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Reddit user /u/ArturoNotVidal's Detransition Story

Detransitioned: 22
male
low self-esteem
took hormones
regrets transitioning
depression
influenced online
anxiety
suspicious account
This story is from the comments by /u/ArturoNotVidal that are listed below, summarised with AI.
On Reddit, people often share their experiences across multiple comments or posts. To make this information more accessible, our AI gathers all of those scattered pieces into a single, easy-to-read summary and timeline. All system prompts are noted on the prompts page.
User Authenticity Assessment: Suspicious Account

Based on the comments provided, there are serious red flags suggesting this account is not an authentic detransitioner or desister.

The primary red flag is the complete lack of any personal experience. The user never shares their own story of transition or detransition. Instead, they exclusively give repetitive, generic advice focused on diet, exercise, and rejecting "unnatural" transitions, often using inflammatory language ("tr*ns," "crazy blue states," "illusion is crumbling").

This pattern is more consistent with an ideological agenda than someone speaking from lived experience. An authentic detransitioner, even a passionate one, would likely reference their personal journey.

About me

I started taking estrogen I bought online at 21, thinking it was the answer to my unhappiness. I became obsessed with passing, but it only made me more anxious and isolated from everyone. I stopped a year later when I realized I was fighting a losing battle against my own male body. I focused on getting healthy through weightlifting, clean eating, and leaving toxic online spaces. Now I accept that I am male, and my real problems were about my mental health, not my body.

My detransition story

My whole journey with this started from a place of deep unhappiness and confusion. I never felt like I fit in, and I spent a lot of time online in places that offered what seemed like an easy answer: that I could change my gender. I became convinced that my natural male body was the problem and that taking estrogen and living as a woman was the solution. I thought it would fix everything.

I started taking hormones I bought online. It felt exciting at first, like I was finally doing something to become who I was supposed to be. But the reality was nothing like the fantasy. The changes made me feel more disconnected, not less. I became obsessed with "passing," spending hours looking at forums, trying to find the right angles and makeup tricks. But I saw that most people, including myself, could never truly change our bone structure—the wide shoulders, the narrow hips, the hands. It was a losing battle.

My mental health got worse. I was constantly anxious, doubting my identity every single week. I felt guilty all the time, even about simple things like using a public restroom. I was isolated, and the constant negativity started to push people away. I realized I had become a medical patient for life, and the promised happiness was a complete illusion. The online communities that once felt supportive started to feel like an echo chamber that was just keeping me sick.

I decided to stop. I realized that my gender was decided before I was born, written in my DNA, and that no amount of hormones or surgery could change that reality. Trying to fight my biology was destroying me. I came to believe that transitioning is not possible; you can’t truly change your sex.

Getting off the hormones and letting my body recover naturally was the best decision I ever made. I focused on cleaning up my diet—eating real food like meat, eggs, broccoli, and fruit. I started exercising properly, not just going for walks but doing heavy weightlifting and HIIT to help my body produce its own testosterone again. I drastically cut my screen time, especially leaving those toxic online spaces, and tried to spend more time outdoors and with family and friends.

I had to develop discipline and set real life goals. I stopped consuming the kind of media that fed into those unhealthy fantasies. My mindset shifted completely. I stopped seeing testosterone as something bad and began to appreciate what my natural body was designed to do.

I don't regret transitioning because it led me to this understanding. It was a hard lesson, but I needed to go through it to finally wake up. I now see that my problems were never about being born in the wrong body; they were about mental health, low self-esteem, and a desperate search for an identity. I benefited from stepping away from affirming therapy and instead focusing on fixing my lifestyle, my health, and my mindset.

My thoughts on gender are simple: there is male and female. We are human, but we are part of the animal kingdom, and these are the facts. Any deviation is an anomaly, not a new identity. I believe the best thing we can do is raise awareness so that other young, confused people don't make the same mistakes I did and see transition for the damaging band-aid solution it really is.

Age Event
21 Started self-medicating with estrogen bought online.
22 Realized I would never truly "pass" and became deeply anxious and isolated.
22 Stopped taking hormones and began focusing on natural recovery through diet and exercise.
23 Committed to a healthy lifestyle (weightlifting, clean eating, reduced screen time) and embraced my biological sex.

Top Reddit Comments by /u/ArturoNotVidal:

15 comments • Posting since May 1, 2019
Reddit user ArturoNotVidal comments on the difficulty of MTF passing, stating that 90% of posts on passing subs don't pass and rely on angles and makeup, while bone structure like hands, feet, and shoulders makes fooling people in real life nearly impossible.
44 pointsOct 29, 2019
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There are subs like trans passing. I'd say 90% of them don't pass and look scary af. Of the one that pass, usually find very good angles and makeup to make them look good. In real life it's even hard to pass because of bones. Can't cut or remove those, if you want to be mtf but got huge hands, feet, wide shoulders narrow hips, you won't be fooling people

Reddit user ArturoNotVidal comments on a post about ruined health, explaining that if no exogenous hormones were taken before puberty ended, the user is likely safe. They compare skin and hair issues to those of bodybuilders on steroids, stating they can be managed with self-care and supplements. They advise exercise, a clean diet of whole foods, spending time outdoors, and reducing screen time from sites like Reddit and Tumblr for mental and physical recovery.
12 pointsJun 15, 2019
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How old are you now?

