Gained 10 pounds in 4 days after competitions! Help!

I competed in 4 competitions over the past 8 weeks, and have been in a calorie deficit since December.

My last competition was on Saturday. I had my post-show meal on Saturday night (nothing crazy ... a salmon burger and a salad with a glass of wine). Since then, I have slowly upped my calorie intake in a reverse diet. I am at 1500-1600 calories right now and have been doing 40 minutes of cardio every day.

And yet I am currently 10 pounds heavier than I was on Saturday, just four days ago! I'm quite concerned. I *know* it can't all be fat ... and I'm telling myself it is mostly water weight, but still, I already don't like the way I look with the 10 extra pounds in such a short time.

Is there something I can do to correct this? Or to get rid of that extra water weight so I don't freak out on the scale?

by wendymyersfit via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

Lifting after Weight Loss Surgery

Has anyone had weight loss surgery?

I’m about a year out from Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. I’m down about 140 lbs. I’ve been lifting for about 9 months now twice a week with a personal trainer. I’ve have made some decent progress. It’s a bit hard to see with my excess skin, but it’s there

Was just curious if anyone else has done this after WLS and has any tips on moving on to the next step, nutrition during maintenance while lifting, with a smaller stomach lol

by Veggiemamavsg via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

When to do HIIT?

I have a workout split that is:
Legs/glutes
Arms and abs and HIIT
Rest day (light cardio like a walk)
Leg/glutes
Back and abs LISS
Rest day (light cardio like a walk)
And then I repeat it again. So I don't really work a specific thing on a specific day but I just rotate this. I have and issue that I don't really know if my placement of HIIT is okay. I read that it is not okay to do HIIT after leg day and not ok to do it before.. So I am not sure if it is okay to have it where I have it or if I should move it to one of the rest days.

by Sara444 via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

Lose Fat/ Gain Muscle??? Deficit?? Newb

I am a female and weigh 135lbs, I’m 5’2, and I’m looking to get toned!! I have belly fat , specifically lower belly fat which is about 5 inches bigger than my upper abdomen. My main goal is to get rid of all that belly fat while maintaining/gaining muscle (since I’m a newb). I do weight lifting 3x a week, HIIT once or twice, and one to two sessions of steady state cardio a week(rest days). My diet currently is high in protein, and moderate w the carbs and fats. I’m on a 500 calories deficit (and less carbs) on the days I do my steady state cardio and a 300 deficit on weight lifting days. But I maintain my protein intake high (1 gram per body weight) regardless of which day it is. Will this approach give me the body I’m striving for?

by anazambelli via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

My wife says everything I know about diet is wrong for her

She has PCOS and had a depo (sp) shot, so she says that CICO controlling for enough protien and fiber and consistency will not make her lose weight.

Please help me help her.

by Esrex via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

Should I go to the gym today?

I've been having this hip pain from my last leg day which was about two days ago. After that day, I did upper body and then I only rested yesterday.

Today is supposed to be my next leg day and I'm debating whether I should still go. I still have a little bit of pain on my hip but it's not as bad as before. I won't be able to work as hard but I guess I could do some light workouts.

Should I still go? Or keep resting until it's fully healed?

by lettxce via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

Coming back after a 4 month stop

Hey Guys,

I’ve injured my back a while ago and because of that I couldn’t work out for 4 months. I literally lost all my gains. My ass is non existent I feel like I’m gonna cry everyday lmaoo. Before my injury I was FINALLY happy with my body the way it was. I had thick legs, big booty and a small waist, around 20% bf. How do I get back to that? i lost weight, a little. I now have no ass, a nearly flat stomach and my ****ing quad swoop is GONE 😭😭😭😭😭Do I start bulking now to get my shape back and build more muscle? Or do I first maintain or cut?

by wh1ms1cal via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

Skinny fat female- bulk, cut or recomp?

I am 30 years old, 5'4 and weigh 51 kg. According to my body fat monitor, I have 22% body fat. Using fasting, CICO and cardio. I was able to get rid of some belly fat in last 6 weeks. I was doing a 700 calorie deficit if I include calories from cardio.

