Let’s get one thing out of the way right now, plateaus suck. There’s no sugar-coating it. You’re grinding, sticking to your plan, keeping your calories in check, and hitting your workouts, and for weeks it’s like your body just… stops listening.
If you’re a transgender woman like me, this isn’t just frustrating, it can feel personal. You’ve worked your tail off not just to align your body with your truth, but to love it. And when the scale won’t budge? It can feel like betrayal.
I’m not just speaking from theory here. I’m an older trans woman. I used to be a competitive bodybuilder. I’ve coached clients online through cutting phases, bulking seasons, peak weeks, you name it. And even with all that experience, decades of it, I’ve recently found myself stuck. Hard stuck. So this article isn’t just expert advice. It’s a field report from someone who’s right there in the trenches with you. Let’s break this down.
Why Trans Women Hit Plateaus Differently
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) changes the game. For better and for worse.
When we start estrogen and anti-androgens (like spironolactone or cyproterone), our bodies go through massive shifts. Our metabolic rate decreases. Muscle mass goes down. Fat distribution changes. Water retention changes. And our bodies become less insulin-sensitive, especially in the early phases of transition. All of this impacts how we process calories, carbs, and stress.
What this means is the old calorie calculators don’t always apply to us. And our bodies don’t always behave like cis women’s or cis men’s during a diet phase.
So if you’ve been wondering why your carefully planned keto cut or intermittent fast isn’t working like it used to, or like it should, you’re not imagining things.
My Plateau: What Happened and What I Tried
For me, it hit in the middle of a beach-season cut. I had been on a fairly strict lower-calorie ketogenic diet, keeping carbs low enough to stay in ketosis. I was working out 5–6 days a week, lifting heavy and doing low-intensity steady-state cardio (LISS).
And then, bam. A full month of bouncing between 1 lb up and 1 lb down. No progress. No fat loss. Just an endless cycle of frustration.
At first, I thought: tighten it up. Maybe I was miscalculating something. So I double-checked my macros, logged everything precisely, and even added a second fasted walk in the mornings. Nothing.
Finally, I did what I used to tell my clients in the same situation: shake the system.
Strategy 1: Diet Breaks Aren’t Failure. They’re Necessary.
After four weeks of plateauing, I took a strategic diet break. Not a binge. Not a “cheat day.” A deliberate, planned break.
I reintroduced some carbs, not enough to stay in ketosis, but not high enough to spill over into “carb loading” either. Think sweet potatoes, oats, berries. Still whole foods, still clean.
I backed off the gym, too. Just light movement. Yoga, some stretching, a couple walks. No lifting. No cardio.
Why? Because sometimes your body isn’t stalling because you’re not trying hard enough. It’s stalling because you’re trying too hard.
HRT already slows our metabolism. If you’ve been in a deficit too long, especially a low-carb deficit, your body fights back. Your leptin levels drop, cortisol rises, and your metabolism conserves every calorie it can. Taking a break allows your system to reset.
By the end of my week off? I’d gained about a pound. But you know what else happened?
The next week, back on plan, I dropped 2.4 pounds. Plateau busted.
Strategy 2: Reverse the Gym Grind
Overtraining is real. Especially on HRT.
Estrogen and reduced testosterone affect muscle recovery, energy output, and even how you emotionally respond to stress. And that includes training stress.
If you’re going hard in the gym every day, especially during a caloric deficit, your nervous system can get cooked. You may think you’re doing everything right: keto, cardio, heavy lifts, but your body’s waving a white flag.
So if you’ve hit a plateau, take a look at your training routine.
- Are you sleeping well?
- Are you sore all the time?
- Is your mood crashing?
- Are your lifts stagnating or getting weaker?
If so, it’s time to dial it back for a bit. Take 4–7 days of active recovery. Walk. Stretch. Nap. Your body might need rest more than it needs effort right now.
Strategy 3: Carb Cycling for Trans Bodies
Keto is great for some folks. I’ve used it for years. But for many trans women, staying in long-term ketosis can stress your adrenals and mess with thyroid hormones, especially when you’re already in a hormone-altered state from HRT.
Carb cycling (adding one or two higher-carb days per week) can help restore leptin, boost thyroid activity, and signal your body that you’re not starving.
Here’s how I like to approach it:
- Stay low-carb/keto 5 days a week.
- On your highest intensity training days, or once every 5–6 days, have a moderate carb day (~100–150g).
- Focus on clean, low-glycemic carbs: rice, oats, fruit, and root vegetables.
