I'm really happy with the size that I am now... I've come a long way and I feel pretty confident that I look good (and little!) when I'm wearing clothes.

Unfortunately, I do not feel the same way when my clothes are off. I'm soft and squishy to the touch, even though according to the size I wear (I'm fitting into 4s!), I should be skinny. I've become one of those awful skinny fat girls and I don't know what to do about it. I don't have the sort of lifestyle at school where I can go to the gym often, so since I've been back I haven't been working out.

I'm so jealous of my friends who, regardless of their size (2-14), are solid and hard-bodied. I've gotten so small in measurements, but my body is not where I want it to be at all! Any suggestions? Should I just try to lose more? I don't want to get smaller... I just want to feel fit and look good naked!

Sorry for the moaning!

Have you considered getting some workout DVD's for toning and doing them at home? I am a law student and don't have time to make it to the gym, but a short toning workout at home can make a world of difference.

First I would say you should work on toning your body rather then traying to lose weight. Do you lift weights at all? What type of exercise are you doing?

I will tell you I've been within 5 pounds for almost two years now. Last year my stomach sagged and looked terrible. I saw a plastic surgeron and then had a tummy tuck, now I have an incredible stomach, it's flat and because I work out all the time I have good tone in it but it wouldn't have been possible without the tummy tuck. Now (and then) I had the problem with my thighs, hips, back, and arms. I have to get all of them fixed still but in the mean time I'm working on building up strenght and tone so that when I get the skin removed they look good.

I've got the same problem...I'm a size 4 or 6, but would likely be smaller without the saggy, flabby skin. I've been lifting weights and doing toning workouts since day ONE. I've given up - I think surgery is the only thing that will help me.

You should look in the weight lifting threads, they give you information about toning and building muscle.

To burn fat you need to eat less calories and burn more, and I believe to build muscle you need to eat excess calories. There's a bunch of information in those threads that can help you.

I was so disappointed when I got where I wanted to be weight wise and yet was still so flabby around the middle. I run and am pretty athletic, so I was expecting to be more toned at goal. Not so. And when I used the bf% calculator that the trainer at the gym has, she was surprised that my bf% was higher than she thought bc I look athletic in clothes, but underneath there is still all this squishy stuff!!

It's so frustrating to hear that "advice" that women should only lift light weights for more reps or else they'll get "bulky"...hah, yeah right....if only!!!

focus on the toning up

I don't have any real facts to back this up but I think that with strength training, even moreso than with cardio, breaking up the exercise into little chunks to fit your day works wonderfully! There's no reason you need to do your strength training in one big workout.

And, you don't need to go to the gym... there's lots of equipment you can buy and keep at home (dumbbells, resistance bands) or you can focus on body weight exercises (stuff like push-ups, sit-ups or crunches, etc... check out the strength training forum for advice).

As everyone has stated, you just need to do toning/strengthening exercises. Depending on your workout style, I'd say to find something do-able that you REALLY dig doing.
Yoga, pilates, belly-dancing, dance, Callanetics - the only thing I've been able to stick to is a Callanetics DVD when it comes to toning, and that has yielded much better results for me than Pilates - I swear by it now, lol. So far I've been doing it once a week for an hour, as that's easier for my schedule..
There's also a thread, as someone mentioned, on weight-lifting if that's more your style.
You said you don't have a lot of time, if anything, there are sites you can google dedicated to different 15-minute toning exercises you can do without any equipment from the comfort of your own room - might be a good jumpstart. Good luck!

Ok, thanks! I really ought to continue with the 30-Day Shred (I stopped halfway through, when I got to school), but I feel really ridiculous stomping and doing jumping jacks in my 2nd floor apartment. The house is so old that I feel like the 20 minutes would be heard all around town. I'm a little embarrassed.

I should start doing some yoga... I really love it, and as I have a stressful lifestyle, it might be just what I need (plus will hopefully get my mind off of my jiggly bits.) I have Netflix, and have streamed Baron Baptiste's Power Yoga: Long and Lean, and really liked it. Do you know of any other high intensity yoga workouts?