Is it attainable to reach goals and look good for upcoming vacation?
jamieparadis20
Posts: 129 Member
One of the main things that kickstarted my fitness journey was feeling un confident in a bikini last summer. I had a noticeable muffin top and it was the only thing I could think about when my stomach showed. For this upcoming summer, I used the motivation of feeling confident a lot. I kept thinking, "oh, I'll look good by summer if I keep maintaining this lifestyle!". I'm vegan and currently doing a recomp consisting of hard strength training several days a week and one day of cardio (if more details are needed on that, please comment). I've noticed some changes for sure, such as the loss of cellulite on my booty and my arms are notably skinner, but my number one problem area still remains an issue. After the first week of my recomp my lower waist lost a full inch (picture below, taken Christmas Eve) and I was ecstatic, but I'm worried my progress will be really slow. I still can pinch a considerable amount of fat that I really hate.
Right now I have three big trips planned for the spring and summer all revolving around beaches. The first one may not happen but it is in March, a trip to Florida. Do you think that my stomach will lose fat and more muscle will show by then? It's way sooner than I realized:( I was hoping I would have way more progress by now
My second trip is definitely happening and it is an immersion trip to Spain where I will stay with a host family that lives minutes from the beach. This trip is in June. If not by March, do you think I could at least look better in the mid section by then?
I know a huge part of this is just having more self confidence, which I definitely have improved through my whole fitness journey. However, I use this dream of how I COULD look as a huge motivator and I'm worried if progress slows I won't feel motivated and I'll give up
Right now I have three big trips planned for the spring and summer all revolving around beaches. The first one may not happen but it is in March, a trip to Florida. Do you think that my stomach will lose fat and more muscle will show by then? It's way sooner than I realized:( I was hoping I would have way more progress by now
My second trip is definitely happening and it is an immersion trip to Spain where I will stay with a host family that lives minutes from the beach. This trip is in June. If not by March, do you think I could at least look better in the mid section by then?
I know a huge part of this is just having more self confidence, which I definitely have improved through my whole fitness journey. However, I use this dream of how I COULD look as a huge motivator and I'm worried if progress slows I won't feel motivated and I'll give up
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I hope this is the pic of you being proud of yourself! You look skinny. To answer your question you can reach any goal if it is reasonable.1
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donjtomasco wrote: »I hope this is the pic of you being proud of yourself! You look skinny. To answer your question you can reach any goal if it is reasonable.
Haha I took this progress pic on a day when I felt super proud and really noticed a difference:) in some lighting, though, my stomach really sticks out still and I know bending over or sitting down with a bathing suit will still make me uncomfortable. It's my ultimate goal to get rid of that uncomfortableness.
So you think it's reachable? If I continue what I'm doing? How can I know if it's reasonable?0 -
All women have "rolls" when we sit in certain positions, getting rid of uncomfortableness may be more about self acceptance.
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You look pretty thin- that is mostly skin (not fat) you are pinching. But it is possible to reduce your body fat pecentage further if you really want to...
How is your protein intake? Recomposition and muscle growth/fat loss while eating at maintenance goes more quickly if you're consuming adequate protein which is about 0.8 grams per pound of body weight. How many grams of protein do you get a day and how much do you weigh?
To answer your question yes I think it's possible to feel more confident with your body by this summer, you have like 6 months which is plenty. But you should manage your expectations, as getting rid of all rolls is impossible- even fashion models & fitness competititors have skin rolls when they sit in certain positions or bend down.2 -
All women people have "rolls" when we sit in certain positions, getting rid of uncomfortableness may be more about self acceptance.
Fixed it for you. Guys have them too. Unless you're near competitive bodybuilder lean, you'll have visible "rolls" in certain positions - and bending over/sitting down are usually two of the worst positions for it.8 -
You look great. I think positive body image might be the goal you really need to work on.7
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All women people have "rolls" when we sit in certain positions, getting rid of uncomfortableness may be more about self acceptance.
Fixed it for you. Guys have them too. Unless you're near competitive bodybuilder lean, you'll have visible "rolls" in certain positions - and bending over/sitting down are usually two of the worst positions for it.
You're definitely right about this, but the way I see it there are two "types" of rolls. When I was most insecure I would notice how my skinny friends had tiny rolls of just skin overlapping that somehow made them look skinnier in comparison to over people like me who had thick rolls of fat.
I know this all seems petty and like I'm focusing too much on these little details, but I just know that I didn't like how I felt last year and even though I'm at a good place with my body right now I want to avoid that in the future0 -
courtneyfabulous wrote: »You look pretty thin- that is mostly skin (not fat) you are pinching. But it is possible to reduce your body fat pecentage further if you really want to...
How is your protein intake? Recomposition and muscle growth/fat loss while eating at maintenance goes more quickly if you're consuming adequate protein which is about 0.8 grams per pound of body weight. How many grams of protein do you get a day and how much do you weigh?
