The 3 Biggest Mistakes That Make You "Skinny Fat" | Part 2

[@jennyrstanley1]

Thank you for all of the great information! I'm 5'2 (128 lbs) and have worked out (mostly cardio) everyday for the past 20 years. I've always felt skinny fat. With your guidance and consistency, I started my body recomposition 7 weeks ago. I did the reverse dieting process and slowly added 300 calories a day over 2 months. I started lifting 5 days a week and do a short bit of cardio 2 days a week. I feel so much better, stronger, and I'm starting to see definition in my arms and legs and my tummy is flattening. Every time I start feeling discouraged, I listen to your videos and feel motivated again. I know it is a long road but looking forward to the challenge.

[@KarlaIleana]

If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you? You’re describing my height and weight! And I feel the same way. It’s been a couple of months and seen some growth but I’m not we’re I want to be and I don’t know if it’s my age.

[@TheVloggingPhaseJM]

300 cals a day for 2 months? How many calories did you work up to if you don’t mind me asking? Working on reverse dieting as well rn

[@RestingKitten]

Wanted to write here that I upped my protein intake from 30g to 80g+ each day and immediately noticed the world of difference to my athletic performance after years of not improving. I would’ve never known I wasn’t getting enough without tracking it, but was shocked when I realised I was only getting around 30g per day! Such an important point ❤

[@catherineparker4858]

overall this is a good video but why are you hating on running? i'm a runner (track and cross country) and ALL of us are super lean and toned. i'm like 5'2 as well. so anyone who sees this comment: RUNNING IS NOT BAD FOR YOU. it does not make you lose muscle cause i have a ton of it and i run 1-7 miles a day. have a lovely week:)

[@monicaherrera2224]

Running is a great form of cardio which is important for your cardiovascular health, and I’d agree that running is great for you as long as you don’t have any joint issues, but I don’t think that’s her point. When your goal is to optimize muscle growth, even if you’re strength training, it’ll be pretty hard to eat enough to actually build muscle if you’re over doing the cardio, and let’s be real, this advice mostly applies to all the women that have been taught for years that the only way to be “skinny” is to spend 2 hours everyday on a treadmill while eating the recommended caloric intake for a toddler 😅

[@Fitveganqueen]

Usually a “runners body” is extremely thin and lean but not very muscular… Usually runners are all about cardio and not about strength training, which is why they usually end up being so extremely thin. Also as I’m sure you know, being really thin helps performance etc. I think what she’s saying is that to have this body type it’s easier to get it focusing your exercise more on strength training and less on cardio like running. Not to say that you can’t get it on running at all.

[@ettena93]

Well when you're not "super lean and toned"... Do you think it's good for the knees to handle all of that impact when the feet hits the pavement/threadmill? Running is great, but walking is also cardio and you can feel your heart beating when you lift weights. I view cardio as working out the cardiovascular system, weight training is for shaping the body. Gaining muscle mass is great for boosting metabolism as well. There's a reason most serious runners are in the low BMI and have small hips/breasts/butts, it's because that's the ideal body for running long distance. Not everyone wants that look. Not to mention most well rounded individuals who want to stay in shape combine the two...

[@skylar5631]

It’s just not good to replace strength training with strictly cardio, especially if your goal is to keep weight off

[@THISPEZISTOOFUCKINGRAWMANN]

🙏🏼

[@amandas3283]

super simple for me. I am 5 foot 3/4 inches: I just eat whole foods, no diets. I don’t add any sugar and try not to eat extra sugar. Loads of protein, fruits and veggies. No diets ever! I workout everyday no matter what both strength and cardio.

[@JuicyJenn87]

This ♥️♥️♥️♥️

[@brosephonem5180]

I hate to break it to you but if you’re never eating sugar besides from whole foods then that is a diet.

