Another skinny fat guy here. :D

[delta7]

Hey, guys, I've been reading nerdfitness.com for over a year now but I rarely check the forum, so this is my first time posting on it.

 

I'm 23 years old, my height is 165 cm (5' 5"), weight 65 kg (143.3 lbs) which is my weight for the last 1 year. My waist line is 87 cm (34.25 in) also my waist line for the last 1 year. I have sedentary job and spent most of my time in front of my laptop.

 

I just start my strength training 1 month ago (after reading Stacy's 101 Strength Training) using Stronglift app but still haven't seen any visible result. My waist line not decreasing at all nor my weight.

 

I know I can't outrun the fork, so I'm trying to track my diet. I eat white rice every meal time because rice is staple food in my country (I'm from Indonesia). I realize it has a LOT of calorie and carbs on it, so I try to limit it as much as I can. I only eating twice, at noon and at night, no breakfast. But I drink quite a lot of coffee with sugar on it, around 5 or 6 cup per day.

 

Here is my question, dear fellow rebellion. Am I doing it right? I mean, I haven't seen any result so far, even tiny one. Yes, my eating habit need to be fixed, but even with that habit (even worse) and without training (before this 1 month) my weight and waist line doesn't change at all. Do I have to wait more, change program, add something, or even go to doctor to check if I have low metabolism rate or something.

 

Thanks in advance and sorry for my bad English grammar. I'm still learning on it.

 

Cheers.

[Aegle]

Hello fellow rebel!

 

Strength training should be an effective way to become more fit. Do you do bodyweight workouts? You don't need to workout every day; 3 days of strength training per week is good. But, you should be walking everyday. Being sedentary is actually really bad for your health. Make sure you take a break from sitting in front of the computer every hour. Stand up and walk around to stretch your legs (go the bathroom, get a drink of water, etc.). I also recommend taking a daily walk. I take mine after lunch while listening to music and find it quite distressing and enjoyable. You don't need to start an intense exercise routine. Start small and try creating a lasting habit. 

 

As for your diet, I suggest eating more protein and vegetables. Don't focus on what you shouldn't eat; rather, think about all of the healthy options and what nutrients they can give you. It is important that you avoid processed food and instead eat whole, real food. Rice is better than grains, but eat it in moderation. In addition, you should also drink coffee in moderation and not add sugar to it. But, I understand that you have probably developed an addiction to coffee. Try reducing the number of cups you drink and slowly add less and less sugar to it. It's important to make small changes and test them out for a week or a month depending on the size of the change. See what works and adjust to fit your personal needs. Little by little one walks far. Good luck! 

[delta7]

Wow, thanks for the response, Aegle.

 

I did bodyweight workouts few months ago but I kind of hard to make it a habit, then I change to cardio, and then for the last month I only go to the gym 3 times a week doing weight training without any additional exercise (cardio or bodyweight), But, I agree with you, I think my sedentary lifestyle is the main problem. I hardly move from my chair except for eat or go to the bathroom. And, because my office and my home is very near (only a few steps walking), I rarely move my body for more than 5 minutes. Maybe I'll try to walk everyday as you suggest after my office hour for 15 - 20 minutes. After I used to it, I want to jog again as I ever did few months back.

 

Yup, I rarely eat processed food indeed. Is it true rice is better than grains? I almost change my rice with oats but I can't stand the taste. Yes, I will decrease my portion of rice and add more vegetable and protein. Ah, yes, this is the quite hard part. Coffee. Yeah, I thought the same, maybe I should not add any sugar on it. I've been trying drink coffee without sugar but with non-dairy creamer on it. It tastes good and I like it. But, is it fine?

 

By the way, I like your signature. It similar with the definition of discipline I've read somewhere. Discipline is knowing the difference between what you want now and what you want most. Once again, thanks again for your response. It really helps.  

[iRyan2015]

Hello there good sir!

Aegle is absolutely right about what you SHOULDN'T eat. At this point in time, I would also focus on incorporating more protein and vegetables in your diet.

Rice is a grain, as are oats. If you don't like oats, try Barley, Couscous (love this stuff and SO easy to prepare), or legumes. Legumes aren't a grain, but they are loaded with carbs, fiber, AND protein!
You can replace sugar with artificial sweetener to get you started on coffee without sugar- Stevia, and Monk Fruit extract are great low-calorie sweeteners. 

As for the skinny fat, that's something weight-training will fix. I was skinny fat, and ran cardio EVERY. DAY. and that waistline never shrunk, but the rest of my body did. In order to lose that last pouch, you need to raise your natural metabolism. The more muscle and strength you have, the higher the metabolism, which is why people who weight-train and eat 4000 calories a day never seem to pack an ounce on.

[Dradis]

As a man your waist will be the last to go in general. The human body stores the fat in the safest place for it, that is furthest away from vital organs. For men this is the waist and women it is the thighs/butt. This is because of the placement of the testes and ovaries so i read.

 

You haven't been on stronglifts for long enough yet. The weights are probably still fairly easy for you? Those beginning weeks are all about nailing and perfecting your form for when it gets hard. I didn't really feel like i was getting anywhere with stronglifts for 8-10 weeks then all of a sudden you'll feel it and you'll know its doing _something_.

