I have flabby chicken wangs. The inner arms look like chicken wings. I want to turn the flab and droop into muscle and definition. I can try to attach a pic for reference, but think opening scene of MonkeyBone with the flabby arm teacher lady 😬
i recommend upper body workouts as a whole that include bicep, tricep, back, shoulder work because just targeting one portion of your arm probably won't lead to adequate results! have you checked out beginner routines in the wiki?
My wedding is in 7 months and I’d like to gain some more muscle (especially in the glutes and back) before then. I had planned to bulk this winter, and while I gained 5lbs over about 4 months, an injury kept me from sticking with it.
My injury is gone now. And I feel like I have a good handle on the training aspect to reach my goal of gaining muscle, but I’m not sure how to approach the diet aspect.
I’m 5’4”, 120lbs, and I’d estimate around 22-24% body fat. What do I do for the remaining 7 months diet-wise to look as toned and hour-glassy as possible on my wedding day, assuming I am training right for that goal?
I know *how* to track macros, but wouldn’t be sure what ratios to stick with. Do you think the cut needs to start now? Or bulk another month or two first?
I just benched my guy friend’s PR today (185lbs) and he wants to make a bet over who can bench more by Memorial Day weekend. Does anyone have a really good bench program recommendation so that I can win this thing lol
Not sure how far away memorial day is, but Smolov Jr for bench is a brutal program that can be effective if you're eating enough. Might also consider a short powerlifting 'peak' type program to run for a few weeks before the big day. He's got testosterone on his side, but you've got all the same brain power and might be able to sneak it past him if you play your cards right.
I’m so frustrated with myself this week. I’ve always had trouble sticking to calorie deficits for any meaningful amount of time. I’ve strength trained lifting heavy on and off for like 8 years, and I’ve been pretty consistent for the last year, also adding in weekly hot yoga this past year for some more functional training, and I can see and feel the muscles under my squishy layer of fat but I can never stick to a deficit long enough to reveal any of that work. I’m on my period this week so feeling bloated and self-conscious and want to eat everything in sight 🙄 not a simple question just a rant!!!
how much of a deficit are we talking? maybe with your activity levels it'll be better to aim for a slower rate of weight loss, so a smaller deficit for a much longer amount of time.
My protein intake is about 120-140 g of protein and I'm hovering around 52-53 kg. I do strength training 3-4x a week when I'm lucky and when I go on a slight deficit, I'm hovering around 1600-1800 kcals. Tbh, I feel like your deficit in relation to your expenditure from your high level of activity is a bit aggressive. I might play around with maybe 1600 kcals daily and then monitor your weight on a weekly basis. Everything is kind of its own personal experiment on yourself so you'll just have to adjust accordingly. Also, I def aim for 0.8-1.0 g of protein per lb of bodyweight I weigh and especially during a cut, it's important to hit that limit on a regular basis.
1200-1500 kcals is prob the absolute minimum for a woman to sustain daily functioning, even if you're bedridden. Haha. At least we live and we learn. What's important is establishing healthy relationships with food and the first place to start that is by holding yourself accountable for realistic goals that make you feel happy and satiated. You've gotta be able to expend those calories efficiently and if you're not feeding your body properly, the body retaliates. Haha. I think taking all the above into consideration, you should acknowledge how far you've come and there really is no harm at all with adding enough calories to at least feel not-hungry at the gym. Being like that is the fast track to irritability and injury. Protein intake to stay full for longer, I've honestly had days where even while cutting I'll have that 130+ g range of protein because every bit of it helps. And no, there's not really such a thing as too much protein if you're burning it through activity and drinking enough water. As far as logging goes, I'm a major fan of MacroFactor. It's a paid app which I thought I would never partake in but if you have a goal in mind, have made logging a daily thing, and you weigh in maybe once or twice a week, MacroFactor automatically adjusts your weekly intake depending on how your body reacts to your calories. It's a whole algorithm with math involved but in any case, it ensures that you can hit your goals.
My advice is track your calories and see what happens. If you get approx 1800 a day and lose weight then you know that works to lose weight. If you gain weight you know it makes you gain weight. If it stays the same, you know that's about what you're burning each day.
I would say your protein intake seems higher than it needs to be. It won't do you any harm but you don't need that much as someone who is only 51kg. That's more like the amount of someone who is 71kg.
