Just joining the club! :)

Hey,

Got a new handle for this—I lurk on this sub sometimes, but this is my first actual post..

Basically, I'm 5'4", 123 lbs, 22 years old.

GOAL: Lose 6 lbs, get rid of cellulite, and keep my boobs (🤣 yeah, they're great right now, but yeah, I know it doesn't work like that)

So, this time last year I was 110 lbs, maybe peaked at 115 over the summer, and I've just been packing it on since October. Between July and November last year, I was hitting the gym pretty regularly, doing some Pilates occasionally, and watching what I ate.. then through July, August, and September, I wasn't really working out (just some light stuff) but I still watched my diet. Then from October until about a week ago, I completely stopped caring. Not until I caught a glimpse in the mirror and realized I needed to fix this ASAP. I’ve NEVER had a belly (I don't have one now either, it's just not perfectly flat anymore), but I've gotten soft around the sides—don't know what you call that part just below the waist—and my legs are a mess... cellulite and totally soft.

A week ago, I started hitting the gym again. Started with 20 mins on the treadmill (running + power walking) + 5 mins on the stationary bike + some abs, 5lb dumbbells for arms, and some other anaerobic leg stuff (floor work, stability ball, etc.). Now I'm doing 40 mins on the treadmill (half running, half power walking) + 10 mins on the bike (set to a crazy high resistance because the adjustment knob broke, so those 10 mins are killer), plus the rest remains the same.. Starting tomorrow, I plan to stick to the treadmill and bike, but instead of just messing around, I'm going to start that 45-minute workout routine with Cindy (tried it once briefly, like for two weeks, and I already saw results)

Diet-wise, a week ago I cut out bread, pasta, and potatoes entirely.. I'm eating salads, fruit, chicken, turkey, fish, low-fat cottage cheese, and a little bit of Corn Flakes in the morning (can't find any good oatmeal around here ..). The issue is I'm still eating sweets—and a lot of them—because I'm studying and I need the energy, and I just can't control myself. Since last week, I've polished off half a bag of those chocolate Petit Beurre cookies two days in a row.. today I ate a whole chocolate bar, yesterday too, and one day I demolished two.. I honestly don't know what to do about it.

Oh, and I'm also using that anti-cellulite cream every single day. No clue if it actually does anything, but I seriously need to do something about the texture.

The point of this thread is basically asking for some support, please 🙂, but mostly looking for advice if anyone has any. I'm gonna use this as a bit of a diary to track my progress..

Everything seems fine, I guess—but how on earth are you managing to run and walk while you're out there on a bike? 😕

Haha, my bad—fixed it, I meant to say strip

Alright, let’s try to be constructive here for a second 🙂 If you need carbs—and trust me, if you're actually studying, you definitely need them—don't just cut them out entirely. That's a mistake. Instead, pivot toward things like whole-grain bread, whole-wheat pasta, or brown rice. It's especially important before or after a workout. Now, regarding that constant craving for sugar... honestly, you'll probably find that a protein bar, an apple, or an orange works way better for your focus than chocolate does. They contain those fast-acting monosaccharides that hit the system differently, so use that to help regulate those sweet tooth spikes. One more thing—and this is a bit of a tactical tip—it's better to do your aerobic work *after* your anaerobic stuff. Since you've already depleted your glycogen stores during the lifting, your body will move straight into fat-burning mode. Basically, warm up for 5 to 10 minutes on a stationary bike, a treadmill, or an elliptical, knock out about 30 minutes of circuit training at the gym, and then hop back on the treadmill or bike for at least another 30 minutes at a low intensity. You want to stay in that "fat-burning zone," which is roughly 60-70% of your max heart rate.

Alright, so I’ll just snack on some rice while I study—literally grinding all day next month except for meals and the gym—grab an apple or whatever... hopefully I can hang in there.

Okay, how about this routine—10 mins power walking on the treadmill, 45 mins with Cindy, then another 30-40 mins on the treadmill plus 10 mins on the bike.

And yeah, total dumb question, but realistically, how long do you think it'll take me to get in shape?

Also, what’s the move with cellulite? Does that just fade away naturally as I go through this process or what?

For Cindy, you’re definitely going to need some help from the girls—I'm not even sure if we're talking aerobic or anaerobic training here. Some kind of hybrid approach, I'd guess... Regardless, given what you're actually trying to achieve, that kind of schedule is definitely the better move for you.

