Underweight but fat??
Replies
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This. Resistance train to build lean mass, then cut fat as necessary.
And honestly, that picture almost looks like bloat more than fat because it is so localized. If you're having any GI issues or anything, it might be worth checking if you have a food intolerance. When I became lactose intolerant, I gained 3 inches around my waist... and it went away when I figured out the problem and cut out dairy.
x2.
It maybe worth have a medical check up to rule out any intolerances etc. Your stomach looks a little distended more than anything else.
Once that is ruled out then hammer those weights coupled with a good diet.0 -
First and foremost, avoid sugar, refined sugar, adding sugar etc.
Only sugar should be natural in fruits/veg and if you want to have a little sugar with your tea, then so be it but limit it as much as you can.
There are quite a few supplements you may want to add to your diet.
Start taking CLA, 1 gram pills, 3-4 times daily with meals. You can metabolize fat without even changing your exercise or your diet, by simply adding more of this fatty acid to your diet. The quality of meat and other foods is low in this country, so CLA and GLA and other fatty acids are insufficient and inadequate so start with CLA.
Another addition should be probiotic yogurt or taking a probiotic capsule. Avoid eating the mainstream yogurt brands. Stick to kefir, greek, etc. Try to avoid the yogurt with fruit, sugar, and especially sugar substitute additives. Sugar substitutes are not healthy.
Avoid soy, unless if it is fermented, it is GMO and it does not aid your body in this estrogen dominant environment.
As for your weight training, keep your heart rate up at all times while doing weights. Keep them light, 12-15 reps, with perfect form, rest every 2-4 super sets. The key is to add resistance accordingly to your improvement, do not stagnate.
I do not have any links to videos.
The tips I do recommend for your ab muscles and any muscle is to learn how to flex them to better define them. For your abs lie down as if you were going to do a regular sit up. Without raising your head or upper body, push your lower back into the floor and you should feel your lower abs tighten. Learn how to flex the different portions/areas of the abs. Learn how to flex your obliques, your upper and middle abs, etc. Once you learn how to flex any muscle you can learn how to use it better and more specifically with resistance. If you have any questions pm me.
Pretty much ignore this.
x2 on the ignoring.0 -
This. Resistance train to build lean mass, then cut fat as necessary.
And honestly, that picture almost looks like bloat more than fat because it is so localized. If you're having any GI issues or anything, it might be worth checking if you have a food intolerance. When I became lactose intolerant, I gained 3 inches around my waist... and it went away when I figured out the problem and cut out dairy.
x2.
It maybe worth have a medical check up to rule out any intolerances etc. Your stomach looks a little distended more than anything else.
Once that is ruled out then hammer those weights coupled with a good diet.
X3
If it is fat then you would have an unusually low LBM - I actually think is may well not be fat (or at least some of it).0 -
First and foremost, avoid sugar, refined sugar, adding sugar etc.
Only sugar should be natural in fruits/veg and if you want to have a little sugar with your tea, then so be it but limit it as much as you can.
There are quite a few supplements you may want to add to your diet.
Start taking CLA, 1 gram pills, 3-4 times daily with meals. You can metabolize fat without even changing your exercise or your diet, by simply adding more of this fatty acid to your diet. The quality of meat and other foods is low in this country, so CLA and GLA and other fatty acids are insufficient and inadequate so start with CLA.
Another addition should be probiotic yogurt or taking a probiotic capsule. Avoid eating the mainstream yogurt brands. Stick to kefir, greek, etc. Try to avoid the yogurt with fruit, sugar, and especially sugar substitute additives. Sugar substitutes are not healthy.
Avoid soy, unless if it is fermented, it is GMO and it does not aid your body in this estrogen dominant environment.
As for your weight training, keep your heart rate up at all times while doing weights. Keep them light, 12-15 reps, with perfect form, rest every 2-4 super sets. The key is to add resistance accordingly to your improvement, do not stagnate.
I do not have any facts
The tips I do recommend for your ab muscles and any muscle is to learn how to flex them to better define them. For your abs lie down as if you were going to do a regular sit up. Without raising your head or upper body, push your lower back into the floor and you should feel your lower abs tighten. Learn how to flex the different portions/areas of the abs. Learn how to flex your obliques, your upper and middle abs, etc. Once you learn how to flex any muscle you can learn how to use it better and more specifically with resistance. If you have any questions pm me.
This thread was going so well i almost left without commenting. Then i found this.
I fixed that one part part for him. Read the bold and ignore the rest0 -
First and foremost, avoid sugar, refined sugar, adding sugar etc.
Only sugar should be natural in fruits/veg and if you want to have a little sugar with your tea, then so be it but limit it as much as you can.
There are quite a few supplements you may want to add to your diet.
