Skinny fat! Please help!

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  • lyndso11
    lyndso11 Posts: 6
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    Thanks guys, this is really helpful.

    Im currently doing:-

    - squats and deadlifts, with hip thrusts and leg extension/curls on leg days
    - machine pull ups, press ups, cable crossovers and DB shoulder press for upper body
    - cardio and core day including 10 mins of HIIT, power squats, burpee's etc...

    Im eating 1200 calories, which is what MFP has calculated I need to be in deficit, Ive heard ppl saying this is too low but Im only small and sit down all day?

    Please feel free to critique my lifting plan, diet etc... x
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    Thanks guys, this is really helpful.

    Im currently doing:-

    - squats and deadlifts, with hip thrusts and leg extension/curls on leg days
    - machine pull ups, press ups, cable crossovers and DB shoulder press for upper body
    - cardio and core day including 10 mins of HIIT, power squats, burpee's etc...

    Im eating 1200 calories, which is what MFP has calculated I need to be in deficit, Ive heard ppl saying this is too low but Im only small and sit down all day?

    Please feel free to critique my lifting plan, diet etc... x

    MFP gave you 1200 based on what you entered...let me guess 2lbs a week? If you are lifting you probably need more calories...mainly protien and fats and let the carbs fall where they may.

    I eat on average 1700-1800 a day and do Stronglifts 5x5 3x a week and do HIIT 2x a week, SL is 5 exercises...squats, DL, OHP, BP and rows...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/560459-stronglifts-5x5-summary

    I have 1lb to goal so I am now upping my calories to about 2200 a day for maintenance.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    It's all about nutrition. If you have a solid nutrition plan to compliment your health goal, you can reach your goal. The key for you is to eat five meals per day, and to consume more than your daily intake of calories. You have to eat clean, however. That is the hardest part. I have helped a few people who were "skinny fat" add muscle mass and reduce body fat, and they are now at their ideal weight. I have done the same myself. When I got on my nutrition plan, I was 152 lbs., and 13% body fat. It was not good. Now, I'm at 159 lbs., and 5.4% body fat. I did this by eating, lifting, eating, eating, and more eating. I didn't get to see all of the replies, and I don't know how you feel about sports nutrition, but that will certainly help your cause. Some are better than others, however, and I used what I felt was best, that being Herbalife. Not pushing Herbalife on you or anything, but nutrition is the key for you, not just lifting. No matter how hard you train, if you don't get the right nutrition in your body, you are not going to see results.

    computer-facepalm.gif

    What does Herbalife have to do with good nutrition, wouldn't that be the anti learning about good nutrition?
  • lyndso11
    lyndso11 Posts: 6
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    To be honest Im not doing much cardio at all... I dont enjoy it as much so I guess thats why! Im currently doing around 30 mins on my core/cardio day once a week and around 10 mins of HIIT around twice a week. Im guessing this isnt enough! :( x
  • skippygirlsmom
    skippygirlsmom Posts: 4,433 Member
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    in for the links that are posted
  • a_stronger_me13
    a_stronger_me13 Posts: 812 Member
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    To be honest Im not doing much cardio at all... I dont enjoy it as much so I guess thats why! Im currently doing around 30 mins on my core/cardio day once a week and around 10 mins of HIIT around twice a week. Im guessing this isnt enough! :( x

    That's plenty of cardio if it's something you don't enjoy and you don't have a goal to do any running, cycling, swimming events. Cardio isn't necessary to accomplish your goal, it can just make creating a deficit a little easier.

    Just to reiterate, unless you're using a food scale and weighing/measuring everything as much as you can, you don't really know if you're eating that little. Also, the 1200 that MFP recommends is NET, not TOTAL. You should be eating back exercise calories but since MFP tends to overestimate those it's a good idea to start with eating back 50%, see what happens to the scale and your measurements, check your energy levels and adjust from there. Eat back less if the scale isn't moving much, eat back more if it's moving more than a pound a week.

    Or go to the link I posted and follow those instructions for determining calorie and macro goals. Judging by your stats and assuming that outside the gym you are sedentary, your TDEE is probably between 1800-2000 calories, your BMR is about 1350. That would put you at being able to still lose weight at an ACCURATELY tracked 1500+ calories. Since you're concerned about your compensation, adequate protein is also going to be an important factor.
  • eimaj5575
    eimaj5575 Posts: 278 Member
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    Bump...same here
  • PJPrimrose
    PJPrimrose Posts: 916 Member
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    " have done the same myself. When I got on my nutrition plan, I was 152 lbs., and 13% body fat. It was not good. Now, I'm at 159 lbs., and 5.4% body fat."