I mean, you only need to drop about 12 or 13 pounds, which isn't exactly a mountain to climb. Honestly, if you can actually stick to the discipline, you could probably knock that out in two months tops.

Cindy’s doing floor exercises—you know, stuff like 3 sets of 20 leg raises and some dumbbell work... I’m not totally sure how to classify it, but I’d say it’s anaerobic, even if she isn't using any big machines besides hand weights.

Man, this is killing me. I’ve seriously never looked like this before. Look, two months is fine, I guess, but I really thought I’d see results way sooner than this..

Yeah, I’ve got one more question... after about 10 minutes on the treadmill, my calves start cramping up. This has never happened to me before. It was super intense during the first few days—like, really bad—but it’s mellowing out now. Still, I have no clue why it’s happening..
Btw, I keep the incline set the whole time, not sure if that matters

Hey! Welcome to the group, 😉

Honestly, velvetraven already covered all the bases for you, so now it's just down to you to put it into practice! When I first started hitting the gym, I used to jump straight into 20 minutes of cardio, until I finally learned from the pros here that it's way better to just do a quick 10-minute warm-up and save the heavy cardio for after your weight training.

As for the sweets... I'll just say this: toss it all in the trash 😬! I know, I know, it’s super hard—I struggled with my sweet tooth for ages too—but when you realize a single bar of chocolate can be over 500 calories plus all that fat, you realize that could easily be one or even two really solid, healthy meals instead. It's totally up to you, though...

Personally, I think losing 6kg in 2 months is totally doable! As for cellulite, I'm not an expert, but I'm pretty sure it never fully disappears 100%, though you can definitely make it look way less noticeable.

Anyway, come join us in the food diary! Post what you're eating and when, and we can help you tweak things if they're getting off track 😉

Maybe try to hold back just a little on the chocolate.
To start things off, why not try cutting your portions in half?
Or perhaps you could try mixing in some almonds or maybe some Brazilian nuts instead.
You can always satisfy that sweet tooth through fruit or different kinds of trail mixes.
Try to build a habit of eating regular meals if you have the chance.
And drink plenty of water... you should really try to find an ideal breakfast that actually meets all your nutritional needs.

As for exercise, I’m certainly no expert or anything.
For me, it’s mostly running, using the elliptical, and cycling; honestly, I’m a bit intimidated by the gym and those massive bodybuilders. 😁
The time I spend exercising is roughly about an hour a day.
Just keep moving!

Regarding time... I managed to drop 8 kg over a four-month stretch. Right now, I'm sitting at 60 kg and I feel great. I was stuck at the same weight for quite a long time, so don't get too obsessed with the scale—focus more on quality. 😉
(I mean kilograms 😁, obviously, because balance is everything when it comes to diet!).
I'm 170 cm tall, and I think it's perfectly fine since I feel good!

brightotter21 said:hey... welcome! 😉

I mean, I think velvetraven already covered everything you need to know, so it's really up to you how you want to handle it. When I first started hitting the gym, I used to jump straight into 20 minutes of cardio, but then I came online and heard from people here that it’s better to just do a quick 10-minute warm-up and save the heavy cardio for after the weights.

Personally, I’d say skip it.
There's all this talk about how it helps by "keeping insulin levels lower," but honestly? You might just end up dancing right on the edge of muscle catabolism. And that’s a big deal—especially for you since you mentioned wanting to tone up, but really, it applies to everyone.

It's probably much better to do your cardio on a different day, or maybe just at a completely different time of day if you're doing it on the same day you lift.

Basically, the risk of losing muscle mass (which actually slows down your metabolism, and let's face it, fat isn't exactly helping your metabolic rate anyway) seems way higher than any little benefit you get from trying to work out while insulin is low.

-Steve

The whole idea here is to follow up with some whey mixed with glucose—or just straight glucose, if you prefer—to spike those insulin levels. By doing that while keeping the aerobic activity going, you essentially trick the body into staying in fat-burning mode. I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but if you want the full breakdown, this guy is basically the gold standard in the fitness community and explains the science perfectly
http://forum.teretana.net/viewtopic....ghlight=#53209

That link isn't working, and I'm guessing you were trying to link to Jackson's thread.
I actually saw that a while back—the thread itself, all his usual habits (you should probably check those out too if you haven't), and a bunch of other comments related to it.

So, that’s why I’m recommending this to her, just like I recommended it before.
See, there's a huge difference between giving advice to a pro bodybuilder and giving advice to a girl who's just following her own diet with her own specific goals.

