27tF / 6' 3" / 220lbs - Looking to slender down without undoing positive changes

[baklava]

Hi all,

As the title says, I'm a 27yo transwoman. I've been on HRT (Estrogen and T-Blockers) for 5 months, and will be having all my current medications increased in the coming weeks (as well as Progesterone being added in to the mix).

Over the past 5 months I've maintained my basic activities (2-3 hours a week elliptical training, as well as my usual non-workout activity (working in retail, moving for 9-10 hours a day, daily active burn of 500-800 calories, without direct exercise).

I'm starting to notice that I'm no gaining weight at a faster rate than my body is used to burning it off (high-five for second puberty), but am nervous about resorting to usual cardio focused exercises, less I lose the fat I've gained in areas that need it (they may be small, but I'm proud of my T&A's growth!).

So with that said, I'm seeking advice on how to best burn excess fat without negatively impacting the new fat deposits that my HRT is giving me.

EXERCISE BACKGROUND

Before transition (between ages of 21 through 24), I was an active gym rat. I still have strong runners legs & calves, and (even with T-blockers) I've maintained most of my innate strength. I do have significantly reduced stamina compared to my early twenties, but can make it to just over an hour of elliptical training (with slight-to-moderate incline, and moderate resistance) before I have to stop.

EXERCISE GOAL SUMMARIES

Primary goals:

• Losing belly fat, without affecting new breast & buttocks new growth
• Increasing stamina / Reducing day-to-day sweating
• Maintaining runners calves

Secondary goals:

• Thickening/Toning my thighs (already one of my favorite features of my body)
• Increasing/Firming the size and shape of my buttocks

AVAILABLE EQUIPMENT

At Home:

• Elliptical
• Power Tower / Strength Frame
• Sit-up / Ab Crunch frame
• Handheld Weights (from 5lbs to 80lbs)
• Exercise/Yoga Mata
• Workout bench

I also have access to a large gym & a couple of 'studios' through my employer's fitness center.

I'm sorry if this is a very long, ramble, overly-informative post.

Truthfully, I was overjoyed at finding a body-positive and gender positive area of Reddit to seek advice on this topic.

Many thanks all,

x

Edited for formatting

 

[rookie007]

@baklava How exciting! It will be fun to follow along with another (I'm 6'2") tall girl's progress! Good luck on your workouts and keep us up to date!

 

[em1967]

@baklava Cis-woman: I unfortunately lost much of my boobs to the weight loss (but also got wonderfully slim everywhere else so ya win some ya lose some). However my ways of compensating:
- more chest work so that the smaller boobs I do have sit a bit higher on my chest.
- glutes. Glutes. Glutes. Working these allll the time - I had a good size arse and didn’t want to lose the curviness of my thigh/butt combo. Glutes and quads are worked out constantly in my rotation.
- posture. I had to relearn how I was standing - as a formerly shy very overweight person I had a way of standing that sort of said “don’t look at me”. When I’m confident I stand in a way that seems to make my butt and chest seem more defined.

I lost fat everywhere - no targeted fat loss possible afaik- but the last place to keep it was my butt and thighs. So possibly your estrogen levels may help do the same? (I won’t claim to know, as I have v little knowledge there!)

 

[dawn16]

@baklava Not sure if this is helpful or not. I'm biologically female, but very muscular for a girl (may be High T, I'm PCOS). I love love love Rupaul's Drag Race and one of my fav queens this year is Kameron because she shows that you can be both muscular af AND super feminine. I mean, powerlifters, fitness competitors, and athletes have been "doing both" (being feminine and muscular/strong) for forever, but it sort of hit home for me a little because Kameron is literally a biological male, yet is super gorgeous.

 

[amcam]

@baklava Hi, and welcome to the sub!

There's been great answers so far. I just wanted to give a shout out to /r/strongcurves for booty focus and good lower body building. It is a great program for building that butt and getting great curves!

 

[chronicles]

@baklava Welcome to womanhood. Men lose weight easier than us

 

[baklava]

@chronicles Haha, thanks for the welcome! I'm slowly learning that (honestly, I was hoping it was just second puberty being a 'joy')!

 

[chronicles]

@baklava Maybe that too!

 

[stoicgnostic]

@baklava Hey girl. I’m totally down to share my routine. I’m a cis-woman with extremely high levels of T, so I get the concerns.

 

[baklava]

@stoicgnostic That would be incredible! Thank you so so much. Feel free to shoot me a DM if you don't want to post it in the comments!

 

[jbrad01x]

@baklava If you want to maintain a sizable booty and you're afraid that fat loss might reduce the area, all you can do instead is increase muscle mass there. Squats and deadlifts doubled the size of my butt once I started doing them. I can't recommend them enough. If you build a routine that uses both front and back squats, you can improve upon your thighs as well.

 

[smak_84]

@baklava Good luck in your journey! Just curious, have you noticed any differences in working out while starting your hormones? Fatigue, more/less strength, things like that.

Unfortunately the boobs are almost the first to go when trying to get leaner. At least they where in my case although I’ve always been in the “committee” so it was no big deal. As for butt, you can definitely incorporate strength training that will tone and pump that baby right up.

 

[baklava]

@smak_84 Thank you for the well wishes!

I've definitely noticed somethings have changed strength wise. I can barely lift as much as I used to, but I'm still probably average/slight-above-average for someone of my size. Fatigue wise, I can actually last a little longer than before (which was a pleasant surprised).

As far as being in 'the committee', I'm more than certain that once I work out a bit more I'll be co-chair with you! Haha.

 

[dawn16]

@baklava Congrats on beginning hormones! It's a huge step and a great feeling isn't it? I'm also happy that this community seems very uplifting and accepting. I'm a transman, and although I just recently began T, I have followed this community for years.

As others have mentioned, it's tough with body fat because your genetics will play a bigger part than anything else. But if you're looking to slim down, I would follow a small calorie deficit - nothing too much, maybe around 250 calories a day - and keep up the cardio. Your fat will still redistribute.

As far as lifting, I'd personally do what you feel comfortable with, but i think lower weight and higher rep will maintain strength without building too much bulk.

I'm on the opposite end of the equation here, since I'm trying to bulk during my second puberty and I'm maintaining a calorie surplus. I don't want to get too fat around the waist, but I feel that it's better to bulk first and then cut later.

Anyhow, good luck, and keep us updated on your progress!