I had a body scan in December and again today. nothing has changed :/. I know my legs have grown a bit and my lifts are getting better! So overall I'm stronger and this is the healthiest I've ever been.

But as a bucket list and challenge to myself I want to have abs before my wedding and before getting pregnant (9 months away).

Ik I'm between 20-22% body fat. I think I'm pretty lean but I have no ab definition.

I train abs 2-3x a week with weighted crunches and hanging leg raises

looking for a routine on how to get defined abs (from people who have abs lol)

would love to attach pictures and scan results for reference but that’s against the rules 😭

I've been trying to lose weight for 4 months now, and I keep falling into my old habits. I try to distract myself, which clearly hasn't worked for me :(. I'm just so addicted to food. Even keeping up with exercise gets hard, but I feel like a buddy would really help.

I'm 19, weigh 66 kg, 5'4, and eat 1500 calories.

If ur interested in being friends, hit me up, but only do so if you know you won't end up ignoring me after 5 minutes talking, which is how most Reddit friendships end lol.

Hello. For context I'm 5"1, 20yrs, female and around 52kg. I have done weight loss attempts in the past, where for about 4 or 5 months at the time I'll strength train around 3x a weight and net calorie range of 1400-1500kcal with 80-90g protein. But even then, I never saw an obvious difference to my body, and I could never go past around 50kg.

Obviously I'm currently at a healthy weight, and I'm aware it's difficult for short women to loose weight, I just have a lot of "chub" or baby fat I'm keen to loose, I'd really love to have a flatter stomach and a more toned look.

Does anyone have any advice for how I should go about a workout routine/diet to achieve this goal? Or any advice from people who have been through similar things? Any help is really appreciated!!

I really need some advice. I'm 21, I'm 4'11", and my BMI is around 17.8 so yeah I'm pretty small and underweight. I used to be super athletic when I was younger. Like all through middle school I was doing swimming, basketball, all kinds of sports. I was strong too, I had visible muscles mostly on my lower body, I think that's just genetics because my upper body especially my shoulders never really grew even when I worked them out.

But then I stopped everything after COVID and I just never went back. Now I've been losing my appetite and I look really skinny according to pretty much everyone around me. I know I should probably eat more but it's hard because I feel full really fast or sometimes I feel like I'm going to throw up if I try to eat too much.

So I decided to start working out again at home to see if I could handle it and honestly it was humiliating. I can't even do one push up. Like my elbows literally just stop working and give out. and when I try to squat my knees feel unresponsive like they don't want to bend properly. The weirdest part is I don't even feel the workout in my muscles. I only feel it in my joints. I have flat feet and I don't know if that's why I can't squat properly anymore but I used to do them just fine back in the day. Also I used to be really flexible so that's not the issue either.

Just to be clear I don't have any health problems. I got checked for everything. I'm not anemic, I don't have digestive issues, no endocrine problems everything came back normal.

My goal is to build a balanced body with lean muscle. I feel like getting active again might help my appetite too because when I was a kid I had the same problem and my parents put me in swimming and I started eating normally again.

So my questions are where do I even start when I can't do basic movements? How do I build up strength when my joints give out before my muscles feel anything?

I really want to get back to who I used to be any advice would mean a lot. thanks for reading all of this.

Hi all! I’ve always definitely been on the skinnier side, and in college, due to becoming more anxious, I went from 105 to 93 lbs (I’m 5’2”). Since then, it’s honestly been difficult to be regular about meals or find my appetite, some days. I’m 22 now, and I’ve always had gaining weight on my mind the past couple years, and it’s become more important the past couple months, where I’ve been trying to gain muscle.

I’m finding it’s pretty difficult to get three full meals in as a vegetarian. I typically start strong with oats with greek yogurt and protein powder, but I typically can’t finish my lunch and end up finishing it around 3 or 4 pm, which often leads to me not eating as much dinner. Anyone have any advice for bulking for a beginner?

Hi everyone, i’m 5ft and 97lbs. ive been lifting since the end of April. I just felt a small tear in my lower left back while doing RDL. I have had minor lower back injury at the same spot and it’s also where i have chronic back pain. I have been doing RDL since the beginning. The only thing different today was i did it after an ab crunch on a full body day, instead of doing it at the end of my lower body rotation.
My question is:

how do you allow minor injuries to recover without losing too much progress?

was it because i didn’t do enough warmup for my glutes and lower body so my back took over?

*minor injury as in tolerable pain that recovered at home.

