@dagill2 already nailed it - just pick a coach that resonates with you and go with it. He even gave you a list.
There’s nothing weird going on. When you exercised and dieted, based on those pictures you showed, you lost some fat and gained some muscle. If I were you, I’d do that again for longer. These goals just take a lot longer than any of us want them to, and there is no answer that’s going to get you where you want to be in the next 90 days.
Also, and this is more just a musing and not aimed at you in any malicious way, it’s kind of funny that you picked a specific testosterone ester to hypothetically not take. I don’t know why; it just tickles me.
Let’s make it simple… what’s the most important thing for you in your mind at the moment? Losing that little amount of belly fat at the moment? Or adding more lean body weight?
I would say you need to stop the cut and bulk mentality at this stage. You need to build some muscle, that’s not going to happen whilst cutting and it doesn’t need to be forced by going all out bulk.
If I was in you position I would be prioritizing building some muscle.
Eat good clean food, slightly above maintenance, pick a routine and get stronger across a variety of rep ranges with good control and form., do that for a long long time. Keep an eye on the mirror and the scale, but judge yourself on your progress with the weights.
Work on your posture also as @FlatsFarmer mentioned as that will help.
I don’t think you know what your maintenance caloric intake is, and certainly not what it is while lifting. Therefore, I don’t think you can say “I’ll eat maintenance +/- 200 calories”; that’s relatively hard to manage even for those of us that have been eating the same consistently.
As the others have said, just start with some good eating and lifting behaviors. Those will turn into habits, and then you’ll be well on the way to where you want to go AND you’ll have the base to make the tweaks that will get you the rest of the way.
I do. I was skinny fat. Let me tell you how I fixed it. Many online “fitness gurus” will charge you for this information, but I’ll tell you for free.
I lacked muscle and had a gut. Then I decided to eat healthy food and train hard. I’ve never counted calories or tracked macros. I’ve just eaten enough quality food to fuel my training. Sometimes if I’m training extra hard, I’ll eat more. Sometimes I’ll eat a bit less for a few weeks to shed a bit of body fat. After years of work, now I have more muscle and less gut. I don’t look amazing but I look far, far better than I used to. If I want to continue to look better, I’ll put in more years.
More importantly, I no longer think of myself as a victim, which is exactly what calling yourself skinny fat will do. It was surprising to see how much my mentality held me back.
this a pretty straightforward goal.
-Just pick a program by coaches guys mentioned already. Hit it hard. Diet: dont eat like an asshole, and you will get there pretty soon
Being skinny fat is part of the transition of going skinny to bigger.
I’d be more mindful of your diet, build up with a small surplus and put in work at the gym. Take lots of long walks and incorporate some conditioning.
When I bulked, I kinda went in deep, and although I don’t think it was a bad idea, I wish I would have more carefully monitored diet. My permabulk was about 6 years before I decided on a real “cut”. I think I started looking skinny fat around years 1-3 and less skinny after that.