hormone experience

[GabbiSophia]

with the potential being on the horizon I have been wondering how much they will reduce your "bulk"? I am big and I need to lose weight that's a fact but what part of my weight is muscle I am not sure. I know you lose muscle but what has been some of yalls exp? I am no body builder but I still have a bunch of regular muscle under the relaxed muscle.

[Angela Campbell]

You will not lose much in size from Hormones. Yes you will eventually lose some muscle mass over a few years time but not much in size. Diet is the best bet.

[Aprilrain]

I was pretty muscular pre HRT. I did a lot of climbing either in a gym or outdoors, my forearms were especially strong. I dropped a lot of weight due to stress early in transition, I couldn't tell you how much muscle I lost though. I'm still pretty strong (I generally do not have trouble opening jars) things do seem heavier to me than they used to.

I put on a lot of weight from hormones though, all fat! I call it my transfat:devil: most of it did wonders for my figure though so I'm not complaining. The bit I didn't like so much I just had Liposuctioned off, my belly and midsection. It has really made a difference in how I look but it didn't change my weight at all, not even a pound:straightface:

[GabbiSophia]

Wow ok... i need to adjust my eating lifestyle anyways for general health but you talking about gaining weight is scary. I know some weight moves around but I guess I was delusional thinking that it would do more than it really will. I am not going to eat just twigs and berries though

[stefan37]

I have lost a ton of strength. I have lost muscle mass in my arms, upper thighs and shoulders. That said it is not all that apparent to others. I notice the change. Physical change on hormones is iffy at best and in my opinion rather lackluster. The mental change is phenomenal and to me that has been the greatest effect hormones have had on me.

[I Am Paula]

I had to laugh out loud at myself. Two nights ago I could not open a jar. I went to the dollar store and bought an opener. I've never owned one before. Still laughing.

[rachael.davis]

I sent a friend (GG) an email about some work I was doing, and winged when did 100 pounds become heavy?
She sent a not back saying Well Sweetie, that's why Goddess invented men.

I've lost a lot of muscle mass, can't say I miss it most of the time. And I love Aprilrains "transfat" joke.

[LeaP]

I have lost a lot of upper body bulk. The loss of strength is quite noticeable when trying to lift something overhead in particular.

Lowering your testosterone levels and increasing estrogen levels will slow your metabolism somewhat. If you need to lose weight – and many trans women do – then "twigs and berries" along with exercise is probably the only thing that's really going to work. Sorry.

[Lilo]

Lost about 15 pounds but I was also running a lot. Interestingly people noticed but I didnt. Some asked me if I was sick. When I see myself in the mirror I still see more muscle than I want. On the other hand I did loose a lot of strength and cant open as many jars. It seems like jar opening the is the best gauge for strength in this forum...

[TeresaL]

My shoulders in the back taper off in a highly undesirable "V" shape, and it only gets slightly larger at the hips. Hormones have minor effect. In the front though, I have a girly divot at the waist, and my "trans fat" blooms out below the narrowing waist, thereby forming a faux hip area. AND, it's not a muffin top. That is something I love.

I did gain about five or ten pounds of trans-fat though. Lots of work to do.

Inna has had a dramatic change in body mass. Hopefully, she will chime in.

[LeaP]

Lilo, that's funny - I had people going to my manager asking if I was sick. I'm fortunate enough to have naturally wide hips. No butt, though. On the other hand, I have to really watch for weight gain now, as my siblings (who are very heavy) have really outsized hips and thighs. I gain weight there first, also.

I've lost over 100 pounds from my peak, about 70-80 of it after my bell was rung. I followed the Inna plan! Calorie restriction and no muscle-building exercise. Mine consisted of walking primarily (hour/day) supplemented by sit-ups and kettlebell swings, both to tighten the middle.

[Lena]

I don't know a whole lot but I've been reading on this. There are trans diets mentioned that are low protein. That coupled with cardio-resistance exercising causes the body to burn muscle mass.

[gonegirl]

with the potential being on the horizon I have been wondering how much they will reduce your "bulk"?

Steph - with hormones YMMV, but one way you can maximize the results you are seeking is to start a regular (5 days/week) high-intensity cardio workout regime (45 min on an elliptical is very effective) and restrict you caloric intake to somewhere around 2000/day (or lower if you can manage it). Quit drinking any soda and eat an apple for between-mealtime snacks. This way you won't starve yourself plus you'll get some endorphin rushes from the exercise.

I did this for 18 months and burned off 40 lbs - all the fat went first and then I started burning muscle. When I did go on hormones my upper body muscle really started to disappear and my face, hips, and bum started filling out.

Start your exercise and diet yesterday!