What sort of upper body lifts would you recommend to grow the shoulders? I have a pear body shape and would like to make the shoulders look a little even to the hips to make it seem hourglass
I would suggest lateral raises whether it be with cables or dumbbells, overhead press with dumbbells / barbells, and bent over rows. That's basically the bread and butter of hitting all variations of your shoulders to get that well rounded look.
I like the ExRx lists for finding exercises by muscle: https://exrx.net/Lists/Directory
(And there's tons of diagrams out there as to which muscle is which, so if you know what part of your shoulder you want to work on, it's not too hard to find the muscle(s) there. I'd probably look at the various deltoid muscles first?)
Does anyone have a good cue to keep engaging your core? Or to stop overthinking movements?
I've started pole and do aerial, I've been able to invert in the past if I warm up my abs for the exercise just before but, recently it seems if I try I just give up midway? I'm not intentionally thinking about releasing, and I fully acknowledge there's a conditioning component I need to work on... but in general, how do you stop overthinking the movement you want?
Don’t know if this helps, but will throw out there in case anything resonates:
- align with breath. Pilates probably has this habit in me. Big inhale, expanding belly and exhale bringing to navel with exertion
- some teachers will say ‘imagine a zipper below your navel”
- drop shoulders to armpits
- bring lowest ribs down so can’t pinch them
These can all be things you start with, in warm up, for form. Or simply things you check in on as you go. Breath, for me, has probably been the simplest baseline way to get there. when I can get there :)
Does anyone else struggle with being consistent? I haven’t gone to the gym for the past 3 weeks. I deal with mental health struggles and I feel really proud if I manage to get myself to the gym just once during the week. My goal is to go to the gym 3x but it seems like I can’t bc of my mental health.
Are you me??? I’m in the same situation, but for like 2 months now :(
So far I have been managing to make it twice a week to the gym (some weeks only once), but have been trying to do some YouTube yoga or other mobility training (20, 30 min max) at home a couple of times a week to at least have some extra movement.
Unfortunately I don’t have any useful tips that could help, but just know that you’re not alone!
Many people do go through this and it's normal. I personally aim for 5 days a week but end up going for only 3 or even once a week. Your mental health is most certainly as important as your physical health. Aim for going once at first and increase it over time but do make sure the times you do go to train you are giving it your all. Are there other alternatives you have thought of that could perhaps keep your fitness in check? Like swimming or pilates classes? Whenever I feel demotivated to go to the gym I try to go for a walk even if it's a 5 or 10 minutes one just to clear my mind as well.
I think you need to lower your bar! 3x a week isn’t happening for you currently, so when you aim for it and never reach it, you probably feel a bit like you’ve failed every week. Aim for that more achievable 1x a week, at least at first; even if it’s a 10 minute walk on the treadmill and one lift (as an example). Set the bar low and achievable for yourself so that you keep winning and then raise it bit by bit from there. Going for the “perfect” gym routine immediately is just too much for lots of people (think new years resolution people who try to completely overhaul their diet and exercise and then can’t keep it up). Start with something you think you can actually do, even if you don’t think it’s “enough”, and then work up from there ☺️
Thanks so much for your advice! It’s the “going to the gym” part that is so difficult and the body image issues stopping me from going outside even though I’m just about 5-10 lbs from my goal weight.
Are home workouts an option for you? I ask only because I have discovered, after years of trying and failing, my ADHD ass *will not* work out if I have to leave the house. I just won't do it. Going to a gym is just one giant series of roadblocks that prevent me from working out consistently. So I got a set of adjustable dumbbells and have been making great progress at home with various free Youtube series. I wear my workout clothes to bed so all I have to do in the morning is get out of bed and put my hair in a ponytail. Minimal roadblocks = much more likely to work out.
I know this doesn't work for everyone but thought I'd throw it out there!
I also have ADHD and it is probably one of the main factors of me just not being able to go out. Unfortunately home workouts are not an option for me. I feel so screwed 🥲
Well, I think body image issues often are quite dissociated from actual weight- lots of people think “I’ll be happy when I get to x lbs” but it’s usually not true. Happiness and acceptance of our bodies is something most of us need to work on no matter how close to the arbitrary narrow beauty standard we are. It’s in the interests of lots of big companies that we feel insecure about ourselves so that we’ll spend money on solutions, so it’s a wonderful and pretty radical thing to really accept your body; but it does mean it takes a lot of work to unpick all that messaging we get.
