Is giving up strength training my best option?

2

Replies

  • TrishSeren
    TrishSeren Posts: 587 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    JanetReyna wrote: »
    AgentFlex wrote: »
    How long have you been lifting/doing strong curves? It literally takes years to build glutes (any muscle really) unless you are genetically blessed. The average I am seeing for women that have small glutes to really grow them is roughly 6 years. So if it is something you really want to do, then you need to be patient. Secondary to patience, what is your nutrition like? Are you eating at a calorie surplus with a high protein diet? You will need that too if you want to grow your glutes. It is a serious commitment to grow muscle and you will have to go through some fat gain as well to make it happen.

    Maybe like 2 months with SC and I don’t count calories, I have a lot of stomach fat so I need to lose weight first. But I don’t want my small glutes to go away then I’ll be left with nothing :( 6 years is a lot omggggg :((

    It takes 4-6 years to get a degree. You're not going to get a degree in 2 months. If you can stick with something in order to get a decent level of education to prepare for the future, why couldn't you do the same to keep fit?

    This is such a great way to think of things!
  • JanetReyna
    JanetReyna Posts: 291 Member
    Hey there! Well honestly both, I have so many fat, my goal is looking somewhat slim thick. When I lose weight, my butt and legs will be even skinnier , resuslting in me not liking my shape. I wouldn’t really want to consider surgery an option but I feel it’s my only option. I have a thread of my full body picture so you have understand me better (:
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    JanetReyna wrote: »
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    JanetReyna wrote: »
    Looking at your pictures you are a very attractive woman. I don't think your glutes need to be bigger but that is only my thought. I can only say that sometimes the image we want is not something we can have. I want 6 pack abs but I will never get them. I base this off I tried like heck to get them in boot camp and if I could not get them there its not happening now. I guess my advice is maybe make the best of what you got because what you got looks pretty great. Or, maybe focus on something else and let it happen on its own. Either way I wish you the best. and good luck Janet. (friend and or message if you want)

    Thank you. I really appreciate you! But still, I really want to better my body. I just thought with strength training it was possible to have big gluteus but I guess I was wrong. I don’t want small glutes anymore :(

    Who told you it wasn't possible? And what do you consider big?

    Well it’s not really much the glutes it’s also my hips because I think they’re so narrowed and agh I just wish I had a little more volume and shape and because of me genetics it won’t happen. I know I can look sooo much better but that’s why sometimes I wonder if maybe a little lipo in the hips will help a bit so I can have that shape I want. I love lifting weights but sometimes you can only do so much.

    Just to be clear...

    Are you discouraged because you think the results you want aren't possible, or that they will take longer to achieve than you'd like?

  • JanetReyna
    JanetReyna Posts: 291 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    JanetReyna wrote: »
    Looking at your pictures you are a very attractive woman. I don't think your glutes need to be bigger but that is only my thought. I can only say that sometimes the image we want is not something we can have. I want 6 pack abs but I will never get them. I base this off I tried like heck to get them in boot camp and if I could not get them there its not happening now. I guess my advice is maybe make the best of what you got because what you got looks pretty great. Or, maybe focus on something else and let it happen on its own. Either way I wish you the best. and good luck Janet. (friend and or message if you want)

    Thank you. I really appreciate you! But still, I really want to better my body. I just thought with strength training it was possible to have big gluteus but I guess I was wrong. I don’t want small glutes anymore :(

    I think you just have unrealistic expectations...the results that come with weight training don't happen overnight. People spend years working on their physiques.

    The thing is I want rounder hips and bigger glutes and I don’t think those goals can happen with weights.
  • Alia_R
    Alia_R Posts: 410 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    JanetReyna wrote: »
    Looking at your pictures you are a very attractive woman. I don't think your glutes need to be bigger but that is only my thought. I can only say that sometimes the image we want is not something we can have. I want 6 pack abs but I will never get them. I base this off I tried like heck to get them in boot camp and if I could not get them there its not happening now. I guess my advice is maybe make the best of what you got because what you got looks pretty great. Or, maybe focus on something else and let it happen on its own. Either way I wish you the best. and good luck Janet. (friend and or message if you want)

    Thank you. I really appreciate you! But still, I really want to better my body. I just thought with strength training it was possible to have big gluteus but I guess I was wrong. I don’t want small glutes anymore :(

    I think you just have unrealistic expectations...the results that come with weight training don't happen overnight. People spend years working on their physiques.

