Skinny fat person: Cant seem to loose this fat

Hi All,

I am 38 years old and I have been carrying fat in my chest and abs for all my life. Over the last few years, I have changed my diet completely (no meat and very little sugar) and I workout at least three times a week but this fat shows no signs of going away.

Here are my specs:

Height: 6'2"
Weight: 165 lbs
Waist: 34"
Chest: 38"
Daily Calories intake: under 2000
The calories I consume are mostly from Salmon, eggs, tuna, quinoa, yams, pistachios, bananas, sugarless yogurt, and fat free whip cream that I add to my yogurt and eat it as a desert.

Workout three times a week:
My workouts for the past several months have been:
- 6 sets of 5 reps bodyweight dips with 5 reps of decline push up in each set
- 5 push up variation sets of 10 to 15 reps: knee pushaway, standard, incline, twisting knee push up and lateral knee plyo pushup
(I do 30 seconds abs between each push up variation and altogether that takes me about 25 minutes to complete)
- two sets of 25 reps of bodyweight squats
- two sets of renegade rows of 10 reps each
- 45 seconds of inverse planks
and two other exercises: one for my posture and one for my Achilles tendon
(altogether it takes me 45 to 50 minutes to complete)

Abs:

I do a follow along ab workout 7 days a week that is 10 minutes long.

I feel strong in my chest but I am NEVER sore. What am I doing wrong?

I am thinking of adding battle rope on my days off hoping that it can help me put a dent to this fat in my upper body.

[QUOTE=BeachLifeUS;1663995933]What am I doing wrong?[/QUOTE]

The same low resistance workout week in and week out.

[QUOTE=air2fakie;1663996393]The same low resistance workout week in and week out.[/QUOTE]

I tried weight and a trainer but after 6 months I didnt see any improvement. And even with 12 sets of incline and standard bench press, heavy weight, I was never sore.

[QUOTE=BeachLifeUS;1663996563]I tried weight and a trainer but after 6 months I didnt see any improvement. And even with 12 sets of incline and standard bench press, heavy weight, I was never sore.[/QUOTE]

What's your definition of heavy weight? And what was the actual detail of the workout program?

[QUOTE=air2fakie;1663997133]What's your definition of heavy weight? And what was the actual detail of the workout program?[/QUOTE]

45 pounds on each hands of dumbbells' bend press is what I mean by heavy weight.

We would do standard and incline bend press
Squats
Pull ups and chin ups
battle rope
dips
and some other exercises

I do not why but I never felt sore in the chest to this day

[QUOTE=BeachLifeUS;1663998233]45 pounds on each hands of dumbbells' bend press is what I mean by heavy weight.

We would do standard and incline bend press
Squats
Pull ups and chin ups
battle rope
dips
and some other exercises

I do not why but I never felt sore in the chest to this day[/QUOTE]

Like I said, it sounds like you're just doing low resistance exercises with no real structure or progression, just going through the motions. You're not going to change your body shape/composition like that at a low weight for your height.

You're also focusing on soreness too much as the goal, but it prob is an indicator in your case over time that these workouts aren't very intense.

[QUOTE=air2fakie;1663998643]Like I said, it sounds like you're just doing low resistance exercises with no real structure or progression, just going through the motions. You're not going to change your body shape/composition like that at a low weight for your height.

You're also focusing on soreness too much as the goal, but it prob is an indicator in your case over time that these workouts aren't very intense.[/QUOTE

Did you see the picture. I just want to make sure you know exactly I am dealing with.

Then can you tell you what you would do if you were in my place including which exercises and what weight should I aim for

You're not going to see any change just doing the same low intensity bodyweight exercises.

[QUOTE=BeachLifeUS;1663996563]I tried weight and a trainer but after 6 months I didnt see any improvement. And even with 12 sets of incline and standard bench press, heavy weight, I was never sore.[/QUOTE]

Soreness is not necessarily an indicator of a successful workout. And 6 months is not enough time to see significant change, slight yes, but not major. As long as you were progressing on your lifts you were on the right track. If you were not progressing (adding more weight or doing more reps each week), then you likely weren't following a great program or you had other issues like effort or technique.

Go to the workout program forum stickies and follow a program like All Pro or Fierce 5.

If you're not losing weight you're not going to lose fat, but at 6'2" and 165 you probably are best served adding more muscle instead of focusing on fat loss.

[QUOTE=BeachLifeUS;1663999673]Did you see the picture. I just want to make sure you know exactly I am dealing with.[/QUOTE]

No, I can't see pics you haven't linked or uploaded. But I've seen skinny fat people before. You are lightweight with an untrained body.

[QUOTE=BeachLifeUS;1663999673]Then can you tell you what you would do if you were in my place including which exercises and what weight should I aim for[/QUOTE]

I'd do any proper novice lifting program. Some are listed in a few posts above this one but there are plenty of others. Read the stickies in the Workout forum. You should also read the stickies in the Nutrition forum. Eating no meat doesn't actually have anything to do with losing fat.

It's not so much the exact weight you are lifting, but rather the lack of progression. If you are one-arm-benching 45s, you do that for a week or two, then either add reps or more weight. I typically follow a pattern like this:

day 1 6 reps at 45lb
day 2 7 reps at 45lb
day 3 8 reps at 45lb
day 4 6 reps at 50lb etc....

Once you can comfortably crank out the higher reps at a certain weight, go up to the next weight and start with lower reps and work back up to higher reps. It's not always linear, and progression slows at a point, but that is what you need to do (along with proper rest and nutrition) to grow muscle. For heavier compound lifts I use 6-8 reps, for isolations like curls or pushdowns I might do 8-12 rep range. Either way, whatever program you follow, you have to progressively overload or you won't grow.

Of course your post is focused toward fat loss, in which case it comes down to your caloric deficit. Lifting will just help you keep the muscle you already have. Pick a goal (muscle gain or fat loss) and focus your diet and training around that goal. Don't try to do both at once because you will spin your wheels.

[QUOTE=BeachLifeUS;1663995933]Hi All,

I am 38 years old and I have been carrying fat in my chest and abs for all my life. Over the last few years, I have changed my diet completely (no meat and very little sugar) and I workout at least three times a week but this fat shows no signs of going away.

Here are my specs:

Height: 6'2"
Weight: 165 lbs
Waist: 34"
Chest: 38"
Daily Calories intake: under 2000
The calories I consume are mostly from Salmon, eggs, tuna, quinoa, yams, pistachios, bananas, sugarless yogurt, and fat free whip cream that I add to my yogurt and eat it as a desert.

Workout three times a week:
My workouts for the past several months have been:
- 6 sets of 5 reps bodyweight dips with 5 reps of decline push up in each set
- 5 push up variation sets of 10 to 15 reps: knee pushaway, standard, incline, twisting knee push up and lateral knee plyo pushup
(I do 30 seconds abs between each push up variation and altogether that takes me about 25 minutes to complete)
- two sets of 25 reps of bodyweight squats
- two sets of renegade rows of 10 reps each
- 45 seconds of inverse planks
and two other exercises: one for my posture and one for my Achilles tendon
(altogether it takes me 45 to 50 minutes to complete)

Abs:

I do a follow along ab workout 7 days a week that is 10 minutes long.

I feel strong in my chest but I am NEVER sore. What am I doing wrong?

I am thinking of adding battle rope on my days off hoping that it can help me put a dent to this fat in my upper body.[/QUOTE]at your stats you need to add muscle. Get in your protein and get on a proven lifting program. What you’re doing now will just keep you chasing your tail.