Skinny fat
alexandracraia
Posts: 7 Member
Hey guys! So i started my new lifestyle journey 2 months ago because i was really unhappy of how i looked (i am what they call skinny fat, which means i have a low BMI, i am very slim, but have a quite high body fat percentage and also all my fat is stored on my belly). I started doing research and found out that i had to lose fat while also gaining muscle (body recomposition). I started going to the gym 5 days a week and counting my calories very strictly (i’ve not eaten any fast food or unhealthy food since i started this journey). The thing is in the first month i wasn’t aware of the tracking calories process, i actually started doing it a month ago. In the first week of cutting (with an average of 1100 cal/day), I lost almost 1kg and dropped 0,7% body fat. In the following week (~1300 cal/day), I lost another 0,4kg and dropped 0,3% body fat. In the third week (~1200 cal/day), I gained 0,2kg and 0,2% body fat. My question is: why did that happen? I didn’t have a calorie surplus. Also, I tracked my macros and apparently my body responds well to 130g carbs, 50g fat and 70-80g of protein. My initial weight was around 52kg. This morning i weighed myself and I have 50,8 kg, 14,5% body fat and 40% muscle mass. Is the scale accurate though? because it seems that my body fat is kinda low, but i do have a pretty large belly.
Sorry for the long post, but i just want to know what exactly should i do to drop the belly fat. Any help is highly appreciated! Thank you
Sorry for the long post, but i just want to know what exactly should i do to drop the belly fat. Any help is highly appreciated! Thank you
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Replies
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Scales are not great at measuring BF%. Having said that, 14% is very low for a woman. You might want to focus on eating enough to maintain your weight and building muscle.
Your weight fluctuates all the time. You have more in your body than just fat, and the other stuff affects the scale, especially water weight. I can lose or gain 2 or 3 lbs over the course of a couple of days based on a high sodium dinner, being slightly dehydrated from alcohol, or hormone swings throughout the month.
Have you seen this thread? https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p16 -
either your scales are wrong or you have a very warped sense of what is a normal amount of bodyfat.
14% is very low and you are not in any way 'skinny fat'.12 -
I agree with the others you are not skinny fat. I would say if you aren't happy with your body composition it is more a result of lacking muscle. Fat on top of muscle looks different than the same amount of fat alone.
Weight fluctuates and when you start new workouts or add more food and carbs water weight can increase. Try not to panic.
If you are at the bottom of a BMI I would probably think about gaining weight at some point, maybe after a few months of maintaining. Recomp at a very low weight and being so lean is not as optimal for muscle building and you will likely go around in circles with your progress.5 -
alexandracraia wrote: »Hey guys! So i started my new lifestyle journey 2 months ago because i was really unhappy of how i looked (i am what they call skinny fat, which means i have a low BMI, i am very slim, but have a quite high body fat percentage and also all my fat is stored on my belly). I started doing research and found out that i had to lose fat while also gaining muscle (body recomposition). I started going to the gym 5 days a week and counting my calories very strictly (i’ve not eaten any fast food or unhealthy food since i started this journey). The thing is in the first month i wasn’t aware of the tracking calories process, i actually started doing it a month ago. In the first week of cutting (with an average of 1100 cal/day), I lost almost 1kg and dropped 0,7% body fat. In the following week (~1300 cal/day), I lost another 0,4kg and dropped 0,3% body fat. In the third week (~1200 cal/day), I gained 0,2kg and 0,2% body fat. My question is: why did that happen? I didn’t have a calorie surplus. Also, I tracked my macros and apparently my body responds well to 130g carbs, 50g fat and 70-80g of protein. My initial weight was around 52kg. This morning i weighed myself and I have 50,8 kg, 14,5% body fat and 40% muscle mass. Is the scale accurate though? because it seems that my body fat is kinda low, but i do have a pretty large belly.
