I’m really excited about this one, because we’re finally talking about the stuff that *actually* works when it comes to changing your physique.
Skinny-fat is a really common problem for most women I know. And it’s not because we’re lazy or not trying hard enough. It’s because we’ve been fed absolute garbage information for decades. We’ve been told to do endless cardio, eat as little as possible, and stay out of the weight room unless we want to “bulk up like a man.”
So today I’m breaking down everything: what skinny-fat actually means, why it happens, and the main pillars you need to fix it. Consider this your ultimate guide to getting strong as f* without starving yourself or spending your life on a treadmill.
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In this article:
What is skinny-fat (and why BMI is useless)
How you got here (hint: it’s not your metabolism)
Pillar 1: Training – the principles that actually matter
Pillar 2: Nutrition – finding your maintenance & creating a sustainable deficit
The macros breakdown: protein, fat, and carbs
How long should your fat loss phase last
Let’s go.
What is skinny-fat?
For years you counted every calorie, did endless cardio, and even hit your goal weight. And yet... the results are not what you expected. Your arms jiggle and you feel soft and undefined. You’ve lost the weight, sure, but you can’t see any muscle definition.
Congratulations, you’re skinny-fat (I’ve been there too). But don’t worry, we’re getting you out of it.
So what the hell is skinny-fat exactly?
It’s when you fall within a “normal” BMI range — what society considers a “healthy” weight — but you’re carrying a higher-than-ideal body fat percentage. The problem with BMI is it's just your weight in kilograms divided by your height in meters squared. That’s it. It tells you absolutely nothing about your lean mass versus body fat ratio.
And girls, hear me out: what makes your body look toned and sculpted is having a good amount of muscle combined with a low percentage of body fat. BMI doesn’t capture any of that.
If you think this is purely an aesthetic issue, think again. Skinny-fat individuals often face the same health risks as people who are overweight or obese. We’re talking metabolic issues, insulin resistance, and higher cardiovascular risk.
How someone gets skinny-fat
I’m going to be honest with you here. And you might not love the answer.
No, it’s not menopause. Your metabolism isn’t “broken.” And it’s definitely not just your age.
The common thread in almost everyone dealing with skinny-fat is a lack of proper strength training, combined with crash diets and really poor eating habits. Not enough protein, too much processed food, and way too many years of cardio-only workouts.
All of this leads to one thing: too little muscle mass.
If you’re not strength training and not eating the right amount of macronutrients (protein, carbs, and fat in proper balance), you simply cannot build muscle. Your body needs the stimulus and the fuel.
Can hormones and genetics play a role? Absolutely. Some of us store fat more easily in certain areas. But before you can blame those factors, you need to be honest about whether you’re actually doing the basics right. And believe me, most of the time we’re not.
But the good news is you’re not doomed to be skinny-fat forever. All you need are 2 main pillars and a bit of patience. Let’s break them down.
The main pillars that will transform your physique (& your overall health)
🏋🏻♀️ 1. Training
I know, I know. You probably expected me to say the first thing you need to change is your diet. But nope.
If your goal is body recomposition and actually changing your shape, not just the number on the scale, you need to build a foundation first. And research shows that resistance training alone has a positive effect on your body fat percentage, even before you touch your diet.
So here’s my advice: get your training program nailed down first, then dial in your calories. In that order.
I won’t explain every mechanism and science deep-dive behind training and muscle growth here, but I’ll break down the essentials.
The training principles you need to know
Before you start thinking about sets and reps, you need to understand the rules of the game. These principles are those rules. The variables (weight, reps, rest times) are the knobs you turn week to week. When you put the principles first and then adjust the variables, you can build an effective session anywhere, whether that’s a commercial gym, a hotel room, or your living room.
➡️ Specificity
You get better at what you actually practice. The closer your training matches the result you want, the faster you’ll get there.
This means choosing one or two key exercises that directly serve your goal, placing them first in your session while you’re fresh, progressing them intentionally, and using the rest of your workout to support those main lifts.
