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Back in December my wife and I took a short vacation to Cancun. There was a scale in our bathroom and I decided to use it for some reason (on vacation? Why?? Lol). When the scale read out a higher number than I had ever been in my life, I laughed a little and thought "scale must be broken." Then the week after we got back I had a post surgery follow up, and of course they weighed me.. and it was the same number. Needless to say I was a little shocked... I'm 6'2" so I can hide my weight pretty well, but I knew it was time for change. I had also recently ordered some clothes on Amazon for a new look I wanted to work on... And literally none of it fit.. not one thing fit me, and I was incredibly upset. I didn't feel good about myself, and that led me to not wanting to crossdress at all.
We had a cruise coming up at the end of February (which was an absolute blast but that's another story) and neither of us felt good about ourselves.. so we went on a diet. Side note - watching the Netflix documentary You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment made it extremely easy for me to change my eating habits. The week before we left for the cruise I was down just over 20 lbs in about 2 months! I decided to try on all the things I got a few months prior... And it all fit!! My wife could see how excited I was and asked why she hadn't seen Rilee in a while, and I told her how depressing it was trying to squeeze into clothes that didn't fit. We planned a date night for that week so she could see Rilee again and it was a wonderful experience, especially since I hadn't dressed up in over 2 months. Now, I did gain a few pounds back on the cruise and extended vacation lol but nothing alarming.. so I'm back on the diet/exercise plan and feel very good. My wife promised me that if I hit my 30 lb loss goal, she'll go with me to get my navel pierced! 😁
Now, I have some questions for you ladies. My main exercise has been speed walking a 4 mile loop with my dogs about 3 times a week, and incline training on the treadmill 2 more days a week. While this is great for fat burning I've also read that I should be doing other exercises for quicker fat burn, specifically weightlifting. I'm a little skeptical of weightlifting because I'd like a more feminine figure and I'm afraid I'll bulk up... Have any of you done any kind of weight lifting routine that toned you down instead of bulking up? Are there other specific exercises that you do to enhance your feminine figure? I'd love to hear what works for you!
With weights you probably need to know what you want from it. Naturally the thought it will lead to bulk but it can also tone. Do you want a six pack or a ring pull? Run a bath or run a mile? Look like Jessica Rabbit or Jessia Lange? Reality check first.
Any exercise has to be balanced with diet, age and health is also a consideration too. The usual pathway is to start with a health screening to check what ability you have to exercise. From that you can work out a reasonable target weight as one size does not fit all. What sort of weight and stature is your family?
Diet has to be balanced to exercise making sure you have enough to keep going and the right things to keep the weight going down.
Then time, the body needs time to adjust to any loss of weight which is different for everyone.
I think we all know what things we have in excess and cutting down can be the first step and then replacing with healthy alternatives. Simple and obvious things we know to cut out are alcohol, smoking, sweet treats and processed foods.
Work out an exercise plan to suit you and don't over do it and make unreal targets.
Cycling was my thing. For many years, I cycled everywhere. Some weeks I was doing 200 to 300 miles a week. 10 miles every day, whatever the weather, 22 miles a day on the weekends (12 in the morning, 10 in the evening), plus back and forth to work and general running about. People often tell me that I have great legs.... Cycling 200 miles a week for 10 years or more will do that 😉
I can' cycle as much as I used to as I've been unwell for nearly a year, but I am a lot better these days and can do a few miles a day. I invested in some female cycle clothing, not that you can really tell it's female, but psychologically, it makes a huge difference. Cycling burns calories, tones muscle, and is good for the heart and mind. It's also a lot more interesting than spending hours in the gym. You get to go places. Give it a go!
Cerys
Hi Rilee, I'm retired and work as a part time lumberjack but do eat pizza and drink beer each day. I never go to the gym but do get my exercise at work cutting and processing trees. I check my weight the first thing each morning on a very accurate digital scale (to within a tenth of a pound). If my weight is up I just reduce my food portion and/or increase my daily work load until I'm back to where I want to be. If my weight is down below my target, I can have more fun and eat a larger portion or have a donut. Anyway the daily weighing and constant portion correction has made a difference for me and I've been able to stay on my target weight for years and still enjoy the food I love. I've gotten to the point of being able to predict my daily weight with accuracy just by knowing what I've done the day before. I hate to waste food but will absolutely refuse a plate or portion if I think that it will be more than my body needs for the day. If I put an extra pound on it will take me about a week to get it off so I'm very careful. My doctor counseled me about this 35 years ago when she taught me how to take food off my plate before I started to eat. She said that every year that I saw her, my weight was up another 3 pounds and in ten years she was going to have to talk to me about weight loss, exercise and diet and the end of my beer and pizza meals. Or, she said, I could learn to adjust my portions in relation to my daily work and I could still have my beloved beer and pizza. It took me about 10 years to get my food vs daily work under control but I've been able to maintain my target for the last 25 years. The digital scale and daily weight check makes the difference for me. I know it's simplistic sounding but my body loves to put on weight and I can put 2 pounds on just looking at a Big Mac. I'm not on any Rx and recently was having a hernia surgery (lifted up a 200 pound log) and as I was going under the anesthesia I heard someone call out "hey come on over and look at this one, we never get anybody in this shape". So anyway, nobody loves the skinny girl, but that's how I am able to keep my clothes fitting and maybe it will be of some help to you. Also, in the spirit of disclosure, I'm 5'5 and 120 pounds and my labs are better than any of my doctors. Wishing you the best in health and style. Marg
Two years ago I brought my new dog home. We walk four miles each day. Actually, with her chasing the ball, she probably does much more. But I dropped 30 pounds without doing anything else. I think you're doing just the right amount.