All my life, I can never get rid of my belly. Even when I weight 48 kg , 19% body fat and was lifting few years back my pooch didnt go away. I am seeing a good progress in pooch using this extreme cut and cardio. Since I haven't lifted in almost 2 years I don't have lot of muscles to loose right now.

Should I continue doing this unless I get rid of the pooch or should I start lifting and eat at surplus to build muscles or stick to cardio or lift and eat at maintenance ?

My ultimate goal is to have lean muscles but once In my life I would like to see my stomach flat. I am seeing a flatter stomach now as compared when I was 19% and weight was 48 kg.

Here is my recent pic
m.imgur.com/a/aFp38nl

Please see the last pic and you will see what I am talking about.

I highly appreciate any advice.

by shrgrov via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

Building Upper Glute

Though being a chubby, I had good amount of buttocks it was around 42 inches currently it measures 37 inches. Most of my fat was around my lower body. On my initial journey of fat loss all I knew was HIIT and cardio with improper nourishment. As I was losing my inches, I noticed drastic change in glute (it shrank and I became inverted triangle).
I think in comparison to hips my shoulder are wide, it measures around 15-16 inches.

Though late I joined gym to rectify my mistakes and taking care of nourishment, but nothing seems to work. I am disappointed with my progress and confused where I am committing mistakes. I have increased my weight up in every rep, try to do hypertrophy and included Smith machine workout, hip thrust, leg extensions to name few. It seems more I lift, I am losing inches from my hip. After each set I take 60 sec break and follow 5 set with 8rep format.
After doing all this being a right side dominant, my left is still lopsided and gives an illusion of asymmetrical glute and my upper glute are almost flat it used to full. I don't know where I am committing mistake.

I am 28 BTW. With 5'4 height and 125 pounds.

Kindly help with rep, set and interval to be taken while working my glutes. What kind of workout will be effective in my case?

Image -
[img] i.ibb.co/DKMdQ9L/PSX-20190518-135928.jpg [/img]

Please Help

by InvertedGirl via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

How do you get your potassium?

I read on a health/fitness site today the importance of getting plenty of potassium during the "cutting" phase of show prep, and that it cannot properly be ingested through pills/supplements.

The article recommended yams, but when I went down the local grocery store, the fruit/vegetable guy said that true "yams" are not actually sold in the USA. Everything that says "Yam" on it is actually a variety of sweet potato. Don't know if this is true or not ... but I looked it up, and a true YAM has nearly three times as much potassium as a sweet potato...

So I have some questions:

1. Do you care about your potassium levels?

2. If so, how do you go about making sure you get enough?

by wendymyersfit via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

I am beginning to reverse diet after show ... when should I reduce protein intake?

I am a female figure competitor. 117 lbs.

Pretty lean, so during the final prep week, I was at 1300 calories, 180 protein, 100 carbs, 20 fat.

I am now going to begin reverse dieting....

I know that I can increase my calorie intake by about 100-150 calories per week. I will do this mostly with carbs and a bit of fat.

But when/how should I start reducing protein? Since I'm 117 lbs, I really only need 117 protein.

And if I reduce protein, can I replace those with carbs? And if so, can I still increase my weekly calorie consumption?

So, for example, let's say I want to increase my calorie intake by 100, putting me at 1400 calories. Let's say I add 20 carbs and 2-3 fat. But if I reduce my protein by 20 grams as well, then can I add those extra 80 calories in with additional carbs and/or fat? If not, then I have really only increase my calorie intake by about 20 calories ....

Anyway, looking for input...

by wendymyersfit via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

How are my macros/calories (for fat loss/sculpting)?