    Not to sound harsh or anything, but this guy is right. Exactly how long have you been doing this program? How much effort were you putting into it? Don't expect muscles to grow just like that. They take time to develop and a lot of effort and the idea of weightlifting to better your body overall takes a lot of patience. You need to be patient. Setting unrealistic expectations will for sure set you up for big disappointments down the road.

    You got this girl, you can do it! Keep trying, and believe you me, it'll be well worth it in the end. :)
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    You also have no idea how your body is going to respond to any weight loss. For many people, women especially... the hips are one of the LAST places they lose from.

    Taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture...
    Do you think you're in a good place mentally for this? Perhaps your priorities should lie elsewhere...
  • HappyEC
    HappyEC Posts: 53 Member
    Keep going, keep working on that butt and it WILL pay off! I get your fear about losing weight and looking flat in those areas. In the past, when I lost weight through dieting alone, I looked thin but boring imo. I also have a non-round hip shape - little love handles, flat, then round again. But working at this (and shapewear!) has truly helped. Strength training will build your muscle, esp. with the right food! I honestly would have never even posted a reply had I not, just this morning, noticed for the first time that my bum is rounder - and lifted! From doing those squats, deadlifts, etc - building muscle is now my most important goal. I think you might have asked about this because you know in your heart that surgery isn’t a smart choice - and/or it feels to you like giving up, and that’s at odds with your character. You can improve your butt and reap the other rewards of strength training - just keep going.
  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
    I think until you lose the weight you can not tell what your butt and hips will be like. Because you are carrying most of your weight around your middle it is making your hips and butt look smaller. But once the weight has gone you may find you look more in proportion and your butt and hips are not as small as you think they will be.

    Why give up now? What have you got to lose by continuing with the lifting?

    Hope you dont mind I copied your picture over so the other contributors in this thread can have a better idea of the issue you are concerned about.

    Dont give up you will only regret it in the future.

    a0f4nrm9x9aj.png
  • Dorchi22
    Dorchi22 Posts: 57 Member
    Seeing your pictures, girl, you've got nothing to worry as long as you keep working those glutes. Even when I was at my heaviest, my butt remained a small floppy disk.

    You've got a beautiful thing going on there and losing weight will only accentuate it, as you keep practicing.
  • staticsplit
    staticsplit Posts: 538 Member
    edited July 2019
    Even if you got the surgery, if you stopped working out, it likely won't look as good than if you kept weight training.

    2 months is not enough time. Give it at least 6 months regularly training 3x a week and hitting your macros, then decide. You might be surprised how much your body can change.

    In my case, weight lifting helped me improve my body image, even if I don't look super different with clothes on (I recomped) I carry myself differently, I feel better. I've become more interested in what my body can do rather than how it looks. But objectively, from an aesthetics viewpoint, I think I look better.
  • JanetReyna
    JanetReyna Posts: 291 Member
    Girl, even counting calories alone makes me stress too much. I just can’t get the hang of it and I feel it’s too much, I just eat when I’m hungry and try to eat high protein foods since I’m loosing weight but obviously I don’t want to lose the little muscle I have gained. How old are you?
    Even if you got the surgery, if you stopped working out, it likely won't look as good than if you kept weight training.

    2 months is not enough time. Give it at least 6 months regularly training 3x a week and hitting your macros, then decide. You might be surprised how much your body can change.

    In my case, weight lifting helped me improve my body image, even if I don't look super different with clothes on (I recomped) I carry myself differently, I feel better. I've become more interested in what my body can do rather than how it looks. But objectively, from an aesthetics viewpoint, I think I look better.

  • JanetReyna
    JanetReyna Posts: 291 Member
    Dorchi22 wrote: »
    Seeing your pictures, girl, you've got nothing to worry as long as you keep working those glutes. Even when I was at my heaviest, my butt remained a small floppy disk.

    You've got a beautiful thing going on there and losing weight will only accentuate it, as you keep practicing.

    Omg 😭 You’re too sweet! I feel I’m manly shaped and don’t have curves. Quick question lol what do you mean a beautiful thing going on? HAHAHA, I do want to keep going but I really want a huge bubble butt and I feel I will need a BBL, it’s scary to go through that but I wish I had more curves :(
  • JanetReyna
    JanetReyna Posts: 291 Member
    Thank you girl. I just hate my stomach and lower body so much it makes me uncomfortable to almost everything.
    xtrain321 wrote: »
    Regardless of your visual/aesthetic results, strength training has so many benefits for bone density, retaining muscle mass (which maintains metabolism), and proper posture/body mechanics as you age that I'd never recommend giving it up. I agree with others that building muscle takes time and you may get the results you desire if you stay with it. You're beautiful--I don't think you should have surgery, but if you do, keep lifting for the other benefits.