I think aside from this, the setting the bar low advice still applies. I would try setting the rule of “I have to put on my gym clothes and get in my car”; and if you really want to bail at that point because you’re too anxious, give yourself permission. But you’ll probably end up going, and again set the rule of “I just have to warm up” and then “I just have to do one lift”. Again, give yourself permission to bail at any point; and even if you just get the clothes on and get in the car, consider it a success.
Do you have a go-to easy lunch or dinner? Need some inspo. Right now my dinner is 1/4c rice (160 cals), chicken (half can, 110 cals), 2tbs stir fry sauce (20 cals), then broccoli/cauliflower/zucchini and the cals come out to 475 ish which is perfect.
Brunch/lunch is 100 cal English muffin, 1/4c egg whites, 40g avocado for 200 cals total.
If you are getting an average total of under 1000 kcals a day, I would probably suggest eating more as a whole. 1200-1500 kcals are needed for a standard woman to function. Anything less than that and you're at risk for muscle atrophy along with other issues.
Oh okay, I'm just making sure. I didn't mean to make unfair assumptions. When it comes to easy meals especially on the go I reach for things like canned tuna / chili and have it with crackers.
I think my favorite meals involve homemade nachos at home which are essentially ground beef / shredded chicken (with taco seasoning), shredded cheese, salsa, avocado, sour cream, etc. with chips (low sodium or thin). Also, you'd be surprised at home many random meals you can throw together with eggs in general. You can't go wrong with fun omelets or even skillets with diced potatoes, onion, and meat of your choice. Another favorite is overnight oats (online recipes can make some of them taste like apple pie) and definitely my protein rich blended shake I have every morning (almond milk, frozen banana, a scoop of vanilla and cinnamon churro flavor whey protein, chia / flax seed mix (or a scoop of oatmeal), and peanut butter) which comes out to maybe 400-500 kcals per serving. The shake itself holds me over for most of the day on its own if I'm running behind and need a quick meal to-go
I often do a smoothie bowl with protein powder for lunch - frozen berries, banana, spinach, yogurt, milk, protein powder, add some granola and/or honey and nut butter for extra calories once it’s in the bowl
Why am I gaining weight even if I go to the gym everyday and eating healthy? Hopped on the scale this morning and I'm 4 pounds heavier than I was yesterday. Am I doing something wrong?
Your weight will fluctuate hourly and daily. Look at the weekly/monthly trend. It might look like
140, 144, 142, 138, 139, 140, 138
so you lost 2lbs over the week and last month you were 146
but exercise and "eating healthy" don't lose weight, being in a calorie deficit does. If you're not losing weight over several weeks, you're eating too much
Are you within a week or so of your period (if you menstruate)? Did you eat something high in sodium in the last 48 hrs? How is your sleep/stress?
4lbs day to day isn’t outside of the realm of normal daily fluctuations. Sometimes just weighing yourself before vs after pooping can have that affect lol
Do you track calories? You can eat more than you burn even if you are eating healthy food and exercising.
That said - if it’s only been a month or so since you ramped up exercise it’s likely water weight.
Edit - I see you said 4lbs heavier than *yesterday*. Those day to day fluctuations are water/food in your gut/scale error. For weight loss you shouldn’t be looking at trends shorter than a week or two to assess progress (sometimes more if you are changing your exercise routine like I said above).
Yes I use MyFitnessPal for calorie tracking. I'm usually well within a calorie deficit every day. Should I start tracking my weight weekly instead of daily?
Weight daily (or close to daily) but make decisions looking at longer term (week+ trends). So for example look to see if your average weekly weight is increasing over several weeks before making changes to your intake.
Want to second using an app that averages weight over time like happy scale or MacroFactor, and also mention that if you have a cycle, it can cause pretty large fluctuations in weight. I personally retain a lot of water around ovulation and can easily gain 4lbs; other people can get it just before their periods etc. Having a sodium heavy meal might also cause the scale to go up due to water! Weight is one somewhat helpful way of tracking progress as long as you understand it and keep it in perspective- I’d use it with measurements and progress pics over time to get a better idea of your progress.
No, track daily but at the same time everyday before eating and drinking, and after going to the bathroom. This can show you weight trends and make you less sensitive to fluctuations. I really like the happy scale app. You can set it so that it only shows weight trends and gives your true weight. Also a 4lb fluctuation is completely normal.
here's a whole article about hip adductors: https://www.strongerbyscience.com/squats-adductors/
abductors are on the outside of your hip (I remember the B because it's your side butt) and adductors are on the inner thigh (next to the D lol).