Hello everyone. I started my weight loss/fitness journey in Jan 2016 and lost a good amount of fat and built a good amount of muscle since then. However I still have a bit of extra fat I would like to get rid of (maybe 5-10 lbs, nothing too much). I am almost 24, 5'8, weigh 175 lbs and am a US size 8/10 (might try going down a size or 2).
I am eating around 1700 calories a day. My macros are 26% carbs - 48% fat - 26% protein.
I am not doing any certain exercises however I walk a lot (especially when working) so I walk around 6000 steps a day on average.
I also drink half a gallon of water a day and am trying to improve my sleeping habits/stress reduction (rest is important for weight loss).
I hope I was clear. Let me know what your feedback is. Thanks!

by reigjto03857 via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

Need diet advice for GF

She's very thick/curvy - big butt, very wide hips, very narrow waist, nice boob, thick legs, thick calves. I want to help her get that latina fitness model body we all go crazy for. She's maybe 15 LBs too heavy (nowhere near fat but not quite optimal range we all like). Also her ass is really wide but is slightly flat for how wide it is. Still very nice but just needs a little more work to have that bubble butt


so I have her working out hardcore with me everyday and eating very clean. We just started this week. I have her eating a very low calorie diet because she really wants to lose all the fat. Can she also get some newb muscle gains doing it this way? She wants to gain a small amount of muscle to get that athletic look


or should I just have her shed off all the weight for 2 months (say 15-20 lbs) and then start slowly clean bulking afterwards?

by DTheater28 via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

Getting married in 4months - workout help?!

Hiya,

So, I'm getting married! Super excited, plans are well underway and my brain has of course turned to my body.

I'm an actor and a fitness instructor (level 3 PT qualified, massive fitness nerd) and I have had life long struggles with my body. I have a lot of knowledge regarding body recomp, but have always struggled to apply it to myself.

I took the plunge two months ago and hired an online PT, I expressed my goals:
- An androgynous, muscular physique (I indentify as nonbinary) I've got no interest in the Kim K butt and curves - I aspire to crossfit athletes. Ideally I am working towards a six pack, with defined arms (keeping legs in proportion, though I'm keener to focus on strength over aesthetics here).
- I want to keep my strength high and not lose too much in the way of cardiovascular fitness (because I still need to be able to teach)

I knew this wasnt going to happen overnight, and I was fully commited to both my training an nutrition. I was fully compliant for the first 3 weeks, hit my macros and never skipped a workout. Thennnn I got sick, couldn't eat or really move for about four days. Once I felt better, I had a week of not counting my macros as closely because the urge to binge was uncontrollable - I did not skip any workouts though and would not have been more than a couple of hundred calories max over my maintanace. After this week, I got back on the wagon, was compliant with macros and workouts. The before and after pics are the result.



I started at 116lbs, through the first month went down to 107lbs (during sickness) and have gone back up to 110lb. I'm 165cm. My measurements have stayed pretty much the same, this is where I am atm in inches:
Waist 24.5
Stomach 26.5
Leg 18.5
Bicep 9.2
Weight 110lbs

Honestly? I've worked my metaphorical balls off and have got a sum total of nowhere. I am no longer working with my trainer (partly for financial reasons, partly because I don't think the communication was there). This isn't a thread to bash my trainer, she did what she thought was best, but I'm looking for how best to love forward from here.

Macros I was given (this is in month 2, after having lost 6lbs or so)

Workout day
185 carbs
115 protein
65 fat

1770 cal

Non workout day
155 carbs
125 protein
60 fat

1660 cal

I manage a minimum of 12,000 steps a day, and am working with weights 5 times a week (push, pull, push, pull, extra). I have two HIIT sessions and one 20min LISS session.

I'm thinking of taking my calories up by about 100 every few weeks until I hit about 120lbs, then start a cut. I'm anticipating therefore bulking until mid August, then cutting until my wedding in late September. Do we think this is a good idea?

My workouts will focus on heavy compound lifts with accessorise thrown in. Probably push/pull split with some boxing/classes thrown in.

Thoughts?

by Lexiconic99 via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

Finally Achieved...

