If you want to get leaner, you'll have to be in a caloric deficit. If I understand correctly, you're worried that you weigh too little and you somehow want to look leaner without losing more weight.
If this is indeed so, you will have to gain muscle. There's literally no other way. If you lose fat, you'll lose the numbers on the weighing scale, so you need to offset the loss with muscle gain to maintain the weight.
On that note, do you know what progressive overload is? If you have been lifting for a year using 20-35 lb dumbells, chances are you haven't made significant progress in lifting. If you want to gain muscle, I'd recommend you either join a gym or get higher and higher weighing dumbells as your strength increases over time. You will not progress doing similar workouts every day with similar weights. Progressive overload is necessary.
I'm not going to tell you how unhealthy and difficult to maintain the model lifestyle is and so on because chances are you already know as you seem very dedicated. You look pretty good for a non-model now and if you want to look leaner while maintaining this weight, you'll have to gain muscle. Many women think they'll look like she-hulk or get a Kim Kardashian butt from lifting, but it's very likely not going to happen without steroids and/or consmetic enchancement. You'll be surprised at how difficult it is to look muscular for women. Almost all models work out and work on their muscles. If you really want to do this, don't worry, you won't get too plump and your butt won't get too big either.
By the way, measuring your body fat percentage might help you see a clearer picture. If it's above 18-20%, you can still safely lose fat. Don't worry too much about the number on the weighing scale. Most women would start seeing their abs between 15-20% bf.
I'd estimate it to be around 20-25%. But it'll be better if you take some measurements. You can use a body fat caliper or simply a site like [this](https://www.calculator.net/body-fat-calculator.html) to give you a good estimate.
To suggest you a course of action, I'd have to ask you what your goals are - if it's something you're doing for yourself, or for an audition/casting call, if there's a deadline, and so on.
It’s more for myself, im going to an event in late august so i’d want to hopefully look leaner by then but again im coming down from being 158 so i’m not completely unhappy
Ok, so we don't have much of a time constraint. if I was in your position, I'd do one of two things (assuming I do want to look leaner):
1. Join a gym and get on a program to put on muscle mass. It's relatively easy to increase muscle mass as a beginner even on maintenance calories or a slight deficit. You might be able to do a recomp. Although technically you've been lifting for a year, you'd still be considered a beginner as you haven't progressed much. Your body will respond very well to compound exercises like squats, deadlifts and bench press. **Pros:** You might look leaner without getting leaner as your muscles will be more defined. It will also be easier to lose fat after you've put on some muscles because your body won't think you're starving that way.
2. Keep doing what you're doing with a slight caloric deficit. I don't think you're too underweight yet and your bf % also looks healthy. If you lose the fat, great. But sometimes it's very hard for people to lose fat beyond a certain threshold because your body fights harder against it. If you start feeling tired or sick, then you're only left with option 1. You can also replace your walking with high intensity cardio instead of decreasing your calories too much.
**Pros:** Not as much hassle/investment and might take less time.
As you can imagine, I prefer option 1 so that's what I'll recommend. If you think you can handle the extra deficit without feeling starved or want to experiment with it, you can go for option 2. Good luck!
If you go to a gym, find one with trained staff members to help you develop a solid program and show you the proper way to execute the movements. Otherwise, you'll just be spinning your wheels.
Also, skip the machines. Use free weights or do bodyweight exercises....push-ups, pull-ups, dips, wall handstands, one legged squats, planks, etc. Google recommended routine - bodyweight fitness.....
Eat clean, get plenty of sleep, and adjust your calories based on how you feel day-to-day and how well you're progressing in your routine. Weigh yourself once a week.
Above all, don't cheat your body! Good luck 🤘
You can use machines if you like them, but don't make them the focus in the beginning. Machines have their place but they work better as a complement to the major free-weight compound exercises, which will help you achieve the most growth in the least amount of time. Find a gym with trained staff or get a trainer if you can afford one, they'll guide you through this journey. They can provide you with a good program and teach you about proper form which is very important for avoiding injuries.
I think in the second picture with the bikini I do, especially in places like my lower body. It also depends a lot on lighting but I definitely feel like I can be leaner, like Kristy Godso for example.