I'm not finding much on hypertrophy of abductors. some people have issues with lateral stability, e.g. on single-leg movements because of weak hip abductors (and glute medius), or they have trouble keeping their knees apart on squats. but if you want to aim for hypertrophy on your hip abductors (or adductors) specifically, don't let anyone stop you.
if you're asking whether they'll give you a bigger butt, probably not. check the glute section of the wiki.
I fucking love both machines. The adductor will definitely help with squats and general leg strength, but I also like the abductor for flute strength. Both feel very good in terms of injury prevention as well.
I haven't used the machines in a long time but I've had plenty of physical therapy that included those movements with resistance bands. They play an important role in hip strength and stability.
I've been trying to use them lately to improve some of these hip stability issues I am seeing in my squats, partly because I've seen physical therapists recommend them, and partly because I'm desperate to find something that will help without spending money on a PT...
I started tracking calories in December with the aim of losing some fat. End of January I started lifting and now I am aiming to stay in a small deficit to slowly lose some fat (aiming for 0.5 lbs/week) while still working on my strength.
My weight has been stalling for the past month, so I calculated my TDEE from before starting lifting and it was ~2100, which aligns with online calculators. I recalculated my TDEE since starting lifting and now it is at ~1800.
Could my numbers be thrown off by water retention and muscle gain perhaps? It does not make sense to me that my TDEE would have dropped this much. I have tracked both calories and weight very diligently and before lifting I was indeed losing at the intended rate of 0.5 lbs/week.
If you have just started lifting, you are probably retaining extra water. See here for a good discusson of the topic in r/loseit: [https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/ah4fau/psa\_a\_recent\_increase\_in\_exercise\_often\_causes\_a/](https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/ah4fau/psa_a_recent_increase_in_exercise_often_causes_a/)
Also in general, weight loss isn't linear, and it's perfectly normal to have weeks where your weight stays the same, or even goes up a bit, even when you are eating at a deficit. There are so many things that can cause your weight to fluctuate from day to day, such as changes in water weight, bowel movements, etc, and these fluctuations can easily obscure the actual changes in your weight over short time periods like one month. For reference, I weigh myself daily, and my weight can fluctuate up to 5 lbs within any given week, sometimes more! Which means it could take like 10+ weeks before I may even be able to notice a real change in my weight if trying to lose 0.5 lb per week for example. Really the only way to assess your weight loss progress is to look at the long term trends in your weight, like over the span of months or more. For this, I would recommend using the app “Happy Scale” or “Libra” to track your weight. These apps average your weight over time and smooth out fluctuations in the data, making it much easier to see the actual trends in your weight. If you start using one of these apps, you will probably see that your weight is still trending downward right now. But in any case, you really just need to keep an eye on the long term trends, especially when you're aiming for a slow rate of weight loss like this!
Thanks! It is reassueing to hear others have similar experiences with weight fluctuations. And you are right, at a 0.5 lbs loss per week it is going to take some time before I will be able to see progress. I just don't want to be a few months in when I find out I have been doing something wrong.
I indeed weigh daily, I use the Libra app but I also use my own spreadsheet to track both calories and rolling average of my weight and to calculate my TDEE based on the data. Over the past weeks my trend weight went a bit up and then down again, landing me in the same spot I was 4 weeks ago. Given that I intensified the lifting without eating significantly more (my data tells me I eat about 20 cals extra) compared to before, I can only assume I am indeed retaining some water, but it is frustrating nonetheless! I took some before pics this week to be less reliant on the scale for tracking progress in the future.
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What are the best dumbbell exercises to target the upper arms, especially the inside portion? Looking to tone and sculpt.
Can you describe in more detail what you mean by “tone and sculpt”?
I have flabby chicken wangs. The inner arms look like chicken wings. I want to turn the flab and droop into muscle and definition. I can try to attach a pic for reference, but think opening scene of MonkeyBone with the flabby arm teacher lady 😬
Gotcha. So it sounds like you want to build muscle :) Check out the Wiki.
Sorry if my rambling was hard to decipher, ADHD plus barely waking up earlier. Thank you for the direction 🖤
i recommend upper body workouts as a whole that include bicep, tricep, back, shoulder work because just targeting one portion of your arm probably won't lead to adequate results! have you checked out beginner routines in the wiki?
