Diet and Exercise to look more fem?

[Michelle13]

Hey everyone.

I'm about 5'8 and 182lbs. I'm fairly skinny everywhere except my stomach/gut area tends to hold all of my fat, and I do have naturally thicker than an average (for women anyway) upper arms but I understand it's difficult if not impossible to get rid of muscle mass? It's just something a lot of guys tend to have. Especially when I don't even work out in the first place. lol

Does anyone know of or have experience with any diets or workouts known to help flatten tummies and maybe even improve pectoral/breast muscle/tissue size?

The two realistic things that I'd like to change about myself is flatter stomach, and slightly larger breasts.

As for my current habits, I eat too much chocolate and sweets, and barely any meats. I've been trying to eat more salads and such my lettuce tends to go bad before I can eat it all. lol :P I understand there's no miracle diet and workout, but I'm willing to commit to something as long as I know it'll likely work.


Any tips, advice and experience would be appreciated.
Thanks! :)

[Mikaylagirl]

I use Denise Richards work out routines. They are more generated for the female body. True,A mans muscle tones are not as a womans.but I found out that by doing girl work outs,My belly muscles and butt are more defined in a more feminine way.
When I work out,I stay away from all weights. Weights bild mass. I do mostly cardio and core workouts. I do Tae Kwon Do and Zumba as well. I am 5'8" and 145-155 lbs and I have to watch my belly the most,as well.
Luckily,my job has me a lot of walking,I mean a lot. I wore a walk counter once and in twelve hours,I did almost 18 miles. Don't sound like much,but try that in 20lb work boots. My legs are lean and very toned. I get a lot of compliments from gg's on my legs. So walking,walking,walking helps. Fast walking,stride walking.
My diet is fish,chicken,veggies and fruits. I have no problem with red meats,but I just have smaller portions. Really easy on the dressings as most are fattening. Pasta's are almost off limits for me. Huge weight gainers.
Larger breast? Hmmm...well,if you weight train your chest,you'll build muscle mass there. So,you'll end up looking like Mr. Incredible. Not a good look for a cd. Consider wearing forms,padded bra,etc.
Good luck :)

[Beverley Sims]

Michelle, you have already got the tips.
Less sweet stuff can help as will a balanced diet of vegetables and meat.
Walking regularly and putting a time lock on the refrigerator and food storage cupboards work wonders.
All joking aside, exercise and balanced food intake is the secret.
Others will be able to offer alternative advice.

[outhiking]

Wecome to the forum. Once you start fitting into some new or old favorites, you'll likely see your motivation to continue in the mirror. Good luck!

[Debra Russell]

No sweets, no fat, cut out bread and pasta more protean, lots of green leafy veggies, exercise - cardio/toning up - you can't develop breast through exercise (sorry) but you can loose that gut and body fat - this will not happen by wishing about it or with a pill and it takes dedication and work---among my other attributes I am a certified personal trainer - there is no such thing as a diet, just change of habits - good luck........................Debra

[Michelle13]

Thanks everyone! :)

I have heard about protein helping with weight loss, Debra, but I also though it promoted and preserves muscle mass? It's not going to make me gain even more muscle is it? lol

[Tilly Vega]

Im always going to be a big girl,but I still exercise. My background in fitness is varied from powerlifting,crossfit,bodybuilding, but I've never really grown bulging muscles. I get stronger way before I grow muscle which works out for a CD. I recommend bodyweight exercises,to me they tone the body,and provide functional strength. BW squats,pushups,pullups,lunges,climbing,swinging( think Tomb Raider),burpees,just my feminization exercises are based around toning up hips,butt, stomach. Why? Those are the genetic definers in women,anyone can have breasts. Work up to including running in every workout. I go to my towns park. They have jungle gyms,monkey bars,dip bars,etc. Perfect for bodyweight routines. Bodybuilding.com has great articles on training for every part of the body,nutrition advice,motivation,just lookup workouts for women,and I guarantee you'll find something to help you out.
~Tilly~

[Debra Russell]

No protein will also burn as as energy but your body will store a certain amount of calories form carbs as fat before it burns them as energy - it does preserve muscle mass - just work out to maintain muscle tone - you will lose fat...................Debra

[Lisa Gerrie]

Eat more vegetables, cut down on protein, cut down on carbs, cut down on whatever.

If I have to sacrifice something I'll eat what I like but cut down my portion size. That's what works for me.

[Kerrimog]

Don't neglect posture and stretching disciplines, specifically yoga, Alexander Technique and especially (for this purpose) Pilates. Learning how to relax into proper posture and breathe correctly will not only help you look and feel closer to how you want to be, it will directly aid you in any other kind of exercise you undertake.

