5’0/125 pounds

emileiriggs6088 · May 19

hi! I’m needing help and advice or what kind of foods I should be eating? I don’t need to lose to much weight I’m just looking to get and have muscle definition and lose some tummy fat as well! I have always had an athletic build and I want that back just don’t want to look to bulky because I am short! (Carbs? Protein? Sugars?) idk where to even start.

tomcustombuilder · May 19

lifting weights will only make you bulky if you eat too much food and that extra bulk will be fat. If you want to be toned, I hate that word, you need to build muscle and then you need to diet down and burn the fat off to expose the muscle.

food wise, enough protein and non ultra processed foods.

springlering62 · May 19

Do some type of weight bearing exercise. Something you enjoy.

I started lifting weights to improve my yoga practice, but found I enjoyed lifting weights, and enjoy a gym atmosphere. Nobody was more surprised than me. I don’t lift particularly heavy, and no longer do powerlifting style, just a good full body workout with dumbells, machines and the occasional bar, but I’m consistent and get good results.

A good beach body or muscle madness cardio/weights class (offered at many gyms) can give good results- if you’re not hanging out using 2-5 pound weights. You’ve got to increase as able to see progress.

A lot of people discount power style yoga, but it’s called power for a reason. If you add extra pushups to your chatarungas, you can easily get several dozen pushups an hour, in addition to the rest of the power workout. Lots of planking. (I love 5-minute plank Month at my studio!) Paying attention to your yoga form builds muscle, too.

A small caveat, though. I did (slowly) gain weight lifting. It wasn’t fat, it was muscle.

That “gain” can freak folks out, but, simply put, muscle weighs more than fat. it’s a good thing

It was very slow, though. I did not gain size as I gained muscle weight, and my clothing size has remained the same as at the much lower weight. The only “bulk”- which you would never notice just seeing me around- some of my jeans no longer fit through the thighs, and I had to jettison a few blouses that the sleeves were too tight in- especially short puffed elastic sleeves. Ay yi yi, Pinch City.

But you wouldn’t look at me and call me “swole”. If we were in a class together and I was stripped down to a tank and leggings, you’d probably think “fit” versus “bulky”.

Good nutrition and consistency.

BTW, I’m probably old enough to be your grandma and was obese not even seven years ago. If I can do this, any damn fool can do it, with application.

springlering62 · May 19

and PS don’t stress about the tummy. There’s a wonderful thread around here called “Does this (OMG having a senior moment here!) ****make me look fat?”

not womb. The other thing. 🙄 Women have natural curves in their belly. Somebody’ll be along with the word and probably the link.

I have a thick layer of extra skin following a substantial weight loss. That’s why the Gods of Fashion and Chemistry gifted us Lycra. Learn to embrace it. Life is too short to worry about a concave belly that’s very unlikely to happen without great sacrifice.

A little assistance does wonders. My significant other is the only one outside my GP who would ever know, so who cares? A bunch of judgy folks on social media? Pfffffft.