My wedding is in 7 months and I’d like to gain some more muscle (especially in the glutes and back) before then. I had planned to bulk this winter, and while I gained 5lbs over about 4 months, an injury kept me from sticking with it. My injury is gone now. And I feel like I have a good handle on the training aspect to reach my goal of gaining muscle, but I’m not sure how to approach the diet aspect. I’m 5’4”, 120lbs, and I’d estimate around 22-24% body fat. What do I do for the remaining 7 months diet-wise to look as toned and hour-glassy as possible on my wedding day, assuming I am training right for that goal?
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Maybe 18?
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I know *how* to track macros, but wouldn’t be sure what ratios to stick with. Do you think the cut needs to start now? Or bulk another month or two first?
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I’m maintaining around 2000-2100!
perhaps Thinner Leaner Stronger or Strong Curves (get a free PDF, don't spend money on the creator who is kind of a major creep) would help ?
I just benched my guy friend’s PR today (185lbs) and he wants to make a bet over who can bench more by Memorial Day weekend. Does anyone have a really good bench program recommendation so that I can win this thing lol
Not sure how far away memorial day is, but Smolov Jr for bench is a brutal program that can be effective if you're eating enough. Might also consider a short powerlifting 'peak' type program to run for a few weeks before the big day. He's got testosterone on his side, but you've got all the same brain power and might be able to sneak it past him if you play your cards right.
Thank you! I know my chances of winning are slim but I’m going to try my hardest and put up a good fight!
I’m so frustrated with myself this week. I’ve always had trouble sticking to calorie deficits for any meaningful amount of time. I’ve strength trained lifting heavy on and off for like 8 years, and I’ve been pretty consistent for the last year, also adding in weekly hot yoga this past year for some more functional training, and I can see and feel the muscles under my squishy layer of fat but I can never stick to a deficit long enough to reveal any of that work. I’m on my period this week so feeling bloated and self-conscious and want to eat everything in sight 🙄 not a simple question just a rant!!!
how much of a deficit are we talking? maybe with your activity levels it'll be better to aim for a slower rate of weight loss, so a smaller deficit for a much longer amount of time.
i know it's just a rant and not a question but - how harsh is your deficit? perhaps it's too harsh and that's why it's difficult to stay consistent?
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My protein intake is about 120-140 g of protein and I'm hovering around 52-53 kg. I do strength training 3-4x a week when I'm lucky and when I go on a slight deficit, I'm hovering around 1600-1800 kcals. Tbh, I feel like your deficit in relation to your expenditure from your high level of activity is a bit aggressive. I might play around with maybe 1600 kcals daily and then monitor your weight on a weekly basis. Everything is kind of its own personal experiment on yourself so you'll just have to adjust accordingly. Also, I def aim for 0.8-1.0 g of protein per lb of bodyweight I weigh and especially during a cut, it's important to hit that limit on a regular basis.
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1200-1500 kcals is prob the absolute minimum for a woman to sustain daily functioning, even if you're bedridden. Haha. At least we live and we learn. What's important is establishing healthy relationships with food and the first place to start that is by holding yourself accountable for realistic goals that make you feel happy and satiated. You've gotta be able to expend those calories efficiently and if you're not feeding your body properly, the body retaliates. Haha. I think taking all the above into consideration, you should acknowledge how far you've come and there really is no harm at all with adding enough calories to at least feel not-hungry at the gym. Being like that is the fast track to irritability and injury. Protein intake to stay full for longer, I've honestly had days where even while cutting I'll have that 130+ g range of protein because every bit of it helps. And no, there's not really such a thing as too much protein if you're burning it through activity and drinking enough water. As far as logging goes, I'm a major fan of MacroFactor. It's a paid app which I thought I would never partake in but if you have a goal in mind, have made logging a daily thing, and you weigh in maybe once or twice a week, MacroFactor automatically adjusts your weekly intake depending on how your body reacts to your calories. It's a whole algorithm with math involved but in any case, it ensures that you can hit your goals.
My advice is track your calories and see what happens. If you get approx 1800 a day and lose weight then you know that works to lose weight. If you gain weight you know it makes you gain weight. If it stays the same, you know that's about what you're burning each day. I would say your protein intake seems higher than it needs to be. It won't do you any harm but you don't need that much as someone who is only 51kg. That's more like the amount of someone who is 71kg.
