# Am I too "skinny-fat"?



## GroupHug (Jan 27, 2012)

Over the course of the last 6 months I've lost a total of 80 pounds. In my haste to lose the weight I completely overlooked the importance of gaining muscle to tone my body up and burn even more fat, and so here I am now 6 months later at a healthy weight (6'2" - 187 lbs.), exercising 6 days a week and eating right, but feeling both simultaneously slim and tubby:



http://imgur.com/kjr8h


(edit:


http://imgur.com/GfuVZ

 (about 3 weeks later...making some progress))

Am I really as "skinny-fat" as I feel at this point? Is my body extremely weirdly proportioned for someone of my weight? I know my chest is a bit flabby (working on it) and my belly could use a little work, but should I feel as self-consciousness as I do with my shirt off at the beach until I reach those goals? Thank you for your honest opinions.


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## Special (May 27, 2012)

you're skinny and you're not ripped, but that doesn't mean you're "skinny fat".

Skinny-fat, I've seen a lot of guys like that, they have skinny arms and in their torso a big belly and man boobs yet on the sides you can see their rib cage definition.

Anyways if you're worried just get ripped and get those abs showing up.
Ladies love a six-pack.


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## AmyLouise (May 26, 2012)

An eighty pound loss is amazing. Congratulations! Your body will continue to tone up as you continue to exercise so just hang in there. You're doing great.


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## TryingMara (Mar 25, 2012)

80 pounds?! That's incredible! You look great, you have no reason to be self-conscious.


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## gusstaf (Jan 1, 2012)

You should be proud of getting to a healthy weight  And you look good! Don't worry about taking off the shirt at the beach. Focus on maintaining a healthy lifestyle.


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## PaysageDHiver (Jun 18, 2011)

After losing that much weight, you probably have some loose skin, which can give the "skinny-fat" impression. It will take time for your skin to tighten up, but it will, and you'll look better when it does.


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## GroupHug (Jan 27, 2012)

PaysageDHiver said:


> After losing that much weight, you probably have some loose skin, which can give the "skinny-fat" impression. It will take time for your skin to tighten up, but it will, and you'll look better when it does.


Thanks, that's a load off my mind. Are we talking months or years? :teeth



gustafsg said:


> You should be proud of getting to a healthy weight  And you look good! Don't worry about taking off the shirt at the beach. Focus on maintaining a healthy lifestyle.


Thank you! I don't feel too proud because I should never have let myself go like that in the first place..

As for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, I don't even see how I could ever go back to eating and living completely unhealthy like that again! I don't really need to focus all that hard, it's become second nature when making wiser food choices and getting some kind of exercise regularly. Feel so much better living this way.


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## dutchguy (Jun 8, 2009)

Good job for losing so much weight.

I do think you look "skinny fat". But I think you should just go to the beach of you want.
Luckly you don't seem to have "manboobs" which is my problem.. I'm not happy with my belly but the manboobs make me feel to ashamed to let anyone see me with my shirt off.


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## GroupHug (Jan 27, 2012)

dutchguy said:


> Good job for losing so much weight.
> 
> I do think you look "skinny fat". But I think you should just go to the beach of you want.
> Luckly you don't seem to have "manboobs" which is my problem.. I'm not happy with my belly but the manboobs make me feel to ashamed to let anyone see me with my shirt off.


Sigh...:rain the pouch of skin on my lower stomach is the culprit. Hopefully it'll tighten up more if I keep at it and I'll look more my weight, it's only been 6 months after all. Patience.... 

I had a larger chest as well and was equally as ashamed about it. Along with cardio, I just started doing a real small amount of pushups (think it was 10 at first - I'm still only at about 50 now) daily with rest days when the soreness was significant and to let the muscle heal. It's OK to do as many as you can handle, take a little break, and finish until you get to your desired amount. My chest is already tighter and it's only been a little while. Good luck!


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## eppe (Apr 14, 2011)

nah. you look ok.


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## Openyoureyes (Jun 13, 2012)

You look fine, I guess just work on the bottom half of your stomach and you'll be super fine. But your looking really great for loosing that much lb!  Proud-


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## SupaDupaFly (Sep 1, 2011)

nice man congrats takes a lot to lose that much weight I used to be 220 and now im 166. I see what you mean by "skinny fat " if you haven't started a weigh lifting program then start with that. next thing is check your diet to the bits. meaning write down every calorie u eat. now you wanna build muscle. you gonna have to forget about having six pack abs ( for now) and build some muscle . if you do things right you'll gain some good 8 pounds of muscle in 4-6 months. you'll also pack a lil bit of fat with it. but that's ok cause then you'll begin your "cutting" phase. that's when u shed the remaining fat you have left. there's a lot more things involved. just be patient and work hard !