I know to some this is very trivial, but being I have a messed up leg from a really bad ATV accident, and things aren't good with my leg...I've been able to do pistol squat now. I made that a goal a few months back, and now I can do 2, each leg. I'm really proud of myself, and had to share my excitement 😊

by sledgurl via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

Is there a way to tell if other Figure Competitors are juicing?

I am a Figure competitor, and am committed to doing it 100% natural. I have competed in 2 OCB shows this year and placed 1st in both of them. Then I competed in an NPC show, and placed 3rd.

Not too bad, but the two girls who beat me were SHREDDED in their legs and glutes. I am trying to figure out how they did this. For all 3 of my shows I was at around 8% body fat. I cut at 1300 calories with proper macro percentages. I lift heavy and do regular cardio. Is there something else I can do?

I have also spent a lot of time looking at pictures of OCB figure winners around the country from the past 5-10 years, and very rarely do I see 1st place winners that were as shredded as the two NPC figure girls that beat me...

Is it possible they are juicing? Is there a way to tell?

I don't mind losing to juicing girls (it's not right, but it's part of the game ... ) but if I can look like them by doing it naturally, then I want to do it.

Any help?

by wendymyersfit via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

Recomp & Caloric Intake

I might just be really overthinking this, but learning as I am going. So I am trying to understand daily caloric intake, body recomp, & the calories burned.
My question is do I, at end the day with my daily calorie intake, disregarding calories burned during lifting, cardio, etc. For example Im in the process of a body recomp (losing fat and building/gaining muscle). I have been keeping track of macros and upping the protein for the muscle. My maintenance caloric intake is 2,150. I've heard that during this process you want to up your calories on training days and lower on resting days. So I have had help doing these calculations. So to keep this gaining muscle and losing fat, on training days (weight lifting) I eat about 2,400 calories, cardio days which are just usually HIIT 2,200 and on resting days 1900. Now if its a lifting day and I am supposed to be eating 2,400 calories for the day, and I eat a 500 calorie breakfast, lift after and burn 300 calories..would I be at 200 calories for right now (500cal-300cal) and still at the end of the day meet those 2,400? or do I just disregard the 300 cal burned during lifting? I know i might be dramatically overthinking this lol, but I just want to be informed the right way.
Thanks!

by ap1011 via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

Female friend wants muscles, what are good workouts+diets

A female friend of mine is interested in taking up bodybuilding. She doesn’t wanna compete she just wants muscles. What are some good workouts+diets for her to get muscles.
Here are the works she’s currently doing, however they do change up day to day.
Saturday
Dumbbell bench press 3 8 12ibs
One arms rows 3 8 12ibs
Lateral raises 3 8 12ibs
Kickbacks curls 3 8 12ibs
Standings curls 3 8 12ibs
Dumbbell bench press led 3 8 12ibs
Inclined flies 3 8 12ibs
One arm rows 3 8 12ibs
Bent over rows 3 8 12ibs
Lateral raises 3 8 12ibs
Front raises 3 8 12ibs
Standing curls 3 8 12ibs
Kickbacks 3 8 12ibs
Sunday’s
Warm up bench presses 3 8 15ibs
Work set bench presses 5 8 15ibs
High or low incline dumbbell presses 3 8 10ibx
Seated dumbbell presses 3 8 15ibs
Lateral raises 3 8 15ibs
Upright rows 3 8 15ibs
Bent over laterals 3 8 15ibs
Dips or push downs 3 8 15ibs

Also she’s going back to work from maternity leave next month so she’ll only be able to go to the gym twice a week. So what are good muscle building workouts she can do at home?

