Yes. Women have a naturally higher level of body fat than men. It is your body becoming hormonally female.
Remember, the daily intake of calories for a man is around 2500, for a woman a healthy diet is around 2000.
At the start of transition I took the necessary decision to lose weight and eat more healthily. I didn't exactly diet. I just cut out the rubbish, no chips, sweets or burgers, and replaced them with fruit or salad. I am fairly active and throughout the summer, I have played a lot of golf (walking is great exercise for weight reduction), I do about 15 miles twice a week on my bike. I have also started doing some simple exercises to sculpt my bum, tum and thighs (see my entry on exercise).
I have never been a big drinker but I have virtually stopped drinking alcohol. Just the occasional glass of wine is enough, two and I'm anybody's!
Non transitioning women spend a lot of their lives watching their figure and taking exercise. They are the target market for health clubs, gyms and personal trainers.
You have to work at your transition. It is not enough to take the hormones and carry on with the rest of your life as if nothing has changed.
By eating a healthy diet, and most importantly, by not starving myself, I have lost about two and a half stone and have reduced my waist by four inches. I can't wait for a flat stomach, firm boobs and a killer butt but I know that I will have to work extremely hard to reach my goal and most importantly, not just rely on hormonal changes.