Lifting weights didn't fix skinny fat-need help (WOMEN ONLY PLS)

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thepinkbananabanana
thepinkbananabanana Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I read in order to fix being skinny fat, you need to lift weights. I did for a year. Now, I just have muscle underneath the fat.

I love being so much stronger, but I hate that I've been working so hard and still have so much flab. I also changed my eating habits greatly and eat much healthier now, and I am good about not eating too much. I did moderate cardio workouts regularly, too, but did more weight lifting than anything else.

So, what now? How do I finally lose the fat and continue to gain muscle? Any previously skinny fat women have some advice for me?
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Replies

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    That's where you go back to a small deficit and keep lifting.
  • kshadows
    kshadows Posts: 1,315 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    That's where you go back to a small deficit and keep lifting.

    Truth.
  • thepinkbananabanana
    thepinkbananabanana Posts: 9 Member
    edited January 2016
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    What would constitute a small deficit?
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    edited January 2016
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    To lose the fat, cut calories. Keep lifting.

    BTW this is the same for women and men.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    thepinkbananabanana wrote: »
    What would constitute a small deficit?

    Roughly 250 a day below your TDEE
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    Then you probably weren't skinny fat. You were probably just overweight.

    If you are happy with the level of muscle mass you have, i suggest you cut your calories and continue lifting. Making sure to keep adequate protein levels during this phase and continuing with weight lifting will help with retaining muscle mass.

    Some say run a "small" deficit, but i don't see any reason it has to be so small. Especially considering you have been at this for a year and don't feel you've seen the progress you're looking for. I say run a moderate deficit for 12 weeks and see what happens.
  • Nice2BFitAgain
    Nice2BFitAgain Posts: 319 Member
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    If you want to know how many calories you should be eating you need to give more info - age, weight, activity level
  • Sumiblue
    Sumiblue Posts: 1,597 Member
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    How much do you need to lose? I set MFP to lose .5/lb week since I only wanted to lose 20lbs. I lifted heavy, lost 17lbs and lost a fair amount of fat. Keep protein macros high enough so you don't lose too much muscle when dieting. Fat really started coming off when I stuck to my deficit and kept up a good progressive lifting program in the last 4 months. How often do you lift and what is your program?
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    What are your stats (height, weight, age)? Are/were you really skinny fat? Was your BMI in the healthy range and your BF% in the unhealthy range? What is your current BF%?

    Is it possible you just have trouble seeing yourself accurately in the mirror?
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    GuitarJerry wrote: »
    juggernaut1974 wrote: »
    thepinkbananabanana wrote: »
    What would constitute a small deficit?

    Roughly 250 a day below your TDEE

    You're a man. That can't be right. ;)

    I knew that was you Mrs. Juggernaut!
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
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    Can you give us your stats?
  • thepinkbananabanana
    thepinkbananabanana Posts: 9 Member
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    Rainbow, I was underweight when I started. Skinny fat means your weight is fine, but you don't have much muscle and are pretty flabby. Sumiblue, I don't care that much about losing weight. I just want to lose my flab. I have actually gained weight since lifting weights, but it seems to be muscle and not fat. I did lose some fat, but it wasn't much at all.

    I'll try to keep a closer eye on my calories and eat at a small deficit. Merely losing weight is easy, but getting in shape (build muscles, improve stamina and endurance, lose flab, eat the right amount of calories and macros, etc.) is a lot more complicated than I thought it would be.
  • Sumiblue
    Sumiblue Posts: 1,597 Member
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    If you were underweight then I see why you might not want to deficit. Have you been tracking your calories throughout? Lifting is only part of the equation. You have to eat properly to fit your goals. It's impossible to say what you might do without knowing your stats & your current calorie goal & lifting program.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    Without knowing your stats (height, weight, which lifting program you've been doing), it's really hard to give any specific advice. However, if you don't have much underlying muscle mass, losing more weight is probably not going to help. Your best bet may be a recomp, where you eat at maintenance and continue to lift. Recomps are slow processes so you're not going to see changes overnight, but over time a recomp could help you develop some muscle mass and lose some of the overlying fat.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    You need a dexa scan

    You could just be body dysmorphic

    Best to get the data in
  • JayRuby84
    JayRuby84 Posts: 557 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    That's where you go back to a small deficit and keep lifting.
    Exactly.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,902 Member
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    thepinkbananabanana wrote: »
    I read in order to fix being skinny fat, you need to lift weights. I did for a year. Now, I just have muscle underneath the fat.

    I love being so much stronger, but I hate that I've been working so hard and still have so much flab. I also changed my eating habits greatly and eat much healthier now, and I am good about not eating too much. I did moderate cardio workouts regularly, too, but did more weight lifting than anything else.

    So, what now? How do I finally lose the fat and continue to gain muscle? Any previously skinny fat women have some advice for me?

    If you were doing a structured, progressive weight lifting program, which one was it?

    If not, what was your routine?
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    thepinkbananabanana wrote: »
    Rainbow, I was underweight when I started. Skinny fat means your weight is fine, but you don't have much muscle and are pretty flabby. Sumiblue, I don't care that much about losing weight. I just want to lose my flab. I have actually gained weight since lifting weights, but it seems to be muscle and not fat. I did lose some fat, but it wasn't much at all.

    I'll try to keep a closer eye on my calories and eat at a small deficit. Merely losing weight is easy, but getting in shape (build muscles, improve stamina and endurance, lose flab, eat the right amount of calories and macros, etc.) is a lot more complicated than I thought it would be.

    If you are underweight and want more muscle you need to AT LEAST eat at maintenance. You might gain strength but you won't put on muscle eating at a deficit. A slight surplus will yield faster results.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    OP, could you state the following:
    * your height
    * your weight
    * how many calories you've been eating
    * how much weight you gained while lifting
    * what lifting program you're following
    * if you're using a homemade lifting program, what exercises are you doing and how often are you doing them

    That would help us to help you better.

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