Im skinny fat! What do I do? Where do I begin?

I think what you should start with is being comfortable with yourself and then pointing good things you may want to change try thinking positive instead of pointing negative things about yourself and start changing. Set a goal even though is for food or for exercise. Good luck

 

There's no risk of you accidentally getting too muscley - gaining muscle takes a long time. It takes years, so you can easily slow down/stop your progress when you feel you're at a level you want to be.
Dumbbells that you can buy second hand for £15 are more than sufficient for 'toning'; you don't need to go the gym and I would usually advise against it anyway because the inconvenience of having to travel there and back is both a deterrent and a time waster.



You need to increase your muscle mass percentage and decrease your bodyfat percentage. This is done by (the dreaded) diet and exercise. This is usually what people mean when they say they want to look toned - lose the fat that is covering and hiding your muscles, and increase the amount of muscle you have to replace that lost fat so you don't get too skinny.

Also, looking at your avatar/profile pics, you would probably also like it if you widened your shoulders to raise your shoulder-to-waist ratio. Your shoulders don't look bad at the moment, but the wider they are the smaller your waist and stomach looks in comparison. Your proportions are probably the biggest factor in judging conventional physical attractiveness.



Keep in mind that if you are judging the appearance of your stomach by looking down your chin at it, then it will always look awful. That will never be a flattering angle for anyone - look in the mirror instead.
Also keep in mind that lighting is very important; someone with a six pack will still look like a bloated manatee if the lighting is wrong.
Comparing yourself to a photo of someone else is never going to make you feel good simply because people only display photos where they are looking good - the rest of the time they will look worse than that.

 

Well, assuming you're proposing this so you don't have to do it outside:

1) It's going to get really boring, really quickly.
2) You're probably going to make a lot of noise inside.
3) I'm sure there's some sort of physiological reason why running in place is not as effective as proper running, but I have no idea if/why there is.

When you say jogging in spot, I instinctively want to suggest jumping rope - have you considered that?

 

What's skinny fat?

To me, those are opposites. You know, like saying I'm short-tall.

 

Beats me.

 

So, your out of shape like me :lol:.

That's really not an issue in the end of everything; I tend to get in and out of shape like many people since things like winter (It's cold out man, I can't go out), stress, eating habits, work, school, etc get in the way.

Just things like doing routine stretches, pushups, pullups (If you can, find a bar or get one; it's a great way to gain some upper body tone), situps, dumbbells/free weights, etc. I bike a lot during the summer too to get around and that keeps me in shape in addition to some running, trail maintenance, and other outdoor activities.

Getting in shape is difficult and it takes initiative that can be a pita. I used to be in pretty great shape and once your in that kind of shape it's great but the motivation isn't always there.

Even if you don't like running keep at it, least until you have another suitable method of exercise to replace it. Realistically though it takes doing a bunch of stuff to get a well rounded body including running, lifting/weight training, exercises, etc.

There are running/biking/etc groups that you can join and they may be a good point to start, just mention that you are a beginner and you may lag behind quite a bit for a while; it's expected and to be honest no one is really judging you for being out of shape. Heck with obesity levels now a days, just making an effort is worth it's weight in gold.

 

So if you are skinny fat, I would advise you starting a workout plan. You should start using that exercise bike every day for 150 minutes per week, that is the recommended time for a healthy body. I would also recommend starting an ab workout routine, you can find these online, as well as youtube. You can work your abs anytime, anywhere. With the cardio and abs, you should achieve the tighter abs and lean body that you desire. I would also recommend purchasing some free weights and doing some exercises with them if you want to get more in shape and have more lean muscle.

 

hey u need to increase ur protein and reduce carb and fat content - diet is very important, also exercise, weights etc - need both and also need determination and focus

 

cardio.

lower your intake of sugar, glutton, and fats.

 

Actually carbs are not bad, and for protein, you multiply your weight by .333 and you will have how much protein is needed for your body. I took a personal wellness class on this and the college textbook says that. And the .333 is grams. So if you weigh 150x.333= 50 grams of protein --- about two small 4oz. chicken breasts .By the way, excess protein gets converted to fat, so anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong. I'm going to school to be a dietitian, I would know! And for carbs, try eating whole wheat and instead of white potatoes, try sweet potato.

 

This, mainly.

I don't know how much heavier than you I am. Probably at least fifty pounds. And when the situation calls for going shirtless...I take my shirt off. Even though I've got a gut on me. Even though I've got a lot of body hair. If I'm in the gym or on the beach, I have no problem taking my shirt off. I'm assuming very few people will find the view very appealing...but I'm not putting on a show. I'm just taking my shirt off.

I'm not saying everybody should work on achieving my body weight or anything. And if you'd like to add some muscle to your frame, I'd be the last to say no. But I would definitely suggest work on accepting and loving yourself some more. It tends to make a lot more of life a lot easier...more so than some muscle definition, anyway.

Lex

 

Protein in grams equalling one third of your body weight isn't a bad estimate for general requirement (although probably on the low side), but if you are doing exercise to put on muscle then you can increase it significantly. 1 gram per pound is about the upper limit, but something like 0.6 to 0.8 per pound is going to be a good level for muscle growth for most people.

Lots of people just go with 1 gram per pound - it's unlikely that they'll actually need this much but it ensures that they won't ever have a deficit limiting their progress.

Obviously if you aren't doing weight bearing exercise in an effort to increase muscle mass then you don't need to eat this much protein.