exercise and diet for ftm pre t

[Alex-John]

Hi I want to start a diet and exercise   so i can lose weight before i start t as am worried it will makes me a lot bigger and i need help  controlling my eating  i have problems with food mainly binge eating and some time under eating as well at times when am triggered at the moment my weight is  202lbs and my hight  is 4 "11 i know i cant  grow up upwards  but i may become too big but i know if i dont control my weight now before all this i will not get anywhere  i wear a binder at the moment exercise is tough but with a binder is worse as you can over heat its kinda cold here in Scotland but when i went to pride this year  and it was very very sunny and hot i needed to put water all over myself  to cool off even after that i was too hot  but its very rare that Scotland is so  hot  also at pride i thought i was going to pass out with the heat it was so hot  i need to try and exercise that is going to burn fat but also am not going to pass out while doing exercise  so it looks like i need to do some thing like weights and walking as i lose weight i will not be as heavy and then once av lot a bit ( hopefully ) ill be able to up my exercise  at the moment am having a hard time not eating cake and cookies at groups me if i see them i'll eat them am always hungry unsure if that also happens when you take t i want to be able to control my weight while am taking t  but i also need to be stable mentally before they will even think about T  anyone with any ideas on how to exercise and lose weight i know i need to try and control my eating but still go to groups and not eat everything in site 

[Dev]

Hey Alexx,

 

I prodded Stu, our bossman over in chat, because I remembered he had some information on trans fitness for guys.  I swear he knows everything.  First up is a page with links for both MtF and FtM fitness info - you'll have to read through it a bit to find the stuff that's relevant to you.

 

Next he found an article about bodybuilding to appear more masculine for FtM folks.  That article leads to a blog about trans fitness from the UK.

 

And lastly - this may not be what you're after, but there may be something fitnessy here - is a page with some great passing tips (and rude language).

 

I hope this is enough to get you started!

[Jani]

I can't help you on not reaching for the cake and cookies as I seem to have that affliction too.  I try to stay focused on my goals; that and convincing myself just one cookie is a good substitute for plate full when the alternative is none.  One thing I have found to be good, especially when starting out on a weight or fitness program is walking.  It's easy, low impact and once it gets brisk enough, it really gets the heart pumping.  

 

Remember, we're there with you!

Jani

[Petra Jane]

Like Jani, can't help with your reaching for the cakes and biscuits, I'm as guilty as anyone and have even been asked "DON'T make that cake again! It's too good!" when I've shared a lemon icing cake.

 

I thought I was well but as some people know I wasn't as I had a couple of strokes a little over two years ago. I am lucky though, I got to where the staff recognised what was happening to me and got me the help I needed, FAST! Since then, on the advice of the stroke team, I walk into town 5-6 times a week. Initally it took me well over an hour to get into town, never mind home again. Now, if I don't get my daily walk it feels like there is something missing. I also use a Pedometer app on my phone and I can now hit 2.7/2.8 mph without effort, so I need to up my game. 2.9mph is now the norm and I've just started hitting a fantastic 3.0mph both ways. I'm not going for this every day as some days it's so nice I just want to enjoy the view but the fact that I'm managing it now is wonderful.

 

Overall, I've lost a couple of stone and 4" off my waistline and it's nearly all down to walking daily, and cutting down on the portion sizes for meals. Shop around, go for the fat free (or low fat), stuff and have a little less at a time and keep it up.

 

My target is to stay healthy and alive initally, then to fit into the next size down skirt!

 

Set yourself a target, one that is not too impossible, then once you can reach it, set another target, that's all I'm doing, and soon enough you'll see the difference in yourself.

 

Best of luck, Petra Jane

[Timber Wolf]

Hi Alexx,

I've got experience with losing weight from being a big person. This is basically what I've learned.

 

1-Exercise: Constant motion is best for burning body fat. Therefore, walking is a great exercise for you! And it's one that you can easily tailor to your current ability. Lifting weights will build muscle mass, but won't really burn as much body fat.

 

2-desserts: I love a type of donut called apple fritter's. I shop at a store that makes really good ones too, and it can be sooo difficult too pass them by. I train myself to see them as pure body fat. When I see them, I think of the body fat they would put on me. I then force myself to walk away. Once they're out of sight the temptation starts to diminish. At a gathering, I try not to look at the cookies and cakes and other sweet things and think of them as pure body fat too. Another thing, if you drink soda such as coke or any other soda, avoid it! It's suprising how fattening soda is. Just cutting soda off can make a noticeable difference by itself.