  • JanetReyna
    JanetReyna Posts: 291 Member
    I think until you lose the weight you can not tell what your butt and hips will be like. Because you are carrying most of your weight around your middle it is making your hips and butt look smaller. But once the weight has gone you may find you look more in proportion and your butt and hips are not as small as you think they will be.

    Why give up now? What have you got to lose by continuing with the lifting?

    Hope you dont mind I copied your picture over so the other contributors in this thread can have a better idea of the issue you are concerned about.

    Dont give up you will only regret it in the future.

    a0f4nrm9x9aj.png

    THANK YOU!
    I don’t mind at all, I thank you for putting it there, but can you see I don’t have curves or a defined waist. What do you think I should do with all the upper body fat if it’s too much? I am following Strong Curves but should I waist train?
  • JanetReyna
    JanetReyna Posts: 291 Member
    HappyEC wrote: »
    Keep going, keep working on that butt and it WILL pay off! I get your fear about losing weight and looking flat in those areas. In the past, when I lost weight through dieting alone, I looked thin but boring imo. I also have a non-round hip shape - little love handles, flat, then round again. But working at this (and shapewear!) has truly helped. Strength training will build your muscle, esp. with the right food! I honestly would have never even posted a reply had I not, just this morning, noticed for the first time that my bum is rounder - and lifted! From doing those squats, deadlifts, etc - building muscle is now my most important goal. I think you might have asked about this because you know in your heart that surgery isn’t a smart choice - and/or it feels to you like giving up, and that’s at odds with your character. You can improve your butt and reap the other rewards of strength training - just keep going.


    Thank you girl. What do you think my body shape looks like? Should I start shapewear or waist training? I want to look thick and curvy but right now it’s just impossible with all the weight I carry in my upper body.
  • JanetReyna
    JanetReyna Posts: 291 Member
    TrishSeren wrote: »
    JanetReyna wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    JanetReyna wrote: »
    Looking at your pictures you are a very attractive woman. I don't think your glutes need to be bigger but that is only my thought. I can only say that sometimes the image we want is not something we can have. I want 6 pack abs but I will never get them. I base this off I tried like heck to get them in boot camp and if I could not get them there its not happening now. I guess my advice is maybe make the best of what you got because what you got looks pretty great. Or, maybe focus on something else and let it happen on its own. Either way I wish you the best. and good luck Janet. (friend and or message if you want)

    Thank you. I really appreciate you! But still, I really want to better my body. I just thought with strength training it was possible to have big gluteus but I guess I was wrong. I don’t want small glutes anymore :(

    I think you just have unrealistic expectations...the results that come with weight training don't happen overnight. People spend years working on their physiques.

    The thing is I want rounder hips and bigger glutes and I don’t think those goals can happen with weights.

    Resistance training is pretty much the only way you will get bigger glutes. Bigger glutes = muscle, how do you build muscle? Resistance training, usually lifting heavy things A LOT for a long period of time.

    Hips, here you are a tad more limited, hip shape is larger determined by the size of your pelvis. One way to make your hips seem more rounded is by balancing your shape with upper body training. So stronger shoulders, a tighter waist but again these things are achieved by weight training.

    I can tell by your responses that you want round hips and big glutes in an unrealistically short period of time. I can also tell that you most likely wouldn't take any of our advice.

    If you don't want to weight train and be patient or accept your body for the wonderful machine it is. Then feel free to open your wallet and head to the plastic surgeons because for what you want, in the time you want it, the answer is surgery.

    I can work extra hard at the gym, I just feel hopeless because look at me, I have no hips. I look wider from my upper than my lower and I feel I need more hips to even out. And hips can’t grow, I feel it’s impossible and I know my body is a powerful machine but I want to feel good, with cloth on or without. I don’t know what to do anymore.
  • JanetReyna
    JanetReyna Posts: 291 Member
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    You also have no idea how your body is going to respond to any weight loss. For many people, women especially... the hips are one of the LAST places they lose from.

    Taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture...
    Do you think you're in a good place mentally for this? Perhaps your priorities should lie elsewhere...


    @jjpptt2 - I just feel I am desperate because I want a better body, I feel so uncomfortable with a big stomach and small hips. I hate it.
  • JanetReyna
    JanetReyna Posts: 291 Member
    Danibrss wrote: »
    If your concern is wasting time and money, isn't it counterintuitive to pay for surgery and have all that healing time?

