6 Harsh Truths: Getting Your Dream Body

I do see a lot of health and gym content on Lemon8, but I don’t see actual discussion about the more divisive topics around going to the gym and getting your dream gym body.

Most of the “gym pics” on here are also….more of genetics, body editing and catfishing angles rather than any proper muscle 🤣 do I sound like a hater? I’m trying my best here.

First, a quick disclaimer: health and fitness look different on everyone. A Pilates girlie isn’t trying to look like a powerlifter. A distance runner probably doesn’t care about glutes. So when I say “dream body,” I’m talking mindset, whatever you define as your ideal physique.

Take what helps, leave what doesn’t. And obviously, if you’re dealing with health or medical issues, that comes first.

Now that we’re clear, let’s talk about what actually matters:

1. Know Your Strengths & Weaknesses (Don’t Go In Blind) 💪🏼

IMO, to build your dream body, you need four core pillars:

✅ Genetics (metabolism, muscle insertion and responsiveness, fat placement, even health)

✅ Mind-Muscle Connection

✅ Nutrition

✅ Consistency

You can get away with 3 if you’re lucky, but realistically? You need all 4. If your genetics suck, it just means you’ll need to work harder. Still doable, just less forgiving. You’ll still look hotter than 80% of the population because most people don’t put in the effort.

For example, I’m a bit more lax on nutrition now because I’ve dialed in the other 3. That said, I still fast occasionally when I overeat, avoid processed foods most of the time, and meal prep about 4 dinners a week. If you're missing a pillar, it WILL show.

2. Stop Copying Workouts & Start Training Intentionally 🧑🏻‍🦯

People love to follow the latest trends (BFT, Hyrox….) without thinking twice about whether it even suits their goals.

If you're doing endless cardio but want a dump truck booty….eh, it’s not going to happen. And if someone does have a butt, and they say they only run? That’s likely genetics, lucky fat distribution, or they’re sneaking in hip thrusts and squats and not talking about it.

Same goes for lifting and eating like garbage right after. I spent 7 years lifting regularly, but never watched my diet. Once I started cooking and paying attention to my food, the fat dropped and I realized: I didn’t have as much muscle as I thought. It was all just fluff.

Also: feel your workouts. Know what you’re working, why, and how. Build that mind-muscle connection. Don’t just go through the motions.

3. Your Metabolism Didn’t “Slow Down”—Your Lifestyle Did.🏃🏻‍♀️

Your basal metabolic rate doesn’t plummet just because you turned 30. What does happen: you move less (working in an office all day, family commitments eating up gym time) lose muscle, and gain fat. As a student, I remember clocking 7K steps on average just going to class. As a corporate girlie now, I have to intentionally go for walks to hit the same 7K.

Muscle is what keeps your metabolism up and running. Lose it, and you burn fewer calories doing everything. Keep it, and your body stays efficient. You’re not getting slower or fatter because of age, you’re becoming this way because of your lifestyle.

4. Start eating enough protein ‼️

I’m 52kg and I need to eat 120g-150g of protein everyday. It was a rough process but I’m getting better at it eyeballing my food now. When I lost weight, I realized just how little muscle I really had, most of it was fat despite training regularly 4-6x a week for the past 7 years. I count it towards me not prioritizing hitting protein enough (again: I had BAD nutrition to the point where my other 3 pillars couldn’t hold it off and this is already with good genetics)

Protein helps you:

💭Maintain muscle while losing fat

💭 Feel fuller for longer

💭 Stay and look younger for longer

Of course, you still need some carbs and fats in your diet as well - but protein needs to be the main part of your meal.

5. You can’t turn fat into muscle. Fat is fat, muscle is muscle. ❌

Seriously, there’s a special place in hell for PTs who say “turn your fat to muscle! Tone up!” to their clients. I believed it for so long too, until I started reading up on it. FAT CANNOT TURN INTO MUSCLE. NO SUCH THING. “Toning your body” doesn’t exist.

What people are referring to is called body recomposition. losing fat and gaining muscle over a long period of time. It’s possible, slow, and takes very intentional effort with your training and diet.

That’s why bodybuilders go through bulking and cutting phases (more extreme extent obviously). They’re optimizing for each goal at a time. You’re not going to look like Cbum after one cycle, and honestly, you won’t look like Cbum ever. That’s why there’s only one CBum.

But please stop eating crap and telling yourself “it’s okay, I’ll turn this into muscle.” That’s not how it works. Eat the food if you want to - but stop lying to yourself about it.

6. Give your body time to see changes 💕

Lastly, love your body throughout. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Nobody will see sculpted abs after a week of dieting, and if you do, you probably didn’t go about it in a healthy way. Stop taking “weight loss” pills and injections especially when you DONT know what’s in them! (Or at least, buy great health insurance so you don’t fk over your kids when your health fails when you’re 40 or something.)

Stop fixating on short term solutions and immediate outcomes. it will take time but trust the process.

The way I think about it is, I am a brain with a body, not a body with a brain. How can I fault my body for showing the results of the choices my brain made?

You have power over every decision in your life. Take accountability for that. Don’t push accountability to your body and blame it for not looking how you want.

With that being said, don’t go into extremes. Love your body throughout. If the change is difficult for you, start by making small changes. You’re in it for the long haul, focus on making a sustainable long term shift.

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Well, that’s my very unpolitically correct take on health and fitness. I apologize if anyone was offended but well, you don’t build a great body by doing what’s easy. If you want to, do it. If you don’t want to, don’t.