How to lose belly fat

jsmnmrshll4417

Hey, I'm new here and looking to lose some weight and get in better shape. I specifically want to lose belly fat; my goal is to have a flat stomach and visible abs. What bmi and body fat % should I aim for in order to achieve this goal? And are there any diet/exercise tips for getting there?

If it helps, here's my current stats:
-age: 20 years
-gender: cis woman
-height: 5'3.5"
-weight: 109 lbs
-waist: 25.5"
-body fat%: unknown (probably around 20%?)
-current diet: pescatarian w/ typical college student eating habits
-current exercise regimen: running 30+ minutes 3-5 times/week
-current daily calorie goal: 1500

JBanx256

This isn't the gospel, but it's reasonable:



BMI has no bearing on it though; plenty of bodybuilders/physique athletes are considered obese by BMI standards.

AnnPT77

Without disagreeing with JBanx (because I don't and wouldn't), in order to have visible abs, as in muscularity, there needs to be a bit of muscular development in your core. You need to have some muscles there, and you need to be at a low enough body fat for them to show.

Running is a great cardiovascular exercise, but it's not going to develop those core muscles to any major extent IMO. You could do some targeted ab work, but I think you'd get a better overall aesthetic result from strength training, utilizing the core in some compound exercises.

Another issue with not having a flat belly, even at relatively low BF%, is posture. Anterior pelvic tilt seems very common these days, maybe because women are trying to emphasize their glutes via posture, but anterior pelvic tilt also tends to push any central fat/skin outward and downward, make the person's belly more prominent than it would be if standing straight (top of pelvic bones vertically in line with bottom of pelvic bones, loosely speaking, instead of the top of pelvis tilted forward of the bottom of it).

To that, some people add a head-forward and/or rounded shoulders posture (kyphotic posture, which is not the same as congenital/structural kyphosis). That's the chin forward, shoulders forward posture many of us have from spending a lot of time hunched over phones, laptops, etc. That also pushes any central tissue forward and downward, making it more prominent.

Jbanx, as you can see in her profile photo, has visible abs. I do not, though I have some central muscle, because I'm choosing to stay at a mid-20s BF%, and that's one of the places where the fat likes to persist, on my body.

Also, do recognize that many women have a certain amount of swell in the abdominal area because there's organs in there that can affect body shape. That part is primarily genetics and female-hood. It won't necessarily prevent getting defined abs, but depending on what you mean by "flat", well . . . it may matter. More about that in this thread:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10689837/does-this-uterus-make-my-stomach-look-fat/p1

That thread has a bunch of photos of normal MFP women, with photos, talking about their height, weight, exercise regimen, and (if they know it) BF%, so it may give you some ideas about the range of variation, what exercise types may help you get to your goals, the role of posture, etc.

JBanx256

AnnPT77 wrote: »

in order to have visible abs, as in muscularity, there needs to be a bit of muscular development in your core. You need to have some muscles there, and you need to be at a low enough body fat for them to show.

Absolutely! You could be at single-digit bodyfat and, if you don't have some degree of muscularity, you're not going to "have abs" (look at photos of people who are literally starving to death - not exactly the ripped midsection you aspire to, I expect). Basically, if you carry too much bodyfat, you won't be able to see the muscular definition, but without the muscles there in the first place, there won't be anything to see, right?

And also definitely, yes, people carry/store fat in different places; that's due to genetics and you can't pick your parents. A lot of people will find that their bellies are the last place they lose from (but of course the first place to gain); for others it is hips/thighs etc. Me, personally, my lower back is where my most "stubborn fat" resides. I can get pretty freakin' lean and just be aggravated as *kitten* with my lower back and love handles. When I'm cutting and THAT fat finally starts to budge, I know I'm pushing the bounds (in terms of health & sustainability).

jsmnmrshll4417

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Without disagreeing with JBanx (because I don't and wouldn't), in order to have visible abs, as in muscularity, there needs to be a bit of muscular development in your core. You need to have some muscles there, and you need to be at a low enough body fat for them to show.

Running is a great cardiovascular exercise, but it's not going to develop those core muscles to any major extent IMO. You could do some targeted ab work, but I think you'd get a better overall aesthetic result from strength training, utilizing the core in some compound exercises.

