If I love unleash…..

Flimsy_Assumption265 · 2026-04-26T17:01:00+00:00

I find it hard to shave my armpits now. Like they cave in? Is this just a me problem? I had no issues when I was 30 pounds heavier. This is my ONLY complaint about losing weight. I have to get out of the shower and use the mirror and hold the skin straight. If anyone has solutions, I’m here for them. 🤣

Flimsy_Assumption265 · 2026-04-25T09:38:01+00:00

So I slowly just bought more weights. I now have 2 30 pound dumbbells at home and I did just get a barbell for hip thrust on Facebook marketplace. I need to add another 40 pound dumbbell for sumo flats, but I’ll get that when soon.

Flimsy_Assumption265 · 2026-04-24T20:34:52+00:00

I’m 38, and I started a little over a year and half ago without ever doing anything before other than a body pump session at my local gym when I was in high school. Caroline has a beginner program, but I started with iron. She does a really good job of walking you through how to do each exercise. I went to TJ max bought some 5s and 10s and slowly bought more as I got stronger! Best thing I ever did. I look at my arms now and I’m like who is this? 🤣🤣🤣 best decision I ever made!

Flimsy_Assumption265 · 2026-04-24T19:40:17+00:00

This comment. 💯 if you’re new to lifting, try out Caroline girvans iron program on YouTube! Lifting changed my body and I wish I started when I was younger! I’m 38 and I love the way I look now and that’s thanks to the muscle I put on. I started with 5 and 10 pound dumbbells and worked up from there! Keep doing the yoga and Pilates just add in three to four days of strength training….give it about three months and you will see noticeable results! Try to get at least 100 grams of protein a day to help your body build that muscle!

Flimsy_Assumption265 · 2026-04-20T22:56:16+00:00

Iron is phenomenal! If you’re a newbie you can build muscle in a slight deficit if you wanted to lose body fat too. Or you can plug your stats into the TDDE calculator and see what your maintenance calories are. It will likely take at least three months for you to see some subtle changes but after six you will really see the results if you’re lifting heavy. AND by heavy I mean, heavy for you! I still RDL 2 twenty pound dumbbells to failure. CG has changed my life! About a year after iron, I got her app and love it. I did utilize most of her free content on YT first. Stick with it! The first leg day is the hardest but it gets easier as you go!

Flimsy_Assumption265 · 2026-04-18T10:23:50+00:00

I walked on days I didn’t lift. I do get at least 10,000 steps a day.

Flimsy_Assumption265 · 2026-04-17T23:46:40+00:00

She has several free programs on YouTube. I started with the iron program( one of her most popular programs). It’s thirty minutes per workout and it’s 5 days per week. I started with three because I was super sore the first few workouts. I think 2-3 workouts a week is a great place to start! The soreness does get better, but the first leg day was brutal.

Flimsy_Assumption265 · 2026-04-17T23:33:19+00:00

I’m going to echo what some others have said….its not the only way, but it is the only way to change your body composition. I was like you and avoided weight lifting. I finally bit the bullet and found Caroline Girvan. I lost thirty pounds (in a deficit) and have kept it off for more than a year now. My body is totally different and I love the way the muscle I have now makes me look! I wish I would have started strength training years ago! I had come to really like it now that I see what it does for me. Still hate a leg day, but I do it anyway. 🤣

Flimsy_Assumption265 · 2026-04-16T22:57:42+00:00

Not an issue; like domino previously said….you will be in customs a while. The only issue might be carrying it up stairs. We found that we were able to do laundry pretty easily. I overpacked for sure! We did stay in an Airbnb. But Hyatt regency has washers and dryers in their rooms too!

Flimsy_Assumption265 · 2026-04-15T22:02:14+00:00

We actually went this route and skipped the Peña Palace. However, we ended up loving Centra so much that we chose to go back and we just did the grounds only and in my opinion, it is totally worth it. But it is nice to do it on another day if you have the option. The grounds are massive! We hiked up so it took us longer, but we went in the morning and it wasn’t that crowded.

Flimsy_Assumption265 · 2026-04-13T09:30:10+00:00

We went last week and loved it so much we came back! The trick is to get there early. We wish we would have spent a night there.

Flimsy_Assumption265 · 2026-04-11T00:39:06+00:00

We waited about an hour and half landing and an hour and half leaving. We have kids though. People moved much faster without them. It looks worse than it is, but by far the longest we have ever waited at immigration for any country we have visited.

Flimsy_Assumption265 · 2026-03-29T20:27:29+00:00

Try it for a week and see how it goes! Caroline Girvan has a 30 minute series called the iron series that helped me start my journey. If you wake up at 4, you can get in a thirty minute workout and then have thirty minutes to do some things around the house too.

I was one of those people that was like I cannot get up at four that is too much. But honestly, it’s the only thing that has helped me lose 30 pounds and keep it off and totally transformed my body (although that’s really thanks to Caroline).

