19(F) Underweight with belly fat, how do I go from here?

A

annieinsight

New member
I'm 19(F), wt. fluctuating at 43.3 to 44.2and height 157 cm. 2 ya, I weighted 49-50. I didn't do anything to lose weight and had my same diet and little to no exercise throughout. I just saw a doctor and he recommended me to eat a dessert a day(lol) to get in calories because my food intake is normal. Blood test and hormone count is normal. No ED at all.

I'm underweight but I still have some belly fat? My waist is 29 and fit in usually 26/28 size jeans (went down from 30/32) but my tummy is still weirdly a little fat...

I've started the gym but I'm not sure if my body goals are weight training, to put on calories, or reduce my belly fat? Ideally I could get my weight up to atleast 46 but I'm afraid eating sweets as the doctor said will increase my belly fat when I'd like to develop abs instead of being flabby there. But I also want to increase my general weight. What training method do I follow?
 
@annieinsight You aren't fat by any stretch and you need to gain weight. Healthy food is preferred, but eat some sweets if you need to!

Have a look at these before and after pics https://bonytobombshell.com/female-lifting-transformation-before-after/

They gained weight and looked better.

The issue is that having low muscle mass makes you see all the wrong "curves". Having muscle holds you together. And you most optimally build muscle in a surplus. You will gain some fat, but this is okay! Women need fat on their bodies. You'll also follow a bulk with a cut.

Abs take time and are much harder for women than men due to the body fat requirement. Focus on being healthy and building up muscle all over

Read the r/fitness wiki and pick a routine from there https://thefitness.wiki/
 
@annieinsight I'm not here to talk training methods per se, but to just talk with you about some of the other stuff in your post. As a person that used to be a 19F, very similar in size to you even, just a long time ago, I might kindly say that what you are seeing on your belly is likely not 'fat', but just part of your body, as a woman. The pictures I see of myself from back then, when I thought I had some 'belly fat', are of me looking fit, healthy, and strong, but I did not see myself that way back then, in a way I suspect you don't see yourself today. I don't know you, but I do know what it is like to be a 19 year old girl, and using your body metrics above, I can say for certain that even if you aren't strong, you aren't fat, even if you have fat.

In regards to your goals question in your last paragraph: eating right and toning muscles in the gym will take care of any 'fat' on you in weird places. Feeling strong can help you forget about feeling 'fat' too; as can focusing on things like far you can ride a bike without getting tired, can you dance all night with friends, does a day at the beach tire you out before it should, and other lifestyle activities you can use to judge fitness vs just 'how do I look in a mirror'. I found at your age, I enjoyed a lot of activities that kept me moving and kept me fit, and it was easy to meet new people doing so many new things constantly. Find a hiking group, a swimming club, find some hashers to run with so you get movement and calories, yoga, or, even, perhaps, body-weight callisthenic type activities.

Do you know how to cook for yourself? Cooking nutrient dense, delicious food is also a life skill that can help you better manage what your body looks like, since, broadly speaking, food in = weight and time spent at the gym = toned muscles. Learning how to cook with whole foods that didn't come from a box is something that will help power your body on your journey to find balance with muscle tone too. You gotta eat to gain muscle, and cooking for yourself is the easiest, cheapest way to make that happen.

There are lots of ways to add movement to your life, via activity or directed gym time. Finding ways to move that you enjoy and can incorporate into your lifestyle are going to be the best ways for you- ie the plan you stick with is going to be 100% better than the perfect plan you don't actually do. You got this my friend!
 
@masterpeter Your message is so inspiring and kind!!

I haven't really paid attention to my body before until it became severe enough for my parents to lose sleep over it (but I don't skip meals or anything, I just eat normally, but I generally don't have a large appetite or eat lots of junk). Even now, my mindset is more, parents should feel happy that I'm healthy more than having body image issues?

As for feeling strong, my stamina is pretty much shit if it involves cardio or running, like I'll pass out immediately. I've started moderate exercising for 4 days a week and hour and I don't have any issues or body pain (or even a lot of soreness) which i expected since i was really sedentary before this month. I can easily do exercising or walking, if I had to. I kinda get low blood pressure when I get up for the past year and get dizzy sometimes when I go out but 95% of the time, I feel fine?

