Skinny fat??

Samm471
Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
edited 1:45AM in Health and Weight Loss
okay I done loads of cardio lost 21lbs got down to 122lbs and ended up skinny fat ... I'm at about 22/23%bf but I am skinny fat. How would you fix this? I'm still on a deficit I do a 5x5 programme 3 times a week and isolation work on other days .. I don't really want to lose anymore weight but I do wanna lose more fat should I keep lifting on a deficit? Or maintenance? I don't know about bulk. I have no idea what I'm meant to do to lower the fat. I have seen some good strength gains doing the 5x5 really enjoying it but I've ran into this bump on the road and have no idea where to go from here. Any help please? And be kind guys!! Lol :)

Replies

  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Did you read this sticky?

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1
  • Samm471
    Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Did you read this sticky?

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

    I haven't no but I will have a look thank you :)
  • hamlet1222
    hamlet1222 Posts: 459 Member
    I know how you feel, always battled with the dreaded skinny fat myself. Have you seen Mike Matthews video on th subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZLwZRD7BWc

    I think you really need to get precise on your diet, at macronutrient level. I find a 15% calorie deficit, really cutting most of that from fat too (so no cheese, nothing more that says it's more than 10% fat on the label, has helped me get down from 22 to 20% bf, without losing any muscle (I think I might actually have built a bit), and watch you don't overtrain - stronglifts on a calorie deficit I find particularly brutal (maybe do 3 sets instead of 5?)
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited October 2015
    Hey Sam

    How tall are you? How are you measuring your bf ?

    For a girl 22% is pretty close to ideal


    Ideal-Body-Fat-Percentage-Chart3.jpg


    That thread link is worth reading -

    Get your protein intake right, stronglifts is a great programme, eat at or slightly below maintenance and have patience
  • _benjammin
    _benjammin Posts: 1,224 Member
    You've asked the same thing numerous times over the last 3 months and gotten good advice. Eat more, keep lifting, keep an eye on the scale. Look at average weight, track accurately, eat more or less as needed.
  • Samm471
    Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Hey Sam

    How tall are you? How are you measuring your bf ?

    For a girl 22% is pretty close to ideal


    Ideal-Body-Fat-Percentage-Chart3.jpg


    That thread link is worth reading -

    Get your protein intake right, stronglifts is a great programme, eat at or slightly below maintenance and have patience

    Hey I'm measuring with calipers but I know these aren't 100% doing them by myself :/ I am 5'1 and I weigh 122lbs and eat 122grams of protein sometimes I go over though ( I know it makes no difference) I was thinking of eating at maintenace I'm not sure what it is yet but was thinking of just upping my cals each week by say 100? Also do I need to eat exercise cals back? I really don't want to
  • Samm471
    Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
    hamlet1222 wrote: »
    I know how you feel, always battled with the dreaded skinny fat myself. Have you seen Mike Matthews video on th subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZLwZRD7BWc

    I think you really need to get precise on your diet, at macronutrient level. I find a 15% calorie deficit, really cutting most of that from fat too (so no cheese, nothing more that says it's more than 10% fat on the label, has helped me get down from 22 to 20% bf, without losing any muscle (I think I might actually have built a bit), and watch you don't overtrain - stronglifts on a calorie deficit I find particularly brutal (maybe do 3 sets instead of 5?)

    I seem to be doing okay doing the 5x5 I've upped my squats from 30kg to 60kg in six weeks so I'm assuming I'm doing pretty well .. I'm managing to up the weight on everything I've been doing so I think I'm doing okay :) I always seem good doing 5x5 and don't find it too taxing but I did hear that it can be altered to 3 on a deficit. As for macros etc I do 1gram protein per 1lb body weight and I'm at 25% fat and the rest carbs
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Samm471 wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Hey Sam

    How tall are you? How are you measuring your bf ?

    For a girl 22% is pretty close to ideal


    Ideal-Body-Fat-Percentage-Chart3.jpg


    That thread link is worth reading -

    Get your protein intake right, stronglifts is a great programme, eat at or slightly below maintenance and have patience

    Hey I'm measuring with calipers but I know these aren't 100% doing them by myself :/ I am 5'1 and I weigh 122lbs and eat 122grams of protein sometimes I go over though ( I know it makes no difference) I was thinking of eating at maintenace I'm not sure what it is yet but was thinking of just upping my cals each week by say 100? Also do I need to eat exercise cals back? I really don't want to

    Keep adding your 100 cals a week and see how you go, even if your weight fluctuates up give it a few weeks to see if it will settle again

    If you're doing stronglifts no I wouldn't eat it back...but I would find maintenance slowly over time, you can always cut again if you want to

    Sounds to me like you've got this...you just need to work on your patience :) ..building muscle takes time, particularly for a woman

  • Samm471
    Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
    _benjammin wrote: »
    You've asked the same thing numerous times over the last 3 months and gotten good advice. Eat more, keep lifting, keep an eye on the scale. Look at average weight, track accurately, eat more or less as needed.

