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129 is too heavy for a 24-yr-old woman at 5'2, that's the problem, unless you have a large bone structure. Talk to your doctor about it, when you have your next checkup. Or find a gym that measures your body fat with calipers. Do you naturally have an apple shape? Does your fat accumulate in one particular area (pear shape, or apple shape)? Maybe you're not overweight, but are naturally a certain type, that collects the fat in one area.
OK, I just checked a weight/height chart. 129-130 is on the high side of normal for your height.If you're fine-boned, you'll look a little chubby, compared to someone with a medium build, or larger bones. If you're fine-boned, you should be at the lower end of your range (105 -115 or so). If you work out, and build lean muscle mass, and lose some weight at the same time, you'll see yourself get toned, and because muscle weighs more than fat, you won't have to meet a seemingly impossible goal (105-110). You should look great at a weight in the middle of the range for your height.
Using BMI as an index can be very deceptive, btw. I would ignore that, since your BMI is said to be normal. Your BMI isn't telling you if you have sufficient lean muscle mass, for example.
129 would not necessarily be too heavy for the OP if her body fat was indeed only 19% - unless she was completely bloated or had some other medical condition. 19% of muscle would would tip the scales heavier than someone of the same height but body fat of 30%.
BMI has its limitations but obviously the OP's scale is not accurate. You can pay money at some gyms and they can do far more accurate testing either with calipers or looking at body composition by immersing you in water...it WILL cost you though.
But, OP, since you can see your body is not what you want, you know you need to lift heavier, do more cardio and likely clean up your diet.
I had a dexa scan done and I was 22.6 percent fat and I looked ripped and awesome so I’m not sure why you’d look fat if you are truly 18 percent. I’m a 43 year old woman btw. 18 is very lean for a woman when I was that lean in my 20s I looked gaunt. Your weight is average, not fat at all but I think your bf may be closer to 30%, nothing wrong with that.
Alright so I thought about it and I'm thinking to go to gym and see if i can get measured I watched videos on youtube how to measure fat with caliper but they all show different spots lol. Also what do you guys think of the Handheld Body Fat Loss Monitor ? I heard that they are more accurate ? Btw when I was 119 lbs and weighted myself on different scale it was showing 23.4 % fat, but again like you guys said those are not accurate. I didn't have more muscle then but I definitely looked smaller. Now I see some definition but I'm not happy with how my abdomen looks. I'm somewhat happy with upper body I can see that I workout but once I see the rest it doest make sense. I tried focusing more on my abdomen but my problem is this mini pouch at the end of my abdomen (i don't have kids btw). My doctor said that women with Pcos always have this little pouch cus thats where we store fat but I refuse to take it as an excuse it has to be a way...Sometimes I just feel like maybe it's impossible to get fit for me but I want to try again. I do workout at home and have some equipment but I guess I should focus more on core?...even when I had problems with eating i always had little tummy Btw any protein drink or shake makes my stomach hurt and I have digestive issues after one (also don't understand where that comes from). What do you guys recommend ? someone told me once that it takes body 20 min of working out to start burning fat. Should I do weights first (usually do 1 hr) and then 1 hr of cardio ? Thats what I have been doing from time to time but like I said before cardio doesn't happen as often as weights do lol or maybe I should do cardio first ? Or just do cardio and focus on weight loss ?
Alright so I thought about it and I'm thinking to go to gym and see if i can get measured I watched videos on youtube how to measure fat with caliper but they all show different spots lol. Also what do you guys think of the Handheld Body Fat Loss Monitor ? I heard that they are more accurate ? Btw when I was 119 lbs and weighted myself on different scale it was showing 23.4 % fat, but again like you guys said those are not accurate. I didn't have more muscle then but I definitely looked smaller. Now I see some definition but I'm not happy with how my abdomen looks. I'm somewhat happy with upper body I can see that I workout but once I see the rest it doest make sense. I tried focusing more on my abdomen but my problem is this mini pouch at the end of my abdomen (i don't have kids btw). My doctor said that women with Pcos always have this little pouch cus thats where we store fat but I refuse to take it as an excuse it has to be a way...Sometimes I just feel like maybe it's impossible to get fit for me but I want to try again. I do workout at home and have some equipment but I guess I should focus more on core?...even when I had problems with eating i always had little tummy Btw any protein drink or shake makes my stomach hurt and I have digestive issues after one (also don't understand where that comes from). What do you guys recommend ? someone told me once that it takes body 20 min of working out to start burning fat. Should I do weights first (usually do 1 hr) and then 1 hr of cardio ? Thats what I have been doing from time to time but like I said before cardio doesn't happen as often as weights do lol or maybe I should do cardio first ? Or just do cardio and focus on weight loss ?