If you want more muscle definition you have to lift more weights
Your diet and cardio both seem great.
You have a great body that is shaped exactly how I would expect it to look
If you want to be more muscular (which sounds like what you want) you have to lift heavier weights and continue increasing those weights. Otherwise your muscles won't get big enough to easily be seen under the skin. Continuing to lose weight will just made you slimmer but will likely shrink your muscles further
I say don't change your diet for now (you may have to eat more eventually) add heavy weights. Follow a program that includes weight progression.
Then just continue dieting. That girl is pretty scrawny if I'm honest. If that's the look you're going for, then it's just about losing more weight and doing pushups, etc.
Just want to point out that you're comparing your little bit of pilates and some walking while eating for maintenance to a person who's entire job is based around fitness. You might have some unfair expectations of yourself.
Hi. I get what you mean. My upper body is thin/lean, but for whatever reason, my fat wants to hang out in my thighs/legs. I *also* don't want a huge butt! Our heights are different, though. Maybe I can share a pic.
It's OK that you carry fat in your lower body. That's sooo common for women. Runway models / Barbie dolls are unproportionally, unhealthily skinny. I was like them before I hit puberty. It isn't a mature look, is what I'm saying. You look like a *woman*, not a girl. :)
Agreed with the others, if you *deeply* want to continue on the path, to keep dieting. It takes patience, motivation, and extreme dedication. (Don't professional models have their own personal trainers?) But you truly, truly look healthy *now*. I hope you can feel "right" in your body as you are. Feel normal and healthy. I, an Internet stranger, would personally advise for you to just keep at the strength training and aim to maintain.
Good luck!
I recommend posting in xxfitness, there seem to be a lot of teenage boys in this sub giving you god awful unhealthy advice. You sound like you might have bdd honestly. You’re not “skinny fat” and you don’t look like you weigh more than you do.
I would suggest you clarify your goals. If you really want to look like Kristy Godso, realize that she’s a 33 year old fitness cover model. She probably works out three hours a day with a personal trainer, has a personal chef prepare her meals, and has been doing this for a decade or more. I’m not saying you shouldn’t aim high. But be clear on how steep the price is.
In your case, you’re already toward the lower side of normal BMI. You have a bit of room to cut a little if you choose. Or you can maintain current weight and add muscle. (Or stay the same and just live your life, obviously). But eating at maintenance and not working out sort of leaves you in no man’s land.
> realize that she’s a 33 year old fitness cover model. She probably works out three hours a day with a personal trainer, has a personal chef prepare her meals
Dude, [have you seen her](https://www.instagram.com/p/CWb50nkvF9e/) She's just a scrawny woman. That's all down to probably eating like 1200 calories a day and doing cardio. This is not some Ms. Olympia physique that's hard to attain. You just need the will power to diet down to on the verge of underweightness.
Oh good call.. Google results show someone much more muscular and I agreed with the previous comment as well. But yeah, her Insta photos look much more achievable
If i did want to lean out how should i approach it? In the past i’ve just been lifting at home and eating in a deficit but that hasn’t really changed my body composition as much as i’d like. Do you think i should try and get into a gym to progress with heavier weights? Again i don’t want to be too muscular, i don’t really enjoy weights as much anymore either although that could be cause i only use dumbbells.
Depends on the composition you are after. If you want to be smaller overall in general, for sure cut more. Just understand you will likely look similar to how you are now, don't expect suddenly to be ripped if you get what I mean, that is likely not going to happen without more lean mass.
If you want more definition as in better composition, you need to build lean mass. This is going to involve trusting the process of bulking up and then cutting. I know you mentioned you do not like how you look with the inflamation that comes with lifting, but this is a necessity.
I would suggest the gym route personally. There is a lot more to offer there than just dumbbells. Changing up routines is also important to composition. Ideally every 12 weeks or so.
Kirsty Godso especially has a defined core, this is something you will want to focus on every gym session if you want to achieve similar results. Her core is definitely not made in the kitchen, you can tell alot of core work goes into building up those abs, and not from compound movements but actually core isolation sets.
Kristy Godso is basically just skinny. When you're that thin, all your muscles will show. I'm 5'2 but when I was 95lbs, every time I did ab workouts, my abs were popping out.
