body fat percentage - photos

You want us to just guess by looking at some pictures and knowing your height and weight? That's not going to give you a very accurate picture.

It's not even going to be as close as calipers would be able to tell you, and they're not exactly spot-on.

Read about these, and try one if you want to know accurately: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodyfat#Measurement_techniques

I'd guess 25-30%, your bodyfat is on the higher side, you have the quintessential skinny-fat phsyique, there is little muscle on you, get on the freeweights asap!

Bear in mind though that bodyfat % is just a number, and is relative - what's important is that you're happy with your physique -which you're obviously not - or progressing in a measurable way - tape measurements, bodyfat calipers, weight, strength - goals and progression have to be measurable. Losing bodyfat will only do so much for your physique.

Thanks, that's awful news.
I have been weight-lifting for months now and muscle is meant to be built most easily when you start out, yet look at me. I am starting to think I will always be skinny-fat.

Thanks, that's awful news.
I have been weight-lifting for months now and muscle is meant to be built most easily when you start out, yet look at me. I am starting to think I will always be skinny-fat.

What sort of things have you been doing? You should start to see some muscle definition after a few months of lifting. I agree that you will be around 25% body fat. I can see that your abs have more definition and if you lose a bit more bodyfat they would start to pop out more (my muscles started showing around 25% and now that I am around 18-20% body fat they really show now)

Also you may want to consider depending on your body goals spending a few months gaining weight at a rate of 2lbs of month for about 6months in order to build some muscle. Then after 6months cut back to your current weight and you will probably look more defined with more muscle without having to be any smaller than you currently are. (Edit I just looked at your stats at 57kg and 5ft 8 I really don't suggest losing anymore weight and don't think that losing anymore weight would give you the body you are after. Go on a bulk, build muscle and you probably look a lot better and maintain at a higher weight)

Actual free weights or just machines? What rep ranges are you doing, 5 reps, 8 reps, 12 reps? How have your lifts progressed? Are you consistenly adding weight to your lifts? Which lifts are you doing and in what routine? What's your diet like, caloric deficit I take it? How many grams of protein do you get per day?

Muscle isn't built most easily when you start out, strength is! And initial strength gains aren't muscular gains, they are neural adaptation. Don't get disheartened though, getting a better physique and living a healthy lifestyle is a marathon, not a sprint, and you're in it for life - what's the rush? You'll get there eventually if you're doing the right things, you just have to have faith and patience, and also the insight to sometimes say "what I'm doing isn't working", reassess and ask for advice, so you're already on the right track

I've been using free weights. I eat around 1500kcal, so well below maintenance yet no real results. I've been told by one trainer that due to low twitch muscles (?) I'll always have this thin constitution. my ribs are showing, I have a bony chest yet there is pinachable fat around my middle.

I eat around 60-70g of protein per day. I have a history of depression, lowering carbs messes me up big time and due to food intolerances the only source of protein I can eat is chicken and fish. not a fan of the latter and there's only so much chicken I can eat. no dairy, no red meat, no soya etc. pretty limited.



I've just googled skinny fat and I don't think I am that bad, I do have a bit of muscle (esp abs muscle) but for some reason there is this layer of fat around my middle that gives the impression of me being .. well .. fat.

I've been using free weights. I eat around 1500kcal, so well below maintenance yet no real results. I've been told by one trainer that due to low twitch muscles (?) I'll always have this thin constitution. my ribs are showing, I have a bony chest yet there is pinachable fat around my middle.

I eat around 60-70g of protein per day. I have a history of depression, lowering carbs messes me up big time and due to food intolerances the only source of protein I can eat is chicken and fish. not a fan of the latter and there's only so much chicken I can eat. no dairy, no red meat, no soya etc. egg whites, sometimes. pretty limited.



I've just googled skinny fat and I don't think I am that bad, I do have a bit of muscle (esp abs muscle) but for some reason there is this layer of fat around my middle that gives the impression of me being .. well .. fat.

In shops they sell lloyds pharmacy monitoring devices that give your accurate body fat etc.

Accurate? Lol definitely not.

Well much more accurate than asking people. Have you got one of these devices as if not then don't be naive and say it is not accurate without actually using one yourself.

Like I said before your best approach is to increase your calories to around 2400 calories and aim to gain 2lbs a month for the next few months. At your height you should look really lean at 57kg which you don't which means that the reason why you look the way you look is because you don't have enough muscle so you need to spend some time building the muscle.

At 1500 calories you are not giving your muscles enough calories for it to grow nor at 70g of protein you are not eating enough protein. The increase in calories will sort that out.

I know that gaining weight for us women is difficult but in the long run you will find that you are more likely to achieve the body you are after

You won't make much if any progress gaining strength or muscle if you're at a caloric deficit. You need to eat to maintenance calories, and double that protein intake to 120-140g per day. Whey protein isolate is something you should consider using, it's whey protein derived from milk, but has had (nearly) all of the lactose and fat removed, so potentially you won't have any intolerances to it. Can you eat any nuts? What about tofu? Quorn? Mushrooms?

As for the trainer who said your body composition is due to slow twitch fibres, this is 100% total broscience bull**** and you should actively disregard anything he tells you, because with that statement he has irrevocably proved his stupidity.

"I've been using free weights" is pretty useless. What's your routine? Are you even following a routine? What's your squat, bench press and deadlift 1 repetition maximums?

it's not merely lactose but casein and whey too that gives me trouble. no mushrooms and nothing with too much (insoluble) fibre so no peas and such. I can eat some seafood, I could eat tofu but I've yet to come across a recipe that makes it even remotely palatable.

I've been roughly following the regime Lou Schuler: http://www.louschuler.com/

I may have started too low on the weights, I am now dong 6 kilos per arms for most exercises and started around 6 months ago. (so I may have started too low?!) (I did have close to zero muscles though.) I think I'd be ectomorph. and all that fat is actually on me due to binge eating. and binge eating only happens if I eat a lot of protein and not enough carbs. I've had various depression-related issues in the past and eating less protein and more carbs has always solved it. protein makes me into an emotional zombie that is totally out of control and that's when massive overeating (esp if stressed) happened. it really was massive overeating on a grand scale, almost like bulemia, except I never made myself sick afterwards. no such urge if I eat moderate amounts of protein.

I don't want to look skinny fat no, but the one on the right is gruesome in my eyes too:
http://haroldgibbons.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/size2.jpg

I'd like to look toned with no pinchable fat.
both these look nice imo:
http://www.florida-beach-lifestyle.com/female-abs.html

or google Abbey Clancy. My bone structure is not too dissimilar and she does look skinny/slim rather than muscular but that is way better than the one on the right in my first picture.

anyhow, I am indeed afraid of gaining even more weight, you can imagine that if I eat more, all the fat goes to my middle again too, so I look even more disproportionate. I was 53-54 kilos this time last year, then I upped the kcal (as other suggested what you did) and started weight lifting. the result is what you can see now. this is how I looked a year ago and even more skinny-fat (with less flab) and I have to say that I looked a lot better in clothes than now with slightly more fat and perhaps slightly more muscle:
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1712169

pls observe all the positive comments too back then, whereas not sure anyone would want my body now .