22(F) : Underweight with a big belly

yahunatan

New member
Hi!

So as the title says, I am a 22 year-old woman underweight with a fat stomach. I weigh 43 KG at 160 cm (5'3). I have a flat chest, and flabby but thin arms etc etc.

I want to lose the big belly and gain muscle without losing any weight. I was wondering what I can do to achieve this?

Any help is appreciated!

Thank you :)
 
@yahunatan Hi OP. I understand the struggle you're going through. M20 here, been underweight most of my life with an unconventional belly.

I had recently been hospitalized (cause of dehydration) and my body was so weak they couldn't even draw blood. The experience was like wake up call to genuinely take care of my health.

6 months later, I'm now in a much better shape and I'll make sure to give you the advice that helped me bulk. Hoping that it'll work for you too since our case is so similar.

It's slightly long but I promise, if you bear with me you'll find everything you need to know to make a positive change:

EXERCISES :​


I'm assuming you cant follow the 2-hour 6 days/wk workout I follow since you have a life, so here's a 1 hour beginner version. I've also taken into account that you'll different aesthetic preferences depending on your gender. Its suitable regardless of if you're just a beginner or a veteran:

1 hr/day | 3 days/wk

DAY 1​

  • Lat Pulldowns
  • Seated Cable Rows
  • Y and W Raises
  • Dumbell Incline Rows

DAY 2​

  • Weighted Squats
  • Dumbell Lunges
  • Romanian Deadlifts
  • Hip Thrusters
  • Leg Extensions
  • Leg Curls

DAY 3​

  • Dumbell Tricep Kickbacks
  • Lateral Dumbell Raises
  • Dumbell Curls
  • Tricep Pushdowns (Rope/ Bar)
  • Dumbell Flys
Follow the specific order of days.
Week 1 will be purely for you to determine your starting load. Pick a weight which you are able to do 12 reps with and do 3 sets.
Week 2 start working on your form and perfect it over successive weeks. Week 3 onwards add 2 kgs to the weight (or the next increment available at your gym). Add weight every successive week. This is called progressive overload and it's the holy grail of growth.

DIET​


The science behind weight gain (ideally with muscle) is to eat in a caloric surplus. Which is fancy way of saying eat more food than you burn through the day. Now this varies based on your gender and level of activity but you can calculate a rough estimate here.

Once you have that just add 200 calories to that and you have your daily calorie intake. It's very easy. You want to add mass, eat more mass than you're burning (Caloric Surplus). You want to loose mass, eat less mass than you're burning (Caloric Deficit).

Second thing is macros. Which basically refers to 3 categories - fats, carbohydrates, protein - and what percentage of your calories are you getting from each.
(FYI calories are a measure of energy your body generates from each unit of food which can be made of any of the 3 categories mentioned. Vitamins, minerals, water essentially are 0 calorie)

Now ideally you would want Fat:Carbs:protein to be 25:65:30. And if you want a lower limit to your daily protein intake [in grams] = [bodyweight in pounds].

You can customize your meals accordingly. I found my 3 meal diet lacking and used 2 protein shakes - Whey after workout and Caesein before sleeping - to reach my daily intake. Mixing them with milk helps give it a little extra juice.

IMPORTANT MYTH-BUSTERS


Cunches spot-reduce fat​


SPOT REDUCTION DOESN'T EXIST. Now hear me out.

Your SKIN is made out of fat. And its spread equally all over your body. That - "stubborn belly fat" or "flabby arm fat" you want to reduce - actually exists in a fat layer under the skin located in a layer of tissue called hypodermis.

Since it's a layer, it's thickness is reduced as a whole over the body and not just in spots. This confusion stems from how we train muscles. See muscles have a different anatomy. They are like strings connecting one joint to the other. Hence by focusing on the movements around that joint we can train the muscles around it.

Fat, however, is like a sheet - an outer wrapping around our body and is reduced as a whole.

Cardio is the way to get toned​


It really isn't. It's called cardiovascular because it trains you to reach and function at high heart rates. And at high heart rates you burn calories faster. Now to "bulk" or add mass to your body you need to eat in a caloric surplus. By doing cardio you're not burning fat, you're just burning calories. In turn requiring you to eat even more to hit that daily calorie intake and making it harder on yourself to gain weight.

"Burning" fat and growing muscle actually requires something called resistance training (most effectively done by lifting weights - think dumbbells, barbells, squats, deadlifts - and also done by bodyweight training or resistance bands). Here's the science behind it in 1 min.

Whe you lift weights its indication to the brain that it needs to be "stronger" ie be able to lift more weight comfortably. The brain thinks, and it concludes there are two ways to do this -
1) Grow the muscle. More power. More weight can be moved.
2) Reduce fat. Less fat. Less net weight (the external weight and your bodyweight) that the muscle has to move.

And brain proportionally does both. Hence, you lose fat and/ or gain muscle depending on caloric surplus or deficit.

Cardio does have its place though. Although I've found no benefits from hour long pure cardio workouts. And doing cardio before weights just reduces your ability to give your all during weight training. There is a sweet spot.

10 minutes of cardio after an hour of your pure weights training works like magic.