Start taking CLA, 1 gram pills, 3-4 times daily with meals. You can metabolize fat without even changing your exercise or your diet, by simply adding more of this fatty acid to your diet. The quality of meat and other foods is low in this country, so CLA and GLA and other fatty acids are insufficient and inadequate so start with CLA.
Another addition should be probiotic yogurt or taking a probiotic capsule. Avoid eating the mainstream yogurt brands. Stick to kefir, greek, etc. Try to avoid the yogurt with fruit, sugar, and especially sugar substitute additives. Sugar substitutes are not healthy.
Avoid soy, unless if it is fermented, it is GMO and it does not aid your body in this estrogen dominant environment.
As for your weight training, keep your heart rate up at all times while doing weights. Keep them light, 12-15 reps, with perfect form, rest every 2-4 super sets. The key is to add resistance accordingly to your improvement, do not stagnate.
I do not have any links to videos.
The tips I do recommend for your ab muscles and any muscle is to learn how to flex them to better define them. For your abs lie down as if you were going to do a regular sit up. Without raising your head or upper body, push your lower back into the floor and you should feel your lower abs tighten. Learn how to flex the different portions/areas of the abs. Learn how to flex your obliques, your upper and middle abs, etc. Once you learn how to flex any muscle you can learn how to use it better and more specifically with resistance. If you have any questions pm me.
Pretty much ignore this.
x2 on the ignoring.
Hahaha yep. Ignore x 394550 -
You might find that a low-carb diet gets rid of that right away. It attacks belly fat. Start with a ketogenic diet (under 10 grams of carbs/day) and gradually increase (week by week) until you find your ideal. The book "Protein Power" talks about belly fat and the reason why the low-carb diet is the only diet that specifically addresses it.
It also talks about how malnourished so many people are because they are not eating according to their own body's requirements. They don't take in enough protein. They eat too many starchy & sweet things. They don't strength-train, which releases HGH into the body (human growth hormone) that actually makes one look & feel younger. They grow belly fat.0 -
I was thinking of lifting weights but i don't have any
any suggestions on what I can use instead and what routine should I do?
You can buy decent weights for about £20 off gumtree. Considering your specifically trying to target your stomach then Ab exercises generally use the body as resistance to improve which will cost you nothing. Except I'd probably recommend a yoga mat for about £5.0 -
Your belly doesn't look like typical belly fat. I really don't want to offend you, but make sure you aren't pregnant. It looks more like bloat, a doctor's visit is a good call, like others said, an intolerance can be causing the stomach issues.
But I agree with everyone, strength train! As long as you engage your core while lifting weights with your arms, you'll give your abs a work out too. Planks, squats... YouTube can be your friend when you are looking for workouts! All of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred videos are on there!0 -
First and foremost, avoid sugar, refined sugar, adding sugar etc.
Only sugar should be natural in fruits/veg and if you want to have a little sugar with your tea, then so be it but limit it as much as you can.
There are quite a few supplements you may want to add to your diet.
Start taking CLA, 1 gram pills, 3-4 times daily with meals. You can metabolize fat without even changing your exercise or your diet, by simply adding more of this fatty acid to your diet. The quality of meat and other foods is low in this country, so CLA and GLA and other fatty acids are insufficient and inadequate so start with CLA.
Another addition should be probiotic yogurt or taking a probiotic capsule. Avoid eating the mainstream yogurt brands. Stick to kefir, greek, etc. Try to avoid the yogurt with fruit, sugar, and especially sugar substitute additives. Sugar substitutes are not healthy.
Avoid soy, unless if it is fermented, it is GMO and it does not aid your body in this estrogen dominant environment.
As for your weight training, keep your heart rate up at all times while doing weights. Keep them light, 12-15 reps, with perfect form, rest every 2-4 super sets. The key is to add resistance accordingly to your improvement, do not stagnate.
I do not have any links to videos.
The tips I do recommend for your ab muscles and any muscle is to learn how to flex them to better define them. For your abs lie down as if you were going to do a regular sit up. Without raising your head or upper body, push your lower back into the floor and you should feel your lower abs tighten. Learn how to flex the different portions/areas of the abs. Learn how to flex your obliques, your upper and middle abs, etc. Once you learn how to flex any muscle you can learn how to use it better and more specifically with resistance. If you have any questions pm me.
Pretty much ignore this.
x2 on the ignoring.
Hahaha yep. Ignore x 39455
Haha, wow! I did actually consider this because I thought maybe it was something to do with my sugar levels but with the amount of people telling me to ignore I think I will! Haha! Thanks everyone
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Throwing my hat in the ring of "build lean mass".
