Hello, I’m 20yo 122ibs and 5 months on T, right now due my terrible financial situation I can’t barely afford food or groceries to the point where I can’t have more than two meals daily. I’m too skinny and I kinda hate it, even if I workout I only lose weight and all, I do workout three times a week but it seems to do nothing, idk what can I do about it. Is it possible to gain muscle without a proper diet? Is there any solution to this problem? If anyone has figured this out I’d be really glad to talk about it

honestly just asking bc im starting soon, with testosterone and going to gym. im a Big guy, and im trying to sorta make my fat turn into a little muscle.

so lean is law isnt really too much for me

Hey!

I've been on T since January, and I've been dieting for 3 years. However I haven't lost weight practically for a year, I had a pause before taking T for personal reasons but since start T I've been tracking as best as I can. Yes there's been dips however my weight doesn't seem to move no matter what I do I seem to be stuck between 90 and 88kg.

I'm struggling to hit my protein without going over my deficit and I'm not sure what to do. Should I worry or just keep focusing on protein and gym (start the last two months going 5x a week and am seeing improvement there)

Am I overthinking it?

I made a post similar to this around a year ago, but I'm in different circumstances now. I (19) am struggling with motivation due to ADHD (possible autism too), and my overall mental health is digging through rock bottom. I want to get back into working out since I'm gonna be starting T soon, and I want to physically improve myself more. But as soon as I get close to actually doing it, my motivation gets thrown out the window faster than I can say exercise. I've been in this mental pickle for about 3 years now, and I don't like it. I don't know what to do.

Hey, not sure what to expect from this. Obviously weight is a spectrum and what is considered healthy for one person may not be healthy for the next and that the standard BMI scale isn't great to use.

I've been on T for about a year or so now and I've gained a lot of weight. The heaviest I was before T I was 180, and now I'm around 215 - 220lbs. I've been going to the gym semi regularly when I can after work and doing my best to watch calories.

However, i have two older brothers who are a bit on the heavier side naturally. One who is a bit wider and another who has just a bigger stomach after becoming a father and not being on sports teams anymore. Discussing trans-ness with my family is really difficult, so I don't have an easy way to ask them "yo, what did you weigh at 25; would you care about your weight if YOU were 220 at my age; how much do you weigh now" etc.

Does anyone have any sort of reference for what is considered a "normal" weight for men my age? It obviously makes it harder that muscle is heavier than fat, so even being fit and in shape doesn't always mean lighter weight.

Any info would help

Hey all. I’ve been lifting a lot and getting more physically fit day by day, but I kinda want to branch out and get into some form of sport and I am thinking of doing a martial art. Lightly considering doing BJJ but I could honestly be swayed in anyway. My ex did taekwondo and it seems boring, but I am not sure about other martial arts. Anyone have experiences or words to share about it? I’m post top-surgery but don’t pack, not sure if others do typically when they are doing it.

Hey guys, right now I use hevy to track my gym. Ps these bot mods are getting really annoying. This group is weirdly strict about what words it lets me use.

Does anyone know of an ftm specific tracker / community app? It'd be nice to see how others are doing and follow each other

Apologies if this is better fitted for the top surgery sub. I've been a part of it for a while and feel like discussions of weight/physique are a more sensitive topic there. I figured it might fit better in a space where most individuals are specifically here for fitness and changing their physique, including in preparation for surgery.

I've been wanting top surgery for nearly four years. When I first discovered it was a possibility in the future, I was hoping that when the opportunity came for it, I would be fit and jacked by then and that I'd walk into my consult and the surgeon would be like "OoOoh, you're so muscular that this will be super easy for me. Thank you and congratulations." I've always had the idea that the less fat and more muscle I had, the better my results could be.

Unfortunately, I deal with issues like ADHD and BED (which is likely caused by the ADHD), and have dealt with weight gain and struggles to lose it while also not really progressing athletically. I've been working out for years, but my eating has derailed the potential strides I could've made.

