Skinny fat to fit - success stories?

alright_cb123
alright_cb123 Posts: 8
in Fitness and Exercise
Im 5ft3, female, 128lbs, wear a size 10(UK) but have 29.9% body fat! (The results of dropping 21 pounds the wrong way)
My body looks worse now than it did before... typical.

So my question is, has anybody successfully got rid of a skinny fat body? Did you have a high BF% and lacked muscle mass?
How did you go about it and how long did it take you?

:)

Replies

  • jayjay12345654321
    jayjay12345654321 Posts: 653 Member
    In for the answer. I was injured 3 months ago and though I've lost weight, it's been mostly muscle from not being able to walk. I'm 5'8" and 134 lbs. but my BF% has hit an all time high of 35%, so I'm interested in this, too.
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,078 Member
    After 3 kids and not exercising much (at all) in 10 years I was skinny fat.

    A year after my 3rd baby I decided to lose the babyweight, found mfp and seeing what everyone was doing workout wise I changed my training programs as my fitness increased.

    I now lift weights, train in karate and do Bootcamp and circuit classes. I'm feel I am quite lean with decent muscles.

    So yes it can be done!
  • Sarahliquid
    Sarahliquid Posts: 201 Member
    I started at 31.6% bf. At 5'5" and 130 lbs. I am losing one percent a month without changing my weight. I do 10-20 of cardio and 30-45 min of strength training 3 times per week.
  • fortally
    fortally Posts: 78
    I'm in the "skinny fat" category. 5' 6" and currently 130 lb. Anytime I even mention that I am working out, trying to get in shape, or working on my fitness I get a barrage of "But WHY?? You're skinny!!" It drives me crazy because, yes, while 'technically' I'm a healthy weight I am NOT at a healthy body fat (over 30%). I'm really small boned, so people don't realize that I'm not trying to 'get skinny' - I'm trying to get rid of fat that is packed around my middle and my organs. Heaven forbid I say I'm trying to eat healthier and make better food choices. I get lectures about eating disorders.

    Anyway - a few years ago I did it. Dropped down to about 18% body fat and finally looked toned and healthy in my clothes. I think my weight was mid 120s? (not entirely sure, didn't matter to me). I did it through exercise. 5-6 days/week alternating between cardio and sculpt dvds. Mostly early Jillian stuff (Frontside, Backside), Tae Bo, and step aerobics. I also did South Beach diet in conjunction with the exercise.

    It worked - but ultimately it wasn't sustainable. I got busy with work, slowly fell off the exercise wagon, and started eating more processed foods. While my body responded fabulously to a low-carb, high-protein & tons of exercise regimen - my mind didn't. I felt restricted. I missed nachos and cookies. I missed eating like a normal person. Over time it added up, and now here I am starting over again. My weight got up to 136 (STILL considered "healthy") but my body was a mess and my body fat was back up to over 30%.

    SO - this time around the exercise regimen is the same. Consistency, burning calories, and using weights to tone/sculpt is the ONLY way I have found that works to lower my body fat %. But I'm not doing a "diet." I'm basically following what others call 80%/20% and IIFYM. In 30 days I've lost 6 pounds and gone down one size in jeans. I'm starting to see some definition in my abs, and a couple of days ago I realized my undies aren't skin tight anymore - they've actually gotten loose (especially around the bottom of my butt - guess the squats are working!). :laugh:

    Anyway - as a life-long "skinny-fat" person - exercise, exercise, exercise - and don't deprive yourself. Doing 20 squats is FAR more effective in reshaping my butt than skipping a slice of chocolate cake.

    Just my two cents. Hope you find what works for you!
  • Sarahliquid
    Sarahliquid Posts: 201 Member
    I forgot to mention i also went from very low calorie and low carb eating to full range eating 2000 calories per day while lowering my body fat and maintaining my weight. This makes it all worthwhile!
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    *
  • alright_cb123
    alright_cb123 Posts: 8
    I forgot to mention i also went from very low calorie and low carb eating to full range eating 2000 calories per day while lowering my body fat and maintaining my weight. This makes it all worthwhile!