My main goal is to lose the gut too, i've barely got anywhere in months according to the tape measure but my progress pics (which i haven't uploaded here recently) tell a different story. Alas its all in the arms/shoulders/butt/etc. Everywhere except my waist, but i'm sure that will come at the end.

 

 

The great thing about getting to the point where you are lifting heavy for me is the diet. Before i was obsessive about losing weight, i lost a load and ended up skinny fat. Now i do generally try to stay on a calorie deficit but if i have a few days of eating bad i just think "well at least only some of that will be fat rather than all of it as long as i keep training". Its been quite a weight (pun intended) off my shoulders.

 

 

What sort of weights are you lifting on SL? In terms of your bodyweight. In terms of squats (which is the big on one SL) it was only after 1xBW i started feeling it and knowing it was working

[delta7]

Thanks again for the responses, guys! I never thought my post will get response this much. I really surprised.

 

Hello there good sir!

Aegle is absolutely right about what you SHOULDN'T eat. At this point in time, I would also focus on incorporating more protein and vegetables in your diet.

Rice is a grain, as are oats. If you don't like oats, try Barley, Couscous (love this stuff and SO easy to prepare), or legumes. Legumes aren't a grain, but they are loaded with carbs, fiber, AND protein!
You can replace sugar with artificial sweetener to get you started on coffee without sugar- Stevia, and Monk Fruit extract are great low-calorie sweeteners. 

As for the skinny fat, that's something weight-training will fix. I was skinny fat, and ran cardio EVERY. DAY. and that waistline never shrunk, but the rest of my body did. In order to lose that last pouch, you need to raise your natural metabolism. The more muscle and strength you have, the higher the metabolism, which is why people who weight-train and eat 4000 calories a day never seem to pack an ounce on.

 

I like oats when it mixed with fruit like mango or banana, but I still not used to it as a daily meal. As for vegetable, there are some food called "lotek" here. It looks like salad, but it's using peanut sauce instead of mayonnaise. It consist of river spinach (we call it kangkung), haricot, cabbage, cucumber, and the peanut sauce made from peanut, palm sugar, and sweet potato. It's delicious but I kind of bored if I eat it everyday. But, maybe I should eat it more often though. And for sugar, other than your option, do you think corn sugar can be replacement for regular sugar too?

 

Everyday? Wow, that's excellent. I can't even do that to see if it works for me or not. Haha. I think you are right, man. Raising metabolism by increasing muscle. I hope we can achieve our goals and be an inspiration as you write in your introduction thread.

 

As a man your waist will be the last to go in general. The human body stores the fat in the safest place for it, that is furthest away from vital organs. For men this is the waist and women it is the thighs/butt. This is because of the placement of the testes and ovaries so i read.

 

You haven't been on stronglifts for long enough yet. The weights are probably still fairly easy for you? Those beginning weeks are all about nailing and perfecting your form for when it gets hard. I didn't really feel like i was getting anywhere with stronglifts for 8-10 weeks then all of a sudden you'll feel it and you'll know its doing _something_.

My main goal is to lose the gut too, i've barely got anywhere in months according to the tape measure but my progress pics (which i haven't uploaded here recently) tell a different story. Alas its all in the arms/shoulders/butt/etc. Everywhere except my waist, but i'm sure that will come at the end.

 

 

The great thing about getting to the point where you are lifting heavy for me is the diet. Before i was obsessive about losing weight, i lost a load and ended up skinny fat. Now i do generally try to stay on a calorie deficit but if i have a few days of eating bad i just think "well at least only some of that will be fat rather than all of it as long as i keep training". Its been quite a weight (pun intended) off my shoulders.

 

 

What sort of weights are you lifting on SL? In terms of your bodyweight. In terms of squats (which is the big on one SL) it was only after 1xBW i started feeling it and knowing it was working

 

Wow, that's interesting. I've ever read that too, about woman will have more fat in thigh and man in waist but it's the first time I read about possible reason why is it like that.

 

Yeah, Dradis. I've read everywhere and it's said that 1 month is not enough to see any result. Even the app suggest we do it around 8-10 weeks if I'm not mistaken. But, I don't think the weight is easy though. Maybe because I'm sooo weak. Hehe. Well, here is the last weight I've lift. I lift it in 5x5 manner for all move and 5x1 for the deadlift.

 

Bodyweight: 65 kg // 143.3 lbs

 

Squat: 60 kg // 132.3 lbs

Bench: 40 kg // 88.2 lbs (miss rep on the 4th set. I only get 4 reps but get back to 5 reps on 5th set after 5 minutes rest as the app suggest)

Row: 35 kg // 77.2 lbs

OH Press: 27.5 kg // 60.6 lbs

Deadlift: 75 kg // 165 lbs

 

Only deadlift has surpass my bodyweight. Maybe next week I can do my 1xBW squat, but the rest is still far below.

[Dradis]

Yeah, i'm a good 12-13 weeks in now and i'm only over BW on squat and deadlift for 5 reps, they're the biggest lifts. Looks like you're getting there so i'd say just stick with it and try and dial-in the diet to lose fat.

[delta7]

Yeah, i'm a good 12-13 weeks in now and i'm only over BW on squat and deadlift for 5 reps, they're the biggest lifts. Looks like you're getting there so i'd say just stick with it and try and dial-in the diet to lose fat.

 

Thanks, Dradis. Wish you luck with your goals too. It's great to get support from person whom understand how hard the struggle I feel. Keep up the good work, dude.