JessFit

ktmcg, I'm a female, not much bigger than you, but always had the same problems with being thin but squishy. I've discovered that strength training makes me ravenous, and the best, simplest, and most effective eating plan for me is to not count, just eat. I try to stick to veggies and proteins, avoid starches, refined sugars, and empty carbs, and allow myself some good complex carbs. This isn't nearly as technical as the other answers, I'm just saying as someone who is similar in build and goals, this has completly worked for me. Plus it means not stressing a ton about food and numbers and percentages and the like. The only numbers I need to worry about are how many bags of carrots or apples I need to buy for the week and how much weight I'm putting on the bar. Good luck with strength training and hitting your goals!

That sounds really cool! I've never even heard of that!

That's amazing! I'm still trying to figure out my NF character (reccomendations are helpful) so I can't say I would be ready for that, but it is a phneominal picture and you're terribly talented!

That's great! I'm guessing the tight in the legs is from muscle. Rock it!

"Skinny" is the word the masses equate to good. But you're getting healthy and doing good things for yourself and that is super exciting! Keep it up, and just translate their "skinny" to something else and focus on healthy

That is fantastic! Enjoy the burn, it's amazing when you think about what it means!

Hi there, your goals sound GREAT! (Especially the beach) but mostly I just noticed the name of your thread and got wayyyy to excited! I LOVE that book, it is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the best books I've ever read, and I've read a lot of books. Keep rocking on and hitting goals and reading awsome stuff!

That is thrilling, great job!

I'm so glad that barbell training didn't go to the land of try it once! Women respond well to it, not at ll dudes only. I'm so glad you did it again and enjoyed it so much!

That is super exciting! I can hardly run a couple blocks, I'm much more of a sprinter, but I'm working on that too and I admire that you managed it just like that!

Change what and how you eat. Keep going at the gym but a very small percentage of the population can just workout to get the results they want, a lot of it comes from the kitchen!

I'm going to say that you should buy one of the fun pallates with different colors of the different products and just play with it! Watch some youtube videos, pinterest some tuts, and approach that one super nice female that you always see looking flawless but don't know really well. She will probably be willing to help, have her show you and then do it yourself with her there to correct. Take notes, print out face shapes and draw where each thing goes with notes. Study it and play with it, a lot like we do with lifting. Also do as reccomended above and ask for a makeover at a makeup store or department store counter but FIRST make sure you like the look of the person you're asking or you may get more than you barganed for.

Wow, that's crazy! Obviously getting the blood flowing helps relax those muscles but something unprecidented and overwhelming and sudden like that makes me think maybe you should call your doctor... There are a lot of things going on under the surface and I've known a lot of people with sudden pain because of cysts and the like. It's probably nothing that major but if it were me I would want to know for sure!

If you're ridiculously thin and/or eat terribly then your waist may get bigger because you're adding muscle but I don't think it hurts your hourglass figure at all. I squat and deadlift more than my bodyweight and the only think I've noticed getting bigger is my butt. I am up a pants size because of muscle but I'm 99.9% sure it doesn't look manly nor have I lost my figure. Or so I'm told by my good guy friend who sees me every day and who has no reason to lie. Keep in mind that there is a lot of uninformed bull about lifting, specifically women and lifting, out there and it should all be taken with a grain of salt.

Woah, you look great! Rock it! I've never been terribly big but I'm still to self concious to post fitness-selfies so Mucho admiration!

That is adorable! Take lots of pictures so you guys can look back on it!

I don't think it's really paleo in most variations but it's so worth it! I use it as a mayo substitute, put it in smoothies, eat it straight, ect. It is such a great protein heavy alternative to many of the things that are no-nos with clean eating or paleo that I just adore it!

The 10th I have family stuff in the late afternoon/evening. I could probably do something earlier or on the 11 though.

I'm not sure if either is suited to a cookout, maybe swallow cliff because there's a lot of open lannd near the parking lot, there may even be some picnic tables and grills, I'm not sure, I really just go to play and then head home for food. The weekend of August 23 is a no-go for me as I will be out of town. I'll suggest the last weekend in August, either day, since it's far enough out for us all to plan. Everyone else?

Spezzy, it would be super cool to have both of you there. Since you seem to be coming from the farthest why don't you suggest a date and leave us locals to come up with the place(s)?

Ok, so this might be a little bit extra nerdy, it's not really fitness-y at all, but is anyone going to Bristol Ren? I haven't picked a date yet, although I'm working on my costume. If you're going then let me know when, maybe I can meet up with some of you there!

I agree, I think these kinds of things are far more motivational than the "fitspo" and motivational posters we are see all over the internet. I lvoe seeing these people and hearing these stories, if they can do it then my excuses seem pretty lame.

True! Can anyone think of great places to try that out? In the south suburbs there is Swallow Cliff, also know as "the stairs" that is fun to hike. It's an old toboggan hill that the chutes have been removed from but the 125 uneven stone stairs remain. Also in the west suburbs is Waterfall glenn, almost 10 miles of trail around argonne labs. Other suggestions somewhere farther north (because it seems like most people are from the north)? Or we coudl head to the dunes.

This is kind of random, but there are a couple people that I've seen in the gym lately that I think deserve some recognition and good energy sent their way. I don't know names but I admire them none the less. 1. A boy who was probably about eight years old there lifting with his mom. He was working up a sweat and seemed to do things the right way more than most of the grown men around him. Rock on little dude. I high-fived him on my way out. Also to his mom for being the kind of strong role model every kid needs and getting him involved in good habits early. 2. A guy I've seen a couple times and noticed that he was very strong and had good form on all his lifts, then yesterday I was him get up off a bench and his pants leg rode up and he has a prostetic leg. I had no clue because he isn't letting it limit him at all! And of course to anyone similar who doesn't let the icky things in life hold them back or who works to set good examples for the people depending on them.

The lifts sound great, good for you!