For example, if your goal is to grow your glutes, make a hip-hinge or bridge pattern movement your priority. You might start your session with hip thrusts or Romanian deadlifts for 3 hard sets, follow with squats, leg press, or unilateral work like lunges for 2 sets, and finish with something like cable hip abductions or 45-degree back extensions for 2 sets.
Want to get your first pull-up? Practice pull-ups 2-3 times per week using assistance or bands, add some slow eccentrics (lowering yourself under control), and include row variations for extra pulling volume.
Your body adapts to what you consistently ask it to do. So ask with precision.
➡️ Progressive overload
This one is everything.
If you never ask more of your body, your body has no reason to adapt. But progressive overload doesn’t mean increasing everything at once, every session. That’s a recipe for burnout.
You can progress by:
Increasing the load by 1-2 kilograms
Adding one rep per set at the same weight
Adding one extra working set (if recovery is good)
Doing the same work in slightly less time (reducing rest)
Improving your range of motion or tempo
Use only one of these at a time so you know what actually caused the progress.
Here’s a practical example: pick a rep range like 8-10 reps at about 2 reps in reserve (meaning you could have done 2 more). When all your working sets hit the top of that range with clean form, add 1-2.5 kg next session and rebuild from the bottom of the range. This creates steady, confidence-building progress.
Think of it as an escalator, not a rollercoaster.
➡️ Variation
You need repeated exposure to build a skill and get results. But most people get bored doing the same thing forever. So here’s the sweet spot: keep the movement patterns the same, but exchange specific exercises every 4-6 weeks.
For a squat pattern, you might move from back squats to front squats to a smith machine pause squat. Same pattern, fresh stimulus. This protects your joints while keeping things interesting.
➡️ Adherence
Consistency beats perfection. Every single time.
A flawless program that doesn’t fit your life is useless. Remove friction so showing up is easy. On busy weeks, a “minimum viable plan” of 2 short full-body sessions plus daily walking keeps momentum going. Never double up to catch up. Just take today’s plan and move forward.
Be realistic with your schedule. If you can realistically get to the gym twice a week, build your program around that. You’ll get better results than someone with a perfect 5-day split they only follow for 3 weeks before quitting.
Win the inputs. Sessions completed, steps walked, daily protein hit. The outputs will follow.
If you have no idea where to start
If you can’t afford a PT right now, here’s what I’d do:
Buy a program from someone you trust. Jeff Nippard have great options for all levels.
Use a training app. Honestly, I’ve been using training apps for years and it removes so much stress and guesswork. You’ll walk into the gym knowing exactly what to do. My favorites are Evolve You and Gains by Brains. Pick a program, follow it week after week, and you will not be disappointed.
And one more thing...
Let’s talk about what it actually means to train hard.
If you want to change your body, those cute 2-kg pink dumbbells aren’t going to cut it. I’m not saying you need to squat your bodyweight on day one, but you need to challenge yourself. Whatever your current level is, you need to push just a little beyond it.
If you can scroll on your phone while doing leg press, you’re not training hard enough. Period.
🥗 2. Nutrition
When it comes to building muscle, you might hear some fitness influencers or gym bros preach that more food is always better. But actually, research shows that most people don’t need to eat everything in sight to gain muscle.
Eating at your calorie maintenance is enough to build muscle when you’re a beginner. For more advanced lifters, a slight surplus of 200-500 calories is the sweet spot.
I shared my nutrition strategies in this article:
What really matters is understanding when you need a surplus versus a deficit.
If you’re currently skinny-fat, the first priority is losing fat, not bulking. And if you do everything right, you’ll see huge differences in your first year (yes, we’re here for the long game) without needing to eat above maintenance.
That’s why I recommend waiting at least one year of consistent training and tracking progress before even thinking about bulking and cutting cycles.
Finding your maintenance
If you’ve just come off a long period of dieting and your calories are already pretty low, or if you have no idea how much you’re actually eating day to day, I’d recommend returning to your calorie maintenance for at least a month. Give your body a break before starting a strategic fat loss phase.
