Fat or lack of muscle?

Pandasarecool
Posts: 508 Member
How can I tell if I have fat or lack of muscle? I am 5' 7" 18 yr. old, 132 pound female. I am OK with my weight, but I feel flabby yet. I do body weight exercises and am starting to feel a bit of muscle developing (Mostly in my arms) But I want to know if I need to lose fat, and then I already have muscle under that, or If i don't need to lost any more fat, only gain more muscle and it will show. Feel free to check out my diary, it is open.
Also, do you think that if I do body weight exercise tapes (buns of steel, sports illustrated 1989 tone up) (All i have) 5-6 times a week, I will get a bit of muscle definition? I normally brisk walk 3-4 times a week, just haven't at all this week due to busy schedule. Thanks in advance!
Also, do you think that if I do body weight exercise tapes (buns of steel, sports illustrated 1989 tone up) (All i have) 5-6 times a week, I will get a bit of muscle definition? I normally brisk walk 3-4 times a week, just haven't at all this week due to busy schedule. Thanks in advance!
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Replies
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You are the only one who can decide what you "should" look like. How "flabby" you want to be is up to you.
In general though: if you'd like your arms (as an example) to be smaller and muscular - low weight, high reps. If you are good with the size of your arms (again just an example), then move to higher weight and less reps to build muscle mass.0 -
but I feel flabby
I think you answered your own question. It's all about personal preference/goals, and your preference is pretty clear.0 -
I found that as I lost fat, it was a lot easier to see that I need more muscle. My fat was firm! When it went away, there was a lot of empty space that needed to be pulled in by taut muscle.
I'm not a gym person, but I walk 90 minutes a day, with work and for exercises. It has helped tremendously. Really tremendously.0 -
but I feel flabby
I think you answered your own question. It's all about personal preference/goals, and your preference is pretty clear.
Really what I am asking is should I build my muscle more, or just lose more fat?0 -
but I feel flabby
I think you answered your own question. It's all about personal preference/goals, and your preference is pretty clear.
Really what I am asking is should I build my muscle more, or just lose more fat?
We can't answer that... we don't know you or how you look currently... so I go back to: Personal preference. Do you want to look thin or fit?0 -
When I lose fat without exercise I look lousy. Your mileage my differ. If you look flabby to yourself, you need to exercise.0
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When I lose fat without exercise I look lousy. Your mileage my differ. If you look flabby to yourself, you need to exercise.
The thing is, I DO exercise! Check out my exercise diary! I am afraid I might have BDD. All i see is flab...0 -
Have you taken measurements and found your body fat percentage?
If you still feel flabby, you should probably stop the body weight workouts and start with some real weights and lifting heavier. You aren't going to bulk up, you are going to increase the lean muscle you already have, which will help to increase your metabolism, which will help burn off the "flabby" bits and help you to lean out and lower your body fat percentage.
Stop caring about the scale and work on your body composition now.0 -
The thing is, I DO exercise! Check out my exercise diary! I am afraid I might have BDD. All i see is flab...
Monday: Eat 1172 - Exercise 774 = 398 net
Tuesday: Eat 939 - Exercise 241 = 698 net
Wednesday: Eat 717 - Exercise 269 = 448 net
Thursday: Eat 867 - Exercise 0 = 867 net
Friday: Eat 814 - Exercise 314 = 500 net0 -
The thing is, I DO exercise! Check out my exercise diary! I am afraid I might have BDD. All i see is flab...
Monday: Eat 1172 - Exercise 774 = 398 net
Tuesday: Eat 939 - Exercise 241 = 698 net
Wednesday: Eat 717 - Exercise 269 = 448 net
Thursday: Eat 867 - Exercise 0 = 867 net
Friday: Eat 814 - Exercise 314 = 500 net
This^
If you are not eating enough of healthy foods, I'm not sure that your body will ever look or feel good. Very low levels on most days of protein and fat. Not good. MFP defaults for protein and fat are already too low, don't go even lower. Please EAT.
Even just ditching the artificial sweeteners (for real food) and eating full fat products (instead of low or no fat) will probably help a lot.0 -
If you want a body like the below 2 links, then gain muscle. But either way, you have to get passed the emotional issues before we can help. Unforutately, there are too many women who are unhappy about their bodies, regardless of how tight their body is. If you do want to gain muscle, you are going to need to triple your food intake. 800 calories isn't even enough to maintain your muscle let alone build new muscle
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/392784-skinny-fat-vs-fit-photo?hl=skinny+fat+vs0 -
but I feel flabby
I think you answered your own question. It's all about personal preference/goals, and your preference is pretty clear.
Really what I am asking is should I build my muscle more, or just lose more fat?
When I weighed 128, I was "skinny-fat". I had starved myself to get down to 135, and then I became very ill and was hospitalized (I won't bore you with the details). When I got out of the hospital, I weighed 128, but I was plenty flabby. I looked terrible---very pale and gaunt. The starvation diet had caused a lot of problems--among them, the loss of a lot of lean tissue. In the period following, I couldn't seem to stop piling on fat all over my body and I had absolutely no energy---total exhaustion. I should have gone on a moderate diet with plenty of exercise, but instead, I tried every diet that was ever in vogue at that time--each time, gaining back the weight I had lost plus more--and I was still exhausted all the time. Finally, my husband begged me to just stop all the silly diets and try to get healthier. My weight stabilized (too high though) ---but at least, I had gained my energy and health back to some degree. I have been afraid to get serious about reducing my body fat until fairly recently and THIS time I seem to be doing okay healthwise. This is a roundabout way of suggesting that you follow a sensible diet and increase your exercise and then let your body be what it wants to be. Please don't become a victim of the "dietocracy".0 -
Wow. Based on what's been posted of your diary and then taking a quick look, you may want to seek some professional help. You are severely underfeeding yourself while working out too much for what you're eating and still feeling like you are too fat. If you don't already have a serious eating disorder, you are quickly headed that way. Please get help before you make yourself seriously ill.0
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I just read your food diary and what I see is that you should eat "real" food instead of fake stuff. Just doing that will add enough calories to your diet that you should be OK. So basically stick with the same plan, just switch back to real foods. Real yogurt, real organic preserves with real sugar (not fake sweetener or hfcs), use brown sugar or organic cane sugar in your coffee, a piece of regular string cheese instead of weight watchers brand, stuff like that. You don't have to eat more, just try to eat the less processed forms of what you have on your food journal.
I would bet that you are getting some odd symptoms from your diet like headaches, nausea, brain fog, and fatigue. That all goes along with fake this, artificial that, and fat free stuff. That stuff is not healthy, but it WILL lead to migraines and other health problems down the road.
And go to the general weight loss thread - I can't remember the title, and read some of those articles for newbies that are pinned at the top. I know you aren't a newbie to dieting but I think those articles will help you understand why your mindset just needs to adjust a little. And I'm not suggesting that you're in starvation mode. Good grief that term is used to death around here and it seems you either believe in it or you don't. But what I think is YOU need to eat more REAL foods which will bring your calories up to a more reasonable amount for a given day.
You've got to feed your muscles and avoid the processed foods.0
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