Rolls Under Butt, Cellulite, and Gut...Feeling hopeless :(

[IHaveAPie]

Not a bodybuilder, but I thought I'd come to the experts. I am 5'6, 117 lbs., but I have always been 'skinny fat': very thin, but a lot of fatty, jiggly areas under my clothes that you wouldn't expect to find on my frame. I've been working out since I joined a gym a year and 4 months ago. My goals were to be healthier, have more energy, increase muscle, and tone my trouble areas. I have the same measurements as I did before I joined the gym, but noticeably more muscle. I couldn't do one full squat without added weight to even 50 degrees before, but now I can do them to 90 degrees with 75 lbs. on the Smith machine. I have the most energy I ever have.

My problem is this: My butt looks better in clothes (higher, more shapely), and it feels firmer by comparison, but the rolls underneath of it look the same, and so does the cellulite on the lower half of my butt. My abdominal area looks the same, and I have almost as much fat on my tricep as I did when I started. My breasts dropped a cup size and my face has more wrinkles, so I must have taken off some fat, but it seems like I mostly gained muscle and no fat came off my trouble areas.

I know some of the things I do wrong. I like to eat 3-4 big meals instead of 5 smaller ones, and I like to have dinner - my largest meal - right before bed. I eat healthy, mostly natural foods on a vegetarian diet, but I suspect that I take in too many calories for my size, although maybe some days too little? It's hard to know with working out what I should be taking in. I struggle with emotional eating, so about 3 times a week, maybe more, I will get carried away and each time can easily take in 1,000 calories before I know it (currently in counseling). I have different on-call jobs, so my sleep and work schedule varies. Some of the jobs are very physical, but all of them are high stress.

I've never stopped workout out altogether, but it varies week to week. I aim for 3-4 cardio session of 30-45 min. and 2 full body strength training sessions a week (sometimes just strength training, sometimes broken up and done before cardio), but it ends up being more like 3 strength sessions every 2 weeks (even with taking protein powder after, I get very sore). I also do one set each of four different exercises for my bottom (I do plies and vary up squats and lunges) and 3 sets on my abs, but lately I notice when I read articles, they recommend you do 3-4 sets of 4-5 different exercises for each body part, so maybe I am doing way too few sets all together?

I feel very discouraged. I guess I always figured that if I started working out regularly in addition to eating well, I would tone up easily. I'm 29 now, so maybe that makes a difference? I want to improve, but I don't want to start anything too rigid or that's so much work that I couldn't sustain it long term. I hate the idea of getting results I can't keep. I never go out to eat, but I'd like to leave room so that when I start dating again, I can.

Any advice or thoughts would be helpful and greatly appreciated. I feel so discouraged, it's hard to find the motivation to work out at all.

[tnaooc]

I'm sorry I don't know how to help you, but just wanted you to know that you are not alone, I have the exact same problem, it's so frustrating i'm going nuts! :-( the jiggly saggy butt that doesn't respond to any workout...I feel with you...

[bru_05]

4 months is not a lot of time and unless you've been doing everything 100% perfect you won't see dramatic results. What has most likely happened was that you lost some fat and replaced it with muscle. You aren't heavy to begin with so your weight probably won't go down much. Keep lifting heavy and 3 to 4 times a week. I'd cut down on the cardio and figure out how many calories you need to eat per day. Check the nutrition section and eat at your maintenance level. Pick a method to measure your body fat % and check that every 2 weeks or so to see if any progress is being made there. I use calipers and it seems to work well.

4 months is not a lot of time and it will take a lot of hard work. You sound a lot like my fiance, she stores all her fat in her legs, and she gets frustrated because her upper body has progressed so much faster. But, we took before and after pictures so when she gets discouraged I bring those up. That would be a good idea too, check them after another 2 or 3 months and compare side by side. It sounds like you have made progress though with strength and energy levels. Just keep building on that.

[wakechica]

At 5'6 and 117lbs you are verging on being underweight for your BMI.

You are most likely skinny fat.

Do you track your calories? How many do you eat per day? Doesn't matter how or when you eat your food, you're body can't prioritize. You need to be eating the right amount of food; including fat.
I notice you're vegetarian, how much protein do you get daily? could you post up your daily intake please.

In order to lose your cellulite and rolls, you need to gain some muscle and eat some more to put on weight. I know thats probably not what you want to hear but believe me, we see it here at least once a week. Lifting heavy may sound scary - however you won't turn into the hulk over night, especially at your weight. Women can only put on 1-2lbs of muscle per month if they're lucky. You need to be doing compound lifts such as squats, deadlifts, bench press, lunges, weighted rows etc. What's your program like? A good full body routine 3 days a week is what you're after.