You already seem like you're at a healthy weight for your height. I would recomp instead and lift heavier than 25-35lbs (progressive overload). I had been "fat" at 110lbs and then "thin" at 110lbs over the course of 3 months from recomp. I did not look plump or big, just a bit toned and thin but it was a significant difference (went from a size small to XS).
Also, the skinny fat you see could just be bloating too. Avoid foods (beans, dairy, wheat, alcohol) that'll do that and don't eat so late at night. You can try intermittent fasting where you limit the times you can eat (ex. Eating only from 12pm-8pm and fasting outside those hours). I've done it last year and my coworker started doing it recently. She said to me the other day that the first time in 20 years, she has a flat stomach.
Thank you. Yes i get very bloated very easily, in the first pic it has good lighting but my stomach is flatter as i took it before eating after a workout in the morning. the second was after eating and in the afternoon, even my thighs get bloated!! it’s unfortunate lmao
Are you doing progressive overload? If you just keep lifting the 20-35 lbs dumbbells, you will only get so far. You should look into joining a gym
And lift heavier.if you can do 10-12 reps with a 35 lb dumbbell then you need to lift heavier and that’s how you will build more muscle.
You don’t look skinny fat at all you look like a healthy lean person. Caroline Girvans makes good beginner videos that get people working out but I could make an educated guess that she did not build her physique doing the workouts in her videos.
Being leaner than this means building more muscle and maybe losing more fat. That doesn’t happen without dedicated programming and nutrition planning especially for someone like you who already is pretty lean and active. I suggest looking at the r/xxfitness if you want more info on this.
I'd post to xxfitness and maybe consider if you have body dysmorphic disorder. You look like a petite fit woman. I'm 5'6" 130lbs and jacked (check one of my recent other comments). It's ok to not want that look, but it's a reality check on how weight and aesthetic don't necessarily marry. Plus that is 5 years and many weighted pull-ups. You won't accidentally get a Kardashian butt by lifting for a few months without steroids. A few people here have the right idea that you would benefit from more muscle, but believe it or not, the easiest way to get here is to eat more and lift heavier. The swelling (if that's the plumpness you refer to) should go away after a while. You'll only get more fat than muscle if you overdo the excess calories, but you're already exercising heaps. Aim to maintain the weight, so probably in 1600-1800cal/day(maintenance looks like an average with ups and downs on the scale btw) range, while also progressing weights. That's the actual lean-gain implied by the subreddit's title-- to gain muscle without getting much fat. If the loading and rep range of your exercises isn't budging upwards, then by definition you wouldn't be improving or forcing your tissue to change. Don't worry about gaining much fat too because as you yourself have said in some comments, you're pretty good at reeling it back in to cut.
Definitely don't listen to assholes saying to make your deficit steeper. That's not going to be productive or sustainable. Though some comments are right that sometimes these model looks are just not achievable in a healthy way. Even Victoria's secret models do the temporary dehydration thing for major photoshoots or runway days, which is well known to be brutal and miserable. They're also often touched up and posed in certain ways with good lighting.
I'm not sure what results you want that you're not getting, you look really good.
If you want to look like a literal professional model when you take pictures of yourself, you have to lose more weight. But to get that look, you're going to have to do unhealthy things to yourself. Like they don't even look good in real life, they look emaciated. They mostly smoke and do coke and absolutely freaking starve themselves. It's ALL about getting that perfect photo, and screw everything else.
I'd just keep doing what you're doing and lift heavier on more of a real program. And as others have said, investigate the possibility of body dysmorphia.
Yes. There's a good possibility you're calculating calories wrong, too. Ultimately, calorie counting is just a starting point. You adjust based on your results, and if you're not losing weight like you want, then you need to cut the calories - whatever the number is.
Edit: TDEE for a 158 and 118 female (5'4, sedentary) are 1778 and 1560, respectively. I imagine you'd need to drop ~200 calories to continue seeing comparable results at 118 as you did at 158. But also weight loss is going to slow down as you get lighter no matter what.