Another issue with not having a flat belly, even at relatively low BF%, is posture. Anterior pelvic tilt seems very common these days, maybe because women are trying to emphasize their glutes via posture, but anterior pelvic tilt also tends to push any central fat/skin outward and downward, make the person's belly more prominent than it would be if standing straight (top of pelvic bones vertically in line with bottom of pelvic bones, loosely speaking, instead of the top of pelvis tilted forward of the bottom of it).

To that, some people add a head-forward and/or rounded shoulders posture (kyphotic posture, which is not the same as congenital/structural kyphosis). That's the chin forward, shoulders forward posture many of us have from spending a lot of time hunched over phones, laptops, etc. That also pushes any central tissue forward and downward, making it more prominent.

Jbanx, as you can see in her profile photo, has visible abs. I do not, though I have some central muscle, because I'm choosing to stay at a mid-20s BF%, and that's one of the places where the fat likes to persist, on my body.

Also, do recognize that many women have a certain amount of swell in the abdominal area because there's organs in there that can affect body shape. That part is primarily genetics and female-hood. It won't necessarily prevent getting defined abs, but depending on what you mean by "flat", well . . . it may matter. More about that in this thread:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10689837/does-this-uterus-make-my-stomach-look-fat/p1

That thread has a bunch of photos of normal MFP women, with photos, talking about their height, weight, exercise regimen, and (if they know it) BF%, so it may give you some ideas about the range of variation, what exercise types may help you get to your goals, the role of posture, etc.

Thanks for your thoughtful reply! A couple of follow up questions:
What are some good core exercises I could do, and how often should I do them?
How do I lower my body fat %?

alicehp39

The belly fat is my main problem

AnnPT77

jsmnmrshll4417 wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Without disagreeing with JBanx (because I don't and wouldn't), in order to have visible abs, as in muscularity, there needs to be a bit of muscular development in your core. You need to have some muscles there, and you need to be at a low enough body fat for them to show.

Running is a great cardiovascular exercise, but it's not going to develop those core muscles to any major extent IMO. You could do some targeted ab work, but I think you'd get a better overall aesthetic result from strength training, utilizing the core in some compound exercises.

Another issue with not having a flat belly, even at relatively low BF%, is posture. Anterior pelvic tilt seems very common these days, maybe because women are trying to emphasize their glutes via posture, but anterior pelvic tilt also tends to push any central fat/skin outward and downward, make the person's belly more prominent than it would be if standing straight (top of pelvic bones vertically in line with bottom of pelvic bones, loosely speaking, instead of the top of pelvis tilted forward of the bottom of it).

To that, some people add a head-forward and/or rounded shoulders posture (kyphotic posture, which is not the same as congenital/structural kyphosis). That's the chin forward, shoulders forward posture many of us have from spending a lot of time hunched over phones, laptops, etc. That also pushes any central tissue forward and downward, making it more prominent.

Jbanx, as you can see in her profile photo, has visible abs. I do not, though I have some central muscle, because I'm choosing to stay at a mid-20s BF%, and that's one of the places where the fat likes to persist, on my body.

Also, do recognize that many women have a certain amount of swell in the abdominal area because there's organs in there that can affect body shape. That part is primarily genetics and female-hood. It won't necessarily prevent getting defined abs, but depending on what you mean by "flat", well . . . it may matter. More about that in this thread:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10689837/does-this-uterus-make-my-stomach-look-fat/p1

That thread has a bunch of photos of normal MFP women, with photos, talking about their height, weight, exercise regimen, and (if they know it) BF%, so it may give you some ideas about the range of variation, what exercise types may help you get to your goals, the role of posture, etc.

Thanks for your thoughtful reply! A couple of follow up questions:
What are some good core exercises I could do, and how often should I do them?
How do I lower my body fat %?

As I said, I'd suggest you do compound exercises, over isolation-type core exercises: Some kind of whole-body strength training program that emphasizes compound exercises (those that involve more than one muscle group in the exercise, things like bench press, deadlift, squats, shoulder press, pull-up, . . . ). That will tend to develop your abdominals, but also improve aesthetics of your body overall. (You won't "get bulky" accidentally doing that. It's what the internet influencers probably really did to get their so-called "toned" look, while advising other people to do their for-pay programs with tricksy exercise routines in them.)

There's a whole discussion about programs here:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

If you pick a program, it'll tell you what to do, and how often.

To reduce body fat percent: Lose fat, and gain muscle, or at least don't lose any.

