I've read that once the body's testosterone supply is cut off muscle mass begins to decrease. Is this visibly noticeable or does it just manifest as a reduction of strength?

The reason I ask is that I have always had ridiculously large quadriceps (thigh muscles) and calves. Although this isn't my primary reason for wanting to get the chop it would be a nice side effect if my legs would slim down to a more reasonable size.

I used to have muscles and now I have mass. Having never used HRT I have lost some muscle mass. Also without the aid of T the fat has redistributed into more of a female fat pattern. Between age and no hormones I have found it easier to gain weight. I now have thicker upper thighs than before. So you may lose some muscle and you may gain some body fat. Of course this could vary for you and the use of HRT could minimize both occurences.

Last year when my T level first dropped to way below normal for my age, besides being unable to concentrate and being very tired and weak, (among other horrible things) I definitely did notice that I was starting to "shrivel up", everywhere, if you know what I mean. As my muscle mass decreased the skin on my arms started to look as if I was deflating. I seemed to stay the same weight which had to mean that my fat content was increasing (I guess) since my muscles were definitely decreasing. Being tired and weak I had no interest in exercise to try and keep muscle mass. Even after six months on T-gel the muscle mass didn't bulk up. Maybe if I had started up a major muscle building program I might have been able to bulk up again, but that just wasn't an option then due to many factors. Once I stopped T-gel and went on Siterone I didn't notice much more reduction in muscle mass. However loss of appetite has helped me loose considerable fat weight. I wish I could get up the gumption to do some muscle building activities but just don't.

After seeing that program on National Geographic about the young man who went through a M-F transgender surgical change, and then didn't like being female, and then went through a F-M transgender non-surgical change and took heavy doses of steroids and exercised and weight lifted and wound up looking like one hunky weight lifting macho good looking dude (originally a guy who is now again a guy who is now missing all of his male parts), it does seem possible that with testosterone supplements (if one is willing to take them) and if one is willing to exercise one can build back muscle mass. Without testosterone it doesn't look too hopeful.

Since I want to lose my unsightly leg muscles I'm quite pleased with the contents of both of your posts. It seems that it is an achievable goal.

Not too keen on the idea of saggy skin though. I'll have to do some research and see if there's a way to mitigate that. Presumably it's the same problem fat people have when they lose a lot of weight.

Senjougahara (imported) wrote: Thu Oct 22, 2009 3:17 pm I've read that once the body's testosterone supply is cut off muscle mass begins to decrease. Is this visibly noticeable or does it just manifest as a reduction of strength?

The reason I ask is that I have always had ridiculously large quadriceps (thigh muscles) and calves. Although this isn't my primary reason for wanting to get the chop it would be a nice side effect if my legs would slim down to a more reasonable size.

The size and strength of muscles were effected. Some of the muscle changed to fat. The quadriceps are still large. Did a lot of biking in my earlier years. The thigh's seem to be about the same size. Castration effects 7 years.

Muscle mass would be easily built back with even moderate amounts of testosterone. I have found the dose needed for most men is about 200 to 250mg/wk of testosterone, or roughly that amount of other steroids. Though testosterone is the most effective for muscle building. It's not so much the dose, but mostly cycling from one form of testosterone to another that puts on muscle. And if one has built his muscles using testosterone, or other steroids, then were to get castrated and not take testosterone, his muscle loss wold be the most dramatic, as he has much more built up with the use of hormones, so when said hormones are no longer present, his muscle loss would be very profound. I know this is off subject, just wanted to share what I know about building muscle.

Mostly it's the working out that puts on lots of muscle mass and likewise when one doesn't work out over time you do lose your muscle mass. I being of low testosterone had once spent a whole summer bucking bales and doing other hard physical labor when I was younger. But however I was also getting this really awful never ending ache between my shoulder blades. I went to the doctor and I got scolded for putting on too much muscle mass for such a slender bone frame. He told me that the only way to get rid the pain in my upper back was that I'd have to quit working out and that eventually it would go away. I quit working so hard and eventually it did go away. He also had recommended that I get a desk job but I have never had one yet.