That spare tire. Those love handles. The stick arms.

We’ve all seen the look and many of us have been there ourselves, including me. It’s a term commonly referred to as skinny fat.

So how do we get rid of skinny fat? Through a few simple steps!

In this article we look at what is skinny fat, should you bulk or cut first and then how to fix skinny fat.

 

What is Skinny Fat?

Chaz

A picture of The Fitness Wrangler’s founder, Chaz, in his “bad skinny fat” days. 

Have you heard the term “skinny fat” and was wondering exactly what it means? The definition of skinny fat is a person with a normal BMI but more fat that’s accumulated around the waist than muscle overall. When someone is considered skinny fat, they do not have the recommended amount of muscle mass for their body type.

I have a friend that is outwardly skinny, and he seems to be healthy, but after visiting the doctor he learned that this was not true. After several exams, my friend learned that he was carrying quite a bit of fat. My friend had more fat surrounding his mid-section, which could potentially lead to health problems and risks.

Skinny fat is not a medical term, but commonly used to portray the notion that someone may look skinny, but in reality, that is carrying a lot of fat. How does this look? You may begin to see fat collect around your midsection or belly region with thinner arms, shoulders or chest. 

This is an issue that many people struggle with, if you are experiencing this, you are not alone. So, what causes skinny fat? There are a number of factors that can lead to you gaining more fat than muscle, they include:

  • A lack of protein in the diet
  • There is not enough muscle mass in the body
  • Lack of strength training into the workout routine
  • Being in a caloric deficit for extended amounts of time
  • Hormonal imbalances
  • Gut health problems
  • Stress

The above factors are a few things that can cause skinny fat. In this article, I will give you information on how to get rid of skinny fat. Whether you are a skinny fat guy or skinny fat girl, there are solutions for you to help reduce your body fat.

 

Should I Cut or Bulk Skinny Fat?

When I noticed I started to gain additional fat around my midsection and upper body, I immediately started to exercise more. I would spend countless hours in the gym, some days going to the gym twice a day. But my skinny fat was still there. The problem was I didn’t have a strategy.

The question of should you cut or bulk is tricky to answer. This is because if you add too much muscle to your body frame, to quickly, you will likely gain additional body fat. And, if you work solely on losing body fat, you may become too thin. 

 

Should you cut or bulk skinny fat?

My answer is you should do both in moderation. Let me explain why.

Moderately work on cutting your fat and building your muscle. You want to lose just enough fat that you can start to distinguish your muscles. Once you lose a little body fat, you’ll be overall happier with yourself in the mirror, more motivated to keep going and you can then focus on building up your muscle.

 

How To Fix Skinny Fat

It doesn’t matter how you became skinny fat, right now the focus should be on how to get rid of skinny fat. I want to make a disclaimer, you can definitely get rid of skinny fat, but you should know that it is a process that will not happen overnight.

Every body type is different. You know your body the best. It is important for you find an exercise plan that works for your personality type, a good workout routine and to set yourself up with a gym membership or start with home fitness equipment to get started. 

 

1. Lose Body Fat, Get Lean!

I recommend trying to lose some of your body fat first, before focusing on building your muscles. The best way to become lean is to cut your calories and perform HIIT. You cannot lose weight if your calorie intake is higher than the calories you are burning.

Pay close attention to everything you eat. Try to log your meals to record the number of calories you are taking in. How many calories should you eat? An easy way to determine what your daily calorie intake should be is to multiply your weight by 15.

 

 

For example, if someone weighs 180 pounds, a healthy person’s maintenance calories may be around 2,700 calories per day. However, each body is different depending on genetics, mitochondrial ATP output, hormones and other complex factors. Consuming this amount of calories will maintain your weight. The fun part is, in order for you to actually lose weight you have to cut your calories but not by too much and not for too long or else your metabolic burn will lower it’s capability. You’re trying to find that sweet spot. 

A good starting point is to try to cut your daily calorie intake by 300-350 calories and bring in a HIIT routine a couple times a week. This is a suggestion, but you should keep track of your weight during this process. Remember, the goal is to become lean enough so that you can start focusing on your muscles.

Another tip, if you see that cutting your calories by this amount isn’t working for you. Reduce your calories even more because often, calories stack up quicker than we anticipate. For example, a good handful of almonds can be 400 calories…

Remember, becoming lean takes time. This first phase may take several weeks to a couple months depending on where you’re at in your transformation journey. Fat loss is dependent on how much fat you have to lose, your body type and your dedication.

 

2. Protein Is Your Friend

While you are focusing on becoming lean, eat enough protein. Why is this important? Protein helps to build muscle. Which will be beneficial when you start to focus more on muscle building. Not only does it build muscle, but protein also keeps you feeling full. It is an excellent way to curb your appetite.

How much protein should you intake? A typical rule is to eat about 0.8 grams of protein for every pound you weigh.

For example, if you weigh 180 pounds:

180 pounds x 0.8 grams of protein = 144 grams of protein per day

 

3. Weight Training (the heavier the better)

After you start to become leaner, focus heavily on building your muscle. It is okay to do light some weights in your cutting stage, but not too much. Save the heavy lifting for after you lose some of your body fat.

There is no reason to be fearful of heavy weightlifting. Once you start, you will wonder why you didn’t begin earlier. When you first start out, aim to lift weights at least 3x per week.

When you weight train, be sure to incorporate the following:

  • Heavy pressing
  • Squatting
  • Dead-lifting
  • Compound weightlifting

The purpose of heavy weightlifting is to build muscle fast. Incorporate heavy lifting at least 3 times a week.

You can also get started with a home fitness equipment set-up. Resistance bands are a great starting point to strength training and having the convenience of it in your home makes it easy to start.

 

4. Maintain Your Look

After you put the hard work and dedication into losing body fight and bulking your muscles, what’s next?

The next step is to maintain your physique; and maybe go after a 6 pack of abs. Don’t try to maintain your muscles by consuming a large number of calories per day. Remember, eating more calories does not equate to having muscles. But it can make you fat. It is a fine line.

The goal is to eat more food to maintain your muscles, but not too much. You don’t want to return to being a skinny fat guy or skinny fat girl. Try to start by adding 250-300 additional calories to your diet. Incorporate a protein shake. Keep working out but lean more towards the muscle building and less on the cutting moving forward.

 

Disclaimers

I am not a doctor and do not recommend anything on this site, or blog post, for anyone without consulting with their doctor first. Please read the privacy policy for more information.

The information in this article is for educational and entertainment reasons, it should not be interpreted as medical advice or as a recommendation for a specific treatment. Always talk to your doctor and in the event of a medical emergency one should seek the help of a qualified and licensed health care provider.

There are affiliate links in this post where we’ll get a paid fee if you purchase something from that link – it won’t cost any more to you and in some cases may even save you money.