Here’s how to do it:
Calculate your estimated maintenance using an online calculator or ChatGPT (BMR + activity level)
Plan your meals around that number
Track everything you eat for 10-14 days
Weigh yourself every morning under the same conditions: same scale, after the bathroom, before food
At the end of each week, calculate your weekly average weight. Compare week 1 to week 2:
If your average stays steady → that’s roughly your maintenance
If it goes up or down → adjust your estimate by about 100 kcal and keep observing
Why weekly averages instead of daily weigh-ins? Because your weight can swing day-to-day based on sodium, carbs, digestion, and (for us) menstrual cycle water retention. The weekly average smooths all that out.
Setting up your deficit
Once you know your maintenance, create a modest deficit. For most women, about 10-15% below maintenance is a good starting point. The goal is sustainability, not a crash.
Pick an approach that fits your life and protects your training performance.
Now let’s break down the macros.
➡️ Protein
Getting enough protein while trying to build muscle is crucial. It’s literally the building blocks for muscle repair and growth. But there’s so much debate about the “perfect” intake because there’s no one-size-fits-all answer.
My recommendation to keep it simple: aim for at least 120-150 grams of protein per day, spread across at least 4 meals.
Yes, you read that correctly. Even if you’re on the lighter side and end up at the higher end of that range, it won’t harm you (unless you lose your sanity and go full carnivore). It’s always better to have a bit more than to fall short.
If you want to dig deeper into protein, I wrote a full breakdown here:
➡️ Fat
There’s this persistent myth that eating fat makes you gain fat. Not true.
Dietary fat is essential for survival, especially for women. It regulates metabolic processes, contributes to hormone production, and helps your body absorb certain vitamins.
My general recommendation: aim for 20-35% of your daily calories from fat. Keeping it at minimum 20% helps prevent fat-soluble vitamin deficiencies and hormonal issues.
➡️ Carbohydrates
Carbs are not the enemy. I repeat: carbs are not the enemy.
They play a crucial role in fueling your training performance. If you’re also doing endurance sports on top of strength training, you probably need even more.
My approach: calculate your protein and fat intake first, then fill up the remainder of your calories with carbs.
The hard part
In theory, creating a deficit is easy. But sticking to it consistently long enough to see results? That’s the actual work.
This is why it’s so important to create a diet plan that works for your lifestyle.
Also, tracking progress is crucial. If your weekly average weight hasn’t moved for two consecutive weeks (and you’ve accounted for menstrual cycle stuff), make a small tweak:
Increase movement by about +2,000 steps/day
Or add +10 minutes of LISS cardio to two sessions
Still nothing after another 7-14 days? Carefully decrease intake by about 100 kcal/day. And if you’re feeling run down or exhausted, take a 7-day diet break at maintenance, then resume.
Important to keep in mind
Your fat loss phase shouldn’t last more than 3-4 months. Why? Because as you lose weight, your metabolism adapts to burn fewer calories. That’s when you start to plateau.
Since our goal is building a lean, strong body, I don’t recommend dropping calories super low. It’ll tank your training performance and hurt your overall health.
Instead, after 3-4 months of deficit, return to maintenance for at least 2 months. With more food, you’ll feel more energized, see more progress in your training, and build more muscle.
If you want to lean out a bit more after that, you can do another fat loss phase. But honestly? Once you hit a healthy body fat percentage (around 20-24% for women — you can go leaner, around 15-18%, but know that’s considered very lean and harder to maintain year-round), just stay at maintenance and keep training hard.
If you decide it’s time for something more aggressive like a proper bulk, I highly recommend working with a nutritionist or coach who specializes in sports nutrition. The chances of ending a bulk with more fat than muscle when you do it alone are high.
I hope this guide helps you take the first steps (or the next steps) toward your goals. Remember: there’s no magic pill. No secret hack. Just consistent training, proper nutrition, and patience with yourself.
You’ve got this.
See you in the next one 💪
💖 Find me elsewhere (Instagram, Pinterest, Spotify)
I love gains by brains! Her YouTube vlogs are so soothing to me
Build muscle at any age and your body will thank you.
Then fuel your body properly and your body will respond to lifting.
But the biggest thing? Your mindset when you stop trying to change your body and accept it for the miracle it is, you start to love it and that’s when the biggest shifts happen.
Reducing stress and inflammation can play a huge part of you revealing a body you adore 🥹♥️