Dieting and exercising, not losing weight

M

MaycheeVee

New member
Hey everyone,


I'm a 22 years old male-to-female transsexual and I'm having huge difficulty with losing weight. I've gone from 221 pounds to 168 in a little less than six months by basically just reducing my portion size and eating less (and much healthier food). All throughout, I haven't done any exercising at all (and I led a very sedentary life, basically no longer walks, no exercising at all, just sitting at my computer).


About 4 weeks ago, I started exercising (taking it slow at first and ramp it up), doing mostly 40 minute cardio (heart rate between 68-78%) every day on my indoor bike. Out of 4 weeks, I've skipped on it only twice. Later on I've also added crunches, leg lifts (for thighs), and stomach vacuum exercises. During the weekend I workout out twice a day, one 45 minute session of cycling, followed by a 40 minute session after about 6 hours. My weight hasn't budged by even a pound.


I would like to know what's going on? Is it that my muscles are going from the state of being completely shrunk to becoming slowly developed now, replacing the weight of fat? Or am I doing something terribly wrong?


My diet usually consists of two main meals, along with a handful of almonds to snack on during the meals. The first meal is lunch (which I have around 10-11 am), and it consists of a low-fat yoghurt and either a small whole-wheat slice of bread, or a dark wheat bun. The second meal is dinner, which is just a normal meal (ie. spaghetti bolognese with whole-wheat pasta, meatballs with the same pasta and tomato sauce, chicken strips with brown rice, etc), and it's always home-cooked. Basically, it usually consists of some sort of meat (or protein, sometimes it's soy) and carbs. The whole meal isn't really big, but enough to almost fill me up. Most of the time I also have a bowl of red and green lettuce with olive oil and pumpkin oil, and some vinegar as well. Apart from the food, I exclusively drink mineral water (non-fizzy), and it's usually about two liters a day (which is a bit more than 8 cups).


I honestly have no clue why I'm not seeing any weight loss. I'm not sure about fat loss as of yet, I've started to take my measures in the morning today, and I'll be keeping a diary by writing my measures down once a week.

Is it that I'm just impatient and that it takes a while to see results? Or is it something entirely else?


Any advice, recommendations and comments would be greatly appreciated.
 
There are any number of things that it might be. a few suggestions.


Cardio every single day can be counter productive, limit it to 5 days a week to allow recovery.

Instead of 40 minutes of steady state cardio, try doing HIIT for the first 10 minutes before continuing with steady state for 20-30 minutes.

try including more muscle groups in your strength program, if you're concerned about getting too bulky keep the weights low and reps high. limit these sort of exercises to 3-4 times a week.


Try counting your calorie intake for a few days and see what numbers come up. could be you're higher than you think or too low (or neither)

If your change included any sort of hormone therapy it might be worth finding out about possible side effects.


Tourny
 
Thank you for the reply and the suggestions.


I'll limit the exercise to 5 times a week, then. Should it be the same days every week, or can it be varied?


Even though I hate doing HIIT, I'll give it a try. Most suggestions that I've read on the internet suggested it, but doing it for at least 30 minutes. Tried doing it but couldn't last more than 20 mins. Ten seems a lot more reasonable.


I've thought about adding weight lifting but I've only a set of steel dumbbells and a set of different weights for them, so I'm not particularly sure which exercises would be possible with that. Guess I'll have to peruse the internet for some exercises.


As far as counting calories go, I've done that (to an extent, can't really control what and how much my mom puts into my dinner). I've usually ended up in the weight loss zone, though (around 1900 calories for my weight and height). More or less, at least.


My transition's being aided by estradiol and an anti-androgen (essentially slowing down my metabolism and moving the storage of fat to other places). I've been taking those for almost 5 months now, though, so that's not an issue.
 
vary days as much as you please, it's just about giving your body a break every now and then for recovery


dumbell exercises you could try

curl, deadlift, fly, press, lateral raise, overhead extensions


Anything that slows down your metabolism will affect the number of calories you need to maintain or lose weight, sustained dieting also hits the metabolism and little exercise means that some of that initial weight loss would have been muscle (reducing your resting metabolic rate).



Hopefully the changes to your exercise routine will be sufficient to get things moving again.


Tourny
 
Thank you for listing some dumbbell exercises! I'll be trying them out, for sure. I suppose I should be going for 3x20 reps with low weight if I don't want to buff up?


