HELP!!!!! SKINNY FAT ISSUE!!!!!!

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  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    @psulemon -- Ugh, I HATE those terms "bulk" and "cut". I just feel like those are meant for bodybuilders, which I'm not trying to be a bodybuilder, or even majorly obsessive or athletic or anything. At the end of the day I'd like to ultimately have my bf% rest at 20-21% with some lean muscle, but not look "ripped" or "shredded" or anything like that. I still want to have a softer, feminine look, just not so much "skinny fat" or poochy belly. Heck, I don't even care if I don't have visible ab muscles, just fairly flat. I don't think I should have to go on an extreme program for that. Plus, I know there is an advantage to being a "newbie" when you've never picked up a weight in your life and sometimes you can gain muscle fairly easily at first without a MASSIVE surplus. Idk, that's just what I've heard.

    @sarah456s -- I sure hope you and geekyjock76 are right that I haven't ruined my body!! What do you mean keep carbs low btw? How would I be able to gain weight if I'm eating too low carb? I don't want to go into ketosis or anything! Most people have said high carb is easiest to put on weight, but if I don't want too much excess fat then that might be an issue, being too high carb.

    @geekyjock76 -- Ugh, I'm totally dreading the whole thing, I'm so upset with myself I wasn't more educated on how to work with my body earlier on :,( and when you say "disproportionate amount of fat mass" are you referring to the fat specifically in the belly area, like visceral fat, or just overall? I just don't want a huge pot belly :,( my stomach is already "poochy", but I just can't handle that area becoming huge and me looking pregnant :(


    Thank you guys for the responses! Also just a general question: once my weight is back up if I wanted to cut some of the extra fat to be at 20-21%, would I be able to do that while maintaining the same weight? Like a recomp so to speak? I have seen people do that!!!

    Seriously, it's just a term. Bulk means to add mass, cut means to eliminate mass. You will not look like a body build unless you take anabolic steroids, and train for years and years. It doesn't happen by accident nor quickly. Below is a good story. Look a the difference between staci at 120 and 130. That is 10 lbs of muscle. It's lean flat and not a lot of definition. But staci wanted more and she is a power lifter eating 3000-4000 calories. At 140 she is a bit more ripped. The point being, is you can do several bulks and cuts until you get happy with body. It's not an immediate jump. In fact, if you follow what I suggested, it will probably take 4-6 months to get that progress because I would want you to work on diet and form and gaining some strength before you go real heavy. Over time, you will know when to stop bulk/cutting.

    At some people, you might want to therapy to get past some of the emotional stuff you are going through too. Doing both will give you a whole new perspective on this kind of stuff. Heck, do yourself a favor and spend time in the gaining weight subforum. You see lots of inspiration of women gaining 5-10 lbs and filling out their bodies. This may also help you get past some of your fears too.


    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
    ^This. Seriously.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    What I meant by recovering a disproportionate amount of fat was that the vast majority of weight you regain will be from fat which would be distributed relatively evenly throughout your body. Without strength training, you'll recover very little of the lost lean mass. The reason your stomach appears that way is because you lost muscle mass about the abdominal cavity. With the initial weight gain you experienced, fat filled the void where there was once muscle.

    As you mentioned, to remedy this you'll need to recomp by doing a few phases where you focus on increasing lean mass followed by a small calorie deficit period to reduce fat mass while trying to preserve the lean tissue you gained. To minimize loss of lean mass during a deficit, strength training at a certain intensity and adequate protein intake is required.

    In your unique situation, you stand to recover a fair amount of lean mass during weight recovery simply by upping and holding calories at maintenance for six months to a year while incorporating progressive strength training with sufficient protein.
  • arielledarae
    arielledarae Posts: 9 Member
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    increase you caloric intake by eating alot of healthy foods- rice, oats, sweet potato, lean meats, avocados, olive oil etc.... and lift weights!! Do not be afraid of weights, you will not look like a man.
  • sarah456s
    sarah456s Posts: 98 Member
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    @psulemon -- Ugh, I HATE those terms "bulk" and "cut". I just feel like those are meant for bodybuilders, which I'm not trying to be a bodybuilder, or even majorly obsessive or athletic or anything. At the end of the day I'd like to ultimately have my bf% rest at 20-21% with some lean muscle, but not look "ripped" or "shredded" or anything like that. I still want to have a softer, feminine look, just not so much "skinny fat" or poochy belly. Heck, I don't even care if I don't have visible ab muscles, just fairly flat. I don't think I should have to go on an extreme program for that. Plus, I know there is an advantage to being a "newbie" when you've never picked up a weight in your life and sometimes you can gain muscle fairly easily at first without a MASSIVE surplus. Idk, that's just what I've heard.

    @sarah456s -- I sure hope you and geekyjock76 are right that I haven't ruined my body!! What do you mean keep carbs low btw? How would I be able to gain weight if I'm eating too low carb? I don't want to go into ketosis or anything! Most people have said high carb is easiest to put on weight, but if I don't want too much excess fat then that might be an issue, being too high carb.

    @geekyjock76 -- Ugh, I'm totally dreading the whole thing, I'm so upset with myself I wasn't more educated on how to work with my body earlier on :,( and when you say "disproportionate amount of fat mass" are you referring to the fat specifically in the belly area, like visceral fat, or just overall? I just don't want a huge pot belly :,( my stomach is already "poochy", but I just can't handle that area becoming huge and me looking pregnant :(


    Thank you guys for the responses! Also just a general question: once my weight is back up if I wanted to cut some of the extra fat to be at 20-21%, would I be able to do that while maintaining the same weight? Like a recomp so to speak? I have seen people do that!!!

    I meant to try to eat higher in protein and veggies, and lower in carbs and sugar. Not super low carb, but maybe not like 70% carbs. MFP's standard recommendation is 55% carbs, 15% protein and the rest fat. Lots of people recommend 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat. So maybe aim for somewhere between 40 and 55 % carbs. Yes, eating more carbs is the easiest way to put weight on, but it's probably going to be fat. You are trying to build lean muscle too.

    My bf is skinny fat also, yet whenever he puts on weight if he's been going a bit crazy on the carbs, it goes straight to his belly. And seriously, his legs are like sticks. So tiny limbs with a poochy belly is exactly what you don't want! We've started training for a 5k together - he's hoping the extra running and cycling will help build his legs up a bit. Eventually he'll probably have to add strength training, but for now that's what we're starting with.
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