Diet to dress, or dress to diet?

[Ilsa]

I don't know about you, but when I spend the better part of my day(s) transforming myself into Ilsa I find that I don't spend a lot of my time thinking about food. I concentrate more on making myself as good looking as possible from head to toe which doesn't leave much time for eating. I also try to stay away from food when I am dolled up because I fear staining my clothes or messing up my makeup.

However, when I do eat it is usually a light fare and in keeping with my girlish personna will consist of a glass of wine an hors d'oeuvre or two and a light entrée. Bon appétit! The next day I find I've lost weight.

Of course exercise is important, but you will not see me doing Pilates or wearing tights to exercise in.

If you're diet conscious how do you maintain your girlish figure so that you may fit into that size 8 dress?


As always,

Ilsa

[kimdl93]

Alas, Size 8 will never happen. I have been on a very deliberate weight reduction path for the better part of eight years, involving light weights, aerobics and consistent careful eating. I'm down some 50 pounds, and hoping to continue dropping about five pounds a year for the next few years.

[Jenniferathome]

The reason to watch your diet is to be heathy. Eating well (and the means both enough food and good food) will result in a better figure in both male and female mode. I take in a lot of good food every day, regardless. Starving yourself or cutting back hard actually causes you to over eat later.

[Ally 2112]

I am very self consious about what i eat and what i weigh and yes it is because of my girl clothes .It is becuase im am in the closet and when i shop i can buy clothes without trying them on .Sometimes they are a tad big but i can live with that

[bridget thronton]

I am far more concerned with losing weight and exercising to be healthy. I am trying for a lifestyle change so I can enjoy my granddaughter longer.

[Thrymr's Bane]

While it's certainly nice to lose some weight and fit into more clothes, I'm more concerned about getting my diet under control to avoid the diabetes that runs in my family. I've recently stopped eating junk food and drinking beer on a daily basis, drink water instead of soda, started walking 3-6 miles a day again, and have lost a noticeable amount of weight in a short period of time. I don't think I look much different, but I feel a lot better.

[CynthiaD]

Size 8? I was happy when I finally got down to a size 18! I started a new exercise and diet program recently for health reasons. (I think I was turning into some kind of fungus.) But I can't say it was directly related to crossdressing.

[Stephanie47]

Size 8 will never happen. My body type is not going to change. I maybe able to flatten the tummy and get somewhat of an hour glass figure with a light girdle, but, a Barbie I will never be. It is more important to eat healthy. Doing that will prevent weight gain, and, help lose weight. I thought I always ate healthy. It was a well balanced meal with meat and vegetables, but, there was also the dreaded whites; rice, potatoes and pasta. With the help of some toxins man should not ingest, I ended up with diabetes on the low end of the scale; treatable with diet and exercise. Now I am pre-diabetic. I read the back of boxes, cans and jars. No corn syrup. No calories that have no nutritional value. Just read the soda pop can: 150 calories. Why drink that? Check out the exercise equipment at the gym. It takes a long time to work off 150 calories. Why eat that crap to begin with. I was a healthy guy with a fine muscular military weight of 175. I ended up 215 and felt sloppy and looked sloppy. Now, I am 190 pounds. I'm six foot even and look fine. I may not be a size 8. However, now I'm into sizes that have an ample amount of attractive dresses.

[Lucy Lou]

I have noticed that I have got a bit of a tummy and I hate it. I am going to try to lose it because it will make me look better in my outfits and there is the health issue. If anybody here knows a good way to loose a few kilos off the tummy then please pass it on. I am going to cut down the wine and pasta. But I never eat junk food anyway. Lets hope i can rid myself of the extra because i don't like it and it makes me feel worse about myself.

Any ideas ladies? Lucy Lou xx

[RenneB]

My MD told me to eat less - move more. Simple guidelines that got me from a hefty 230 to around 180. I walk about 5 times a weeks and do all those other things, like take the stairs, park far from the entrance...etc... I eat five small meals a day and fill the voids with fruit and vegies... It still takes a corset to bring the waist in but I'm a work in progress.....

Renne.....

[Marcelle]

Exercise and diet has always been part of my life and my job. I tend to eat several smaller meals over the day, exercise in the morning try not to have too much alcohol during the week. I have maintained a body weight between 150 and 175 (now at 150 which was my fighting weight).

Hugs

Isha

[Ineke Vashon]

All of the above for me. It helps to get a motivational kick. Like being diagnosed with type II diabetes two years ago. "Lay of the sugar, ice cream, eat smaller portions of healthier food and exercise or your leg will fall off". Or so the suggestion went.

Today, 150 instead of 180, I enjoy cycling so that is an almost daily activity, I park on the far side at Walmart and walk in and, gasp, I'm eating salads and salmon and healthier yummies. Best of all, no medications and I'm back to no diabetes.

Nice to have regained a slim waist. Now, if I can get my butt out of the closet I might actually find out what size dress I could snuggle into.