Body fat percent is just what fraction of your body is fat. The other parts are muscle (which you can gain), bones (which don't typically change much, at least not at noticeable speed), and miscellaneous lean matter (including up to 60 percent of your body being water, plus a few other things are lean mass, like blood cells, skin, connective tissue, etc.). The ones you can realistically change to reduce body fat percent are fat and muscle.

You can use different strategies to do that, either calorie reduction (to lose weight and fat), recomposition (to stay at the same weight and gradually increase muscle mass by strength training), or by running a series of bulk and cut cycles (gain fat and muscle for a while by doing a good strength program while eating at a calorie surplus (so gain weight), then cut mostly fat for a while by limiting calorie intake while still lifting . . . and repeat).

At your current BMI of 19.0, barely above underweight, I wouldn't suggest further calorie reduction for fat loss, for your goals. Recomposition or bulk and cut cycles would be better options, IMO. Recomposition avoids intentionally adding fat, but is likely to allow slower muscle growth. Bulk and cut cycles can add more muscle relatively faster, but you would gain fat in cycles, which is not acceptable to some people. You'll need to choose the route that's best for you.

You're at a perfect age for muscle gain, and being stronger is a thing that will serve you well for the whole rest of your life, in diverse ways. (That, I do know something about, as a 66-year-old woman.) Muscle gain will also enhance your appearance, in terms of current cultural norms. It will help you be what's popularly called "toned", which women do seem to want, yes?

More info:

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

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10226536/bulking-for-beginners
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10320115/cutting-techniques-post-bulk/p1

This is not my area of expertise. I'm not particularly trying to decrease my body fat percent, that's just not my goal.

What I'm doing is talking in generalities, and referring you to parts of MFP where you can get advice from people who have the same kind of goals you're talking about, and who've been successfully pursuing them. JBanx may give you better advice from experience, because she has that kind of experience.

AnnPT77

alicehp39 wrote: »

The belly fat is my main problem

You can't spot reduce fat. That's just not how bodies work. If you want nice abs, specifically, and a nice body generally (as I suspect you do), there's more to it than that.

I suppose there's surgery, and some of the near-surgery medical techniques. Don't do that.

Did you read that thread I recommended?

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10689837/does-this-uterus-make-my-stomach-look-fat/p1

If you read it, look at the pictures, and really think about what those women's examples mean, some of your questions will be answered, I think, in a practical way, via honest examples (not sly marketing) and actual people's experiences.

yirara

You are close to being underweight already. To be honest, I can't imagine you having a lot of bodyfat. It's more likely any, or a combination of the things AnnP mentioned. How much bodyfat do you really have when you stand up straight, don't tilt your pelvis, don't wear too tight pants? Not organs that are edited out in many shiny fitness model pictures, but actual jiggly fat. Without seeing any photos my guess is that your muscles are simply underdevelopped and your posture not good. Oh, one more thing: everyone, even the slimmest person has rolls on their body when sitting down. It's not possible otherwise. Things look a bit better for men as they have some organs less there, but they also have those rolls of skin, organs, muscles, and some fat.

jsmnmrshll4417

AnnPT77 wrote: »

jsmnmrshll4417 wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Without disagreeing with JBanx (because I don't and wouldn't), in order to have visible abs, as in muscularity, there needs to be a bit of muscular development in your core. You need to have some muscles there, and you need to be at a low enough body fat for them to show.

Running is a great cardiovascular exercise, but it's not going to develop those core muscles to any major extent IMO. You could do some targeted ab work, but I think you'd get a better overall aesthetic result from strength training, utilizing the core in some compound exercises.

Another issue with not having a flat belly, even at relatively low BF%, is posture. Anterior pelvic tilt seems very common these days, maybe because women are trying to emphasize their glutes via posture, but anterior pelvic tilt also tends to push any central fat/skin outward and downward, make the person's belly more prominent than it would be if standing straight (top of pelvic bones vertically in line with bottom of pelvic bones, loosely speaking, instead of the top of pelvis tilted forward of the bottom of it).

To that, some people add a head-forward and/or rounded shoulders posture (kyphotic posture, which is not the same as congenital/structural kyphosis). That's the chin forward, shoulders forward posture many of us have from spending a lot of time hunched over phones, laptops, etc. That also pushes any central tissue forward and downward, making it more prominent.

Jbanx, as you can see in her profile photo, has visible abs. I do not, though I have some central muscle, because I'm choosing to stay at a mid-20s BF%, and that's one of the places where the fat likes to persist, on my body.

