How To Become Skinny: Getting Back To Basics

It’s time to learn how to become skinny!  In this post I’m going to explain exactly how you can guarantee successful weight loss and get skinny fast!

Now, the first thing you need to start doing is tracking your caloric intake, because if you are not losing weight now it means that there is not enough of a caloric deficit and becoming skinny will be nearly impossible.

A caloric deficit means that overall daily caloric output must exceed input

If you look at it from a really simple standpoint learning how to become skinny, comes down to this…

If the number of calories you consume is below the number of calories you body uses each day, you will start becoming skinny, as your body will be forced to burn your excess body fat as energy.

What is important to understand is that this caloric deficit should come from both a combination of exercise, and diet, not just one.

So many people think they can lose weight by either exercising and not watching their diet, or dieting and being completely inactive. Unfortunately most who take this route end up learning the hard way that becoming skinny is almost impossible with these methods.

How To Become Skinny By Watching Your Caloric Intake

Let’s say your body requires 1500 cal each day to maintain it’s weight…  If your goal is to lose weight, you will have to come in at under that number by eating 200 calories less, and exercising to burn 300 calories.

That looks like this:

- 1500 calories needed by your body to maintain your current weight

- You consume only 1300 through diet, 200 calories under your “maintenance calories”  *(again, you need to track this very carefully)

- You exercise for 45 min. and burn 300 calories

1500 cal
-200 cal via diet
-300 cal via exercise

Total daily calories:  1000

This means that you will have created a caloric deficit of 500 calories daily, which would theoretically equate to 1 pound of fat loss every week.

1 pound of fat = 3500 cal

Of course, this does not guarantee that you will lose exactly one pound each week, but you should lose close to that-at least at the beginning.  You may find that it becomes more difficult later as your body attempts to shut down your metabolism, however there are ways around this.

Remember, if you are not losing weight and think that you are dieting and exercising properly, you are not!  you have to track every aspect of your routine until you figure out exactly what is hindering your progress.

More Tips On How To Become Skinny

  • Eat 6 small meals each day.  This really boosts your metabolism and ensures that your body is constantly burning calories.
  • Drink at least 8 cups of water each day.  Carry a jug with you and make sure your pee is always clear white. If it’s yellow you are not drinking enough.  Water is important because it helps filter toxins and by-products out of your body.
  • On “cheat days” you should still try to count your calories.  So if you have a pizza for example, you should estimate how many calories that meal is and try not to go over your daily limit by too much that day.  Cheat days can actually help, as long as you only do them once a week.
  • Take the time to carefully track every aspect of your training and diet.  This mean every calorie burned and every calorie consumed.  Also track sleeping habits, energy levels etc.  If you are serious about learning how to become skinny you will take the time out of your day to do this.

In the end, if you eat less food than your body needs each day, exercise regularly, track your progress and lead a generally healthy lifestyle, you will lose weight and finally become skinny.  There is really no need for any fancy diets or exercises, because it all comes down to the basics mentioned above.

If what you are doing isn’t working, you need to change it right now!

What is Body Composition?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for most of your life, you’ve probably heard of the term body composition. But just exactly what is body composition, and what does it mean in terms of your health and well being?

Well let me explain.  The body is composed of the following two elements:

  • Lean tissue – This consists of your muscles, organs, blood and bones.
  • Body fat – You are probably already familiar with body fat!

The actual proportion of lean tissue and body fat is what makes up your body composition.  What is important to note here is that your body composition is much more important than your actual body weight, since two people might be the same height and weight, but have much different body compositions.

Let me show you an example:

These two guys in the picture below are the same body weight… But you can see that it’s obvious that one is extremely lean while the other is excessively fat.

body-composition
These two men are the same height and weight, but the man on the left is composed of mostly lean tissue versus the man on the right who has a high level of body fat.

Now you can see why it is important that you do not rely only on your scale weight to track your weight loss progress!

How do I Measure my Body Composition?

As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, simply taking your height and weight measurements will not cut it if you are trying to determine your body composition with some degree of accuracy.

In order to get a more accurate idea of your body composition, I recommend that you consider using one of the following methods:

  • Underwater weighing - This is by far the most accurate method of testing your body composition with a 97-98% accuracy level.  It involves being submerged in water in a swing seat.  After expressing as much air as possible from the lungs, your weigh is recorded.  Unfortunately this method is very inconvenient, and relatively expensive.
  • Caliper testing – Using skinfold calipers to test your body composition is quite common and is used at most health clubs.  The calipers measure the layer of fat located just under the skin on specific areas of the body including the arm, shoulder blade, waist, thigh and calf.  Once the numbers for each area have been recorded, they are plugged into a scientific equation that will ultimately give you your approximate body fat percentage.  Assuming that the person performing the body fat caliper test is accurate, this method is a good bet since it can be performed with relative ease, and little cost.
  • Bioelectrical impedance – BIA is a mild electrical current that works by measuring the conductivity of the body.  Since lean body tissue is a good conductor of electricity and fat isn’t, measuring the current that runs between electrodes that are placed on different points of the body can give you an estimated body composition.  Although this method is fast and simple, it’s accuracy level is relatively poor since hydration levels play a large role in the results.

