How to avoid becoming "skinny fat"?
drewlfitness
Posts: 114 Member
My calorie goal is 2100 per day. I typically burn between 400-800 calories a day at the gym. Many times I'll eat 400 calories for breakfast, then maybe a shake and some chicken for lunch. Then I go to the gym, burn the calories I previously mentioned, and myfitnesspal says I have around 1800 calories remaining.
Is it very important to make sure I actually get those remaining calories in me, in order to lose weight "correctly", aka in order to avoid becoming "skinny fat"? Or, is it OK to eat and workout like listed above, and end the day with myfitnesspal saying that I have "1000 calories remaining"?
(Note: The 2100 calorie starting amount already has a 750 calorie deficit built into it)
Is it very important to make sure I actually get those remaining calories in me, in order to lose weight "correctly", aka in order to avoid becoming "skinny fat"? Or, is it OK to eat and workout like listed above, and end the day with myfitnesspal saying that I have "1000 calories remaining"?
(Note: The 2100 calorie starting amount already has a 750 calorie deficit built into it)
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Replies
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You should be aiming to hit your goal after exercise. Eating much lower than needed can lead to you looking skinny fat, as you'll lose LBM along with the fat, but it can cause other health problems (loss of hair, dull skin, exhaustion, weakened organs).
Your ticker says you have 22 pounds to lose. If that's the case, a 750-calorie deficit will probably be too aggressive for you. Change your goal to a pound a week (500-calorie deficit), and eat that plus half of your exercise calories, ensure you're eating enough protein (generally .8-1 gram per pound of LBM), and if you haven't yet, start a lifting program or another form of resistance training to preserve your muscles.0 -
To avoid becoming "skinny fat," you want to retain lean body mass. The research I've read indicates that higher lbm retention is associated with increased protein intake. I doubt you are getting a high intake of protein based on the foods you listed, but you would need to open your diary and give some stats for anyone to give you accurate information.
You might want to keep in mind that calorie burns from exercise are often inflated, and the MFP system is designed for you to eat back your exercise calories. 1000 calories remaining is awfully high, and I would be concerned about the impact of eating so little on your body and your training performance. But again, not being able to see your diary, I can't accurately give advice on where you are and whether you need to be concerned without seeing what you are logging for food and exercise.0 -
Lift heavy.0
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For you:
-Half pound per week goal
-Adequate protein (.8-1 gram per pound of lean mass)
-Resistance training0 -
To avoid becoming "skinny fat," you want to retain lean body mass. The research I've read indicates that higher lbm retention is associated with increased protein intake. I doubt you are getting a high intake of protein based on the foods you listed, but you would need to open your diary and give some stats for anyone to give you accurate information.
You might want to keep in mind that calorie burns from exercise are often inflated, and the MFP system is designed for you to eat back your exercise calories. 1000 calories remaining is awfully high, and I would be concerned about the impact of eating so little on your body and your training performance. But again, not being able to see your diary, I can't accurately give advice on where you are and whether you need to be concerned without seeing what you are logging for food and exercise.
@kgeyser Thanks for the reply. You should be able to check out my diary and see what I have been eating. I've recorded everything that I am put into my body within the last 17 days.
A couple notes -- Most of the days don't show "1000 calories remaining" , but that's because at about 8pm, I put an effort in to eat a good amount of calories, consisting of mostly protein items like cold cuts, tuna, sardines, and then also peanut butter, hard boiled eggs.
- Is eating at night, even though it's mostly non-carb items, bad for weight loss? I've heard varying articles about how it doesn't matter when you eat, it only matters how many total calories you get per day. Of course, if you are training, then you logically would want to eat at the correct times in order to have a good workout.
- When I began calorie counting 17 days ago, I also began lifting weights pretty intensely. Doing workout programs consisting of 40+ sets spread across 10+ different lifts. I have been training different muscle groups on different days.
- I have been logging "weight training", and MFP uses its general estimate of how many calories I probably burned while weight lifting.
- Sound good to you?
- I have MFP connected to my fitbit, and I have enabled "negative adjustments", so it doesn't double log my exercises.
Something that I realize now that I really need to address, would be to take in more calories during the first half of my day, instead of eating a tiny breakfast and a tiny lunch, then working out for 2-3 hours, then getting home and having tons of calories "remaining".
If I can actually get away with having 500-1000 "calories remaining", without becoming "skinny fat", then that's fine with me. That would just mean I can lose the weight I want to lose even faster than 2lbs per week. But then again, having "calories remaining" like this could put me on my way to losing muscle weight, thus resulting in my body weighing less, but my body fat percentage remaining the same..