And I guess doing the dumbbell exercises every day along with the cardio wouldn't be too good, right? I suppose I'll have to shuffle them up, like 15-20 min cardio along with dumbbell exercises one day, 40 minutes of cardio the next day, etc.?


Thanks again for taking the time to answer my silly questions!
 
3x20 and low weight should be fine. If you find the last reps of the final set tough the weight is too high.


The weights program you're looking at shouldn't interfere with your cardio as they are using entirely separate muscle groups. (If you're doing them back to back do the weights first as it'll give your heart rate a headstart for the cardio session)


you're welcome

Tourny
 
I have a friend who went through the male to female transgender process. Like you she aimed to drop weight to a female equivalent BMI of 20 - 25.


But there are a number of factors to consider:


- her skeletal frame was larger than an average woman of her height

- even on hormone replacement therapy she gained more muscle for less work than an average woman

- if she got her body weight too low she would get a very bony chest plate and shoulders which did not look good

- and at a very low weight she also became very fatigued and had no energy


The problem was that even with full gender reassignment including facial modifications her basic skeletal and muscle structure was still effectively male.


In the end she agreed that she needed to reset her weight expectations. She always remained slim but understood there was a limit to how low she could take her body weight before it neither looked good and made her too tired to live a good life.


You may need to make a similar self assessment and work out what weight best works for you rather than rely on calculators. Just be careful what targets you set for yourself.
 
Tourney, I'll follow your advice and schedule my workout routine as follows:


Monday - rest

Tuesday - 40 minute cardio (HIIT+30 min steady) + leg exercises

Wednesday - dumbbell exercises + 40 min cardio (HIIT+30 min steady) + leg exercises

Thursday - dumbbell exercises + 40 min cardio + leg exercises

Friday - rest

Saturday - dumbbell exercises + 40 min cardio (HIIT+30 min steady) + leg exercises

Sunday - dumbbell exercises + 40 min cardio (HIIT+30 min steady) + leg exercises


I think that's a pretty reasonable routine but I'm always open to additions and suggestions.
smile.gif




Spinner, I haven't considered that at all, given that I've been overweight my whole life. I suppose I'll just try reaching the weight I've set for myself and see how it turns out. If I look too bony, I'll put on a bit of weight. I'm not really heavily built, though my shoulders are quite wide (about 16-17 inches) and my thorax is quite bulky. My dream weight is probably a bit too much on the low side, though I've honestly no idea how I'd look slim, or skinny. My initial weight goal is around 19 BMI, though I'll probably have to end up at around 20. I'm 181 cm (5 feet 11-ish inches) and my first checkpoint is reaching 70 kg (154 lbs), and my dream weight would be around 63 kg (139 lbs). It all depends how I look once I reach the set goals. If I end up not liking how my body looks, I'll just put on a bit of weight (which should be no problem at all :biggrin:).


Thank you for your reply, it's much appreciated and it gave me something to keep in mind (and to think about!).
 
First I would like to say that dieting is not a solution for weight loss. There is a need of good diet for weight loss too. It can't help you to reduce the weight. Yes, Exercise can help to reduce the weight. You can consult a diet doctor and get the good diet plan for your weight loss.Diet doctor at HCG Diet Miami help a lot top get the good diet plan for your weight loss.
 
Originally Posted by Carolhardin


First I would like to say that dieting is not a solution for weight loss. There is a need of good diet for weight loss too. It can't help you to reduce the weight. Yes, Exercise can help to reduce the weight. You can consult a diet doctor and get the good diet plan for your weight loss.Diet doctor at HCG Diet Miami help a lot top get the good diet plan for your weight loss.
Click to expand...


Nice work there.

In the space of one post you go from "Diets don't work and exercise is good" to suggesting a calorie control diet that advises against exercise.


Odd that a diet based around hormone injection use doesn't mention it once except in it's legal disclaimer. speaks volumes.


Tourny
 
My friend is a similar height and build and she looks best at about 70 - 75kg which has her at around a UK 14 (upper) and UK 12 (lower). She actively avoids any weight work because she does build muscle easily and she dislikes any muscle bulk in her upper body. Personally I think it would be fine but she thinks it is unfeminine!


