"Skinny Fat" and unable to shed love handles

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  • Jane717
    Jane717 Posts: 21
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    Yes, I don't eat too much. I actually don't have a big appetite naturally but I've been trying to eat at my requirement so that I can build muscle mass.
  • Stoli24
    Stoli24 Posts: 14
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    I eat properly too. I never eat junk food or fried food. I have 3 meals and usually 2 snacks per day, which include complex carbs, enough fiber, and protein in a good amount. This is why I'm so confused, I'm eating healthy and I'm exercising, so I don't know why I haven't seen any sign of progress after 12 weeks.

    You're definitely on the right path with your eating healthier foods with good ratios of complex carbs, fiber, protein, etc. The only thing missing is understanding how that food translates into number of calories per day. The only real way to know for sure how much you are eating is to weigh it. I used to use measuring cups for my oatmeal and whatnot but measuring cups are fairly inaccurate. For example, one serving of oatmeal is 1/2 cup or 40g. If you measure out 1/2 cup and weigh it, that half cup is more like 50g. So right there you are off by over 20% on your estimated calories. Things like that really add up throughout the course of the day. The good news is that after weighing food for a few weeks, your "eye ball" on how much you are actually eating improves dramatically.
  • Mama_Jag
    Mama_Jag Posts: 474 Member
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    Yes, I don't eat too much. I actually don't have a big appetite naturally but I've been trying to eat at my requirement so that I can build muscle mass.

    I would work to cut fat first, if that is your concern. That will be done with a small-moderate consistent deficit. Build after that. You can't do both at the same time.
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
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    Yes, I don't eat too much. I actually don't have a big appetite naturally but I've been trying to eat at my requirement so that I can build muscle mass.
    You're probably not eating enough to fuel your body for your workouts, then. You must eat enough. Too little is as counterproductive as too much.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Yes, I don't eat too much. I actually don't have a big appetite naturally but I've been trying to eat at my requirement so that I can build muscle mass.

    What's your calorie goal? Do you use a food scale to weigh everything you eat?
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    Yes, I don't eat too much. I actually don't have a big appetite naturally but I've been trying to eat at my requirement so that I can build muscle mass.

    Eat at a small calorie deficit, and lift heavy. Do some cardio on days not lifting, don't go crazy on cardio.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    What kind of program are you on for your weight training? Are you progressively challenging yourself in the weight room (i.e. lifting heavier and heavier weights)? How many sets and how many reps. For best hypertrophy results (no you won't bulk) do 3x 8-12...for best strength gains (and still good body composition) do 3x5 or 5x5. The key though in either case is to progressively lift more and challenge yourself.

    That said, body composition work takes a lot of time. It is detail work...just like anything you do that requires a lot of detail, it takes time. Just keep with it and keep your diet in check...not eating too little and not eating too much and eating the right kind of foods...get your protein to be sure.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    I always figure it's how you look at the issue that counts. Here's what I think. Women are designed to have 'padding' so they can carry toddlers on their hips. The more 'padding' - the more comfortable the ride. Women are supposed to look curvey to distinguish them from men. Looks like you wear hipster pants. That traditionally was a man's cut for pants. All women have some 'muffin top' now because that is virtually the only cut of pant out there for women or men. Your picture shows you in great shape. Maybe don't stress so much about the padding. Eat healthy. Exercise so you feel good. Learn to love yourself. I bet one day you will look at the mirror and be surprised that when you weren't looking you achieved the shape you always wanted.

    Best of Luck

    Umm, what picture are you looking at? The OP doesn't have any photos uploaded.
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
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    I eat properly too. I never eat junk food or fried food. I have 3 meals and usually 2 snacks per day, which include complex carbs, enough fiber, and protein in a good amount. This is why I'm so confused, I'm eating healthy and I'm exercising, so I don't know why I haven't seen any sign of progress after 12 weeks.

    Keep the calorie deficit, weights and incorporate a session or two of HIIT if you don't do it already.

    Reduce your carb intake so that you get most, if not all, from vegetables and moderate amounts of rice, potatoes and quinoa depending on your tolerance. Keep sugar intake low. Keep protein and fat at suitable levels.

    Try this for 4 weeks.

    If it doesn't work try something else.