 

3-Diet: You don't just want to loose weight, you want to keep the weight you've lost off. So many people set a goal, struggle with a diet they don't really like, and lose the weight. Then, because they hate there diet , as soon as they make their goal they go off their dreaded diet and gain the weight back with astonishing speed. An affective diet starts with the mind, not the tummy. When I decided I wanted to loose weight, I started working on my outlook towards eating. I didn't just force myself to stop eating foods I like or force myself to eat foods I don't like. I started planning my meals, eating regimented meals, a certain amount at each meal. I began eliminating inbetween snacking. I realised it is ok to feel a little hungry between meals. Just feeling a little hungry doesn't mean I have to go running for the fridge. I did this gradually, not all at once. All the while I kept working on my ourlook on eating. The only goal I set for myself is to loose weight each month. It doesn't matter if it's 1 pound or 5 pounds, just so long as I'm going in the right direction. I've found setting big goals sets me up for disappointment and defeat. They also make an ending point. Once I've reached a goal it's so easy to feel I've made it and start drifting back into my old eating habits. Just trying to loose weight each month is rather open ended without a stopping point. I just keep going on.

 

The Results: i have lost over 60 pounds, and the work uniform pants I got about 2 1/2 years ago look like clown pants on me. The belt I use to hold them up that I could originally struggle to buckle in the second hole, now I use the 15th hole! Luckily it has holes all the way along it. The only problem is tucking away the long tap in the belt loops. Putting on the uniform shirt feels like when I once tried on one of my dads shirts as a little kid. I button it up 7 or 8 inches from my chest.

 

Conclusion: Loosing weight is hard, and you don't want to have to do it all over again. The most important thing you can do is change your thinking. If you do that, the rest will follow on its own.

Because of your issues with depression, you should work closely with your health care providers for help and psychological support. I hope this will help you.

 

Lots of love,

Timber Wolf?

[SteamGirlEva]

When I decided to transition in august 2016 I was 130 pounds over weight. 6 feet tall and 300 lbs. I started by recording how much I consumed of bad things during a week: soda, chips, ranch dressing (my kryptonite). It was staggering what I was putting into my body. I then took in around half that the next week. So if I drank 4 sodas a day (yes, I was drinking nearly 100 oz of soda a day) the next week I only drank 2 sodas a day. Some days I slipped and grabbed a 3rd, but I never went for the fourth. Then the next week I halved again, and so on until soda was out of my diet all together. I replaced this with water each time my soda intake went down my water intake went up (from 0 water to 60oz a day). Once it was out of my diet, I decided I could have one non water drink per day. I was only allowed it once I had already drank 60 oz of water and it was restricted to juice, milk, or tea, with restrictions on what brands of these things I could drink (there's a huge difference between a home brewed tea with a bit of honey and a Lipton Iced Tea, guess which one is better for you). I did the same thing with snack foods and regular meals, cutting serving size. This allows you to have some of the things you love without overdoing it. Your brain will still crave these things if you cold turkey it and you most likely will cave eventually. This method, I feel, helps to illuminate the desire to consume these things. Without changing my exercise routine, I lost 100lbs just by changing how I diet. I worked at a subway at the time so I was constantly moving but not overdoing it so I would suggest staying active rather than an intense work out strategy until you reach your target weight. Then you can add in strength training and whatever else you need for your desired body. My desired body is squishy and curvy so while I lost weight and work to maintain it I didn't add in strength training. Attempted to attach photos of before and after for reference. Hopefully I did it correctly.

 

[MarcieMarie12]

I think what you did would save so many people the money they spend on diet fads. As one of my girlfriends said, the way to loose weight is to basically not eat as much as you used to. You look great! I myself have about 20 lbs left until I hit my ideal weight, but I plateued on my eating. If I cut out any more (currently one diet soada a day, shooting for 1,200 calories a day--probaly more in line with 1,500), I can do less than for a week at most then bad things happens. I also loose all self control at restaurants, so I tr to avoid those. I need a better exercise regimine..