Sorry for the long post, but i just want to know what exactly should i do to drop the belly fat. Any help is highly appreciated! Thank you
If you're truly at 14% body fat which I doubt, you shouldn't be cutting at all.4 -
For recomp you are usually eating at maintenance and using a progressive strength training routine to build muscle. Recomp is very slow - plan for 2 years to see final results. If you are trying to see something happen in 3 weeks, then maybe recomp is not well suited for you. Maybe a more traditional bulk/cut cycle would be more in line with your goals, or even something like Leangains where you cycle up/down from day to day.2
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How tall are you? There comes a point where cutting is not going to help you, and adding mass/bulking, will provide much better results. If you are or are close to being underweight, then it's generally a good time to bulk.4
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Eat more, lift more. Follow a lifting program. You should not be losing weight when recomping, but with your low bf%, you should actually bulk instead.2
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Thank you everyone for your replies! @psuLemon I am 172cm. Guys, I don’t think the scale is pretty accurate though, because I do have a lot of belly fat and there is no way that I am at only 14% body fat. I would probably estimate it at around 20-25%. I thought about bulking, but that means I’ll get an even bigger belly and I really don’t want that to happen. My goal is to lose the abdominal fat, no matter how many months it would take.0
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alexandracraia wrote: »Thank you everyone for your replies! @psuLemon I am 172cm. Guys, I don’t think the scale is pretty accurate though, because I do have a lot of belly fat and there is no way that I am at only 14% body fat. I would probably estimate it at around 20-25%. I thought about bulking, but that means I’ll get an even bigger belly and I really don’t want that to happen. My goal is to lose the abdominal fat, no matter how many months it would take.
posting pictures may be helpful? we'd then be able to give better advice on whether a bulk/cut or recomp would be best0 -
alexandracraia wrote: »Thank you everyone for your replies! @psuLemon I am 172cm. Guys, I don’t think the scale is pretty accurate though, because I do have a lot of belly fat and there is no way that I am at only 14% body fat. I would probably estimate it at around 20-25%. I thought about bulking, but that means I’ll get an even bigger belly and I really don’t want that to happen. My goal is to lose the abdominal fat, no matter how many months it would take.
The thing is without adequate muscle base, you will struggle to get rid of the fat. Due to your stats you really have nowhere to go but gain, as recomping underweight is very suboptimal. Your body will not be in a prime position to put on muscle and it will not give up essential fat very easily. I've seen many in your position they spin their wheels and get nowhere until they realize this. You can try to maintain for a bit but I would really urge you to run a lean bulk. It will be hard but that will be what you need to change your body composition.7 -
TavistockToad wrote: »alexandracraia wrote: »Thank you everyone for your replies! @psuLemon I am 172cm. Guys, I don’t think the scale is pretty accurate though, because I do have a lot of belly fat and there is no way that I am at only 14% body fat. I would probably estimate it at around 20-25%. I thought about bulking, but that means I’ll get an even bigger belly and I really don’t want that to happen. My goal is to lose the abdominal fat, no matter how many months it would take.
posting pictures may be helpful? we'd then be able to give better advice on whether a bulk/cut or recomp would be best
The first one is from like 5-6 weeks ago, the one in the yellow shirt is from today and the last one is me flexing.
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alexandracraia wrote: »Thank you everyone for your replies! @psuLemon I am 172cm. Guys, I don’t think the scale is pretty accurate though, because I do have a lot of belly fat and there is no way that I am at only 14% body fat. I would probably estimate it at around 20-25%. I thought about bulking, but that means I’ll get an even bigger belly and I really don’t want that to happen. My goal is to lose the abdominal fat, no matter how many months it would take.
If I am converting correctly, you are 5"6, 110 lbs? If that's right, you are already underweight. Losing weight is not going to help how you look at all, and even if you do lose weight it still might not shrink that area like you want it to.
If you refuse to gain a little weight, at least eat at maintenance and work a progressive lifting program to build some muscle. I'll add - we are always our worst critics and tend to see what we consider our weak spots as far worse than they actually are.