[@amandas3283]

@@brosephonem5180 lmao. nope sorry you’re wrong. typical what I eat in a day: coffee with milk that contains no sugar, oatmeal (whole food) peanut butter, literally just peanuts, dates (yes dried dates. lunch: salad with bell peppers, carrots, avocado and either eggs or tuna protein, vinegar dressing. through lunch and already no added sugar or “diet”. dinner: typical dinners again without added sugar because it’s made from whole foods. for example tonight I made soup made from chicken breast, chicken bone broth I made, and roasted green chilies. pretty simple to not have sugar. do I eat occasional deserts and dark chocolate? yes, I am human a woman lol. Just making the point it’s easy to eat clean=whole foods. No processed garbage!

[@brosephonem5180]

@@amandas3283 I’m glad that your diet works for you. A diet is any food plan with purposeful restrictions. Labeling food as “garbage” is also a sign of a toxic relationship with food. Eating healthy is a good thing, but it’s important to remember that you can achieve your goals even if you don’t exercise vigorously without any rest days or allow yourself a treat that isn’t dark chocolate. I hope you can change the way you think about food and eating to a more gentle approach, for your own sake and the people in your life.

[@tifneymazotti8209]

Oh my. I needed This whole video. Like this was exactly what I needed. Those calculators always tell me to eat 12/1300 calories and I’ve done that for years and thought that was normal.

[@AprilVWhitney]

yes yes! So glad you are not doing that anymore!

[@undercoversnail4591]

This is what the teen me needed to hear! Those Pinterest yo yo diets and workouts can be so dangerous!!

[@AprilVWhitney]

they're the worst! hope you follow for more sustainable weight loss tips

[@emmasgoodies]

Just discovered your channel a week ago!! I've been watching all your videos!

[@AprilVWhitney]

Hey Emma!! Yay that's so excited, welcome to the community!

[@legendoflaurel2803]

Started my body recomp journey in January and I’m slowly but surely seeing results. I’m getting my strength/weight training in everyday and it’s honestly just habit now. The biggest thing for me is getting enough protein - but THIS WORKS! I’m seeing more definition in my arms, legs, and abs. It’s a marathon not a sprint 💪🏼 we got this!

[@jodyyoung7047]

I’m 5ft and have definitely made almost all of the mistakes you mentioned. I’ve only just found your videos today, and all I can say is thank you!! It’s amazing to find reliable information geared to shorter gals!!!

[@AprilVWhitney]

Yay!! Super happy to have you join us, Jody!

[@captainmeowchan]

I love the term skinny fat because that's exactly what I am

[@AprilVWhitney]

SO EXCITED FOR OUR FREE SUMMER CHALLENGE! If you haven't signed up yet: petitepwr.com/challenge we start next Monday!

[@littlevickietee]

Is it okay if I do the challenge but do my own strength training routine each day? I would love the support and recipes and cheerleading!

[@marssssssssh]

I just signed up!

[@erinburke3314]

This is incredibly helpful. I turned 40 last year. And I couldn't figure out why I have been eating low-calorie and doing a lot of cardio hasn't caused me to have the appearance I used to have. I used to be ripped. Then I remembered - I strength trained way more than I have been in the last 8 years. SO, stop running so much (although I do love a good run!) and start lifting more. I forgot how much I loved lifting too. Then - in just 2 months of eating higher protein and lifting a lot more I am already seeing changes. I failed to recall how good your metabolism becomes and how efficiently your body burns calories when your muscles are WORKING. So this is it. Money right here. More people need to understand this if they are dealing with "skinny fat". And the benefit is that even if you are post-menopausal it can still work. Thanks!

[@avalon3821]

I’m 5’0 and been eating 1,200 calories at around 115-120 pounds. I still have a huge tummmy and I’ve been doing the deficit for so long. Currently trying to intake more protein whilst weight training we will see what happens /:

[@AprilVWhitney]

Might be time to get out of that deficit and restore your metabolism!

