Lena is dealing with something completely new for her and is trying to figure out what to do next. For the first time, she is actually trying to lose weight, and it feels strange. In the past, she had to put in real effort just to eat enough and get her calories in. Now things have flipped — she has gained weight, but not in the way she would have wanted.

For most of her life, gaining weight was never easy. Even hitting her daily macros felt like a challenge, despite the fact that she carefully measured and tracked everything at home. But recently, while recovering from an injury, her usual sports routine came to a full stop. That sudden drop in activity seems to have changed things, and she can clearly see it in her body now.

She even reached a new high on the scale, gaining about +4 kg. The last time she saw numbers like that was during her pregnancies. What feels frustrating is where the weight went — mostly to her stomach and back — while her arms and legs are still very slim. Sitting with this, she’s honestly unsure what her next step should be.

It’s confusing. On one hand, she wants to grow her glutes, which usually means eating more and staying in a calorie surplus. On the other hand, she wants to slim down her midsection, which would require a calorie deficit. Right now, she feels stuck between these two goals and can’t quite decide which direction to take first.