Ideal Weight but Still Look Fat, and Not Skinny Fat
shphippen
Posts: 5 Member
So I am a 23 year old 5'4" female and I weigh about 122 pounds. My ideal weight is supposed to be somewhere around 123. However, my stomach is not flat when I look in the mirror like a movie star or many other girls my age, the ones who everyone finds most attractive. I don't want to starve myself, but I don't want to look fat in my clothes. I've already spoken with my doctor about this and been tested to see if I am skinny fat, which I am not. I am not sure what the problem is or what else I can do to achieve a thinner frame, and get rid of the small pouch on my belly.
I also eat 7-8 servings of fruit and veggies a day (4 servings of fruit max, the rest veggie), though not everyday but most days.
For cardio, I've started spending about 150 minutes a week on an elliptical or similar contraption. I've also recently started attempting to lift weight for 20 minutes 3 times a week, but I frequently get bored and would like to find another method of achieving the same type of training and benefits for my body that I would get from weight lifting.
I also eat 7-8 servings of fruit and veggies a day (4 servings of fruit max, the rest veggie), though not everyday but most days.
For cardio, I've started spending about 150 minutes a week on an elliptical or similar contraption. I've also recently started attempting to lift weight for 20 minutes 3 times a week, but I frequently get bored and would like to find another method of achieving the same type of training and benefits for my body that I would get from weight lifting.
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Replies
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I also eat 7-8 servings of fruit and veggies a day (4 servings of fruit max, the rest veggie), though not everyday but most days.0
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You got tested to see if you are skinny fat? What are you even talking about there? Your body fat %?
If you want to look more slim without losing weight you must exercise. Are you interested in this?16 -
I can read. Totally editing what I suggested in my previous comment. I still stand by holy crap that's a lot of cardio though. It's not unusual to have a bit of a pooch though.2
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I see you have edited your post. Drop some cardio, add much more weight training. I'm 5'4" and 140 lbs and have a pretty flat stomach for a 140 pounder. Lots of weight training. (And not a single sit up or crunch)8
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150 hours a week on an elliptical? I'm no math genius, but by my calculations, there are only 168 hours in a week, so you spend 18 hours a week (2.5 hours a day) sleeping, eating, peeing, etc. I really hope you had your math wrong.4
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lolz1
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Surely the OP's statement of 150 hours of cardio a week is a typo -- that's more than 20 hours a day.
OP, is that supposed to be 150 minutes a week, or 15 hours a week (which still would be overkill unless you're training for a marathon or something).
edited to fix typo0 -
Whoopes yeah 150 minute sorry about that, had a lot of stuff to write down and think about. The problem is I get bored with weight training and was wondering if there is anything else I could do that would provide the same benefits but be more engaging.
Also, my doctor did serveral blood test at my request and determined I would not be skinny fat based on the results.0 -
Whoopes yeah 150 minute sorry about that, had a lot of stuff to write down and think about. The problem is I get bored with weight training and was wondering if there is anything else I could do that would provide the same benefits but be more engaging.
Also, my doctor did serveral blood test at my request and determined I would not be skinny fat based on the results.
How is weight training boring? When I'm performing a 225 lb squat I can't be bored. I don't know.
You have to create some kind of stimulus with resistance. What do you do?3 -
Weight training is boring because I stand in the same place and just look at myself in the mirror and either have to count how many reps I am doing or follow a timer. It's not like running where I can be outside, Orr even an elliptical where I can watch TV - I have to think too much about the intervals in lifting and focus on counting or making a timer, which takes all the fun out of exercise. I typically do various types of curls, skull crushers, overhead extensions, deadlifts, that sort of thing.0
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You aren't weight training then. You're standing in front of a mirror and looking at yourself.23
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I may be wrong here but I'm pretty sure strength training is the only way to get the results you're wanting.
If you hate weight lifting try something like Insanity or a kick boxing class.4 -
What is skinny fat?1
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1. theres no one ideal weight for diff people with the same age n height n gender coz everybody ideal weight is diff. just take a look at my pic n u will know that i m not even fat but BMI has me at borderline obese
because BMI asumes i have to be within a certain weight range for my height to be healthy.
2. not everyone can have a perfectly flat stomach without trying (even though u r not fat in any way) so maybe u need some exercising n use MFP to lose a few pounds. do a utube search on daneille belanger or anella sagra or spartan bodybuiding for some motivational videos.4 -
Whoopes yeah 150 minute sorry about that, had a lot of stuff to write down and think about. The problem is I get bored with weight training and was wondering if there is anything else I could do that would provide the same benefits but be more engaging.
Also, my doctor did serveral blood test at my request and determined I would not be skinny fat based on the results.
Did you bring up the issue of "skinny fat" with your doctor? Because either she/he did not understand what you were asking or you did not understand what he/she told you. "Skinny fat" means you are a normal/"healthy" weight for your height but your BF% is still unhealthily high. That cannot be determined by a blood test. (Blood tests could indicate whether or not you are suffering from some of the detrimental effects that correlate with high BF%, but cannot directly measure your BF%.)
As for something else you can do that would provide the same benefits as weight lifting ... you might look into "you are your gym" (body-weight) type workouts. Because you seem most concerned about your mid-section, you may be able to see benefits from activities that are not traditionally seen as resistance training. Gymnastics, yoga, and Pilates will all require you to support your own weight in ways that may be challenging at first, and provide at least some possibilities of progressive resistance as you move on to more difficult skills, postures, etc. Serious (intensive, frequent, sustained) dancing, swimming, and racket sports are some other things that could also show some of the aesthetic results you're looking for. None of these things (other than body-weight workouts) is likely to have as obvious results as quickly as lifting for as little time investment each week, but you never know until you try.
