Hi everyone,

I'm at a point where I'm making a plan for starting HRT and transition. But one of my first questions is about weight loss.

I'm 5'10" and currently 183lbs. I see that a normal female weight for my height can be around 150-170lbs or so. I'm curious, should I put off my HRT and focus on losing weight before starting? Will I look better, fill out better, or does it really make a difference?

Also, what might be a good weight range to think about for starting HRT? Like, if I was to lose weight should I try and get into the lower range of normal (closer to 150), or maybe the upper end of that range?

The thing is I'm excited to start estrogen, but I also want to be sure my transition is as successful as possible. I want to have every chance possible to succeed and come out healthy on the other side. I just don't know when it comes to weight what to do.

You'll actually fill out better with more weight for HRT to work with. If you don't have any fat to redistribute, then nothing will really fill out. I actually sort of explained it previously in this post (link).. But I'll also quote it here so you don't have to click it.

Quote from: SamanthaFLA on February 21, 2011, 01:48:30 AM
Luck certainly has a little bit to do with it, but genetics and weight have a lot to do with it too. Big boobs run in my family, that certainly helps. But having some extra weight to move around helps a ton as well.

A lot of transgirls, if not most transgirls tend to be very skinny. They have very little body fat for the HRT to move around. If boobs are 80% fat, and you have no body fat and no caloric intake to increase your body fat, how will your boobs grow?

Have you ever heard of a teenage appetite? That's because they're growing, largely in thanks to puberty. They have a huge appetite because they need the extra energy for their bodies to grow. You are going through a second puberty with HRT, eat more to give your body extra stuff to make it grow.

I'm not saying you should weigh 250lbs, but gaining 20lbs can make a big difference. Your hips will get fuller and your boobs will grow. Your face will also shape.

I have no proof to back this next part up, but I imagine that the earlier on in HRT that you have the extra fat, the better the results will be. Give your body the extra fat to move around during it's growth cycle.

Start eating good foods now.  Unless you want to be a fat woman, don't let your brain trick you into thinking that it's best to wait or any other excuse.

It takes a while for your brain, body, and schedule to get used to a healthy diet.  So start "eating like a girl" today.  Make any steps you can to live like you will once you start HRT.  This will give you the change to fail once or twice while you get used to it or withdrawal from bad foods.  Some women start getting crazy food cravings and discouraging water weight when starting HRT.  So you want to have a really stable diet before..not try to start it during.

You probably won't be able to get to a healthy woman's weight until after you start HRT and start losing muscle.  While you have muscle, and a guy's metabolism, it's going to be easier for you to lose weight.

You're going to get better results if you're a bit too skinny and then let some fat happen on HRT.

I've lost 30 lbs in prep for HRT but still have more to lose and my first appt is Tues.  I expected that I wouldn't be able to get for a few more months.  I don't really want to be dropping pounds while on HRT.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that

a) it is easier to lose weight before HRT and
b) after HRT regaining the weight will distribute better.

However, that said, HRT will reduce muscle mass and thus after losing weight you will be more muscular at first. In order to get good distribution at lesat 9 months and probably 24 months of HRT to see decent fat redistribution.

Caroline

I was wondering whether it would be good to lose as much weight as possible before HRT, then start trying to put it back on again ,in the hope that it would go to the right places.
Does this sound plausible in view of the above?

I lost 70 pounds in the year after I started HRT. It's worth pointing out that my breasts stayed the same size at first in spite of all the weight loss, but they grew quite a bit more when I took a break from all the cardio for a month or so. Get the excess off, but let your body rest from time to time so it can do it's thing.

I'm 5'10 and 135lbs is there any chance I will gain weight once on hrt? or is that unlikely? :\

Lose weight now, breast growth is better aided by healthy eating (protein) than lots of body fat. The kind of breast growth you get from excess body fat is pretty much the same kind that men do.

I got down to 125lbs at one point and still had significant boobage growth, which was mostly breast tissue and not fat edistribution.

I'm not saying people should eat raw fat off of bacon. I'm saying that you body needs fat to distribute. If you don't eat any calories, and you exercise too much, your body will not form any shape. I have very many trans girl friends that range from very skinny to extremely voluptuous and it all adds up. The extremely skinny ones have no breast growth, while the very large ones have the largest breasts.

That's how boobs work, they're roughly 80% fat. They're similar to what men have because they're fat, all boobs are fat. The only difference girls have a bit more tissue, which you will grow regardless of your fat. But you won't grow much if you don't have fat. The tissue will grow in, but the boobs won't grow without fat.

You can get excellent results and still be at a healthy weight. You don't need to weigh 200+ lbs. But you also don't want your BMI to be 18 either, which sadly a lot of girls are just that skinny. Go for a well rounded diet, you're body needs all types of nutrients to grow. And don't deny yourself a bacon cheeseburger occasionally.

Edit: I am also gonna throw in here that women have bigger hips for child bearing. This is common knowledge obviously. But the hips act as a sort-of oven that keeps the womb warm. The extra hip padding is purely fat. A little bit of extra fat to push down there can give you a nice hourglass shape. BUT, not all girls can grow hips or boobs, regardless of diet. Gaining some extra weight is not a guaranteed way to get boobs.

There are a number of different reasons your fat can distribute in different places. Hormones is a big one, which is what we're talking about now. But stress is another large factor. If you are stressed from work, friends or family, don't get enough sleep, have a weird eating schedule, this is all stress on your body. Stress activates the adrenals which releases a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol is a fail-safe type of mechanism that causes your body to store body fat everywhere, but mostly around your mid-section and neck. Reducing stress will help immensely to gaining your desired body shape.

And to add to the comment of BMI, I'll just give you an example. I am 5' 7", 120lbs is at the absolute lower end of my "healthy weight" range, while 155lbs is at the absolute upper end of my "healthy weight" range. Why not aim for something in the middle, like 130-140lbs? You'll be in very good health and you'll have a little bit of extra body fat to distribute.

TL;DR?

• Reduce Stress
• Aim for a BMI in the middle of your healthy range range, around 22-23. This gives you extra fat to move around, while staying at a healthy weight.
• Boobs are 80% body fat, you will grow tissue regardless of body fat, but you need fat for them to grow to any real size.
• Extra body fat is not a guaranteed way to get an hour glass figure, or larger breasts, because not all girls can get them. But most girls are able to achieve this desired body shape, and the extra weight will help with that.

goes and hides.

Different people, different advice, different results.

I didn't have a chance to lose as much weight as I wanted at the beginning of my HRT. As a matter of fact, my Doc is a Trans woman, and SHE told me not worry about it.  She just told me to enjoy the journey.
Yes, it's a little harder to lose the weight BUT you can do it AND I have developed some really nice curves in the process.  I remember my CIS sister when she was going through puberty, she gained some weight BUT as time progressed, she lost most of it and now she is beautiful. She has got all the curves in all the right places.
Genetics can also play a part in all this as well.

I sort of lucked out in the size area. 5'6" & small naturally. I spent quite a bit of time eating healthy, running & exercising, not smoking cigarettes, before starting hormone treatment. I wouldn't say I'm scrawny. I have decent muscle tone, but not a lot of fat, & breasts. Genetically speaking, I don't expect large breasts. I barely need a bra now, but they're visible, & I'd look weird in much more than a B cup. I'm thinking people should just let it happen naturally, instead of gaining substantial weight & expecting the fat to cooperate, or becoming anorexic at the other extreme.