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I have always had transitioning in the back of my mind...but I it's not something I ever thaught of doing...I think, for now I like where I am...as a CD. But I've always wondered what do HRT drugs do for bigger guys like me? I'm 6ft 2...250 lbs, huge hands...beer belly. Do the drugs really feminize those features?
Its funny... my dentist told me I have feminine gums in my mouth. I was not sure how to take that. Maybe a compliment! It kind of justified alot of things.
Thanks!
Um, no, yes, maybe? YMMV
HRT can affect how your overall body appears, but it is not magic. It wont change the size of your hands, if it does it will be super minimal. It wont magically cause you to loose a beer belly, nope, not going to happen. Some women do report a small decrease in height.
Basically, and this is from personal experience, anything concerning bone will NOT change.
Anything concerning soft tissues may change.
Anything concerning nails/hair may change.
As Nadine said though, everyone is different and will react to hormones in their own way.
I've ready many stories by big folks who finally decided to take good care of their bodies once they started HRT. It put them in the right state of mind and THAT made a huge difference.
FWIW, I am built much like you, BridalGuy. I finally reached the point where perfection, or even anything close to it, no longer mattered. I had to start treating the dysphoria. After four months of HRT, my skin is softer, body hair is, for the most part, lighter and more sparse, and my breasts are well into Tanner 2 territory (which is to say "still pretty much unremarkable). These changes are, however, real. More will come, but it is the doing that matters.
From what I've heard estrogen makes it harder to lose weight, so you may want to do that right now!
Marion
HRT can cause weight gain, which might but you in a higher risk factor from from weight related problems. Benefits may outweigh risks for you, you should talk to your doctor.
Even if I wanted HRT, it is contraindicated for me due to my weight and sedentary lifestyle (much higher risk for blood clots in the legs fro sitting all day.)
For me, HRT caused weight loss. The reason is that I'm athletic, a really strong cyclist, and I lost muscle mass. Muscle is denser than fat. So it's a YMMV thing.
My on-bike performance also declined. I could still do what I always did, but all things being equal, I had to use a gear or two easier on steep hills, with soreness that I didn't experience while T still ruled the roost.
When I took a hiatus from HRT, my weight shot up about 5 lbs, and all of a sudden I could go up hills in a harder gear, without pain. It took exactly 3 weeks for that to manifest itself, and it happened basically overnight. The decline while on HRT however, was more gradual. I don't ride competitively, just for the fun of it, but I do ride a lot. I'm OK with the slight performance loss, but would not be OK with having to give up the sport. I suppose with harder training I could recoup the HRT losses but since I don't compete, it's not important to me.
before HRT, get to the gym, exercise like hell and lose 70 lbs. honestly, HRT will make losing weight and dealing with fat far worse.
As most stated YMMV, the norm is to gain weight! I lost 20lbs! Body hair regrowth rate down and softer and less full! Facial hair was down but started progesterone and now it grows faster! Decreased strength and endurance is noted! Mentally and emotionally nothing but good! Again, YMMV! Wishing you the best on your journey! Hugs Lana Mae
Well, I am/was not quite as big as you, but close. I am 63, and 5? 10? tall, and when I started HRT two years ago, I weighed 229 pounds. A year on HRT did not change that for the better. My belly was still larger than my boobs, even when wearing breast forms that gave me D-cup breasts! Now, fortunately for me, my hands are not huge, and my face, once my beard was shaved off, was already somewhat androgynous. But without makeup and a wig, you?d never have mistaken me for a woman, even in a dress and with breast forms.
I am now more than two and a half years into HRT, and can tell you how I changed. Some was from the hormones, but a lot more was my own actions... I hope this post can help you out too.
Before I even started the hormones, I learned a few important and helpful tips for feminizing my appearance.
Without hormone effects, big male hands can look more feminine and less big if you have feminine, long and tapered fingernails. Like an almond shaped nail. It gives the illusion that your fingers are longer than they really are, and this makes the rest of the hand seem smaller. You can see this effect on a temporary basis with reasonable quality ?press on? fake nails, available at a fairly low cost from most pharmacies and grocery cosmetics department. If you do choose to go full time, as I have, acrylic nails give a great 24x7 solution for this.
Careful choices in cosmetics and clothing can also go a long way to feminizing your look. More so than the hormone changes will do.
After a year on HRT, friends who saw me literally every week were remarking that they were noticing my face was looking more feminine. So yes, the hormones can change some aspects of the face. But don?t expect miracles. If you have a square jaw like Dick Tracy in the comics, you?ll still have that masculine jaw. As others said, hormones won?t change bone.
Two years on HRT has made my arms and wrists more slender. Legs also seem more slender. Most of that is losing muscle mass, though some is from losing weight (see below). I am still pretty strong, but my muscles are less bulky and defined. My hands also lost some bulk. But the hormones are not going to change a heavy bone structure to something lighter.
Hormones may have made me about an inch shorter, but that could also just be aging and spinal compression as I hit my 60?s. Don?t expect to shrink.
Hormones greatly reduced hair growth and density on my arms, legs and torso. Still have hair there, but much less noticeable. Facial hair and pubic hair did not change much. Hair atop my head did not grow back.
Hormones are not likely to feminize your voice, nor will ?bottom surgery?. Your voice?s sound is determined by structure and shape formed at puberty, and losing male hormones now and gaining female hormones can?t change that very much - any more than they can make you look 20 again. But you can learn to feminize your voice. The process is similar to learning to sing, to control the pitch, resonance and timbre of your voice, as well as your choices of vocabulary, phrasing and intonation. I developed a pretty passable female voice, and No longer even need to think about it to do it. I usually only sound male when I am very tired or distracted. So, even though hormones won?t help on your voice, there are ways to fix it.
Weight: I took direct action to resolve my belly problem. I knew I had top surgery coming up around the end of 2020, and I swore that by the time I got it, I was going to lose that gut. So one year ago, I got serious about diet and exercise. I consulted with my doctor to make sure my plan was sound, and she agreed it was, for me. It has worked. I went from size 18-20 skirts and pants to size 8-10, and lost 46 pounds on one year. Hormones would not do that for me. But I could do it for myself, with daily effort - counting my calories, reducing meal portions, and walking 3-5 miles every single day. Honestly, I would recommend you consider that approach.
But above all else, consider the wide range of what is ?normal? for cisgender women. There certainly are women who are taller and heavier than you are. You?ll never shrink into a 5? 2? college co-ed. Don?t aspire to that. But you could well become a very beautiful woman, who happens to be a tall, strong amazon of a gal. Aim for that, and rock it.
Hope that was helpful!
If you want medical advice, you should ask your doctor. And as some have mentioned, we react differently so one person's experience will not necessarily be the same as the next person's. However, common sense tells us that female hormones won't make you shorter or make your hands and feet smaller. And they will not make you lose your beer belly unless you begin to exercise and change your eating habits.
HTR drugs have some serious side affects and should be taken only for the right reasons and under a doctor's supervision.