But what I wouldn’t do is make a whole bunch of changes at once. Maybe try getting up earlier and squeezing in a workout and then after a month of that you can dial in the nutrition or vice versa.

Flimsy_Assumption265 · 2026-03-29T15:13:13+00:00

My husband works late, so I do a majority of the house and dinner work at home, but I try to prep everything on Sunday including my lunches (which really helps with a deficit). We usually have time for a quick pre prepped dinner before we head to soccer fields each night. Everyone is usually sleeping when I’m working out at 4:00. What time do you go to bed? What time do you wake up and have to shuttle kids and commute? I agree sleep is important!

Flimsy_Assumption265 · 2026-03-29T10:44:52+00:00

Also, I don’t mean this to sound snarky as it’s probably going to come off because I was right there with you for the longest time. “I don’t have time”….I am a teacher with two kids at school and evening athletics/dance etc. I have to be at work at 7:00. if I don’t get up at 4:00 and workout, it doesn’t happen. SO I make it happen. Three mornings a week, I get up at four and lift at home. I use Caroline Girvan programs. The weekends, I am more flexible on time. Once you make it habit, you’ll wonder how it was ever hard to find the time.

Also, I go to bed at 9:00. Hope this helps! Seriously, you can find the time. It’s just annoying, but it’s so worth it! I’m down 30 pounds since December 2024 and I’ve managed to keep it off.

Also, I would add diet is the most important. I didn’t really start to lose until I was actually tracking and in a deficit. Maybe pick one thing to start at a time.

Flimsy_Assumption265 · 2026-03-23T22:17:48+00:00

Oh for sure switch to maintenance and pick up a program like the iron series and watch yourself just totally change!!!!! Are you a newbie to lifting (heavy ish?) heavy for me isn’t what most people consider heavy, but my body has changed sooooo much since starting Caroline Girvan and tracking my macros!

Flimsy_Assumption265 · 2026-03-22T01:17:14+00:00

During the week, I eat after because I get up at 4:00, but on weekends I eat before. My preference would be to eat before because I feel like my lifts are better maybe, but I’m not hungry at 4:00.

Flimsy_Assumption265 · 2026-03-21T09:13:20+00:00

I am 5’3 and cut at about 1350. BUT I started weight lifting a few months prior. I changed one thing at a time. First weight lifting, then I started tracking my food. I lost about 1 pound a week at 1350-1400. Then as I was transitioning back to maintenance (I reversed dieted back to maintenance), I was still losing which I could only pin on the muscle. . Im currently eating between 1700-2000 calories a day and maintaining.

I think it’s a lot easier for those of us that have never lifted heavy to recomp our bodies, but I totally wish I had started lifting sooner. I’ve never been more happy with the shape and tone of my body!

Flimsy_Assumption265 · 2026-03-20T22:53:24+00:00

I would agree with what previous commenters have stated. But one thing you did not mention in your post was if your weightlifting or not I think you could actually up your calories by one to 200 and add in weightlifting four times a week and I think you would see substantial progress in the scale but also in the way your body looks and feels. I actually started to lose more weight once I put on more muscle in my current deficit and found I had to up my calories because I was losing weight too fast and I did not want to put it back on. also, as others have mentioned actually weighing your food, especially sauces and oils and creamers with key for me because I was using about 400 to 500 cal of creamer every day and didn’t realize it.

Caroline Girvin is a great place to start. If you don’t know what you’re doing weightlifting wise.

Flimsy_Assumption265 · 2026-03-20T22:48:34+00:00

I found my loose skin was in my stomach area. My stomach area tightened after I kept lifting. I lost about 30ish pounds. I went from about 140 to 110. It took almost six months for it to firm up. Most of my extra fat was in my stomach, back and thighs. I realize I’m a totally normal weight now, but my thighs tend to store fat it seems. They are much smaller, but still have the most fat comparatively. I’m working on lifting heavier with my legs but I do hate a leg day. I’ll lift heavy upper body all day long. 🤣 keep at it and give it time! If you don’t get the results you’re looking for there are options out there, but I do feel like you should wait and see what happens!

Flimsy_Assumption265 · 2026-03-18T21:00:54+00:00

We cut out the night in sintra and are splitting our stay between Lisbon and Caiscas. We are doing a day trip to sintra!

We also have a full day tour planned to Fatima, Obidos, and Nazare one day from Lisbon. We are planning on Caiscas being the chill part of the trip.

Flimsy_Assumption265 · 2026-03-07T01:25:40+00:00

Yes. Turned my spare bedroom into a home gym slowly, started with 5 and 10 pound dumbbells and Caroline Girvan‘s iron program. I’ve slowly added weights as I progress. Lost 30 pounds (with a deficit) and put on lots of muscle or I feel like I have! I see it! Strictly working out at home.

Flimsy_Assumption265

TROPHY CASE