Exercise And Hormone Levels

[Guest kameryn_gymnast]

I am starting to exercise more to gain a better body now so when i am able to start hormones(hopefully sometime next year) i would have lost all of my weight and can allow the fat to re-distribute to more female areas without having to worry about losing it while on or close to being on HRT.

I know that exercising increases T levels.

I am very paranoid when i am exercisinng though because i am thinking about the fact that i am raising my T levels and possibly making my body more masculine, which is something i definately do NOT want!

I do not do any weight lifting, i just do cardio and pilates.

So my question is does exercising raise the testosterone level enough to make the male body more masculine(mainly the bone is what i am worried about), increase sex drive, and other hormonally controlled effects??? if that makes any sense.

Thanks!!!

[Sally]

Exercise will not effect your bones unless you break one.

Seriously the effects of exercise as far as making you more masculine is in the muscle mass and you are avoiding weight lifting so you should be fine.

Love ya,

Sally

[Guest sarah f]

I agree with Sally that the bone structure won't change any by exercising. Not using weights is a good thing because all you will do is tone up. Go do your exercises and get ready for hormones. I hope you reach your goal weight very soon.

[Guest Donna Jean]

.

From the old Persian proverb: "Excercise is good!"...Honey, don't do weights or things like that...

Do cardio training...

That way, you get your exercise and lose weight, but have no chance of "bulking p"....

Good luck, Hon!

Huggs

Donna Jean

[Sakura]

i work out a lot. 4-5 days a week normally and have done so for the last 5-6 years . with no masculizing effects at all. once you have been on HRT for a few years it becomes harder and harder to lose wight and build muscle. like 10 times harder . i do an hour-1/2 cardio . half hour light weight training and still have no uber defined muscles . im sure if i really pushed it. i could build muscle, but the weight training i do is designed to tone muscle not build it. while working out does increase testosterone, its only in the smallest % no were near enough to grow a beard or turn you into a female gorilla. its not even enough to effect your blood test from one endo visit to the next. so you shouldn't stress your self out over it.

Sakura

[Paula ult]

Kameryn hon,

Weights are ok to do, but you have to know how to do it, you use light weights and do more repetitions, that way you will tone the muscles not build them, how do i know this, from belonging to a gym for over 9 years and watching what women do and knowing trainers, you definitely want to have some strength as hormones will make you weaker, before i transitioned i lifted heavy weights and considered myself fairly strong, 40 pounds was nothing for me to lift, about a year and a half ago i stopped doing weights altogether and now i struggle to lift that same 40 pounds that used to be so easy to lift. I recently started back at a different gym with a personal trainer and he has me do weights but they are light and i do 20 -25 repetitions, it is toning my muscles not building them.

Paula

[Guest NotClaire]

I lost like 80lbs before I started HRT by exercising for like 2 hours a day -- mostly cardio. Doesn't really mess with hormone levels... just be careful not to obsess over your weight once you do start hormones. It's so hard to ignore the fact that I've gained almost 10 pounds since starting even though people tell me I look skinnier

Last summer (before HRT) I could do 20-30 pullups... now I can't even do one ha ha

[Guest kameryn_gymnast]

I agree with Sally that the bone structure won't change any by exercising. Not using weights is a good thing because all you will do is tone up. Go do your exercises and get ready for hormones. I hope you reach your goal weight very soon.

Im trying to get myself motivated, ive stuggled with my weight all my life, so im goingg to need the luck:).

Ive only lost 24LBS SLOWLY so far, i have never lost that much weight before so im glad about that but i still want to lose another 30LBS even though people tell me that is too much for me to lose. Im only 5ft 2in so this weight looks like alot on me.

i work out a lot. 4-5 days a week normally and have done so for the last 5-6 years . with no masculizing effects at all. once you have been on HRT for a few years it becomes harder and harder to lose wight and build muscle. like 10 times harder . i do an hour-1/2 cardio . half hour light weight training and still have no uber defined muscles . im sure if i really pushed it. i could build muscle, but the weight training i do is designed to tone muscle not build it. while working out does increase testosterone, its only in the smallest % no were near enough to grow a beard or turn you into a female gorilla. its not even enough to effect your blood test from one endo visit to the next. so you shouldn't stress your self out over it.

Sakura

4-5 days a week omg to me thats dedication lol.

It being harder to lose weight while on HRT is the exact reason i am trying to lose weight now so it wont be such a worry when transioning.

&& thanks for the info, and for sharing your personal experience...very helpful.

