Skinny fat person

sarahew415
sarahew415 Posts: 20 Member
edited October 4 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi guys,

I've posted a few times. I'm not considered "overweight" i'm 126 lbs but I have a pretty high percentage of body fat and I need to lose 5-10 lbs or at least change some of my weight to lean muscle mass. I feel like I eat pretty healthy the majority of the time, I probably eat between 1500-2000 calories per day. I haven't exercised as much as I used to. But I just feel stuck. I don't really know how many calories I should be eating or what type of exercise routine will help me to my goal. Has anyone been in my situation? What did you do??

Replies

  • agthorn
    agthorn Posts: 1,844 Member
    Lift weights.
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
    You cannot transform fat into muscle

    I would suggest following mfp's plan of 0.5 to 1lb per week deficit. Lift heavy weights and do some cardio you enjoy :D
  • sc1572
    sc1572 Posts: 2,309 Member
    You cannot transform fat into muscle

    I would suggest following mfp's plan of 0.5 to 1lb per week deficit. Lift heavy weights and do some cardio you enjoy :D

    Yes you can!!! Weights, strength training, and cardio!
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    You cannot transform fat into muscle


    Yes you can!!! Weights, strength training, and cardio!

    Technically no, you can't. The process of fat oxidation and muscle growth are separate. One doesn't turn into the other.
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
    You cannot transform fat into muscle

    I would suggest following mfp's plan of 0.5 to 1lb per week deficit. Lift heavy weights and do some cardio you enjoy :D

    Yes you can!!! Weights, strength training, and cardio!

    Unless you are Jesus Christ, turning fat into muscle is like turning water into wine. Fat is a totally different macronutrient than protein. True fat can contribute to one's energy source while strength training, but muscle is composed of amino acids(protein) not fat.
  • mcb816
    mcb816 Posts: 24
    If you are doing cardio, and weight lifting probably 2,000-2,500. For me I absolutely hateeeeeeee cardio and love lifting weights. When I only did lifting I built more muscle mass but didn't really lose any body fat. What's worked out best for me was lifting and interval training to build muscle mass and trim the body fat. Interval training is wayy better than cardio cause you are stuck on a cardio machine for that long but you get the best calorie burn ;) Hope this works out for you!
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    Hi guys,

    I've posted a few times. I'm not considered "overweight" i'm 126 lbs but I have a pretty high percentage of body fat and I need to lose 5-10 lbs or at least change some of my weight to lean muscle mass. I feel like I eat pretty healthy the majority of the time, I probably eat between 1500-2000 calories per day. I haven't exercised as much as I used to. But I just feel stuck. I don't really know how many calories I should be eating or what type of exercise routine will help me to my goal. Has anyone been in my situation? What did you do??

    If you used to train and used to be in good shape, and you are returning to training, and you are satisfied with your scale weight but not your body composition, you might be in a good spot to do a recomp.

    Set cals to maintenance
    Intake 1g/lb lean mass in PRO minimum
    .35g/lb bodyweight in fats min
    Remainder in carbs or any combination of the above

    Lift heavy 3-4/week using mostly compound lifts.

    Profit.

    Lastly, eating at a slight deficit would also work but if you are close to the scale weight you want to end at, I'd keep the deficit minimal/low. .5/week or so per MFP settings.
  • Ebbykins
    Ebbykins Posts: 420 Member
    Hi guys,

    I've posted a few times. I'm not considered "overweight" i'm 126 lbs but I have a pretty high percentage of body fat and I need to lose 5-10 lbs or at least change some of my weight to lean muscle mass. I feel like I eat pretty healthy the majority of the time, I probably eat between 1500-2000 calories per day. I haven't exercised as much as I used to. But I just feel stuck. I don't really know how many calories I should be eating or what type of exercise routine will help me to my goal. Has anyone been in my situation? What did you do??

    If you used to train and used to be in good shape, and you are returning to training, and you are satisfied with your scale weight but not your body composition, you might be in a good spot to do a recomp.

    Set cals to maintenance
    Intake 1g/lb lean mass in PRO minimum
    .35g/lb bodyweight in fats min
    Remainder in carbs or any combination of the above

    Lift heavy 3-4/week using mostly compound lifts.

    Profit.

    Lastly, eating at a slight deficit would also work but if you are close to the scale weight you want to end at, I'd keep the deficit minimal/low. .5/week or so per MFP settings.

    You rock Sidesteal, always great at putting things out concisely and only the facts, no misconceptions here, this guy knows his shiz. :)
  • sarahew415
    sarahew415 Posts: 20 Member
    Hi guys,

    I've posted a few times. I'm not considered "overweight" i'm 126 lbs but I have a pretty high percentage of body fat and I need to lose 5-10 lbs or at least change some of my weight to lean muscle mass. I feel like I eat pretty healthy the majority of the time, I probably eat between 1500-2000 calories per day. I haven't exercised as much as I used to. But I just feel stuck. I don't really know how many calories I should be eating or what type of exercise routine will help me to my goal. Has anyone been in my situation? What did you do??

    If you used to train and used to be in good shape, and you are returning to training, and you are satisfied with your scale weight but not your body composition, you might be in a good spot to do a recomp.

    Set cals to maintenance
    Intake 1g/lb lean mass in PRO minimum
    .35g/lb bodyweight in fats min
    Remainder in carbs or any combination of the above

    Lift heavy 3-4/week using mostly compound lifts.

    Profit.

    Lastly, eating at a slight deficit would also work but if you are close to the scale weight you want to end at, I'd keep the deficit minimal/low. .5/week or so per MFP settings.

    You rock Sidesteal, always great at putting things out concisely and only the facts, no misconceptions here, this guy knows his shiz. :)

    Yes! thank you! that is great advice!
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
    Hi guys,

    I've posted a few times. I'm not considered "overweight" i'm 126 lbs but I have a pretty high percentage of body fat and I need to lose 5-10 lbs or at least change some of my weight to lean muscle mass. I feel like I eat pretty healthy the majority of the time, I probably eat between 1500-2000 calories per day. I haven't exercised as much as I used to. But I just feel stuck. I don't really know how many calories I should be eating or what type of exercise routine will help me to my goal. Has anyone been in my situation? What did you do??

    The advice I always give to people who are skinny fat is to do a recomp of sorts. Eat close to maintenance, and lift HEAVY and focus on compound lifts. The premise being that while you are skinny fat, you are likely mostly untrained, and eating close to maintenance while being on a good lifting program will stimulate muscle growth while minimizing fat gain. It's a difficult position to climb out of.

    Your other option is just bulk and build muscle and do a few bulk/cut cycles to increase muscle mass. But this will add to you already high % of fat.
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