so I'm considering wether I'd ever want to start testosterone some day. I'm a pretty femme guy, and I don't want to be buff or have huge rippling abs or any of that. I want to keep a pretty slim build, but I want kind of small muscles, but be pretty well toned as well. I'm worried that if I went on t, working out would make me more "buff" instead. I've heard that you gain a bit of weight starting t too, and I'm already a little on the tubby side, so I'm wondering if it would be worth losing some weight before I started? what would be you guys' opinions on this?
i haven't heard about weight gain as a side effect before... it redistributes fat, and you'll have the appetite of a teenaged boy, so maybe that is where that is coming from. if you do the right work out for what you are trying to achieve (ie fat burning [cardio] instead of muscle building [lifting weights]), then the ease of muscle gain shouldn't be that much of an issue. but this is coming from someone who is pre-t, so don't take my word for it.
Gabriel's FTM guide said that even if you work out a ton, it's highly unlikely you'll look like a bodybuilder. T will help a little with the muscle gain, but he said you'd have to really, really want to be a super buff guy to actually be one. If you want to read it, it's here... The FTM's Complete Illustrated Guide to Looking Like a (Hot) Dude It's long; just scroll down to the part that talks about T.
I've gained some weight since being on T. Some of that is muscle and some of it is fat from my increased appetite. When it comes to working out, you could focus on things that will not make you ripped. No matter what, you will gain some muscle though, since men usually have more muscle than women. As for the weight loss part, T effects everybody differently. I've gained some weight from fat, but I was pretty skinny before. I've heard that some guys lost weight. It's one of those things where you cannot know how it is going to effect you until you try it. You just have to be ready for both effects of it.
I've heard of guys gaining weight, but a lot of that could be from building muscle if one is keeping themselves under control in the appetite department.
dude, just going on T and working out a little won't make you ripped, you have nothing to worry about building muscle takes a lot of effort, just look at cis men. they may be able to build muscle easier but generally they are not extremely muscular. there's a lot of variation.
As I'm not on T yet, my answer might not be what you are looking for but I'm going to try to help anyways. Becoming "buff" actually takes a lot of work. You will not gain that much muscle on accident. The steroids that body-builders use are usually different from prescription steroids, and the T that you take for transitioning is only to get your testosterone levels up to a cis-males. If that is what your concerned about. While I don't think being a little chubby is a bad thing, T will not redistribute the weight you already have. Once you start it any new weight (while on T) your gain will go wherever men gain weight. That being said, it probably would be helpful for you to try to loose a bit of weight because where your weight is stored can effect how masculine you look. I'm actually a bit underweight and I have the odd task of trying to gain muscle weight and limit the fat on my chest and butt. The skinny but toned look is achieved by doing a lot of cardio and by using light weights with many repetitions. Being toned doesn't really make you gain muscle it only defines what you have, so you won't get big by working out this way. Also, even if your muscles are toned if you have fat over them you won't see it, that is why cardio probably more important than the actual weight lifting (in my opinion).