    Aye and got numerous answers so if some are saying keep cutting some are saying bulk some are saying maintain some say eat above maintenace some say eat just below maintenace is it a wonder why I've asked the same question numerous times?
  • Samm471
    Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Samm471 wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Hey Sam

    How tall are you? How are you measuring your bf ?

    For a girl 22% is pretty close to ideal


    Ideal-Body-Fat-Percentage-Chart3.jpg


    That thread link is worth reading -

    Get your protein intake right, stronglifts is a great programme, eat at or slightly below maintenance and have patience

    Hey I'm measuring with calipers but I know these aren't 100% doing them by myself :/ I am 5'1 and I weigh 122lbs and eat 122grams of protein sometimes I go over though ( I know it makes no difference) I was thinking of eating at maintenace I'm not sure what it is yet but was thinking of just upping my cals each week by say 100? Also do I need to eat exercise cals back? I really don't want to

    Keep adding your 100 cals a week and see how you go, even if your weight fluctuates up give it a few weeks to see if it will settle again

    If you're doing stronglifts no I wouldn't eat it back...but I would find maintenance slowly over time, you can always cut again if you want to

    Sounds to me like you've got this...you just need to work on your patience :) ..building muscle takes time, particularly for a woman
    Okay that's great thanks :) yeah I think it prob is a patience thing .. Thanks for your advice been very helpful :)
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    ... 23% is not skinny fat.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited October 2015
    hamlet1222 wrote: »
    I know how you feel, always battled with the dreaded skinny fat myself. Have you seen Mike Matthews video on th subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZLwZRD7BWc

    I think you really need to get precise on your diet, at macronutrient level. I find a 15% calorie deficit, really cutting most of that from fat too (so no cheese, nothing more that says it's more than 10% fat on the label, has helped me get down from 22 to 20% bf, without losing any muscle (I think I might actually have built a bit), and watch you don't overtrain - stronglifts on a calorie deficit I find particularly brutal (maybe do 3 sets instead of 5?)

    It's not a good idea to cut your fat IMO ...you should be aiming for 0.35g per lb bodyweight. Fat is important for nutrient absorption...there's really nothing wrong with cheese if it fits your calories and nutrient requirements

    Also amending stronglifts 5x5 means you're not doing stronglifts ...and it has been designed for beginners ...I really wouldn't cut sets ...there are different programmes like starting strength etc

    Sam . You might find sidesteels and Sarah's group eattrainprogress interesting http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/10118-eat-train-progress
  • hamlet1222
    hamlet1222 Posts: 459 Member
    I'm not saying cut all fat, 0.35 per lb of body weight you can get easily (oats are 8% fat for example). Just don't have extra.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    hamlet1222 wrote: »
    I'm not saying cut all fat, 0.35 per lb of body weight you can get easily (oats are 8% fat for example). Just don't have extra.

    Yeah

    But cheese :open_mouth:

    :bigsmile:
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    hamlet1222 wrote: »
    I'm not saying cut all fat, 0.35 per lb of body weight you can get easily (oats are 8% fat for example). Just don't have extra.

    Why not? (provided, of course, you're staying within your alloted daily calories overall).
  • Samm471
    Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    hamlet1222 wrote: »
    I know how you feel, always battled with the dreaded skinny fat myself. Have you seen Mike Matthews video on th subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZLwZRD7BWc

    I think you really need to get precise on your diet, at macronutrient level. I find a 15% calorie deficit, really cutting most of that from fat too (so no cheese, nothing more that says it's more than 10% fat on the label, has helped me get down from 22 to 20% bf, without losing any muscle (I think I might actually have built a bit), and watch you don't overtrain - stronglifts on a calorie deficit I find particularly brutal (maybe do 3 sets instead of 5?)