    I know it's hard, love, but please please look at why you want what you want. You may be young, but strength training is about so much more than an Instagram butt. It is healthy and keeps you healthy and burning fat for years to come. That's so important as you age.

    Try to see weight training as an investment in your health and mental wealth -- and a badass figure as an added perk.

    Keep going.

    Thanks girl. I just want to have a better body shape and I feel hopeless in the gym :(
  • Redordeadhead
    Redordeadhead Posts: 1,188 Member
    JanetReyna wrote: »
    I think until you lose the weight you can not tell what your butt and hips will be like. Because you are carrying most of your weight around your middle it is making your hips and butt look smaller. But once the weight has gone you may find you look more in proportion and your butt and hips are not as small as you think they will be.

    Why give up now? What have you got to lose by continuing with the lifting?

    Hope you dont mind I copied your picture over so the other contributors in this thread can have a better idea of the issue you are concerned about.

    Dont give up you will only regret it in the future.

    a0f4nrm9x9aj.png

    THANK YOU!
    I don’t mind at all, I thank you for putting it there, but can you see I don’t have curves or a defined waist. What do you think I should do with all the upper body fat if it’s too much? I am following Strong Curves but should I waist train?

    To lose some upper body fat, you need to maintain a calorie deficit over time. The easiest way to do that is to focus on your diet, and accurately recording how many calories you are eating.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    JanetReyna wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    JanetReyna wrote: »
    Looking at your pictures you are a very attractive woman. I don't think your glutes need to be bigger but that is only my thought. I can only say that sometimes the image we want is not something we can have. I want 6 pack abs but I will never get them. I base this off I tried like heck to get them in boot camp and if I could not get them there its not happening now. I guess my advice is maybe make the best of what you got because what you got looks pretty great. Or, maybe focus on something else and let it happen on its own. Either way I wish you the best. and good luck Janet. (friend and or message if you want)

    Thank you. I really appreciate you! But still, I really want to better my body. I just thought with strength training it was possible to have big gluteus but I guess I was wrong. I don’t want small glutes anymore :(

    I think you just have unrealistic expectations...the results that come with weight training don't happen overnight. People spend years working on their physiques.

    The thing is I want rounder hips and bigger glutes and I don’t think those goals can happen with weights.

    Your hips are more of a bone structure thing. Your glutes are the largest muscle in your body...building muscle requires resistance training which is what you're doing with weights...so yeah...bigger glutes happen with lifting weights. Building muscle takes a long time.
  • JanetReyna
    JanetReyna Posts: 291 Member
    Did you see my full body pic? What do u think I should do?
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    JanetReyna wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    JanetReyna wrote: »
    Looking at your pictures you are a very attractive woman. I don't think your glutes need to be bigger but that is only my thought. I can only say that sometimes the image we want is not something we can have. I want 6 pack abs but I will never get them. I base this off I tried like heck to get them in boot camp and if I could not get them there its not happening now. I guess my advice is maybe make the best of what you got because what you got looks pretty great. Or, maybe focus on something else and let it happen on its own. Either way I wish you the best. and good luck Janet. (friend and or message if you want)

    Thank you. I really appreciate you! But still, I really want to better my body. I just thought with strength training it was possible to have big gluteus but I guess I was wrong. I don’t want small glutes anymore :(

    I think you just have unrealistic expectations...the results that come with weight training don't happen overnight. People spend years working on their physiques.

    The thing is I want rounder hips and bigger glutes and I don’t think those goals can happen with weights.

    Your hips are more of a bone structure thing. Your glutes are the largest muscle in your body...building muscle requires resistance training which is what you're doing with weights...so yeah...bigger glutes happen with lifting weights. Building muscle takes a long time.

  • glovepuppet
    glovepuppet Posts: 1,710 Member
    Looking at the full pic, your butt looks pretty good! High and round. I think it's just that you carry weight on your belly, which makes your butt look smaller to you. You look like you're going to have an hourglass figure once you get down to a healthy BMI.
  • Dorchi22
    Dorchi22 Posts: 57 Member
    JanetReyna wrote: »
    Dorchi22 wrote: »
    Seeing your pictures, girl, you've got nothing to worry as long as you keep working those glutes. Even when I was at my heaviest, my butt remained a small floppy disk.

    You've got a beautiful thing going on there and losing weight will only accentuate it, as you keep practicing.

