Worried about being "skinny fat"

hazeljordan1974

I thought my worries were over now I have got to goal, but it seems not - I might be "skinny fat"!

I am 5' 11" I weigh 151 lbs and according to the Boots scale as well as my ancient Tanita scales I have about 30% fat which is "average". My arms although slim do have some definition (ie - no bingo wings but a little muscle on my biceps), my thighs are pretty solid (from running) and my stomach has a tiny bit of a pooch (paunch) but is reasonably flat (and I can feel muscles under the layer of fat I have there), I hold all of my fat on my bum which although a little voluptuous I still need to put a towel down on the running machine or else it is really quite painful on my coccis.

So - am I "skinny fat"?

I have started a weights program which is hard for me as I am in love with cardio and the way that makes me feel and the fact it has helped me to lose all of my weight but I know it is essential if I want to lower my body fat. Also I eat a fair bit of rubbish (chocolate is my biggest vice) and that is no good for health and fitness as well as delivering empty calories and am doing my best to reduce this too.

Anything else I can do?

sarahrbraun

I thought my worries were over now I have got to goal, but it seems not - I might be "skinny fat"!

I am 5' 11" I weigh 151 lbs and according to the Boots scale as well as my ancient Tanita scales I have about 30% fat which is "average". My arms although slim do have some definition (ie - no bingo wings but a little muscle on my biceps), my thighs are pretty solid (from running) and my stomach has a tiny bit of a pooch (paunch) but is reasonably flat (and I can feel muscles under the layer of fat I have there), I hold all of my fat on my bum which although a little voluptuous I still need to put a towel down on the running machine or else it is really quite painful on my coccis.

So - am I "skinny fat"?

I have started a weights program which is hard for me as I am in love with cardio and the way that makes me feel and the fact it has helped me to lose all of my weight but I know it is essential if I want to lower my body fat. Also I eat a fair bit of rubbish (chocolate is my biggest vice) and that is no good for health and fitness as well as delivering empty calories and am doing my best to reduce this too.

Anything else I can do?

sigh...yeah, you might be.

weights WILL transform your body. I have been doing weights for close to 2 years now, the ratio varies depending on what I am into at the time. Right now it is mostly weights, and *some* cardio ( I only have one true cardio day). I am an emotional eater, and I eat like crap...but my body is changing in awesome ways.

this is me over a 7 month period this year. I only lost about 3lbs over that 7 months

2/13, 4/13, 9/13 by crochetmom2010, on Flickr

this is me over a 16-18 month period. Maybe a 30lb loss ( I lost some before my before picture)

Untitled by crochetmom2010, on Flickr

somethingnewjc

just my personal opinion here, but i would try to get away from putting a label on what you look like or what some certain "scale" determines you to be... i think for me i try to consider what i would like to improve on to make me feel better and focus on that... as far as i am aware building some muscle in areas that seem less firm should help with that, and certainly reducing the junk is going to help, but i know this can be hard and no one is perfect.... also if you are 5'11'' 150ish that seems like a really good height to weight ratio to me, so adding some weights should help you firm up more and if you like cardio, i would say stick with what works for you as your progress bar shows you have been doing great.... anyway something else i think is important is to try and find more acceptance for our bodies as they are, as its awesome to have goals, but its also important to be happy with the way we are as we progress--good luck

Dauntlessness

Maybe.

So, I am a size 14 jean at 222lbs and I'm 5'7. I gained 19lbs since a trip a while back and was almost a size 12 at 203lbs. I got all kinds of crap from girls on here saying that wasn't possible. Trust me, it is. I have worked my butt off for 3 years now going to the gym 5-6 days a week, 2-3 hours a day, lifted heavy and did a bunch of cardio. The girls said that when they were 170 and the same height they were size 16... I can only guess they didn't work out.

When I go to the doctors they always start with the 150-200 mark because they cant believe it...I think its pretty funny actually.

So it is very possible to be skinny fat.



I now this one is not 100% accurate as its not the same girl but you get my point.

star5785

just my personal opinion here, but i would try to get away from putting a label on what you look like or what some certain "scale" determines you to be... i think for me i try to consider what i would like to improve on to make me feel better and focus on that... as far as i am aware building some muscle in areas that seem less firm should help with that, and certainly reducing the junk is going to help, but i know this can be hard and no one is perfect.... also if you are 5'11'' 150ish that seems like a really good height to weight ratio to me, so adding some weights should help you firm up more and if you like cardio, i would say stick with what works for you as your progress bar shows you have been doing great.... anyway something else i think is important is to try and find more acceptance for our bodies as they are, as its awesome to have goals, but its also important to be happy with the way we are as we progress--good luck

this. Don't think too hard about it and if there are things you want to change to make you happy, then go for it. You already seem to be doing well. "Skinny skinny", "skinny fat" or "fat fat", lol....who comes up with these terms anyway?!? Just do you :flowerforyou:

jacksonpt

I'm not sure I understand. Are you concerned about what label someone might put on you? Or is there something about how you look or feel that you don't like.

If the prior, then eff em. If the latter, then yes... change something up. Tell us more about what you don't like and what you'd rather see/feel and we can make some better recommendations.

hazeljordan1974

I'm not sure I understand. Are you concerned about what label someone might put on you? Or is there something about how you look or feel that you don't like.

If the prior, then eff em. If the latter, then yes... change something up. Tell us more about what you don't like and what you'd rather see/feel and we can make some better recommendations.

It's more something I read than something I feel. I am a classic pear so my hips and thighs are always going to be more generous than for other shapes - but I am a UK size 12 (US size 8) and I love being able to wear a smaller size (I was previously a UK 18/20 (US size 14/16)), my waist is a tiny 29 inches and my stomach is acceptable to me and doesn't "bulge" and my legs are reasonably muscled from my running - I guess I was just trying to find a new perfection...

And in any case I am confused - my scales say today I am 26%, I put my stats in here - http://www.healthstatus.com/perl/calculator.cgi and it says 20.48, on this - http://www.healthyforms.com/helpful-tools/body-fat-percentage.php it says 25%... So I have absolutely no idea. I have ordered some calipers - maybe they'll shed some light on it.

hazeljordan1974

And on here - http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/home-body-fat-test-2774-143.html it says 24.8% (I actually think this one is better than the others - not because it's low but because it asks for more stats than the others do).

Isn't it awful that despite the scale showing an acceptable number I went elsewhere to try and find a number to make me feel bad even though the mirror, my friends and family all think I look great?

I will cut down on rubbish food as it's better for me (although I will not give it up as I would be really grumpy with no chocolate) and I will continue with my weights and core exercises to build a little muscle - but I will try not to obsess over this ridiculous "skinny fat"

jacksonpt

I still don't understand...

Are you happy with how you look?
Are you happy with how you feel?
Are you happy with your overall health?

It sounds like you are focusing on all the things that don't matter (words, numbers, etc) and completely ignoring the things that do matter.

hazeljordan1974

I still don't understand...

Are you happy with how you look?
Are you happy with how you feel?
Are you happy with your overall health?

It sounds like you are focusing on all the things that don't matter (words, numbers, etc) and completely ignoring the things that do matter.

I was focusing on things that really don't matter - as you say words, numbers etc. I am healthier, I am fitter, I am stronger, I look better and I feel better - you are right THAT is what I should be focusing on and just carrying on pushing myself as I work out to get even fitter, stronger and healthier....