Remember, none of these methods are 100% accurate, but this level of accuracy is not necessary if you are simply trying to lose weight and want to track your progress.  My top choice would be a combination of body fat caliper testing, in combination with both scale weight measurements, and body part measurements.

Have you ever had your body composition tested?  If so, what methods have you used?

If not, are you happy with your current body composition?

How Much Body Fat? – Your Ideal Body Fat Percentage

Have you ever wondered just how much body fat you should have?  Simply put, without enough body fat, we would not survive.  I’s important to understand that we need a certain amount of body fat to function properly.

There are in fact two components of body fat:  Essential fat, and storage fat.

Essential Fat

This type of fat includes the fat that forms your cell membranes, organs, nerves and various body tissues.  It helps insulate and protect your organs from physical damage.  In most healthy adults, essential fat accounts for about 3% of their total body weight.

Women have an additional essential fat requirement know as “sex specific” fat.  This is the fat that is stored mostly in the breasts and around the hips.  It’s purpose is to help regulate hormones.  In most women, sex specific fat account for a further 5-9% of their body weight.

It’s important to note that if a woman’s fat stores fall too low menstrual function and hormonal balances will be compromised.  Recent studies have also shown that hormone levels can in men can also be effected by excessively low body fat levels.

Storage Fat

You are probably more familiar with storage fat, as it’s the type of fat that is visible when you look in the mirror.  This type of fat is used by the body as an energy reserve that takes the form of adipose tissue under the skin and around the organs.  We use this type of fat as our primary source of energy for day to day activities including:

  • Walking
  • Sleeping
  • Low intensity exercise

Unfortunately it is not possible to reduce fat from specific areas of the body.  In most people, the body uses fat from all areas of the body although the exact pattern depends on a combination of hormonal balances and genetics.

Healthy Body Fat Percentages for Males & Females

Your sex will determine what body fat percentage range is healthy for you.  Here are the body fat levels that are considered healthy for males and females:

Male body fat percentage: 15-18%

Female body fat percentage: 20-25%

Of course having a body fat percentage that is slightly above or below these numbers does not necessarily mean that you are not healthy.  These are generl figures and should only be used as an estimated range.

Do you think you fall within the healthy body fat percentage range?  Have you ever had your body fat percentage calculated?  What percentage of body fat do you have as a goal?

Am I too Fat? – Here’s How to Find Out

Have you been looking in the mirror lately and asking yourself “am I too fat?”. If this sounds familiar, then it’s important that you learn how you can determine if you are too fat.

So exactly how do you know if you are too fat? Looking in the mirror may be the fastest and easiest way to see if you are too fat by everyday standards, however, you will have to use other scientific methods in order to ensure you get accurate results.

Women in particular tend to perceive themselves as fatter than they actually are, so using an accurate measuring system is extremely important not only to determine if you are actually too fat, but also so that you can work towards a definite goal.

Ways to Determine if you are too Fat

There are a number of different ways that you can determine if you are too fat.  Each method has certain disadvantages and drawbacks, but all work to a certain extent.

Those methods are:

  • Weight charts – Weighing yourself on a standard scale and comparing it to a standard weight chart is easy, however, it has several drawbacks.  The heights and weights that are on these charts are based on average weights of a sample of the population.  Since they are only average weights taken from average people, they are not ideal body weights and will give you no indication of health risk.
  • Mirror – Looking at yourself in the mirror is not the best way to determine if you are too fat, since you have nothing to compare it to.
  • Body fat calipers – Using body fat calipers to determine if you are overweight is a relatively reliable method.  The main downside to this method is that taking your own fat measurements with a caliper is next to impossible, and if an expert does not take the measurement the results will not be accurate.
  • Ask your doctor - Your doctor will be able to tell you if you appear to be too fat or not.  Has your doctor ever advised you to lose weight or exercise more?  If you think you may be too fat, the doctor is probably the first person to consult.
  • Asking Family & Friends – Talking to those you trust is another way to do a reality check.  ask them whether they think you look too fat.  Listen to their answer, but at the same time consider the source!
  • Body Mass Index – Perhaps the easiest way to determine if you are too fat while get a picture of your general health risk as the same time is to calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI).  Your BMI is a calculation that takes both your height and weight into account, and will give the average person a general idea as to where they stand both in terms of health risks and body weight.

In conclusion, don’t just use one single method to determine if you are too fat or not.  I suggest that you use a combination of the above methods in order to get an accurate overall picture.

Do you think you are currently too fat?  What methods do you find are the best to help you determine if you are overweight?

Weight Loss Basics – Helpful Weight Loss Information

Here is a very helpful explanation about why simply dieting to lose weight does not work. Also note the simple yet effective methods he recommends that will help you lose weight.