Mate is a term I usually use to 'rougher' people, or more common sorts because that's the vernacular they'd expect or use themselves. Man is pretty common in the UK nowadays. I'd say American lingo has crossed the pond massively in the last few years - things like saying the month before the date and "can I get a..." are widely used. I've also found that putting a 'd' in place of a 't' in the middle of words is getting more traction, for example the word "better" is being pronounced "bedder" and I'm guilty of that myself. I put it down to media and the vast amount of American TV we have over here. I quite like it, as some British terms and ways of speaking are a bit course and impersonal. So I'd prefer using 'man' over 'mate'. Buddy and dude are others we use over here but bro isn't as used.
No, it's not specific to my family or friendship groups. I don't know if it's used all the time, everywhere, but - particularly for our generation - we've definitely picked up a lot of typically American lingo from TV and they're used often. Man and dude are my most used. I say bro to people when I'm excited about something. Maybe because I'm northern, but I don't often pronounce my Ts as Ds unless I'm speaking in public or something. I don't really pronounce my Ts at all - so better sounds like Beh-er
I thought everyone just casually called everyone else "man" and "dude"... ---------- Post added 13th Jan 2017 at 02:41 AM ---------- DDR is good. How about going for walks? If you live in a hilly region, you'll build stamina fast just doing this alone. Walking is also a great way to give yourself designated time for clearing your mind, or thinking things over, so it can be meditative too. Any light cardio activity is a good way to build stamina. If your end goal is to be lifting weights, keep in mind that weight lifting is more effective after you've just finished a high-intensity cardio workout, so once you've built up some stamina don't give up on cardio. Also, work different muscle groups every day to give your body some recovery time.
I'm from the UK and I say "dude" quite a lot. My best friend and I practically address each other as dude. I also say "man" though not nearly as often (partially because it annoys me how it sounds with my British accent). I never say bro though. I agree with what Kal said about TV and the media influencing UK speak. The amount of British people that say elevator nowadays is striking. However I do still pronounce my T's... most of the time. Every now and then I might slur it so it sounds more like "beller" than "better", though I don't intend to.
My MTF husband started on E a while back, for a short period of time, and said they made him (still going by him at this time) feel so much better, lifted a mental fog, etc, and was very sad when we no longer had insurance to cover his prescriptions. I am bigender, but wanting to explore my masculine side, and am to the point that I am considering T and possibly bottom surgery at some time in the future. But I'm also terrified that my female side won't accept this at all and make matters worse. But I want to at least try, to see if it helps me with some of my dysphoria regarding my male side hating my female body. I'm trying to get breast reduction surgery this summer, so that I can effectively bind. Right now I'm a G/H cup, and binding is almost a joke. I almost cry each time I bind. But my girl side doesn't want to lose them forever. So smaller is the best answer I have for now. My greatest concerns are the irreversible effects of beard growth and male pattern baldness. I already pluck due to facial hair growth (excessive for a female but not overwhelming), and I hate beards on ANYONE, male or female. I had a creepy step-dad who had a beard, and they remind me too much of him. Also male pattern baldness is in my family, my father and son, so I know I carry the gene for it. This is unacceptable to me as male or female. I know most T's effects are reversible, if it doesn't give me what I'm looking for. How long does a person have to take T before the irreversible effects begin to show? How long do I have to make a choice - continue with the male path, or continue to be stuck in the middle?
This I the closest thing I could find, but I'm not entirely sure if it binds hips. Might be useful, though https://www.thediscriminant.com/collections/the-ins/products/the-elton?variant=28559391043
I think you're misinformed there. The effects of testosterone aren't mostly reversible. The only reversible things would be body fat distribution moving back to where things are now and shark week coming back. Hair growth, voice drop, lower growth, - that's all irreversible. You should really think more into whether or not you want hormones before you start on them. It's not a case of trying it out to see if you like it. It changes your physiology.
The lower growth is one of the things I actually want. I wish I could do metoidiooplasty without needing T. Being bi-gender is quite weird, my dual needs are often in opposition of each other.
I finally got my T prescription and I've ordered the Testogel! Delivery straight to my house. Should be here this week!
