Underweight but look fat

[ampworship]

Hi all, I’m a 20 year old guy and according to BMI, I am underweight at 5’1 and 39kg. But I still look flabby and have virtually no muscle tone. I lift weights and do gentle cardio (speed walking and a bit of cycling) yet I still have no muscle tone. How can I look more toned? Everywhere I look suggests weight loss, but I’m already underweight- any suggestions?

 

[anonymous18]

@ampworship You are already underweight. Don’t try to lose any more weight. You fix being ”skinny fat” by building up more muscle, not by losing even more weight.

Start eating, with plenty of protein, and make sure to follow some proven beginner routine

 

[etsi10]

@anonymous18 Yeah this is going to be the thing to focus on. I was underweight but looked fat. For years I got stuck in a cycle of just thinking I had to lose more and more weight? It's so frustrating. Working out and eating way more + way more protein to actually gain muscle was the solution. I already see a huge difference. I wish I did it years ago

 

[ampworship]

@anonymous18 Thanks!

 

[bandyadelaja]

@ampworship 39kg?? Thats like 8 of my cat! As a 6´1, 110kg man (yes very overweight), I’m in disbelief of how light you are for just a foot less in height

 

[jod4711]

@bandyadelaja That's it, I'm going to start weighing things/people in number of cats!

 

[ampworship]

@bandyadelaja Yeah, everyone thinks I look about twelve.

 

[theoderic]

@bandyadelaja Maybe his bones are more light than the average person

 

[dawn16]

@ampworship I first suggest seeing a doctor. There are issues that can cause weight loss. A visit to a dietician might be good too. A balanced diet is important to feed your body and provide enough resources to put muscle on. It's not about taking in massive amounts of protein.

So here's how I did it. I'm not a doctor or any other relevant professional. I added about 500 Kcal to my daily diet. I would increase monthly until I started gaining 1kg per week. I went heavier on carbs. If you are doing your gym routine and gaining weight, your body is getting energy to do both.

I primarily relied on whole fruit for the carbs. For variety, I did smoothies with yogurt and milk or unprocessed coconut cream with water. Also, whole grain that has a reasonable amount of fiber. Too much fiber and you won't be hungry enough to get the calories in. I avoided highly processed food and added sugar.

I aimed for eating every 2 hrs. I think it helped to get my metabolism out of starvation mode. If you are under weight, your body is going to put the calories toward the fat stores you need.

I cut way back on cardio until I was at a healthy weight. I just walked at just above a leisurely pace.

 

[rosie6]

@dawn16 I completely concur: go to the doctor and get a full bloodwork, to include thyroid hormones and testosterone, urea and uric acid (to make sure you can take the additional red meats, or rather fish and chicken to protect your kidneys and avoid gout).
I would say that based on that you can increase significantly the protein intake.
One way to help you increase muscle mass is by lifting, with a good consistent routine that includes all muscle groups and high and low weights to gain strength and volume. Focus on the foundation first: core, shoulders and legs. This will reduce the chance of injuries.
Also: don’t be shy on consuming the beef fat: it not only satisfies your appetite and makes the meat taste better: it provides the raw ingredients for your hormones and brain tissue.
Once you start gaining muscles and working out at a higher and higher level, testosterone production will increase, and the gains afterwards are exponential.
Remember to start slow and lift your own weights (don’t pay attention to what others are lifting and compare yourself): you are on your own journey, but can share it with a workout buddy who will help you keep it consistent and constant.
Be patient and start with 80-80: lift up to a max of 80% of the weight you can lift, and only do 80% of the reps you think you can pull. The idea is to avoid injuries or excessive lactic acid that will make you stop working out.
Be patient and work no less than 3 days a week, and no more than 4. Leave at least one day to recover.
Workout intensely between 45 minutes to 1 hour, but not more than that: after an hour your body thinks that you are in trouble and will start generating cortisone, which will inhibit the testosterone and will eat away your muscles (the reason why most marathon runners look like they are about to die).

 

[dinafrancis]

@ampworship Build muscle https://thefitness.wiki/muscle-building-101/

Toned is a bullshit word. It basically means high muscle mass while being lean enough to see it. You're currently very low muscle mass and way too lean. You need to gain muscle and fat honestly to be healthier. But if you start lifting, fix your diet, and slowly gain the weight, you'll be a totally different person if you stick to that for a year or more

 

[skilletgirlepic]

@ampworship There is no muscle tone. Only muscle size. Make that your goal

 

[james2175]

@ampworship Lift heavier weights and learn how your body works

 

[theoderic]

@ampworship I would make sure you have a good balance of cardio to muscle-building exercises (150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise per week + minimum of 2 days for weight lifting). So that would be a minimum of 30 minutes of cardio five days a week and 2 days of weight lifting. I’ve heard that 2 days of weight lifting will help with maintaining your physique (unless you’re just starting out then you’ll probably be improving it) and 3 days will start building muscle. So maybe try increasing to 3 days? I would do two days of normal weight training and the third day make it a HIIT workout? Or use the third day to test to see if the amount of weight you’re doing is increasing, or the number of reps. If not try to change those factors on the third day.

 

[rosie6]

@ampworship Go to the doctor and get a full bloodwork, to include thyroid hormones and testosterone, urea and uric acid (to make sure you can take the additional red meats, or rather fish and chicken to protect your kidneys and avoid gout).
I would say that based on that you can increase significantly the protein intake.
One way to help you increase muscle mass is by lifting, with a good consistent routine that includes all muscle groups and high and low weights to gain strength and volume. Focus on the foundation first: core, shoulders and legs. This will reduce the chance of injuries.
Also: don’t be shy on consuming the beef fat: it not only satisfies your appetite and makes the meat taste better: it provides the raw ingredients for your hormones and brain tissue.
Once you start gaining muscles and working out at a higher and higher level, testosterone production will increase, and the gains afterwards are exponential.
Remember to start slow and lift your own weights (don’t pay attention to what others are lifting and compare yourself): you are on your own journey, but can share it with a workout buddy who will help you keep it consistent and constant.
Be patient and start with 80-80: lift up to a max of 80% of the weight you can lift, and only do 80% of the reps you think you can pull. The idea is to avoid injuries or excessive lactic acid that will make you stop working out.
Be patient and work no less than 3 days a week, and no more than 4. Leave at least one day to recover.
Workout intensely between 45 minutes to 1 hour, but not more than that: after an hour your body thinks that you are in trouble and will start generating cortisone, which will inhibit the testosterone and will eat away your muscles (the reason why most marathon runners look like they are about to die).

 

[rosie6]

One more thing: stay away from soy, flax seeds and other “healthy” foods.
You can actually survive and thrive by consuming meats.

 

[kevnola]

@ampworship Muscle tone perhaps not eating enough protein or complex carbs? High levels of cortisol or blood sugar can cause a “swollen” look.

 

[zacdaviid3]

@ampworship I would give you sound advice on how build up muscle and how to progress through your fitness journey, because I was in your shoes once, but I’m not because I’m worried I may come off as “tone deaf” as you so eloquently put it!

 

[ampworship]

@zacdaviid3 Stalking people’s profiles is pretty tragic.