Some other things to consider - how is your posture? Bad posture can have you sticking out your belly without realizing it. And many women don't have a flat or concave midsection no matter how thin they get, it's not how we're built.9 -
alexandracraia wrote: »Thank you everyone for your replies! @psuLemon I am 172cm. Guys, I don’t think the scale is pretty accurate though, because I do have a lot of belly fat and there is no way that I am at only 14% body fat. I would probably estimate it at around 20-25%. I thought about bulking, but that means I’ll get an even bigger belly and I really don’t want that to happen. My goal is to lose the abdominal fat, no matter how many months it would take.
If I am converting correctly, you are 5"6, 110 lbs? If that's right, you are already underweight. Losing weight is not going to help how you look at all, and even if you do lose weight it still might not shrink that area like you want it to.
If you refuse to gain a little weight, at least eat at maintenance and work a progressive lifting program to build some muscle. I'll add - we are always our worst critics and tend to see what we consider our weak spots as far worse than they actually are.
Some other things to consider - how is your posture? Bad posture can have you sticking out your belly without realizing it. And many women don't have a flat or concave midsection no matter how thin they get, it's not how we're built.
5'7.5 bmi 16.97 so severely underweight.3 -
alexandracraia wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »alexandracraia wrote: »Thank you everyone for your replies! @psuLemon I am 172cm. Guys, I don’t think the scale is pretty accurate though, because I do have a lot of belly fat and there is no way that I am at only 14% body fat. I would probably estimate it at around 20-25%. I thought about bulking, but that means I’ll get an even bigger belly and I really don’t want that to happen. My goal is to lose the abdominal fat, no matter how many months it would take.
posting pictures may be helpful? we'd then be able to give better advice on whether a bulk/cut or recomp would be best
The first one is from like 5-6 weeks ago, the one in the yellow shirt is from today and the last one is me flexing.
You are definitely NOT skinny fat.7 -
You look fine in that last pic tbh2
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You're definitely not skinny fat, and considering that you're underweight, I'm also not surprised that your BF % is 14 percent.
As Kimny said, if you want more definition, you need to recomp -- which means you need to eat more and lift heavy things.4 -
sazzle1983 wrote: »You look fine in that last pic tbh
She's very underweight so it isn't "fine". She should not be trying to lose anymore.5 -
Matter of opinion. I'm not suggesting she loses any more.7
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singingflutelady wrote: »alexandracraia wrote: »Thank you everyone for your replies! @psuLemon I am 172cm. Guys, I don’t think the scale is pretty accurate though, because I do have a lot of belly fat and there is no way that I am at only 14% body fat. I would probably estimate it at around 20-25%. I thought about bulking, but that means I’ll get an even bigger belly and I really don’t want that to happen. My goal is to lose the abdominal fat, no matter how many months it would take.
If I am converting correctly, you are 5"6, 110 lbs? If that's right, you are already underweight. Losing weight is not going to help how you look at all, and even if you do lose weight it still might not shrink that area like you want it to.
If you refuse to gain a little weight, at least eat at maintenance and work a progressive lifting program to build some muscle. I'll add - we are always our worst critics and tend to see what we consider our weak spots as far worse than they actually are.
Some other things to consider - how is your posture? Bad posture can have you sticking out your belly without realizing it. And many women don't have a flat or concave midsection no matter how thin they get, it's not how we're built.
5'7.5 bmi 16.97 so severely underweight.
Oh man, not good at mathing in the AM!
OP, please do not lose more weight! You do not have a lot of belly fat. You are shaped like a human woman. You really should gain a little weight, but at least please don't try to lose any more :flowerforyou:
As thin as you are, just eating a little something may make you poof out a bit. I have a flat stomach in the morning but later in the day I get a little food baby. That's real life. Please don't think you need your belly to look like a picture on a fitness model's blog or a model on the runway - they don't even actually look like that 99% of the time.10 -
sazzle1983 wrote: »Matter of opinion. I'm not suggesting she loses any more.
Anything below 18.5 is underweight and her bmi is 17 so she should be trying to gain. It's not healthy being that low.5 -
OP you are definitely not skinny fat or anything close. It is common to be underweight and have poor posture, as well food/bloat is more noticeable.