    Was going to ask how your diet was. Don't think i consume enough and it doesn't help me. Get to scared eating more though!
    But its eating more of the right foods.
  • alright_cb123
    alright_cb123 Posts: 8
    I'm in the "skinny fat" category. 5' 6" and currently 130 lb. Anytime I even mention that I am working out, trying to get in shape, or working on my fitness I get a barrage of "But WHY?? You're skinny!!" It drives me crazy because, yes, while 'technically' I'm a healthy weight I am NOT at a healthy body fat (over 30%). I'm really small boned, so people don't realize that I'm not trying to 'get skinny' - I'm trying to get rid of fat that is packed around my middle and my organs. Heaven forbid I say I'm trying to eat healthier and make better food choices. I get lectures about eating disorders.

    Anyway - a few years ago I did it. Dropped down to about 18% body fat and finally looked toned and healthy in my clothes. I think my weight was mid 120s? (not entirely sure, didn't matter to me). I did it through exercise. 5-6 days/week alternating between cardio and sculpt dvds. Mostly early Jillian stuff (Frontside, Backside), Tae Bo, and step aerobics. I also did South Beach diet in conjunction with the exercise.

    It worked - but ultimately it wasn't sustainable. I got busy with work, slowly fell off the exercise wagon, and started eating more processed foods. While my body responded fabulously to a low-carb, high-protein & tons of exercise regimen - my mind didn't. I felt restricted. I missed nachos and cookies. I missed eating like a normal person. Over time it added up, and now here I am starting over again. My weight got up to 136 (STILL considered "healthy") but my body was a mess and my body fat was back up to over 30%.

    SO - this time around the exercise regimen is the same. Consistency, burning calories, and using weights to tone/sculpt is the ONLY way I have found that works to lower my body fat %. But I'm not doing a "diet." I'm basically following what others call 80%/20% and IIFYM. In 30 days I've lost 6 pounds and gone down one size in jeans. I'm starting to see some definition in my abs, and a couple of days ago I realized my undies aren't skin tight anymore - they've actually gotten loose (especially around the bottom of my butt - guess the squats are working!). :laugh:

    Anyway - as a life-long "skinny-fat" person - exercise, exercise, exercise - and don't deprive yourself. Doing 20 squats is FAR more effective in reshaping my butt than skipping a slice of chocolate cake.

    Just my two cents. Hope you find what works for you!


    Oh I'm the same, if they haven't seen me naked then they don't have a say in what my body looks like and how it needs to be improved :p

    18%? Thats brilliant! Bet you looked fantastic. I lost weight so easily but its been over a year of different diet and exercise regimes now to try get rid of my new smaller (but wobblier body)!

    Happy that you found something that worked for you though.

    Hopefully all my trial and error (mainly error) will end with some successful results this year. Fingers crossed. :)
  • curvyrunner
    curvyrunner Posts: 8 Member
    I'm 5'5 and 125. Not sure if I'm quite skinny-fat - I run a lot - but also seriously need to do tone. My soft belly, hips and thighs look awful.
    I also think I should eat more - at the moment around 1500 but I do a lot of cardio. Bit it's scary to!
    So you found the Jillian McK workouts helpful? And didn't gain when you upped your cals?
  • chatogal
    chatogal Posts: 436 Member
    18% body fat for a woman is not normal....no wonder it cant be sustained!! Stop beating yourselves up lovely young ladies, embrace a normal body fat percentage (about 25%) for young women. You are MEANT to have a bit of body fat...it keeps you healthy. Stop making such derogotory remarks about yourselves...it gives off the wrong message to young girls who might already have weird and warped images of what is normal for young women. Think of the "barbie doll" mentality.
  • SJ46
    SJ46 Posts: 407 Member
    18% body fat for a woman is not normal....no wonder it cant be sustained!! Stop beating yourselves up lovely young ladies, embrace a normal body fat percentage (about 25%) for young women. You are MEANT to have a bit of body fat...it keeps you healthy. Stop making such derogotory remarks about yourselves...it gives off the wrong message to young girls who might already have weird and warped images of what is normal for young women. Think of the "barbie doll" mentality.

