I'm a skinny fat guy. Please read...

J

j4k3

0
Hey guys,

I'm 23 years old, 5'7" tall and I weigh about 130 lbs. I am quite skinny for my height. I know because I can tell by looking at myself in the mirror and by other people's comments.

For the past couple of years, I have been living the life I've always wanted - partying, partying, and more partying. From age 17 up to 21, I've been doing nothing BUT improving my social life/circle - always trying to meet new people, hanging out with them, meeting their friends, and so on. I haven't been paying any kind of attention whatsoever to my body because even though I could use a little more weight, I've never really had a problem with it. That is, until I checked myself in the mirror some months back. See, I'm starting to really be disgusted with my body and it's affecting me BIG TIME emotionally/mentally. I can't concentrate anymore for even just a few seconds because I'm constantly thinking about my stomach sticking out or making a noticable bulge under my shirt. I've had two wardrobe changes already, always moving to the next bigger size, to try to hide my increasing belly size. It really is starting to get in my head. I'm constantly reminding myself every single time to suck my stomach in otherwise I'd look like one of those malnourished kids in Africa. Or like a runway model who's pregnant. It really is starting to mess up my head.

Four months back, I started a training program to handle this problem. Every Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I would do cardio workout using Tae Bo (about 45 minutes including warm up and cool down). For Thursdays and Fridays, I would do strength training exercises using Total Gym (about 35 minutes). After four straight months of following this program, I've noticed ZERO difference in the size of my belly. Z-E-R-O. Not even half an inch lost. I'm not kidding or exaggerating here. It's as big as it was when I first started.

But, my workout didn't all go to waste. I've noticed a difference in my upper body (I have more visible muscles now) and looking at myself in the mirror, I am definitely more toned now than four months ago. But still, I'm not satisfied because the reason why I started working out was to lose my belly. And I'm not going to stop until I do. Even if it means saving up for a liposuction.

I know it's not impossible to do. I know and have seen people reduce the size of their bellies successfully. I know it's not that hard. I just have to be consistent and I have to have a good program. Also, eating a lot less fatty foods would greatly help me here. So I'm not losing hope. I know I can do this. I know that if I lost just two or three inches off it, I'd have my normal life back. I wouldn't be too distracted. I would again start interacting with people better. It would double my confidence. And I also know that something is wrong or lacking in my program.

And this is where I need your help guys.

What is wrong with my program? What do I need to do? Back when I first started my workout, I was doing a LOT of ab exercises. I'm not really trying to focus on it because I know spot reduction doesn't work but around the stomach area is where mostly the emphasis of my workout is. Maybe it's just a coincidence. And that could be a mistake there. I mean, by doing a lot of ab-related exercises I think I am basically making my stomach twice as big because I'm making the muscles beneath the layers of fat even bigger, right? It's like layers of fat + getting your abs bigger = formula for getting twice as big a belly. Am I thinking right here, guys?

Also, what do you guys think about full body workout versus prioritation workout (where I work on only ONE part of my body each workout)? Is this better? Especially in my case? Note that I am a beginner. I have never done any type of workout prior to four months ago.

By the way, have you guys heard of "Combat Conditioning" or "Max-OT?" Would any of these programs benefit me? Have you guys tried it?

Oh, and as some of you might have already guessed, I am leaning more towards exercises that I can do at home rather than the gym.

Well, I'm done rambling now. It feels great to share my thoughts to you guys. Help set me up with the CORRECT training program and hopefully, I will find the answer to my problem here.

Good times...
 
sounds like you have a good plan. whats ur diet like?
 
oh yeah btw, whenever i do abs, i feel my stomach get tighter, and it seems to shrink even though there is fat on top of it. by making those muscles stronger, they will burn fat revealing a sixpack. make sure the ab workouts are very high repetition; i do sets of 50.
 
That belly is probably the dreaded "beer gut." My friends and I switched to other less fattening drinks when we were in college as a way of keeping the weight down.

Keep up the ab work-out, crunches'll do it. Remember, for 6 years you have neglected your body, it will take a while to get back in shape ;) Also, I noticed when I turned 23, my metabolism changed drastically. Suddenly I needed to eat a lot less and work a lot harder to keep the weight off. I'm 27 now.

I do Pilates for my abs, that really pulls them in for me.
 
You didnt mention a diet at all so I'm supposing you didn't change it. I think the #1 way to lose weight is to change your diet. Because you want to gain some muscle too, you should eat foods high in fat and protien and no carbs whatsoever. Don't be scared of fatty foods, ditch all the carbs you can and your body will shed the extra pounds.

Do ab exercises too...I found I gained the most weight on my abs when I did 10 reps of extremely slow situps with a 20 pound weight on my chest. Do side-situps as well to work the obliques and remember it'll take another 3-6 months till you get to where you wanna be
 
WOLVERINE said:
sounds like you have a good plan. whats ur diet like?
Click to expand...

Well, I pretty much have a diet of a regular teenager - pizzas, burgers, fries, meats, steaks, chickens, you get it. Mostly greasy, fatty foods. Which I know is wrong because all the fat from those foods is being stored in my stomach! And that is why I have a big belly. And that is also the reason why I'm working out now. I'm trying to burn those fats.
 
WOLVERINE said:
oh yeah btw, whenever i do abs, i feel my stomach get tighter, and it seems to shrink even though there is fat on top of it. by making those muscles stronger, they will burn fat revealing a sixpack. make sure the ab workouts are very high repetition; i do sets of 50.
Click to expand...

WOLVERINE, thanks so much for this! What type of exercise are you doing for your abs? How many reps/sets? Also, are you sure about this?:

"even though there is fat on top of it, by making those muscles stronger, they will burn fat revealing a sixpack"

I don't know. I'm not an expert on this subject or anything but it seems to me that by making the muscles underneath all those fats bigger, it will only result in an even bigger stomach. At least, that seems to be the case for me because even though I'm starting to see the muscles in my upper body, my "beer belly" is still there.

Anyway, I'm really curious what exercise you're doing for your abs.

Thanks again for helping me.
 
becky_e said:
That belly is probably the dreaded "beer gut." My friends and I switched to other less fattening drinks when we were in college as a way of keeping the weight down.

Keep up the ab work-out, crunches'll do it. Remember, for 6 years you have neglected your body, it will take a while to get back in shape ;) Also, I noticed when I turned 23, my metabolism changed drastically. Suddenly I needed to eat a lot less and work a lot harder to keep the weight off. I'm 27 now.

I do Pilates for my abs, that really pulls them in for me.
Click to expand...


This is great advice! I've started reading the many informative posts on this site and one thing that is common for people wanting to lose inches off their bellies is they all do some form of Pilates. Which video would you recommend for me?

As for your suggestion about crunches, are you talking about doing just regular crunches or a variation of it? Could you describe it to me?

You are right about me neglecting my body. I really feel stupid not taking care of it. Now, I'm going to have to work REALLY hard to get back in shape. I'm motivated that I will succeed.

You know, I am going to print this in BIG, BOLD LETTERS and post it in my bedroom wall:

"it will take a while to get back in shape ;) Also, I noticed when I turned 23, my metabolism changed drastically. Suddenly I needed to eat a lot less and work a lot harder to keep the weight off."

I will have to constantly remind myself of this. This is very true. This seems to be the case for me. I am acting/eating as if whatever I eat, my metabolism will take care of it for me. But that doesn't seem to be the case now that I am 23. Thanks again for letting me aware of that fact. Now, I'm even MORE motivated!
 
Ethan01 said:
You didnt mention a diet at all so I'm supposing you didn't change it. I think the #1 way to lose weight is to change your diet. Because you want to gain some muscle too, you should eat foods high in fat and protien and no carbs whatsoever. Don't be scared of fatty foods, ditch all the carbs you can and your body will shed the extra pounds.

Do ab exercises too...I found I gained the most weight on my abs when I did 10 reps of extremely slow situps with a 20 pound weight on my chest. Do side-situps as well to work the obliques and remember it'll take another 3-6 months till you get to where you wanna be
Click to expand...

Oh man, I'm going to have to read this over and over again!

Yes, you guessed it - my diet remains the same as when I was a teenager. Pizzas, burgers, fries, meats, chickens, you get it. I know this is not helping me at all because instead of me gaining weight, I am storing all those fats in my stomach. Only my stomach is the one "gaining weight."

Could you give me some examples of foods that are high in fat and protein but is low in carbs? I am a complete newbie to nutrition and even though a simple search for these types of food is easily doable, I am curious as to what YOU eat. Also, could you point me to a good website that has, like, a list of all the foods that are low in carbs? I think that would be great.

In a previous reply, I talked about putting up a poster on my wall that will help me motivate and I think this line here from you should be included:

"Don't be scared of fatty foods, ditch all the carbs you can and your body will shed the extra pounds. "

Thanks for that tip. I really have no clue as to what to do. You all are in a way some sort of a personal trainer for me. I appreciate all the help.

Oh, and again, I haven't really found an answer to this dilemma - by doing ab exercises like what you suggested, will it make my gut even bigger? I think it will because like I said, layers of fat + abs getting bigger = a gut that is twice as big. Is this thinking true?
 
One thing that I forgot to mention is even though I am trying to lose my big, nasty and unpleasant gut, I am also trying to gain some more weight. So my question is, should I follow the high in fat and protein but low in carb diet?

Also, what do you guys think about Glucorell-R?

Oh, and not to get a little sidetracked here but I know "spot reduction" doesn't work but do a search about Yohimburn (especially about Yohimburn ES) and you just might be surprised.

Hope I didn't get too off-topic about this...
 
Hmm well I'm not very experienced myself, but I think I'm a bit in the same situation you are, be it less urgent. I'm also a very thin person, but lately I've been storing some fat around my waist. However, the last week I've changed my diet to a "nearly protein-only" one (125 gr a day), and I already think it's working for me =) Really, do not underestimate the importance of your nutrition. It's easier to change your body than you might think if you are really motivated.

Some advice: write down everything. It may seem not important, but believe me, it is a requirement ! Take a piece of paper, schedule 6 "meals" a day, count the carbs, proteins and fats, and see if it works for you. Do the same for your workout routine - write everything down including your progress. It will keep you extra motivated and it will certainly help.

Also, I've heard it is easier to burn the fat stored around your waist than burning fat from all over your body. I was told it's possible to noticably reduce the volume of fat in a matter of weeks if you stick to the right diet and training schedule.
I'm surely curious as to how well it will work for me :x

Oh, if you hadn't found it already, this site was posted in another topic, it's a database of all possible kinds of food and their nutritional values; the amount of carbs / protein / fat, and any thing else you need (or needn't :p ) to know about any type of food !


Keep us posted of your progress ;p
 
Meet tunafish, salmon, and chicken breast. They are your new favorite foods.

Think of tight abs as a result of maintaining a clean, healthy lifestyle. You know it won't happen overnight. Workout hard and enjoy the endorphine rush when you leave the gym.
 
BD- said:
[br]Hmm well I'm not very experienced myself, but I think I'm a bit in the same situation you are, be it less urgent. I'm also a very thin person, but lately I've been storing some fat around my waist. However, the last week I've changed my diet to a "nearly protein-only" one (125 gr a day), and I already think it's working for me =) Really, do not underestimate the importance of your nutrition. It's easier to change your body than you might think if you are really motivated.
Click to expand...

This is a fantastic advice! Being a complete newbie when it comes to nutrition, I don't even know which food are high in protein or carbohydrates or what. Sure, I could easily check the nutrition guide on the side of the box or bottle but another problem will come from doing that - I don't know how much is too many or too little. How does that percent thing work? You know, like this has 7% carbohydrates and this has 13% per serving, etc. How would I know if I'm going to eat too many carbohydrates? Or protein? Like, if it's over 10% of something, that's a lot. Something like that. I think I should look that up on the web next.

What's your diet like on a regular day? I mean, what do you eat. I'm sure you take note of how many protein or carbohydrates, etc. you eat in a day, right? It's great that your diet is working for you. Keep it up. I want to try your diet and see if I will notice any improvements, too.


Some advice: write down everything. It may seem not important, but believe me, it is a requirement ! Take a piece of paper, schedule 6 "meals" a day, count the carbs, proteins and fats, and see if it works for you. Do the same for your workout routine - write everything down including your progress. It will keep you extra motivated and it will certainly help.
Click to expand...

A journal of my progress! Why didn't I think of that before? :p


Also, I've heard it is easier to burn the fat stored around your waist than burning fat from all over your body. I was told it's possible to noticably reduce the volume of fat in a matter of weeks if you stick to the right diet and training schedule.
I'm surely curious as to how well it will work for me :x
Click to expand...

I think this is true, too. From other forums, they told me to buy a bottle of Yohimburn ES with Glucorell-R and then do an empty-stomach cardio and watch my diet and within weeks I will start losing inches off my waist.

