Part of this is hormonal. Women don't put on muscle the way men do - testosterone disadvantage. Genetically, some women are predisposed to put on more muscle than others. Some things you can change, some things not. I have a friend who gets winded crossing the street, and struggles carrying a hardcover book, but in a bikini, she looks like nothing but sinew (she has almost zero body fat).

I did several months of personal training with lots of weights, and I don't think I put on more than two pounds of muscle the whole time. One thing to think about is that under whatever fat we have, almost everyone has a six-pack (even if it's a mini six pack). It's just a matter of getting rid of the fat that is over it. (I for one have never seen my six pack, but I can feel it, especially when I do lots of crunches. Ever notice how your calves look so muscular? Not usually much fat hanging around down there!

Oh, and I just overheard some body builders at lunch talking about how they go down to almost zero carbs for the last few weeks before a competition.