I'm "skinny fat" how can i gain muscle but lose fat?

My advice is to eat at maintenance and recomp. Get 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass (if you don't know your LBM, get .8 grams per pound of weight), and .35 grams of fat per pound of body weight. Start a progressive loading strength training program. If you've got access to a gym (it sounds like you have) do a beginner routine like Stronglifts or Starting Strength.

Recomping means you're going to VERY SLOWLY build muscle while losing fat. I've done it for the past year. My weight is the same but I've dropped 2 pants sizes.

The other option is to bulk and cut (at your weight you shouldn't be cutting any more). But since it doesn't seem like you've got your training down yet, I'd spend 6 months or so learning to lift properly before bulking. It's not strictly necessary but I think it was helpful for me personally.

Ditto this. Start with a body recomposition plan. You are brand new to lifting, and despite the conventional wisdom that you can't lose fat and gain muscle at the same time there's this big demographic that has the ability to do so for a few months: NEWBIES!! Eat at maintenance for 6 months and lift heavy. Re-evaluate and if you need more muscle, eat at a slight surplus. If you need to cut more fat, eat at a slight deficit.

Get a good strength training program. Start with something similar to Stronglifts but add in glute work from Strong Curves. Download Stronglifts and get Strong Curves off Amazon. I started this whole thing at 5'7" and 120 pounds. My first year, I dropped a size and stayed relatively the same weight. I'm sitting at 134 pounds this morning wearing the exact same size jeans I started in. The last time I weighed this much, I was 2 sizes bigger. I don't have abs right now because I'm eating at a surplus, but I get abs when I cut.

My advice is to eat at maintenance and recomp. Get 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass (if you don't know your LBM, get .8 grams per pound of weight), and .35 grams of fat per pound of body weight. Start a progressive loading strength training program. If you've got access to a gym (it sounds like you have) do a beginner routine like Stronglifts or Starting Strength.

Recomping means you're going to VERY SLOWLY build muscle while losing fat. I've done it for the past year. My weight is the same but I've dropped 2 pants sizes.

The other option is to bulk and cut (at your weight you shouldn't be cutting any more). But since it doesn't seem like you've got your training down yet, I'd spend 6 months or so learning to lift properly before bulking. It's not strictly necessary but I think it was helpful for me personally.

I like her advice.
She took the time to write it out better than I did. :laugh: :laugh:

My advice is to eat at maintenance and recomp. Get 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass (if you don't know your LBM, get .8 grams per pound of weight), and .35 grams of fat per pound of body weight. Start a progressive loading strength training program. If you've got access to a gym (it sounds like you have) do a beginner routine like Stronglifts or Starting Strength.

Recomping means you're going to VERY SLOWLY build muscle while losing fat. I've done it for the past year. My weight is the same but I've dropped 2 pants sizes.

The other option is to bulk and cut (at your weight you shouldn't be cutting any more). But since it doesn't seem like you've got your training down yet, I'd spend 6 months or so learning to lift properly before bulking. It's not strictly necessary but I think it was helpful for me personally.

This x 1000. I know you might get confused because there's some bad, almost horrible advice in this thread but the advice above will actually stear you in the right direction and not leave you spinning your wheels.

Lift weights and do core exercises. Like others have said, both the Stronglifts 5x5 and New Rules for Women are great programs (I've done them both) for lifting and are easy to follow. I also like the CXWorx program by Les Mills for core work. I don't know if your gym has it but if not you can find some of the workouts on YouTube or can purchase them on eBay. I definitely saw more of a body composition change with the core class as well as with the lifting.

I'm confused about this not being able to build muscle while losing weight thing. I swear I continuously get better at all the exercises I do and can lift heavier dumbbells now way better than I could before (I have little to no muscle).

Am I confusing terms or something? Is it not that I'm building muscle? Isn't muscle what makes you stronger? I can't see a difference at all, but I know that I can do my routine a lot better and have made it harder. It would literally be like, nothing to most people, but I sat on my butt for the past 7 years so.. yeah.

Can someone help me out with this? I can't imagine that there is any way I am imagining a drastic change from the things I could do on day one to the things I can do now as far as toning exercises go. Is that different than building muscle? You can build strength without building muscle?

disclaimer: I'm not saying anyone is right or wrong at all. I'm seriously confused.

I'm confused about this not being able to build muscle while losing weight thing. I swear I continuously get better at all the exercises I do and can lift heavier dumbbells now way better than I could before (I have little to no muscle).

Am I confusing terms or something? Is it not that I'm building muscle? Isn't muscle what makes you stronger? I can't see a difference at all, but I know that I can do my routine a lot better and have made it harder. It would literally be like, nothing to most people, but I sat on my butt for the past 7 years so.. yeah.

Can someone help me out with this? I can't imagine that there is any way I am imagining a drastic change from the things I could do on day one to the things I can do now as far as toning exercises go. Is that different than building muscle? You can build strength without building muscle?

disclaimer: I'm not saying anyone is right or wrong at all. I'm seriously confused.

You're building strength.

My advice is to eat at maintenance and recomp. Get 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass (if you don't know your LBM, get .8 grams per pound of weight), and .35 grams of fat per pound of body weight. Start a progressive loading strength training program. If you've got access to a gym (it sounds like you have) do a beginner routine like Stronglifts or Starting Strength.

Recomping means you're going to VERY SLOWLY build muscle while losing fat. I've done it for the past year. My weight is the same but I've dropped 2 pants sizes.

The other option is to bulk and cut (at your weight you shouldn't be cutting any more). But since it doesn't seem like you've got your training down yet, I'd spend 6 months or so learning to lift properly before bulking. It's not strictly necessary but I think it was helpful for me personally.

I like her advice.
She took the time to write it out better than I did. :laugh: :laugh:

QFT

I'm doing the same as you, although I went the wrong way and cut first (from 163lbs down to 143lbs), now trying to bulk up (D'oh!!).

I'm on bodybuilding.com to track my gym work, and I'm currently following "All Pro Beginner's Routine".

This routine is 3 days a week of Compound lifts (google them) I do this Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

I do a hell of a lot of cardio as well, so it'll take me a lot longer to bulk up, but this should help you get started, if combined with all the GOOD advice given on diet above.

You cannot gain muscle and lose fat simultaneously.

Choose one.

The best you can do while losing fat is preserving as much muscle as possible--you do this by consistently eating in a moderate caloric deficit.

On the other end of the spectrum, the best you can do while aiming to gain muscle is to gain as little fat as possible--you do this by consistently eating in a moderate caloric surplus. That being said, it's impossible to gain absolutely no fat while eating in a surplus.

This is an interesting take… are you a personal trainer? I'm interested in learning more about your opinion, because I have always experienced the process simultaneously.

You may make strength gains while in deficit.
You will not get mass while in deficit.....unless you are a "noob" to lifting.....
Then you get some initial gains there.....
But after you have been doing it for years, you will not see that anymore.

So take me for instance.
Since August of 2013 (I was 183).....I have been in a bit of a caloric deficit.
RIght now, I am 172
My lifts have not suffered, I have had some really good days where I went in and banged out some weight I have never done before.
But I don't look any bigger.....I have not went up in size.