    Omg 😭 You’re too sweet! I feel I’m manly shaped and don’t have curves. Quick question lol what do you mean a beautiful thing going on? HAHAHA, I do want to keep going but I really want a huge bubble butt and I feel I will need a BBL, it’s scary to go through that but I wish I had more curves :(

    I mean that your butt is amazing already. it looks like genetics work in your favor, so don't stop doing what you're doing. I was about your weight at one point, and mine was still flat although now it's starting to take shape. Yours is nice and perky, so it's highly unlikely you'll lose it as you count your calories.

    You and I have a very different definitions on manly then :D
  • JanetReyna
    JanetReyna Posts: 291 Member
    Looking at the full pic, your butt looks pretty good! High and round. I think it's just that you carry weight on your belly, which makes your butt look smaller to you. You look like you're going to have an hourglass figure once you get down to a healthy BMI.

    Oh My! Thank you so much, I swear you made me feel way more better. I hate how this stomach keeps me from doing so many things. It’s uncomfortable and depressing for real. I want to thank you so much for that comment girl, hopefully I don’t lose my butt when I lose the weight :(
  • JanetReyna
    JanetReyna Posts: 291 Member
    Thank you so muchhhhh🥺 I’m just scared it will go away. You can see all the fat I still need to lose all the weight from the top so it just sucks.
    Dorchi22 wrote: »
    JanetReyna wrote: »
    Dorchi22 wrote: »
    Seeing your pictures, girl, you've got nothing to worry as long as you keep working those glutes. Even when I was at my heaviest, my butt remained a small floppy disk.

    You've got a beautiful thing going on there and losing weight will only accentuate it, as you keep practicing.

    Omg 😭 You’re too sweet! I feel I’m manly shaped and don’t have curves. Quick question lol what do you mean a beautiful thing going on? HAHAHA, I do want to keep going but I really want a huge bubble butt and I feel I will need a BBL, it’s scary to go through that but I wish I had more curves :(

    I mean that your butt is amazing already. it looks like genetics work in your favor, so don't stop doing what you're doing. I was about your weight at one point, and mine was still flat although now it's starting to take shape. Yours is nice and perky, so it's highly unlikely you'll lose it as you count your calories.

    You and I have a very different definitions on manly then :D

  • Dorchi22
    Dorchi22 Posts: 57 Member
    Look, from my experience I'd rather stick to the diet plan and calorie counting, incorporate goal exercises every single day, than be in the status quo and hate the way I look when I take my clothes off. I can't risk not losing weight just because one part of my body will or will not get trimmed, because there's no way of knowing and it's irritating to keep worrying about things like that.

    Also, let's not forget that the only way you're going to "sag" is if you only lose weight, without actually building muscles, which can be easily fixed with exercise. Everything else, in my opinion, is taking the easy way out.

    It's worth at least postponing the potentially butt-exploding implant for a later date, and get to work. But that's just me.
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
    I would definately wait for surgery until you lose the weight and see what you have when you get there. I lost 100 pounds and my body was completely differently shaped than I expected. You know what the one thing I regret about my journey is? I didn't lift weights while I was losing. Because of that my metabolism is pretty slow. My maintenance calories are about 1350 without exercise. I'm now trying to build muscle. There is so much more to be gained from having muscle than just the shape it gives you.

    Keep weight training then when you get to your goal weight you can decide about plastic surgery. I had a tummy tuck after I made goal but it was a much harder surgery than I expected. If you can avoid it that is the better choice. I'd had two 9+ pound babies and my tummy was never gonna go back to where it should be but I would have been making a huge mistake to get surgery before the fat was gone.

    I know that right now it seems like it's taking forever but it's really worth the wait trust me.
  • JanetReyna
    JanetReyna Posts: 291 Member
    You are right, but maybe it won’t go completely away if I keep lifting weights. Girl, I’m 24 and I feel hopeless everyday. I feel I won’t ever be comfortable with my body. And although I need to love myself I want to look and feel good. I really want the illusion of an hourglass so hopefully following the Strong Curves program helps me. What should I do to tighten my stomach and make my waist shrink? You think shaperwear will help?
    Dorchi22 wrote: »
    Look, from my experience I'd rather stick to the diet plan and calorie counting, incorporate goal exercises every single day, than be in the status quo and hate the way I look when I take my clothes off. I can't risk not losing weight just because one part of my body will or will not get trimmed, because there's no way of knowing and it's irritating to keep worrying about things like that.

    Also, let's not forget that the only way you're going to "sag" is if you only lose weight, without actually building muscles, which can be easily fixed with exercise. Everything else, in my opinion, is taking the easy way out.

    It's worth at least postponing the potentially butt-exploding implant for a later date, and get to work. But that's just me.