[MyNewGyrlz]

I'm glad you wrote that because I was trying to figure out a way to show concern, without sounding critical

Haha. It's ok. It actually concerns me more that any one would possibly be jealous of my physical characteristics right now. I am entirely too thin, and I know it. It's a dangerous but, for me, necessary step of a very long process.

I hope you're going to be done with the catabolic phase soon, honey! Looks like almost a step back right now. On the plus side, your muscle tone does appear softer, so you're foundation work is probably going to pay-off well.

Yep! So good to hear I'm not just seeing what I want to see! And yeah... This stage is harsh. I should be done when I reach 125. Then it's time to start the anabolic stage... VERY SLOWLY, just as slow if not slower than the catabolic stage has been.

Do you feel that your NBE program will put the muscle tissue back on in a more feminine matrix, or is something stronger required for that? I understand that even our bones are fully replaced over time, and I've often wondered if we took just the herbs long enough if everything wouldn't become more feminine.

The biggest factor here is going to be if my anti-androgens are working thoroughly. If my T levels aren't low enough...

I honestly don't know what my T levels are, I'm hoping they're low enough, but I'd have to find a way to get tested to find out for sure.

As for our bones... It's an interesting idea. I don't know enough.

As far as I know nothing can actually change our skeleton once it forms. Even when they slowly replace themselves they do so right back to the way they were before regardless of hormone changes. The only exceptions are if you don't have enough calcium or your calcium uptake is poor or you have neither estrogen or testosterone.

Granted, I don't believe any truly long term studies have been conducted. And IF a female hormone balance will alter the skeleton, it'd be over decades.

Good Luck, and be careful!

-j

Thanks! And I try. It's definitely something that if anyone else proposed doing I'd discourage them unless they gave every evidence of knowing just as much as I do about exactly what they're doing. Even then I'd ask them to seriously consider if it's REALLY necessary in their case. In my case it was. I had a very fatty middle when I FIRST first started. And a fair bit of muscle development. It was very lean, yes, but definitely of a male distribution as well.

My skeleton might be more femininely proportioned but when I started my soft tissue was way too hard.

Actually, there are many aspects of your skeletal structure that can be changed at any time. It does get harder to change as you get older, but skeletal structure is determined and shaped by the stresses placed upon it.

The shape of the hips is controlled, not by the shape of the bones themselves, but by how they are held together by the musculoskelatal system and the stresses that are placed on the frame. As children, boys and girls show very little difference in the shape of the pelvic bones. The effect of hormones and the stresses placed on the bones are what determine the eventual shape. Female hormones keep the various cartiligious jounts between the pelvic bones flexible for much longer than in males so they tend to end up in a flatter profile than a male which is suitable for carrying a child. Males tend to fuse into a more verticle profile which is suitable for running very fast.

The good news is that the hips take forever to fully fuse, and are still subject to the constant reshaping that our body does. (although being below 25 or so is much faster) I have found that studying tai chi has allowed me to reshape my hips so that they are much more feminine in shape. Fortunately, I started Tai Chi when I was in my 20's with a proper master, (not the idiot at the gym) so I have developed the flexibility in my lower back and hips that allow me to stand with the correct posture to create the feminine angles that the pelvis needs to be in to shape the muscles and fat deposits that make for a more feminine shape.

In other words, there is no difference in the muscle attachment points on the skeletal system between males and females, the only difference is how the skeletal system developes to the stresses exerted on the frame. Males actually have wider and stronger pelvic bones than females. Women have a wider pubic symphysis than men becuase the other pelvic bones are more spread out flat producing more stress on the pubic symphysis allowing it to stretch wider which produces the larger opening for the birth canal.