Ahhh! That's so exciting! Be happy you don't have to fuck with needles. If I could afford it I would probably do gel. ---------- Post added 16th Jan 2017 at 06:37 AM ---------- Bottom growth is the shit lol. I was actually hesitant about starting T partly because I was afraid of lower growth. Now I can hardly imagine living without it. That is very interesting that you are non binary and want meta though. I've not heard many stories like that.
I find that it's not the actual needle itself that's bothersome, but the soreness that you feel afterwards. Mine lasts a couple days. I give myself intramuscular shots with a 2" needle. It goes in easy and i feel confident, because of the size, that it'll go where it's supposed to. One time my pharmacy gave me smaller needles and I difficulties. I had to press harder to get the needle to go down further, at times I doubted if it even reached my muscle. The soreness I felt was worse and I bled more. When I went back to exchange my needles, I told them about my trouble with the smaller ones and was told that it is harder to reach the muscle with them and that the longer needles are the better choice. (But now that I think about it, wouldn't thigh thickness be a factor?)
Patrick's post made me realize I was never really "dude" like. I never really felt comfortable with those things, though I often participated due to pressure and wanting to fit in. I really hate the way guys interact with each other, much prefer the way girls do, even if they can be catty sometimes. I was puzzled by it too, but I do suppose I'm not the best gauge.... And Cailan, I think you need to think more about if you want T or not. I know I want every change estrogen brings, like yesterday, so I have no hesitation. Think it over.
Did anyone get a bit worried (okay, had a wobble) just before they started T? I know it's what I want but all the worries and fears have resurfaced a bit around the finality of it.
When I'm male I feel something is missing, especially in sexual situations. I am desperate to feel something down there, but my female side would be terribly dysphoric about losing my vagina. Simple release meta fills both my needs to some degree, even if it wouldn't give me penetrative abilities. At least I could get a blow-job. Since today is a holiday, I'm planning to make an appointment to talk to a doctor about possible options for me. I also have to lose a LOT of weight to be a good candidate, and my immediate goal is top surgery (severe reduction, not complete male recontouring).
Haven't started yet myself, but I have some reservations. I wish I already had the fat redistribution and lower voice, but I'm hung up about the hair. I'm positively paranoid about losing it! And I'm not the most thrilled about the prospect of shaving every day again, but if it's the price to pay for a male-range voice...
I miss my old guy friends and being included in all that... The high fives, jokes and all that crazy stuff. I really really miss that.
I'd think you were weirder if you weren't worried. But it's not as final as you think. You can always stop at any time if it becomes too much. I'm guessing you are going to love it though.
Cheers, I'm starting to feel better about my wobble. I know what I want and this is how I get there. I think I got freaked out because the doctor was basically like "this is what you're agreeing to health wise, change wise etc and that's the risk you're willing to accept". It played on my mind and I let myself get worried. I'm a big worrier but it does help venting on here and my girlfriend is super laid back so she talked me round.
It's crazy how much you can doubt going on T (Or HRT in general I'm sure) even though you know it will pretty much solve all your problems. All the body issues I've had for so many years and pretty much written off as regular self esteem problems are already improving for me after such a short time on T. My shoulders are too narrow, I don't gain muscle fast enough, my voice is too high, my face is too round...even stupid little shit like the front of my thighs aren't hairy enough, my happy trail doesn't connect to my pubes. Those last two are already solved hahaha. And the voice. And I'm definitely putting on muscle faster. That stuff happens quick in hindsight, but it seems pretty slow at first. Definitely slow enough that you can stop it if you don't like it up to a certain point. And I told myself that before I started to ease my anxiety, but now that it's happening I can't imagine stopping. Nowadays I actually look forward to my shots. As for the health risks, most of those they don't even know for a fact are real, and the rest pretty much just put you at a normal male level of risk. And I'm quite okay with that personally. My lady has also been helpful in overcoming my hesitations. I whined to her for months about how badly I wanted T but was so hesitant to make that step, and every time she basically said the same thing: What are you scared of? What is it that you don't want? And every time I had no answer. Of course this is what I want. And we can both see now that it is true with how much my face lights up with every change. I am indeed oddly satisfied by the hairiness of the front of my thighs...lol
Definitely relaxing into my Gender identity and people at work are calling me the right name which helps. Being on T is awesome and I can feel slight changes, although the gel isn't the best. I'd rather jab my bum with a needle.