Girls shouldn't lift weights​


This one is so far up on the bullshit scale I can't even keep track. You might hear that "oh no but weights will make me beefy and muscular. Or you might even hear yourself saying that. Here's my understanding:

A) You're an endomorph already having a hard time gaining. This muscular look is something body builders take years to even reach. So chances of you accidentally reaching it are slim.
B) To reach that muscular look you'll first have to go through the "just toned" and then add on more muscle. Once you reach that, you can just stop there and maintain it.

So in summary, lift weights fearlessly (albeit with good form). It's the best way to loose wait or/ and gain muscle. It'll help you get there.

(Final and most important) Eat only clean food if you want to be in shape​


Actually, this one is more specific to our Endomorphic body type. Some people have a hard time losing weight and are advised to eat clean, etc. Hard gainers on the other hand can eat a mountain and gain a peanut.

The trick is to use this fact to our advantage. Being hard-gainers does mean you'll have to eat more but thanks to your high metabolism it also means you can eat a little dirtier and still be alright. (Doesn't mean you McDonalds every meal, but you get the point).

I hope that helps. All the best on your journey, it'll be a mental, physical and spiritual change. Let me know if you find it confusing, I'd be happy to help you with diet planning too if you need it. Cheers. ✌🏻
 
@yahunatan Im no medical expert or anything, but have you discussed this with your doctor? they always say that carrying more fat around your stomach than usual could be an indicator (or cause?) of some health problems (heart and organs and stuff?), and it sounds like you carry pretty much ALL your fat around there? Its probably fine, but if you get a chance, maybe contact your primary care doctor about it just to make sure
 
@dawn16 I did ask two different doctors about this. One said that it was baby fat (haha very funny!!!) while the other said that it looked fat because I was skinny everywhere else and told me to exercise.

Maybe I will ask another doctor again just to be sure! Thank you :)
 
@yahunatan Ohh no then please dont worry too much about it, they know more than I will ever know, I just thought id say something about it just in case you are one of those people that hasnt been at a doctors in 10 years and happened to not know about the warnings they give about this!
 
@yahunatan Without knowing what you look like, it might also just be your build emphasizing your stomach. O have a fairly concave lower back (with my spine slightly protruding and everything), which means that my stomach looks bigger than it really is
 
@yahunatan Not drinking helps. Alcohol gives you a gut that can stay even if you exercise and eat right. It inhibits the body from metabolizing fat and increases the fat build up on your organs which are mostly situated in your abdominal region.
 
@yahunatan To address the belly situation, I would absolutely check with a physician. I’m a certified health coach, not a physician so I can’t provide specific medical advice or diagnosis. But I would ask for testing for food intolerances or even celiac.

To build muscle, lift heavy shit! Find a good lifting program for beginners or find a personal trainer to help you get started. And don’t eat in a calorie deficit, make sure you’re eating more than you’re burning to build.

Good luck! You can do this!!
 
@yahunatan Girl, yes!! Lol! Although it’s likely not fat, but bloat and inflammation. I have some intolerances as well so I feel your pain! Usually within 1-2 weeks of cutting out your trigger, your belly will start to deflate. Depending on how severe it is and much you’ve got in your system, it may take a little longer for it to feel better. And I know that any time I get accidentally exposed to my triggers, my belly swells up for 3-4 days then it goes back down. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out!
 
@cloelace This makes so much sense :O I don't even like milk so it shouldn't be difficult to quit drinking it.

Thank you very much for your detailed explanation, I've learnt a lot of new things from this post!
 
@yahunatan I'd say focus on muscle and weight gain for now. You will almost certainly lose some fat during the process cause noob gains, then you can cut more fat after you've built up some strength. I'd mostly do weight training and not much if any cardio.
 
@yahunatan I was in good shape and at a good weight, did lots of exercise, throughout all my early years. BUT was always plagued by the sideways-in-the-mirror view of what looked to me like a pot belly. (Not huge, but still irksome). When I was looking at myself once like this in the gym locker room mirror, some asked me if I was pregnant!

Many years later, after gaining weight, getting really out of shape, then recovering from a depression, I had energy, motivation, and started exercising again. This time I enrolled with a Pilates trainer, and was also watching ballet videos just b/c I love ballet.

I got in the best shape of my life this time, and the appearance of protruding belly went completely away.

This is why: this time I became more aware of posture, and began carrying myself with better posture, when walking, standing, sitting, working out - *always.* Correct posture is key. Key to preventing joint injuries when you get older, key to getting maximum benefit from any type of workout - strengthening exercises must be done with the correct form.

So standing up properly, standing up straight, the string through the head way I was originally taught from ballet. Not sinking into the hips, not slouching. Slouching will make the lower abdomen jut forward. I learned to stretch up through the spine, stretch the ribs upward and away from the hips, and pull upward on the pelvic floor.

And there's one other thing. Be sure to always always always drink enough water, and get enough fiber to keep your digestive system moving. I think in earlier years I never really did the diet right to keep things moving. Thus the food sits in the intestines for longer than necessary, contributing to the lower ab bulge.

So exercise will be good, with the focus on strengthening the muscles that help you to carry yourself in the correct posture. To learn what is correct posture for all activities, consult a ballet or pilates instructor.

This was what worked for me anyway. ;)
 
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