I would advise that you up your lifting to 3 times per week and have a maximum of 2 cardio sessions, keeping them short and high paced. If you need you can put them after your lifting so you only need to go to the gym 3 times per week to keep you schedule more flexible. You need recovery days.

Are you able to squat without using the smith machine? The smith while it 'feels' safer doesn't use a lot of your stabiliser muscles, including abs and means you can cheat a little and use quads more - which is not what you want when you're looking to put more muscle onto you bum to improve it.

Can you post up some photos?

[IHaveAPie]

I'm sorry I don't know how to help you, but just wanted you to know that you are not alone, I have the exact same problem, it's so frustrating i'm going nuts! :-( the jiggly saggy butt that doesn't respond to any workout...I feel with you...

Thank you! It's always nice knowing I'm not alone. I hope we both get improvement soon!

[IHaveAPie]

At 5'6 and 117lbs you are verging on being underweight for your BMI.

You are most likely skinny fat.

Do you track your calories? How many do you eat per day? Doesn't matter how or when you eat your food, you're body can't prioritize. You need to be eating the right amount of food; including fat.
I notice you're vegetarian, how much protein do you get daily? could you post up your daily intake please.

In order to lose your cellulite and rolls, you need to gain some muscle and eat some more to put on weight. I know thats probably not what you want to hear but believe me, we see it here at least once a week. Lifting heavy may sound scary - however you won't turn into the hulk over night, especially at your weight. Women can only put on 1-2lbs of muscle per month if they're lucky. You need to be doing compound lifts such as squats, deadlifts, bench press, lunges, weighted rows etc. What's your program like? A good full body routine 3 days a week is what you're after.

I would advise that you up your lifting to 3 times per week and have a maximum of 2 cardio sessions, keeping them short and high paced. If you need you can put them after your lifting so you only need to go to the gym 3 times per week to keep you schedule more flexible. You need recovery days.

Are you able to squat without using the smith machine? The smith while it 'feels' safer doesn't use a lot of your stabiliser muscles, including abs and means you can cheat a little and use quads more - which is not what you want when you're looking to put more muscle onto you bum to improve it.

Can you post up some photos?

Thank you so much for your help and for such a thorough, thoughtful post.

I don't keep thorough track of my calories. Every couple of weeks I do measure out all my portions for a day or two so I keep the right picture in mind regarding portion sizes. I usually estimate about 650 calories a meal, 3-4 meals a day, and I take one scoop of protein powder (27 g protein, 140 cals.) after each workout. I'd be willing to count if I knew what to take in, but there's a lot of confusing info online. I keep going back and forth in my head about cutting cals. to lose fat vs. adding cals. to gain muscle, and I can't seem to get a good maintenance number w/out knowing my body fat %. I count my protein so I get 50-60 grams a day.

I can squat without using the Smith machine, but I'm extremely pear shaped with a very tiny upper body (32-25-38), so I can't hold enough weight with my arms to get a good burn on my butt in a decent amt. of time. I can hold a 25 lb. dumbell in each hand, but it hurts after 30 secs.

I try to change up moves, but in general my routine is:
*1 set squats on Smith machine (half regular, half wide)
*1 set squats on 45 degree incline leg press machine (half reg., half wide)
*1 set lunges
*1 set plies
*1 set deadlifts (recently added)
*2-3 sets seated abductor machine
*2-3 sets seated adductor machine
*2-3 sets calf raises on leg press
*3 sets of abdominal work, 1 'set' always a plank
*2 sets each front, side, and back shoulder raises
*3 sets bicep curls
*3 sets triceps (overhead extensions, pulldowns on the cables, dips)
*2 sets push-ups, 1 reg. and 1 wide arms
*1 set chest press or fly machine
*1 set dumbell rows
*1 set lat pulldown
*1 set pullup assist machine

I try to do this 2x/wk., but it's usually more like 1.5x/wk. I stay sore for 3-4 days and always read never to strength train already sore muscles.

Cardio is a stress reliever for me and helps a great deal with my anxiety and depression, so I worry about my quality of life if I give it up. Could I still build muscle while including it?

I could post pics if I had to, but it'd be awfully embarrassing. :/ Judging by your pics, I figure you must know what you're doing! Your body is awesome! Thanks again for your help!

Katrina

[Kricket09]

Im thinking less cardio, more weights, and start counting cals/protein. You dont have to give up the cardio but maybe limit it to once or twice a week...plus you can get a good sweat on lifting weights ya know! Also umm...your routine. Did you make it? maybe pick a program designed by a professional and since you are so sore afterwards you could try an upper/lower or push/pull split. Or at least switch to a full body 3 days a week and cut down on some of your excercises. We have similar stats, I was 120lbs last summer and gained almost 10lbs over the winter while lifting and its done alot for my butt! Still not where I want to be, but much progress. get a plan, push yourself, be consistent and be honest with yourself Dont get so discouraged, theres always hope!

