:mad:I have been on a diet for around 6 months. Went from 187 to 130. I am planning on being 110-115 but toned and lean. I DO weight train every other day. I eat 1200 calories a day and get a good amount of protein. I workout nearly every day. I do cardio for 40-85 minutes a day (usually kickboxing/tae bo). I do weight training 20 minutes every other day (because I'd rather kickbox than lift weights non stop. And I am a girl so 20 minutes every other day should be enough). I am losing weight, I have gained SOME muscle...but you can see my spine sticking out and some of my ribs (yet everywhere else i am a normal 130 pound body not too thin at all for being 5'4)....last time this happened I was anorexic but I am not anymore. I am eating right and working out daily so why is my back already turning emaciated looking but nowhere else??!:mad:

I used to be where you are...thinking it's normal to have spine or ribs sticking out...well maybe just my hips when I lay on my side...but 105-110lbs is the START for a healthy BMI (body mass index) of someone who is only 5feet 0inchestall and 1200 calories is not for normal people, only sick or medicated people and this is monitored by a doctor! And maybe only 30mins of cardio for the average person.... ask your doctor or find a BMI chart and look for you, other wise it MIGHT just be where you first have fat, for me it's to my butt and thighs first. Lol. But find your BMI... if that's not it, you at least need to eat more, lay back on the cardio to 1/2 hour and maybe you have a fast metabolism??

30 -60 minutes of cardio 5 days a week is the recommended daily amount. It sounds like you may not be going too much overboard there. In my opinion, you may need to work on building up the muscles in your back and shoulders, to give your spine some covering. (My boyfriend's shoulder blades stick out all crazy and his spine a little, and he's a normal weight for his height, just doesn't have a lot of extra muscle) Some things you may try are shoulder presses, chest presses, the lat pull down machine, push ups if they do not hurt your shoulders (CORRECT form only, please! it's potentially unsafe if you have bad form), reverse fly, things along those lines. Also, how tall are you? Trying to stay withint the normal BMI range for your height is important. Someitmes people feel like they need to lose weight when they aren't satisfied with their bodies, but they really just need to build some muscle and firm up. Women don't get bulgy body builder muscles without SUPER intense workouts and sometimes steriods, so you don't need to worry about turning masculine. I know I feel a little wiped out on 1200 calories and fatigue very easily. A lot of times, your body reverts to using your lean mass (muscles and the like) in times of low caloric intake which is working in the wrong direction, maybe try adding a couple hundred calories for a few weeks and see how it goes? Try fresh or frozen veggies, lean protein, or whole grains. Also, be sure you're getting the recomended daily allowance of fiber. Best of luck, and congratulations on no longer being anorexic. That's a huge accomplishment!