Skinny fat to skinny is HARD :(

HMVOL7409

First-posters who feel the weight is too low; do some research bc it's not for some people. I'm 5'2 and 113 with plenty of muscle. It's true some aren't built to be on the lower end but it doesn't mean it's not healthy. The actual range is 109-135 and I also didnt lose LBM. If you also want to say people at a small weight can't have muscle check Jaime Eason out; she's 5'2 110 lbs when's she's leaned out.

OP-I went from 130 to 113 through lifting, running and diet. It's not easy but I wasn't try to lose it fast either. Lift heavy, body recomp is more important than any number. You also need to make sure you're eating enough. I suggest opening your diary bc your goals require adequate nutrition. I eat 2000+ calories daily in order to train well.

Wen37

I am in same boat as well. I go from 120-123 (water weight) My goal is 110. I have tried P90X, a lot of Jilian's workouts and am now doing Les Mills Combat. I recently starting weight lifting again. And from suggestions from some friends on here upped my calories to 1500. I hope this combination works for me. We shall see. Don't give up. We just have to find what works for us.

CatLadyyy

At 5'2 your goal is perfectly healthy.. not too low at all! I went from 127 to 105.. The last little bit was VERY hard .. you need to be a little more strict than usual, clean eating and lots of work outs! I always kept a cheat day where I got to go abit wild.. it really helps!

stacw1987

Thanks everyone for all the advise! I guess I have been a bit wishy washy with what I said. I hope what I write will create a clearer picture for everyone. When I say skinny fat, I guess what I actually mean is, vanity lbs! I want to look string, athletic and healthy. Maybe skinny fat is wrong thing to say but I have seen it used to describe vanity lbs!

My diary said I should aim to eat 1200 calories and I DO eat my exercise calories back if I can. The last 3 days have been a little crappy for me eating and exercise wise....but I am not going to dwell, tomorrow is a new day and I am going to start a fresh with the advise and tips people have given me here.

I do follow a weights program. I started 3 weeks ago and I have gone down 2% body fat with it, weighing 123lbs and 21% BF. My weights program is dumbell only since I don't have access to barbells etc. Below I will write out what I do. I aim to workout 5-6 days a week.

Monday:

Dumbell bench press 3 sets 12 reps
dumbell corksrew " "
Squat with dumbell on shoulders " "
Dumbbell pullover " "
Dumbell weighted crunch 4 sets 20 reps

Then I do my abs program followed by 30 - 40 mins cardio usually inc HIIT training

Tuesday :

Dumbbell front raise 3 sets 12 reps
Dumbell row kickbacks " "
Weighted crunch 4 sets 20 reps
Dumbbell deadlift " "
Arnold Press " "

Then I do my abs program followed again by cardio, same as above

Wednesday:

Rest day

Thursday:

Dumbell deadlifts
Incline dumbbell pec fly
Dumbell lunge
weighted crunch
Dumbell bicep curls (all same reps etc as above)

Abs program and cardio again

Friday:

Repeat Mondays weights, cardio but no abs program

Saturday:

Repeat Tuesdays weights with abs and cardio

Sunday:

Depending on how I am feeling I either repeat Thursdays weights or have a rest day.

I take Micro Whey protein after every session. I also take fish oils to plus vitamins.

Again this might not make sense but this might give you a more clear picture. I think from what you guys have said I just need to throw the scales out for a while, crack on with it, eat more and concentrate on measurements and body fat.

Thanks guys!

HMVOL7409

Thanks everyone for all the advise! I guess I have been a bit wishy washy with what I said. I hope what I write will create a clearer picture for everyone. When I say skinny fat, I guess what I actually mean is, vanity lbs! I want to look string, athletic and healthy. Maybe skinny fat is wrong thing to say but I have seen it used to describe vanity lbs!

My diary said I should aim to eat 1200 calories and I DO eat my exercise calories back if I can. The last 3 days have been a little crappy for me eating and exercise wise....but I am not going to dwell, tomorrow is a new day and I am going to start a fresh with the advise and tips people have given me here.

I do follow a weights program. I started 3 weeks ago and I have gone down 2% body fat with it, weighing 123lbs and 21% BF. My weights program is dumbell only since I don't have access to barbells etc. Below I will write out what I do. I aim to workout 5-6 days a week.