    18% body fat for a woman *is* normal, there is nothing wrong with a woman aspiring to have a lean physique just like there is nothing wrong with a woman choosing to maintain some body fat to have a softer physique.
  • fortally
    fortally Posts: 78
    I'm 5'5 and 125. Not sure if I'm quite skinny-fat - I run a lot - but also seriously need to do tone. My soft belly, hips and thighs look awful.
    I also think I should eat more - at the moment around 1500 but I do a lot of cardio. Bit it's scary to!
    So you found the Jillian McK workouts helpful? And didn't gain when you upped your cals?

    The last time I lost weight I was eating a really calorie restricted diet and working out like crazy. I did South Beach, and while I lost weight it was really tough because my blood sugar was constantly out of whack. It worked - I'm not going to lie - but it was a pretty miserable experience, and I didn't stick with it. But at the time I was mainly doing Jillian, Biggest Loser dvds, and The Firm (old school Firm - the tapes that make you cry!). And yeah, I got my body fat really low with those dvds. . I was probably the sleekest (and certainly thinnest) I've ever been.

    This time around I'm actually eating a lot more calories. I want to get that sleek body back, but I don't want to be miserable in the process. I eat a high fat/high protein diet with loads of veggies. I also eat about 100g of carbs a day, so not "low-carb" by any means, but the majority of it comes from beans, lentils, veggies, and a small amount of whole grains. And I lost 6 pounds in the first month (136 to 130) even though I eat whole eggs every day, full-fat dairy, nuts, lots of avocado & olive oil. I was scared of eating more calories too, but it is actually working.

    I'm doing the exact same workouts as before. I really hate Jillian (sorry, no offense intended) - so I do her workouts enough to learn the routines and then put her on mute. But they are super effective - the Frontside/Backside are plain & boring, but when done back-to-back they kick my butt! I'm also doing more cardio this time around (heart health), so my progress is a little slower, but that's okay. I'm still shrinking!

    (Edited: just to clarify, when I said I got my body fat "really low" it was in comparison to where it WAS to begin with! I still had plenty of curves left, believe me! :smile: )
  • chatogal
    chatogal Posts: 436 Member
    18% body fat for a woman is not normal....no wonder it cant be sustained!! Stop beating yourselves up lovely young ladies, embrace a normal body fat percentage (about 25%) for young women. You are MEANT to have a bit of body fat...it keeps you healthy. Stop making such derogotory remarks about yourselves...it gives off the wrong message to young girls who might already have weird and warped images of what is normal for young women. Think of the "barbie doll" mentality.

    18% body fat for a woman *is* normal, there is nothing wrong with a woman aspiring to have a lean physique just like there is nothing wrong with a woman choosing to maintain some body fat to have a softer physique.
  • solarpower03
    solarpower03 Posts: 12,161 Member
    Weight lifting
  • chatogal
    chatogal Posts: 436 Member
    nope...not normal...too low...unhealthy, ...oh dear!!
  • fortally
    fortally Posts: 78
    18% body fat for a woman is not normal....no wonder it cant be sustained!! Stop beating yourselves up lovely young ladies, embrace a normal body fat percentage (about 25%) for young women. You are MEANT to have a bit of body fat...it keeps you healthy. Stop making such derogotory remarks about yourselves...it gives off the wrong message to young girls who might already have weird and warped images of what is normal for young women. Think of the "barbie doll" mentality.

    Generalizations aren't really that helpful. While 18% might be too low for some, it may be fine for others. The reason I didn't sustain it had more to do with my diet. I'm hypoglycemic, and I was attempting a super-low carb diet. Maybe physically I could have kept it up, but not mentally. So a donut here and some chocolate there led to blood sugar problems, which had me reaching for more sugar to compensate, etc. THAT is why I didn't keep it up, and THAT is why I'm approaching it differently this time.

