Changing your body to benefit your femme self

[MzVanessa]

Hi everyone... My name is Vanessa... I'm a newbie but have been reading the forum the last couples months here and there... thought it was time to join in.
As my first official thread I guess I just wanted to get some of your opinions and thoughts about changing your bodies to enhance your femme self. I'm not really talking about plastic surgery, but more about working out and weight loss.
I believe I am at a bit of a crossroads in my life as to how much I want Vanessa to become part of my day to day. I have been divorced for almost two years now, and immediately after it went through I took to working out and lifting weights to obtain a more fit appearance to attract females and get back into dating. While I didnt get Hulk big I did put on a noticeable amount of muscle, and in turn, my appearance en femme suffered. I naturally didnt feel as feminine and also lost a bit of the urge to dress up anymore. Well after about a year of that, and dating, I was with a steady GF for a few months and got a little comfortable and stopped working out as much and have since then lost a bit of the muscle I put on.
Now that I am single again, and after spending a bit of time unhappy with myself in the femme sense, I am considering focusing more on losing weight... particularly upper body muscle and fat that came back after a few months, and more on developing my thighs, butt, and core to look more feminine. I feel like its a big decision and I honestly am unsure as to how I feel about it. I am happy as a man but I do love dressing up, but I don't want to lose myself in Vanessa's world either. How have some of you dealt with this issue? Is there a way to find a balance or is it an all or nothing type of deal? Any input is appreciated. Thanks.

[PatChick]

I feel kind of the same. I'm 6'0 200, and look normal as a guy, but en femme, my arms and shoulders look a little silly. I guess I'm not really helping you, as I'm looking for similar advice.

[AnnieMac]

Ya me too, I have the same trouble as y'all - arms to big and flabby, and then there's that man belly, since I'm 5'10 and overweight at 215. I can present a pretty nice female form when I get down to were I should be at 170-175. So yes back to swimming my laps, I promise myself. Also look like a girl? -Eat like a girl! Gonna have to be girl food -veggies & dip and salads. Not always able to get that curvy female shape though, guess it will have go the corset route - sigh.

(my tummy is not a cross-eater though, it prefers pizza & beer)

[Sabrina133]

Hi Vanessa et al,

Great question about working out. I've found that for me, the best is aerobics...lots of running and light weights to tone but not to build mass. Also, watch what you eat. While i am not recommending starving yourselves, you should consider protien, veggies and stay away from carbs.

Good luck
Bree

[Ciara Brianne]

I adopted a feminizing workout that targets the core and lower body. It has the benefit of decreasing my waistline and love handles and building the butt and hips. I am actually surprised how well it works. It also provides a decent cardio workout. As for the "man arms"...please let me know if you find a fix for this.

Ciara

[NathalieX66]

I run pretty regularly....about 3-4 times a week. It keeps my weight down. Even though I have a fairly flat tummy ,I would do abdominal exercises, but for some reason I find some strange allergic reaction to doing these kinds of exercises......don't know why that is.
I'd be willing to do HRT if it didn't mean killing off my lower half, so I'll just leave it at that. I just feel like sometimes I don't look soft enough.

I did a very wrong thing today. I drank a can of Coca Cola.
I usually drink straight water since soda is mostly the fat stuff created by corn syrup like Coke.

[Violet-13]

I adopted a feminizing workout that targets the core and lower body. It has the benefit of decreasing my waistline and love handles and building the butt and hips. I am actually surprised how well it works. It also provides a decent cardio workout. As for the "man arms"...please let me know if you find a fix for this.

Ciara

think you could pm me that work out plan.

as for me when I dress I wrap a tensor bandage around my self and attempt to give my self more of a hourglass figure.

[MzVanessa]

Thanks for the suggestions all. I guess there's no magic pill or potion. Good old fashion diet and exercise is the only way.

[JenniferR771]

The most feminizing thing you can do is to grow long hair...right? Eat less. And yes, aerobics is a good bet. My favorite is Denise Austin. Dozens of exercise and dance videos. Of course, it works best if you wear a cute leotard and tights.