To answer your question yes I think it's possible to feel more confident with your body by this summer, you have like 6 months which is plenty. But you should manage your expectations, as getting rid of all rolls is impossible- even fashion models & fitness competititors have skin rolls when they sit in certain positions or bend down. I
If it is skin, will it tighten up as I gain muscle? I know that when I don't pinch there's a noticible bulge on both sides of my waist and the front.
I followed the formula you described when I started and now consume about 99 grams each day and I way 124. I was away on vacation for a few days and didn't pay much attention to protein so that may have effected me but I didn't think a few days would cause any large changes1 -
Therealobi1 wrote: »
Thank you so much, that makes me so happy:) is it possibke to look different in the mirror than camera?? Hahaha0 -
jamieparadis20 wrote: »courtneyfabulous wrote: »You look pretty thin- that is mostly skin (not fat) you are pinching. But it is possible to reduce your body fat pecentage further if you really want to...
How is your protein intake? Recomposition and muscle growth/fat loss while eating at maintenance goes more quickly if you're consuming adequate protein which is about 0.8 grams per pound of body weight. How many grams of protein do you get a day and how much do you weigh?
To answer your question yes I think it's possible to feel more confident with your body by this summer, you have like 6 months which is plenty. But you should manage your expectations, as getting rid of all rolls is impossible- even fashion models & fitness competititors have skin rolls when they sit in certain positions or bend down. I
If it is skin, will it tighten up as I gain muscle? I know that when I don't pinch there's a noticible bulge on both sides of my waist and the front.
I followed the formula you described when I started and now consume about 99 grams each day and I way 124. I was away on vacation for a few days and didn't pay much attention to protein so that may have effected me but I didn't think a few days would cause any large changes
Sounds like you're doing the right things- heavy weight training and getting enough protein. Now you just need to be patient and wait for the changes to happen- which takes time.
Yes if you stay around the same weight but lower body fat % and increase muscle your skin will become thinner and muscle will fill out your curves in the right places so you'll get a "tighter" look. You should notice your waist measurement decreasing over time.
Let us know how it's going in another month- if things are going in the right direction or not.
You might want to get some calipers to measure body fat percentage & skin thickness and keep track of your progress with that too.0 -
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kshama2001 wrote: »
I was just going to say this.
Progress with recomp will be very slow... it's just the nature of the beast!2 -
All women people have "rolls" when we sit in certain positions, getting rid of uncomfortableness may be more about self acceptance.
Fixed it for you. Guys have them too. Unless you're near competitive bodybuilder lean, you'll have visible "rolls" in certain positions - and bending over/sitting down are usually two of the worst positions for it.
Ah man...you beat me to it.0 -
Hi guys,
I realized the pic I previously added wasn't the best. This shirt really shows my problem areas haha. So I was wondering, does this look like it's fat or loose skin? I don't know how to tell the difference0 -
You have an adorable tummy and should be proud of yourself. Tip #1 I would say instead of trying to fit into a bikini arbitrarily, you should pick out a bikini that fits you! Don't go too small of a size (bikini sizing runs small so you will need a bigger size than you normally wear). Tip #2 is to chose a style that hits slightly above instead of below lower tummy. You have to realize as women we have organs in lower abdomen. That does not make you fat. You are NOT fat!1
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Thats called your omentum. Its perfectly natural, particularly in women. Its a protective pad of fat. My mum still had hers at 5 stone and dying of cancer.
Please dont stress about it. Its natural and beautiful.2 -
You're pretty thin.
Unless you've lost over 50 pounds I doubt you have any loose skin.
This looks like a very healthy amount of fat- it's not very much at all, and remember women naturally have a little subcutaneous fat and it's healthy to have that because when your body fat percentage drops too low it can lead to hormonal disruption and health problems.
The only problem I see here is that this shirt is too tight! And you might want some jeans that come up a little higher.
If the little amount of fat you have still bothers you, try a mild calorie deficit (300 or so calories below maintenance/TDEE) and weight lifting and hiit workouts.
Try to appreciate your slim figure instead of getting hyper focused on the tiniest flaws. I wish I'd done that when I was younger... I used to obsess over every ounce of fat and every pimple so I always felt fat and ugly- but when I look back at photos of myself I just think how great I looked and how tiny and gorgeous I was... how could I not see it at the time??2 -
I agree with Courtney. Look at you! You look fabulous. Just choose clothes that fit your proportions and body type. I took a wardrobe class when I was about 29 years old and discovered that a lot of what I thought were negatives were actually desirable positives.0
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Oh one more thing- you said you've been doing a recomp with a strength training program- how long have you been doing that for?0
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Recomp takes a while. Might just need to be patient. If you're not in a deficit just trying to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time that takes several months. It's a good approach, but give it some time to work.0
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