This is the Part 2 follow-up of “Armpit Fat: How to Lose That Stubborn Pit Pooch Part 1”

The Mission… NO MORE ARMPIT FAT aka Operation Pit Pooch

I felt called to my “Pit Pooch” mission for a couple of reasons. One, I had never really given much thought to armpit fat until one day I noticed mine. I laughed at myself as I attempted to grab that stubborn bulge, pull it sideways and tuck it into my sports bra. That might work alright for a photo but as soon as I move, stuff works its way right back out. Secondly, having been at the top of my physique and fitness game for the last 8 years, I knew that I was letting myself slide. Stress factors probably played a role more than anything. I never lost sight of what I ultimately wanted, to be strong and healthy for life, I was just having trouble spinning all the plates. It was a slow regression. I started to notice the pit pooch but I also knew it wasn’t the only problem…and technically armpit fat isn’t a problem at all. However for me it was an indicator of some other things that were important.

Disclaimer: Don’t Obsess About Armpit Fat

When I posted Part 1 of this story I had a friend say, “Oh great! Now I’ve got one more thing to worry about!”  The point of me sharing this part of my journey is to inform and inspire. It serves no good purpose for me to enlighten you to a problem you didn’t even know you had and make you feel bad about it. The reality is, nobody cares about your (or my) armpit fat. For me, the fact that I noticed it on myself caused me to reflect on the last couple of years. Overall I was being less careful about my nutrition choices and it was having an effect. I was uncomfortable in many of my clothes. I was avoiding wearing certain things that I had worn and felt good in for years. I gave myself a pass because I could still technically squeeze into my jeans but they were telling the 1% Lyrca lie which is, “They still fit!” AND I’ve had a good laugh about it. I wasn’t out of control but it was time to shift gears.

The Secret: I Quit Working Out And Focused On My Nutrition

I was fed up with the articles I kept seeing about the best workouts to reduce armpit fat or blast belly fat. As much as we hear industry experts say you can’t spot reduce body fat through certain exercises, people still want to believe that we can and it’s all over the Internet. Maybe that’s because we’d ultimately rather work out than significantly change how we eat. I get it. I honestly feel more powerful and in control when I’m working out versus changing my eating habits. There’s something incredibly rewarding about wearing a fitness tracker and having it tell us that we torched 400 or more calories in a boot camp workout. The problem is, I was still doing that consistently and it didn’t keep me above the fray. I had to be mentally strong enough to stop what I was doing (that was no longer working for me) and take some time to restructure my nutrition. I stayed out of the gym for 6 weeks but maintained my active lifestyle. I structured what I ate every day during that time. The change was significant. I had loss of actual body fat all over. All of my jeans stopped telling the Lycra lie and I felt a new purpose for getting back to my workouts.

This “before and after” isn’t about wrong vs right. When we make it about wrong vs right then it serves to discourage a lot of people especially since there’s NOTHING wrong with the version of me on the left. This journey for me is about what I need to do to keep myself in check, on task and always moving toward my goal of being lean, strong and healthy for life. It’s an imperfect process. I have always loved the saying, “Be stubborn about your goals, and flexible about your methods.” I realized I wasn’t where I wanted to be so I chose to be flexible about my methods. Our methods should often be negotiable because what may have worked in a fitness journey in my 20’s and 30’s, may not be what’s best or effective for me in my 40’s. My methods will remain open for consideration.

Results: I Lost Some of the Pit Pooch but Also Lost Body Fat All Over

I billed this as “Operation Pit Pooch” but really I knew from the beginning that in order to “target” arm pit fat I’d have to lose a percentage of body fat all over and that’s exactly what happened in the 6 weeks time. I actually had people notice a difference in my legs and hips after just the first week. Overall I was incredibly pleased with my results as I felt it brought me back into a confident and controlled place mentally and a more balanced physique.

Continue to follow my fitness journey through my Instagram account @fitguitargirl, on my private facebook group Team Transformation (request if you want to be added to the group) along with posts to my public Fit Guitar Girl facebook page. If you’d like to know more about my process feel free to get in touch!

To read more about my ORIGINAL weight loss journey back in 2009 click here.