I highly recommend you gain.11 -
As thin as you are, just eating a little something may make you poof out a bit. I have a flat stomach in the morning but later in the day I get a little food baby. That's real life. Please don't think you need your belly to look like a picture on a fitness model's blog or a model on the runway - they don't even actually look like that 99% of the time.
they don't look like that full stop, cos photoshop!
9 -
When I went down to a normal weight (down from 240 pounds @ 5'4"), I had a lot of loss and excess skin. I was however very active, running 5 to 6 times per week. No amount of physical activity could get rid of my jiggly bits, and while I had that jiggly look, I wasn't skinny fat. But I felt skinny fat. Going from one fat label to another fat label was not good for my mental health/ self image.
You may be jiggly in places as well. Supermodels are jiggly too in some places when they're not posing and when they don't have perfect posture. Some female body builders that I know have the soft, jiggly look as well when they're not flexing. Maybe we're conditioned to think that the perfect look is a tight, fit body. But those images are often photoshopped, showcase the individual in their most flattering pose, and are an unrealistic portrayal of a human body.
If you're already underweight, you can add strength exercises and try to "recompose", but honestly, you're not ANY kind of fat. Not skinny fat. Not fat fat. Stop putting negative labels on yourself.12 -
Maybe a slow bulk would be a good plan for you...eat 200-300 calories above maintenance...follow a progressive lifting routine...and then cycle between the bulk/cut every month??? If you do a month of bulking, you aren't going to gain more than a pound or two, and you should be able to lose that within a month of cutting...gaining mostly muscle, losing mostly fat, that might get you to where you want faster than a traditional recomp but also without making you gain a bunch of weight and being unhappy?0
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Ever seen those malnourished African kids on TV with super skinny arms and rather large bellies? That's because they are not eating enough. I can't remember the exact science but when you don't eat enough your body will store the energy in its storage slot...your belly.
I must REPEAT what everyone is saying, don't eat less eat more. If you're that concerned eat more good stuff. Getting some weight training under your belt will not turn you into something with more muscle ripples than a fat kit cannon balling a calm pond. That stuff takes YEARS.
Eat more, train more and your body will come closer to that of sardelsa (toned) in the post above+4.
BUT
It takes time, you need to be patient. These are lifestyle changes not temporary diets.10 -
singingflutelady wrote: »alexandracraia wrote: »Thank you everyone for your replies! @psuLemon I am 172cm. Guys, I don’t think the scale is pretty accurate though, because I do have a lot of belly fat and there is no way that I am at only 14% body fat. I would probably estimate it at around 20-25%. I thought about bulking, but that means I’ll get an even bigger belly and I really don’t want that to happen. My goal is to lose the abdominal fat, no matter how many months it would take.
If I am converting correctly, you are 5"6, 110 lbs? If that's right, you are already underweight. Losing weight is not going to help how you look at all, and even if you do lose weight it still might not shrink that area like you want it to.
If you refuse to gain a little weight, at least eat at maintenance and work a progressive lifting program to build some muscle. I'll add - we are always our worst critics and tend to see what we consider our weak spots as far worse than they actually are.
Some other things to consider - how is your posture? Bad posture can have you sticking out your belly without realizing it. And many women don't have a flat or concave midsection no matter how thin they get, it's not how we're built.
5'7.5 bmi 16.97 so severely underweight.
Oh man, not good at mathing in the AM!
OP, please do not lose more weight! You do not have a lot of belly fat. You are shaped like a human woman. You really should gain a little weight, but at least please don't try to lose any more :flowerforyou:
As thin as you are, just eating a little something may make you poof out a bit. I have a flat stomach in the morning but later in the day I get a little food baby. That's real life. Please don't think you need your belly to look like a picture on a fitness model's blog or a model on the runway - they don't even actually look like that 99% of the time.
I have abs (slowly going bye-bye as I bulk) and look pretty flat and good in the AM. By afternoon and a few big meals I look like I'm expecting my second child... and I'm a dude.
