HRT and weight loss?

[whowhatwhen]

Has being on HRT affected your ability to lose weight?
I kept reading that I should've been exercising well before starting but what can I say, I'm a lazy fart :P

Last night after I stepped out of the shower I noticed that my belly makes my boobs look quite a bit smaller.
All I could think of was "well... ****", and lamented all those ice coffees and timbits.

Have any of you had luck reducing the size of your belly?
IMO It's such a huge male marker, I've only seen pregnant women with bellies like mine.

[Donna Joanne]

I have cut out most of the carbs in my diet and all bread/starches. It isn't easy, but it's working. I set a realistic goal of 1 lb a week, have lost 5 lbs in 4 weeks so it is working. I've been on HRT (Spiro/EV/Fin) since 2/14. So it is possible. Just remember that you didn't put it on overnight and it doesn't come off that fast either. Good luck!

[Aimee20]

I've had the opposite experience and since starting hrt have lost about 40lbs. Now just need the last 20 to wander away to be at a nice and trim 160

[BOBBI G.]

W,W,W,
I have worn out two Ab Rollers trying to reduce my mid section, and all I have accomplished it getting sore shoulders. Weight loss is another problem. No matter the caloric restrictions I place on myself, I float between 150 and 155 pounds. My BMI is at the low end of my healthy range for my height, but I really would like to find a way to safely rid myself of about ten of those. I have even tried reducing me alcoholic consumption and all it has done is keep me a little more sober.
Any thing short of a abdominal surgery in suggestions would be considered and appreciated.

Bobbi

[PretzelGirl]

We all are going to be different based on our bodies and the reaction to the medicines. I have been a calorie counter for a long time. Not that calories are the end all, but it just gives me the quick thumbnail look that I am not getting out of control. I have maintained my weight well that way. When I started HRT, I dropped my average top end 150 calories. The result is that almost six months later, my weight has stayed in a 5 lb range, which is normal fluctuation. I suspect the Spiro since I have been more winded, so my metabolism probably took a hit because of its effects. Obviously nothing unexpected since I did drop my intake in preparation. I would be interested to know if anyone felt the bounce back after getting off of the Spiro.

[whowhatwhen]

I don't know how you'd drop your intake.
HRT Has made me extremely hungry and constantly craving food, it's a wonder I haven't ballooned.

[allisonagain]

My issue is being a bit on the thin side as I start HRT. My face looks a bit gaunt and I read that without fat to work with, estrogen won't do much. I also read that E doesn't move fat around as much as it directs where new fat will be accumulated, in a more feminine manner obviously. I know this is off the subject by 180 degrees but comments about the effects of E on fat already present vs fat gained would be useful to everyone, including Whowhatwhen.

[LeaP]

Just a few facts:

A specific type of fat is accumulated under the influence of estrogen and this is a secondary sex characteristic. Estrogenic fat is typically accumulated on hips and thighs.

Too much estrogen can cause you to store more fat than you would otherwise. Many trans people take very large dosages of estradiol. Draw your own conclusions.

The pattern of fat breakdown in the body depends on a complex mix of hormones. The average GG body will accumulate estrogenic fat and break down relatively more non-estrogenic fat (e.g. In the abdomen). At least until menopause,that is.

Mileage under the influence of MtF HRT varies ... I started out with a relatively heavy lower body, consistent with my siblings. HRT has added to that. I had NO issue losing weight until I reached my current E dosage, at which point my weight went up 15 pounds and it became noticeably more difficult to take it off. (I've taken 10 of it off.) I've never had much of a middle, except when very heavy. HRT doesn't seem to have changed anything in that regard. My face has rounded out, even as I have lost weight, and my skin has improved. Both are due to fat, the first entirely, the second partly.

So taking estrogen CAN influence both where you accumulate far as well as where you lose it. It can facilitate or speed up certain female-typical accumulations and may or may not assist in breaking down male-pattern accumulations. But as usual, there is no predicting results. In no instance does fat "migrate" however.

[whowhatwhen]

Makes sense.
I'm was just a bit concerned since I read long ago that being on HRT would make it more difficult to "flatten out".

You can do DIY lipo with some garden hose and a vacuum right?

[Rianna Humble]

You can do DIY lipo with some garden hose and a vacuum right?

Joke or not, don't even go there