by scott124787 via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

Boyfriend Cheated during prep

Hey guys, first time posting. Im 23 yo and Ive recently been working hard over tha past year or so for my first bodybuilding competition, specifically figure and physique. My ex was powerlifting very unsuccessfully (he gives up at any signs of failure). He was 220 lbs with 1330 totals and refused to compete til he hit 1350 and hurt himself in the process. I on the other hand started around 208 lbs and have put on a lot of muscle mass and it really shows now that Ive cut to 158 as of today. Do you guys think that because I was doing better off that he wanted to find someone else? Literally nothing seemed to be going wrong until my lines started showing. I was yo-yoing in weight for months until January this year. Ive been cutting for over 16 weeks, but I dont get irritable or anything somehow (Im also still around 20% bf). He stopped letting me come to the gym with him and literally went for the girl at the gym that sleeps with everyone for about a month before I broke up with him for other reasons, of which I wouldnt have noticed if we hadnt been spending time together. Does this happen often? Like not exactly but can guys feel emasculated like that and just leave? Idk im just at a lost and cant get any answers. *He is 30 and the new girl is 40*

by Bequain via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

Bodybuilding/powerlifting program for young female.

Asking for a friend. What is the optimal training program for active women in their mid 20s. She would like to gain strength and ofc. muscles along with that. Workout should be based on main compound movements.

She is fairly active in sports(hiking, running...). With skinny posture. But is weak in strength and lacks muscles.

If anyone has their experiences in similar situation, what worked best for you?

by trottl via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

I Need some Advice

Ok, I don't really think that I belong here, but I assure you that I am not a troll of any sort. I could NEVER in my wildest dreams picture myself as anything even remotely considered as a "bodybuilder". I mean, I could share some embarrassing (and at times painful) experiences I have had involving weights or weight lifting equipment...like the time I broke one finger and damaged 2 others with a 45 pound weight in the high school gym :( Or the time that I got challenged to lift something and I couldn't budge the bar...with it EMPTY!!

I am here seeking guidance. I am VERY petite, like 5 feet tall and under 90 pounds. I do not have an eating disorder, I actually like food a lot. However, I can not gain weight. I have been to my doctor about it, and they don't really find a reason why this is. I've even had to keep a food diary for them, but still no success. Being my size, and living in the US, has made my life a bit of a living h**l!! I'm sorry for using that word, but there is no other word for it. I am stuck in kids clothes, stores do not carry my size of lingerie (and I DO understand why...it's upsetting to me to think that I am only a couple of sizes larger in clothes than my almost 7 yr. old niece...so yeah, I understand the WHY). However, I am officially fed up with being this size...with basically having to wear a training bra...with having my husband show me an article of clothing, etc online and him say "I want to see you in this" only for me to have to respond with, "That won't fit me, I'm too small for its smallest size". The effect this has had on my self esteem is atrocious. I literally despise my body. I am tired of hearing people in public tell me, "I'm sorry you lost your breasts to breast cancer" when I wear a shirt pertaining to breast cancer to support my husband's mom who DID loose hers. I'm tired of hearing my husband's friends (and even some family members) comment about how I'm built...or making comments like, "what did you ever see in her". One of his brother's got very drunk and outright told my husband (in front of me) "what the h*** did you see in her, she doesn't have any of the right curves in any of the right places. Man, she's a walking plank of wood." He didn't shut up, he made a very, very snide and rude comment about my chest and then he got hit in the head with a flying high heeled shoe! The things he said, triggered flashbacks to comments I heard from one of my "parents" growing up...comments of "her boobs are the size of two fried eggs", "her butt isn't any bigger than two popcorn kernels", "her arms and legs look like pretzel sticks", "she's never going to find a man who wants her with the way she's built" and this guardian enjoyed saying these things in front of their friends and any potential boyfriend that I introduced them to. So, when similar things began being said by a BIL, all of the hurt, anger, and humiliation came out in the form of a flying high heel.

I am now 40, and my two children are now officially adults. After 20 years of marriage, I'm not seeing where my husband still finds me...how shall I say..."sexy". Due to hurricane Michael that hit us and wrecked our property in October, I am not in a financial position to be able to invest in much to help me in the areas I need help in. I can't afford protein powders, weight gainers, and the like. I can not afford exercise equipment aside from what I can find our make from things around my house. The truth is that my financial situation is at the point where I can pretty much pay the monthly bills and still be able to barely put food on the table every day. So, I am here. I need, desperately need, advice on how I can gain weight, strengthen my upper body, and build at least a bit of a chest :/ Can anyone help me?

by Flhomeschoolmom via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

Will I need to lose more fat/weight to see more tone in my thighs?

