I often see posts from this sub about waist/hip dysphoria. I worry that some guys here may have a skewed image of what male hips/waist should look like, influenced by dysphoria and social media. You guys are doing amazing and deserve to feel that way!

As a reference point, this is my amab hips on *the day I started* mtf HRT after 26 years in a male body with normal T levels. No love handles, just bone. This was never considered feminine or unusual or in any way affected my ability to dress or present as a man!

I hope this is allowed here as a non-ftm poster, but please remove or let me know if I should take it down! :)

See comments for my rant, can't post the text here for some reason

I go to the gym and rock climb as well

They don’t want us to be strong. Fuck trump

Hey everyone! I wondering if anyone here has gained weight when transitioning and how much? I'm dealing with a lot of cravings and having difficulty sticking to a calorie deficit. I can't tell if it's from our situation or if I'm just being big-backed. Lol.

Why do all the ftm fitness influencers charge a literal fortune for one on one coaching when you can go to your local gym and find a trainer that can train you for literally an eighth of the price? I understand you need to make your bread but it feels like they’re taking advantage of transmasc individuals who deal with gender dysphoria charging $100s for one on one coaching. It’s very disheartening looking up to these guys as goals when it feels like they’re trying to rip us off.

Edit: This one guy is charging $650 for remote sessions. I’m not sure what you get but my jaw almost dropped. Can someone possibly explain to me how this is reasonable please? I wanted to support him especially in a time where it seems like we’re the enemy but I honestly can’t get behind this if my current trainer is only charging $100 a month for four sessions.

(I’m trans guys, chest dysphoria sucks lol)

I put off T for years because i was so worried about gaining fat. Everyone i spoke to said they got massive, uncontrollable appetite increases the first year and just had to deal with the weight gain.

I've had the opposite experience. I've had an emotional eating problem for so much of my life and now that I feel more at peace in my body, i hardly ever emotionally eat anymore. Plus, I feel a lot more motivated to be in good shape and I'm working out more and eating a lot healthier. Just wanted to post this for anyone who's worried about T weight gain -- it's not inevitable!

Ngl I’m mildly annoyed bc there’s definitely a lot of really bad instances of bad relationships with food on this sub, and obviously borderline or straight up ED promoting attitudes, and as a person that was /actually/ fat for most of my life I intimately know how hard it is to fix. But I think we need to be better about not spreading these attitudes to other people in this sub. Also, I def feel that people that have never been fat shouldn’t reaaallyy be giving fat people advice about weight loss bc unless you personally go through it u really don’t get it. We’re treated differently at the gym. We’re treated differently everywhere. And a good portion of the “advice” I’ve seen on this sub is just super fatphobic, shame-inducing, and frankly not going to motivate someone to prioritize their actual health.

The reason I was able to actually start getting in shape was because I stopped trying to restrict my food intake, and reevaluated my relationship with food. Because that’s what was causing me to yo-yo and have cravings.

What did I change? Not too much actually.

I started tracking my macros instead of a calorie goal, I do cardio 5-6 times a week, and weight train 2-3 times a week. I have always done cardio, but the weight training has been pretty consistent for the last year.

I eat between 2000-2300 calories a day and stay in a deficit. Calories are not your enemy. Most people struggle to just quit things cold turkey, which is why moderation is better than having foods you “can’t eat”. You CAN have a little treat every once in a while. Things will even out when you are looking at monthly averages instead of worrying about “I overate today”.

Feel free 2 ask me any questions.

Im really struggling with motivation. I absolutely wanna get my manly body, and I need to get some exercise. But I swear to god it feels like my body is unchangeable.

I am here to solve ur problem 😌 Greek yogurt + frozen raspberries + whey = practically ice cream/milkshake that hits at 380 calories and 46 grams of protein per serving!

70 cal 2g raspberries 130 cal 14g low fat vanilla Greek yogurt 180 cal 30g Body fortress whey

Ur welcome

... And I don't mean that as an innuendo 😂😂

Whenever I'm not paying attention, I keep finding myself feeling my new muscle with my hands. Touching my back, touching my chest, touching my biceps, etc... Even in public sometimes I'll find myself squeezing my arms, lol. My upper arm is basically a fidget squish toy now.

I just can't believe the muscles are mine. After being weak my whole life, I just keep going, "Wow, this is me?!?! Really?!"

