Skinny fat people and cutting

Axels91
Axels91 Posts: 213
in Fitness and Exercise
I am really confused about this. There's so much info. I know this has already been posted but I wanted to asks own questions.

If you are slim, but still have high body fat (16-20%) should u cut cals and do cardio first, or should you maintain cals and lift weights?

I want muscle, definitely. But I'm having a very hard time deciding if I want to gain weight for it.

I want to be as lean as healthily possible with muscle definition. I do not want large muscles, but I want them very well defined.

The only meat I eat is fish or sea animals. Nothing that lives on land and eats corn and slosh.
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Replies

  • spectralmoon
    spectralmoon Posts: 1,179 Member
    Bump for curiosity.
  • Fabnover40Kat
    Fabnover40Kat Posts: 300 Member
    http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html may help you understand body fat
  • winonajosephine
    winonajosephine Posts: 122 Member
    bumb - interesting :)
  • m60kaf
    m60kaf Posts: 421 Member
    20 5 isn't high body fat for a female
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    16-20% is NOT high body fat on a woman. At all.
  • mes1119
    mes1119 Posts: 1,082 Member
    16-20% body fat is actually considered low for a female....
  • jessicaj_824
    jessicaj_824 Posts: 114 Member
    Since when is 16-20% BF high for a woman?
  • ahealthy4u
    ahealthy4u Posts: 442 Member
    I would suggest finding this book called Fast Lane to Fitness by Robert Kennedy and Dwayne Hines II it has some really good information in it for Women.

    You should be able to find it on amazon
  • StephyJeanS
    StephyJeanS Posts: 5
    16-20% body fat is not high at all for a women. Recommended is 21-29% for anyone under 30 (although if you are particularly atheletic I understand that anything from 16 -20% can still be healthy.
  • FrenchMob
    FrenchMob Posts: 1,167 Member
    I am really confused about this. There's so much info. I know this has already been posted but I wanted to asks own questions.

    If you are slim, but still have high body fat (16-20%) should u cut cals and do cardio first, or should you maintain cals and lift weights?

    I want muscle, definitely. But I'm having a very hard time deciding if I want to gain weight for it.

    I want to be as lean as healthily possible with muscle definition. I do not want large muscles, but I want them very well defined.

    The only meat I eat is fish or sea animals. Nothing that lives on land and eats corn and slosh.
    Ummm, 16-20% BF for a female is considered low-normal, not high. Anything under 15% and you might start having hormone problems, etc..

    But to answer your question, maintain cals or slightly above and weight train.
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
    I agree, it is not high at all. I'm still interested in the answer though.
  • rainunrefined
    rainunrefined Posts: 850 Member
    16-20% body fat is not high at all for a women. Recommended is 21-29% for anyone under 30 (although if you are particularly atheletic I understand that anything from 16 -20% can still be healthy.

    My thoughts exactly... I have no advice for the OP about lifting vs losing though - sorry!
  • jennifer52484
    jennifer52484 Posts: 888 Member
    16-20% is not high body fat for a woman.
  • Sp1nGoddess
    Sp1nGoddess Posts: 1,134 Member
    16%-20% is normal bodyfat. I have gotten results by increasing protein and lifting weights. In general weights 2-3x/week (full body) and cardio or other cross training 2-3x per week. Building muscle increases your resting metabolic rate - you will get leaner faster. (regardless of the number on the scale)
  • TitanGM
    TitanGM Posts: 1,161 Member
    I used to be super skinny myself. It is actually possible to be cutting and gain muscle (right now I'm doing that actually), though it requires a high self discipline. What you might not wanna do is to starve yourself, but to cut you have to go under your calorie limit so you can create a deficit in cals. The key in this diet is Protein and exercise. To build muscle you should eat at least 1.5 or higher protein per 1 pound body mass, combined with strength exercise and sometime to have better results with cardio. Right now I am following a Caloric Cycling for cutting, so if you want you can check it out
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/hugo19.htm
  • Axels91
    Axels91 Posts: 213
    Ok, I think I forgot about my BF and im closer to 25%. So with that now known, I stil want to get my body fat towards the teens.
  • yesthistime
    yesthistime Posts: 2,051 Member
    Skinny fat to fit:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/2744-skinny-fat-to-fit
  • Axels91
    Axels91 Posts: 213
    I am really confused about this. There's so much info. I know this has already been posted but I wanted to asks own questions.

    If you are slim, but still have high body fat (16-20%) should u cut cals and do cardio first, or should you maintain cals and lift weights?

    I want muscle, definitely. But I'm having a very hard time deciding if I want to gain weight for it.

    I want to be as lean as healthily possible with muscle definition. I do not want large muscles, but I want them very well defined.