Also, do recognize that many women have a certain amount of swell in the abdominal area because there's organs in there that can affect body shape. That part is primarily genetics and female-hood. It won't necessarily prevent getting defined abs, but depending on what you mean by "flat", well . . . it may matter. More about that in this thread:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10689837/does-this-uterus-make-my-stomach-look-fat/p1

That thread has a bunch of photos of normal MFP women, with photos, talking about their height, weight, exercise regimen, and (if they know it) BF%, so it may give you some ideas about the range of variation, what exercise types may help you get to your goals, the role of posture, etc.

Thanks for your thoughtful reply! A couple of follow up questions:
What are some good core exercises I could do, and how often should I do them?
How do I lower my body fat %?

As I said, I'd suggest you do compound exercises, over isolation-type core exercises: Some kind of whole-body strength training program that emphasizes compound exercises (those that involve more than one muscle group in the exercise, things like bench press, deadlift, squats, shoulder press, pull-up, . . . ). That will tend to develop your abdominals, but also improve aesthetics of your body overall. (You won't "get bulky" accidentally doing that. It's what the internet influencers probably really did to get their so-called "toned" look, while advising other people to do their for-pay programs with tricksy exercise routines in them.)

There's a whole discussion about programs here:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

If you pick a program, it'll tell you what to do, and how often.

To reduce body fat percent: Lose fat, and gain muscle, or at least don't lose any.

Body fat percent is just what fraction of your body is fat. The other parts are muscle (which you can gain), bones (which don't typically change much, at least not at noticeable speed), and miscellaneous lean matter (including up to 60 percent of your body being water, plus a few other things are lean mass, like blood cells, skin, connective tissue, etc.). The ones you can realistically change to reduce body fat percent are fat and muscle.

You can use different strategies to do that, either calorie reduction (to lose weight and fat), recomposition (to stay at the same weight and gradually increase muscle mass by strength training), or by running a series of bulk and cut cycles (gain fat and muscle for a while by doing a good strength program while eating at a calorie surplus (so gain weight), then cut mostly fat for a while by limiting calorie intake while still lifting . . . and repeat).

At your current BMI of 19.0, barely above underweight, I wouldn't suggest further calorie reduction for fat loss, for your goals. Recomposition or bulk and cut cycles would be better options, IMO. Recomposition avoids intentionally adding fat, but is likely to allow slower muscle growth. Bulk and cut cycles can add more muscle relatively faster, but you would gain fat in cycles, which is not acceptable to some people. You'll need to choose the route that's best for you.

You're at a perfect age for muscle gain, and being stronger is a thing that will serve you well for the whole rest of your life, in diverse ways. (That, I do know something about, as a 66-year-old woman.) Muscle gain will also enhance your appearance, in terms of current cultural norms. It will help you be what's popularly called "toned", which women do seem to want, yes?

More info:

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

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10226536/bulking-for-beginners
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10320115/cutting-techniques-post-bulk/p1

This is not my area of expertise. I'm not particularly trying to decrease my body fat percent, that's just not my goal.

What I'm doing is talking in generalities, and referring you to parts of MFP where you can get advice from people who have the same kind of goals you're talking about, and who've been successfully pursuing them. JBanx may give you better advice from experience, because she has that kind of experience.

Thanks again, this is all very helpful! It makes a lot of sense too, because I've wondered in the past why I've maintained almost the same physique despite losing weight, and it's probably because I'm losing muscle and fat instead of losing fat and gaining muscle. Also, I know I'm close to underweight by bmi standards, but I also know that bmi is a flawed system that doesn't take into account many factors, so I still want to lose a bit of weight anyway. Not so much that I'll endanger my health, but just enough so that I'm a bit slimmer and leaner looking.

jsmnmrshll4417

yirara wrote: »

You are close to being underweight already. To be honest, I can't imagine you having a lot of bodyfat. It's more likely any, or a combination of the things AnnP mentioned. How much bodyfat do you really have when you stand up straight, don't tilt your pelvis, don't wear too tight pants? Not organs that are edited out in many shiny fitness model pictures, but actual jiggly fat. Without seeing any photos my guess is that your muscles are simply underdevelopped and your posture not good. Oh, one more thing: everyone, even the slimmest person has rolls on their body when sitting down. It's not possible otherwise. Things look a bit better for men as they have some organs less there, but they also have those rolls of skin, organs, muscles, and some fat.