[freebirdmac]

Skinny fat ----> bulk. You need lean muscle mass and bulking is the way to go. I suggest you read through the bulking thread for info and inspiration. Lots of us started out like you. So there's hope! http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=128051673

Oh, and there are no rules for how many meals or not eating after a certain time.

[IHaveAPie]

Im thinking less cardio, more weights, and start counting cals/protein. You dont have to give up the cardio but maybe limit it to once or twice a week...plus you can get a good sweat on lifting weights ya know! Also umm...your routine. Did you make it? maybe pick a program designed by a professional and since you are so sore afterwards you could try an upper/lower or push/pull split. Or at least switch to a full body 3 days a week and cut down on some of your excercises. We have similar stats, I was 120lbs last summer and gained almost 10lbs over the winter while lifting and its done alot for my butt! Still not where I want to be, but much progress. get a plan, push yourself, be consistent and be honest with yourself Dont get so discouraged, theres always hope!

LOL! Yes, I did make my routine. I didn't think it was too bad since I included compound exercises like squats and pushups. My problem with the premade plans I've tried are that they don't seem built for me...like not much for inner or outer thighs, I can't tell which moves are supposed to be working the sides of my shoulders, or there's a ton of back exercises (mine gets sore easily after a bad car wreck years ago). I don't suppose there's a book or website where I could have some wiggle room to customize a plan within a professional's limits?

What do you recommend calorie and protein wise? You started at about my weight and we're the same height and age. I'm assuming you upped your calories in order to gain the 10 lbs.? Did any get added as fat?

Thank you so much for your help and encouragement. Your body is awesome!

[IHaveAPie]

Skinny fat ----> bulk. You need lean muscle mass and bulking is the way to go. I suggest you read through the bulking thread for info and inspiration. Lots of us started out like you. So there's hope!

Oh, and there are no rules for how many meals or not eating after a certain time.

Reading it now! Thank you!

Edited to add: Read quite a bit of it, and wow! What great info. A lot of them started like me, and they all look better! Thank you.

Katrina

[Kricket09]

I gained about 1.5lbs a month on 2200-2300cal. and yes i definately gained some fat, but not so much it was uncomfortable. Currently cutting at 1600cal. You definately need to check out the thread on calculating your calories in the nutrition section and go from there. The reason i mentioned the program is that you have about 15different excercises there and you are only doing one set of some of them? Im not an expert (and there are plenty on this forum to correct me if im wrong!!) but im thinking youd be better off sticking to about 5-6 excercises, 3 or 4 sets each per workout adn really getting comfortable with those and making them the basis of your training. If you want to do full body start with the compounds..ie.squat,deadlift,benchpress,overhead press etc.
There is so much info and experience in these forums so read lots and pay attention! youll get there

[katia77]

Hey There,
I have been fighting the "banana roll" for quite some time.
I have never tried weight training until now.
I already feel firmness that was previously unacheivable.

I am waaaaay far from perfect...too embarrassed to post pictures.
I know what it is like to be "skinny fat"

I am 5'6 and 108.
Sounds better than it looks lol.

Just thought I'd let you know that I feel you.
I fell in love with cardio as an antidepressant..I used to be completly sedentary as a teenager and I abused my body quite heavily with a terrible eating disorder.
As a thirty year old woman I look better than I did at 18..sad.
My muscle tone was trash but its improved over the years. I am excited to see the weight training paying off!

[sbiston]

Hello,
Do some Exercises like swimming, walking, stair stepping and even dancing will facilitate burn calories and these exercises can help remove cellulite from the legs. You’ll do any exercise that increase muscle and burn calories.

Try cellulite massages. The treatment is fairly easy and is way sort of a normal massage. You need to apply a moderate to heavy pressure to the cellulite area, using the palms, fingers and or knuckles to firmly massage the area. The massage can increase blood circulation permitting the body to scrub out the toxins victimization the bodies natural waste system.

[erinlee01]

Hello,
Do some Exercises like swimming, walking, stair stepping and even dancing will facilitate burn calories and these exercises can help remove cellulite from the legs. You’ll do any exercise that increase muscle and burn calories.

Try cellulite massages. The treatment is fairly easy and is way sort of a normal massage. You need to apply a moderate to heavy pressure to the cellulite area, using the palms, fingers and or knuckles to firmly massage the area. The massage can increase blood circulation permitting the body to scrub out the toxins victimization the bodies natural waste system.

Would you knock it off with this crap? I think all 19 of your posts are the same thing.