    The only meat I eat is fish or sea animals. Nothing that lives on land and eats corn and slosh.
    Ummm, 16-20% BF for a female is considered low-normal, not high. Anything under 15% and you might start having hormone problems, etc..

    But to answer your question, maintain cals or slightly above and weight train.

    ok, i normally take in about 1500, without watching what i eat. i think my biggest problem is sedentary. but when i read things about weight loss they always say its 80% of your diet that will make the difference.

    thank you for the info
  • dieseljay74
    dieseljay74 Posts: 376
    Since you are already thin at a good BF for a woman, focus on weightlifting intensely. Build that muscle and keep calories the same.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    Keep calories the same and lift weights.

    And 16% body fat is awfully low lol....
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    I'm 19% body fat. Never considered myself "skinny fat" before this thread, thanks :)
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    I was 250 lbs and skinny fat, so my first order of business was to lose weight. If I was 175 lbs and skinny fat, I would have built some muscle first.
  • Axels91
    Axels91 Posts: 213
    I used to be super skinny myself. It is actually possible to be cutting and gain muscle (right now I'm doing that actually), though it requires a high self discipline. What you might not wanna do is to starve yourself, but to cut you have to go under your calorie limit so you can create a deficit in cals. The key in this diet is Protein and exercise. To build muscle you should eat at least 1.5 or higher protein per 1 pound body mass, combined with strength exercise and sometime to have better results with cardio. Right now I am following a Caloric Cycling for cutting, so if you want you can check it out
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/hugo19.htm

    thanks, i will try out the egg white even though i was trying to stay away from chickens. that body builder breakfast is very high calorie.
  • Axels91
    Axels91 Posts: 213
    haha guys, i made a mistake, i am actually 25% body fat, not 20%.

    my thighs jiggle. and i have arm flab. i am not very toned.
  • mes1119
    mes1119 Posts: 1,082 Member
    ok, i normally take in about 1500, without watching what i eat. i think my biggest problem is sedentary. but when i read things about weight loss they always say its 80% of your diet that will make the difference.

    thank you for the info

    Weight loss shouldn't be your goal if you are concerned with being "skinny fat."-Most likely, losing weight will only make things worst. You should focus on exercise and eating the proper amount of food in order to build muscle mass.

    Diet is important, but in order to have muscle mass you have to lift weights and eat enough to build those muscles. 1500 probably isn't enough to build muscle, and to be honest may be so low that you could be burning your muscle mass along with fat loss.
  • BruteSquad
    BruteSquad Posts: 373 Member
    YAY I get to post one of my favorite articles again!

    http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

    Worth the read and check out the pics!
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    1) Why are you afraid of gaining pounds on the scale? Weight means nothing when you don't have a lot of fat to lose.
    2) You can't gain enough muscle to make you look bulky. Toning means doing strength exercises, low weight high rep. But even women can lift heavy weights without looking bulky from it.
    3) If you want to see the jiggle go away, you need to focus 150% on your diet. Increase your protein to carbohydrate ratio. You're not looking to lose weight (throw the scale in a closet), you're looking to change your body composition and that is ALL diet.
  • Axels91
    Axels91 Posts: 213
    YAY I get to post one of my favorite articles again!

    http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

    Worth the read and check out the pics!

    thanks for that! although i would like to not be as large. i probably see this differently than you guys but i would rather look like yelena soboleva.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member

    thanks for that! although i would like to not be as large. i probably see this differently than you guys but i would rather look like yelena soboleva.

    She got that body partially through steroids
  • qtiekiki
    qtiekiki Posts: 1,490 Member
    I am really confused about this. There's so much info. I know this has already been posted but I wanted to asks own questions.

    If you are slim, but still have high body fat (16-20%) should u cut cals and do cardio first, or should you maintain cals and lift weights?

    I want muscle, definitely. But I'm having a very hard time deciding if I want to gain weight for it.

    I want to be as lean as healthily possible with muscle definition. I do not want large muscles, but I want them very well defined.

    The only meat I eat is fish or sea animals. Nothing that lives on land and eats corn and slosh.
    Ummm, 16-20% BF for a female is considered low-normal, not high. Anything under 15% and you might start having hormone problems, etc..

    But to answer your question, maintain cals or slightly above and weight train.

    ok, i normally take in about 1500, without watching what i eat. i think my biggest problem is sedentary. but when i read things about weight loss they always say its 80% of your diet that will make the difference.

    thank you for the info

    Well, there you go. You answered your own question. Your biggest problem is your sedentary lifestyle, so get out there and exercise. I recommend doing full body /plyometric exercises and weight lifting.

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