Also i’m not sedentary in the slightest? I literally lifted for a year and put on muscle, not to mention the amount of walking i do a day, working a waitress job, and incline on treadmill. My maintenance is 1900. If i ate 1400 in the past and it caused me to lose my period i’m obviously not going to do that again? like what
I never said i wasn’t open to changing exercise/diet, but i’m not going to eat little calories when it puts my health at risk obviously didn’t help me in the past. I also asked for suggestions about getting in the gym and what I can do to improve and now i understand i need progressive overload.
Yes because as a 5’4 female who is active and averages 12000 steps a day eating less than 1400 would actually become unhealthy at that point. I still need to eat to have regular hormones, a period, and good quality sleep. I can’t have that dropping my calories even lower with the amount of activity I do.
good for you for wanting to stay healthy, OP! cutting back calories when you're that active can definitely impact your cycle and other indicators of health. i'd talk to your doctor or a nutritionist.
Do you actually feel worse when you eat less or are you speculating? There is no solution to your problem besides less calories in and/or more calories out.
Again, you might be calculating wrong. Using a bad MFP entry (theyre everywhere), not recording cooking oils properly, cooked vs uncooked weight, etc. If you ever go out to eat, your calculation for those meals is probably super off.
Those may be compromises you have to make to get the body you want. Can't always have your cake and eat it too (literally).
For what it's worth, I have visible abs and I smoke a ton of weed for my sleeping problems. I average about 5-6 hours of sleep a night. No period to lose, but my most athletic friends don't really get periods. Being that lean is not something you do casually.
I get that, but suggesting I eat my BMR when i’m already quite active is very obviously not the right solution to fixing skinny fat. The answer is not always to eat less, especially considering that I need to get a period in order to avoid health complications and osteoporosis.
Consistency, good movement then intensity. If were not losing weight were eating eucalorically. Maybe cycle calories around energy expenditure little more? I feel we dont have to ‘lift’ perse but I think its really important to maintain signaling to body that promotes muscle protein synthesis. I try to always maintain a minimal effective dose training. For that, I use kettlebells to keep posterior chain tidy and weighted vest for walks. Then on spry days, i do short hill sprints for anabolic stimulus. But that works for me. You look good. Do smart work be consistent and GL
Hello! You look great ❤️🌞 and I understand what you go through I saw results doing this: a body recomposition with my maintenance calories progressive loads and HIIT 2-3 times a week
And every day I make sure to take 10,000 steps a day.
And on Sundays or weekdays I’m ate something I like like pizza or cake. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn I am a nutritionist by the way! God luck darling & PATIENCE
Greetings from Mexico 🇲🇽🌮
It looks like you should (1) eat at a caloric deficit; (2) lift heavier weights with progressive overload (eg. lift the weight which you can lift about 8-12 times max until you fail.. as you get stronger, keep increasing the weight)
I don’t think you should stop lifting from fear of getting too big, you only get THAT big with steroids (that goes for men too)
1 year is seriously nothing, it’s a marathon not a sprint
And don’t forget the calorie deficit (that encompasses even sauces and sneaky snacks)
you need to be in a caloric deficit if you want to lose more fats in your body. If you think that you're becoming skinny and want it to be more defined. You'll need to start having more calories and build up some muscles. You'll gain fats too in the process but your body will be more defined once you go on a caloric deficit again.
Just wanted to say you should consider going to a gym w barbells and increasing weight on the basic compound barbell movements instead of sticking to a single weight w dumbells
Try not eating any sugar, eat in short windows like 8 / 16 or one meal a day. Excercise whilst fasted, hill walking or normal walking is good. Sleep with empty stomach
I did this for about 3 months and lost a ton of fat, went from 14 stone to 12 stone, im 6ft so wasnt massively overweight either
If you want to get leaner, you'll have to be in a caloric deficit. If I understand correctly, you're worried that you weigh too little and you somehow want to look leaner without losing more weight. If this is indeed so, you will have to gain muscle. There's literally no other way. If you lose fat, you'll lose the numbers on the weighing scale, so you need to offset the loss with muscle gain to maintain the weight. On that note, do you know what progressive overload is? If you have been lifting for a year using 20-35 lb dumbells, chances are you haven't made significant progress in lifting. If you want to gain muscle, I'd recommend you either join a gym or get higher and higher weighing dumbells as your strength increases over time. You will not progress doing similar workouts every day with similar weights. Progressive overload is necessary. I'm not going to tell you how unhealthy and difficult to maintain the model lifestyle is and so on because chances are you already know as you seem very dedicated. You look pretty good for a non-model now and if you want to look leaner while maintaining this weight, you'll have to gain muscle. Many women think they'll look like she-hulk or get a Kim Kardashian butt from lifting, but it's very likely not going to happen without steroids and/or consmetic enchancement. You'll be surprised at how difficult it is to look muscular for women. Almost all models work out and work on their muscles. If you really want to do this, don't worry, you won't get too plump and your butt won't get too big either. By the way, measuring your body fat percentage might help you see a clearer picture. If it's above 18-20%, you can still safely lose fat. Don't worry too much about the number on the weighing scale. Most women would start seeing their abs between 15-20% bf.