He starts off with way more muscle mass, which is basically metabolically active tissue, so it's much easier for him to get it back than it is for her.

For her, it’s way more important to just hold onto whatever little muscle she finally manages to build. And honestly? That whole argument about "insulin levels not preventing lipolysis because they stay low after a workout" doesn't really impress me as a valid reason to do cardio immediately after lifting weights.

I mean, it's because that same insulin will spike once glucose rises (and if it spikes, lipolysis stops), plus, if you manage your nutrition right, you'll hit those ideal insulin levels throughout the day anyway, so you can pretty much do your cardio whenever you want.
And if the insulin didn't spike, then the glucose didn't even make it into the muscles, so guess what happens then? Something else gets burned instead.

-Steve

So now how am I even supposed to know what to do 😁

Anyway, nobody actually answered my question about the leaf soreness—is that normal? Look, it’s not like I haven't done any exercise in my life—definitely not—but this has never happened to me before, so it’s throwing me off a bit

And thanks to everyone, I read everything and I've got the gist 🙂

We really need to see some photos of the breasts if we're going to be able to help.

Sophia Gonzalez89 said:So, I'm kind of lost... like, how am I even supposed to know what to do now? 😁

Just try to prioritize things,
but honestly, the main goal is just keeping those boobs!

Anyway, nobody really answered my question about the skin peeling on my thighs—is that actually normal? I mean, it's not like I've never done any exercise in my life, far from it, but this has never happened to me before, so it's making me feel a little weirded out.

Personally, I’m not really a big fan of going to doctors (for anything, really) because I feel like they just lecture me for nothing, though I guess I'll go if I absolutely have to. If something is happening to me and it seems to be passing, then I just let it pass... I don't really care about the how or the why.

And thanks so much, everyone! I've read everything and I'll definitely keep it all in mind. 🙂

The best advice is always: if something works for you, stick with it; if it doesn't, ditch it. Basically, if you want to look like you used to, just go back to doing what you were doing back then.

Paul Miller64 said:we really need to see some pictures of the boobs to be able to help.

Got it.
We can put together a proper routine to help her keep them looking their best.

-Steve

What you’ve laid out is more or less accurate—though, if we’re being honest, grasping the full nuances of metabolic processes like lipolysis, ketosis, or catabolism requires a bit more depth than a quick Wikipedia skim provides. Not that it really matters for this thread, since most people here probably don't even realize what we're actually talking about. My point was simply that this specific sequence is more effective than the one the original poster suggested in her first post, especially considering what she's trying to achieve. That said—if anyone actually has the spare time or the sheer stamina to pull off an hour of cardio every single day—the results would be even more pronounced.

Oh, right. Regarding those muscle cramps—if you aren't (properly) stretching after your exercise sessions, that might just be where the issue lies.

velvetraven said:I mean, what you said is more or less right, I guess... but if you actually want to wrap your head around metabolic stuff—you know, like lipolysis, ketosis, catabolism, and all that—you probably need a bit more than just a quick Wikipedia skim. But honestly, it doesn't even matter for this thread, because most people here don't really get what we're even talking about anyway.

That's a pretty hard comment to pin down, I guess. 😁

What I was trying to say is that this specific order of things works better than the way the OP suggested in her first post, especially considering what she's trying to achieve. And hey, if she actually has the time and the energy to grind out seven hours of cardio every single day, then yeah, the results would probably be even better!

I can't even imagine getting results from doing seven hours of cardio a day... I've seriously never heard of anyone actually doing something like that.

-Steve

Just imagine if you could just install an elliptical right next to your bed—you’d have a non-stop 24-hour session on the US130 and probably lose every ounce of body fat in three days flat.

Anyway, there's really no point in us bickering over the minutiae here; I've stated my piece and I'm sticking to it. If I actually tried to break it down further, neither you nor anyone else (well, maybe Lylo and Scarlett) would be able to follow my train of thought. So, over & out.

velvetraven said:Just imagine if you set up an elliptical right next to your bed so you could have a non-stop 24-hour workout on the US130... you'd probably lose all that extra weight in just three days!

Anyway, I don't think there's really any point in us bickering over the tiny details, right? I just said what I thought, and I'm sticking to my guns on that.

That's fine by me.
I gave my recommendation to brightotter21 and explained my reasoning, and honestly, I stand by everything I said.

If I really had to go into the specifics, I guess I could, but then neither you nor anyone else (well, maybe just Lylo and Scarlett) would actually be able to follow me.

Don't even go there.

-Steve