She focuses on low level cardio work (walking mostly) because she wants to retain some fat otherwise, with her male DNA, she tends to carry lower fat levels than the average woman. She wants a 'softer' look so getting very lean and bony or lean and muscular doesn't appeal to her.


And she struggles to reduce her abdominal fat and create the smaller waist she wanted because, even with hormone replacement, she still has a tendency to carry her weight on the torso. However, that's true for many women and with good dress sense can be managed.


Anyway, I hope her experiences are of some value to you on your journey.
 
I personally wouldn't mind being lightly toned - you know, so it's not all flabby and stuff. Nothing even remotely bulky, though. Icky.


I've actually trouble getting rid of my fat. Having taken my measurements, I used a body fat calculator, which determined that my body fat is quite high (which is also quite obvious when taking a look at my thighs and abdomen).


I've been on hormone replacement therapy for almost 5 months, and I *think* my body keeps storing fat mostly on my belly. Though, in truth, 5 months is a very short time for estrogen to work its magic. I'm striving to get a smaller waist, as well. Model-like. Or at least petite. :biggrin:


// edit


Hopped onto my weight scale yesterday and this morning, and all I can say is "Wow". I can't believe that I actually lost 2.2 pounds just by resting. Holy cupcakes! Thank you so much, Tourny! I'd buy you a protein shake or whatever your favourite drink is if I met you. :biggrin:
 
Some people also believe there are cases like this that's due to some body build. Haven't heard much about it though, but there are really people who do build muscles easily. If she can't workout with her abdominal, she may not focus only on exercise but diet as well.


Originally Posted by Spinner1964


My friend is a similar height and build and she looks best at about 70 - 75kg which has her at around a UK 14 (upper) and UK 12 (lower). She actively avoids any weight work because she does build muscle easily and she dislikes any muscle bulk in her upper body. Personally I think it would be fine but she thinks it is unfeminine!



She focuses on low level cardio work (walking mostly) because she wants to retain some fat otherwise, with her male DNA, she tends to carry lower fat levels than the average woman. She wants a 'softer' look so getting very lean and bony or lean and muscular doesn't appeal to her.



And she struggles to reduce her abdominal fat and create the smaller waist she wanted because, even with hormone replacement, she still has a tendency to carry her weight on the torso. However, that's true for many women and with good dress sense can be managed.



Anyway, I hope her experiences are of some value to you on your journey.
Click to expand...
 
Hi MaycheeVee ,


It would be interested to know how old is you operation and how long after it you started putting on weight.

Also I would suspect that you may be on some sort of hormonal therapy to enhance your feminine features.

This may affect your metabolism.

Certainly you're close to your "community, so discuss with them your issue and "compare notes".

You can do your sit ups later since exercise is only secondary in importance in weight loss to internal causes.

And Google it, too! Paste the following link into Google search:

Hormone replacement therapy (male-to-female)

It will return 2.6 millions results of pertinent info.

Good luck and may you enjoy your new yourself !!


Drongo
 
Hello Drongo,


thank you for the kind words and for wanting to help out. I've gone through heaps of material on the internet about hormone replacement therapy even before starting it, and my metabolism might have slowed down a bit (to a female equivalent), though not by a very large margin. It has always been somewhat slow, and I've always been chubby (but that's because I was just eating too much). I also haven't had any surgery done yet.


As far as the community goes, many people are as clueless as I am, and we're just normal people after all, meaning we gain and lose weight the same way every other person does.


I recently found out that I actually wasn't eating enough to lose weight. I lost about 800 kcal from exercising every day, and only took in about 1200 calories, which means my body only had around 400 to work with, which is definitely bad. It went into starvation mode and my weight pretty much stalled / went up. So now I'm stuffing myself with food (to make sure I get around 1200 calories every day even after exercise) and actually losing weight. It's awesome. :D
 
That's right, no one can work with weight loss on diet alone...one needs to get into some exercise, and that has to be done regularly.


Originally Posted by Carolhardin


First I would like to say that dieting is not a solution for weight loss. There is a need of good diet for weight loss too. It can't help you to reduce the weight. Yes, Exercise can help to reduce the weight. You can consult a diet doctor and get the good diet plan for your weight loss.Diet doctor at HCG Diet Miami help a lot top get the good diet plan for your weight loss.
Click to expand...
 
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