    Visceral fat (which it seems you have an abundance of) is a possible sign of insulin resistance which responds well to the above.
  • sportyredhead01
    sportyredhead01 Posts: 482 Member
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    Another vote for:
    1. Making sure you're eating enough.
    I started out on here eating 1200 a day and nothing happened to me either. Now I eat 1800+ exercise calories. Experiment, what works for one person, may not work with another.

    2. Kettlebell
    I added Kettlebell about 2-3 months ago to my at home workouts (in addition to weight training and spin classes) and it's working wonders.

    Good luck to you! :happy:
  • newcs
    newcs Posts: 717 Member
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    It might help if you post sample strength routines that you typically do. I've seen lots of people doing routines at the gym that just aren't productive uses of their time so they're spending an hour working out but seeing less progress than others who spend 20min.

    As others have said, diet is huge. Cardio will burn calories but not do much for your mid section if your diet is out of whack (and won't really develop muscles other than in your legs...assuming you run or do other similar cardio). Some good resources for strength are the heavy lifting programs others have mentioned but personally I'm more into bodyweight stuff so I like the Nerd Fitness site/blog/forum and You Are Your Own Gym (there's a book and an app). 3 months isn't very long...stick with a good program and have patience.
  • Joeypox
    Joeypox Posts: 37
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    OOO man I know what you mean! Everyone saying the intake is right. More important what you eat (*Not all calories are created the same*). I recently started eating more fibrous vegetables to replace my other carbs like break and etc and have seen good results in the mid section which has ALWAYS been an issue. I have also changed my caloric deficit and added more protein and fiber to make me feel fuller and its been going great! Hope that helps!
  • leeroxboro
    leeroxboro Posts: 142 Member
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    I would work to cut fat first, if that is your concern. That will be done with a small-moderate consistent deficit. Build after that. You can't do both at the same time.

    I've seen this posted before and am confused....why can't you do both? Does this mean I need to get to my target weight first and then build?
  • MireyGal76
    MireyGal76 Posts: 7,334 Member
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    If you want to build muscle, which will help tighten things up, then you need to eat at some sort of calorie surplus - very mild. Even eating at maintenance has been enough for me... some days I'm under some days I'm over.

    Do a better job of tracking your food so that you know how much you are actually consuming.
    Track your exercise and eat back your exercise cals too (if you are using MFPs calcs)
    Eat more protein

    And if you can't lift heavy, then add in some bodyweight exercises... like squats, planks (front / side), pushups, lunges... those help too.

    Oh, and for me - boxing totally ripped me up... (see profile pics), so depending on how "manly" you want to get (poking fun at the curvy womanly post from page 1), then look at something like that too. It's a great stress reliever!
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    I would work to cut fat first, if that is your concern. That will be done with a small-moderate consistent deficit. Build after that. You can't do both at the same time.

    I've seen this posted before and am confused....why can't you do both? Does this mean I need to get to my target weight first and then build?

    To build muscle, you need to eat more, you need a calorie surplus.... more than you burn.... to build muscle. To lose fat, you generally have to eat less, a small calorie deficit will mean that you lose fat without losing lean muscle mass.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    I would work to cut fat first, if that is your concern. That will be done with a small-moderate consistent deficit. Build after that. You can't do both at the same time.

    I've seen this posted before and am confused....why can't you do both? Does this mean I need to get to my target weight first and then build?

    You're not going to be able to lose fat and gain significant muscle at the same time after a small amount of newbie gains. But you should still lift while you are losing fat to preserve the muscle you already have, since it's much harder to rebuild it once it's gone.
  • leeroxboro
    leeroxboro Posts: 142 Member
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    Thanks for clearing that up for me!!
  • jourdanerin
    jourdanerin Posts: 69
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    OOO man I know what you mean! Everyone saying the intake is right. More important what you eat (*Not all calories are created the same*). I recently started eating more fibrous vegetables to replace my other carbs like break and etc and have seen good results in the mid section which has ALWAYS been an issue. I have also changed my caloric deficit and added more protein and fiber to make me feel fuller and its been going great! Hope that helps!


    This is what I did to help my mid-section. I've noticed a lot more definition from cutting down my carb intake from breads and pastas to only 1 serving a day. I try to eat whole grain waffles or toast with peanut butter in the morning then eat salads for lunch and a lean meat and veggie for dinner.

    It seems to be working for me, I am also "skinny-fat". The lighter you are the less calories you burn during exercise too so hang in there!!!

    Less Carbs, More Weights.

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