Let me know what you think.
Thanks.0 - Most of the days don't show "1000 calories remaining" , but that's because at about 8pm, I put an effort in to eat a good amount of calories, consisting of mostly protein items like cold cuts, tuna, sardines, and then also peanut butter, hard boiled eggs.
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Lift heavy.
@RodaRose Agreed. That's what I have been doing now for 3 weeks. Already noticing some nice muscle gains. I just need to lose fat without losing the muscle, aka not becoming "skinny fat".
It's hard to force myself to think that I have to actually eat a good amount of calories per day, if I want to shed fat and not muscle. But I am giving this a shot and actually eating.0 -
For you:
-Half pound per week goal
-Adequate protein (.8-1 gram per pound of lean mass)
-Resistance training
@usmcmp Thanks. Although, half a pound per week is way slower than I want. I am OK with 1 - 1.5lbs per week, and hoping that I can burn majority fat and not muscle. The main question on here is really how many calories do I need to ingest each day in order to keep my body from eating away at muscle, and instead have my body eat away at fat.
I believe that if you eat too few calories, your body becomes shocked and therefore decides to retain fat and burn muscle for energy. I don't want that to happen to me. I wan to burn fat, not muscle.0 -
You should be aiming to hit your goal after exercise. Eating much lower than needed can lead to you looking skinny fat, as you'll lose LBM along with the fat, but it can cause other health problems (loss of hair, dull skin, exhaustion, weakened organs).
Your ticker says you have 22 pounds to lose. If that's the case, a 750-calorie deficit will probably be too aggressive for you. Change your goal to a pound a week (500-calorie deficit), and eat that plus half of your exercise calories, ensure you're eating enough protein (generally .8-1 gram per pound of LBM), and if you haven't yet, start a lifting program or another form of resistance training to preserve your muscles.
@malibu927 Thanks. Yep, I've been lifting for a good 3 weeks now, different muscle groups each day not to overtrain and allowing for recovery of muscles. I actually have about 28 lbs to lose. I currently weigh 258 and I want to get down to 230. I am definitely not getting enough protein, even though I feel I am eating lots of meats. I could put some additional protein shakes into my day to cover the difference though.
I could change my plan to 1lbs as you suggested, or 1.5 lbs perhaps. I don't want to lose weight super slowly, unless that's the only way to really avoid the "skinny fat" thing I initially brought up. I think what I am secretly looking for is how many calories do I need to ingest each day in order to keep my body becoming "shocked" and therefore deciding to reserve fat and burn away at muscle. I don't want to burn away muscle, I want to burn fat, therefore I assume that I need to make sure my body doesn't feel "shocked"...my logic is amateur though which is why I opened up this thread.
Thanks for the help.
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Don't worry about it.
To be Skinny Fat is orders of magnitude better than being Lard-O Fat Fat Heavy Fat, right?
Deal with it when it happens, *IF* it happens.0 -
drewlamonte wrote: »For you:
-Half pound per week goal
-Adequate protein (.8-1 gram per pound of lean mass)
-Resistance training
@usmcmp Thanks. Although, half a pound per week is way slower than I want. I am OK with 1 - 1.5lbs per week, and hoping that I can burn majority fat and not muscle. The main question on here is really how many calories do I need to ingest each day in order to keep my body from eating away at muscle, and instead have my body eat away at fat.
I believe that if you eat too few calories, your body becomes shocked and therefore decides to retain fat and burn muscle for energy. I don't want that to happen to me. I wan to burn fat, not muscle.
There are ways you could eat very very little and burn mostly fat, but the goal is to keep your hormones balanced. It's not like you have a lot to lose (22 pounds is not very much).0 -
drewlamonte wrote: »For you:
-Half pound per week goal
-Adequate protein (.8-1 gram per pound of lean mass)
-Resistance training
@usmcmp Thanks. Although, half a pound per week is way slower than I want. I am OK with 1 - 1.5lbs per week, and hoping that I can burn majority fat and not muscle. The main question on here is really how many calories do I need to ingest each day in order to keep my body from eating away at muscle, and instead have my body eat away at fat.
I believe that if you eat too few calories, your body becomes shocked and therefore decides to retain fat and burn muscle for energy. I don't want that to happen to me. I wan to burn fat, not muscle.