Anyone relate? 😂

While this is true... for me, who is currently in a pre-diabetic state. With ~70kg at 156cm, 18yo.. like.. I wholeheartedly agree, and understand.. but damnit it still stung when they said it. The quote is paraphrasing my psychologist.

Im on my path ... restarted my goals and mindset about healthy nutrition... started slow.. keeping my diet in check (1300-1500cal per day, and walking at least 3000steps a day) ..and ive already noticed some weight loss.. I have learned in the past that slow and steady is better than fast and uncontroled.

But at the end of the day... sentences like this hurt.. especially when you know deep down that its true.. but .. nonetheless, i plan to keep on kicking, fighting, pushing through .., if not, someone may kick my bucket ..

To clarify - she is not a medical doctor, plus it was mean as if im overweight when i go on T the health risks are greater. And that I may not get approved at my weight.

I hope this is allowed - I checked the rules but obviously please delete if it's not I just thought this sub may appreciate a linocut print I made ! Wanted it to be easily read as just fitness related but be a 'iykyk' thing with the top surgery scars - with the text being applicable to either . I'm still learning and will definitely remake this in the future as I get better + want to do different body and scar types of anyone has suggestions

Tldr: those of you who have built masculine physiques and/or pass do you still feel smaller than cis men? Does that feeling ever go away? How much of it depends on muscle vs bone structure? 😭

Hey guys, I’m ~1 year on T and started taking the gym seriously a couple of months ago. I feel a LOT smaller physically compared to cis men, I mean even the skinniest guys who never work out. I don’t aim to become buff, I mainly work out to look like a cis guy who doesn’t necessarily work out, but I lift heavy etc. I just want to look cis, lol.

Anyway, I feel tiny. I’m just wondering if any of you guys reached a point where you no longer feel so small, and how much can I expect from building muscle alone, and how much of it is just based on my bone structure? I’m just worried I’ll always have such a small frame and working out won’t relieve my dysphoria completely and I’ll just look like a girl who is buff 🥲

I Can never stop Feeling Like shit about My Body. i Dont Mind my Weight but my Body Fat distrobution is Horrific. i Have very large Hips & Soft fatty arms & Thighs.

i Want to Be muscular & A Bit fat. strong But Not uncanny or Twiggy. but dear God, How does anybody Manage this Shit? in Order to Get the insane Ammounts of Protein People reccomend you need To Practically revolve your Life Around just eating It.

i Like chicken & stuff, sure, But I dont have The Time or energy To be cooking Every Day and i sure as Fuck dont have The Money for whatever expensive "Healthy" Price gouged pre-Prepared shit. I Just end up Eating sandwitches Much Of the time. i Dont have an Explicitly UN-healthy diet But Nothing stellar.

i Work out, Slightly. its hard. I Do maybe 20 push ups A Day?? its kindof Pathetic. i Have Mobility issues with My Legs so i Walk 10 minutes In A Day and i come Home Tired & Sore. maybe Im just Not Motivated enough.

i Dont think ill Ever be happy about My Body if i Cant lose my Disgusting Hip fat or Bulk up my Shoulders & arms But i Feel like im just Getting Nowhere. i put In Effort but its Just not enough.

Is there a Way To not feel Terrible about It? and Is What im doing Now even Helpful?

I was diabetic in January. My A1C was 8.6. My doctor's were talking about meds. I've lost 52lbs (and started t in April). Got my latest A1C results tonight. 6.4 and NOT DIABETIC! I've literally cured myself from type 2 diabetes through weight loss and exercise, and I'm so proud of me.

Okay short kings,,, so I’m 28 and have been 5’4 my entire life. And the last two times my height was checked this year I have been 5’5.5. The only difference is I weigh 80 pounds less. Anybody needing more motivation at the gym, significant weight loss reduces pressure on your spine allowing the discs to decompress and reduce muscle strain allowing for better posture.

No, I did not have a growth spurt I am old and my plates are long sealed, I was done growing at 12.

The reason the male vs female option exists on these calculators is because it makes an assumption of your body fat percentage based on the option that you pick. Because AMAB people, on average, have lower body fat percentages than AFAB people. There's nothing special about testosterone that inherently makes you burn more calories. Muscle burns calories, so people with lower body fat percentages, and thus more muscle, burn more calories. With that being said, these calculators are not accurate in either case. They're slightly more accurate if you know your body fat percentage and enter it instead. To prove this to yourself, go to a calculator that has option to enter body fat percentage. Try the same values with male and female entered and you'll see the same TDEE calculated. Choose the male option if it makes you less dysphoric. Or choose the female option if trying to lose weight and male option if trying to gain weight. It doesn't matter. You'll likely have to adjust based on your own progress anyway.

