Skinny-fat to defined

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aubyshortcake
aubyshortcake Posts: 796 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi, I'm sorry if this has been asked before but I am a complete fitness noob and in need of some guidance. I've just about reached my general goal weight but I guess you could say I'm still "jiggly"/"soft" (forever a couch potato, bad bad). I've decided to start some strength training at home (currently no access to a gym). I just want to look tighter and more defined, and hopefully get some abs (totally rockin the 1 pack right now).

My question is..when I do this, should I still be eating at a deficit to get the last bit of jiggle off or will the strength training alone take care of that? I'm at the size I want to be, just not the body comp. I am 5' 3", 103ish, very small bone structure, if that makes any difference :) thank you in advance!

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  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    My suggestion, and keep in mind this is without knowing all your details, would be to start something like a StrongLifts program, 2 or 3 days a week, and on the days you lift, add in an extra 100-200 calories. Other than that, it sounds like you've figured out how to get to your goals, so I wouldn't mess with that too much.

    Stick with it for a month, and then re-evaluate.

    Good luck!
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
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    Really depends what your currently eating and what amount of exercise your doing. As the person above mentioned, stronglifts is a great program.. but if your undereating your not going to see the results you want either way.. On top of that depending on your weight loss journey if you lost a sufficient amount of lean body mass or you didn't have much in the first place.. your goal may not be attainable.

    Use one of the calculators to figure out what you should be eating, you should only have a deficit of like .5 a week or so and lift heavy.. Also take measurements to figure out your bf% (general idea) to see how much you need to progress.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    I would eat at maintenance or slightly below. The above advice to eat just a little more on days you lift might work too. It will take a little bit of figuring out.

    Have you figured out what exercises/plan you are going to do? I workout completely at home if you need any suggestions.
  • CantStopWontStop92
    CantStopWontStop92 Posts: 165 Member
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    1. Clean up your eating habits: I'm not saying become a disciple of the All Holy Church of Clean Eating, but hone in on what you can do:) Cut out pop, sweets, and unneccesary sugar and fats. Be aware of sodium content too. We both have small frames, so bloating caused by sodium is more noticeable.

    2. Up your protein: Quest bars and egg whites just became your new best friends.

    3. Hit the weights! Make the change from cardio bunny to weight training beast. Honestly I found weight training more enjoyable too.

    4. Keep at it! I know I tend to get lazy because I think, "well I'm at the right weight, I don't need to put in the extra work." Trust me though, the work is well worth it.

    Best of luck OP:)
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    It will take a little bit of figuring out.

    Yeah, agreed. I think that's the key message here - there is no exact formula, just have to take your best guess, and then adjust based on results.
  • bubaluboo
    bubaluboo Posts: 2,098 Member
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    I'm the same...in for great information :smile:
  • hottamolly00
    hottamolly00 Posts: 334 Member
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    Strength train, strength train, strength train! :) I heard P90X3 is coming out soon... and it's only 30 minutes long!! Friend me if you need motivation or help.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
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    Buy Starting Strength.

    Win at life.
  • funforsports
    funforsports Posts: 2,656 Member
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    Strength train with heavy weights
    Eat high protein diet
    Use a calorie surplus to gain some muscle
    Use a caloric deficit to get rid of fat - shed fat slowly

    I use to be skinny fat as well and have slowly been able to change my body little by little. Takes time though so be patient.
  • aubyshortcake
    aubyshortcake Posts: 796 Member
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    Thank you all for the replies, I really appreciate it! This all sounds like great advice. I'm starting very small as I have the worst time sticking to things, doing 4 days a week - alternating upper body/core exercises with lower body. I currently have been netting 1280 a day, and according to MFP my maintenance (as sedentary) is 1480 (I haven't figured out my actual number yet). I had bumped up to 1390 for about a month but began looking constantly bloated (maybe glycogen or whatchamacallit? I have no idea..lol) so I lowered my intake again and it went away. Since the exercises I'm starting with are so minimal, I'm assuming I should leave it at sedentary for now....is that correct?
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
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    That really depends on what activities you end up deciding to do.

    Macro breakdown is probably going to be just as important as total calories for you.
  • aubyshortcake
    aubyshortcake Posts: 796 Member
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    Well, I've completed 3 days of my plan so far. The hardest part is getting myself into the habit! I got a few quest bars to help with protein too. Even though it's only been a short time, for some reason I already feel better, possibly in my head but hey no complaints here! I tried to do pull ups the other day..woooooo that was hilarious. :p
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
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    quest bars are ok, but try to get the bulk of your protein from real food if you can. It helps if you try to populate the majority of your meals with protein-inclusive foods. If you do that, then by the end of the day you'd be surprised how much you can get in without supplementation.

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