[MzVanessa]

Ooooh yes. That's one thing... When I work out I do like to dress in girls workout clothes. Love wearing a pair of form fitting tights, a sexy matching top, and some cute girl running shoes. Gym attire can be very flattering and sexy. Very motivating.

[Tracii G]

Ever think about using hip and butt pads? A corset will do wonders as well.
You have a male body and thats is what you have to work with.
I did all the aerobics stuff and all I got was less butt and big guy thighs. It didn't look very femme trust me.
I worked out in a girls class too and it didn't help at all.

[MzVanessa]

Hip pads I could use for sure. I have been blessed with a pretty femme rear end but I wouldn't mind making it bigger by doing more squats and lunges. I do like corsets, I will definitely look into getting one... super sexy.

[LoriFlores]

Ooooh yes. That's one thing... When I work out I do like to dress in girls workout clothes. Love wearing a pair of form fitting tights, a sexy matching top, and some cute girl running shoes. Gym attire can be very flattering and sexy. Very motivating.

This is pretty much what I do too. My exercise routine includes mostly running, ran 13.5 miles today. I do this while dressed in 100% women's cloths/accessories. This training has kept my legs and butt toned and feminine, my belly slim, and I've lost a lot of upper body (arms and chest) muscle. I was also blessed with a well developed feminine looking butt

[Tabitha Storm]

I have always been skinny but as I get older I notice I started to get more of a pooch belly. Not good for the femme self.
I watch what I eat to make sure it went away. Now if I could get a butt I would work out more for sure.

Tab

[Barbara Dugan]

I don't workout , its something I want to start doing because I am a just a bit over my normal weight..one thing that always want to do is get a nose job

[Beverley Sims]

Vanessa,
If you look as ugly as sin, you already have the initiative to do something about it.
If you look drop dead gorgeous, vanity creeps in and you want to be absolutely stunning.

Just do what is necessary for a good presentation.
It 'aint easy and doesn't happen over night.

I believe in the "Tooth Fairy" and "Santa Claws" sic.
But the other fairies that change your appearance are still hiding under a toadstool somewhere.

[Candice Mae]

Loosing muscle mass will only do so much, and using exercise to target certain areas isn't worth the effect. In the end as others have said you will just look like a smallish male. It's pretty much using hip pads and forms or take hormones if you want a feminine shape.

[Miss Michelle Warner]

Hi honey,
I understand your dilemma, As a very mature bi TV, cross dresser, drag queen...whatever, I struggled with the same issues many years ago. I got into dressing in my early teens and have been at it ever since. I'm in my 70s now but look much younger, like 50ish and still enjoy painting up when ever I get the chance. Dressing for me has always involved sex, erotic play and fantasy either autoerotic before the mirror or with a partner. I used to go out a lot in drag during my younger days and was quite passable if I didn't dress and makeup too ****ty, which I have a tendency to do. At 5' 11" with very heavy draggy make up.and ****ty outfits folks usually read me as a drag queen, which I never minded, It got me lots of hits, usually from straight guys...LOL. Back in the 70s I was the cover girl and had a 6 page feature pictorial article in a TV publication "Transvestia", some with my genitals exposed which garnered lottsa positive letters to the editor. My moment of fame, I loved it...LOL.That was at the time of the so called "Sexual Revolution" when censorship fell by the wayside and explicit photos and articles became commonplace.
my body hair, I had very sparse and fine body hair naturally, got very minimal after the hormone therapy and stayed that way. I still don't grow any underarm hair at all. Even so, I like to keep my body smooth and hairless except for a small narrow patch above my penis with regular depilitation or shaving. I love the feel of being smooth. My hips and ass got much fuller, if were younger I'd get a butt augmentation for a totally female ass...se la vie! Also my voice changed a bit too where i can speak with a modulated kinda deep sexy voice, much like the lovely German actress Marlene Dietrich. Maybe most important is the feminization of my psyche, I felt so much more girlish
The caveats, (I can deal with them because I like the changes that occurred): Decrease in testosterone led to a slight loss of libido, but a lot of that is mental. By nature I've always been extremely focused on sex.
All in all I have no regrets about the path I took and the immense satisfaction I've enjoyed all of my adult life. I can think of no other lifstyle as satisfing.
Love and empathy to all my sisters out there, we all are unique creatures.
MissDeeLiscios

