Skinny Fat Advice on Diet?

Hey Guys, I am fairly new to working out and have an issue with gaining weight in that it all goes to my belly. I am relatively skinny otherwise. I am 70 Kg’s (154 lbs) and 170cm (5 foot 8). My workout routine consists of:

Day 1:

  • Squats: 3 sets, 8-10reps
  • Bench Press: 3 sets, 8-10 reps
  • Pull Ups: 3 sets to failure

Day 2:

  • Sumo Deadlifts: 3 sets, 12-15 reps
  • Dumbbell shoulder press: 3 sets, 12-15 reps
  • Barbell Bicep Curls: 3 sets, 12-15 reps

Day 3:
Off

Day 4:

  • Leg Lunges: 3 sets, 12-15 reps
  • Dumbbell Press: 3 sets, 12-15 reps
  • Dips: 3 sets to failure

Day 5:

  • Deadlift: 3 sets, 8-10 reps
  • Overhead Press: 3 sets, 8-10 reps
  • Chin ups: 3 sets to failure

Day 6 and 7: Off

My diet plan is as follows:

I try to hit 2,920 calories a day in order to gain 0.5 lbs (approx. 0.25Kg) per week (according to my fitness pal). I try to eat as clean as possible, but would like some advice regarding what could be causing belly fat again and making me more “skinny fat” than before. I change my diet slightly, but here are the staples that may be causing it. Any advice greatly appreciated.

Breakfast:
500Ml skim milk (160 cal, 22g carbs, 0g fat, 16g protein)
1 scoop protein (130 cal, 24g protein, 2g sugar)
1 banana
1 tbsp peanut butter (126 cal, 4.8g carbs, 9.7g fat, 5g protein)

Snack:
two serves of peanuts (366 cal, 6.4g carbs, 30.6g fat, 14.4g protein)

Pre work out:
Banana

Post Workout:
500Ml skim milk (160 cal, 22g carbs, 0g fat, 16g protein)
1 scoop protein (130 cal, 24g protein, 2g sugar)

Lunch:
Pre-packaged alfredo made with (durum wheat semolina pasta)
840 cal, 146g carbs, 12g fat, 30g protein

Snack 2:
Varies, but typically fruit and more nuts

Dinner:
Varies, but typically white rice with veggies and lean meat

Before bed:
500Ml skim milk (160 cal, 22g carbs, 0g fat, 16g protein)
1 scoop protein (130 cal, 24g protein, 2g sugar)

Could it be all the milk I am drinking, the alfredo pasta, the bananas, anything else? If this is the case can anyone provide me with alternatives to get the calories I need to gain weight and build mass?

ANY HELP GREATLY APPRECIATED!! :slight_smile:

Yes.

Eating clean (not sure pasta falls into that category) doesn’t prevent you getting fat. It just makes it more difficult to over eat but you will get fat if you overeat. When you then interpret clean however you like… you’re gonna habe a bad time.

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Thank you for your reply. So you would suggest I cut out the pasta entirely and stick stringently to about 500 cal over maintenance to minimize fat gain? How about the milk? I find I need the milk to hit the calories I need, but will try to find something else to supplement with if necessary. I understand what you are saying regarding eating clean and over eating. Thank you very much.

Diet looks pretty good actually, you probably need just more volume and straight up hard work. Keep diet the same and do one of these then evaluate after a month …

Not such a fan of your diet to be honest:

This is fine. Liquid breakfasts are great but you need to follow them up with a solid meal after.

Neither of these counts as a solid meal, just a light snack. You’re 3 meals deep now for your day and you’ve had like 500cals and 30g protein. FYI, don’t bother counting the protein from peanuts towards your daily total. Consider them a fat source, not protein.

Nothing wrong with this.

This is shit. Stop eating this.

Fine.

So this is your first actual meal of the day where you actually eat some meat? Huge red flag.

I’m not wild about this as a pre-bed meal. Ideally you’d have something solid, but if it must be a shake then add a far source to slow digestion.

So your diet is woefully lacking in lumps of animal flesh. Eat more of that, and definitely get a solid meal with a dead animal in it before you work out. Ditch the shitty lunch and eat some meat and rice instead.

That’ll make a big difference.

