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

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.

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:

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 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.

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.

Ok so if you have weight to lose do you lose that first then try to gain muscle and why am I fat and doing toning exercises if it won't build muscle since im eating at a deficit obviously to lose weight:noway:

Heavy deadlifts are amazing using the stronglifts 5x5 program

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.

Ok so if you have weight to lose do you lose that first then try to gain muscle and why am I fat and doing toning exercises if it won't build muscle since im eating at a deficit obviously to lose weight:noway:

Yes. You lose the weight first. If you go and eat in a caloric surplus in order to gain muscle you will also be adding some fat along with that, that's basically inevitable. At a higher bf% you body is more susceptible to gaining fat at a higher unwanted rate as opposed to if you bulked while starting at a leaner bf%. Macronutrient partitioning is also better while starting out lean. Also, by bulking starting out at a higher bf% there is always the higher chance that you will just start feeling to fat and will abandon the mission.

There are no "toning" exercises. You lift heavy weights and consume adequate amounts of protein in order to maintain or minimize lbm loss while in a caloric deficit.

So why do they say that when the weight fluctuates on the scale you probably gained muscle and what about the before and afters of people who say they lifted heavy they were fat before and skinny after how do you explain that were they eating at a surplus :sad:

what about the before and afters of people who say they lifted heavy they were fat before and skinny after how do you explain that were they eating at a surplus :sad:

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.

So why do they say that when the weight fluctuates on the scale you probably gained muscle and what about the before and afters of people who say they lifted heavy they were fat before and skinny after how do you explain that were they eating at a surplus :sad:

Weight fluctuations can usually be attributed to glycogen/water retention or reduction and undigested food. People will say they are gaining muscle because that's just what they believe due to misinformation or not really understanding the process.

The people you see in the pictures who were fat then got skinny or lean with well defined muscle were not eating in a caloric surplus, they were in a caloric deficit.