    Good lord, I am NOT saying I shrunk myself down to a stick figure (please don't make assumptions!), OR that I beat myself up. I'm not exaggerating when I say I'm small boned. I just don't carry excess fat as well as some women can. My best friend was like that - she could carry 15 extra pounds and look fabulous. Fifteen extra pounds on me just doesn't sit well on my frame. I don't get lovely and curvy - the fat just wads itself up around my middle and my backside. It's NOT derogatory to myself to want a toned and tight body!

    How on earth am I sending the "wrong message" to young girls? I'm eating a balanced, healthy diet that works well for me mentally AND physically. I'm doing sculpting workouts to tone my body AND cardio workouts to strengthen my heart. I have a reasonable goal weight that is appropriate for MY body type, and as I stated in another post somewhere I've actually UPPED my calories because the weight is coming off a little TOO fast. If that's "weird" and "warped" for you, well then, I guess so be it because it is working well for me!
  • SJ46
    SJ46 Posts: 407 Member
    nope...not normal...too low...unhealthy, ...oh dear!!

    What are you basing this on? Personal aesthetic opinion? Something else?

    According to the American Council on Exercise 18% BF falls under the "athlete" descriptor, it is not described as unhealthy.
    http://www.builtlean.com/2010/08/03/ideal-body-fat-percentage-chart/
  • fortally
    fortally Posts: 78
    nope...not normal...too low...unhealthy, ...oh dear!!

    What are you basing this on? Personal aesthetic opinion? Something else?

    According to the American Council on Exercise 18% BF falls under the "athlete" descriptor, it is not described as unhealthy.
    http://www.builtlean.com/2010/08/03/ideal-body-fat-percentage-chart/

    I agree, because an "athlete" exactly how I would describe myself at that time. My life revolved around fitness, and excuse me, but I worked my a** off to get the body I had. I was not a stick figure, I was RIPPED, and I am PROUD of what I accomplished. I'm not going to apologize for that! And I'm certainly not going to apologize for working to get that body back!
  • chatogal
    chatogal Posts: 436 Member
    nope...not normal...too low...unhealthy, ...oh dear!!

    What are you basing this on? Personal aesthetic opinion? Something else?

    According to the American Council on Exercise 18% BF falls under the "athlete" descriptor, it is not described as unhealthy.
    http://www.builtlean.com/2010/08/03/ideal-body-fat-percentage-chart/

    I agree, because an "athlete" exactly how I would describe myself at that time. My life revolved around fitness, and excuse me, but I worked my a** off to get the body I had. I was not a stick figure, I was RIPPED, and I am PROUD of what I accomplished. I'm not going to apologize for that! And I'm certainly not going to apologize for working to get that body back!

    well...go ahead...noone is stopping you, if that is your aim in life. Just dont go purporting it as a normal body fat percentage for the average young woman who still wishes to maintain a normal fertility. By all means be "atheletic"...and certainly dont aplogise for it. I never said you should apologise. Good luck with your atheletics :smile:
  • alright_cb123
    alright_cb123 Posts: 8
    I definitely agree that its all in weight lifting though. I used to do a weights class, nothing major, around 4-5 times a week and my body/ skin just looked miles better, much firmer and tighter but i never did any cardio after being a cardio bunny and a trainer telling me it was really bad for me.

    A friend of mine who does fitness comps had a fellow competitor draw up a 4 week fitness plan for me which includes 20 mins of HIIT to drop my body fat and 40 min sessions in the free weights room 6 times a week lifting as much as possible.
    It looks great but being a typical girl I'm too scared to go in the free weights room cause its always full of men (even though people say it isn't) and i don't have a gym buddy. :(
  • SJ46
    SJ46 Posts: 407 Member
    I definitely agree that its all in weight lifting though. I used to do a weights class, nothing major, around 4-5 times a week and my body/ skin just looked miles better, much firmer and tighter but i never did any cardio after being a cardio bunny and a trainer telling me it was really bad for me.