Monday:

Dumbell bench press 3 sets 12 reps
dumbell corksrew " "
Squat with dumbell on shoulders " "
Dumbbell pullover " "
Dumbell weighted crunch 4 sets 20 reps

Then I do my abs program followed by 30 - 40 mins cardio usually inc HIIT training

Tuesday :

Dumbbell front raise 3 sets 12 reps
Dumbell row kickbacks " "
Weighted crunch 4 sets 20 reps
Dumbbell deadlift " "
Arnold Press " "

Then I do my abs program followed again by cardio, same as above

Wednesday:

Rest day

Thursday:

Dumbell deadlifts
Incline dumbbell pec fly
Dumbell lunge
weighted crunch
Dumbell bicep curls (all same reps etc as above)

Abs program and cardio again

Friday:

Repeat Mondays weights, cardio but no abs program

Saturday:

Repeat Tuesdays weights with abs and cardio

Sunday:

Depending on how I am feeling I either repeat Thursdays weights or have a rest day.

I take Micro Whey protein after every session. I also take fish oils to plus vitamins.

Again this might not make sense but this might give you a more clear picture. I think from what you guys have said I just need to throw the scales out for a while, crack on with it, eat more and concentrate on measurements and body fat.

Thanks guys!

That's a lot of activity for 1200 cals and could be why you're not dropping. You're not overweight so you're not going to build muscle in a deficit. I suggest changing your goal to 0.5 lb loss per week and aim to eat at least 1/2 your exercise cals back or figure your TDEE and eat at a 15% cut. Check these links out.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

Lift

AdrieneJ

The last two pounds for me was the HARDEST THING EVER. It's weird, though... now that I've reached my goal weight, fluctuating up and down by a few pounds isn't so bad. It's getting there that's the hardest part.

Give yourself lots of opportunities to enjoy the body you've created thus far, and then challenge yourself with a few new things. I bet the last few pounds will come off in no time!

KANGOOJUMPS

stop eating, exercise more, there, your skinny.

MissDeAnn

Start with simply walking for 30 to 40mins a day, and drinking plenty of water. As far as food goes use this site to help you track your calories and get support. As you fall into this routine add in more cardio, resistance training,etc.

haroon_awan

Okay. I almost always start with this:

Have a read of http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/how-to-estimate-maintenance-caloric-intake.html

To summarise it, eat: ~11-13 cal/lb of bodyweight.
For example, you weigh 123lbs so for fat loss you should eat between 1353 (11*123) and 1599 (13*148) calories per day.
Set protein to 1g/lb of weight.
Set fat to 0.5g/lb of weight.
Fill the remaining calories with carbs.

Eat the same on ALL days, regardless of whether you are training or not. Of course, it needs to be adjusted for each individual and this is mainly trial and error. My actual maintenance is about 3200 even though I weigh 157lbs and am 172cm tall. I've used a ton of calculators and equations, but the one that's working for me right now is the Schofield equation here http://www.globalrph.com/schofield_equation_bmr.htm

In terms of training, it seems you might be going a bit overboard, especially with the cardio/HIIT/ab sessions. You should put your large compound movements eg squats/deadlift/bench press at the beginning of your sessions as they are the most demanding and most effective exercises. The actual sessions also look a bit muddled,
eg Thursday
Dumbell deadlifts - lower back/posterior chain
Incline dumbbell pec fly - chest
Dumbell lunge - quads
weighted crunch - abs
Dumbell bicep curls - biceps

You don't have to work every/most large muscle groups every session. I would suggest either a good 3 day routine like push/pull/leg. You can also do another training cycle like:

Day 1 Chest and Back
Day 2 Legs
Day 3 Rest
Day 4 Shoulders and Arms
Day 5 Chest and Back
Day 6 Rest
Day 7 Rest
Start with Legs
or
Day 1 Back and Shoulders
Day 2 Legs
Day 3 Rest
Day 4 Chest and Arms
Day 5 Back and Shoulders
Day 6 Rest
Day 7 Rest
Start with Legs

But I would highly suggest doing a planned routine like this
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/phul-workout
It's by Brandon Campbell, who also has a YouTube page that is one of the best fitness channels on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/CampbellFitnessTV
You can of course do anything else, eg Wendler 531, PHAT, German Volume Training etc