Also, it's always possible that your perception that you "still look fat" is just that: a perception, possibly based on a distorted view of your body or of bodies in general and what is normal. Hint: unless you work in a medical practice in Hollywood, you don't really have a clue what a movie star's stomach looks like when the Spanx and air-brushing are gone.
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Pilates! Check out Blogilates on youtube. Pilates is especially great for core strength which will help with your abs and you can do it at home. Its helped with shrinking my stomach a ton.3
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If you dislike weight lifting, I recommend some type of bosyweight resistance training-circuits, intervals, etc. squat jumps, push-ups, planks, jumping jacks!! Fitnessblender is a great site with free videos for that.
Regarding being skinny fat-resistance training should help tighten things up for lack of a better word. As far as I'm aware, there is no test that can be done to determine if you are skinny fat, the closest thing I could think of would be calculating your body fat percentage, but almost every method of doing so is highly inaccurate.6 -
bbell1985 please tell me why what I described is not weight lifting. I would generally like to know what I am doing wrong and how I can make the experience more enjoyable.2
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1. Comparing yourself to movie stars is an exercise in futility. They live unrealistic lives and are photoshopped.
2. Read the recomp thread linked above.
3. Do an actual strength training program. Practice focusing on the muscles you are working, not on the mirror. You should feel like a bag of jelly and Wonder Woman all at the same time when you're done, if you were working hard enough
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4. We tend to not see ourselves as we see others. I doubt anyone else sees you as "fat".
Hang in there!13 -
ashleyk_xox wrote: »What is skinny fat?
It's when you're at a "normal" or "healthy" weight for your size, but have excessive bodyfat. And thus can exhibit some of the same comorbidities as an obese person. Known in clinical terms as "metabolically obese, normal weight" (MONW).
http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/47/5/6991 -
1. Your perception of what you look like could be off. Remember models and such are photoshopped
2. Weight training will help increase muscle definition5 -
Whoopes yeah 150 minute sorry about that, had a lot of stuff to write down and think about. The problem is I get bored with weight training and was wondering if there is anything else I could do that would provide the same benefits but be more engaging.
Also, my doctor did serveral blood test at my request and determined I would not be skinny fat based on the results.
How is weight training boring? When I'm performing a 225 lb squat I can't be bored. I don't know.
You have to create some kind of stimulus with resistance. What do you do?
Just because YOU don't find it boring doesn't mean that others don't.
I find weight training absolutely boring and it has nothing to do with how much weight I put on the bar or how much the dumbbells weigh either. It's just repetitive and boring (and I got to count reps too so I can't zone out on music or whatever).
That being said OP, you'll have to make a choice. Either get bored and do it, or just learn to live with your body as it is. I'm also a bit skeptical about those 'tests' to determine if you're skinny fat, as the only way of doing that is through expensive body fat testing really (other methods are inaccurate). Although with your stats I highly doubt that you would be skinny fat, unless you have almost no muscles at all.15 -
Strength training, as others have said, doesn't have to be heavy lifting in the traditional sense. There's a lot of options. Even something like pole dancing requires a butt load of strength.
I use Fitness Blender and enjoy the mix of bodyweight cardio and dumbbell work with moderate weight and moderate reps without thinking about it. I get that aspect. Doing sets with long breaks isn't for me but I do enjoy lifting heavy-ish things and more importantly the results that will come from it.
And blood work isn't going to tell you if you're skinny fat, that's a body fat percentage thing.5 -
As others have mentioned, looking like a movie star may not be the most realistic goal. Movie stars are one in a million winners of the genetic lottery to start with. Next they make an enormous investment in looking good - sometimes in ways which are the exact opposite of healthy, such as liposuction and other fat targeting treatments, and dieting to an unhealthy weight. They have personal trainers and surgeons. Then they have stylists who teach them how to wear spanx and select flattering clothing for them. Lastly, they get the photoshop treatment.
Our culture has an unhealthy relationship with weight. The other side of the obesity epidemic is that actual normal weight individuals such as yourself are perceived as "needing to lose a few pounds" with the ideal goal - as demonstrated by models - being underweight. The other girls you mentioned who everyone thinks are most attractive, are they at a healthy weight? Or are they actually underweight?
Having said that, it won't hurt you to strengthen your core. I like my ab roller. It was 8 dollars at Walmart. It's the only thing I've tried, and I have tried a lot of things, that gave me ab muscles I could feel.5 -
You might really enjoy yoga or pilates classes so that you're doing body weight engaging exercise in a group setting where there's an instructor to follow and they can give you tips and help with form.3
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I see you have edited your post. Drop some cardio, add much more weight training. I'm 5'4" and 140 lbs and have a pretty flat stomach for a 140 pounder. Lots of weight training. (And not a single sit up or crunch)vivelajackie wrote: »I can read. Totally editing what I suggested in my previous comment. I still stand by holy crap that's a lot of cardio though. It's not unusual to have a bit of a pooch though.
150 minutes per week is a lot of cardio?? LOL
FYI, the World Health Organization recommends 150 minutes/week of cardio as the minimum and 300 minutes/week as optimal.
http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/factsheet_adults/en/
"...For additional health benefits, adults should increase their moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity to 300 minutes per week, or engage in 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity.
Muscle-strengthening activities should be done involving major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week."
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@Traveler120 - She'd originally written 150 hours/week.3
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@Traveler120 - She'd originally written 150 hours/week.
And as you can see, they said they could see she had edited her post to correct it.2 -
Traveler120 wrote: »@Traveler120 - She'd originally written 150 hours/week.
And as you can see, they said they could see she had edited her post to correct it.
Whoop. Reading comprehension fail on my part. Sorry.
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