Yay! another day, another milestone, inching closer and closer towards my authentic self. Finally, I’m now starting to like the person I see in the mirror. I’ve never been so happier and positive in my entire life. Came out at work last month and it went fairly well beyond my expectations. While my so called “friends” remained silent, I surprisingly found acceptance from unexpected corners. Still, not much progress with my family as they continue to live by “don’t ask don’t tell” rule expect my mom who’s trying very hard to understand things. With one year of HRT I’m kinda slowly coming into my own and here are some major changes during the last several months.

Weight Estrogen makes it so easy to gain weight and I found it almost impossible to lose my pounds. I’m not really a workout person so i started to watch my food intake. All i could do with the calorie counting is that i was merely able to maintain my weight. At the time of starting HRT i weighed around 77 kgs (170 lbs) and lost about 4 kgs (8 lbs) of water weight, that’s all. A couple of months ago, i stumbled on this incredible low-carb weight-loss regimen called Dukan diet. Since on this diet two months ago, I’ve shed a whopping 10 kgs (22 lbs). I’m aware of the consequences of this sort of rapid weight-loss but I’m very happy about it.

Hair It’s amazing to see my hairline getting rounder and the receded temples filled in slowly. My hair improved so much in the last 12-16 months since I was on anti-androgens. I’ve been shedding heavily since last two months and it’s crazy. Most probably due the hair re-bonding that I’ve done recently to my dry-fizzy hair. Also, I’m doing so many things (HRT, Anti-depressants, Weight-loss etc) and i’m not sure what’s causing what.

Body Hair While hair on chest and arms is getting thinner day by day, HRT seem to have no effect on hair on legs and thighs. I’ve started laser on my face and had five sessions so far. I can’t believe how people understate the pain as small pricks or rubber band snaps. Let me tell you, laser hurts like hell. I know HRT increases pain sensitivity but still, it’s a damn lot of pain. It’s very tricky to have laser on thick dark hair on dark skin. It would leave me with serious burns, though temporary. I am very happy with the results so far and I have around 5-6 more sessions to go.

Breasts Sadly, my breasts are down by a size, thanks to my weight-loss. I still have those little mounds around the nipples which are a sign of growth. My Endo says that I’m currently in stage 4 of tanner breast development.

Feet I’ve never heard of something like this before but my shoe size shrunk by a size. Probably from the muscle loss due to HRT and my overall weight-loss.

Appetite My appetite is very low these days as I eat a lot of protein which makes you feel full. My craving for salty and sour foods still going pretty strong.

Psychological Since coming out, I feel like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders and I’m so relieved. I am currently on extremely low dose of medication. I feel really good and almost free of psychiatric symptoms.

Like every person in transition, I get so impatient sometimes about the changes even though i know they won’t happen overnight. I’m planning to go full-time as soon as i get my facial hair to some manageable level. Also I’ve finalized my SRS surgeon and it’s gonna be Dr. Chettawut. I reckon it’s better to have the surgery around 2-year mark of HRT and I’m thinking, may be it’ll be the end of next year. By the grace of God, i already got the money part of the surgery covered. I’m so anxious and excited about it and I can’t wait to be freed from this male body of death.