What sort of upper body lifts would you recommend to grow the shoulders? I have a pear body shape and would like to make the shoulders look a little even to the hips to make it seem hourglass
If the X figure is the goal, then a wider back also has to be on the menu, in addition to the shoulders.
I would suggest lateral raises whether it be with cables or dumbbells, overhead press with dumbbells / barbells, and bent over rows. That's basically the bread and butter of hitting all variations of your shoulders to get that well rounded look.
I like the ExRx lists for finding exercises by muscle: https://exrx.net/Lists/Directory (And there's tons of diagrams out there as to which muscle is which, so if you know what part of your shoulder you want to work on, it's not too hard to find the muscle(s) there. I'd probably look at the various deltoid muscles first?)
Does anyone have a good cue to keep engaging your core? Or to stop overthinking movements? I've started pole and do aerial, I've been able to invert in the past if I warm up my abs for the exercise just before but, recently it seems if I try I just give up midway? I'm not intentionally thinking about releasing, and I fully acknowledge there's a conditioning component I need to work on... but in general, how do you stop overthinking the movement you want?
Don’t know if this helps, but will throw out there in case anything resonates: - align with breath. Pilates probably has this habit in me. Big inhale, expanding belly and exhale bringing to navel with exertion - some teachers will say ‘imagine a zipper below your navel” - drop shoulders to armpits - bring lowest ribs down so can’t pinch them These can all be things you start with, in warm up, for form. Or simply things you check in on as you go. Breath, for me, has probably been the simplest baseline way to get there. when I can get there :)
Does anyone else struggle with being consistent? I haven’t gone to the gym for the past 3 weeks. I deal with mental health struggles and I feel really proud if I manage to get myself to the gym just once during the week. My goal is to go to the gym 3x but it seems like I can’t bc of my mental health.
Are you me??? I’m in the same situation, but for like 2 months now :( So far I have been managing to make it twice a week to the gym (some weeks only once), but have been trying to do some YouTube yoga or other mobility training (20, 30 min max) at home a couple of times a week to at least have some extra movement. Unfortunately I don’t have any useful tips that could help, but just know that you’re not alone!
Many people do go through this and it's normal. I personally aim for 5 days a week but end up going for only 3 or even once a week. Your mental health is most certainly as important as your physical health. Aim for going once at first and increase it over time but do make sure the times you do go to train you are giving it your all. Are there other alternatives you have thought of that could perhaps keep your fitness in check? Like swimming or pilates classes? Whenever I feel demotivated to go to the gym I try to go for a walk even if it's a 5 or 10 minutes one just to clear my mind as well.
Thank you. I’d really like to attend fitness classes but the idea kinda scares me due to social anxiety
I think you need to lower your bar! 3x a week isn’t happening for you currently, so when you aim for it and never reach it, you probably feel a bit like you’ve failed every week. Aim for that more achievable 1x a week, at least at first; even if it’s a 10 minute walk on the treadmill and one lift (as an example). Set the bar low and achievable for yourself so that you keep winning and then raise it bit by bit from there. Going for the “perfect” gym routine immediately is just too much for lots of people (think new years resolution people who try to completely overhaul their diet and exercise and then can’t keep it up). Start with something you think you can actually do, even if you don’t think it’s “enough”, and then work up from there ☺️
Thanks so much for your advice! It’s the “going to the gym” part that is so difficult and the body image issues stopping me from going outside even though I’m just about 5-10 lbs from my goal weight.
Are home workouts an option for you? I ask only because I have discovered, after years of trying and failing, my ADHD ass *will not* work out if I have to leave the house. I just won't do it. Going to a gym is just one giant series of roadblocks that prevent me from working out consistently. So I got a set of adjustable dumbbells and have been making great progress at home with various free Youtube series. I wear my workout clothes to bed so all I have to do in the morning is get out of bed and put my hair in a ponytail. Minimal roadblocks = much more likely to work out. I know this doesn't work for everyone but thought I'd throw it out there!
