Is skinny fat so bad?
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KezJT
Posts: 32 Member
OK in all honesty, I'm aiming for skinny fat right now. Is that such a bad idea? It's better than fat fat surely?
To put things in context: I've been on here before, a few years ago. I lost a lot of weight, (just over 4 stone/approx 65lb) and got A LOT fitter. Then, like many, I thought "I've got this now", stopped logging and gained 2 stone back! However, I didn't return to the unfit me - although I don't do a specific exercise regime any more, I hit 10k steps easily every day, can run for 20-30 mins straight and can lift the heavy stuff that I need to around the house/at work:)
I want to be slimmer to be/stay healthy. I'm too old to care that much about the way I look TBH! (although looking nice is always nice, obviously). I need to lose 2 stone to get back into "normal" BMI but otherwise I am pretty healthy. I tried lots of different exercises last time, all worked for a period of time, then I got bored/finished/stopped so I keep healthy through daily routines (I cycle to work, walk to the shops etc) which obviously isn't putting any "overload" on my muscles so isn't making me fitter/stronger etc so I guess, when this weight goes, I will be skinny fat unless I find the time/money/interest to start going to the gym again, which is unlikely in the near future.....
opinions (expressed politely) of all sorts welcome.....
To put things in context: I've been on here before, a few years ago. I lost a lot of weight, (just over 4 stone/approx 65lb) and got A LOT fitter. Then, like many, I thought "I've got this now", stopped logging and gained 2 stone back! However, I didn't return to the unfit me - although I don't do a specific exercise regime any more, I hit 10k steps easily every day, can run for 20-30 mins straight and can lift the heavy stuff that I need to around the house/at work:)
I want to be slimmer to be/stay healthy. I'm too old to care that much about the way I look TBH! (although looking nice is always nice, obviously). I need to lose 2 stone to get back into "normal" BMI but otherwise I am pretty healthy. I tried lots of different exercises last time, all worked for a period of time, then I got bored/finished/stopped so I keep healthy through daily routines (I cycle to work, walk to the shops etc) which obviously isn't putting any "overload" on my muscles so isn't making me fitter/stronger etc so I guess, when this weight goes, I will be skinny fat unless I find the time/money/interest to start going to the gym again, which is unlikely in the near future.....
opinions (expressed politely) of all sorts welcome.....
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Replies
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I'm not a professional or someone who knows a lot on the topic of skinny fat, but I feel like fat is fat, and that your body treats it the same way. I mean, you have a lot less fat than someone who is considered obese, but it is still fat. I think, as long as you're happy with how you look and feel, and your body is healthy (since we all should have some amount of fat on us, especially women), then I think you should be okay. You can always ask your doctor or a nutritionist about it and the percentage of body fat that you should have.0
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I'd say it'd be unhealthy from the perspective that it means you have a high fat to muscle ratio.
Also you might have fat round your internal organs which isn't great for your health, although the only way to know for certain if you're carrying fat in a dangerous place would be to get a proper body fat scan done. They can be expensive but only way to properly know your body fat %.
You can do a lot of bodyweight exercises at home (gym free) to help build muscle, as long as you progress to harder versions you'll be overloading your muscles.0 -
How are you defining skinny fat? Generally, it someone in a good weight range and high body fat. Skinny fat is probably healthier and better than over fat, but certainly not as good as fit/lean. And not that you have to get down to 18% body fat, you should try to maintain muscle mass during weight loss for a few reason... 1. it maintains your metabolic functions, 2. muscle burns more calories (not tons more but more) and 3. more muscle = stronger body = more resistant body.
Keep in mind, you can be skinny & fit, but you don't have to be very low body fat. Most women can have a flat stomach in the low 20% bf range.0 -
Yes, I think how you define it makes a big difference. Obviously, skinny fat is better than fat fat. Ultimately, though, if you're healthy and active, I don't think you need to do more than you want to. It sounds like you keep active naturally (biking instead of driving, etc.), so that should keep you in the healthy range. It's what works for you that matters.
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"opinions (expressed politely) of all sorts welcome..... "
You are obviously new here, based on that one sentence
I agree with the above posts, I suppose it is "healthier" than being classed as obese but you should probably speak to a professional about what body fat % you should be at or around. Your idea of skinny-fat may be different than what someone else defines it as, so it really is hard to comment on your post.0 -
Yes, I don't know why you are assuming you are doomed to be skinny fat. That means an unhealthy bf percentage at an okay bmi, so yeah it's unhealthy, but if you maintain your current muscle mass and are as active as you are I don't see why you'd end up skinny fat unless you are planning on an unhealthy deficit.0
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hmmm, I guess I was thinking of skinny fat as meaning in the "normal" BMI range but not very defined muscles/looking fit. I'm not really sure what my BF is - I have never really had it measured (properly or otherwise:/0
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You can still improve your fitness without going to the gym or doing any intense exercise. It may not be what it was, but even just walking more and getting some random movement in is better than being totally sedentary.