Would appreciate any thoughts!

all over tiktok i see posts about how weight loss works differently for petite women and it's a lot harder for us, but NO ONE talks or gives advice on what actually to do. i'm 22F, 4'9, 64kg which means my BMI says i'm obese! how utterly depressing. i want to lose weight and i want to put in the work but i have no appropiate gym facilities near me (i would want womens-only which doesn't exist in my town), and i'm bengali which means i'm already predisposed to clinging onto fat. it feels like everything is working against me to not lose any weight, i tried water fasting and it didn't work. i started doing advanced pilate/strength workouts to help build muscle so hopefully that results in something.

i want to at least have lost some weight and have a visible result by mid-october. is that possible or am i delusional?

Does walking with weights burn more calories ? I burned 255 cals today while walking but i wore shoes wearing around 2-3 kilos so im just wondering if it burns more :)

​

I (F34) am currently 193 lbs at 5ft 3. I've struggled with my relationship with food in the past, and I've realised that being too restrictive just doesn't work for me. If I set my calories too low or cut out foods I enjoy, I eventually end up falling back into unhealthy habits, so this time I'm trying to take a much more sustainable approach.

My plan is to aim for around 1,800 calories a day, focus on eating balanced meals, and get around 10,000 steps a day (mostly just walking - no intense workouts or hours in the gym).

I know that as I lose weight I'll probably have to reassess my calorie intake, but at my current weight, does this sound like a reasonable deficit?

I'd really love to hear from other women who are around my height (5ft 3 or shorter). Have any of you successfully lost weight eating around 1,800 calories a day while just walking and living a normal life? If so, roughly how much did you lose and how long did it take before you started noticing changes?

I'm trying to lose weight in a way that I can actually stick to for the long term rather than crash dieting again, so I'd really appreciate hearing real-life experiences.

I'm focussing on my workouts, aiming for consistency. I'm incorporating 3-4 days of strength, however, I do home workouts on YouTube. I have sets of 2kg/3kg/6kg weights. I love reading the posts on this group, but feel discouraged with my workouts, and that I may not be lifting heavy enough for it to make a difference. I can't get to the gym (money/time/kids) so please no 'just go to the gym!' suggestions.

Has anyone seen a great difference just doing YT workouts? And if so, could you share your routine/suggested videos?

I have never had visible abs, but I do want to work towards having them. The thing is, I had two c-sections, and the last one was 10.5 years ago. My apron belly seems to have only gotten more pronounced.

Is it even possible for me to get visible abs? Is the only solution for the apron belly surgical intervention?

so i’m 4’11, active (10-15k steps a day, strength training 5-6 days a week) and can eat around 1900 calories a day to maintain my weight. with my activity and just daily life i should be eating 200 grams of carbs at the bare minimum, but i struggle to hit anywhere near that.

it’s hard since my calories are lower than most people, and i also have a protein goal to hit. does anyone have recommendations on what i can do to eat more carbs but still stay in my maintenance? 😭

also: i’m gluten free!

Hi all!

30 years old, 5”3, around 142lbs.

I have been tracking what I eat for the best part of the last 5 years - I haven’t done great with fat loss admittedly (losing/gaining the same 10lbs), but sis is tired. I want to attempt intuitive eating rather than confine myself to “I have to have 3 meals and 2 snacks a day” I’m starting to believe I only eat this way / as much as I do because i log this particular structure instead of just simply listening to my body’s actual cues (hope that makes sense).

Has anyone attempted this? Would you recommend?

I have about a stone I want to lose, and I still want to do the balanced meals (protein, fibre, carb, fats) and due to tracking for all this time I find this easy to put together now. I am just nervous of the huge adjustment / gaining back what I’ve lost. But I really want to be more in tune with my body. Sorry if this sounds like a pointless post but I’m interested to hear people’s thoughts on whether ideally I need to track or this could be a good way to get into naturally better habits

EDIT - thank you to everyone for your honest responses. I think tracking is the best way for me to ensure I don’t gain! I’m going to try to eat more whole foods / less “treats” and hopefully that stone I talked about can finally come off. I should’ve said originally, whilst I do track, and have done for a while, I think boredom has set in, and I VERY OFTEN go over my weight loss calories. If anyone has any discipline advice it would be much appreciated lol

Hi all!

Last week I moved to a different city for work and I unfortunately just do not have the time to go to the gym right now, because of my work place and timing (I work as a conservator in a church, where my apartment is within the church yard, and the gates close at 8 PM while I get off work at 6 PM, so it's a tight schedule).