As a singing teacher by profession, I've studied the above three disciplines a fair bit, a key moment for me as far as trans-posture goes was when I tried directions holding the shoulders back whilst pushing together in front of my chest (it's tough to explain without diagrams, but it's a good example).

[Donna Joanne]

There is a workout on YouTube called Body Feminization Exercises for Transsexuals. Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8udQ-h4Y4BY

[suzy1]

You want to get a fem shape? well this worked for me.

15 years ago I got to thinking what if I treated my body as it was meant to be treated.
We have evolved over hundreds of thousands of years and then in the last few hundred years we have gone from a natural lifestyle to hamburgers, fast food, and sitting down most of the time or driving half a mile to the shops. [Have your eyes glazed over yet or are you still interested] You are! Then I will continue.

Now you might be thinking what has this to do with getting a girly shape? Read on.

So I started my new lifestyle.

I started to eat only fresh food. No sugar, none! No processed food. None!
Instead I started to eat only fresh food. Meat, fish, home made bread using only whole-wheat grain, potatoes, and fruit and so on.
And I only eat when I am hungry. I don’t have set meal times.

For exercise I decided that the obvious exercise [to me anyway] is walking. We have evolved with a large part of our body being made up of legs.
So I walk fast every day for an hour or so. [I love walking] I also sprint for short periods due to the sport I am involved in.
Also I do 50-60 sit ups and other tummy exorcises every day.

I have found over the years that I have become very slim and my legs have developed so they are nice and shapely and feminine. My wast is small and my tummy is flat.
Also my upper body has kept small with slim arms and no horrible manly chest.

What has surprised and delighted me is over the next few years I just got fitter and fitter.

O.K. you have probably stopped reading this by now and gone out for a take-away and I don’t blame you!

But I am about to slip on a new size 12 [U.K. size] party wiggle dress and it will fit perfectly.

All the best,

SUZY

[RenneB]

I am not the expert by any means here, but I have dropped from 230 to 180... (5foot8) It took a few months but what I found that worked best was counting calories. You body is somewhat like a checkbook. If you put more calories in than you burn you gain. And just the opposite. On a 1,000 calorie day input and burning 1,500 calories (basically doing nothing) you'll loose 3,500 calories a week. One pound just about equals 3500 calories. That's 4 pounds a month and almost 50 pound a year. I wouldn't go any lower than a 1,000 calorie day but you can always up the calories out by working out. Be careful, it's really easy to eatoff a workout.

I then switched to a modified akins and dropped most of the carbs and went to protein. If that doesn't work, head off to your MD and ask for little white pills with blue specs... you'll be cleaning the baseboards at 11 at night on those babies....

Renne.....

[Geena75]

Thank-heavens winter is ending. Soon I'll be back to working outdoors around home. I walk all day at work, so the bottom 2/3 of my legs are OK, my trouble is from there up to my shoulders. I have to discipline myself back into situps daily. I gained a lot of weight when I quit smoking a couple years ago, and am slow in taking it off. I have the bad cycle of coming home from work feeling so tired I don't want to do anything. Just got to do it.

[Stevie]

If it tastes good then it is probably bad for you. Women's health magazines are loaded with great advice on how to lose weight and tone up. The key is eating the right foods for your body and maintaining a good cardio workout. Lifting weights is only good for building muscle. I'm the same height and weight as you are and have tested and proved that this works, but what works for one person doesn't necessary mean that it will work for you. You have to do the research and figure what foods and exercises will work for you. Good luck Michelle.

[docrobbysherry]

Michelle, I suggest baby steps. Like I switched from beer to wine. I still get a buzz, but lost 8 pounds in 3 months from that alone. Cutting back on heavy dinners knocked off another 5. I still eat way too much fast food for lunch. But, eating healthy dinners has allowed me to keep off those 13+ pounds. I'm 5' 9" or 10" and under 150 now.

U must lose about 20 pounds before u can begin toning. Don't diet. You'll simply fail and put it back on. Think baby steps. Smaller portions. Healthier dinners. No crap snacking. Knock off sweet drinks. Watch the weight gradually melt away. Don't try to lose the 30+ pounds u need to lose in less than 10 months!

If u wish to do cardio for health, great. That won't help your fem looks, tho. I stopped ALL weight and cardio excersizes when I got serious about my figure.

Lose the weight. Then, do what Suzy and I do. Core excersizes and stretches. I spend 15 minutes doing 100 easy, timed, crunches every morning before my tea. My back feels better than it did 10 years ago and I can show my abs off in crop tops and swim suits!