    It's not a good idea to cut your fat IMO ...you should be aiming for 0.35g per lb bodyweight. Fat is important for nutrient absorption...there's really nothing wrong with cheese if it fits your calories and nutrient requirements

    Also amending stronglifts 5x5 means you're not doing stronglifts ...and it has been designed for beginners ...I really wouldn't cut sets ...there are different programmes like starting strength etc

    Sam . You might find sidesteels and Sarah's group eattrainprogress interesting http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/10118-eat-train-progress

    So for me that would be about 42grams of fat well I'm eating at 47grams so pretty close I would say :)

    No I won't cut my programme why change something that isn't broken and I'm doing well and gaining strength so it's working

    I will have a look at the link thanks :)
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Fat and protein are both minimums as macronutrients
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    If you're at 22% body fat as a woman, you're not "skinny fat" -- and I hate that term, but whatever. 22% is very fit for women.

    If you want to drop lower in BF it's going to require a lot of work. Think about what's involved and decide for yourself.

    http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/the-cost-getting-lean-really-worth-the-trade-off.html
  • Samm471
    Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
    segacs wrote: »
    If you're at 22% body fat as a woman, you're not "skinny fat" -- and I hate that term, but whatever. 22% is very fit for women.

    If you want to drop lower in BF it's going to require a lot of work. Think about what's involved and decide for yourself.

    http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/the-cost-getting-lean-really-worth-the-trade-off.html

    That's why I said I used calipers why aren't 100% accurate especially checking yourself when I check I'm 22.7% but then I could be doing it completely wrong
  • lisalsd1
    lisalsd1 Posts: 1,519 Member
    So I just peeked at your pictures and if that is your stomach...you are NOT skinny fat. I had to play around with my calories recently. I had cut back by 100 cals/day and lost fat...I felt like crap and plateaued with fat loss. I started slowly adding calories back. I worked up to about 2000-2200/day. Adding the calories back to my diet seemed to jump start fat loss again. I worked up to 2400 calories (that was a mistake, I definitely started to put some fat back on). I'm back to 2000-2200/day, which coincidentally is right at my TDEE (2100 cals).

    Surprisingly, my lifts did not suffer when I cut back on calories (probably b/c I didn't stick at the 1900 range a very long time). Once I worked my way back up in calories, I worked through some lifting plateaus...funny huh?

    Another suggestion might be to change your lifting program. I did 5x5 for awhile, 5/3/1, and now am on a different version of 5/3/1.
  • CasperNaegle
    CasperNaegle Posts: 936 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Fat and protein are both minimums as macronutrients

    I do .2grams of fat per pound and have for a good while.. I have found very little data on fat content other than a percentage of total diet on an American Heart Association site.. and I'm well with in that minimum that call for.
  • CasperNaegle
    CasperNaegle Posts: 936 Member
    hamlet1222 wrote: »
    I know how you feel, always battled with the dreaded skinny fat myself. Have you seen Mike Matthews video on th subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZLwZRD7BWc

    I think you really need to get precise on your diet, at macronutrient level. I find a 15% calorie deficit, really cutting most of that from fat too (so no cheese, nothing more that says it's more than 10% fat on the label, has helped me get down from 22 to 20% bf, without losing any muscle (I think I might actually have built a bit), and watch you don't overtrain - stronglifts on a calorie deficit I find particularly brutal (maybe do 3 sets instead of 5?)


    I love Mike's program and have gotten much leaner about 30% down to about 19% so far. I don't honestly worry as much about percentage of fat in an ingredient as I do just meeting my macros, 240grams protein, 200, carbs, 57 fat a day.
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    I'm in the same situation.

    I too am what people would call 'skinny fat'. I'm miserable about this!

    I lost 32 lbs and it was a real effort and challenge - I was so proud of myself. Now to be known as 'skinny fat' is so, so disheartening. According to my BF%, I have "too much". I feel like I'm right back at square one again when I was overweight. The fact is, I've dropped pounds but it means nothing in the grand scheme of things and It's a little hard to swallow. I've started recomping and I am hoping to get my body fat down to around 20%.
  • Samm471
    Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
    PinkPixiexox wrote: »
    I'm in the same situation.

    I too am what people would call 'skinny fat'. I'm miserable about this!

    I lost 32 lbs and it was a real effort and challenge - I was so proud of myself. Now to be known as 'skinny fat' is so, so disheartening. According to my BF%, I have "too much". I feel like I'm right back at square one again when I was overweight. The fact is, I've dropped pounds but it means nothing in the grand scheme of things and It's a little hard to swallow. I've started recomping and I am hoping to get my body fat down to around 20%.

    I'm gonna do the same thing it is pretty frustrating isn't it. To me I'm simply skinny fat and that's it lol I think recomp will be a good idea :)
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