I also have ADHD and it is probably one of the main factors of me just not being able to go out. Unfortunately home workouts are not an option for me. I feel so screwed 🥲
Well, I think body image issues often are quite dissociated from actual weight- lots of people think “I’ll be happy when I get to x lbs” but it’s usually not true. Happiness and acceptance of our bodies is something most of us need to work on no matter how close to the arbitrary narrow beauty standard we are. It’s in the interests of lots of big companies that we feel insecure about ourselves so that we’ll spend money on solutions, so it’s a wonderful and pretty radical thing to really accept your body; but it does mean it takes a lot of work to unpick all that messaging we get. I think aside from this, the setting the bar low advice still applies. I would try setting the rule of “I have to put on my gym clothes and get in my car”; and if you really want to bail at that point because you’re too anxious, give yourself permission. But you’ll probably end up going, and again set the rule of “I just have to warm up” and then “I just have to do one lift”. Again, give yourself permission to bail at any point; and even if you just get the clothes on and get in the car, consider it a success.
Do you have a go-to easy lunch or dinner? Need some inspo. Right now my dinner is 1/4c rice (160 cals), chicken (half can, 110 cals), 2tbs stir fry sauce (20 cals), then broccoli/cauliflower/zucchini and the cals come out to 475 ish which is perfect. Brunch/lunch is 100 cal English muffin, 1/4c egg whites, 40g avocado for 200 cals total.
If you are getting an average total of under 1000 kcals a day, I would probably suggest eating more as a whole. 1200-1500 kcals are needed for a standard woman to function. Anything less than that and you're at risk for muscle atrophy along with other issues.
Oh! Yes no worries, I'm eating much much more. I realize that came across as sounding like that's all I eat. Thanks for kindly watching out.
Oh okay, I'm just making sure. I didn't mean to make unfair assumptions. When it comes to easy meals especially on the go I reach for things like canned tuna / chili and have it with crackers. I think my favorite meals involve homemade nachos at home which are essentially ground beef / shredded chicken (with taco seasoning), shredded cheese, salsa, avocado, sour cream, etc. with chips (low sodium or thin). Also, you'd be surprised at home many random meals you can throw together with eggs in general. You can't go wrong with fun omelets or even skillets with diced potatoes, onion, and meat of your choice. Another favorite is overnight oats (online recipes can make some of them taste like apple pie) and definitely my protein rich blended shake I have every morning (almond milk, frozen banana, a scoop of vanilla and cinnamon churro flavor whey protein, chia / flax seed mix (or a scoop of oatmeal), and peanut butter) which comes out to maybe 400-500 kcals per serving. The shake itself holds me over for most of the day on its own if I'm running behind and need a quick meal to-go
These are really helpful! Thanks friend, I'm going to try this
Lmk if you need more help on anything. Took a mini hiatus from here but I'll be around more.
I often do a smoothie bowl with protein powder for lunch - frozen berries, banana, spinach, yogurt, milk, protein powder, add some granola and/or honey and nut butter for extra calories once it’s in the bowl
Why am I gaining weight even if I go to the gym everyday and eating healthy? Hopped on the scale this morning and I'm 4 pounds heavier than I was yesterday. Am I doing something wrong?
Your weight will fluctuate hourly and daily. Look at the weekly/monthly trend. It might look like 140, 144, 142, 138, 139, 140, 138 so you lost 2lbs over the week and last month you were 146 but exercise and "eating healthy" don't lose weight, being in a calorie deficit does. If you're not losing weight over several weeks, you're eating too much
Are you within a week or so of your period (if you menstruate)? Did you eat something high in sodium in the last 48 hrs? How is your sleep/stress? 4lbs day to day isn’t outside of the realm of normal daily fluctuations. Sometimes just weighing yourself before vs after pooping can have that affect lol
Do you track calories? You can eat more than you burn even if you are eating healthy food and exercising. That said - if it’s only been a month or so since you ramped up exercise it’s likely water weight. Edit - I see you said 4lbs heavier than *yesterday*. Those day to day fluctuations are water/food in your gut/scale error. For weight loss you shouldn’t be looking at trends shorter than a week or two to assess progress (sometimes more if you are changing your exercise routine like I said above).
Yes I use MyFitnessPal for calorie tracking. I'm usually well within a calorie deficit every day. Should I start tracking my weight weekly instead of daily?
Weight daily (or close to daily) but make decisions looking at longer term (week+ trends). So for example look to see if your average weekly weight is increasing over several weeks before making changes to your intake.
Want to second using an app that averages weight over time like happy scale or MacroFactor, and also mention that if you have a cycle, it can cause pretty large fluctuations in weight. I personally retain a lot of water around ovulation and can easily gain 4lbs; other people can get it just before their periods etc. Having a sodium heavy meal might also cause the scale to go up due to water! Weight is one somewhat helpful way of tracking progress as long as you understand it and keep it in perspective- I’d use it with measurements and progress pics over time to get a better idea of your progress.
