Downward Angle Symbol A symbol in the form of an angle pointing downwards. Gabbi Tuft before and after transition. Courtesy of Gabbi Tuft
- When I was a WWE star I had a lot of muscle mass, but in the transition I wanted to lose it all.
- I had to stop strength training and start my version of the keto diet.
- My biggest motivation was understanding my “why” – why I wanted to change my body.
When I was a male WWE wrestler, I weighed 280 pounds and my body fat percentage was between 6 and 8%. Now, as a fitness trainer, I weigh 187 pounds and my body fat percentage is about 18%.
It was extremely difficult to shape my body to fit my mental self-image. Since there was no reliable guide on how to lose muscle mass as a trans person, I had to figure it out myself. I finally succeeded, but it wasn't an easy path.
The challenge of losing muscle
I learned that taking feminizing hormones does not cause loss of muscle mass; Estrogen does a phenomenal job of maintaining it. Taking estrogen led to small changes – such as: However, it did not result in a drastic reduction in my muscle mass, such as the softening of my skin and the shifting of fat deposits under my eyes.
When I first started my transition, I asked everyone I could – from trainers to competitive bodybuilding trainers – for advice on how to lose muscle mass. They all said the same thing: lift lighter weights and do more reps. They believed I needed to activate the muscles to make them smaller.
I followed this advice and did light, high-rep workouts and cardio. As a result, I lost fat and became lean, but I didn't lose any significant muscle mass, which was incredibly frustrating.
I decided to take matters into my own hands and research muscle loss.
In order to lose muscle, I had to stop strength training
At the time, there were no studies on how transgender women might trigger muscle loss. The only research I could find was aimed at preventing muscle loss, so I had to consider the studies' conclusions with my own goals in mind.
According to the studies, patients on complete bed rest lose significantly more muscle than those on partial bed rest. Even when patients only get up to use the toilet and shower, they retain far more muscle mass than those who rest completely in bed.
Although this research wasn't directly applicable to my situation, it inspired me to stop strength training in the hope that eliminating tension would lead to muscle loss. To accelerate muscle loss in my upper body, I stopped resistance training my lower body. Even if you use a hamstring machine, you tense your hands and arms when you grip the bar, so I stopped lifting weights and doing resistance training altogether. To keep my lower body in shape, I turned to bodyweight training, which worked well.
Although this was a good start, my body really began to change when I discovered a way to force my body to use muscle as an energy source.
Then I had to start losing muscle mass
I had to deprive my body of all other energy sources in order to burn muscle mass. The first place our body needs energy is from glucose in the bloodstream, which comes from the carbohydrates and sugars we eat. When it doesn't have any of that, it resorts to glycogen stored in the liver. When this energy is depleted, the body produces ketones and converts fat into energy. When all other energy sources are depleted and certain conditions are met, the body begins to convert muscle into glucose as an energy source.
To deprive my body of glucose, I followed my version of a keto diet that used mostly proteins and healthy fats. The only carbohydrates I ate were those high in fiber, such as cruciferous vegetables. I also went into a calorie deficit and started intermittent fasting. This meant my body was completely free of ketones, the chemicals produced when the body begins to break down its reserve energy sources – fat and muscle.
To get my body to build muscle, I did cardio on the treadmill for at least an hour every day. I walked up an incline and kept my heart rate between 150 and 160 beats per minute. Some days I did this workout twice. This was difficult and required extreme determination, but it forced my body to convert muscle into glucose and use it as fuel.
When I started taking this approach, muscle mass began to decline quickly. It was incredible to watch. When I first started transitioning, I wore pants sizes 14 to 16 – now I wear a size 10 or smaller. I used to wear size XXL or XXXL women's tops; Now I wear large and medium sizes.
I had to understand my deepest “why.”
Losing muscle mass was one of the hardest parts of my transition. In order to embody the female form I desired, I had to let go of that part of myself.
The key to my success was connecting with my deepest “why.” This is the deep emotion that was my motivation.
Whatever your goals are, the important question is not how you will achieve them, but why you want to achieve them. Understanding your deepest “why” will get you to the finish line. This helped me on my journey.
Gabbi Tuft is an online personal fitness and nutrition coach. She has coached over 1,500 clients to success over the past 13 years. She specializes in helping women break cyclical behavior patterns to achieve lasting, sustainable weight loss and physical changes. For more information, visit www.coachgabbi.com.