[Erica Marie]

Light weights
Less calories in than you burn each day
Lots of cardio

And trust me if you are not born with abs you cant just go get them. I have been trying for years and I can seem to find mine either.

[JenniferR771]

Eat less, Dawn.
My favorite exercise girl is Denise Austin. Fun, expert and not hard to look at. TV show and many videos.
And second place is (was) Richard Simmons, Sweatin to the Oldies. Still fun after all these years.

[Xrys]

one thing that helped me loose weight is having a small snack between meals. im not talking about junk snacks either. i keep baggies of baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, snow peas, and cut celery sticks at the ready for when i get the munchies. the snacking helps keep up my metabolism so i burn more calories even at rest. it also helps keep me from wanting bigger portions for my meals.the best advice i have for you is to learn when your body is full and stop eating then. it took me a while to really learn to listen to my body and let it dictate how much to eat and not the ammount of food on my plate. hope it helps and good luck.

[Gwen01]

Swimming laps is an excellent way to "stretch" and smooth muscle tone and give a longer, smoother look to your arms and legs.
Stick with strokes such as freestyle and sidestroke as those movements incorporate technique instead of raw power when done properly.
Also, if you want breasts, the vest way is to retain some fatty tissue in that area.
I've been experimenting with techniques from Lucille Sorella and have had some success on natural breast enlargement. It doesn't happen overnight,
however it is worth looking into.
Hope this helps!

-Gwen

[larry]

Thanks Donna !!


There is a workout on YouTube called Body Feminization Exercises for Transsexuals. Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8udQ-h4Y4BY

[Karren H]

I had the same issue and I exercise and play ice hockey to stay in shape yet still have some belly.... vs getting liposuction I wear a corset.... have for years..... and it will reshape your body if you wear it tight full time.....

[Stephanie Mancini]

Only one way to do it and that entails hard work on your part which means excercise personally i use an old fashioned method yet still works admirably in keeping that inner core in great shape plus it really lets you express yourself in a feminine way ,to be effective you need at least 2 or 3 x15 minute sessions dailly see this link also check out youtube for some lessons to get you started http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2266697/Can-hula-hooping-just-10-minutes-day-shave-Two-inches-waistline-Kelly-Osbourne-claims-minimal-exercise-gave-big-results.html

Steph

[JaytoJillian]

Run, use cardio machines, push weight (lower body only) watch what you eat and the pounds will melt away.

[NathalieX66]

Water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water,


whatever you do or eat, just drink water instead of soda (...combination of sugar and high fructose corn syrup is fat in a can or bottle....including diet soda).

[Anneliese]

Remember when the guy in the great movie "The Graduate" says "Plastics"?

I say fennel seeds.

Grew my breasts to large A/small B. (scoff if you want, it's true. 5'11" 155 with real ones. It's either that or "The Music Man's" "think system")

[tiffanynjcd24]

well what i do is that i only eat nutrigrain bars mostly, drink plenty of water(no juice, soda or coffee) eat a salad from mcdonalds. I stay away from deserts unless its apple pie and most of the times i skip lunch. Basically even i eat a lot i dont gain that much weight due to my high metabloism

[Miss Briana]

I have to agree with the water and snacking. Those two things help you avoid a food binge which seems to be a real issue. Also, the more you cook and prepare food for yourself, the better you will tend to eat since you'll probably end up with less sodium, more nutritious food and a more well-thought out meal. You don't have to do it for every meal, but just building up a know-how of a few different foods will help a lot.

Apart from dedicated exercise time, being lightly active in your daily life can help a lot too. Get up and walk around more if you sit at work all day, take the stairs, etc. No need for a radical change in your life since that's not likely to be sustained over time.

[tiffanynjcd24]

I have to agree with the water and snacking. Those two things help you avoid a food binge which seems to be a real issue. Also, the more you cook and prepare food for yourself, the better you will tend to eat since you'll probably end up with less sodium, more nutritious food and a more well-thought out meal. You don't have to do it for every meal, but just building up a know-how of a few different foods will help a lot.

Apart from dedicated exercise time, being lightly active in your daily life can help a lot too. Get up and walk around more if you sit at work all day, take the stairs, etc. No need for a radical change in your life since that's not likely to be sustained over time.

i agree i also been walk around the floor in the office and its seems to build up legs and glutes

[IngeInCO]

[QUOTE=Erica Marie;3159163]
Less calories in than you burn each day


That is the only way! I choose exercise rather than cutting down on intake. I love food and beer!