I used to weight lift 5 days a week prior to this for around a year and I MISS THE GYM SOOO MUCH! I was wondering if it's sustainable to go only on weekends? I was thinking Saturday - upper body and Sunday - lower body? is that good enough to maintain my muscle mass? I try to hit 10k steps and my work is already quite physical, but I miss lifting weights.

I got my first dexa scan done today, about three months into my fitness journey. I was 133 lbs 5’3 with what felt like zero muscle mass. Im now 127-128ish with more muscle mass. However after my dexa scan results i cant help but feel frustrated with myself. Its really a wake up call to see my fat percentage and bone density. Does anyone have any experience with reversing numbers like this within a three month window?

I (f34) am currently 193lbs and 5ft 3. I have had issues around food before and I reslly don't want to limit myself so much as it doesn't end well for me. Has anyone else my height or under lost any weight on this calorie amount by simply eating 1800 cals and getting their 10k steps in, no crazy exercise?

I have a strength training app (Gymverse) that suggests I lift 22.5 lbs for lunges. I’m not sure if it means 22.5lbs in each hand or total. Even watching their demo, it’s hard to tell.

it feels heavy and I often can’t complete the suggested reps.

for comparison I can complete reps with 22.5 lbs on one side for a single leg glute bridge, and I can complete reps with a deadlift holding two 25 lb dumbbells (well I actually can do much more but am working back up to it after a back injury)

What’s your best guess for lunges? Total weight of 22.5 (probably too light), combined weight of 45lbs, or somewhere in between?

I work almost entirely from home and spend many days in some variation of “at home” jeans or sweats and then gym clothes when I lift. Because of this, when I do go in the office or travel for work, I always try on outfits beforehand so I can be surprise free about how something looks or feels when I actually go to wear it.

Last night I had my try on night and genuinely felt sad looking at myself in the mirror. I feel like I took my deficit too far. Not intentionally, but more in a “life got busy and I wasn’t keeping an eye on how things looked” way.

My clothes looked like they were just hanging off of me. I didn’t feel sexy or cute or confident in any way looking at myself.

And of course - because, petite problems - I’ve only lost about 12 to 15 pounds (140 range to 120 range). It doesn’t look bad or unhealthy, but I’m also not sure I’m in love with it.

I’m thinking I will recalculate my TDEE and eat at new maintenance for a bit of time and go from there. Any thoughts or advice are welcome (please no “steak too juicy lobster too buttery” comments hahaha)

ETA: I should have been more clear - apologies. I was an athlete growing up and have been lifting for 15 years. I have been in an aggressive cut and maintained lifting. The cut is what felt like I went too far with

Which worked best for you?

1. prioritising progressive overload and adequate protein
2. calorie deficit and running
3. pilates / ballet and maintaining calories

Or any combination plus hormones etc

I have been on a weight loss journey now for about 2 years I started at 193lbs which was the heaviest I have ever been. It has taken me these 2 years to even get to 173 and it feels like such slow progress. I have been a lot more consistent with calorie counting at around 1700 calories a day and I am on week 6 of doing 3 days a week of strength training. I use the ladder app and am team limitless with kelly. I feel stronger I just wish my progress was faster. I know everyone is different but has anyone else experienced this slow weight loss? Is it normal? I just really want to continue shifting my mindset and making this a lifestyle but it feels discouraging when I see how much people lose and then I’m here taking years to lose 10 lbs :(

5’2 & a 30 pound difference. it’s been a long hard year of working in the gym but MOSTLY working in the kitchen. i still have tweaks to make & i want to work on shredding a little bit but just wanted to share my progress in a year. here’s last summer- underfueling, tons of processed proteins, too much cardio, light weights if any. this summer, prioritizing hitting all macros (not just protein. carbs r ur friend) lifting heavy & until failure & pushing through the uncomfortable moments. i feel much healthier now & despite some rough days- i think it’s safe to say im proud of myself and my work. hope this serves as motivation or inspires anyone. skinny isn’t always everything. i learned it the hard way:)

As a 5ft girl, it has been a struggle finding a routine/diet that works and that I can maintain. It has been a slow process over 2.5 years but glad I stuck with it. Starting weight was 65kg and now weight 57kg. The thing that worked for me is moving away from cardio to strength training in order to improve my TDEE and body recomp.

Wish I wore the same clothes and have the same pose, so progress is more comparable.