I'm around 125ish 5'5" and am thinking I need to lose about 10 more pounds in order for my thighs to become slimmer/more toned. They haven't changed much in size since my high weight while everything else has. I bike about 3times/week and do random squats, lunges, leg press etc. in the gym but my knees aren't too great. Lmk if this isn't the right thread for this.

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by bnb17 via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

Asian flat booty, genetically large calves, 5 foot tall.

Is it actually possible to achieve a balance look?

A friend of mine has been really insecure of her large calves. She will often bring it up and say how she wishes they were slimmer. Plus the fact that her family jokes about it probably adds to her insecurities.

I think they are pretty. The problem is, she's afraid to gain weight thus everything about her looks kinda skinny making her calves doesn't look quite balance to the rest of her body. Her thighs and calves almost looks about the same size and almost completely flat at the booty.

She weighs about 105lbs and 5 foot tall, which I saw seems to be of normal weight for her height but I don't know.. appearance wise she looks skinny. Like probably skinny fat I guess.

I was wondering if it'll be a good idea to encourage her to lift weights and eat more to achieve that balance and still get a feminine figure. Since just trying to diet and slim down doesn't work quite well for her body.

Were there anyone here who almost have an identical build have a transformation, so it could probably motivate her?

by LiveAdvance via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

Tighter glutes

Hey competed yesterday came second 😁 said the reason I didn’t come first was my glutes was as tight as the next competitor. I’m competing the next 2 weeks no magic is going to fix the muscle tone but any tips to push to first place?

by rebecca1908 via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

Not Making Gains + I Don't Know Why

Stats:

Age - 28
Gender -Female
Height - 5'9
Weight - 118
Body Fat - 11%
TDEE - 1,700 calories
Calories Consumed Per Day On Average -2,000
Days spent at the gym - 5
Rest Days - 2 (but on those days I work as a dancer)

Gym time is spent with 15 minutes of cardio and the rest is strength training. I typically chose 8 exercises that target the muscle group I'm working that day and do 3 sets of 12 reps each. The weight is challenging but doesn't push me to failure. Maybe I need to do less with heavier weights?

A girlfriend of mine is working out not as hard as I am, is taller, is naturally thin like me and eats less and is making gains like crazy and I'm somehow in maintenance limbo. Any advice would be great!

As far as supplements go I'm not taking any except for why protein powder.

by wildbutterfly via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

Question about bulking and cutting for skinny fat bodies?

I’m 5’6, 123 lbs. I’m skinny fat and trying to gain muscle

I’ve researched a bit about how to fix skinny fat, and I settled for doing a lean bulk.

My question is how long should I do this bulk and at what weight should I stop?

I’m thinking of gaining 1lb per month.

Also, after I’m done with my bulk, until what weight should I cut down? Or should I mantain for awhile?

by Bella518 via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

what would be considered heavy weight squats?

is it relative to your weight/build?

by thanksihateit via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding

Putting on weight in my stomach??

To start, I've always been tiny. For a while I was 5' 4'' weighing about 98lbs. I ate healthy and was healthy overall but have always had a problem gaining weight unless I worked out. After working out off and on for the past 8 years I finally decided to fully commit a few months ago.

I started at 102 with body fat at 11.5%and now weight 108 with a body fat of 13.5%

I have gained inches in my muscles and feel GREAT! However, I have put on a belly. I have added 4" in my stomach. My stomach has always been flat! Before working out it was flat. Now I have a stomach.. not a tiny little you barely see it but you can see it through my clothes that I have a belly. Lol

I am eating around 2000 calories a day. Macros: 45% carbs, 20% fat and 35% protein
Sometimes I got over on my fat to about 27% but only on days I've had an avocado.

Advice?? Not wanting to get into shape and all of a sudden have a belly. Lol

Side note: I'm 29 not 49. Idk why it says that.

by 10xfitnessgal via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding