Skinny fat

[Pickingmyselfup]

I've been battling with this for years and despite doing everything right I'm still not seeing any changes.

Back in early 2020 I started a progressive heavy weightlifting programme, I weighed 50kg, was a regular gym goer for body pump but I wanted to lose the fat so I switched to heavy weights.

Definitely the worst time to have started, the gym was very hit and miss over the 2 year lockdown period and I gained loads of weight due to comfort hitting and drinking.

I lost a lot of weight once life got back to normal in 2022 and the lifting resumed properly but even now I don't weigh what I did 5 years ago, I'm currently 53kg on a good day.

2023 I picked up running and started entering into races which means the gym has taken a hit due to injury or holidays where I'm away for a week with no gym access or I've had to skip a day due to illness/busy family life.

Everytime I stop lifting for a week I have to deload, I've not been near the weights at all this week because I have a half marathon at the weekend and don't want to get injured so that sets me back once I restart again.

Everything took a bit of a backseat over Christmas because I was doing up the house.

I always do 3 runs a week with one being 10K+ and on a good week I get 3 gym sessions in.

I do a lot of walking, my diet on the whole is pretty good but it's not perfect. I buy wholemeal sourdough and have that most days, I don't have time to make it. I have a protein shake or a protein dessert some days to supplement my protein without it making a huge impact on my calories. I have sweeteners in my coffee because I can't stand it without anything and sugar is really high in calories. I drink one pepsi max can a day and 2l of plain water. I use energy gels for my long run (SIS or high five) if I'm doing anything an hour and a half or over. I caused a bit of a stir with a thread about my gel intake but it's something my running coach recommends and so I'm sticking to it. I don't think one to two a week is causing the issue anyway especially when I account form them in my calories.

Today my meals are...

2 coffees-85ml semi skimmed milk and 7 sweeteners total. First coffee has collagen and creatine in it.

Wholemeal seeded sourdough, 2 poached eggs, 2 slices of prosciutto ham, 60g of avacado and a handful of spinach.

Lunch is a tuna and cucumber sandwich on wholemeal no added sugar bread, no butter made with full fat and light mayonnaise.

Snack-home air fryed chicken and a banana.

Dinner-homemade bolognese with spaghetti and some cheese.

I may have a slice of toast and honey because I'm trying to keep my carbs up for the race.

Total 1900 (and something) calories if I have the toast. Calories are a bit on the higher side as of today to see me through the race and because I'm away from tomorrow evening until Sunday evening so all meals will be out. I will drop them a bit on Monday for a week to compensate.

Not sure when the weights will resume, it would normally be Monday but I'm not sure I'll be in the best of shape to lift heavy the day after a half marathon.

I have 2 more booked, August and October and I'm also going to be doing a few shorter races to try get my speed up. Really working on building that base this year because I'm dealing with niggles that mean I'm not doing a marathon like I had planned.

I'm not expecting to be ripped but I'm carrying too much fat for someone of my weight, build and activity levels.

I'm not willing to go to extremes so I'm a bit lost as to what else I can do.

Any ideas?

You're about 8 stone how tall are you?

Its very unlikely at that weight and with your exercise you have too much fat. Im more concerned if you're going down a line of disordered eating /orthorexia or have some issues around body image?

Is there anyone you can ask in person for an honest assessment or one of those body fat scanners?

I'm not sure the way you've described it you are doing everything right. Not your own fault, but you've had many breaks in your weightlifting routine. The running is not going to help you build muscle, if you're skinny fat - having said that, have you actually checked your body fat %?

If you're prioritising your running, you will not change your body composition much.

You say you try to add some protein but - you've not tracked the total amount of protein you're taking. And you're limiting your calories. Neither of those things are going to help.

And if you're taking on these running challenges, maybe you just need to give your body a break instead of conforming to certain aesthetic ideal. It sounds a bit disordered, and you need to think about what your current priority is.

I haven't checked it professionally because it costs a fair bit, it's not something I can afford to prioritise right now.

I would estimate it to be in the region of 30% and I know I'm definitely carrying too much fat because everything jiggles. My trousers sink into the cellulite craters in my legs and tight shorts are a no go because they cut into my leg fat.

I can't add on a 4th weightlifting day, I'm already struggling for time as it is and I don't want to get up at 5am to do it before work because then I'll be too knackered to do anything else after work in the evening. I'm on my feet at work and easily do 20,000 steps a day and that's without any actual exercise.

I don't want to give up running and just focus on weights, I like running and want to keep going, I won't build muscle doing it but most runners have nice toned legs and that's mainly what I want to achieve.

So is your current weight within the healthy range?
You don't need to add another day for weights, but with the running you do you will impact on how much loading you can do because of lack of recovery. You don't need to give up, but it does have an impact.
How much protein are you actually eating a day? Do you know?

Echoing PP, how tall are you? I’m just under 5’3 and about 53kg, and whilst I’m not stick thin by any means, and could definitely do with toning some wobbly bits, I wouldn’t describe someone of my height/weight as fat.

I’d be worried that you are setting yourself a target that’s not actually going to work for your body and for what you want to do with it. Yes you could drastically drop your calories which would reduce your weight, but you also would have no energy for exercise or achieving all these fabulous goals you’ve set yourself. Would it even be worth it?

Also, I’m a bit wary of saying this as you do sound like there could be some issues with body image/orthorexia, but at my height/weight/activity levels (much less than yours), I would be gaining weight at 1900 calories a day. Do you use a fitness tracker or scales at all? They can be very helpful in tracking progress- not sure if they are always completely accurate but if you use them as a guide to monitor change over time rather than focus on the specific day to day numbers, they can be helpful.

Definitely not wanting to drop my calories, somewhere in the region of 1700-1800 gives me a small deficit according to the calenders which is doable, anything less and I don't have the energy for running.

I'm 5'1.

Averaging between 100g and 120, I should be eating in the region of 120g but it's a hard balance with making sure I have carbs for running too!

I’m tempted to suggest reverse dieting in your case to be honest, as you work out so much. In order to build muscle keep being in a deficit will not help. Eat at maintenance or slightly above to help build muscle, might be a better way forward. Disclaimer, I’m not a professional and have never done it, except inadvertent weight gain which led to muscle gain and better body composition.

I've considered this too.

Maybe give it a go? If nothing else it should give you some performance and energy gains.

That would be amazing! It's a totally different mindset but it's definitely been something that I've thought of several times because I like eating, I like lifting heavy stuff and I want to get faster at running...

I really need a solid programme for everything, I've wondered if I've been underfueling for months for performance in order to succeed at weight loss and that's what has led to this injury niggle thing.

Maybe a few months on proper maintenance will do me some good instead of being stuck in this cycle of cutting and binging!!

Have a look in the petites thread. There's a group of us who are small with modest amounts that we're trying to manage in various ways.

I run and lift. CBA to calorie count, so am upping the plants and protein and reducing carbs and trying to source them more directly through plants than processed sources. My body analyser scales are showing the right kind of progress but it's subtle and needs patience. I'm trying to conciously take in carbs more strategically when my body needs them rather than by default and interrupting the fat burning process.

I think running and fat loss may be tricky as you’re burning so many calories running and you need to refuel.
weights would be the way to go but equally hard when doing or trying to run long runs / marathons.
have you thought of trying a PT to get a strength programme alongside the running?

Of

It’s difficult balancing weight / looks and performance. You need to decide what is the priority. You should not be in a calorie deficit if you’re wanting to perform. In the offseason maybe you can focus on eating in a deficit and focus more on weightlifting.
If your longest run is not much longer than 15-20k I think you may eat too many fast carbs. In general I think people “ carb load” way too much for what the body really needs. I would try and up my protein intake and eat a little bit less bread/ pasta. Instead I would have sweet potatoes, quinoa, lots of vegetables and good quality protein sources.
If you feel like bingeing it may help starting the day with around 30g of protein for breakfast.
I also suggest weighing food and tracking it, in MyFitnessPal for example, for a week or so to get an idea of how much you are actually eating.
The day after a half I would not do a weight session, I would eat quality food, get a massage or maybe a light swim or yoga session.
Good luck on your race!

I think you've misunderstood. Skinny fat isn't about being fat in the overweight sense, but fat as in having too much body fat. It would be measured by body fat percentage, not weight v height.

I'm about the same height and weight as you and my navy body fat percentage is over 30% so that's classed as normal weight obesity i.e. my fat to everything else ratio is too high.

Hi OP, I'm also 5'1 and currently 50kg (hybrid training also with weight lifting and pilates) personally I think if your wanting to adjust body composition you really need to focus more on recovery, plus serious stretching if you have regular injuries from lifting. 3 runs a week and then potentially 3 lifting sessions is a lot of strain on the body. If you're feeling achy and tired plus puffy and not lean enough then it's probably your body screaming out for more rest and holding onto additional fluid due to increased cortisol levels.

Also I know you say you focus on carbs for running, but not eating at least 2g of protein per kg of bodyweight is not allowing your muscles to repair sufficiently and then you're draining them of energy with all the running. Maybe try focusing on the running if you prefer it, then just do 1 strength session a week. Everyone's genetics, hormones and aesthetics are different so you just need to find the mix that works and feels best to you. You should be feeling stronger not weaker, you've just got to find your balance

Some useful comments so thanks.

I think I am going to try swap my carbs on short run days for different kinds so like potatoes for sweet potatoes, rice for quinoa.

I'll carry on with the pasta the night before a long run and the porridge in the morning and a gel or two if I need one.

I don't want to give up any of my runs or weights because both are equally important. I also don't have an off season because I need to train just as hard all year round or I struggle to build it back up again.

This weekend has been full of junk and loads of carbs but I need all the help I can get today, I've been off training thanks to an injury and I do not feel prepared!

Do you take de-loading weeks for recovery?
Roughly about every 4 weeks and scaling back the load rather than constantly pushing to progress.
You need to give your muscles chance to recover and repair which helps with further progression.

I’d cut out the sweetener, mayo and bread, as all have chemicals in that can cause insulin resistance and encourage fat storage. Sourdough is fine. Nothing wrong with carbs. How old are you? Sorry if I missed that, from 40 onwards my calorie deficit needs to 400 calories plus.

Only before/after a race.

My last gym session was a week last Saturday, I didn't go at all last week due to the upcoming race and this week I think I should give myself time for recovery.

You shouldn’t be losing strength in a week. You should be about to go 2-3 weeks without seeing any reduction in strength.
somethings not right. And at 50-53kg even at just 5’1” you shouldn’t be fat. You may be skinny to slim but not fat and not much excess

you know muscle when relaxed wobbles don’t you

"And at 50-53kg even at just 5’1” you shouldn’t be fat. You may be skinny to slim but not fat and not much excess"

She's not saying she's fat. She said 'skinny fat' which doesn't mean fat in the overweight sense, but in the sense of having a high body fat percentage.

I know what skinny fat is. But at that height and weight and weightlifting it’s almost impossible for her to have a high body fat %