confused

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doyewole
doyewole Posts: 25
in Health and Weight Loss
A little background:

I am confused as to what I need to do . I am 19, 5'6 and weigh roughly from 111-115 which often fluctuates. According to the height weight chart a I'm anywhere from 9-5 pounds "under weight " and likewise with the BMI calculator my BMI is like right above the normal weight. I have never felt unhealthy or sickly or really considered myself underweight but have always been told I'm "soo skinny " and that I need to eat etc.... Up until I graduated high school I have been active I cheered, swam, played volley ball and basketball and always signed up for gym classed when I had the opportunity. During all this time I would eat decently not too badly or too healthy , with the occasional health kick.

Now for my problem:

As of recently I've noticed that I have started to pick up some weight especially in my thighs they jiggle now ,and my stomach has become a little softer but no drastic weight gain (still in my range). I want to get rid of the thigh fat and stomach fat and become leaner without getting to stocky looking. Do i need to lose any weight or start weight training, or a mix of both to achieve the look i want?


ive posted pictures on my profile

Replies

  • msbunnie68
    msbunnie68 Posts: 1,894 Member
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    To answer your questions...

    Do you need to lose weight? No. Your weight is fine :)
    Why? You are just losing your tone - your activity level and exercise level has dropped off and so is your muscle tone.
    To fix? Get back to exercising - swimming/lifting/whatever floats your boat.


    And well done you for picking this up early so it doesn't become a weight problem for you later in life :drinker:
  • preslyann50
    preslyann50 Posts: 114 Member
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    ^ Ditto!

    Just do some toning and you'll be fine. You might actually gain a couple lbs from muscle but you'll look smaller/toned
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
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    ^ Ditto!

    Just do some toning and you'll be fine. You might actually gain a couple lbs from muscle but you'll look smaller/toned

    As above.

    Don't look at the scales - look at the mirror. You'll look amazing.
  • Bobby__Clerici
    Bobby__Clerici Posts: 741 Member
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    To answer your questions...

    Do you need to lose weight? No. Your weight is fine :)
    Why? You are just losing your tone - your activity level and exercise level has dropped off and so is your muscle tone.
    To fix? Get back to exercising - swimming/lifting/whatever floats your boat.


    And well done you for picking this up early so it doesn't become a weight problem for you later in life :drinker:
    ^^^^^^^^^^
    THIS!
    Well Said
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
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    Look up TDEE, eat at that instead of BMR.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    If you want some long last results that will make your body look not "so skinny" you should do a bulk phase where you pack on 10-20 lbs of muscles. Now you will gain a little fat (its inevitable) but you follow the bulk phase with a cut phase. To do a bulk phase you you need to eat slightly above your tdee and need some heavy lifting. A program like strong lift 5x5 is a great program for beginners. Now before you freak out with myths of women looking like hulk i have provided a link to show you the benefit of gaining muscle.


    The problem with toning, a fancy word for cutting fat, is that you have little lean body mass to fill your body and you will not hage enough muscle to fill in your skin enough.


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/392784-skinny-fat-vs-fit-photo?hl=skinny+fat+vs+fit
  • doyewole
    doyewole Posts: 25
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    To answer your questions...

    Do you need to lose weight? No. Your weight is fine :)
    Why? You are just losing your tone - your activity level and exercise level has dropped off and so is your muscle tone.
    To fix? Get back to exercising - swimming/lifting/whatever floats your boat.


    And well done you for picking this up early so it doesn't become a weight problem for you later in life :drinker:

    so still do cardio just not super intense, and also is lifting the only way to build muscle?
  • doyewole
    doyewole Posts: 25
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    If you want some long last results that will make your body look not "so skinny" you should do a bulk phase where you pack on 10-20 lbs of muscles. Now you will gain a little fat (its inevitable) but you follow the bulk phase with a cut phase. To do a bulk phase you you need to eat slightly above your tdee and need some heavy lifting. A program like strong lift 5x5 is a great program for beginners. Now before you freak out with myths of women looking like hulk i have provided a link to show you the benefit of gaining muscle.


    The problem with toning, a fancy word for cutting fat, is that you have little lean body mass to fill your body and you will not hage enough muscle to fill in your skin enough.


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/392784-skinny-fat-vs-fit-photo?hl=skinny+fat+vs+fit



    so besides eating right is their anything else i need to eat specifically
  • Gemma1317
    Gemma1317 Posts: 18 Member
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    No anything that gives you a "burn" builds muscle as long as you aren't getting rid of more calories than you take in. Things like yoga & pilates are great for toning without losing weight.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    High protein is always good for muscle retention or muscle growth. If you are serious and want to bulk, i would suggest researching programs like lean gains to optimize muscle growth and limit fat. Also, you will want to limit cardio during a bulk phase as it uses a lot of calories and will increase your calorie requirements in order to gain muscle.

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