Kameryn hon,

Weights are ok to do, but you have to know how to do it, you use light weights and do more repetitions, that way you will tone the muscles not build them, how do i know this, from belonging to a gym for over 9 years and watching what women do and knowing trainers, you definitely want to have some strength as hormones will make you weaker, before i transitioned i lifted heavy weights and considered myself fairly strong, 40 pounds was nothing for me to lift, about a year and a half ago i stopped doing weights altogether and now i struggle to lift that same 40 pounds that used to be so easy to lift. I recently started back at a different gym with a personal trainer and he has me do weights but they are light and i do 20 -25 repetitions, it is toning my muscles not building them.

Paula

Ive heared about the "light weeight. more repition" thing before but im just too scared to go near weights all together for fear of bulking up, maybe if i had a personal trainer who showed me how to use them without putting on muscle i would try it.

Thanks!

I lost like 80lbs before I started HRT by exercising for like 2 hours a day -- mostly cardio. Doesn't really mess with hormone levels... just be careful not to obsess over your weight once you do start hormones. It's so hard to ignore the fact that I've gained almost 10 pounds since starting even though people tell me I look skinnier

Last summer (before HRT) I could do 20-30 pullups... now I can't even do one ha ha

80 LBS congrats.

I dont see how people exercise for 2 hours a day Oh em gee:p.

I dont really think i will obsess,

im actually trying to get skinny(about 10-15LBS less than what i want to be) so when i start HRT i will try to slowly put on some weight and hopefully in will go into more female areas.

My idea body is being thin but at the same time having curves...I love curves:)!!!

Thanks everyone this has been really helpful, and it took away some of my worries!

Question: Does anyone know of any exercises/ways to lose the fat in your upper arms without building and without using weights???

[Guest sarah f]

I know everyone talks about gaining weight after being on HRT but I have been on hormones for 4 months and still not gaining any weight. I actually will lose weight if I don't make myself eat more. Right now I am just trying to maintain what I have.

I think it depends on the person and what they eat as to if they will gain weight back after starting hormones.

Hopefully after you lose the weight you want and start hormones than the weight will stay off like me so far. Now go out there and lose those 30 pounds like I know you can.

[Guest samantha cupcakes]

Ive been on HRT for 8 months, i dont work out even though i should, and i only eat once a day. Whats amazing is for me i used to weigh 260 pounds plus i lifted weights but i was still really overweight, as soon as i got hormones it decreased my appetite and i started losing weight, im still a bit bulkier than id like but im at a decent 180 now and it looks like all the weight is in my shoulders sadly id kill for those to be smaller.. but its a bone mass problem for me...if anyone knows of a medical procedure to fix that let me know bc mine really are HUGE.

[Guest kameryn_gymnast]

Ive been on HRT for 8 months, i dont work out even though i should, and i only eat once a day. Whats amazing is for me i used to weigh 260 pounds plus i lifted weights but i was still really overweight, as soon as i got hormones it decreased my appetite and i started losing weight, im still a bit bulkier than id like but im at a decent 180 now and it looks like all the weight is in my shoulders sadly id kill for those to be smaller.. but its a bone mass problem for me...if anyone knows of a medical procedure to fix that let me know bc mine really are HUGE.

once aday omg, that better be one heck of a meal:P lol.

&& i have the shoulder problem as well;

just imagine how they look on a 5ft 2in frame:(

I make my shoulders look somewhat narrower by having good poster, which hepls alot;

it gives my upper body a more smaller look.

[Guest samantha cupcakes]

wow yeah hun im sorry im 5'7" and my one meal a day is usually something like a bowl of ramen or maybe some spaghetti if i have the ingredients on hand lol

[Guest kameryn_gymnast]

wow yeah hun im sorry im 5'7" and my one meal a day is usually something like a bowl of ramen or maybe some spaghetti if i have the ingredients on hand lol

Your a pretty good height!

i know alot of ts wish they had my height, so i guess i got luck in that department:=]

I LOVE my height i just wish that some of my features were a bit more proportional to it lmao!

I dont how you could do that one meal a day, i would die

[Guest Lillet Coll]

Kameryn hon,

Weights are ok to do, but you have to know how to do it, you use light weights and do more repetitions, that way you will tone the muscles not build them, how do i know this, from belonging to a gym for over 9 years and watching what women do and knowing trainers, you definitely want to have some strength as hormones will make you weaker, before i transitioned i lifted heavy weights and considered myself fairly strong, 40 pounds was nothing for me to lift, about a year and a half ago i stopped doing weights altogether and now i struggle to lift that same 40 pounds that used to be so easy to lift. I recently started back at a different gym with a personal trainer and he has me do weights but they are light and i do 20 -25 repetitions, it is toning my muscles not building them.

Paula

While considered common knowledge in the weight lifting community, a recent scientific study suggest that this isn't true at all, and that doing more reps until your muscles are fatigued is the same as adding more weight and doing fewer reps.

