Taking my waistline to the next level

Hey! I saw your message and wanted to chime in directly. You’re already doing a lot of the right things, so the biggest question is: what exactly do you feel is keeping your waist from getting smaller?

There are typically three different reasons people feel stuck:

1.  Visible fat at the waist (adipose tissue)

- This is usually what people assume is the issue, but often it’s actually inflammation or water retention

- If it is fat, look at things like blood sugar regulation, cortisol, and recovery. You could try 500mg of berberine in the morning (only once a day, or it can mess with your sleep). It functions similar to metformin and helps prevent insulin and cortisol spikes that lead to fat storage. I only recommend it short-term

- If you’re already lean elsewhere and just holding at the waist, check for hidden sugars or overtraining, which can stress the body

2.  Bloating or inflammation

- If your waist changes size throughout the day, this could be it.

- A high-fiber diet is great, but make sure your digestion can handle it. Try magnesium citrate or magnesium glycinate (1x/day), and walking after meals (6min is enough)

- Hydration and mineral balance are crucial—think electrolytes like Ultima, LMNT, etc.

- You can also cycle in anti-inflammatory support like turmeric/curcumin or even a gut reset protocol if needed

3.  Muscle engagement and internal compression (automatic not forced)

- This is the most common & likely one—and the one that takes the longest

- If you’ve been consistently doing the Runway Fitness workouts—and especially if you’ve been taking my classes—then this is most likely where your at. The slow tightening of the internal muscles pulling in over time. It takes a while but it lasts

- I taught & demo’d 2x/day, 5/ week for the first few months when I was leading classes, and that’s when I saw the fastest change. I didn’t diet. I didn’t track calories or macros. That’s not needed for most people assuming reasonable & balanced consumption of food, dieting can stress the body especially in addition to a lot of exercising and cause storage of fat in the midsection

- I was  doing the old form in those first months as well, if I had done the modified variations I made later the progress would’ve been even faster

For you, I would suggest:

- Stick to the RF classes. I haven’t taken any of the other trainers, so I can’t promise they’re using the same protocols

- I do know some instructors combine other methods that don’t quite align anatomically with waist slimming at the degree you’re going for. Things like certain compound weight moves or Pilates-inspired ranges of motion can actually widen the waist and bulk the thighs

- Keep doing your vacuums, and make sure they’re slow, full expansion on inhale and full sucking in post exhale, not aggressive but full range of motion

- Don’t wear waist trainers or corsets. They weaken your core and interfere with long-term muscular shaping. The goal is natural long term compression, not artificial/temporary

- Always do the stretches at the end of class. It makes a huge difference. They lengthen the obliques and help prevent thickening of the waist, even if it looks like just stretching legs, it all connects, do all of them

- Let your body take the time it needs. I dropped another half inch to a full inch over the following year after those first few months, purely from ongoing muscle training. My waist is now 22”—PS I haven’t worked out in well over a year.  That came with consistency not starving or restricting

So keep going—you’re already on track. The more you focus on core stability, deep muscle engagement (allowing it to do this, not flexing/engaging actively) and recovery, the more your body will respond. You’ll get there, slow and steady wins the race here

Hope that helps, feel free to reach out here or IG.