I thought to myself, "Wait a minute, but I thought spot reduction doesn't work?" and they then proceeded to explain to me why it's not spot reduction and why I have to take a supplement together with Yohimburn ES and all that and they pointed me to the many other guys who have had a success with this combo.

I forgot the complete link but check elitefitness.com and search for the two products I mentioned above. You'd be surprises and maybe even tempted to try it out.


Oh, if you hadn't found it already, this site was posted in another topic, it's a database of all possible kinds of food and their nutritional values; the amount of carbs / protein / fat, and any thing else you need (or needn't :p ) to know about any type of food !
Click to expand...

THIS is what I was asking for earlier!!! Many thanks for this!
 
**** sorry about this j4k3, I didnt reply to your question earlier!

here's what I do for abs: I've learned to rip up the abs, one must do high repetitions. For example, I do sets of 50, unless I'm on a machine.

As soon as I get into the gym, I go to the ab machine. At my gym, there is an ab crunching machine, and there is an turning machine that works out your oblics. on the ab crunching machine, I try to do sets of 15-20 on a weight high enough to work my abs, but doesnt feel like im cheating. on that oblec machine, i do 1-2 sets on 10-15 on each oblic, and then a final set of 25 on each oblic.

now for the **** on the matt: do 50 reps of crunchs, but with your legs straight about 6 inchs to a foot in the air. if ur doin it right, it should burn. you may have to start with less (i started with 30-40 reps). next, do the bicycle crunches, but not so fast. make sure your elbow touches ur knee everytime for 50 reps. next, put your legs straight up in the air, back is on the floor, and pretend to be climbing up a rope with your hands. when your are reaching for this "rope," your arms should be parallel with your legs, you're not reaching for your legs. 50 reps once again

If I can find a good website that has animations of the ab exercises i was talkin about, ill show you more. hope this helps for now.
 
JK43, that was a great explanation.
I have a simialar problem, I am not fat, well built but my stomach sticks out.
I do millions of situps, cardio all the time and yet the tummy still sticks out, even though it looks a bit better but this is after months of hard work...
I went the other day to my orthopedic doctor and asked her if she has an explanation, could it be just the way my body is built???
She said the following:
It is the way the body is shaped, not because I am fat but because of the muscles. Basically, even though I have muscles, my stomach is pushing itself out. This can take a long time to fix but she suggested that I continue working out the stomach as usual, but add isometric exercises that will work out the the deeper part of the stomach muscles. For instance lying in the pushup position but resting on the forarms and then tucking the stomach in and staying like this for as long as you can. (1-2 minutes if possible)
also lying on your side and resting on your forearm, raising the body and also staying this way for as long as you can.
Just workout the deeper muscles that stabilize the stomach and hold it in, in time this will stop the tummy from pushing itself out.
Hope this helps :)
 
Previously you asked about Pilates. I do Kathy Smith's right now, but I'm female. My husband doesn't like her video at all and thinks it's just not made for guys. Maybe the Winsor Pilates, but I haven't tried them yet, so can't really comment on them.
 
Another thing that may help instead of just focusing on your stomach, build muscle other places in your body, the more muscle mass you have the higher your metabolism, thus the more fat you burt naturaly.
 
I have the same problem. I am not fat, but my stomach sticks out just a bit, and i have some fat on the lower abbs.

I was just wondering is it ok if I start doing crunches with all that fat still there?

Will it just mush the fat together and make an even bigger stomach, or by doing crunches I will burn that fat?

Please help me out/
 
whatever you do, please pump up your abs. the more you work out your abs, the more they will stick out. i know a guy who has a pot belly, yet you can see all 6 of his abs. its cause even though he's fat, he has creases showing the abs. also, the bigger and stronger your abs are, the more they will want to eat the fat away on your stomach.

i speak from experience. there was a time when i never worked out my abs, and one time when i worked them out a lot. abs ALWAYS looked good when i worked them out a lot.

make sure ur diet is good too. check out what i wrote for j4k3, i hope he's got his abs in shape.
 
Right, im gonna sum this up for you in order of importance.

1. Diet (that alone wud lose ur belly)
2. Weights (bulk up ur abs and higher ur metabolism to burn fat.
3. Cardio highers metabolism burns fat.

If you do number 1 would work, if u do all 3 it will work faster.

In other words stop eating that crap your eating, its not hard and u feel better not eating it. I physically and mentally feel better not eating cakes or fast foods. And with alcohol you can still drink but lower it. I dont find it hard to do that either.
 
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