By Khushbu Gupta | Fitness & Nutrition Coach
In the era of reels, filters, and “summer shredding challenges,” fitness has shifted from being a personal journey to a public performance.
Everyone wants the leanest jawline, the sharpest midsection, the most aesthetic silhouette.
And somewhere in this pursuit, we’ve forgotten the most fundamental truth:
Your body has seasons — and every season has a different look.
The shredded physique you admire online?
That’s a season.
The fuller, stronger, muscle-building version?
Also a season.
But modern fitness culture has conditioned people to fear any look that doesn’t match the “Instagram aesthetic.”
The result?
People panic when they lean out too much.
They panic when they gain a little fullness.
They panic when their face changes.
They panic when their abs disappear during a bulk.
This article cuts th
rough the noise — with science, realism, and clarity — to help you embrace every phase of your fitness journey without self-doubt.
Fat loss is one of the most misinterpreted phases in fitness.
Not because it’s unhealthy — but because people don’t understand what normal physiological changes look like.
When you start a calorie deficit, your body taps into stored fat.
But fat distribution varies across individuals.
For many, face fat reduces before body fat, leading to:
To the untrained eye, this looks like “weakness.”
To a coach or athlete, this is simply efficient fat mobilization.
Culturally, especially in India, “healthy” is synonymous with:
So a lean face is automatically considered “unwell.”
But here’s what people don’t see:
Leanness is not weakness.
It is precision.
Cutting tests your:
Every day you’re fighting biological urges (hunger), societal comments, and your own doubt.
Yet this phase teaches the deepest form of self-control.
If cutting is precision, building is construction.
This is where your body gets stronger, denser, more powerful — and yes, visually a little softer.
To build muscle, your body needs:
This fullness is not “weight gain gone wrong.”
This is hypertrophy at work.
Muscle cannot grow in a calorie deficit.
It grows when you give it building blocks.
Your abs won’t stay:
…during a bulk.
Even elite bodybuilders, physique athletes, and fitness models don’t maintain that year-round.
They bulk for 4–8 months, then cut for just 8–12 weeks before shows.
Society celebrates “lean.”
Society criticizes “full.”
So many people sabotage growth because:
This is why people get stuck in the skinny-fat cycle.
They never give their muscles time or nutrition to grow.
One of the biggest misconceptions in fitness is the idea that you can lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously.
Physiology says otherwise.
Cutting needs:
Building needs:
They are opposite metabolic conditions.
Trying to do both is like:
It leads to no results and endless frustration.
You’re not just managing calories and workouts.
You’re managing:
You remember your shredded photos.
You remember how you felt lighter.
You remember the compliments.
But what you forget is:
A shredded look is not a permanent lifestyle.
It is a peak moment, not the baseline.
People fear:
These fears are emotional, not scientific.
With a well-planned program, every bulk can be followed by a cleaner, sharper cut.
Fitness is cyclical — not linear.
The most successful athletes and transformations — the ones that inspire the world — all have one thing in common:
They commit to every season, not just the glamorous ones.
They understand:
This wisdom separates sustainable results from temporary aesthetics.
You are not just a “cutting body” or a “bulking body.”
You are the entire journey.
Your softer look in a bulk?
Strength in progress.
Your sharper look in a cut?
Discipline in motion.
Your in-between days?
Normal. Human. Real.
Trust the phase.
Trust your body.
Trust your work.
Because real fitness isn’t about looking perfect every day —
it’s about evolving with purpose every season.
Written by Khushbu Gupta, Fitness & Nutrition Coach
Empowering you to build strength with intelligence, awareness, and confidence.
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