Why did my body change from hourglass to skinny fat?

[Anonymous]

So in my teens and early 20's I had a flat stomach and a big ol butt now when I tried on my "90's jeans" the waist was tighter and my butt looked flatter. Although I am pretty slim at 110lbs. I do mostly cardio and I am always up and about. Did my muscle just atrophy?

[Anonymous]

Hormones

[Anonymous]

Read "Strong Women Stay Thin" - I'm really focusing on weights right now. I'm 50+, menopause.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So in my teens and early 20's I had a flat stomach and a big ol butt now when I tried on my "90's jeans" the waist was tighter and my butt looked flatter. Although I am pretty slim at 110lbs. I do mostly cardio and I am always up and about. Did my muscle just atrophy?

There’s your answer right there. Reduce cardio and start lifting weights instead and up your protein.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So in my teens and early 20's I had a flat stomach and a big ol butt now when I tried on my "90's jeans" the waist was tighter and my butt looked flatter. Although I am pretty slim at 110lbs. I do mostly cardio and I am always up and about. Did my muscle just atrophy?

There’s your answer right there. Reduce cardio and start lifting weights instead and up your protein.

Yes to this. You lose muscle mass as you age, no matter what you do. But weight lifting is the best way to prevent/slow it as much as possible. But you need to life heavy, not 3-5 lbs hand weights. Also the hormone changes in women cause fat to deposit around waist

[Anonymous]

Weight lifting gave me something approximating my old body back. I don't have as nice of a shape but better than it was before I got serious about lifting weights.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Weight lifting gave me something approximating my old body back. I don't have as nice of a shape but better than it was before I got serious about lifting weights.

I started weight lifting at 39 and same.

[Anonymous]

I have a very similar built and weight, and am having similar issues 110 lbs at 5’3”, a runner (albeit a slow one), seem to have lost my butt over the years. Yes, it’s the loss of muscle due to aging. You’re staying slim due to the cardio but it’s not helping you maintain muscle mass. You have to get serious about weight training (and I need to take my own advice too).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a very similar built and weight, and am having similar issues 110 lbs at 5’3”, a runner (albeit a slow one), seem to have lost my butt over the years. Yes, it’s the loss of muscle due to aging. You’re staying slim due to the cardio but it’s not helping you maintain muscle mass. You have to get serious about weight training (and I need to take my own advice too).

*build

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a very similar built and weight, and am having similar issues 110 lbs at 5’3”, a runner (albeit a slow one), seem to have lost my butt over the years. Yes, it’s the loss of muscle due to aging. You’re staying slim due to the cardio but it’s not helping you maintain muscle mass. You have to get serious about weight training (and I need to take my own advice too).

I am the op. I don't think its aging but just laziness for me. In my mid to late 20s I spent most of my time not working out and sitting for school and work. My butt just flattened in my mid to late 20s but now that I lost weight due to eating less the flat butt is more noticeable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a very similar built and weight, and am having similar issues 110 lbs at 5’3”, a runner (albeit a slow one), seem to have lost my butt over the years. Yes, it’s the loss of muscle due to aging. You’re staying slim due to the cardio but it’s not helping you maintain muscle mass. You have to get serious about weight training (and I need to take my own advice too).

I am the op. I don't think its aging but just laziness for me. In my mid to late 20s I spent most of my time not working out and sitting for school and work. My butt just flattened in my mid to late 20s but now that I lost weight due to eating less the flat butt is more noticeable.

If you are over 40 it does have a lot to do with age and hormonal changes that come with your 40s/50s

[Anonymous]

Age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a very similar built and weight, and am having similar issues 110 lbs at 5’3”, a runner (albeit a slow one), seem to have lost my butt over the years. Yes, it’s the loss of muscle due to aging. You’re staying slim due to the cardio but it’s not helping you maintain muscle mass. You have to get serious about weight training (and I need to take my own advice too).

I am a runner too and same thing happened to me. But I don't think its necessarily muscle loss due to age (I'm 40) because I am very fit and active otherwise. I think its just that running eats away at at the glutes and hams. Add a sedentary office job sitting on your butt all day and even worse. I recently started lifting weights and really going heavy on lower body and its already made a huge difference in just a few months. Not just aesthetically but I feel more powerful during my runs as well. I am kicking myself that I waited this long to start lifting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a very similar built and weight, and am having similar issues 110 lbs at 5’3”, a runner (albeit a slow one), seem to have lost my butt over the years. Yes, it’s the loss of muscle due to aging. You’re staying slim due to the cardio but it’s not helping you maintain muscle mass. You have to get serious about weight training (and I need to take my own advice too).

I am a runner too and same thing happened to me. But I don't think its necessarily muscle loss due to age (I'm 40) because I am very fit and active otherwise. I think its just that running eats away at at the glutes and hams. Add a sedentary office job sitting on your butt all day and even worse. I recently started lifting weights and really going heavy on lower body and its already made a huge difference in just a few months. Not just aesthetically but I feel more powerful during my runs as well. I am kicking myself that I waited this long to start lifting.

are you a woman? Did you need a trainer to get started lifting?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a very similar built and weight, and am having similar issues 110 lbs at 5’3”, a runner (albeit a slow one), seem to have lost my butt over the years. Yes, it’s the loss of muscle due to aging. You’re staying slim due to the cardio but it’s not helping you maintain muscle mass. You have to get serious about weight training (and I need to take my own advice too).

I am a runner too and same thing happened to me. But I don't think its necessarily muscle loss due to age (I'm 40) because I am very fit and active otherwise. I think its just that running eats away at at the glutes and hams. Add a sedentary office job sitting on your butt all day and even worse. I recently started lifting weights and really going heavy on lower body and its already made a huge difference in just a few months. Not just aesthetically but I feel more powerful during my runs as well. I am kicking myself that I waited this long to start lifting.

are you a woman? Did you need a trainer to get started lifting?

Yes I am a woman. I am not completely new to lifting - I have worked with a couple trainers in the past. Plus I used to take strength training group classes at my gym pre-pandemic. So I didn’t really feel I needed a trainer going into it this time - I mostly use resources online - YouTube, FB and also follow a lot of female body builders on IG. So far, so good. But at some point I probably will do a couple sessions with a trainer for a form check and to maybe add some more structure/variation to my program.