I know I'm close to underweight by bmi standards, but bmi is a flawed system, and I still want to lose weight. I have more bodyfat than you'd think considering my weight and bmi, like I said, probably around 20% although I've never had it measure, so frankly I have no idea. I'll post pictures in a separate comment.

jsmnmrshll4417

JBanx256 wrote: »

This isn't the gospel, but it's reasonable:



BMI has no bearing on it though; plenty of bodybuilders/physique athletes are considered obese by BMI standards.

Thanks for your reply! I'm gonna post pics in a separate comment, do you think you could estimate my body fat% from that? Because idk if I'm seeing myself clearly and I might end up over or under estimating.

jsmnmrshll4417

I really didn't want to have to post pictures, but if it helps, here are some pictures that clearly show my *problem areas* a.k.a. my stomach area. I did one picture facing forward, and 2 facing sideways, one with shorts pulled up, and the other with shorts pulled down a bit so you can see my tummy pooch. Is it possible that anyone could estimate my body fat % from these pics? That would be greatly appreciated, as well as any other feedback. (Also, I just ate breakfast before I took these pics, so I'm a little bloated)

claireychn074

I’m going to say all this as someone much older than you, and I’m not being cruel but just blunt. You’re slouching and you are a woman with a teeny tiny womanly curve to your belly (do read the thread about uterus listed several times above). Stand up straighter, tuck your bum in and your belly will magically disappear. You are already lean and you DO NOT need to lose more weight - in fact if you do, your belly may appear to stick out more - it’s where your reproductive organs live and guess what? They’re not flat.

You can change the appearance of your body through lifting as that builds muscles and gives women the “toned” look they want (ie it just means you can see the muscle). I’ve posted these images before but here’s two pics of me. One flexing and one bracing for a lift - we ALL have rounded bellies at some point.

It’s sooo temping to think you have belly fat when you have a normal female physique and you compare yourself to filtered IG posts of amazing flat abs. You have a great physique, and if you want to change it please do it from a position of health and appreciating your beauty. Don’t do it because of fake images online.

AnnPT77

jsmnmrshll4417 wrote: »

I really didn't want to have to post pictures, but if it helps, here are some pictures that clearly show my *problem areas* a.k.a. my stomach area. I did one picture facing forward, and 2 facing sideways, one with shorts pulled up, and the other with shorts pulled down a bit so you can see my tummy pooch. Is it possible that anyone could estimate my body fat % from these pics? That would be greatly appreciated, as well as any other feedback. (Also, I just ate breakfast before I took these pics, so I'm a little bloated)

I'm going to be frank, with a kind intention. Try to think of me as your old internet auntie, who really cares about you and your future (because I do, even though I'm a stranger) and who wants you to be happy, but who is a bit cranky and blunt.

You are not fat. You are a slim, pretty, young woman with a lovely woman's body.

You may be under-muscled, in various ways, and I think you'll like your appearance better if you add muscle. That will be a slow thing to work on, but it will pay off big time in many ways.

You do not need to worry about looking over-muscled - however you define it - from doing that, if that's your concern or hesitation. The process is so slow, that you can dive into it with full commitment, and just keep going until you get an appearance you like. Then, when you're there, you move from a muscle-gain workout routine, to a muscle-maintenance workout routine. Don't worry right now about exactly what that distinction is, because it's many months to perhaps even years in the future. By then, you will have learned a lot more, and some of these things will be obvious.

You will see some strength and appearance improvements quickly, very likely; but those are from effects different from adding muscle mass (neuromuscular adaptation adds strength, from better recruiting and using existing muscle fibers; appearance changes involve looking a small bit more defined from how muscle repair happens - and you'll see a tiny, meaningless scale jump that's not fat, alongside that).

In your side photos, especially that 2nd one, I'm seeing some of the posture issues I mentioned. Strength training will help with that, but there are also targeted exercises you can do for that.

For posture, go to the "Bob & Brad" YouTube channels. Yeah, they're old guys. But they're also very experienced, educated, credentialed, professional actual physical therapists. Look for videos for them about "anterior pelvic tilt" especially, but also "nerd neck", "rounded shoulders" and "forward head posture". I'm not naming or linking specific videos, because there are many. (Some of their advice about diet is not very well-informed in my opinion: That's out of their scope of practice. Their physical therapy exercise videos are good.)

This next part may be frustratingly "old internet auntie", especially, but please understand that it's absolutely true, based on hard-won experience, and I think other women here who are a few decades older than you like I am will support me in this:

At your age of 20, you're just starting to come out of a sort of scary thrill ride, with lots of twists and turns, psychological, physical, emotional: That's adolescence. Your body has changed really a lot over the last 5-10 years, and that's all kind of new still.

