weight issue.. i'm confused and paranoid

LegacyUser

Heres my situation,

I'm 11 stone 10 pounds and i'm a 6 foot 2, 23 year old male


Now as far as I can work out 11 stone 10 is a healthy/average weight for my age. The thing is I have a bit of a belly and it's starting to show. Especially in t-shirts which is why I am now spending most of my time wearing light, baggy jackets. Don't get me wrong many people call me a stick cause they consider me so skinny but i can defo notice my belly in tight t-shirts and when i'm naked. I'd actually be embaressed to strip infront of anyone. Many people have described be as ''skinny-fat''.

I'v very little muscle so the 11 stone 10 is mostly fat. I don't have any ambition to go to the gym and gain muscle, yet if i lose weight i'd look sickly thin.. If I was to clean up my diet would i loose the belly and tighten up my stomach?

I also have a huge cellulite problem...

I do an hours walk a day religiously but this doesnt seem to be making any difference atall.

PirateShampoo

I'm 6ft and nearly 15st, I work with sheets of steel all day long, I find it next two impossible to lose weight without putting it back on in muscle mass. I wouldn't worry to much about bmi and all that nonsense, just eat healthy and be happy.

RZoran

Yea similar body type. When I drank like a fish and ate like crap all the weight I put on was in midsection along with bloated neck and face. Arms and legs stayed the same. Personally I hate looking too skinny since you generally only look good in a suit. If you don't want to go to the gym you could get a descent upper body workout at home without spending too much.

- Get something like the Iron Gym pullup bar
- Push-up handles
- Something or somewhere to do full body weight dips
- Medicine ball for crunches
- some ab straps for the pullup bar
- If you really start doing high reps then get a weight belt and some used weights to attach to your waist to use with the pull up bar & dip station.
- Planks - especially if some weights on back - can be good exercise

Optional
- Whey protein (at least 1 gram protein per pound of body pound daily)
- Creatine
- Cheap used adjustable dumb bell set
- Track your diet carefully with app like myfitnesspal
- Jump rope

There is a guy Scooby that is like 50+ and stilll ripped and has a website with free workout plans/calorie calculators and doesn't push supplements or products.

zoobizoo

Do weights... walking will do nothing for you.

Have a look at the Health and Fitness section on boards and ask on there... they'll be able to give far better advice.

Emme

OP, I'm not being horrible as I'm far from perfect myself but the person who described you as skinny-fat was probably trying to help. It sounds like you are relatively inactive with a bad diet. You certainly don't need to lose weight. If you were in shape you could carry even more weight depending on your build. Heavily built rugby guys can carry more weight than lightly built elite runners. You sound like you're built for speed as opposed to power.

If you don't want to go to the gym would you be interested in team sports or something like tag rugby? Would you play tennis or squash? Join a bootcamp group?

What is your diet like? You need to eat a balanced diet protein - lean meat, fish, eggs etc. Don't drink too much alcohol or eat too many refined carbs. Eat lots of vegetables and fruit. If you're vegetarian you can find a way around that with good nutritional advice. Cellulite is a sign you need to clean up your diet.

Would you be interested in running? If you are a light build running might suit you. Some guys do yoga or pilates and that's great for getting in shape without going to the gym.

tenifan

It's great you have the time and dedication to a 60 minute walk, so the good news is you can do as little 20 minutes of exercise a day and actually see results. An hour's walk is a massive waste of time, and is not particularly good exercise for someone your age and build who wants to tone up his stomach and not lose weight.

RZoran gave some very good advice on types of exercises you can do, but I wouldn't recommend investing in a lot of equipment. Just start with a set of adjustable dumbbells, and maybe a bench.
I bought pushup handles and never used them. Medicine ball, nice to have but not exactly adjustable and just another expense.

+1 on visiting the health and Fitness board.

Mr. Loverman

I'm a strong guy with a six pack, but I used to be overweight.

This is what you need to do:

First things first, it's not what you eat, it's how much you eat. It has been proven time and again that it's basic physics: energy expended vs. energy consumed. You can't create matter out of thin air, so your belly is due to your diet (overeating). You're unlucky your excess weight all goes to your stomach.

This is easy to fix though.

You need to ensure you are not eating above the recommended calories for someone of your build. (Google this). If you are calorie deficient you will lose weight. Start practicing portion control. Basically you can eat anything you want as long as you don't go over your daily calories target. You'll probably have to get used to feeling hungry sometimes, and stop the "eating until I'm full" thing so many people do.

You need to build some muscle. Two basic reasons: you'll look better & feel better, and muscles are calorie efficient so it's easier to lose weight if you have muscle mass.

You don't need to go to a gym. You can do all sort of body weight exercises. Push ups, pull ups, squat, plank, etc. (Google this).

Remember "spot training" doesn't work, so don't bother doing loads of crunches to lose your belly. Your belly will go away with diet.

Up your protein intake and lower your carb intake. Protein will help you gain muscle, and less carbs will stabilise your insulin levels which has all sorts of benefits.

I know there are some "fat activists" here ("intuitive eating", "being fat is just another body type", "weight less has nothing to do with diet", etc.) and people who believe they eat hardly anything but are overweight (these people are simply underestimating how many calories they consume), feel free to take their advice, but I assure you I went from skinny fat to "holy **** you look great" so I've walked the walked.

LegacyUser

Mr. Loverman wrote: »

I'm a strong guy with a six pack, but I used to be overweight.

This is what you need to do:

First things first, it's not what you eat, it's how much you eat. It has been proven time and again that it's basic physics: energy expended vs. energy consumed. You can't create matter out of thin air, so your belly is due to your diet (overeating). You're unlucky your excess weight all goes to your stomach.

This is easy to fix though.

You need to ensure you are not eating above the recommended calories for someone of your build. (Google this). If you are calorie deficient you will lose weight. Start practicing portion control. Basically you can eat anything you want as long as you don't go over your daily calories target. You'll probably have to get used to feeling hungry sometimes, and stop the "eating until I'm full" thing so many people do.

You need to build some muscle. Two basic reasons: you'll look better & feel better, and muscles are calorie efficient so it's easier to lose weight if you have muscle mass.

You don't need to go to a gym. You can do all sort of body weight exercises. Push ups, pull ups, squat, plank, etc. (Google this).

Remember "spot training" doesn't work, so don't bother doing loads of crunches to lose your belly. Your belly will go away with diet.

Up your protein intake and lower your carb intake. Protein will help you gain muscle, and less carbs will stabilise your insulin levels which has all sorts of benefits.

I know there are some "fat activists" here ("intuitive eating", "being fat is just another body type", "weight less has nothing to do with diet", etc.) and people who believe they eat hardly anything but are overweight (these people are simply underestimating how many calories they consume), feel free to take their advice, but I assure you I went from skinny fat to "holy **** you look great" so I've walked the walked.

Even though my diet is all over the place and I have no real clue what to eat and when to eat it.. I'd be more inclined to blame my inactive lifestyle?.. I'm a recluse, have been for years. I rarely leave the house and when I do I'm in the car mostly. When I go out with the dogs that's literally the only time I'd be out most days..

I'v done that for years even as a child.. I'll be starting back at college next week so I suppose i'll be up and out early which is why I may be able to stick to a healthier diet then..

Mr. Loverman

Healthy eating is quite straightforward. Just aim to avoid junk, keep carbs low and eat more vegetables.

You should try to fix you social anxiety issues too.

Mr. Loverman

Healthy eating is quite straightforward. Just aim to avoid junk, keep carbs low and eat more vegetables.

You should try to fix you social anxiety issues too.