Skinny Fat Updated

Skinny Fat Updated thinkinglifter.com/ How the hell does one go from skinny fat to fit? You’ve seen the amazing transformations and success stories. People starting out skinny fat or overweight and manage to change their bodies in such profound ways. Some share what they’ve learned along the way. Others only show the end product. But deep down you know what you want to achieve: lose the damn fat and build muscle. And do you want to know a secret? It does come down to this. It is that simple. But where do you begin? How do you approach it? A thousand questions arise. In reality, the whole process is pretty straightforward and simple. What you need is to know the basics and APPLY them day in and day out. Once you get going, the whole process can actually be enjoyable. What exactly does skinny fat mean? Before we can diagnose whether you fall into the skinny-fat category or not, we first need to look at what it is. A skinny fat person usually appears thin in clothes but actually has a high body fat percentage. The person has love handles, a pouchy gut and in some cases – man boobs. Why do people get skinny fat? To look and be skinny-fat, you need to have a low amount of muscle mass and a high body fat percentage. You may 1/16 appear thin and in-shape while wearing clothes, but not so much when you’re shirtless. Bad training and nutrition habits are responsible for the skinny-fat look more than anything else. When most people decide they want to transform their bodies and lose the excess weight, they often jump the cardio bandwagon. They combine that with a severe slash in calories and ineffective ‘fat-burning’ supplements. And in a few short months, they look skinny fat. The reason for that is simple: Due to the caloric deficit they’ve created, they are bound to lose weight. But, they don't practice regular strength training. And they don’t pay attention to their macronutrient intake. This makes the body very likely to burn muscle for energy as well as fat. Now, you might be wondering: “Well, I finally look thin so what’s wrong with that?”. The biggest mistake you could make with your weight loss is not trying to keep your muscle mass. Having more muscle means your BMR(Basal Metabolic Rate) and TDEE(Total Daily Energy Expenditure) are going to be higher. You can eat more calories every day. But, it also makes you look much better once you’ve lost some fat. Take a look at these 2 pictures below. On the first one, the person is your typical skinny-fat guy. He might have come out from a massive weight loss journey but he still has a considerable amount of fat with little muscle underneath. Now, take a look at the second one. He has a lower body fat percentage and he also has more muscle mass on him. You can tell he lifts and eats enough protein. 2/16 What makes the typical weight loss approaches so bad and makes people skinny fat? Now, you might be wondering: “Well, I’m eating healthy and exercising. Why can’t I get decent results for my work?”. It’s frustrating, I know. But what your typical weight loss approach fails to do is be more exact. Sure, you might be eating nothing but clean, whole foods all day, but are you eating enough food? Are you eating enough of each macronutrient? You could be under eating every day without even knowing it. The best thing you can do is actually count your calories and macronutrients. You will know exactly how much food you can eat every day. Also, if you follow flexible dieting you’ll be able to fit foods like pizza and chips into your diet and still lose fat. The flexible diet has become quite popular in the last 5-10 years and it’s because it’s not restrictive. It’s not hard to follow and you actually get to enjoy your nutrition while losing fat. And, by taking the time to count your calories and know your everyday intake, you will be able to eat more food than you think you should and lose fat more efficiently. You will create enough of a caloric deficit to serve your needs. And when the time comes and your fat loss stalls, you can drop your calorie intake a bit more and resume. This is where clean eaters usually hit a turning point. They eat 'clean', exercise plenty and lose weight on a weekly basis. But, one day that weight loss stops, and that continues for weeks. 3/16 So, most people either panic and slash their calories into nothingness or get angry and frustrated and call it quits. The other aspect of the flawed weight loss approach has to do with exercise. More importantly, not due to the lack of it. See, most people combine a severe calorie restriction with a sudden increase in physical activity(often in the form of cardio). I’ve stated many times that cardio is actually good for us. It provides many health benefits and everyone should do it. But, because of the nature of low-intensity cardio, it doesn’t serve you best to rely on it for proper weight loss. And when I say ‘weight loss’ I mean fat loss. There is a big difference and your goal should be the latter one. As I said above, LISS cardio isn’t the best way to approach fat loss. You will lose a significant amount of muscle mass as well as fat in the process (which further contributes to the whole skinny-fat look). Take a look at these long-distance runners: Now, compare them to a woman who regularly lifts weights and has a relatively low body fat percentage: 4/16 Model Alexis Paige As you can see, the difference is tremendous. The long-distance runners are skinny but don’t have much in the way of muscle. But, the fitness model has a decent amount of muscle mass and looks great. So combining regular strength training with an adequate protein intake will ensure you keep the most muscle you can and lose fat instead. Not only will this help you get rid of the skinny-fat look but you will most likely gain muscle and strength in the process if you’re a gym newbie. How to Go From Skinny Fat to Fit There are different stages you could be in so I decided to split them into 3 main categories. Each provides a different approach to attacking the skinny-fat look. You should follow the one which best describes your current situation. 5/16 This is where most guys and girls start. What is great about this stage is that you have the opportunity to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. The 'newbie gains' phase is where your body isn’t used to the stress of lifting. You can build muscle, get stronger all while in a caloric deficit. How to Train During That Period I normally suggest focusing on heavy lifting, but as a gym newbie – wait. When you're starting out, focus on learning the movements before adding serious weights on the bar. Too often I see complete beginners training in a low rep-range(1-6) with a screwed up technique. Not only are they NOT getting the most out of the lift but they are also setting themselves up for an injury. Here are instructional videos on how to perform the most important lifts: The flat bench press, the deadlift, the barbell squat, the overhead barbell press and the pull-up/chin up and barbell row. These will be the staple of your training program. For the first few months of training, your #1 goal should be to perfect the technique and increase the weight you can lift. During the initial newbie phase(which lasts between 3 and 6 months), you’ll have the opportunity to make some great strength and muscle gains. Learn Everything You Need to Know About Nutrition Now that we’ve gone over the training basics, it’s time to get into the nutritional side of things. First off, understand that proper training alone isn’t enough to change your body composition. Since your goal is to lose fat and get rid of the skinny-fat look, you should be in a caloric deficit. After the initial newbie phase, building muscle and getting stronger while eating in a deficit is going to be more 6/16 difficult. But, for the first few months, you can make great gains. This is going to need you to track your calories and protein(the least). Start off by calculating your TDEE(use the calculator here). Next, add a moderate deficit of 300-400 calories to that number. To calculate your macronutrient needs, follow these basic rules: 1)Eat roughly 1 to 1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight. 2)Eat between 0.3 and 0.6 grams of fat per pound of body weight. 3)Get the rest of your calories from carbs and aim for 10 grams of fiber for every 1000 calories you eat. Here is how this would look: Let’s say you weigh 180 pounds and your TDEE is 3000 calories. Add the 400 calorie deficit and you’re left with 2600 calories per day. Now, eat between 180 and 216 grams of protein, 54 to 108 grams of fat and the rest should come from carbs.

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