At this stage, it's really important to make a subtle shift, if you can possibly do it, from self-criticism and a desire to fix this or that little thing, to a way of viewing yourself that involves maximizing yourself as a whole, adult woman - body, mind, spirit. On the body side of that, look for ways to challenge yourself to improve multidimensionally, do more, achieve more, look better as a consequence of doing (rather than doing fiddly little interventions to change small aspects of appearance that are this time period's fashionable thing to hate on - that's a path to unhappiness, frankly).

Value yourself. Find things you like about yourself. Celebrate what your body can do, and it will reward you by looking its very best . . . your personal very best, rather than a poor carbon copy of some IG fitness influencer (or whoever) that is probably using more photoshop and professional help than admitted. It isn't very obvious at the time, but 20-ish is where you're mapping out your route through life, not just physically, but in your thought patterns. It's really useful to get that right, worth an investment.

OK, end of lecture.

jsmnmrshll4417 wrote: »

yirara wrote: »

You are close to being underweight already. To be honest, I can't imagine you having a lot of bodyfat. It's more likely any, or a combination of the things AnnP mentioned. How much bodyfat do you really have when you stand up straight, don't tilt your pelvis, don't wear too tight pants? Not organs that are edited out in many shiny fitness model pictures, but actual jiggly fat. Without seeing any photos my guess is that your muscles are simply underdevelopped and your posture not good. Oh, one more thing: everyone, even the slimmest person has rolls on their body when sitting down. It's not possible otherwise. Things look a bit better for men as they have some organs less there, but they also have those rolls of skin, organs, muscles, and some fat.

I know I'm close to underweight by bmi standards, but bmi is a flawed system, and I still want to lose weight. I have more bodyfat than you'd think considering my weight and bmi, like I said, probably around 20% although I've never had it measure, so frankly I have no idea. I'll post pictures in a separate comment.

Yeah, the bolded: That's one of those popular cliches. No. BMI is a pretty sensible system for what it is, but what it is is misunderstood and distorted. It's a simple, non-invasive, practical way of screening people, to identify those who need further personalized scrutiny (by professionals like doctors, etc.) to know whether they're dangerously thin or dangerously overweight. It's not intended to be the total judgement on a person's body or ideal weight. Around 80% of people will find a healthy weight within the normal BMI range for their height. That may or may not be their ideal weight. That's it.

Thank you for sharing your photos. That was difficult and honest of you. I hope that you now don't feel over-criticized for doing it, because it took some serious strength for you to do it. Looking at you, you are not as scary-thin as I was concerned you might be, based on your BMI. But you are absolutely not any kind of over-fat, either. You do not need to lose weight. If you do, and do that alone, you will look "skinny" (to use the negative term). You don't want that.

If you stay at your same body weight, but gain muscle by patient strength work and good nutrition, you will look thinner. That's because - when staying at the same weight - adding pounds of muscle means you lose pounds of something, and that something is body fat. It leaves slowly, but it leaves. Please get on that kind of path, because that's a path of thriving and good health.

JBanx and I, I believe, are the same height, 5'5". As you can see from her profile photo - and I hope she won't mind me pointing this out here - she is very muscular, bodybuilder muscular. (It's taken her a tremendous amount of serious, intentional, well-planned work over many years to achieve that, BTW.) I don't know her BF%, but it's very low. My point is not that you should try to look like her, that's up to you. (I think she looks great.) My point is that last I knew, she weighed around 20 pounds more than I do, at the same height (which means she has a higher BMI, BTW). She is much thinner (leaner), has a much lower body fat percent than I do.

Now, brace yourself. In the spoiler is what my li'l ol' lady, 66-year-old, post weight loss (used to be obese, so droopy) midsection looks like these days, at a much lower weight than JBanx, and a much higher BF% - mid-20s body fat percent, on a guess (my upper body is much thinner looking than my lower body, lower looks closer to 30%, maybe higher, to me). On a guess from what you say, I think you want to move away - pretty far away 😉😆 - from what I look like, and toward what JBanx looks like - I don't know how far in that direction, but in that direction. For example, that nice @claireychn074 who posted photos above - she's in the middle somewhere, in terms of BF%.

Having seen that, you may even want to stop reading my posts or considering my advice, I dunno. I have different goals than you, and different than JBanx, and that's OK, too.