There are ways you could eat very very little and burn mostly fat, but the goal is to keep your hormones balanced. It's not like you have a lot to lose (22 pounds is not very much).
@usmcmp I appreciate this. I totally didn't think about my "hormones". Typical guy.
When you say hormones, are you referring to the possibility of extreme emotional fluctuations that could occur, if someone were to do a hardcore body fat % drop?
Also, just out of curiosity, what are the "ways" that I could eat very little, but burn fat without "shocking" my body into deciding to keep fat and burn muscle? Just curious, if you are able to just drop a couple sentences on that.0 -
To avoid becoming "skinny fat," you want to retain lean body mass. The research I've read indicates that higher lbm retention is associated with increased protein intake. I doubt you are getting a high intake of protein based on the foods you listed, but you would need to open your diary and give some stats for anyone to give you accurate information.
You might want to keep in mind that calorie burns from exercise are often inflated, and the MFP system is designed for you to eat back your exercise calories. 1000 calories remaining is awfully high, and I would be concerned about the impact of eating so little on your body and your training performance. But again, not being able to see your diary, I can't accurately give advice on where you are and whether you need to be concerned without seeing what you are logging for food and exercise.
@kgeyser Have you had a chance to read my reply and also glance over my diary? My diary is public now.
Would be great to get your thoughts.0 -
SergeantSausage wrote: »Don't worry about it.
To be Skinny Fat is orders of magnitude better than being Lard-O Fat Fat Heavy Fat, right?
Deal with it when it happens, *IF* it happens.
Really? I'm surprised by this. Why would you not want to take steps to retain muscle mass while losing weight? I feel like this is in the same vein as "don't lift weights until you've lost weight," advice.0 -
drewlamonte wrote: »drewlamonte wrote: »For you:
-Half pound per week goal
-Adequate protein (.8-1 gram per pound of lean mass)
-Resistance training
@usmcmp Thanks. Although, half a pound per week is way slower than I want. I am OK with 1 - 1.5lbs per week, and hoping that I can burn majority fat and not muscle. The main question on here is really how many calories do I need to ingest each day in order to keep my body from eating away at muscle, and instead have my body eat away at fat.
I believe that if you eat too few calories, your body becomes shocked and therefore decides to retain fat and burn muscle for energy. I don't want that to happen to me. I wan to burn fat, not muscle.
There are ways you could eat very very little and burn mostly fat, but the goal is to keep your hormones balanced. It's not like you have a lot to lose (22 pounds is not very much).
@usmcmp I appreciate this. I totally didn't think about my "hormones". Typical guy.
When you say hormones, are you referring to the possibility of extreme emotional fluctuations that could occur, if someone were to do a hardcore body fat % drop?
Also, just out of curiosity, what are the "ways" that I could eat very little, but burn fat without "shocking" my body into deciding to keep fat and burn muscle? Just curious, if you are able to just drop a couple sentences on that.
Dieting impacts leptin and cortisol levels. These two hormones are important in the weight loss process. The larger the deficit the more out of balance they become.
I'm not going to talk about the programs out there written by some big name fitness experts on extreme dieting. I have done them to make weight for powerlifting meets, but they are meant as short term plans. They are hard to stick to and make you miserable. Even if you followed the rules perfectly you still risk hormonal issues that make long term dieting miserable.0 -
People who go to the gym don't become "skinny fat". Skinny fat means you are at a normal BMI, but because you aren't exercising you don't have the health benefits that a normal BMI would normally imply.0
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drewlamonte wrote: »[*] Most of the days don't show "1000 calories remaining" , but that's because at about 8pm, I put an effort in to eat a good amount of calories, consisting of mostly protein items like cold cuts, tuna, sardines, and then also peanut butter, hard boiled eggs.
- Is eating at night, even though it's mostly non-carb items, bad for weight loss? I've heard varying articles about how it doesn't matter when you eat, it only matters how many total calories you get per day. Of course, if you are training, then you logically would want to eat at the correct times in order to have a good workout.
Thanks.
Seems like you are progressed much faster to a point a lot of us get to after a few months of logging. "earning food" through exercise calories makes it hard to plan your meals.
Average your burns for the past 17 days from Fitbit and your total eats from MFP.
Put a custom goal in MFP of -500 off of your fitbit burns.
Disable negative adjustments as they are a direct "earn your food" stimulus as opposed to helping you accomplish the averaging out you're trying for.
Plan your morning/lunch around the numbers above. Adjust at night based on how the day went.
