Post #2033846

@autumn you’re not going to get any definitive answer because none of this has been systematically studied and “weight cycling” is just a theory by some people in the community. But I do have thoughts shaped by personal experience that I hope might be helpful here :) Aspects of physical feminisation like breast growth do require some amount of body fat. Over the course of the first years on estrogen, your body will gradually store more of that fat in “feminine” places, even if your overall weight doesn’t change. What’s unclear is if losing and re-gaining weight during that time can speed up some of those changes. That said, I’m always concerned that online talk around weight cycling could lead to harmful behaviour, especially in people predisposed to eating disorders. For an informed decision, I think it is important to consider the psychological risks, as well as the ways in which weight loss puts stress on the body (no less at a time when it is also undergoing second puberty). Fwiw, my anxieties around weight and body image have improved a lot since giving up on the idea of speeding up my transition through fitness or eating behaviour 💜