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## Define Me (Jan 2, 2012)

Either skinny fat because of the fat on your stomach and lack of muscle, or skinny because of the lack of fat/muscle on your arms.

Either way. Start eating properly (calorie surplus) and gain some muscle weight. Do that for about a year and then cut down (calorie deficit) and you'll be okay.


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## jonny neurotic (Jan 20, 2011)

Seriously man. Skinny-fat???

Do some chin ups. You'll thank me for recommending it...


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## Amorphousanomaly (Jun 20, 2012)

It's natural if you've lost a lot of weight for it to take some time for your body to adjust. You're in a transitory stage right now that you should be proud of! :]


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## Jollygoggles (Mar 3, 2011)

Yeah, you're skinny fat. 

Hit the gym (weights) and you can transform that within 3 months.


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## Zendo (Jun 20, 2012)

You look fine mate, and now you've lost the weight (awesome job by the way! - I have a couple of stone still to go) all you need to do is build up some muscle and definition. Do you drink at all by the way? I remember when I was at uni, going to the gym every other day for a couple of hours each session, and I had a similar look to you. That last bit of fat in the belly was really stubborn because at the time I used to be out on the beers a fair bit.

Anyway, just keep doing what your doing and I definitely wouldn't be self-conscious of taking your top off at the beach. In fact, I would definitely take your top off at every opportunity and get a cool tan


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## Nada (Dec 19, 2004)

First off, losing 80lbs is a great achievement and yes you are skinny-fat, but many people fall into this category anyways and you look fine as is. You might want to shed a few more pounds then start strength training if that's the route you want to go, otherwise be happy with your accomplishment.


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## ladyscuttle (Jan 29, 2012)

It's definitely a lot of work to lose a weight so quickly. I lost 85 pounds in about a 11 months and my **** was kind of just all over the place at first. Getting your skin back and body tone is going to take a lot of work, but it's something you have to stick with! Congratulations! You look great!


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## nitro eh (Jul 18, 2011)

congrats on the weight lose, shows that you are committed and hard working towards your goals. Now if you put that same amount of work into building muscle for the next 6 months you will achieve very satisfying results


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## RandomObject (Aug 31, 2011)

Looks like skinny fat to me. I lost about 35lbs and I'm a bit skinny fat now. I should have lifted weights when I lost the weight so I wouldn't have had this problem. Just make sure you get enough protein (1g per lb of weight) and lift weights. Ans I will be doing this on a slight calorie deficit in order to get rid of the fat.


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## Phoenix Rising (Jul 7, 2011)

Congrats!!!! And I think you're doing fine, any "problems" you think you have should clear up once you gain muscle. And I'd date you! Haha


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## thesweetspot (Jul 9, 2012)

Yes, congrats on losing your weight. If you are worried about the loose skin, simply start doing exercises to build your muscles to tighten the areas you want to look to your desires.


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## Crystalize (Aug 22, 2010)

I think lifting weights/ crunches etc along with the right diet plan is your best bet. Congratulations though!!


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## GroupHug (Jan 27, 2012)

It hasn't even been a month since I started lifting, intensifying my cardio and making sure I get plenty of protein, but I feel less skinny-fat everyday! Thanks all for the suggestions. I'll try to keep it up.


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## 49erJT (Oct 18, 2010)

Is it possible to gain muscle mass and lose weight at the same time? You may have to add more calories to see muscle gains unless you're just wanting to look cut. Congrats on losing the weight.


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## Deathmau (Feb 2, 2012)

Special said:


> Anyways if you're worried just get ripped and get those abs showing up.
> Ladies love a six-pack.


I absolutely hate muscle and six packs disgust me.


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## GroupHug (Jan 27, 2012)

49erJT said:


> Is it possible to gain muscle mass and lose weight at the same time? You may have to add more calories to see muscle gains unless you're just wanting to look cut. Congrats on losing the weight.


I do want to have just a lean look, nothing super-muscular. I'm always afraid that "bulking up" for me will simply mean "getting fat again" :teeth, so I eat around 1,500-2,000 calories a day (I'm not _super _strict about calorie counting, but I try), is that about right for what I'm trying to achieve? More? Little less?


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