To build muscle significantly requires a pretty extreme diet. You have to have enough extra calories to build that muscle, and if you run a high calorie deficit, then you'll start to see yourself get toned. Diet is where the difference between building muscle and becoming toned is.

[Guest Cynthia Of Creation]

I dont know anyone who does weights,

I personally work on my flexibility, and cardio, Sit ups and standard inclined pushups (feet on chair hands on ground) push-ups

In all honesty other than weight lifting, exercises are the same for boys and girls. Just less is required by girls in tests

stretches should help with keeping your muscles from getting to big (I would Imagine) I always do a ton of stretches, but remember you have to warm up before you start stretches, like do some 10-20 jumping jacks, 5 situps, 2 or 3 pushups, a little jog, to gett that blood flowing.

And dont start really running for a distance, or sprinting before stretches, and get good or great running shoes, trust me I almost injured my foot first time cuz of bad shoes, and I just ran nothing else didnt slip didnt step wrong, just the impact from my foot hitting the ground..

Swimming is great exercise,

Wierd thing, when I was 15 pounds heavier I could swim so easly 200 laps, now I can do between 50-100 and im more physically fit! lol wierd

well fat is lighter than water while muscle is heavier, so less keeping ya afloat making it harder. lol its the exercise that gets harder as you get better! and all you have to do is the same exact thing!

[Guest DaphneTheNewGirl]

Hello

I have been working out since I discovered that I was 30 lbs overweight about a year and a half ago. I changed my eating habits from eating with the family I was with at the time to eating when I was hungry and only enough to make me not hungry, not enough to make me feel bloated (as was occurring when eating all on my plate at mealtime) I also started working out systematically. I lost that 30 lbs and more. The more was likely due to difference in age between now and when I was a modern dance student 20 years ago. I attained a level of fitness that compared favourably with that time 20 years ago. I had a body (somatic) memory that told me "This is it!" I did not bulk up, but, rather, acquired a girlish figure.

The doctor I hope to have comes off vacation next week. I am hoping she will study my blog, ( http://daphneeg.wordpress.com ) and get me started on HRT soon ) . Yesterday I read an article that had been published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. In one of its summaries it stated that the mean (average) fat gain in the small group it studied was 3.6 Kg, and the mean lean muscle loss was 0.2 Kg. It also stated that the fat deposits that corresponded to male lipid distribution would be consumed as energy, while the new female deposits would accumulate.

The HRT methodology for transgender therapy does two things. I am speaking mainly here of MTF transformation. Firstly it suppresses the testosterone levels to a hypogonadic state, then secondly it adds estrogen and possibly progesterone. The net effect is one very like entering a second puberty.

About fat. By the time humans reach adulthood the number of fat cells has reached a constant. The number of cells will not change over the course of an individual's lifetime. At birth the first collections of fat are distributed in a kind of generic pattern making boys and girls pretty similar. At puberty more fat deposits are added in a pattern that accords with the sex of the individual. That number then is the allotment for life, transgender processes notwithstanding. During this second deposition of fat greater of lesser numbers of cells are laid down depending on the physical activity level of the child. Now consider a fat (lipid) cell. It is a structure that is optimized for storing energy. The contemporary emphasis on slim presentation requires that the fat cell be flat and empty. Each cell has to lay down in a flat stack to allow the body as a whole to present a slim image. Consider an analogy. Say you have 10 sticky notes, and 100 marbles . Lay them out so that the bottom layer has 20 notes in one stack, and 20 marbles in the other stack. Keep laying down the notes and marbles layer by layer until all 100 are laid down. The note stack will be flat and thin, the marble stack will be bulky.

So feel free to use weight training alongside your cardio. Target the muscle groups that underlie the fat deposits, and use lots of repetitions. Make the lean muscle cells fat and healthy, and the fat cells starved and flat. We humans, at least in the developed world have a glut of food, and starving only ever happens now by active choice (not true for some marginalized groups, but that's a different issue) Those natal women who focus upon body building and weight training spend at least 40 to 50 hours a week trying to achieve the look. Some even resort to testosterone based supplements. The point I am trying to make here, is that if you devote 5 - 10 hours a week in a mix of cario and weight training what will result is a trim pleasant feminine projection, not a bulky male projection. Under the influence of estrogen, you will have to work very hard not to lose your muscle mass. But then again for those of you who grew to be a model of masculine muscularity, you may want to starve some of the lean muscles too. But keep them healthy and supple. Me, I was lucky in that my own musculature was lean and androgynous. I was a dancer after all!

Cheers

Daphne

Edited February 27, 2011 by MaryEllen
Image removed per rule #3 of the site Terms and Conditions

[Guest N. Jane]

I have been figure skating for a number of years and its effect on body shape is .... well .... definitely NOT masculine!! Not to mention knock-out legs for someone half my age!