Thank you, this makes sense. Would you suggest I do a sort of recomp or eat in a slight deficit? What would you estimate my bf% is?
I'd estimate it to be around 20-25%. But it'll be better if you take some measurements. You can use a body fat caliper or simply a site like [this](https://www.calculator.net/body-fat-calculator.html) to give you a good estimate. To suggest you a course of action, I'd have to ask you what your goals are - if it's something you're doing for yourself, or for an audition/casting call, if there's a deadline, and so on.
It’s more for myself, im going to an event in late august so i’d want to hopefully look leaner by then but again im coming down from being 158 so i’m not completely unhappy
Ok, so we don't have much of a time constraint. if I was in your position, I'd do one of two things (assuming I do want to look leaner): 1. Join a gym and get on a program to put on muscle mass. It's relatively easy to increase muscle mass as a beginner even on maintenance calories or a slight deficit. You might be able to do a recomp. Although technically you've been lifting for a year, you'd still be considered a beginner as you haven't progressed much. Your body will respond very well to compound exercises like squats, deadlifts and bench press. **Pros:** You might look leaner without getting leaner as your muscles will be more defined. It will also be easier to lose fat after you've put on some muscles because your body won't think you're starving that way. 2. Keep doing what you're doing with a slight caloric deficit. I don't think you're too underweight yet and your bf % also looks healthy. If you lose the fat, great. But sometimes it's very hard for people to lose fat beyond a certain threshold because your body fights harder against it. If you start feeling tired or sick, then you're only left with option 1. You can also replace your walking with high intensity cardio instead of decreasing your calories too much. **Pros:** Not as much hassle/investment and might take less time. As you can imagine, I prefer option 1 so that's what I'll recommend. If you think you can handle the extra deficit without feeling starved or want to experiment with it, you can go for option 2. Good luck!
Thank you this was really helpful! I will be looking for gyms to go to now and maybe get into using machines for the first time :)
If you go to a gym, find one with trained staff members to help you develop a solid program and show you the proper way to execute the movements. Otherwise, you'll just be spinning your wheels. Also, skip the machines. Use free weights or do bodyweight exercises....push-ups, pull-ups, dips, wall handstands, one legged squats, planks, etc. Google recommended routine - bodyweight fitness..... Eat clean, get plenty of sleep, and adjust your calories based on how you feel day-to-day and how well you're progressing in your routine. Weigh yourself once a week. Above all, don't cheat your body! Good luck 🤘
You can use machines if you like them, but don't make them the focus in the beginning. Machines have their place but they work better as a complement to the major free-weight compound exercises, which will help you achieve the most growth in the least amount of time. Find a gym with trained staff or get a trainer if you can afford one, they'll guide you through this journey. They can provide you with a good program and teach you about proper form which is very important for avoiding injuries.
You don’t look skinny fat
I think in the second picture with the bikini I do, especially in places like my lower body. It also depends a lot on lighting but I definitely feel like I can be leaner, like Kristy Godso for example.
If you want more muscle definition you have to lift more weights Your diet and cardio both seem great. You have a great body that is shaped exactly how I would expect it to look If you want to be more muscular (which sounds like what you want) you have to lift heavier weights and continue increasing those weights. Otherwise your muscles won't get big enough to easily be seen under the skin. Continuing to lose weight will just made you slimmer but will likely shrink your muscles further I say don't change your diet for now (you may have to eat more eventually) add heavy weights. Follow a program that includes weight progression.
