just because they have a less complex neural system than mammals doesn't mean they don't live, breathe and move and therefore are animals just like mammals.

If I'm missing something in my body, it means I didn't work hard enough to find plant sources for it. Everything can be found in plants, except B12 - which is often injected into animal food anyway because the bacteria that makes it is killed by antibiotics. So B12 is something people take as an additive whether they are vegan or not, and you don't need much of it so supplementing B12 is more than enough if one is consistent with it.

And if I'm too lazy to find the plant source, I'll just take the supplement. Not worth supporting animal abuse for me to get my nutrients - especially since the things I am missing are very specific and not a whole bunch of things. If I don't get enough protein I'll adjust and eat more accordingly.

Quote from: Ruth Ruthless on May 08, 2014, 01:43:14 AM
I don't eat eggs either for the same ideological reasons - it supports the backbone of an industry that abuses animals. I don't eat animal products at all. Including fish, which I don't understand why there is seperation as if fish aren't animals. Just because they have a less complex neural system than mammals doesn't mean they don't live, breathe and move and therefore are animals just like mammals.

I understand your reason but some farms actually treat their animals really well and are organic, no antibiotics, hormones, etc. Small farms. I used to buy from such farms. A little more expensive but more animal-friendly and more natural.

Also, do realize that just as animals are living beings, so are plants. Just as alive, even though it doesn't appear to be so. Everything that we eat is a living being and to survive, we need to eat life, or else we become life for worms and so on. It's just recycled energy in the end, all part of the same and only energy.

Quote from: Ruth Ruthless on May 08, 2014, 01:43:14 AMIf I'm missing something in my body, it means I didn't work hard enough to find plant sources for it. Everything can be found in plants, except B12 - which is often injected into animal food anyway because the bacteria that makes it is killed by antibiotics. So B12 is something people take as an additive whether they are vegan or not, and you don't need much of it so supplementing B12 is more than enough if one is consistent with it.

Interesting about the B12 injected into animal food because of antibiotics. I wouldn't be surprised. I do know that when I mostly ate meat, years ago, my B12 levels were through the roof, higher than the normal range. But, the surprising thing was my iron was LOW, under normal range. I'm still puzzled to this day. And I ate organ meats too like liver.

Assuming that on their way to slaughter they live in a five star hotel they still get slaughtered in the end.

Plants live but do not have a neural system at all and more plants are consumed indirectly by the animals we eat. For each amount of meat we eat we need to feed the animal plants, water for the plants, land for the plants, water for the animals and water to wash the meat. The plants and water that go into that meat can be consumed more efficiently to a lesser degree directly.

So eating plants is less suffering because they have no neural system.

It's less suffering because we use less plants when eaten directly.

Using crops more efficiently and water where it's needed reduces suffering due to scarce resources.

And finally humans have no problem getting all the nutrients they need from non animal sources so why not get all these benefits? Sure you need to watch what you eat but so do animal product consumers.

FYI, B-12 comes from bacteria and no where else unless it's a supplement according to my doctor. Most people in my region have a deficiency because we've become to fanatical about cleaning food, admittedly with good reason given pesticides.

Ruth, have you considered buying a chicken or two and looking after them in your yard?  Serious question.  Then you'd be able to eat the eggs and the hens would be very happy with such a caring human-mother.  Or find a local farmer who keeps hens and sells the eggs?

I too try to avoid meat when I can, but I do eat eggs.  Not the nasty ones from the battery farms with those horrible cages and sick birds and psychopathic workers, but organic vegetarian-fed free-range eggs.  Not a perfect solution though - I'm sure they still aren't particularly happy animals .

Why bother when I can get what I need from non animal sources? That's a lot more work for no gain and I don't have room to keep those.

It's also inefficient as stated before since I need to feed the chicken more than it feeds me.