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Feeling better about myself

11 Posts
8 Users
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Posts: 152
Lady
Topic starter
(@cdkaylasnow)
Reputable Member     Denver, Colorado, United States of America
Joined: 3 years ago

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!

 

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Ambassador
(@alexina)
Joined: 1 year ago

Illustrious Member     Fife, United Kingdom
Posts: 2208

@cdkaylasnow Hi, Rilee, I totally relate to this. I usually do a 2-3 mile brisk walk (well, it's brisk for the first 75%, I'm only human) three times a week and play golf a couple of times. I've lost about 18 lbs in 5 weeks and have another 10 or 12 to lose to my target of 12.5 stones UK. I'm 6 feet tall.

Like you, i bought a couple of dresses, bodycon style that I could get into but the look is somewhat spoiled by a big lump where there shouldn't be! I reckon another few weeks and all should be good though.

I don't do weights though, I don't want to look like Arnie in a dress 🙄 so I can't help with your question but good luck with it all.

Allie x

 

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Lady
(@cdkaylasnow)
Joined: 3 years ago

Reputable Member     Denver, Colorado, United States of America
Posts: 152

@alexina I think my worry from weightlifting comes from my experience in my early 20's.. I was blessed with a very high metabolism so I was always incredibly skinny, even when I was eating like garbage all the time lol. I decided to try P90X one year, and I ended up gaining close to 15lbs of muscle mass in those 3 months. I was in the best shape of my life... But that was also about 2 years before I discovered crossdressing. I know that you have to take in more calories to actually bulk up, but I still think about how much I gained in just 3 months, even if P90X is fairly extreme lol, and it makes me a little hesitant to incorporate any kind of weightlifting into my routine

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Ambassador
(@alexina)
Joined: 1 year ago

Illustrious Member     Fife, United Kingdom
Posts: 2208

@cdkaylasnow Yeah, I've noticed a lot of weight training supplements have the word, bulk, in their descriptions.

I'm going to add stretches and waist reducing exercises to my daily practise. Not looking for an hour glass figure, of course, or a six pack, come to that, just enough to keep fit and healthy. And look great in my dresses!

Allie x

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Duchess
(@amydoll)
Joined: 12 months ago

Estimable Member     Leicestershire, United Kingdom
Posts: 90

@cdkaylasnow Hi Rilee, sounds like you're doing great so far and what a wonderful reward your wife has suggested for when you reach your goal!  I have a similar cardio routine to you, running a few miles a week on the treadmill and also working in some time on the stair master.  

For weights and strength training, I also wanted to avoid putting too much bulk on top and I tend to avoid much on upper body work.  As genetic males, we all tend to be naturally broader on chest, shoulders than GGs so I don't look to add to this further.  Instead, I focus on building strength on my lower body (squats, leg press, abductor machines etc) as I'd be quite happy to end up with bigger thighs 🙂

Hope that helps!

Amy X

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(@charlottesometimes)
Joined: 5 years ago

Estimable Member     Dayton, Ohio, United States of America
Posts: 108

@cdkaylasnow Congratulations on your weight loss!  I've been trimming down, too.  I'm down 55 pounds since mid December thanks to a ketogenic diet.  To reduce/reverse muscle loss, I've started doing circuit weight training, which I think is a good way to tone without bulking up, especially if you do moderate weights.  When I first got into going to the gym, the Bally's I joined had a clocked circuit sequence, alternating upper and lower body.  Fellow members usually followed the recorded voice advising members to shift to the next machine.  For me, not one to be physically disciplined, the regimentation was great.  Alas, I've not attended a gym since which offers that feature, and often the machine I want to use next is occupied by someone doing sets to failure, sitting in the machine and resting between sets.  Grr.

I'm of the opinion most exercise, short of strenuous multiple hours every day, does little to promote weight loss directly.  It takes a lot of effort to burn the calories from one apple.  So I focus on diet, and find avoiding most carbs makes it easy to eat fewer calories without hunger.  That said cardio and light weight training are very beneficial to overall health.  The sources I trust on diet and exercise all regard brisk walking as being of tremendous benefit, so do keep it up!

My wife is very pleased with my weight loss.  She is very tolerant of my dressing and while she experiences no apparent direct pleasure from seeing me dressed as a woman, she is happy to see me being happy for being able to fit into smaller size dresses.  

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Posts: 3446
Hostess
(@ab123)
Illustrious Member     Surrey, United Kingdom
Joined: 5 years ago

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.

 

 

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Posts: 829
Lady
(@dazzler)
Noble Member     Cardiff, South Glamorgan, United Kingdom
Joined: 4 years ago

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 

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Lady
(@cdkaylasnow)
Joined: 3 years ago

Reputable Member     Denver, Colorado, United States of America
Posts: 152

@dazzler I love cycling! Growing up I used to do this thing every summer with my dad called the Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure; it was a week long ride with about 50 miles between each stop. I live in a major city now with lots of bike paths.. unfortunately it's also winter time here lol so I haven't really gotten my bike out for a few months. We have a nice stationary bike in the apartment but I don't get the same joy riding it 😅

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Posts: 1119
Lady
(@margprodue)
Noble Member     Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
Joined: 3 years ago

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

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Posts: 305
Duchess
(@2bmadeline)
Reputable Member     Walla Walla, Washington, United States of America
Joined: 2 years ago

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.

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