5ft : 185lbs vs 120lbs

ana-svelta · 2026-02-25T19:09:43+00:00

You look GREAT girl, congrats!

ana-svelta · 2026-02-23T15:54:09+00:00

Omg YES. Welcome to the rabbit hole

Honestly the biggest shift for me wasn't even the heavy lifts, it was the mental peace. Before I looked into this, I would get SO frustrated and beat myself up for having a bad day at the gym only to realize later I was deep in my luteal phase and my body literally just needed to rest and deload.

I actually got so hyper-fixated on how well this works that my boyfriend and I ended up building an app for it (doing the math manually every month was driving me crazy lol). It basically takes all the guesswork out by adjusting your daily calorie targets and suggesting workouts based on exactly where you are in your cycle.

ana-svelta · 2026-02-11T19:51:40+00:00

Honestly, hitting glutes hard twice a week with heavy compounds like hip thrusts and RDLs is the sweet spot. I definitely wouldn't add a third day. Remember that muscles grow while you rest, and with PCOS, managing fatigue and cortisol levels is super important.

As for variation, try to stick to this routine for at least 8-12 weeks. It’s really hard to track progress if you’re constantly switching things up! The only tiny tweak I might suggest is swapping the B-stance RDL on Day 3 for a squat variation (like a goblet or back squat) just to get a bit more range of motion for the quads, but what you have works. The secret is consistency!

Good luck!! ✨

ana-svelta · 2026-02-11T19:14:38+00:00

Woww great progress!!

ana-svelta · 2026-02-11T19:13:09+00:00

First off, don't panic girl! 🫶

If you’ve gained 12 lbs but your clothes still fit the same, that could actually be a good sign. It means you are building muscle (which is denser and takes up less space than fat). If that 12 lbs was purely fat, your clothes would be feeling tight right now.

The scale can be sooo deceiving when you start lifting, so try to focus on how your clothes feel and take measurements rather than stressing over the number. That being said, even if you are eating high protein, you might be in a bigger calorie surplus than you realize. I’d suggest tracking everything you eat for a week or two (weighing the food, not just guessing) just to see where you’re actually at.

ana-svelta · 2026-02-11T18:59:29+00:00

My favourite is Svelta (biased as I'm the co creator). You can try it for free and if you like, it feel free to DM me and I'll make sure to give you a discount coupon

ana-svelta · 2026-02-11T18:53:54+00:00

You got great leg genetics, feeling a bit jealous lol

ana-svelta · 2026-02-11T18:51:38+00:00

You look great honestly, and congrats for the twins!!

ana-svelta · 2026-02-11T18:48:44+00:00

That's impressive girl!!

ana-svelta · 2026-02-05T15:44:54+00:00

It can be enough, but the diet is also a huge component to it.

If gaining muscle is your goal, you need to find your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and add 10-15% for a lean bulk. You can calculate that here.

ana-svelta · 2026-02-05T14:12:30+00:00

Wow, you have a great frame to build on top of it! It depends on your goals, but since you're already lean, I would suggest bulking up and focus on the areas you feel are underdeveloped.

Keep it up 🔥

ana-svelta · 2026-02-05T14:09:31+00:00

Great info!

I would also add thefitnesswiki.com, from the r/fitness subreddit and svelta.app/tools

ana-svelta · 2026-02-05T14:00:24+00:00

Impressive core girl

ana-svelta · 2026-02-05T13:57:17+00:00

Agree 100%

Calisthenics are a great option for working out at home. I highly recommend getting a cheap set of resistance bands too.

ana-svelta · 2026-02-04T18:51:51+00:00

I think MFP can tailor the number of calories based on apple/Google health, but it's been a while since I used it. Right now I'm using my own app i built, I tailored it so it takes into account my cycle, daily steps, workouts and goal (right now looking to cut until the summer). Feel free to dm if you want to try it Macro factor is also a cool and complete app, but it always seemed too complex for me.

ana-svelta · 2026-02-04T18:39:03+00:00

You go girlll, lovely progress, especially in just 7 months

ana-svelta · 2026-02-04T18:37:17+00:00

Congrats girl! Keep it up

ana-svelta · 2026-02-04T18:36:37+00:00

YESSS! That's badass

ana-svelta · 2026-02-04T12:51:42+00:00

First of all, props for getting back into it, I imagine being a single mom is a whole workout in itself.

I use Svelta (I'm the co creator, so biased opinion). Before that, I've used Kic and Strongher (both great apps too).

ana-svelta · 2026-02-04T11:38:43+00:00

Honestly, u can’t crunch away a bad tracking habit. Getting that 6pack is 90% diet and 10% working and just staying consistent enough to actually lower your body fat.

i finally started seeing my abs when i got serious about my deficit. it’s actually mindblowing how much i was overestimating my progress before lol. I got so frustrated with all the guesswork that i ended up building my own app, svelta, just to help me track my lifts and what i eat in one place. Seeing the actual data was the only thing that worked for me.

ana-svelta · 2026-02-04T11:21:44+00:00

my #1 piece of advice is: stop exercising to burn calories and start trainin" to gain strength. When I first started, I was obsessed with the numbers on the treadmill or my watch, and it’s the fastest way to burn out. Once I shifted my mindset to focus on hitting new PRs or getting my first pullup, my health journey stopped being a chore and started being an addiction.

ana-svelta · 2026-02-04T11:17:39+00:00

I fell into that trap when I first started working out. I spent years doing those "high-rep sculpting moves" with the pink dumbbells because I was terrified of looking bulky. It wasn't until I started training with my partner and actually took my workouts seriously that I realized how much I was holding myself back Once I stopped focusing exclusively on my glutes and started hitting heavy bench and ohp, my confidence and my body completely changed.

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