Remember, this means you'll need a slight surplus of calories! Enjoy the time of eating more!0 -
Your belly doesn't look like typical belly fat. I really don't want to offend you, but make sure you aren't pregnant. It looks more like bloat, a doctor's visit is a good call, like others said, an intolerance can be causing the stomach issues.
But I agree with everyone, strength train! As long as you engage your core while lifting weights with your arms, you'll give your abs a work out too. Planks, squats... YouTube can be your friend when you are looking for workouts! All of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred videos are on there!
Thanks and nope I'm definitely not pregnant!! Haha yeah YouTube's been really helpful, and I was looking at one of jillian michaels videos this morning and they look good with lots of positive feedback, so I will definitely be giving some of them ago too! Thanks! 0 -
We all store fat in different places. As long as you are happy with the shape of your body do not worry0
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I would definitely build muscle. This does mean gaining weight and eating at a surplus. I will note, it will probably be difficult to do it with body weight exercise. You can always pick up some resistance bands for fairly cheap. After you gain 10-20 lbs of muscle, you can follow it with a cut cycle to eliminate any fat gained during your bulk.0
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You might find that a low-carb diet gets rid of that right away. It attacks belly fat. Start with a ketogenic diet (under 10 grams of carbs/day) and gradually increase (week by week) until you find your ideal. The book "Protein Power" talks about belly fat and the reason why the low-carb diet is the only diet that specifically addresses it.
It also talks about how malnourished so many people are because they are not eating according to their own body's requirements. They don't take in enough protein. They eat too many starchy & sweet things. They don't strength-train, which releases HGH into the body (human growth hormone) that actually makes one look & feel younger. They grow belly fat.
Ketogenic diets do not attack belly fat, nor does it attack any type of fat. All they do is reduce the amount of glycogen and water stored. Low carb diets have already been proven to not have any advantage over any other diet. It's all around calorie restriction.0 -
^ This. Ketogenic diets have no metabolic advantage, nor do they "attack" or "specifically address" belly fat. And while there are many benefits to strength training, the amount of endogenous HGH release has been shown to be minimal and have no significant effect upon muscle protein synthesis or body fat reduction. I don't have the citation at hand, but Alan Aragon specifically discussed it in one of his research review segments.You might find that a low-carb diet gets rid of that right away. It attacks belly fat. Start with a ketogenic diet (under 10 grams of carbs/day) and gradually increase (week by week) until you find your ideal. The book "Protein Power" talks about belly fat and the reason why the low-carb diet is the only diet that specifically addresses it.
It also talks about how malnourished so many people are because they are not eating according to their own body's requirements. They don't take in enough protein. They eat too many starchy & sweet things. They don't strength-train, which releases HGH into the body (human growth hormone) that actually makes one look & feel younger. They grow belly fat.
Ketogenic diets do not attack belly fat, nor does it attack any type of fat. All they do is reduce the amount of glycogen and water stored. Low carb diets have already been proven to not have any advantage over any other diet. It's all around calorie restriction.
Belly fat will diminish through calorie deficit, and in accordance with our individual genetics. For some people it's the first to go - for others, it's the last. You can't spot reduce it - fat is inert and you can't "tone" it, exercise it or scare it away. See this scientific study and the discussion of it:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/are-blood-flow-and-lipolysis-in-subcutaneous-adipose-tissue-influenced-by-contractions-in-adjacent-muscle-in-humans-research-review.html0 -
some great ideas shared tonight!
Thanks!:happy:0 -
i too am "skinny fat," i am 5'4" and 102 pounds. my main thing are my thighs and butt. i have been doing squats at home, i got a set of dumbbells at walmart to do at home workouts. i am also working on my arms, and trying to tone my tummy (it's flat but kinda meh), so i do crunches and pushups, as well as different dumbbell exercises. toning is your best bet, and i agree with those who said to google some exercises. i got a set of 6 dumbbells, 3 5 and 8lbs at walmart for $34 if you want to try those, if not then there are ways to tone without weights0
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This is a more up to date picture taken earlier tonight..
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these are what i took earlier0
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another..
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Since you are under weight you will need to do a bulk phase to gain some muscle. Once you gain 10-20 worth of muscle then you can do a cut. That should allow you to start seeing definition. Its hard to get definition if you dont have enough muscle to support it.0
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Throwing my hat into the "gaining muscle" ring
Two things: One, to gain muscle, you have to be eating at a surplus. That means that in the process of gaining muscle (while strength training), you are going to put on a few pounds. That's normal! And you already said you're underweight, so that's something you have to not worry about. Honestly, I'd take some measurements (stomach, thigh, whatever) and compare in a month or so. Maybe put the scale away for awhile. If you're underweight and not happy with your body, how helpful is the number of your weight to you? Not at all helpful.