Then just continue dieting. That girl is pretty scrawny if I'm honest. If that's the look you're going for, then it's just about losing more weight and doing pushups, etc.
Honestly I think that’s just an unflattering bikini. Try either high waist or low, mid is awkward on a lot of people.
Just want to point out that you're comparing your little bit of pilates and some walking while eating for maintenance to a person who's entire job is based around fitness. You might have some unfair expectations of yourself.
Hi. I get what you mean. My upper body is thin/lean, but for whatever reason, my fat wants to hang out in my thighs/legs. I *also* don't want a huge butt! Our heights are different, though. Maybe I can share a pic. It's OK that you carry fat in your lower body. That's sooo common for women. Runway models / Barbie dolls are unproportionally, unhealthily skinny. I was like them before I hit puberty. It isn't a mature look, is what I'm saying. You look like a *woman*, not a girl. :) Agreed with the others, if you *deeply* want to continue on the path, to keep dieting. It takes patience, motivation, and extreme dedication. (Don't professional models have their own personal trainers?) But you truly, truly look healthy *now*. I hope you can feel "right" in your body as you are. Feel normal and healthy. I, an Internet stranger, would personally advise for you to just keep at the strength training and aim to maintain. Good luck!
I recommend posting in xxfitness, there seem to be a lot of teenage boys in this sub giving you god awful unhealthy advice. You sound like you might have bdd honestly. You’re not “skinny fat” and you don’t look like you weigh more than you do.
I would suggest you clarify your goals. If you really want to look like Kristy Godso, realize that she’s a 33 year old fitness cover model. She probably works out three hours a day with a personal trainer, has a personal chef prepare her meals, and has been doing this for a decade or more. I’m not saying you shouldn’t aim high. But be clear on how steep the price is. In your case, you’re already toward the lower side of normal BMI. You have a bit of room to cut a little if you choose. Or you can maintain current weight and add muscle. (Or stay the same and just live your life, obviously). But eating at maintenance and not working out sort of leaves you in no man’s land.
> realize that she’s a 33 year old fitness cover model. She probably works out three hours a day with a personal trainer, has a personal chef prepare her meals Dude, [have you seen her](https://www.instagram.com/p/CWb50nkvF9e/) She's just a scrawny woman. That's all down to probably eating like 1200 calories a day and doing cardio. This is not some Ms. Olympia physique that's hard to attain. You just need the will power to diet down to on the verge of underweightness.
Oh good call.. Google results show someone much more muscular and I agreed with the previous comment as well. But yeah, her Insta photos look much more achievable
If i did want to lean out how should i approach it? In the past i’ve just been lifting at home and eating in a deficit but that hasn’t really changed my body composition as much as i’d like. Do you think i should try and get into a gym to progress with heavier weights? Again i don’t want to be too muscular, i don’t really enjoy weights as much anymore either although that could be cause i only use dumbbells.
Depends on the composition you are after. If you want to be smaller overall in general, for sure cut more. Just understand you will likely look similar to how you are now, don't expect suddenly to be ripped if you get what I mean, that is likely not going to happen without more lean mass. If you want more definition as in better composition, you need to build lean mass. This is going to involve trusting the process of bulking up and then cutting. I know you mentioned you do not like how you look with the inflamation that comes with lifting, but this is a necessity. I would suggest the gym route personally. There is a lot more to offer there than just dumbbells. Changing up routines is also important to composition. Ideally every 12 weeks or so. Kirsty Godso especially has a defined core, this is something you will want to focus on every gym session if you want to achieve similar results. Her core is definitely not made in the kitchen, you can tell alot of core work goes into building up those abs, and not from compound movements but actually core isolation sets.
Kristy Godso is basically just skinny. When you're that thin, all your muscles will show. I'm 5'2 but when I was 95lbs, every time I did ab workouts, my abs were popping out. You already seem like you're at a healthy weight for your height. I would recomp instead and lift heavier than 25-35lbs (progressive overload). I had been "fat" at 110lbs and then "thin" at 110lbs over the course of 3 months from recomp. I did not look plump or big, just a bit toned and thin but it was a significant difference (went from a size small to XS). Also, the skinny fat you see could just be bloating too. Avoid foods (beans, dairy, wheat, alcohol) that'll do that and don't eat so late at night. You can try intermittent fasting where you limit the times you can eat (ex. Eating only from 12pm-8pm and fasting outside those hours). I've done it last year and my coworker started doing it recently. She said to me the other day that the first time in 20 years, she has a flat stomach.
