Fitness influencer Tammy Hembrow has announced that she has stopped trying to be skinny and no longer wants to take up less space.
The 32-year-old mother of three shared her thoughts on body image with her followers in an Instagram Reel posted this week, where she showed off a glimpse of her workout routine.
Captioning the video clip, Hembrow wrote: "POV: You stopped trying to be skinny." She expanded on the post in her caption, explaining that she did not want to be "smaller" or "take up less space" in her life.
Hembrow encouraged her audience not to spend "another few weeks of eating less and hoping your body changes."
"If you're tired of starting over. If you want to feel stronger. Build muscle. Sculpt your body. Actually see what you're capable of," she wrote.
Follower Reactions and Online Debate
Some of her social media followers expressed skepticism regarding the advice, pointing out that Hembrow maintains a slim physique.
One commenter questioned the statement based on online search results regarding her stats. "Google says you're 5'5' and weigh between 115 lbs and 125 lbs. With all that muscle I find this hard to believe," the follower wrote.
Another user commented, "Girl, you are skinny, just BUILT," while another asked, "How did you keep the waist small?"
However, many followers voiced strong support for her stance on fitness. One fan posted, "You are in great shape babe and look phenomenal babe," while another wrote, "AS YOU SHOULD GIRL. LET'S GO!"
Background on Tammy Hembrow and TammyFit
Tammy Hembrow is an Australian social media personality, gym enthusiast, and fitness entrepreneur based in Queensland. She rose to international prominence after documenting her personal fitness journey and post-pregnancy body transformations online, building a massive audience across platforms including Instagram and TikTok.
She is the founder of TammyFit, a workout and diet planning mobile application that provides customized training programs, meal plans, and fitness challenges. The app focuses on strength conditioning, resistance workouts, and targeted body sculpting for women.
In modern fitness culture, body sculpting and muscle building involve structured weight resistance training to develop lean muscle mass, contrasting with traditional low-calorie dieting methods focused solely on weight reduction.
The Physical Dangers of Restrictive Eating
Her recent comments build on previous warnings she shared about the dangers of restrictive eating. In a TikTok video, Hembrow cautioned women that cutting calories to achieve a lean physique could actively hinder their fitness progress.
"Here is why you restricting your calories and your diet may be what's stopping you from seeing the results that you want," Hembrow told her viewers.
The influencer explained that many women fall into the trap of believing that "less food, more cardio" is the secret to looking toned, but asserted that the opposite is often true.
"I think we've all been there as women, you want to be skinny or you want to be more lean and toned, so you think less food, more cardio, more restrictive," she said. "When in reality, this can be the exact thing that's stopping you from getting the results you want."
The reality star went on to debunk the common concept of "toning", clarifying that the firm and defined look many women seek comes directly from building muscle rather than reducing food intake.
Fueling the Body for Strength and Muscle Recovery
Hembrow emphasized that eating an adequate amount of food is essential for muscle recovery, physical energy, and performance during workouts.
"To build muscle, one, you need to be eating enough. You need to be eating enough to recover properly," Hembrow stated. "You need to be eating enough to be able to put in energy into your workouts. Otherwise, if you're not getting enough calories, if you're not getting enough nutrients, your workouts are going to suck. You're not going to be building any muscle."
She warned that while restrictive dieting might lead to short-term weight loss, it frequently results in long-term consequences such as chronic exhaustion, food cravings, and binge eating cycles.
Caloric restriction occurs when energy intake is kept significantly below energy expenditure, which can lower metabolic performance and hinder muscle tissue repair if sustained over extended periods.
The social media star explained that she felt compelled to share this message with young women due to the widespread pressure to meet unrealistic body standards on social media.
"The goal should be to build a strong, healthy body that burns energy well, that performs well, that feels good," Hembrow added. "Trust me, I want you guys to be feeling and looking good, so let's not restrict our bodies and let's actually fuel them."