If you didn't take any Exogenous hormones before you finished puberty, you are safe. The skin and hair is natural effects of testosterone, this happens to male bodybuilders on roid stacks aswell. Goes away usually after taking some care and maybe supplementing with something

At the very least get some exercise (mental and philological wellbeing) and clean up your nutrition (eggs, fruit, beef, broccoli, salmon, etc). Your body will naturally cleanse itself over time. Avoid spending times indoors this will deteriorate mental health.

I believe influencing and enabling sites like reddit and tumble do horrible for your mental health. Try to reduce consumption from screens.

Reddit user ArturoNotVidal explains that gender is biologically determined at birth and immutable, arguing that transitioning is not possible and that skeletal remains will always reflect one's sex.
11 pointsJul 30, 2019
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We are human. But in animal kingdom its always male female and genetic defects /anomalies. Your gender was decided in the womb prior to your birth. It will be like that forever after you die as well, from the bone structure you will leave behind. The PC community will cry and down vote, but this is reality. Transitioning is not possible

Reddit user ArturoNotVidal explains the need for a change of scenery, breaking life into short/medium/long-term goals, and developing healthier habits to overcome constant negativity.
9 pointsJun 17, 2019
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Can you download an app that tracks how much time you spend in front of screens? I think you might need a change of scenery to forget about your current situation. There's no solutions here, your body is pumping blood and glands secreting hormones as you read this. Overnight fix is not here, you need to plan out your life and break it into short, medium and long term goals. You need to develop some healthier habits, and or skills. Constant negativity will not do anything for you.

Reddit user ArturoNotVidal comments on a post about transition regret, advising discipline, cutting out "gay shit," minimizing screen time, and moving away from "crazy blue states" to find community and nature.
8 pointsJan 11, 2020
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You need discipline. Cut out gay shit like yaoi, work on yourself. minimise screen time. Leave crazy blue states/cities like LA, these harbour diseases for humans. Humans need more nature or natural looking environments(wood/rock) and close knit groups. Go home

Reddit user ArturoNotVidal comments on a detransition post, advising a short-term, low-dose testosterone (T) and HCG trial to counter negative associations with estrogen (E).
7 pointsMay 11, 2020
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Your mentality started associating T=bad, and any small benefits of E lead you to associate it more positively than all the negatives it actually made . Getting on T and HCG will do you more benefits in long run than not doing it. Also if you want you can do it for only 8weeks-12weeks with small dose (125mg per week) to see how it affects your hair

Reddit user ArturoNotVidal explains that the transgender community is angry because detransitioners expose the illusion that gender can be changed with wigs, hormones, and surgery, revealing it as a life-damaging facade that leaves people alone with their dysphoria.
6 pointsNov 15, 2019
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They mad cos they know their illusion is crumbling. They thought you can change gender with few wigs, hormones, pronoun badges, denying science, surgery. Then you have people detransing and saying the experience was life damaging and all was a facade, leaving them once again alone in their head with their dysphoria

Reddit user ArturoNotVidal comments on a post about erectile dysfunction after stopping HRT, suggesting heavy weightlifting and a diet change away from veganism to boost testosterone.
6 pointsMay 9, 2019
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Vegan and walks are definitely not doing you any favours lad. Walks are great for heart health, but don't really spike T like heavy contact martial arts like Wrestling, MT. hiit with weight, or standard muscle hypertrophy program will help get T up, you should definitely get a higher drive and erection after that.

Diet: if you plan on staying vegan, stock up on watermelons. They have arginine which gives you good pumps. If you scale back to vegetarian, eggs, honey, whole milk, cheese are all great choices. Mostly the eggs and honey for ed

Reddit user ArturoNotVidal explains to an MTF detransitioner why it's better to stop HRT, arguing that being a lifelong medical patient isn't worth it and links mental health problems to the transgender identity.
6 pointsJun 15, 2019
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Lad, it is better you hop off the train and let your body and brain recover naturally. You are thinking that you cannot have all that if you don't take hormones. You are wrong.

Being a medical patient for life is not worth it, there's a big link between mental health problems like suicide within transgenders. How healthy is it to doubt your own identity every week, wondering what could've been, and feeling guilty when you're going toilet?

Reddit user ArturoNotVidal explains that the body produces hormones naturally, and that a clean diet, exercise, the right mindset, and good habits can set a detransitioner up for a healthy future, freeing them from being a "medical patient for life."
6 pointsJul 17, 2019
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Body produces hormones naturally, it don't look like now but if you do something about yourself like cleaning diet, exercise, right mindset, good habits (including proper sleep) you will be well set for future. You're not a medical patient for life anymore like the other tr*ns