I'm home right now and my food is pretty balanced and nutritious because my parents are home( I'm learning how to cook too). I don't eat much junk( like McDonald's), usually it was about once in three months or something.

The advice I'm getting right now, is more protein and more food in general and weight training, I'll work out a routine as soon as possible. Thank you!!!
 
@annieinsight I would recommend some strength training and weight lifting combined with some abs exercises and whatever else you like to do for your goals. You also need to eat a little more now (ideally protein) that you are starting to go to the gym and burning more calories. This way if you add more weight which is good since you are underweight it will mostly be in lean muscle so you won't gain any fat. It can also help with reducing your fat. Targeting fat loss is not possible but you have to get to a healthy weight before you start doing anything else like reducing your body fat percentage to dangerous levels. Feel free to ask further questions
 
@brotherstewart Thanks, this helped a lot!!

This might feel really stupid, but should I eat before or after working out? I get either hunger pangs or zero appetite randomly since I started working out (two weeks)
 
@annieinsight Eating for protein intake doesn't matter if it's before or after your workout. It might help you with energy levels during your workout to eat a meal 1-2 hrs before your workout so your body has lots of energy during the workout. This should be a mostly carbs (energy is carbs) and protein meal.

Then when you get home from your workout replenish with another small meal. Less carbs. Focus on protein and on vitamins/nutrients from fruits and vegetables here. Something like a bowl of Greek yoghurt with fruit pieces would be great.
 
@annieinsight Assuming im reading the above correctly

A 29" waist isn't fat in any way shape of form.

A good general rule for women is to to keep your waist at under half your height, and at below 80% of the size of your hips

Upping strength training is a good idea if you want a flatter stomach

However I'd also like to suggest looking into a food intolerance. Since you're quite underweight and have lost weight accidentally it may be that you have a food intolerance which is also causing constant bloating in tmyour stomach. I found this to be the case for myself
 
@jennifermartin I don't understand what you mean by "keep your waist at half your height", please explain more?

Someone else brought up gastric issues too and I've been experiencing acidity this past week and have taken digestive tablets in the past due to lack of appetite, maybe that has something to do with it? Thank you!!
 
@annieinsight That sounds like digestive issues

There's a few ways to measure if someone is under or overweight.

BMI is one, though this can lead to people with lots of muscle seeming to be obese (it affects a small number of people). It also underestimates the heath risks of people who are the right weight but have a lot of fat at their stomach near their organs.

Another way is looking at how much fat someone has. This a a bit more complicated but there's lots of methods that provide a good estimate. Such as
  • calipers
  • comparing waist size to height. Fat on your stomach is called visceral fat, and this is what carries the highest health risks. A good rule of thumb is that your waist circumference should be less than half your height. If your waist measurement is less than half your height then that's good, if it's more that's bad
  • comparing your waist size to your hips. Fat carried on your waist carries health risks, but generally fat at your. Hips doesn't. Your waist should be less than 80% of your hips ideally.
 
@annieinsight While sweets and desserts are often very calorie dense, they don’t just automatically turn into fat. Some of the calories past your daily expenditure are stored as fats. If you use up more calories than you eat in a day, those sweets don’t turn into fat. Same goes the other way - you can eat nothing but lean turkey and gain weight
 
@annieinsight This is going to be a weird question, but are you SURE it's belly fat? Did your doctor mention any potential gastrointestinal issues? Bloating, eg from SIBO, is often mistake for belly fat. Do you have an anterior pelvic tilt that could also give the appearance of a larger belly? I ask because I'm underweight myself and had what looked like belly fat, but I have GI issues and a tilt. I've been working on both, and my belly looks so much better.
 
@veroch I've taken digestive enzyme tablets prescribed by a doctor for about two months about three months ago? Also this might be relevant but I've been having gastric issues this past week (acidity, heartburn). I've taken medicine only once and this is the first time I've experienced acidity? Maybe it had something to do with it?
 
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