The fact that you call yourself a "fattie" is troubling. No offense, but you have image issues and those need to be addressed as well.
Stop obsessing over your so-called imperfections. Stop using inaccurate methods of body fat testing. You can make a better guestimate by simply looking at yourself in the mirror. 18% is very lean, and even 23.4% is pretty lean.
If you want to lean out even more, you can attain that through diet and exercise, but even then you may hit a brick wall. To me, it isn't worth going through drastic means to get super low body fat, you're not competing in a fitness show.
To get abs with definition, I did mainly crunches, believe it or not, at least three times a week. That's about it.
I also did about 40 mins of cardio and 45 mins of weights, four times a week. You're young, so you may have better results. But I have a feeling you're gonna critique yourself to death.
Yeah I hate to admit it but I guess i do have some image issues but it's hard not to when I was called fat most of my life...But I try to be ok with what I look like but I do have moments of doubt and disappointment.
I'll try doing more cardio and clean out my diet and maybe one day I'll see some abs and no I won't critique myself to death after all we all want to be healthy and feel our best
I did suffer from eating disorder when I was 16 but I know I'm smarter than that and I'm no longer that person. In 2016 I wanted to do it "healthy way" i was 119 pounds but it took me very much effort to achieve that not to mention that I was always hungry and worked out everyday cardio and weights 5 days a week. It was exhausting I looked great and felt good to but through out whole 6 months of dieting I didn't touch or eat anything sweet besides occasional fruit it was insane...once I started eat at different times and included some fried food and occasional sweets I regained the weight back in 1 month Idk what to do I wanna preserve my muscle but loose weight ...maybe I should just live off lettuce and cooked chicken ? I know I need protein to keep muscle right ?
Many hugs for you, OP. If you've been diagnosed with PCOS, I take it you've had a hormone work-up? No thyroid issues? Have you checked thyroid?
With the measurements you posted, it's clear you're overweight. And "no sweets" (including--no fruit juice) or refined carbs, no corn or potatoes, should be a way of life for you, as it should for many of us. You may have to be on a lower-carb diet for life, which is not a bad thing. (You can join my club. ). Get a book from Amazon, called "Protein Power". It's an old book, so just a couple of bucks. It's written by a husband-wife MD team, and they explain all about building lean muscle mass, etc. You start with very low carbs, then, when you've met your goal, you add some carbs back in, for a maintenance diet. They explain about oils, too. Lots of detail is included, charts, easy math formulas, everything you need. You'll be hungry the first two weeks, then your body will adjust, and you'll be fine. Once you get into it, you won't feel deprived, and you'll make such good progress, that will be its own reward. Also, since you don't have much weight to lose, you won't have to do the strictest version of the diet; they give you the choice of a more gradual option, which is more appropriate for your case.
I looked up PCOS; it says self-treatment involves maintaining a healthy weight (and healthy insulin levels, thus--no sweets), and exercising regularly. What does your doctor say? Exercise helps maintain healthy insulin levels (a type of hormone, & PCOS is characterized by hormone imbalances), which is important in PCOS cases. Maintaining lean muscle mass also helps control insulin levels.
As to the no sweets, no high-glycemic foods: find a couple of food items you're allowed, and psych yourself to categorize them as your special treats. For example, the diet allows 1/2 avocado, recommended as a meal, stuffed with tuna or chicken salad. If you like avocados, program yourself to think of that as your "treat" food; most diets don't allow it, so enjoy what you can.
You had an eating disorder before? How is that, now? Has that resolved? If not, I recommend counseling, as part of your diet and health maintenance strategy. It wouldn't have to be a long-term thing, like a "forever" thing; maybe just a few months, to get to the root of the issue.
See.if this all makes sense to you. And good luck!