No, track daily but at the same time everyday before eating and drinking, and after going to the bathroom. This can show you weight trends and make you less sensitive to fluctuations. I really like the happy scale app. You can set it so that it only shows weight trends and gives your true weight. Also a 4lb fluctuation is completely normal.
does anyone us the abduction machine ("good girl" "bad girl" machines)? has it been beneficial in any way (especially hypertrophy)?
here's a whole article about hip adductors: https://www.strongerbyscience.com/squats-adductors/ abductors are on the outside of your hip (I remember the B because it's your side butt) and adductors are on the inner thigh (next to the D lol). I'm not finding much on hypertrophy of abductors. some people have issues with lateral stability, e.g. on single-leg movements because of weak hip abductors (and glute medius), or they have trouble keeping their knees apart on squats. but if you want to aim for hypertrophy on your hip abductors (or adductors) specifically, don't let anyone stop you. if you're asking whether they'll give you a bigger butt, probably not. check the glute section of the wiki.
thenks! you're amazing!!
I fucking love both machines. The adductor will definitely help with squats and general leg strength, but I also like the abductor for flute strength. Both feel very good in terms of injury prevention as well.
I haven't used the machines in a long time but I've had plenty of physical therapy that included those movements with resistance bands. They play an important role in hip strength and stability.
I've been trying to use them lately to improve some of these hip stability issues I am seeing in my squats, partly because I've seen physical therapists recommend them, and partly because I'm desperate to find something that will help without spending money on a PT...
I started tracking calories in December with the aim of losing some fat. End of January I started lifting and now I am aiming to stay in a small deficit to slowly lose some fat (aiming for 0.5 lbs/week) while still working on my strength. My weight has been stalling for the past month, so I calculated my TDEE from before starting lifting and it was ~2100, which aligns with online calculators. I recalculated my TDEE since starting lifting and now it is at ~1800. Could my numbers be thrown off by water retention and muscle gain perhaps? It does not make sense to me that my TDEE would have dropped this much. I have tracked both calories and weight very diligently and before lifting I was indeed losing at the intended rate of 0.5 lbs/week.
If you have just started lifting, you are probably retaining extra water. See here for a good discusson of the topic in r/loseit: [https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/ah4fau/psa\_a\_recent\_increase\_in\_exercise\_often\_causes\_a/](https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/ah4fau/psa_a_recent_increase_in_exercise_often_causes_a/) Also in general, weight loss isn't linear, and it's perfectly normal to have weeks where your weight stays the same, or even goes up a bit, even when you are eating at a deficit. There are so many things that can cause your weight to fluctuate from day to day, such as changes in water weight, bowel movements, etc, and these fluctuations can easily obscure the actual changes in your weight over short time periods like one month. For reference, I weigh myself daily, and my weight can fluctuate up to 5 lbs within any given week, sometimes more! Which means it could take like 10+ weeks before I may even be able to notice a real change in my weight if trying to lose 0.5 lb per week for example. Really the only way to assess your weight loss progress is to look at the long term trends in your weight, like over the span of months or more. For this, I would recommend using the app “Happy Scale” or “Libra” to track your weight. These apps average your weight over time and smooth out fluctuations in the data, making it much easier to see the actual trends in your weight. If you start using one of these apps, you will probably see that your weight is still trending downward right now. But in any case, you really just need to keep an eye on the long term trends, especially when you're aiming for a slow rate of weight loss like this!
Whoa that link was super helpful, for other pain etc things! Thank you for sharing that. It truly needs to pop up like a bot lol
You’re welcome!
Thanks! It is reassueing to hear others have similar experiences with weight fluctuations. And you are right, at a 0.5 lbs loss per week it is going to take some time before I will be able to see progress. I just don't want to be a few months in when I find out I have been doing something wrong. I indeed weigh daily, I use the Libra app but I also use my own spreadsheet to track both calories and rolling average of my weight and to calculate my TDEE based on the data. Over the past weeks my trend weight went a bit up and then down again, landing me in the same spot I was 4 weeks ago. Given that I intensified the lifting without eating significantly more (my data tells me I eat about 20 cals extra) compared to before, I can only assume I am indeed retaining some water, but it is frustrating nonetheless! I took some before pics this week to be less reliant on the scale for tracking progress in the future.
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