Two, you're asking specifically about your stomach. You can do ab exercises, sure, but those exercises will basically do nothing to the fat in your stomach area. You can build muscle in specific areas, but you can't burn fat in specific areas. The good news there is that any strength training routine is going to help with your stomach fat - it's going to help with fat everywhere.
I think the key points are making sure you're eating enough, getting a bunch of protein to help build muscles, and strength train. Do this for a couple months and reevaluate. Patience! I know a couple months is a long long time, hahaha.
You don't need to post pictures of your stomach, we get it
I'll say, I went from 36.5 inches around the widest part of my stomach to about 31 by following the advice you're hearing here. I'm not "done" but I'm heading in the right direction. Good luck!0 -
Work out with a group of people with a trainer. Get your cardio on! You are not 'fat' just out of shape. It takes hard work. You can do it!
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Honestly, have you been to the doctor? You don't look flabby at all, but it looks like something else is going on in regards to being bloated - like your stomach is swollen or something. Don't want to scare you - just want to make sure you get taken care of.
Best of luck to you.0 -
If you indeed are underweight yet feel you have low lean body mass vs fat mass, then you'll need to cycle between short periods of bulks and cuts to recomp.
First, eat the maximum amount of calories and use MFP to log everything you eat until your weight stabilizes - this will be your actual TDEE, or amount of calories needed to maintain weight. Once you have this TDEE number, start a short bulk (eating at a 200 calorie surplus above TDEE) for two to three months to increase lean body mass. During this time, you will gain some fat along with muscle, but that is the reality in gaining muscle. You will likely only gain 1 lb of muscle per month, yet there is no limit to fat gain. For this reason, a small surplus is what you should do.
Following this, drop calories until you are maintaining your weight with very predictable and minor fluctuations for a few weeks. Again, keep logging and notice how many calories are needed to maintain this new weight.
Finally, reduce calories by about 250 below what's needed to maintain to reduce fat mass. Consuming around 0.8 grams of protein per lb of lean body mass, while strength training, will help you keep more of that important muscle you gained during this cut.
You will likely have to do another bulk and cut cycle after this to get the physique you are happy with. You can read this article by Lyle McDonald about doing a bulk but he also has many interesting and relevant articles that would be of use to you.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/general-philosophies-of-muscle-mass-gain.html0 -
Throwing my hat into the "gaining muscle" ring
Two things: One, to gain muscle, you have to be eating at a surplus. That means that in the process of gaining muscle (while strength training), you are going to put on a few pounds. That's normal! And you already said you're underweight, so that's something you have to not worry about. Honestly, I'd take some measurements (stomach, thigh, whatever) and compare in a month or so. Maybe put the scale away for awhile. If you're underweight and not happy with your body, how helpful is the number of your weight to you? Not at all helpful.
Two, you're asking specifically about your stomach. You can do ab exercises, sure, but those exercises will basically do nothing to the fat in your stomach area. You can build muscle in specific areas, but you can't burn fat in specific areas. The good news there is that any strength training routine is going to help with your stomach fat - it's going to help with fat everywhere.
I think the key points are making sure you're eating enough, getting a bunch of protein to help build muscles, and strength train. Do this for a couple months and reevaluate. Patience! I know a couple months is a long long time, hahaha.
You don't need to post pictures of your stomach, we get it
I'll say, I went from 36.5 inches around the widest part of my stomach to about 31 by following the advice you're hearing here. I'm not "done" but I'm heading in the right direction. Good luck!
Thanks this is real good advice!!
Sorry about posting the extra images its just these are what I took earlier and I wanted some extra advice, but this has helped, thank you
Wow, congratulations!
lambchristie - i'm not going to be doing this as i just lose more weight, which is something i don't want to do.
RoadsterGirli - No i haven't been to the doctor its not exactly 'flabby' its just its quite hard but theres a thick layer of soft fat on top and it pokes out a lot ( if you look at my other side view images) 0 -
does anyone recommend any weight training routines to tone my stomach i cant find any that includes weight lifting??0
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does anyone recommend any weight training routines to tone my stomach i cant find any that includes weight lifting??
Skip toning. Toning doesn't build muscle. You need to build muscle, which means calorie surplus and a good weight training program. Look into a program like strong lift 5x5 or begin lift 5x5. You can also use youtube or www.bodyrock.tv to find a good weight training program.0 -
I cant find any weight lifting routines for the stomach!!
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I cant find any weight lifting routines for the stomach!!
You don't need one that targets your stomach. You can't spot reduce, so you have to lose body fat overall. Also, before you probably lose body fat, you need to add muscle so when you do a cut phase, you can have visible muscle definition. So lets repeat:
Step 1 - Bulk phase - calorie surplus and heavy weight training
Step 2 - Cut phase - calorie deficit to cut body fat to lower %
Step 3 - Repeat until you like results.0
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