Ineke

[Kati F]

I've always tried to be conscious of my weight and health but somehow I let my weight get up to almost 190lbs. I couldn't fit into any of my clothes anymore! I needed to do something so I went on a diet and added a 4-5 mile walk to my day. It's not complicated... less meat, more vegetables and less sugar. I quit drinking soda, iced tea and sugar in my coffee (that was pretty tough actually). I also had to find a substitute to satisfy my horrible sweet tooth so I started eating yogurt. It's sweet and far better for you than cookies and cake. I've managed to stick to this diet rather well but I don't try to be perfect, I still get some Krispy Kremes now and then, just not too often.

Over the last 6 months this routine has let me lose a little over 40lbs. Losing that weight and walking has given my a lot more energy.

... and the real reason I've been putting myself the diet... cross dressing.

[mspaulasue]

I've lost 20 pounds in the last 3 months by doing what everyone else has mentioned - eat less (especially at night), move more, eat fruit when my sweet-tooth rears it's ugly head. I did it because I was tired of the belly and because my femme wardrobe is so small. It's much less expensive to diet down to my wife's size than to finance an entire woman's wardrobe.

[Erica Marie]

I am with Jennifer. A diet should be a healthy thing. Eat sensible and get exercise. But I do notice if I get a day to dress food will be the last thing on my mind, but it is because I am so preoccupied. As far as dress size I hope I never wear a size 8 again.

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Isha, I'm 5'12" 220# +or- 2 and I step on my scale every day so my weight stays the same.
My size 16 skirts & jeans and my size 1X or 18 tops always fit perfectly.
I like to go walking with my dog .

[Claire Cook]

Sue is diabetic and has had a stent put in, so we are careful about our diets. It is about staying healthy, and with exercise the weight takes care of itself. (I'm 5' 10" / 154). But I have noticed this: if I am out and about, or en femme at home, I take smaller bites and eat less. Anyone else find this?

Maybe eating Out and About is a way to diet??

[MissTee]

Back in the day I used to be very fitness conscious. Actually built my day around my workout, bike, swim, run routines. Never worried about what I ate. Instead, focused on taking in enough calories to keep going and sustain my powerlift status. About 15 years ago I moved, then moved again, then moved again and again . . . throw in a few job changes and -- bam! I had all but phased out of exercising but kept my old eating habits. "Swoll up like a tick," as they say down here. Have been working to change that for the last two years, but dressing has had little if any influence on my habits.

[Jocelyn Quivers]

All 100% Diet to Dress. The desire to fit into smaller outfits was the only way, incentive, and motivation to change a lifetime of junk food, fast food, fried food, high sugar food, drinks, buffet's etc. I still do have a slight binge eating problem but it will consist of bingeing on an entire can or cans of almonds, tuna fish (mercury is good for you!)bottle of olive oil, bags of broccoli etc. Not perfect by any means and of course excess calories is excess calories in any manner it's just not as demoralizing as the 3 hamburger, extra large fries with extra salt, extra large diet coke (makes even less sense), chicken fingers with sugary honey mustard sauce days of gorging.

[natcrys]

I'm not really diet conscious, but I'm not a big eater.. so my portions are usually on the smaller size. Usually less than 75 grams of rice, potatoes, pasta.. lots of veggies.. and meat/fish a few times a week.

And of course, karate and jogging helps as well!

[Ugly Michele]

I work to keep down to a size 10, would love to be a size 4 but am happy dieting to dress.

[grace7777]

My first concern is to diet to be healthy, so that I have more years to dress

I do try to watch what I eat and eat healthy. Usually I have one day a week where I will go off my diet. Exercise is also important to me, which is something I have not been doing regularly lately. I try to

I am about 65.5 inches and 154 pounds and would like to get down to about 140 pounds.

One diet that I have found to be effective is the weight watchers diet.

[Amari]

I've been oversize for more than 30yrs. I'm 176cm (5'7") tall and weighed 115kg (254lbs). I was sick of missing out on doing stuff (missing out on life!) because of being fat, inflexible and unfit, but my liking of food over rid my desire to loose the size. Wanting to fit into regular size girl clothes rather than having to restrict myself to the 'plus size' racks was what stirred me to commence dieting, and is keeping me going. So far I've lost 10kg (22lbs) in 10 weeks. Currently the incentive is to fit into a purple bustier I found at an Op shop that I just couldn't resist! I'm going to look fabulous!

[Jilmac]

I don't need to diet, I take thyroid meds which cause automatic weight loss. I weigh about 140 lbs and can easily slip into a size 8 dress,

[JazT95]

I diet as part of my lifestyle anyway, one extra plus on the side is that it does help maintain my figure. But size 8? Is it possible to be that thin while remaining healthy? I consider myself pretty darn thin (like, you can just about see my ribs) and I can only squeeze into a size 10.