To be upset that I look wobbly at a normal weight

[Summerflab]

Just that really. It just seems ridiculous that I can be a reasonably normal size (dress size 10) and still have so many rolls and visible areas of fat and a lumpy shape.

Does anyone else have the same? I just feel sad when I see other larger women without all the extra flab and looking fabulous and then I’m quite small and all flabby :-(.

If it is important I’m 5ft5 and between 9-9 1/2 stone

I think flab is a combination of diet and lack of relevant exercise.

High sugar/refined carbs turns to fat very easily.

If you don’t have a gym nearby do you have a public baths?

CherryPavlova- I’ll never have a concave abdomen- I just want one that doesn’t have to be tucked into jeans and doesn’t ripple and roll multiple times!!!

I've actually found that even having muscle underneath the fat helps with how you look. I have giant (but very toned - almost no fat!) calves, and my thighs and arms etc have fat on them but with muscle underneath. The whole set up is just a lot less jelly like with muscle under the fat than it was before I was doing much exercise. However, I don't do any weights or anything like that: I walk 3 miles a day, plus then it usually works out as another 2 ish in just bits and pieces, try to cycle most of my errands in the week (but this will probably be less than 10 miles a week) and swim twice a week, about 2.5km a week, with yoga one a week on a Wednesday. So it adds up to quite a lot of exercise, but it's only actually 3 lots of intentional exercise (2x swimming plus yoga) they're just a bit more core and upper body focused than running is. The rest is just incidental exercise from my day to day life.

Lots of really helpful advice thank you! Museumum I’m going to try that daily yoga with Adrienne- fingers crossed it helps!

That's great @summer You know what you want. Personally that's what I'm shooting for too, low bodyfat, sexy muscle. You definitely need to do both - lose fat and build muscle. Building muscle will actually help with losing fat too.

I really recommend strength training, I've been doing it for a year and I love it!! If you get into it you get to see yourself progress and get stronger. Which feels pretty badass. If you've no access to a gym you can start without much equipment using your own bodyweight.

There's a lady who I found when I was starting and I find her very inspirational, her name is Kelsey Wells. She started lifting after she had her son, trying to lose baby weight. When she started she wasn't in a gym either, just bodyweight exercises while her son napped. I was drawn to the fact that she's very feminine, lots of women worry about lifting weights and getting 'bulky.' But now I've been doing it a while I see very, very few bulky ladies but loads of lean, fit, toned af badass chicas!

I agree with others who say weights. Running is good for cardio and leg fitness but does not keep me toned.

Lifting is good, because the more muscle you haven the more fat you will burn.

Jillian Michaels 30day shred is great and is only 25mins.

5 foot 5 and 9 stone sounds pretty slim to me.
Try weights and see before you actively try to lose weight through dieting?
I am a jelly but have started at a gym and felt different almost straight away. Also in the middle of my bmi range.

Is the 30 day shred stomach specific? Whilst I’d like to tone everywhere, it’s my stomach that is the most flabby!!!

Try belly dancing - I’m not joking! I used to do it and I was more toned than I ever was before or since. Great for the stomach, legs and arms.

I agree with Catonaswing. I'm that height. At that weight I would have rolls of fat. I'm best at 8 stone. 'Normal weight' range is a very wide range.

I am the opposite. I am size 6 at my very top BMI and get constant comments about being too skinny whike still 2 stone off my minimum healthy weight. Buy at shoes how people are different and BMI is nonsense.

*But just shows. Nothing to do with buying shoes lol.

Starzig, do you mind if I ask what height/weight you are? I'm really surprised to hear that!

If I put on half a stone (taking my BMI to around 19/20) I start to find a size 6 a bit snug.

Thecatneuterer I think you are spot on. I’m normally about 8 1/2 stone and have nowhere near as much visible ‘fat’ at that size...though I’m still not toned!

Skinny fat is a real thing.

30 day shred, or, even better ripped in 30 (which is harder ) will tone you all over, they’re bloody brill. I’ve converted loads of people.

yy @Pharlapwasthebest

...although I found ripped in 30 easier tbh, as you spend less time on each exercise, although there are more of them!

6 week 6 pack is also very good, and mercifully short. I saw actual results in about 2 weeks but again, like all exercise, found it made me so hungry that I struggled to keep the fat off...

You have to combine it with eating sensibly to get the best results, when I did 5:2 combined with JM I was ripped, 6 pack and all, after 2 kids. I’m aiming to do that again, but can’t quite get back into the 5:2, going to try again this week.

I'm similar, I do have a little baby weight too loose still, but with muscle separation that just won't get better no matter how much physio I do means no matter what I have a pot belly. It looks ridiculous, I actually am developing defined abs but they're so far apart because of the separation they look ridiculous.

Cardio, like running and walking, won't tone your body.

I did a women's weights class at my gym , never thought I'd get into weights alone - and it was fab. I've never been toned in my life until I did that. I found the class really satisfying as the weights you can use increase pretty fast as you gain strength and so it's very satisfying as it's another clear way to see that it's working and you're making progress (I need to see progress or I lose motivation really fast.)

Moved abroad to a new country and I'm not fluent enough in the native tongue for any new gym classes here so I've stopped and am now untoned again though... Never mind!

If you enjoy running then do that. Of course you will tone up!

I run, swim and cycle and am very toned. I enjoy all those sports - no use doing something you don't enjoy.

star Are you sure that's right?

Say you are 5 foot, to be at the top end of your BMI you'd be about 9 stone. And that's a skinny size 6?