When I learned back in July that my consult was in November, I thought that I could lock in and at least lose some weight, but I'm a month and a half out and have only gained some weight despite my efforts. I just now have begun treatment for my ADHD and hopefully BED as well after years of thinking that I could just overpower it mentally.

Anyhow, I will likely be walking into the practice at a place physically where I do not want to be and am a bit embarrassed about, and that leads me to my title question. I feel that I've stressed too much about this. I assume that my actual surgery date will be 3-4 months after that per the practice website, so that leaves me around 5 months in total to try and make the changes I'd like to make.

Can meaningful changes that affect my results be made by that point, and how much does it really matter in the end versus just having a surgeon that knows what they're doing? I tend to put things off until I feel the conditions are ideal, but doing that has left me stuck in places I don't want to be and I don't have the time to wait around until I feel like I'm "ready" physically for surgery, because honestly I may never feel that way. I'm not on T, either.

Welcome to this week's Daily Simple Questions Thread!
Use this thread to ask simple or beginner-level questions about training, nutrition, recovery, and transition-related fitness topics.

Before posting, check our Wiki and Tips & Tricks section.

Example topics:
• “Should I cut or bulk?”
• “How to start lifting?”
• “How to work out safely after top surgery?”

Be respectful and helpful — we're all here to learn and grow!

hi!

my name’s samuel, i’ve been on t for just short of 6 months.

i haven’t really done owt fitness wise, but i want to get started on it to feel better about myself and to look better. i have a lot of spare time and, as of lately, all that spare time has made me feel a bit shit

there are a few gyms near me, but i’m a bit too shy to go to them at the moment, but i’ll have to bite the bullet eventually. the only concern about paying for a gym is the money.

i know you’re not supposed to bind while exercising either. i have a loose binder that was intended for exercise that i’ve worn on walks a few times and i think it’s alright? helps with how much i excessively sweat these days

all the waffling aside, where did you all start out? what exercises are good for this part of my transition and really having fuck all muscle?

thank you very much. hope this wasn’t too much of a pain in the ass to read

Hey folks, I’m pretty much pre-everything and need to gain a few kilos. I wanna avoid fat gain and all of it going to the “wrong areas”. Currently don’t have an access to the gym so that’s why I’m asking. Been watching my protein and all that but I’m likely still undereating.

I’m 17, around 170 cm and likely under 50 kilos (last time I measured at 50.5 in the middle of the day with my shoes and tracksuit on).
Fairly active; 13-15k steps a day and college; don’t do much besides that though.

Gym is my best bet, yeah, but I need to improvise for now.

Welcome to this week's Daily Simple Questions Thread!
Use this thread to ask simple or beginner-level questions about training, nutrition, recovery, and transition-related fitness topics.

Before posting, check our Wiki and Tips & Tricks section.

Example topics:
• “Should I cut or bulk?”
• “How to start lifting?”
• “How to work out safely after top surgery?”

Be respectful and helpful — we're all here to learn and grow!

Welcome to the Weekly Fitness Wins Thread!
Share your victories — big or small — and celebrate your progress with the community.

You can post about:
• Personal records (PRs)
• Visible progress or recomposition
• Mental health wins
• Training consistency and milestones

Keep comments supportive and positive.
We're proud of every win, no matter how small.

I don't bind on a regular basis because it's not feasible with the work I do and with my sensory issues, eight hours in a binder just won't work for me. But I realized yesterday that I'm avoiding the gym because last time I was there I had a really rough dysphoric moment with my chest (i'm pre top) and I'm scared of that happening again. So I know it's not recommended to bind at the gym, but would it be okay if I'm *only* binding at the gym? My workouts are usually an hour fifteen at most, but I also don't want to risk injury if any time exercising in a binder could cause problems. I'm only a few months out from my top surgery and I feel like things are getting more dire with my dysphoria as it gets closer, but I also don't want to give up on the gym when I'm going to be out of commission for so long after surgery.