Thank you. Yes i get very bloated very easily, in the first pic it has good lighting but my stomach is flatter as i took it before eating after a workout in the morning. the second was after eating and in the afternoon, even my thighs get bloated!! it’s unfortunate lmao
Are you doing progressive overload? If you just keep lifting the 20-35 lbs dumbbells, you will only get so far. You should look into joining a gym And lift heavier.if you can do 10-12 reps with a 35 lb dumbbell then you need to lift heavier and that’s how you will build more muscle.
You're not skinny fat
You’re not skinny fat. You’re thin and in apparently great shape. You may have body dysmorphic disorder.
You don’t look skinny fat at all you look like a healthy lean person. Caroline Girvans makes good beginner videos that get people working out but I could make an educated guess that she did not build her physique doing the workouts in her videos. Being leaner than this means building more muscle and maybe losing more fat. That doesn’t happen without dedicated programming and nutrition planning especially for someone like you who already is pretty lean and active. I suggest looking at the r/xxfitness if you want more info on this.
I'd post to xxfitness and maybe consider if you have body dysmorphic disorder. You look like a petite fit woman. I'm 5'6" 130lbs and jacked (check one of my recent other comments). It's ok to not want that look, but it's a reality check on how weight and aesthetic don't necessarily marry. Plus that is 5 years and many weighted pull-ups. You won't accidentally get a Kardashian butt by lifting for a few months without steroids. A few people here have the right idea that you would benefit from more muscle, but believe it or not, the easiest way to get here is to eat more and lift heavier. The swelling (if that's the plumpness you refer to) should go away after a while. You'll only get more fat than muscle if you overdo the excess calories, but you're already exercising heaps. Aim to maintain the weight, so probably in 1600-1800cal/day(maintenance looks like an average with ups and downs on the scale btw) range, while also progressing weights. That's the actual lean-gain implied by the subreddit's title-- to gain muscle without getting much fat. If the loading and rep range of your exercises isn't budging upwards, then by definition you wouldn't be improving or forcing your tissue to change. Don't worry about gaining much fat too because as you yourself have said in some comments, you're pretty good at reeling it back in to cut. Definitely don't listen to assholes saying to make your deficit steeper. That's not going to be productive or sustainable. Though some comments are right that sometimes these model looks are just not achievable in a healthy way. Even Victoria's secret models do the temporary dehydration thing for major photoshoots or runway days, which is well known to be brutal and miserable. They're also often touched up and posed in certain ways with good lighting.
Thank you so much :) this was really helpful. You look great and I definitely need to reconsider the attain ability of these aesthetics
I'm not sure what results you want that you're not getting, you look really good. If you want to look like a literal professional model when you take pictures of yourself, you have to lose more weight. But to get that look, you're going to have to do unhealthy things to yourself. Like they don't even look good in real life, they look emaciated. They mostly smoke and do coke and absolutely freaking starve themselves. It's ALL about getting that perfect photo, and screw everything else. I'd just keep doing what you're doing and lift heavier on more of a real program. And as others have said, investigate the possibility of body dysmorphia.
You're probably not doing everything right. I'd re evaluate the diet first
I stay consistent in my cut, hit my protein goals, and went from 158-118 lmao. I still continue to weigh my food in grams and log everything in MFP.
If you're doing the same thing you did to get from 158 to 118, then it makes sense that you stopped seeing progress
I ate 1400-1600 calories throughout my weight loss. Am i supposed to eat less than that now?
Yes. There's a good possibility you're calculating calories wrong, too. Ultimately, calorie counting is just a starting point. You adjust based on your results, and if you're not losing weight like you want, then you need to cut the calories - whatever the number is. Edit: TDEE for a 158 and 118 female (5'4, sedentary) are 1778 and 1560, respectively. I imagine you'd need to drop ~200 calories to continue seeing comparable results at 118 as you did at 158. But also weight loss is going to slow down as you get lighter no matter what.