I think losing weight and improving your eating habits is a good place to start and not everyone is going to dive right in to weight loss and exercise at the same time. I personally find I do better with one if I do the other, but if you'd prefer to just focus on your eating now, I don't think that's the worst thing or that it will make you "skinny fat". I consider that to be more along the lines of people that eat pretty badly and don't work out but due to higher metabolisms or whatever else, don't necessarily put on weight.0 -
I dislike the oxymoronic term. I dislike the business of insulting skinny people by calling them "fat." I dislike how anorexics and muscle dysmorphics have latched onto it. Nothing I like with that term. There is no good there.
I suppose my goal is what others would call skinny-fat. I intend to be thin, but won't be very muscular. I don't have a problem with that. If someone else wants to say, "You're skinny fat!" then that will be their problem, not mine.
I don't think it's bad at all.0 -
Excess body fat, regardless of overall weight, is still something that increases your risks for diabetes, and other issues.0
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How are you defining "skinny fat"? Like so many other terms, that seems to have several different meanings on MFP. The most common is a BMI in the healthy range but a BF% outside the healthy range. You say your BMI is high so that would not describe you.
It is possible to be overweight and healthy and this may better describe you. Being overweight is a risk factor for some diseases, but it's not a guarantee of disease. If you get enough exercise and eat right you can be overweight and healthy. A gym or structured exercise plan is not required for getting exercise. All activity is exercise.0 -
For me personally it is. It's not a look I'm interested in. As far as for others, I don't really care if that's the look they want.0
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It's defined differently by everyone. Anorexics who have any fat will deem themselves "skinny fat" and attempt to eliminate the excess.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »How are you defining "skinny fat"? Like so many other terms, that seems to have several different meanings on MFP. The most common is a BMI in the healthy range but a BF% outside the healthy range. You say your BMI is high so that would not describe you.
It is possible to be overweight and healthy and this may better describe you. Being overweight is a risk factor for some diseases, but it's not a guarantee of disease. If you get enough exercise and eat right you can be overweight and healthy. A gym or structured exercise plan is not required for getting exercise. All activity is exercise.
I said once that I quit lifting weight because it bored the crap out me and someone said, "So, you want to be skinny fat?" Several people agreed. To them, anyone who doesn't lift weights is skinny fat.
Since it's not a medical term with any real definition, everyone gets to make up their own meaning.
There just is no way to use the term nicely, whether you say it about yourself or others.
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It's defined differently by everyone. Anorexics who have any fat will deem themselves "skinny fat" and attempt to eliminate the excess.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »How are you defining "skinny fat"? Like so many other terms, that seems to have several different meanings on MFP. The most common is a BMI in the healthy range but a BF% outside the healthy range. You say your BMI is high so that would not describe you.
It is possible to be overweight and healthy and this may better describe you. Being overweight is a risk factor for some diseases, but it's not a guarantee of disease. If you get enough exercise and eat right you can be overweight and healthy. A gym or structured exercise plan is not required for getting exercise. All activity is exercise.
I said once that I quit lifting weight because it bored the crap out me and someone said, "So, you want to be skinny fat?" Several people agreed. To them, anyone who doesn't lift weights is skinny fat.
Since it's not a medical term with any real definition, everyone gets to make up their own meaning.
There just is no way to use the term nicely, whether you say it about yourself or others.
No, skinny fat has a definition, people just choose to use it their own way. It is Normal Weight Obesity.
To answer the OP - I would consider true "skinnyfat" bad. But the question is if that is what you will really end up as.0 -
I generally assume when people talk about "skinny fat", they mean normal weight obesity. This obviously is unhealthy and carries many of the same risks as plain vanilla obesity.
If you just want to be slim and not muscular, there is nothing inherently unhealthy about that, although you may not be as strong, and depending how low your LBM is, you'll need to monitor for osteopenia more diligently, especially if, like most people, you lose LBM as you age.
Here is a brief article on normal weight obesity :
http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/011211p14.shtml
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...I want to be slimmer to be/stay healthy. I'm too old to care that much about the way I look TBH! (although looking nice is always nice, obviously). I need to lose 2 stone to get back into "normal" BMI but otherwise I am pretty healthy. I tried lots of different exercises last time, all worked for a period of time, then I got bored/finished/stopped so I keep healthy through daily routines (I cycle to work, walk to the shops etc) which obviously isn't putting any "overload" on my muscles so isn't making me fitter/stronger etc so I guess, when this weight goes, I will be skinny fat unless I find the time/money/interest to start going to the gym again, which is unlikely in the near future.....
You're 42! That's way too young to be giving up. But if vanity won't motivate you - what about health? My 77 year old mother goes to the gym for her health - osteoporosis.
Use it or lose it. My fiance's mother lost most of her muscle tone in her legs and is practically chair and bed-ridden. It's painful to watch her struggle to push herself up and hobble around with a walker.
If money is an issue, perhaps there's a gym near you with a sliding scale? A few sessions with a trainer could help you find some routines that are more interesting to you. You could also start a thread specifically for tips for how to not be bored by exercise.
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3dogsrunning wrote: »
It's defined differently by everyone. Anorexics who have any fat will deem themselves "skinny fat" and attempt to eliminate the excess.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »How are you defining "skinny fat"? Like so many other terms, that seems to have several different meanings on MFP. The most common is a BMI in the healthy range but a BF% outside the healthy range. You say your BMI is high so that would not describe you.