From a weight loss perspective I doubt that "timing" timing matters more than CICO. From other perspectives having a large meal late at night may or may not matter: it might be good too if you just came back from the gym; it might be bad if you have acid reflux or it keeps you up at night.
Many people also balance their calories over the course of a week instead of daily.
Because your data points are few (17 days) you should double check every week to ensure you remain on track and adjust as necessary!
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Lift heavy things, Get adequate protein, eat at a deficit.0
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I am becoming "skinny fat" because I was so worried about the number of calories and not about anything else. I've just now realized that all that lifting I've been doing wasn't helping much because I've been eating at a deficit and not getting an adequate amount of protein. I have recently changed this and make sure I get 110-150g of protein. Hopefully that will help with the rest of it. I started to notice that other friends my size/weight were a lot leaner than I am and I'm still pretty fat for my weight. Next step is for me to up my loss from 1.5 to 1/lb a week. See if those things work for you?0
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drewlamonte wrote: »I wany to burn fat, not muscle.
Generally "safe" fat loss ranges are considered to be 0.5 to 1% of body weight, though a total deficit of no more than 800 calories has crept up in something I've read somewhere : - )
Alarm bells should definitely be ringing if you are netting less than 1500, which it sounds like you may be.
0.8g per lb of protein per lb of lean body mass is also considered a good number to aim for.
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TimothyFish wrote: »People who go to the gym don't become "skinny fat". Skinny fat means you are at a normal BMI, but because you aren't exercising you don't have the health benefits that a normal BMI would normally imply.
Good point. To clear up what I'm referring to when I say "skinny fat", what I'm referring to is the transition someone who weighs 260 lbs goes through to get down to 220-230.
The "skinny fat" I'm referring to is the outcome of all of a sudden weighing 220, but still having nearly the same body fat % as when the scale said 260.
If you're skinny, but sit on the couch and eat candy and never workout, then I think that would be better defined as "Skinny and unhealthy", perhaps?0 -
I see you are asking if you need to eat back the exercise calories so that you don't lose muscle while attempting to drop body fat.drewlamonte wrote: »My calorie goal is 2100 per day. I typically burn between 400-800 calories a day at the gym. Many times I'll eat 400 calories for breakfast, then maybe a shake and some chicken for lunch. Then I go to the gym, burn the calories I previously mentioned, and myfitnesspal says I have around 1800 calories remaining.
Is it very important to make sure I actually get those remaining calories in me, in order to lose weight "correctly", aka in order to avoid becoming "skinny fat"? Or, is it OK to eat and workout like listed above, and end the day with myfitnesspal saying that I have "1000 calories remaining"?
(Note: The 2100 calorie starting amount already has a 750 calorie deficit built into it)
First I want to ask, how are you determining your burns....from MFP entries, or from a tracker or HRM?
Also, how accurate is your measuring when you make your meals?
I ask those questions, because the 2100 calorie goal is an estimate. So it's a place to start as you begin to find your fat-loss zone.
What is your BMR? Your BMR will tell you the minimum calories you should eat if you are staying in bed. Since you probably not in bed, you should eat some more calories to fuel your life's activities. This is the number you get when you enter your stats into MFP. Wearing a tracker really helps at this point (like fitbit or jawboneUP or HRM) because you can have a more accurate estimate of your day's calorie burn.
Since you are also exercising, you will need to fuel the exercise. This is where the magic happens. You should eat enough to have energy for your burns, but also stop eating at that point. Whether that agrees with the MFP estimate or not, that's up to you....and your results.
I sometimes eat it back. I wear a Jawbone UP, and count on that to tell me if I'm keeping the 500cal deficit or not. In 3 weeks, I've lost 9 lbs, so it appears I am.
Do you measure yourself in other ways than the scale?
For me, no weight loss in the last few days, but 1/2in from my hips in the last 4 days. So it helps to use measurements other than the scale number to see your progress.
Weight-lifting always gives me scale and even measurement fluctuations for a few days after a session, before the hoped-for results become apparent.
So you should eat your BMR for sure....those are calories that belong to your body. You should eat calories to fuel your basic life activities. You should eat enough to fuel your exercise efforts....and still maintain a little deficit, so that your body dips into it's fat reserves without making you stressed. Measure your food with scale, it's worth the effort. Log everything you eat. Then the numbers can start making sense to you and you can work with those numbers.
It's good to be efficient with dieting....because a little muscle loss is inherent in a deficit, as I understand it. Although it is minimized with exercise.
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