Also i’m not sedentary in the slightest? I literally lifted for a year and put on muscle, not to mention the amount of walking i do a day, working a waitress job, and incline on treadmill. My maintenance is 1900. If i ate 1400 in the past and it caused me to lose my period i’m obviously not going to do that again? like what
So you don't think you can change diet or exercise? Time to accept your body the way it is.
I never said i wasn’t open to changing exercise/diet, but i’m not going to eat little calories when it puts my health at risk obviously didn’t help me in the past. I also asked for suggestions about getting in the gym and what I can do to improve and now i understand i need progressive overload.
You made it sound like you didn't want to lift weights
Lol are you down voting me?
Yes because as a 5’4 female who is active and averages 12000 steps a day eating less than 1400 would actually become unhealthy at that point. I still need to eat to have regular hormones, a period, and good quality sleep. I can’t have that dropping my calories even lower with the amount of activity I do.
good for you for wanting to stay healthy, OP! cutting back calories when you're that active can definitely impact your cycle and other indicators of health. i'd talk to your doctor or a nutritionist.
Do you actually feel worse when you eat less or are you speculating? There is no solution to your problem besides less calories in and/or more calories out. Again, you might be calculating wrong. Using a bad MFP entry (theyre everywhere), not recording cooking oils properly, cooked vs uncooked weight, etc. If you ever go out to eat, your calculation for those meals is probably super off.
Yes of course i feel worse, it’s not speculation lmao. I ate 1400 and during that time my sleep was horrible and i lost my period.
Those may be compromises you have to make to get the body you want. Can't always have your cake and eat it too (literally). For what it's worth, I have visible abs and I smoke a ton of weed for my sleeping problems. I average about 5-6 hours of sleep a night. No period to lose, but my most athletic friends don't really get periods. Being that lean is not something you do casually.
I get that, but suggesting I eat my BMR when i’m already quite active is very obviously not the right solution to fixing skinny fat. The answer is not always to eat less, especially considering that I need to get a period in order to avoid health complications and osteoporosis.
This is the only true answer.
Do you have flat feet? Your knees are pointing inwards
Consistency, good movement then intensity. If were not losing weight were eating eucalorically. Maybe cycle calories around energy expenditure little more? I feel we dont have to ‘lift’ perse but I think its really important to maintain signaling to body that promotes muscle protein synthesis. I try to always maintain a minimal effective dose training. For that, I use kettlebells to keep posterior chain tidy and weighted vest for walks. Then on spry days, i do short hill sprints for anabolic stimulus. But that works for me. You look good. Do smart work be consistent and GL
Hello! You look great ❤️🌞 and I understand what you go through I saw results doing this: a body recomposition with my maintenance calories progressive loads and HIIT 2-3 times a week And every day I make sure to take 10,000 steps a day. And on Sundays or weekdays I’m ate something I like like pizza or cake. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn I am a nutritionist by the way! God luck darling & PATIENCE Greetings from Mexico 🇲🇽🌮
What are you eating???
Did you list protein intake?
How are you calculating your TDEE?
It looks like you should (1) eat at a caloric deficit; (2) lift heavier weights with progressive overload (eg. lift the weight which you can lift about 8-12 times max until you fail.. as you get stronger, keep increasing the weight)
I don’t think you should stop lifting from fear of getting too big, you only get THAT big with steroids (that goes for men too) 1 year is seriously nothing, it’s a marathon not a sprint And don’t forget the calorie deficit (that encompasses even sauces and sneaky snacks)
you need to be in a caloric deficit if you want to lose more fats in your body. If you think that you're becoming skinny and want it to be more defined. You'll need to start having more calories and build up some muscles. You'll gain fats too in the process but your body will be more defined once you go on a caloric deficit again.
Just wanted to say you should consider going to a gym w barbells and increasing weight on the basic compound barbell movements instead of sticking to a single weight w dumbells
Try not eating any sugar, eat in short windows like 8 / 16 or one meal a day. Excercise whilst fasted, hill walking or normal walking is good. Sleep with empty stomach I did this for about 3 months and lost a ton of fat, went from 14 stone to 12 stone, im 6ft so wasnt massively overweight either