Tammy Hembrow announces that she has 'stopped trying to be skinny' and no longer wants to 'take up less space'

Tammy Hembrow has shared that she is focusing on being fit, not thin. 

The gym bunny and fitness influencer shared her thoughts on thinness with her fans in an Instagram Reel posted this week. 

The 32-year-old showed off a glimpse of her workout routine, captioning the clip: 'POV: You stopped trying to be skinny'. 

She elaborated in her caption, explaining that she didn't want to be 'smaller' or 'take up less space.'

Tammy also encouraged her followers 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. 

Some of Tammy's followers were skeptical of the advice, given that Tammy is still quite slim. 

'Google says you're 5'5' and weigh between 115 lbs and 125 lbs. With all that muscle I find this hard to believe,' wrote one person. 

Another said: 'Girl, you are skinny, just BUILT', while one more asked, 'How did you keep the waist small?'

Many supported the message, with one person writing: 'You are in great shape babe and look phenomenal babe.'

Someone else posted excitedly: 'AS YOU SHOULD GIRL. LET'S GO!' 

Tammy previously opened up about the dangers of 'restrictive eating', warning women that cutting calories in a bid to achieve a lean physique could actually be stopping them from getting their dream body.

The mother-of-three shared the candid advice in a TikTok video, encouraging her followers to focus less on being 'skinny' and more on building a strong, healthy body.

'Here is why you restricting your calories and your diet may be what's stopping you from seeing the results that you want,' Tammy began.

The influencer explained that many women fall into the trap of believing 'less food, more cardio' is the secret to looking toned, but insisted 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 explained. 

Tammy continued: '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 idea of 'toning', explaining that the sculpted look many women aspire to actually comes from building muscle.

According to Tammy, eating enough food is essential for muscle recovery, energy and performance in the gym.

'To build muscle, one, you need to be eating enough. You need to be eating enough to recover properly,' she said.

'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.'

While restrictive dieting may initially lead to weight loss, Tammy warned it often comes with long-term consequences including exhaustion, cravings and binge eating.

The social media star said she felt it was an important message for young women to hear, particularly amid the pressure to achieve unrealistic body standards online.

'The goal should be to build a strong, healthy body that burns energy well, that performs well, that feels good,' Tammy 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.' 

Tammy is the founder of exercise and diet planning app TammyFit.