    A friend of mine who does fitness comps had a fellow competitor draw up a 4 week fitness plan for me which includes 20 mins of HIIT to drop my body fat and 40 min sessions in the free weights room 6 times a week lifting as much as possible.
    It looks great but being a typical girl I'm too scared to go in the free weights room cause its always full of men (even though people say it isn't) and i don't have a gym buddy. :(

    Just go for it! You know what they say - fake it till you make it. Walk in there like it is the most natural thing in the world and before you know it you'll find that you are in your comfort zone.
  • fortally
    fortally Posts: 78
    well...go ahead...noone is stopping you, if that is your aim in life. Just dont go purporting it as a normal body fat percentage for the average young woman who still wishes to maintain a normal fertility. By all means be "atheletic"...and certainly dont aplogise for it. I never said you should apologise. Good luck with your atheletics :smile:

    Wow, you're the first person I've ever heard who made "athletics" sound like a dirty word.

    BTW - This thread was about experiences with going from skinny-fat to fit. Do you have any *personal* experience with that? Because I'm pretty sure that's what the OP was asking about. But I suppose comments about my fertility are always enlightening and helpful...

    OP - your plan sounds awesome! It won't be long before you and I both are posting pics of our rockin bods in the success thread! :smile: Don't let the gym intimidate you - every single one of those people in the weight room were newbies themselves at some point. Most people are so focused on themselves at the gym that you have to practically drop the weights on their feet before they even notice you. Don't stress - after a few trips it'll feel like home. :flowerforyou:
  • alright_cb123
    alright_cb123 Posts: 8
    OP - your plan sounds awesome! It won't be long before you and I both are posting pics of our rockin bods in the success thread! :smile: Don't let the gym intimidate you - every single one of those people in the weight room were newbies themselves at some point. Most people are so focused on themselves at the gym that you have to practically drop the weights on their feet before they even notice you. Don't stress - after a few trips it'll feel like home. :flowerforyou:

    Such a positive attitude :) always helps, thank you!

    I know. Hopefully! (Fingers crossed)
  • tomcornhole
    tomcornhole Posts: 1,084 Member
    Lift heavy things.

    Be a nerd.

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
  • emilym173
    emilym173 Posts: 11
    What's up with the body shaming and fertility assumptions? I'm new to MFP, but I assumed this would be a no snark zone. Silly me, I guess. If you dislike the term skinny fat, fine. You don't have to use it. I personally don't find it to be an offensive term and don't think we need to talk down to ladies who use it.

    I agree, generalizations are not helpful. What is normal for one person may not necessarily be normal for another. Everyone is different and genetics play a big role in things. I didn't read her personal experience as purporting an athletic body fat percentage as an ideal for all average ladies.

    OP: I am still struggling with being "skinny fat." I found that the best way to combat this is a complete lifestyle overhaul. I had such a fast metabolism growing up that I never had to worry about weight gain. In fact, I seemed completely incapable of gaining weight. I ate whatever I wanted (heavy carbs! fried food! candy!) because I never saw bad consequences. That really screwed me up when I hit my twenties. My lack of activity level and poor eating habits finally caught up to me. I still have a petite body frame (I weigh around 125 and wear a size 4), but am carrying a bunch of cellulite.

    Now I try to eat clean (learning how to cook really helped with that) and live an active lifestyle. I've learned to love working out. Like everyone is saying, weights will definitely help with toning. I try to do a combination of different things, like running, yoga, p90x3, hiking and rock climbing (I highly recommend this activity for gaining muscle tone), so I don't get bored of doing the same thing all the time.
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    I took up weights and boxing fitness, increased my protein a lot, mostly from chicken, fish, greek yoghurt and cottage cheese, ate a mostly natural diet, as in nuts, seeds, fruits, veggies, eggs, sweet/baked potatoes, cheese, and did some interval training as well, in the form of running sprints. I also ran outside. That took me down from about 24% bodyfat (result of a few months of really severe binging) to 12-14% bodyfat within 5 months. Oh, and I also ate in the region of 2000-3000 calories a day, depending on activity. I note, in spite of that low bodyfat%, I still got my periods and was fully functional.

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