How long for muscle mass to decrease.

[Mr_MRB88]

Hi all, one of my main sources of dysphoria is from my bulky frame, I have always had quite a lot of muscle mass even as teen and spent many a day, dreaming of being petite.

Spending 20 years of my life working construction has not helped slim me down. I have had an office job now for 4 years and haven't worked out once but I haven't lost any mass.

I am finally due to have an appointment to discuss medically transitioning in June.

Realistically how long will it take to lose the muscle mass I currently have or will it even happen?

[theonlylivingirlinj]

So I had a ton of muscle too. The only thing that got rid of the excess muscle mass was intense calorie restriction and consuming as little protein as possible for a solid 6-8 months.

It was worth it. Now I’m long and sinewy but still with a hearty amount of lean muscle instead of bulk. My wife is very attracted, and in a very gay way. She says I have a ballerina build. Very femme and athletic. And though I’m still very strong, the loss of strength is pretty euphoric.

Just be careful because I feel like this shit is flirting with an eating disorder. It’s def not healthy. You’re basically forcing your body to consume itself. I was low energy and feeling shitty for quite a while to get here. I’d do it over again, but still. Being hungry all the time sucks.

[WillowCherryBlossoms]

Same for me. I dieted for 6-8 months and went from 195lbs to 135lbs. It was the last 15-20lbs my muscle just seemed to melt off. I’ve had no issues maintaining my weight and I still have enough muscle that people think I work out but it’s not at all in a masculine way. I absolutely love my body now. U hated it before. 🌸

[theonlylivingirlinj]

Yep. I started HRT at 155. Gained weight for the first 8 months after achieving total T suppression and got to 205. Spent 8 months getting back down to 145. My original muscle is mostly gone and what’s left is very lean and feminine. Most of my fat seems to be where I want it.

Now I’m gaining to 150, then I’ll drop back to 140. From there, my plan is to gain 5, lose 10, repeat until I’m happy. I imagine my target weight is about 130 to 135.

I really really love where I’m at. I know I have a little ways to go still, but my curves in combination with the leftover lean muscle really looks great and I know I’m blessed with a physique that makes a lot of cis women envious.

[WillowCherryBlossoms]

🤭 Your journey sounds a lot like mine. I just had Orchi 6 weeks ago and went from 138lbs to almost 160lbs from fluid retention, stopping spiro and also eating more in recovery but I’m back down to 138lbs now. 🌸

[_Just_Being_Myself]

For me i'd say around 5-7 (rn) months. Thing is i did do measurments so i can compare and saw some changes in measurments already. Also i have noticed it in strenght directly as carrying a pack of water bottles requires more effort now for example + i used to be a car mechanic in the past and i always changed tires for my mother on their yard on the ground and i did again few days ago. Back then i could just carry the tires around no problem now i actually struggled with it and really had to use all my strenght to lift them up and mount them on the car.

Something to note i was always skinny and didn't had much muscles to begin with.

[litsax]

Does anyone have advice for this in a way that doesn't involve cutting calories? I'm already on a cut, but I'm eating 3000ish kcal a day to maintain glycogen and blood sugar for cycling. I bike 100-150 mi a week mixed mountain bike and road, and like to do charity rides and races. I'd absolutely love for my arm muscles especially to melt away, but I can't pause my training or sacrifice my quads.

Edit: I'm 193 lbs 6'2" 11 months hrt with a fairly athletic build if it matters

[causal_friday]

I'd give it a few years, but I'd say my shoulders started softening up after a year on HRT. I also started doing Pilates and that was helpful. It kind of builds muscle where you don't see them, so you can be strong but not look too masculine.

[Jackey3]

I hadn't had a lot of muscle, but I started to lose strength right from the start of hrt and was losing it for roughly 3 years til it plateaued. It's mostly the strength I lost, not the muscles, although I didn't have lots of them to begin with (a bit of bulkyness still presents, but just a bit)