[Adriana Moretti]

vanessa you should check this thread here ,

http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/...hlight=routine

there are plenty of exercises you can do that will help.....of coarse you have to have the right body type which you look like you have...oh....and starve yourself....lol !! yes...you will look like a skinny boy but i noticed if you work your midsection like in the videos shown in the threads it REALLY helps alot....running in fasting mode will shred muscle mass and belly fat ...and eat to live...not live to eat

[emma30]

Venessa,
I am going through a transformation at the moment, i go walking with a ten kilo back pack. I do 5 miles every other day. Along with this i have a really good diet of seeds, fruit, fish, vegetables not many carbs and plenty of water. I dont eat after 7.30 in the evening
And i keep thinking feminine to give me the motivation, im losing weight and ive dropped a dress size in four weeks and that was over christmas lol, so go for it girl and get yourself that great figure x

[Aprilrain]

It's genetics and hormones. Unfortunately your genetics and hormones tell your body to build muscle 5 times more easily than a woman's genetics and hormones. And then there is your male bone structure, which includes your face. Woman get their hips largely from their bones, not from fat. And the differences in facial structure are subtle but extensive.

The effects of HRT vary widly from person to person but generally the earlier you start in life the better, though after puberty it's pretty much a crap shoot. I got lucky, my already naturally feminine ass just got bigger and I gained a lot of weight on my thighs. This really feminized my legs and ass. Gaining weight in general meant gaining on my face which really rounded everything out after I had FFS. Unfortunately I also gained weight in my midsection. Im still battling the bulge! Lipo helped with that but it is no cure all and it hurts like hell! Hormones and a lack of exercise helped me shed muscle mass up top. One can only expect so much though. Im still pretty strong even after a few years of hormones and no upperbody conditioning. I started working out again, though I hate it and do not get people who actually enjoy torturing themselves!

Exercise is great and you will live a long and healthy life but there is no such thing as "girl" exercises. If anything obese men and women tend to start looking more alike the heavier they get!

[kimdl93]

Really I think toned arms and shoulders look good on anyone. Maintain or strive for a healthy weight, back off on the heavy, low rep shoulder work and concentrate more on your legs and glutes. Most of us have aspects of our bodies that are overtly masculine. Work around those by your choice of clothes and don't worry bout things you can't hide or chane.

[Felicia Dee]

I run into similar issues. Though I am thin and only 5'8" -- I have a big ribcage and naturally broad shoulders. I have been working out my lower body and not working out my upper... but I do chest exercises to better maximize some cleavage and keep my arms firm. So far, this is working. additionally, I have been altering my diet and incorporating suppliments to lower my testosterone and up my estrogen. It's been a few months and it has actually worked to soften my skin, slow my beard groth and increase sensitivity in certain... places... But ultimately, I rely on padding. A friend of mine noted that a convincing look ultimately boils down to proportions. Hips/thighs/butt that is more plush, balances out my shoulders. Larger breast forms play down my shoulders.

[rachael.davis]

For what it's worth if you're want trim, and toned start doing your training for trimmed and toned.

I have fallen madly in love with http://www.hemalayaa.com/, her workouts are geared towards women, and are kind of stone killers to keep up with

[Karren H]

Over the last 10 years I've lost 50 pounds..... been aggressively working at growing my breasts.... I can't even discuss here what I've done to create feminine breasts not just larger man boobs... lol.... got into corsettry and tight lacing..... which reduced my rib cage and bra band size 2" and by moving a few organs around I can cinch down to 26"..... did some foot binding.... which has reduced the width of my foot enough to wear a coupe size smaller shoes... male and female..... even played around with the idea of self castration..... but haven't gone that far.... yet... lol