    IMHO that's crazy ,unhealthy especially for a woman! Your hormones are regulated by body fat. Your vitamins are stored in body fat. 5% body fat is bizarre low for a man, too. I don't put a lot of stock in herbalife anyway but these numbers are off.
  • a_stronger_me13
    a_stronger_me13 Posts: 812 Member
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    " have done the same myself. When I got on my nutrition plan, I was 152 lbs., and 13% body fat. It was not good. Now, I'm at 159 lbs., and 5.4% body fat."

    IMHO that's crazy ,unhealthy especially for a woman! Your hormones are regulated by body fat. Your vitamins are stored in body fat. 5% body fat is bizarre low for a man, too. I don't put a lot of stock in herbalife anyway but these numbers are off.

    He never states how long he will be able to successfully maintain 5%. Most bodybuilders will get close to that but that's only for competition, they don't stay at that for extended periods of time. Also, if it's not a hydrostatic test or a DEXA scan, it's probably a wildly inaccurate measurement of body fat.
  • jardimgirl
    jardimgirl Posts: 522 Member
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    Bump for reads later
  • lyndso11
    lyndso11 Posts: 6
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    To be honest Im not doing much cardio at all... I dont enjoy it as much so I guess thats why! Im currently doing around 30 mins on my core/cardio day once a week and around 10 mins of HIIT around twice a week. Im guessing this isnt enough! :( x

    That's plenty of cardio if it's something you don't enjoy and you don't have a goal to do any running, cycling, swimming events. Cardio isn't necessary to accomplish your goal, it can just make creating a deficit a little easier.

    Just to reiterate, unless you're using a food scale and weighing/measuring everything as much as you can, you don't really know if you're eating that little. Also, the 1200 that MFP recommends is NET, not TOTAL. You should be eating back exercise calories but since MFP tends to overestimate those it's a good idea to start with eating back 50%, see what happens to the scale and your measurements, check your energy levels and adjust from there. Eat back less if the scale isn't moving much, eat back more if it's moving more than a pound a week.

    Or go to the link I posted and follow those instructions for determining calorie and macro goals. Judging by your stats and assuming that outside the gym you are sedentary, your TDEE is probably between 1800-2000 calories, your BMR is about 1350. That would put you at being able to still lose weight at an ACCURATELY tracked 1500+ calories. Since you're concerned about your compensation, adequate protein is also going to be an important factor.

    When you say eating back, do you mean for example if i burn up 100 calories in the gym then i can eat 1300? I assumed that was what i should be doing?

    Also when you say MFP over estimates calories burned do you mean that if MFP say youve burnt 100 youve actually burnt 80?

    Sorry for all the questions, Im a newbie! xx
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
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    To be honest Im not doing much cardio at all... I dont enjoy it as much so I guess thats why! Im currently doing around 30 mins on my core/cardio day once a week and around 10 mins of HIIT around twice a week. Im guessing this isnt enough! :( x

    It's not really question of is it enough or not. I was just suggesting that you could use cardio as a tool to reach your goals a bit quicker in terms of the calorie burn to help with the deficit.

    So on your days of not lifting, to fire up and keep the metabolism burn going, something in the neighborhood of at least 30-35 minutes of cardio (jogging, cycling, brisk walking, swimming, etc....) could really help trim those few pounds of fat. And it does not have to be high intensity cardio, it can be done well - especialy in Zone 2. And then be very conservative with how many calories were burned and also be conservative with how many of those calories you eat back (not all of them!). The main thing is to keep the furnace burning (hence my previous link to Scooby's video and web page who explains it well).

    Easy break down of those cardio training zones is like this...

    1. Old lady pace
    2. Chatty pace
    3. Feel good hard
    4. Feel bad hard
    5. I am going to die
    6. Flat out
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
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    also you cannot add muscle and lose body fat at the same time.

    Wrong. You need to have a Scooby snack: http://scoobysworkshop.com/gain-muscle-lose-fat/
  • PJPrimrose
    PJPrimrose Posts: 916 Member
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    . "Most bodybuilders will get close to that but that's only for competition, they don't stay at that for extended periods of time. Also, if it's not a hydrostatic test or a DEXA scan, it's probably a wildly inaccurate measurement of body fat."

    Good to know! That really is frightfully low.
  • Nice2BFitAgain
    Nice2BFitAgain Posts: 319 Member
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    To be honest Im not doing much cardio at all... I dont enjoy it as much so I guess thats why! Im currently doing around 30 mins on my core/cardio day once a week and around 10 mins of HIIT around twice a week. Im guessing this isnt enough! :( x

    I disagree - this is enough cardio combined with your weightlifting. Keep working it. You'll see results.
    If you are on the MFP 1200 plan...you should be eating back some of your calories burned during workout, preferably in protein.

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