You may feel bloated at first. That’s normal. Give it a couple of cycles and see how your body responds. Mine started shifting again after the second high-carb day.
Strategy 4: Watch Your Fiber and Sodium
One thing we don’t talk about enough as trans women on a diet: water retention.
Estrogen affects our electrolyte balance. So when we shift our carbs (or sodium), our body often clings to water like it’s preparing for a drought.
When I plateaued, I was still tracking my calories and macros, but not my sodium or fiber. Turns out, I was way under on sodium (thanks to keto) and way over on fiber (thanks to all those leafy greens I was living on). That combo? Constipation, bloat, and a scale that refused to move.
Here’s the fix:
- Keep sodium around 3,000–4,000 mg if you’re low-carb.
- Don’t go over 35g of fiber per day unless you’re drinking a lot of water.
- Use magnesium glycinate or citrate before bed if digestion is an issue.
Sometimes, the scale isn’t stuck because of fat. It’s stuck because your gut is backed up and your cells are holding on to water like a sponge.
Strategy 5: Mindset, Not Misery
Let me be real with you for a minute.
This journey, dieting, transitioning, healing, reshaping, it’s emotional. Our bodies are complex machines running on hormones, trauma, muscle memory, and survival. Plateaus are part of the process. But they don’t mean you’re broken. They don’t mean your body isn’t responding. They don’t mean you’ve failed.
If you’re stuck, it’s not about doubling down on discipline. Sometimes it’s about changing your strategy and rebuilding trust with your body.
And if that means taking a rest day or eating some oatmeal with almond butter and cinnamon—so be it.
Strategy 6: Non-Scale Victories
If the scale hasn’t moved in a while, try shifting your focus.
- Are your clothes fitting better?
- Are you stronger or moving better?
- Are you sleeping better?
- Has your mood improved
- Do you feel more in tune with your body?
All of that matters. And for us, as trans women, reclaiming comfort in our bodies is bigger than any number on a scale.
Tools That Can Help (When You’re Ready)
Let me be real with you: no product alone will break your plateau. That kind of magic doesn’t come in a bottle or box. But when you’re feeling stuck and looking for support, the right tools can help you dial things in, refocus, and make smarter adjustments.
Here are five tools that I use, or have used with clients over the years, that might support your next move forward:
Digital Food Scale: A food scale helps eliminate portion guesswork, especially important if your calorie estimates are drifting. Look for one that:
- Measures in grams and ounces
- Has a tare function
- Syncs with nutrition tracking apps
Even the most experienced dieters (me included) need a refresher sometimes. It’s wild how easy it is to underestimate things like peanut butter or olive oil.
Smart Body Composition Scale: Weight is only one piece of the puzzle. A smart scale tracks:
- Body fat percentage
- Lean muscle mass
- Water weight
Especially on HRT, fat and muscle shift in ways that don’t always reflect on a traditional scale. Seeing progress in composition, even if weight stays flat, can help keep motivation alive.
Sugar-Free Electrolyte Powder: Low-carb diets and HRT both influence how we retain water and electrolytes. A good electrolyte powder with:
- Sodium (~1,000 mg)
- Potassium
- Magnesium
…can help rebalance your body, reduce bloat, and keep your energy up. It’s especially helpful if you’ve been feeling sluggish or noticing weird weight fluctuations.
Magnesium Glycinate Supplement: When stress, poor sleep, and digestion issues team up, fat loss slows down fast. Magnesium glycinate is one of the most bioavailable and gentle forms, supporting:
- Restful sleep
- Muscle relaxation
- Regular digestion
This is my go-to during cutting phases to help manage cortisol and stay regular without harsh side effects.
Adjustable Resistance Bands: Whether you’re taking a gym break or adding variety, resistance bands are incredibly versatile. Use them for:
- Active recovery
- Burnout sets
- At-home movement
They’re easy on the joints, great for travel, and help stimulate muscle in new ways—exactly what you need when your body’s stopped responding to your usual routine.
The Bottom Line
So, after breaking my plateau, I’m reintroducing a hybrid protocol:
- 5 days keto, 2 days higher carb (clean, moderate).
- 4 lifting days, 2 active recovery days, 1 full rest day.
- Tracking sodium, fiber, and stress levels as closely as I track calories.
- Mental health check-ins every Sunday, because no diet is worth it if it wrecks your relationship with yourself.
If you’re stuck right now, please know this: you are not alone. Your body is not betraying you. You’re learning it. You’re teaching it how to feel safe. How to change. How to thrive.
Plateaus are a pause—not the end of the story. Let’s keep going.