[@avalon3821]

@@AprilVWhitney yeah that’s what I’m thinking too, thanks!

[@JujuJuju-ps7ms]

One of the most scientific videos on this topic. Deserves more followers than those who use photoshopped pix as click bait.

[@hazine5179]

In my case , my skinny fat situation is due to doing alot of diets over the years and eating in calories deficient but mostly carbs like 80% of my diet was carbs but still in calories deficient

[@ellie-anne]

Good tips! I’ve been scared of lifting for the last three years and all I’ve done is run, do hiit and body weight exercises. My protein has always been high and my diet is pretty good, but I carry about 10 pounds more than I need. I decided this week to start lifting, even though I’m honestly scared. I’ve done three sessions this week and honestly really enjoyed them. I’m super sore and feeling stronger already. I told myself I would stick with it for at least 6weeks because I need to give it a good chance. I’ll update in 5 weeks if I can stick it out!

[@izsi.]

Finally something that makes sense!! I have exactly these problems, and how I know its because I am petite and everything I thought about diet and exercise does not apply to me. Thanks for explaining it so well

[@lauravargasdesouza]

the first time i used a calculator it said i should eat 900kcal a day to loose weight 💀💀 now i lift and eat 1200kcal-1500kcal and is working for me

[@awilliams7796]

How long have you been strength training for?

[@pickles9440]

I’m 5’4 and 1/2, I’ve stopped telling people that, now i just say 5’5 so they will stop throwing petite clothes at me. Anyway love your content, it is helping me.

This comment is for everyone who got anxiety after watching this video (maybe ppl with ED’s or just a bad relationship with food/exercise/their body) I just want to address that you shouldn’t be so hyper focused on how you look, it’s very easy to trigger unhealthy mindsets and actually dangerous behaviours if you only focus on how to change your body rather than fixing ur mental health & being overall healthy. Some body types and genes just makes it impossible for some ppl to have a completely flat stomach and no cellulite. The reason you have a low belly bump is often caused by your uterus and it’s completely normal. And my mom for example is extremely thin, and the works out a lot but still have cellulite. There’s just a few percentage of women who can naturally have a completely flat stomach. U don’t have to workout 5 days a week to be healthy, that can actually do more harm than good in the long run. It’s all about balance. 2-3 times a week is more normal. But if you want to become a bodybuilder then you have to workout more often but I don’t think that’s what most ppl want. But the most important thing is to be more active in your “everyday life”. For example don’t sit still for too long, walk more, take the stairs instead of the lift, it has proven to be more effective for being naturally skinny. And remember, you want to be healthy not skinny. Bc everyone has a different healthy body weight, depending on body type, genes and so on. I think it’s problematic that the term “skinny fat” even exists. Why are we so obsessed? You can look like what we call “skinny fat” and still be healthy. I 100% agree with the diet thing tho. And this is absolutely not a hate comment, I just think it’s important to be very clear about this and careful when it comes to these topics.

[@andreabarth2534]

Hello April! I have a question I am 5ft and 140.2 lbs I cant seem to find my RIGHT macros and calories to eat daily. I use those calorie calculators and MFP free version and input my own macros. I have been eating 1200 cals a day protein-120g, carbs-90-94, fat-30-40g I have a HARD time eating 1200 and meeting my macros daily im always under on cals, over on carbs or under or over on protein! Its SOO frustrating! I TRY and workout 5 days a wk 30-60 mins in am on empty stomach but its hard getting up in am before work! I have REALLY bad health problems.. I have IBS-D, cysts on my overies, stomach ulcers, alllergic to all dairy, have to go gluten free, low fodmap, cant have certain veggies and fruits bc of my stomach issues! My question is HOW do i find the RIGHT macros & cals for myself in order to lose weight & gain lean muscle mass & lose belly fat all over, get rid of my jiggly thighs & cellulite??