It is possible to be overweight and healthy and this may better describe you. Being overweight is a risk factor for some diseases, but it's not a guarantee of disease. If you get enough exercise and eat right you can be overweight and healthy. A gym or structured exercise plan is not required for getting exercise. All activity is exercise.
I said once that I quit lifting weight because it bored the crap out me and someone said, "So, you want to be skinny fat?" Several people agreed. To them, anyone who doesn't lift weights is skinny fat.
Since it's not a medical term with any real definition, everyone gets to make up their own meaning.
There just is no way to use the term nicely, whether you say it about yourself or others.
No, skinny fat has a definition, people just choose to use it their own way. It is Normal Weight Obesity.
To answer the OP - I would consider true "skinnyfat" bad. But the question is if that is what you will really end up as.
How do you define "Normal Weight Obesity"?0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »...I want to be slimmer to be/stay healthy. I'm too old to care that much about the way I look TBH! (although looking nice is always nice, obviously). I need to lose 2 stone to get back into "normal" BMI but otherwise I am pretty healthy. I tried lots of different exercises last time, all worked for a period of time, then I got bored/finished/stopped so I keep healthy through daily routines (I cycle to work, walk to the shops etc) which obviously isn't putting any "overload" on my muscles so isn't making me fitter/stronger etc so I guess, when this weight goes, I will be skinny fat unless I find the time/money/interest to start going to the gym again, which is unlikely in the near future.....
You're 42! That's way too young to be giving up. But if vanity won't motivate you - what about health? My 77 year old mother goes to the gym for her health - osteoporosis.
Use it or lose it. My fiance's mother lost most of her muscle tone in her legs and is practically chair and bed-ridden. It's painful to watch her struggle to push herself up and hobble around with a walker.
If money is an issue, perhaps there's a gym near you with a sliding scale? A few sessions with a trainer could help you find some routines that are more interesting to you. You could also start a thread specifically for tips for how to not be bored by exercise.
Since I'm a bit older than the OP, I agree with much of this, except that it seems to imply that a gym is needed to maintain muscle and bone. It's not. Weights are a great way to do it, if you have the resources and enjoy it. But, there are many activities that will do the job just as efficiently as lifting weights.0 -
3dogsrunning wrote: »
It's defined differently by everyone. Anorexics who have any fat will deem themselves "skinny fat" and attempt to eliminate the excess.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »How are you defining "skinny fat"? Like so many other terms, that seems to have several different meanings on MFP. The most common is a BMI in the healthy range but a BF% outside the healthy range. You say your BMI is high so that would not describe you.
It is possible to be overweight and healthy and this may better describe you. Being overweight is a risk factor for some diseases, but it's not a guarantee of disease. If you get enough exercise and eat right you can be overweight and healthy. A gym or structured exercise plan is not required for getting exercise. All activity is exercise.
I said once that I quit lifting weight because it bored the crap out me and someone said, "So, you want to be skinny fat?" Several people agreed. To them, anyone who doesn't lift weights is skinny fat.
Since it's not a medical term with any real definition, everyone gets to make up their own meaning.
There just is no way to use the term nicely, whether you say it about yourself or others.
No, skinny fat has a definition, people just choose to use it their own way. It is Normal Weight Obesity.
To answer the OP - I would consider true "skinnyfat" bad. But the question is if that is what you will really end up as.
How do you define "Normal Weight Obesity"?
And who coined that term? Is it even possibly to be obese by BF and normal by BMI? Overweight, sure, but obese?0 -
I don't know who coined the term. I don't think there is a solid definition and seriously doubt that it's one that could be diagnosed by someone without a license to practice medicine...or even diagnosed online by someone with a license to practice.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »3dogsrunning wrote: »
It's defined differently by everyone. Anorexics who have any fat will deem themselves "skinny fat" and attempt to eliminate the excess.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »How are you defining "skinny fat"? Like so many other terms, that seems to have several different meanings on MFP. The most common is a BMI in the healthy range but a BF% outside the healthy range. You say your BMI is high so that would not describe you.
It is possible to be overweight and healthy and this may better describe you. Being overweight is a risk factor for some diseases, but it's not a guarantee of disease. If you get enough exercise and eat right you can be overweight and healthy. A gym or structured exercise plan is not required for getting exercise. All activity is exercise.
I said once that I quit lifting weight because it bored the crap out me and someone said, "So, you want to be skinny fat?" Several people agreed. To them, anyone who doesn't lift weights is skinny fat.
Since it's not a medical term with any real definition, everyone gets to make up their own meaning.
There just is no way to use the term nicely, whether you say it about yourself or others.
No, skinny fat has a definition, people just choose to use it their own way. It is Normal Weight Obesity.
To answer the OP - I would consider true "skinnyfat" bad. But the question is if that is what you will really end up as.
How do you define "Normal Weight Obesity"?
And who coined that term? Is it even possibly to be obese by BF and normal by BMI? Overweight, sure, but obese?
But I may be wrong! I may learn something new. It wouldn't be the first time, lol.
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