Yeah I hate to admit it but I guess i do have some image issues but it's hard not to when I was called fat most of my life...But I try to be ok with what I look like but I do have moments of doubt and disappointment.
I'll try doing more cardio and clean out my diet and maybe one day I'll see some abs and no I won't critique myself to death after all we all want to be healthy and feel our best
I understand. We all want to be healthy and feel our best. But there's a fine line.
I'd hate to see you descend into neurosis because of how you look. There's no such thing, as far as I'm concerned, as perfection. Even at my most ripped, I still had a bit of loose skin in my lower ab region. That's what happens when you lose over a third of your body weight. There's always gonna be something that isn't as you'd like it to be.
Since you're recovering from an eating disorder, you're going down a slippery slope. You can easily start dieting and exercising excessively and that is NOT GOOD.
That's why I say, invest some energy in resolving the mental issues.
yeah I am aware that I'm close to be overweight. I always struggled with looking big and fat also I suffer from PCOS which is most likely not helping this whole I wanna get fit thing lol...i do have certain shape I'm somewhat ok in waist (29 in) but my legs and butt look too big especially since I'm short its not helping.
PCOS is usually treated using progesterone, either in capsule or cream form. You can buy the cream at Whole Foods or online. But have your gyno do blood tests first. Hormones work together and you have an imbalance.
I realized the body fat scales you buy at Bed Bath and Beyond or similar were scams when they had settings for adult, athlete and child. It makes no difference what you are. You are measuring the percentage of fat in a human body.
I use a tape measure and how my clothes fit. I weigh myself but that is secondary and only as a 'scolding' to cut back on the sweets for a few days! We are in the major food treat season now.
Alright so I thought about it and I'm thinking to go to gym and see if i can get measured I watched videos on youtube how to measure fat with caliper but they all show different spots lol. Also what do you guys think of the Handheld Body Fat Loss Monitor ? I heard that they are more accurate ? Btw when I was 119 lbs and weighted myself on different scale it was showing 23.4 % fat, but again like you guys said those are not accurate. I didn't have more muscle then but I definitely looked smaller. Now I see some definition but I'm not happy with how my abdomen looks. I'm somewhat happy with upper body I can see that I workout but once I see the rest it doest make sense. I tried focusing more on my abdomen but my problem is this mini pouch at the end of my abdomen (i don't have kids btw). My doctor said that women with Pcos always have this little pouch cus thats where we store fat but I refuse to take it as an excuse it has to be a way...Sometimes I just feel like maybe it's impossible to get fit for me but I want to try again. I do workout at home and have some equipment but I guess I should focus more on core?...even when I had problems with eating i always had little tummy Btw any protein drink or shake makes my stomach hurt and I have digestive issues after one (also don't understand where that comes from). What do you guys recommend ? someone told me once that it takes body 20 min of working out to start burning fat. Should I do weights first (usually do 1 hr) and then 1 hr of cardio ? Thats what I have been doing from time to time but like I said before cardio doesn't happen as often as weights do lol or maybe I should do cardio first ? Or just do cardio and focus on weight loss ?
I don't think you need 1 hr. of cardio. I combined my workout + cardio into an efficient 45-minute routine, that worked great, with the right diet, to get lean. If you don't rest between sets, your workout doubles as cardio. Then you move on to 20 minutes on a cardio machine, and you've got plenty of cardio in that combo.
Abdomen? Honey, per the measurements you gave, yes, a bit of tummy, but, pardon me, -- you have a HUGE caboose! Do you remember that starting to normalize, the last time you lost weight? I always gain my weight there, too, but it goes away, when I'm at my recommended weight. Anyway, don't worry about targeting this or that area; just do an overall routine, plus a good diet, and gradually you'll improve overall. And don't expect perfection; have realistic expectations, in view of your PCOS.
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Btw any protein drink or shake makes my stomach hurt and I have digestive issues after one (also don't understand where that comes from). What do you guys recommend ? someone told me once that it takes body 20 min of working out to start burning fat. Should I do weights first (usually do 1 hr) and then 1 hr of cardio ? Thats what I have been doing from time to time but like I said before cardio doesn't happen as often as weights do lol or maybe I should do cardio first ? Or just do cardio and focus on weight loss ?
and no I won't critique myself to death after all we all want to be healthy and feel our best 