[@laral.2533]

I'm tall. The calorie calculators give me a number of 2800 something kcal. I currently eat at maintance. I can't Imagine it being that much. Most men need less than that. Now I have to count.

[@oliviasynan4428]

I have been listening to your videos while I have been at work today, and I am almost in tears. I am soooo thankful for your wisdom and insight!! I have struggled my whole life being told I was "skinny" and shouldn't worry about my weight and just be thankful for my small body. But when I was looking in the bathroom mirror, I only saw "skinny fat" and have fallen into the trap of cardio and dieting for so long to lose that extra weight. I've started working with a trainer on strength training, but only recently have been watching the types of food I eat. I'm wondering if you would still recommend something like MFP if it is being used strictly for keeping up with macronutrients?

[@maddyG7414]

The only issue I have here is that for me, my sport is endurance running. I also strength train, but my running is the largest component of my exercise. It’s hard because I also want to have a nice physique and lose some weight.

[@mirandamurarik]

Blonde looks great on you!

[@AprilVWhitney]

aw thank you! she's here to stay :)

[@Gummybear45]

I’m obsessed with your hair! Would you mind sharing where you get it colored? TY!!

[@tadashihatsudai]

I’m not quite there yet but I have felt the effects of having some muscle before (and I want it back! 😳🥺) I remember when I first started noticing I was developing abs. It felt like my body was slowly building its own concrete wall to keep my organs in place and making me even leaner compared to just simply losing fat.

[@patriciarose8435]

Hi April. New here! I have a coach but love learning everything I can for my journey and to change my mindset to love the journey not just hit a goal. How long did it take you to go from ‘skinny fat’ to lean like 20%?

[@jujn4l]

Earlier this year, I weighed the least I did in like 10 years, and I was like ok cool! But yeah, it was fat. Sure I worked out, but it was mostly cardio and I ate like crap. Over the past month in a half, I have started to see changes - more toned for sure, weight went up for a bit but is back down. The changes I had made was (way) more protein consumption and more weight training. It’s been so great!

[@kirsy6745]

Im 5’0” and 109 lbs, and it seems like most of my weight collects in my legs and upperarms, it sucks. I just want to be slim 😭

[@FruitsandflowersBeaumont]

Anybody know a KZbinr who is talking about tall people? Like 6 feet tall women I like her channel, i think i can use many of her advice, just curious if anybody out there for talls

[@jenniferbuentello3842]

I’m literally on a liquid diet right now bc I cannot get rid of my belly fat and I’m breastfeeding to 🤦🏻‍♀️ this video was a sign! Thank you!

[@shannonmay2894]

I think protein is key because from what I understand, if you are eating enough protein you won't lose muscle.

[@krystymarie4826]

Im 4'11, i have being lifting weight since January. I have gain like 8-9 pounds, i think i have to do some cardio. Im 118lbs now. I think that is alot for my height.

[@kims1941]

That's not an excessive amount of weight if you've gained muscle.

[@jaelee5268]

Thank you. Had it not been you I would’ve followed that 700 kcal/day diet that this diet app recommended me 😃 which is absurd now that I think about it…

[@Angxl96]

When I first monitored my calories on my own they were about 1700calories . The calorie calculator showed me 1600calories I needa consume and then calorie deficit told I needa reduce 500 calories so I'm currently eating 1100 calories should I reverse diet and take my calories to 1400?

[@sunkissedseba]

Since all these calculators are unreliable, around how much calories per day would you recommend? ✨

[@mistrock322]

How do you feel about medicine ball exercises as a petite lady?? I am currently practicing strength training 4 to 5 days a week. I rotate between full body/lower/upper..etc. I have heard it's good to switch it up to get the max benefit to help build muscle/lose fat.

