Tip: Stop Dieting If You're Skinny-Fat Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Diet & Fat LossEating Tip Stop Dieting If You re Skinny-Fat Yes choose better foods but focus on muscle gain Use a specialized supplement to selectively increase insulin sensitivity Here' s how by Chris Shugart December 25, 2015April 5, 2021 Tags Losing Fat, Nutrition & Supplements, Tips Many men today are under the impression that if they just lose 10 or 20 pounds, they'd uncover a sculpted body worthy of a fitness magazine cover. What they discover afterward is that there wasn't really anything under that layer of fat worthy of showing off. It's understandable. You lift weights, but you're kinda on the soft 'n fluffy side. And having visible abs might increase your chances of seeing a woman who's not on the internet naked. So you go on a fat loss diet. The result? Scrawniness. A weakened metabolism. The inability to eat three carbs at a sitting without gaining fat. First, let's remember that those "small" men's physique competitors in the upper ranks mostly weigh somewhere around 200 pounds, shredded. And most are taller than their stocky brethren in the bodybuilding category. So if you're a soft 170 pounds you're not going to be happy being a leaner 150. Muscle matters, not just low body fat. Make sure you have some before adopting a "cutting" plan. The Supplement Solution Many people recommend that these guys bulk up before dieting down. And sure, they do need to gain muscle. But skinny-fat guys often have the same underlying issues as fat guys – dysfunctional nutrient uptake mechanisms and poor nutrient partitioning ability. Basically, when they eat to gain size, they gain mostly fat. And when they diet to lose the fat, they look frail. Food seems to be preferentially stored as body fat, not used to build muscle. The solution here isn't to diet for fat loss or bulk up. The solution is to fix those underlying issues. Yes, get rid of the obvious junk foods that are problematic for everyone, but don't "diet." Instead, fix those metabolically active but broken fat cells with cyanidin-3 glucoside (Indigo-3G) to selectively increase insulin sensitivity in the muscle. In short, that means your body will more easily release and burn fat while at the same time maximizing muscle nutrient uptake. Basically, food gets "put to work" rather than stored, and you can now build muscle and lose fat without extreme diets. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Supplements Single-Digit Bodyfat Smash the Plateau It's easy to go from fat to lean-ish, but fat loss can easily stall when your goal is to get truly shredded. Here are three things you need to know. Diet Strategy, Fat Loss Training, Losing Fat, Nutrition & Supplements Akash Vaghela March 28 Eating How to Increase Cell Volume for Fast Muscle Growth Learn how to increase cell volume and you'll turn on protein synthesis and suppress protein breakdown. Bodybuilding, Building Muscle, Creatine, Nutrition & Supplements, Plazma, Protein Bill Willis, PhD October 22 Eating The Supercharger A closer look at the supplement that can improve your mind, your muscles, and even your sex life! Nutrition & Supplements, Workout Nutrition Christian Thibaudeau November 1 Eating The Food Combo That Makes You Fat Certain foods will dramatically impact whether or not fat is stored or burned. In fact, they'll totally change how your brain works and disrupt your metabolism. Diet Strategy, Dietary Myth Busting, Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements Dr Jade Teta April 20