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Thank you for your reply @Yogi1. This was the kind of constructive criticism I needed. I have made some modifications and was wondering if you could have a look over it? I greatly appreciate the insight and advice.

Breakfast:
500Ml skim milk (160 cal, 22g carbs, 0g fat, 16g protein)
1 scoop protein (130 cal, 24g protein, 2g sugar)
1 banana (124 cal, 30g carbs, 0g fat, 1g protein)
1 tbsp peanut butter (126 cal, 4.8g carbs, 9.7g fat, 5g protein)

Snack:
Peanuts (183 cal, 3.2g carbs, 15.3g fat, 7.2g protein)

Pre work out:
1 can tuna ( 122 cal, 11.2g carbs, 2.8g fat, 12.7g protein)
1 cup Cooked white rice (205 cal, 44.5g carbs, 0.4g fat, 4.3g protein)

Post Workout:
500Ml skim milk (160 cal, 22g carbs, 0g fat, 16g protein)
1 scoop protein (130 cal, 24g protein, 2g sugar)

Lunch:
4 eggs ( 480 cal, 4.8g carbs, 35.6g fat, 44g protein
1 can tuna ( 122 cal, 11.2g carbs, 2.8g fat, 12.7g protein)
Red pepper ( 40 cal, 9g carbs, 0.2g fat, 2g protein)
1 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil ( 121 cal, 0g carbs, 13.7g fat, 0g protein)

Snack 2:
Banana (124 cal, 30g carbs, 0g fat, 1g protein)

Dinner:
1 cup Cooked white rice (205 cal, 44.5g carbs, 0.4g fat, 4.3g protein)
1 chicken breast (171 cal, 3.7g fat, 32.1g protein)
Mixed veggies (61 cal, 4g carbs, 0.5g fat, 1.5g protein)
1 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil ( 121 cal, 0g carbs, 13.7g fat, 0g protein)

Before bed:
Peanuts (183 cal, 3.2g carbs, 15.3g fat, 7.2g protein)

Additionally, should I be following a certain macro split? 40% carbs, 30% fat, 30% protein?

Echoing @Yogi1 - what is the rationale for having your first three meals without solid food? I am a big advocate for meat and nuts as a breakfast (there are lots of articles addressing this - check out Poliquin on the issue), but something more substantial. Shakes are useful supplements, but they shouldn’t replace food.

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Thank you for your reply @steigs Please have a look at my revised diet plan. I would be interested in your insight. I believe I have modified it in a fashion which compliments your reply.

Kind regards,

Andrew

Addressing your question regarding the macros - check this article out.

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The revised meal plan is getting there. I’d advocate replacing a protein shake breakfast for a meat-based breakfast personally. If you can’t face meat that early in the morning, have some eggs and a slice of wholemeal toast or mixed in with an appropriate amount of oats. Depending on how the substitution affects your macros you can always bolster with a scoop of protein mixed in.

I would suggest that you really focus on your macros and establishing whether they are correct. If you’re looking to put on size, you want to be achieving a 0.25 to 0.5% increase in bodyweight per week. If you’re under that, then you adjust the macros up by 250-500 calories a week; if you are under then adjust down by 250-500 calories. Rinse, cycle, repeat.

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your new diet is much better, but before bed I would have something with protein in it. Some more meat or eggs would be perfect. Cottage cheese is another popular choice.

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Thanks @Yogi1 my final question is how much more calories should I be eating on days I am working out vs days off? Any advice greatly appreciated!

BW x 18 is an ok place for people starting to get bigger, but it’s always more or less a guess at first.

You just need to pick a number based on your goals, eat that way for a little while than adjust. None of the calorie calculators out there are worth a damn, so you just have to try and see.

I believe his question actually meant how big a difference there should be between training days and non-training days, rather than how many cals he should be eating period.

I’ll leave the answer to someone more experienced than me tho, just wanted to clarify

I understood the question.

OP just eat BW x 18 to start

I think Yogi is telling you not to worry about the finer details like what to eat on lifting be non lifting days right now. Just eat clean and train harder consistently for months and months and then let us know how you go. If you aren’t putting on weight add a little food, if your getting too fat reduce the food intake a little or add in some more conditioning. It really isn’t that complicated at this level.

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