The “Skinny Fat” Cure

“I’m not looking to lose weight, in fact, I wouldn’t mind putting on some muscle mass, but I need fat loss. I am what they call ‘skinny fat.’ Can you help?”

First, you should know “Skinny Fat” isn’t a term I go around using. I’m not calling anybody skinny fat, but I’m addressing this now, because I often get DM’s and messages like the one above in my inbox. The simple answer to the question is an astounding, “YES!”

In fact, there’s nothing better for muscle building and fat loss than macro counting and let’s talk about why.

After coaching over 1800 clients one-on-one, Stay Fit Mom has collected thousands of food journal logs from women doing their best to fit into their jeans and here’s what we’ve found. Roughly 85-90% of the women that come to us as are under-eating. Watch THIS QUICK VIDEO if you’re interested in more client data.

Here’s the thing… if your sole goal is to drop 10 pounds as fast as possible, do a juice cleanse. But if what you’re really after is looking good naked and making noticeable body composition changes, the number on the scale shouldn’t be relevant. Why? Because the secret to burning fat is building muscle.

The more muscle mass you have, the harder your metabolism has to work and the more fat you can burn! Which means, the CURE to “skinny fat” is EATING MORE food, sister! Yes, you read that right and the best way to build muscle is to eat a balanced macronutrient intake while doing a good mix of weightlifting and endurance training. So no, the answer to your “skinny fat” question isn’t necessarily more pizza and chips. However, even when you’re eating balanced macros the scale WILL bobble up, and you’ve got to be willing to sacrifice the number on the scale you think you your weight “should be.”

Protein is the building block of skeletal muscle mass. While each of our clients have unique custom macro counts that are adjusted weekly based on biofeedback and results, the general rule of thumb is to shoot anywhere between goal body weight and current body weight in protein grams.

That’s not to say you should be scared of the other macronutrients either. Your body needs a healthy balance of each! Going up in food can be a mental mind trip for some especially when diet culture has engrained “eat less” into our minds for so long, which is why I post hundreds of transformation photos on my instagram page.

Take a look at SFM client and Bikini Bod challenge winner, Amy McCann. Not only is her transformation incredible, but she’s eating over 200 calories more per day.