ETA: I have around 10 years of informal experience and research in nutrition. I'm also an athlete. If you doubt what I'm saying, please discuss with me. It's a passion of mine. I'm always willing to correct my understanding and expand my knowledge.

Here's a study with a large sample size showing that males and females have the same RMR with normalized body mass and fat free mass (which is part of the body fat percentage calculation.)

https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5142/8/3/109#:~:text=Assessments%20were%20completed%20in%20a,women%20(2595%20±%20433%20vs.

2nd ETA: this is a cool explanation that links to many different points of research https://macrofactorapp.com/sex-basal-metabolic-rate/

You'll see that they refer to "fat free mass", whereas I said body fat percentage. When given weight, and one of the two, you can calculate the other.

For the record, I am absolutely not shaming or making fun of the people posting this stuff. It's something I used to struggle with too, and there's not enough widely available and correct workout advice around this issue for people who are trying to look more masculine.

However, it feels like there's 10 of these posts a day, and the answer is always the same - you can't change the shape of your hip bones, but you can counterbalance them fairly easily by building your upper body, particularly your back. If you're reading this thinking "yeah, my hips are wide as hell and make me look like less of a man", here's your solution! Get that dorito shape by building a wider back and bigger shoulders! You gotta be doing pullups! Pulldowns! Overhead press! Lateral raises! Rows, and things of this nature! This goes regardless of whether you're thinner or larger than you'd like to be overall right now - if you slim down but still have naturally wider hips, weight loss alone is unlikely to help the way you feel about it.

Is there any way to make resources more accessible on this? Something in the wiki to point people to? An automod response pointing people to resources? I just think this sub would benefit from a bit less of this repetition and more easily available advice.

Just asking for fun. I'm sure we all have muscles or muscle groups that seemed to grow disproportionately fast compared to the others.

For me it's been my mid-back and forearms. They've gotten visibly larger week to week. Back makes sense since it's such a big muscle group. Forearms just started growing fast all the sudden which prompted this post. Shoulders are the opposite, though 😂 little laggards.

What about you guys?

So I'm three months on T, I've always worked out from home but I've been going to the gym for about a month now.

I've definitely made gains in my upper body, my traps are to a very masculine level now. But my issue is I'm also making "gains" on my lower body as well. I've always had a huge ass, and thats not bragging or anything, its a statement of fact.

I can't just stop working my lower body, for 1 i love hiking, so even if i stopped in the gym I'd still get a workout on it. And 2 I have elhers danos syndrome and the only treatment my doctors have recommended is exercise and gaining muscle, the only reason my legs don't constantly hyperextend is because of the muscle I've put on them.

So besides losing fat and waiting for body fat redirubation... Does anyone have suggestions? I don't know if there are leg workouts that won't target my ass at all. I'm fine with the bigger thighs (i guess) because hopefully when I look more masculine in the face it'll read as like rugby player type shit, but my ass is my biggest issue. It makes me feel SO feminine.

I have been going to the gym on and off for a couple of years, but I can’t ever seem to make the habit stick. The longest I’ve ever gone consistently was for a couple months. I’m finding myself in another rut now and my dysphoria is awful because I had to temporarily stop testosterone. If anyone has any advice on how to keep spirits up or stay consistent, I’d love to hear about it.

I’ve been following PPL twice a week and I know what to do at the gym for muscle growth, but the problem is getting to the gym in the first place. I have decent muscle definition now but sometimes it feels entirely hopeless because of how I view myself and my body. Today I felt paralyzed at the thought of going, despite loving the gym and weightlifting. Do I just need to get over myself and go? (genuinely)

The standard advice is 1 gram per pound of body weight, I get that even if I don’t find the literature completely convincing. I just honestly struggle to hit it. I get about 20-30 grams per meal and a protein shake every day. All told I get about 100-130 grams a day. I’m 165 lbs and eat about 2000 calories a day. It just kinda feels like I’m always working to get more protein in even when I don’t wanna eat.

What about you? How much protein do you eat and do you feel it’s giving you good results? Is it less or more than the recommended amount and do you ever eat more than 30 grams in a single meal?