14 -
alexandracraia wrote: »Thank you everyone for your replies! @psuLemon I am 172cm. Guys, I don’t think the scale is pretty accurate though, because I do have a lot of belly fat and there is no way that I am at only 14% body fat. I would probably estimate it at around 20-25%. I thought about bulking, but that means I’ll get an even bigger belly and I really don’t want that to happen. My goal is to lose the abdominal fat, no matter how many months it would take.
At some point, you can either spin your wheels or realize that in order to meet your long term objective, you will need to be uncomfortable for a bit. With such a little base of muscle, and being underweight, you don't really have anywhere to go. And gaining muscle (and fat) to give you the base you need, is what is going to provide the results. Too often people think you only need to cut... but it's not true. To get a very fit/developed body, you often need a base of muscle to get there. Below is an example of a 20 lb gain.
https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/female-powerlifters-meet-staci-ardison/
Ultimately, it's your decision and you need to figure out what is your end state.11 -
alexandracraia wrote: »Thank you everyone for your replies! @psuLemon I am 172cm. Guys, I don’t think the scale is pretty accurate though, because I do have a lot of belly fat and there is no way that I am at only 14% body fat. I would probably estimate it at around 20-25%. I thought about bulking, but that means I’ll get an even bigger belly and I really don’t want that to happen. My goal is to lose the abdominal fat, no matter how many months it would take.
If I am converting correctly, you are 5"6, 110 lbs? If that's right, you are already underweight. Losing weight is not going to help how you look at all, and even if you do lose weight it still might not shrink that area like you want it to.
If you refuse to gain a little weight, at least eat at maintenance and work a progressive lifting program to build some muscle. I'll add - we are always our worst critics and tend to see what we consider our weak spots as far worse than they actually are.
Some other things to consider - how is your posture? Bad posture can have you sticking out your belly without realizing it. And many women don't have a flat or concave midsection no matter how thin they get, it's not how we're built.
I think 172 cm is almost 5'8", not 5'6". With current weight of 50.8 kg (112 lbs), OP is significantly underweight already.
I agree that losing weight is unlikely to achieve the results OP is hoping for, and that trying to build some muscle (which is unlikely to be successful at OP's current stats without eating at least a little bit above maintenance -- you could shoot for just 150 kcal over maintenance, along with, obviously, a progressive resistance program and plenty of protein) is more likely to have a positive aesthetic effect.6 -
CookieVenator wrote: »Ever seen those malnourished African kids on TV with super skinny arms and rather large bellies? That's because they are not eating enough. I can't remember the exact science but when you don't eat enough your body will store the energy in its storage slot...your belly.
I must REPEAT what everyone is saying, don't eat less eat more. If you're that concerned eat more good stuff. Getting some weight training under your belt will not turn you into something with more muscle ripples than a fat kit cannon balling a calm pond. That stuff takes YEARS.
Eat more, train more and your body will come closer to that of sardelsa (toned) in the post above+4.
BUT
It takes time, you need to be patient. These are lifestyle changes not temporary diets.
No, your body doesn't magically store "energy" when you're starving. Those large bellies you mention are filled with water (bloating/edema). I know it's associated with protein deficiency -- not sure if it occurs in other types of malnutrition, including extreme energy deficiency, but I guess if overall energy intake is low enough, you're going to suffer from protein deficiency anyway, since your body will be forced to use any protein you do take in as energy rather than reserving it for the protein-specific uses.
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TavistockToad wrote: »either your scales are wrong or you have a very warped sense of what is a normal amount of bodyfat.
14% is very low and you are not in any way 'skinny fat'.
Agree.
I read somewhere recently that said a healthy BMI is between 25-30. You sound like you are underweight. Maybe you should seek advice from your doctor? Sounds like you have are seeing something that isn't there. I used to be anorexic for years and saw myself as big when I was underweight and stayed under 100 lbs for years. It's something you really can't help when you get to that point but I think you are stressing over something that isn't even a problem.8
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