[@Bint.abdlxtif]

Hi April, I’ve been following you these last few years and really appreciate your channel & the knowledge you have offered us petites! 💕🙌🏽 What would you advise a petite who has no access to a gym (only some resistance bands, light weights & kettle bell etc for home workouts) who wants to still achieve the lean/high muscle percentage body mass? Can this still be achieved with home workouts & high protein diet? Any extra tips or advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much! ❤️

[@angelakwant4388]

I’m 4 11 and eating 1300 calories a day. I’m 115-120. Am I eating enough?

[@RaquelFernandespt]

Hi, ive been doing chloe ting exercises, what do you think of them? Its been a month, I was around 60kg, now I an 57.7kg. Im around 162cm. And I use the fatsecret app to track my calories, I eat around 1500cal daily. I eat a good quantity of protein, not the ideal but im gonna work on that. Can you help me somehow?

[@Soothinglemonburn]

Can someone help me out with understanding this: ive been working out (hypertrophy and pilates) for 3 years about 5-6 days a week. I was vegetarian for most of that time and only eaten 1 gram of protein per kg of body weight. Some days less. Apparently thats only enough protein to maintain but not to build muscle. Im just a bit confused with how ive managed to build muscle with low protein. Can anyone help me understand this?

[@misoobin9606]

A quick question - doing 30 minutes of cardio 4x a week with no strength training won't lead to 'skinny fat', right? I had to stop strength training because of an injury. Will continue when I've recovered but for now my only way of exercising is by running, speed walking or doing all-standing cardio workouts :(

[@nesha6208]

Can I ask, what do you track your protein intake with? I'm wanting to start this but unsure how to track my protein intake!

[@doresgonzalez1251]

Hi April, I downloaded you free week of workouts and have a question: may I move the days around? Would I still get results if I did day1, rest, day2 , rest,rest, day 4, day 6

[@doresgonzalez1251]

Day 1,rest, day2,rest, day 3, rest, day 4 and add 20 mins of hit 2-3 of the days?

[@serafinascurria305]

Hi April! Thank you so much for putting this info out there to people for FREE! Being healthy is expensive so knowledge and having access to good information is key. I tried to access the free guide, it says it was sent to my email but nothing is showing up. I tried a couple times too. Could you help?

[@humayablay8260]

Aren't ab workouts also resistance training?

[@emmalarson]

I’m 5”5’ which is only an inch above being “petite” but am I close enough that this would apply to me? I’ve really been struggling with getting this excess fat off.

[@zarah1450]

I have a question please, does this mean it's not working for tall women to do the same thing ?

[@angelineangie3926]

thank you for this! very informative & helpful!!

[@sharon6981]

Love your outfit & your hair!

[@AprilVWhitney]

Thank you Sharon!

[@beatrizneves304Youtube]

You are realist I love that

[@AprilVWhitney]

Thanks Beatriz xo

[@kimberley3577]

how often should you do cardio to lose fat with this method?

[@Koooles]

Decent video for people who have no clue about these things but a lot of out of date and wrong info. For example the low calorie diet doesn't just go willy nilly and eats your muscles. Your body really doesn't want to get rid of it at all, it takes a lot of work to break muscle vs. Carbs. The skinny fat people don't have much muscle to begin with, so they look floppy because of that. If you are new to fitness you can easily do recomp, which is eating enough protein (1.2-1.5kg) per kilo and strength training. You will see muscle growth even if you are at moderate deficit. In fact women have pretty easy time making muscle at deficit compared to men. The time where you start to do bulking, cutting cycles is only once you actually put up decent amount of muscle, which will be at quite fast pace when you just start. So TL:DR if you are new at strength training and never build muscle, you can build it as long as you train and get protein. You don't actually need to have surplus.