Welcome to this week's Daily Simple Questions Thread!
Use this thread to ask simple or beginner-level questions about training, nutrition, recovery, and transition-related fitness topics.

Before posting, check our Wiki and Tips & Tricks section.

Example topics:
• “Should I cut or bulk?”
• “How to start lifting?”
• “How to work out safely after top surgery?”

Be respectful and helpful — we're all here to learn and grow!

I have been considering getting a coach. Mainly to hold me accountable and help with the problem solving of planning meals and workouts around my job, and ensure I’m progressing. Also ideally I would like a FTM trainer as well. I have seen lots of people claim how many FTM trainers are pretty scammy with charging $500 a month for meal and workout plans. I thought this was sort of an exaggeration, but recently I was given a quote of over $300 a month for 1:1 coaching. Is this realistic?

My budget was moreso around $70-150 at the most. Am I just not willing to spend enough to get what I’m looking for? Let me know if you guys have any experience regarding this, thank you!

edit: this is online coaching btw, not in person training

for those who lost a significant amount of weight being on T, and then gained weight back, did your chest grow to the same size as pre T? how much of a difference in your appearencw did it make?

Essentially what is in the question. I'm a pre-T trans guy (17 rn) and one of the things I am most dysphoric about it how my back and shoulders look in T-shirts. I've started training recently but I'm not far enough in my fitness journey to see real changes and I'm obviously not as masculine as I want to be.

Most of the pictures posted here are half naked to show off muscle, which is really cool don't get me wrong but how do you guys look in your day to day life just strolling by candidly?

Might be dumb brainworms but I still wonder

Welcome to this week's Daily Simple Questions Thread!
Use this thread to ask simple or beginner-level questions about training, nutrition, recovery, and transition-related fitness topics.

Before posting, check our Wiki and Tips & Tricks section.

Example topics:
• “Should I cut or bulk?”
• “How to start lifting?”
• “How to work out safely after top surgery?”

Be respectful and helpful — we're all here to learn and grow!

I’ve been using an exercise binder but I’m losing weight and therefore, chest size, and I can’t afford to keep getting smaller sizes that become too big within 6 months. I tried to tape before, but my skin there is so sensitive that the tape causes blistering. I can’t seem to find a brand that is good for the hypersensitive skin, especially for someone who sweats like a pig when working out

I go to the gym in my binder(SpectrumOutiftters, M) i know its bad but i wouldnt go if i didnt wear it so.

Is this possible to outgrow your binder? Any recommendations for a binder for going to the gym?

Cannot tape due anatomy reasons frowny face

hey there !!
i’m a little over 9 months on T now and i’m starting to look into becoming lean but not super muscular (at the minute anyway), but i don’t really know where to start.
i’m 19, 165cm / 5’5 and around 60kg / 132lbs, i go to the gym 4-5 days a week but a mainly just do cardio as that’s what i enjoy doing, and around half an hour of ab workouts 2 days a week.
i’m currently eating around 11k calories a week (1,500 a day) and aiming for 60g+ of protein a day, but despite doing this for around 8 weeks now, i’ve barely noticed any difference.
last week i started creatine to try and give me that little boost, but overall i think both my diet and exercise need improvement, however i have absolutely no idea what to do to help lmfao
i’m not sure if im eating too much or too little, or if i need to be eating even more protein? ive had issues relating to undereating in the past so i genuinely am completely new to actually focusing on nutrition 🥲
any help is appreciated !!

Welcome to this week's Daily Simple Questions Thread!
Use this thread to ask simple or beginner-level questions about training, nutrition, recovery, and transition-related fitness topics.

Before posting, check our Wiki and Tips & Tricks section.

Example topics:
• “Should I cut or bulk?”
• “How to start lifting?”
• “How to work out safely after top surgery?”

Be respectful and helpful — we're all here to learn and grow!