To think I need to diet?

[GlitterUnicornsAndAllThatJazz]

I think I'm what they call skinny fat. I have a soft pudgy tummy and some back fat but very skinny arms and legs.

Can someone in the know/with a similar shape tell me your thoughts? Am I correct in thinking I need to diet to lose the pudgy tummy? But then doesn't that mean I'm going to lose the little fat I have on my boobs, bum and thighs? Or will the tummy fat go first? Any diet advice for this shape?

@SpeckleDust
Thats interesting to read because I followed Whole30 for a week and honestly the weight was dropping off. Its just that it was so draconian I couldnt keep it up.
But now I'm thinking I may ditch the carbs, even the wholemeal ones.
What do you think about dairy?

Do you mean you have a "B" belly?

It's to do with posture and muscle tone as much as weight. You need to work on tucking your bottom in and strengthening your upper abs.

Sadly tasty tasty carbs are the enemy for apples!

It really is the worst. But you sound to have it all well in hand OP

By low carb, I mean very little or no pasta, bread, potatoes, rice, fruit (except berries).

So lots of meat, fish , eggs, veg, salad and fats (butter, cream, oil).

Also afflicted by the skinny fat - but pretty much opposite way to you. Am extremely slim on my torso, can feel all my ribs etc, very flat stomach, very small boobs, but when it comes to my hips, bum and thighs it's a very different story...

@SpeckleDust
Fuck, even fruit?! No love lost there, I much prefer vegetables. So when they talk about wholemeal pasta, brown rice etc, it technically is healthier, but still not ideal?

I was fine with dairy (but don't eat/like cheese much) but have seen on some of the low-carbing threads that dairy seems to prevent weight-loss in some individuals.

It doesn't sound like you necessarily need to lose weight so might be worth a try. I couldn't eat very low carb forever but I veer towards salads+meat+mayo for lunches almost every day now and try to have more veg rather than carbs with hot meals.

Even when I was trying to do 'strict' low-carbing, I would still have the odd (small) bag of crisps and glass of wine but was generally more mindful of what I was eating, especially in the evenings.

Following this avidly because that's my body shape. I've had a tummy since I was about 8 years old.

It’s not good to low carb indefinitely as high protein diet puts a strain in the kidneys.

Ok in the short term but your body needs a balanced diet, including complex carbs for energy.

Have you thought about doing weights? I’m not talking the massive ones, but if you ask in the gym they can give you advice and steer in you in the right direction for exercises that target the areas you want x

@GlitterUnicornsAndAllThatJazz - I don't eat wholemeal carbs either, pasta, bread etc are still processed even if the whole grain is used. I don't think they're unhealthy per se but I've both felt and looked a lot better in the five years since I really started cutting down and also no longer crave them.

Come back to me in 40 years time but whenever I've had health checks my bloodwork has been excellent and there's no strain on my organs. I'm certainly not a fanatic nor a "clean" eater, but when you consider what we ate as a species in the thousands of years before we became agriculturalists, a diet heavy in grains isn't necessarily the best one for us.

Try a month of high protein low carb and doing some weights.

lol you can’t determine strain on organs from blood tests.

I’ve found the best exercise for a flat stomach is Pilates.

Is it actually fat or intoned muscle? Just because you work out doesn't mean that you are toned all over.

You can’t spot reduce fat. You need to work out with heavy weights to increase muscle and reduce fat - this is called body recomposition. 2-3 glasses of wine a night is a bottle (if large glasses) and more than 1000 calories extra a day. Eat healthily, foods in as close to their natural state as possible. Do not cut out any food groups but reduce intake of refined sugar. Honestly mumsnrt is not the place to ask this, the number of women here who yo-yo diet is astounding, and the general ignorance of health and fitness is shocking.

Get over to reddit XX fitness sub.

Excess calories go inyour thighs.
Too much sugar goes around your abdomen.

This really explains why I have a fat tummy and thighs... easily the first place I put on weight in fact I can always tell if I'm gaining from my thighs first.

I'm your shape. Cutting down on the alcohol really works for me, as it's a way of losing calories without affecting how full I feel. If you're drinking 3 glasses a night, you'll find that difficult to cut out, so start by replacing one of the glasses with water. Try reducing the size of glass to - don't fill the glass more than a third full of wine, sip it and savour it, and use the water to quench your thirst.

The other thing that helps me is eating well, really enjoying what I am eating, and stopping eating when I'm no longer positively enjoying it, even if it means not finishing everything on my plate. It's easier to eat a small quantity of something really nice than a small quantity of something that's only so-so.

Your diet listed is all well and good and respect for this, but the amount of sugar and calories in wine, means that 2-3 glasses a day will completely knock out any good effects of a sensible diet.

If you can drop the wine, you'll find it will change dramatically.

This really explains why I have a fat tummy and thighs... easily the first place I put on weight in fact I can always tell if I'm gaining from my thighs first

It doesn't. What do you think "too much sugar" is if it is not "too much calories"? The proposition does even make logical sense, and it really makes no biological sense!

Are you sure its fat and not just loose skin hanging around? I've dieted myself down to stupid levels in the past (BMI 19) and can still see what looks like a layer of fat covering my abs, plus a bulge under my bra strap front and back. I'm sure its down to 2 enormous babies and loss of elasticity in my skin.

Can I just point out a BMI of 19 is not ‘stupid’. Mine is 18.8 which is a healthy weight.

@thenightsky
Its definitely not loose skin. Definitely fat. Its annoying because if you saw me in the street you would probably think I look underweight. So I feel like I have to decide between losing more weight potentially from other areas and looking ill, or staying as i am and having a belly. Its a small one granted but its there and it affects my confidence because im not in proportion.

Sorry Tati I phrased that badly. I meant I heavily restricted my diet to stupid levels to achieve BMI 19.

It’s not good to low carb indefinitely as high protein diet puts a strain in the kidneys.

There is no clinical evidence for this in current research unless you have a pre-existing renal disease. There are lots of scare-mongering articles on the internet but if you look at actual medical research, this is not evident.

You can’t spot reduce fat

Not entirely true. Studies have shown that a lower-carb/higher-fat intake can reduce abdominal fat compared to other types of diet.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25527677