[@sylviiskandar917]

It happen to me. I lost 15kg but my body fat not move at all

[@amybrown8305]

Ha, I'd almost kill you be skinny fat. I had gastric sleeve done, lost 120 lbs. Started to lose muscle mass but not lower than 150 at 5 ft. I started body recomp, I'm looking and feeling better but can't get my weight down at all. Im losing fat and and gaining muscle, with progressive overload. But the scale won't budge. Maybe I should have gotten skinny fat before I started lean muscle mass, lol. Because of the surgery I can't ingest as many calories as someone without the surgery. I feel stuck

[@coolbeans-plantbased707]

Muscle weighs more than fat, go by how you look and feel, not by the scale. It sounds like you’re doing exactly what you were supposed to be doing. 😊

[@imanishantel3769]

How can I restore my metabolism after a calorie deficit ?

[@coolbeans-plantbased707]

This is my question as well

[@denaeb5897]

The only times I've gotten lean/toned is by doing workouts like Insaniry.. if I lift weights I just get bulky and fat!!!

[@marssssssssh]

That’s how I am, i added more cardio. I do 70/30. Weights/cardio. Make sure you’re not over eating after cardio tho. Eat protein and get plenty of rest. Especially with weight training!

[@denaeb5897]

@@marssssssssh Thanks for pointers, much appreciated :)

[@amyharris2882]

I love this video and your channel! I oddly had the opposite experience. (I'm 5'1.5" and 135#, usually 120-125). For some reason, I have been working with a coach for 1.5 years doing weights mostly, some cardio, and eating 1700 cals/day only to gain weight, so then I went to 1350/day and still was not in deficit, now eating 1100 finally losing weight so not too sure what is wrong with my body LOL. My wedding is in 4 months so I don't have time to experiment again... welp. Thank you for your video!!

[@exxology1]

Try intermittent fasting? I only eat solid food between 11am-7pm (I allow liquids sometimes like bone broth or even alcohol) & have been noticing significant results. Good luck and congrats

[@alexafiorante5714]

You're probably more around 20% BF. You should do a DEXA scan to confirm. Those diagrams aren't at all accurate.

[@AprilVWhitney]

I do dexa :), but you're right the diagrams are just estimations

[@esztertomasovszki2510]

Yeah 15% is like bikini division stage lean with veins popping

[@robinhoffeld4950]

100%

[@LL-dx2xj]

You kinda look likw Jennifer Lawrence

[@lizc731]

What about 5'9" tall, skinny fat, not doing and have never done real cardio, severe dieting or even dieting, never weight lifted, and living a sedentary lifestyle. Lol go figure

[@piphumphreys9460]

This is applicable for us tall girls too!

[@m2trappyy]

i'm 5'0 and 14, i've always been very skinny throughout my life but gained weight during covid (when i was around 11/12) i struggle with insomnia, depression, anemia, lack of appetite and also guilt from eating when i actually do. i'm not sure what to do because from what i've gathered from counting my calories i eat 1300 calories on average and i physically and mentally cannot bring myself to eat more than i do currently. does anyone have any tips to eat more?

[@noni4315]

You should look at what you're eating and adjust it! You should track your protein, fiber, vitamin, etc. intake and be sure you're getting enough. There are online calculators that are very easy to use that will help you determine the right amount for you. Instead of trying to force yourself to eat *more*, try replacing any low calorie low-nutrient foods with higher calorie nutrient-dense foods. Foods with a lot of protein typically have higher calories! I know teenagers hate being told this, but you are still very young and your body is still developing so it's crucial that you eat enough now because it could lead to health problems (even mentally) in the future if you're not getting enough nutrients! I understand how you're feeling completely. I'm almost 25 now and still struggle with depression and guilt from eating. But as a former teenage girl myself, I wish I hadn't worried so much about things when I was your age and enjoyed my adolescence more. I know it's far easier said than done, but please try not to stress or worry too much! Do whatever makes you happy within reason and enjoy being a teenager because it goes very fast ❤

[@m2trappyy]

@@noni4315 thank you so much :)

[@angelb33ts]

This happened to me. I couldn't understand why I didn't lose weight eating less 🥲 This helps to make it make sense and make me feel better about eating plenty (of good) food!

[@AprilVWhitney]

Yes yes yes!