Can someone show & explain skinny fat to me?
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I questioned the "skinny fat" thing a while ago and was told that the issue is because it means an "unhealthy amount of fat." I was told I was being silly questioning the overuse of the term because it's a health issue and not about aesthetics and that when people say someone is "skinny fat," they specifically mean a person with an unhealthy fat to muscle ratio and TOO MUCH FAT.Someone who is "skinny" but is otherwise at a higher % of BF to lean mass ratio. This often happens to people who crash diet and neglect resistance training. They shrink, but they lose a lot of muscle mass along with the fat...which leaves them "skinny" and at weight...but they're still kind of lose and flabby...
This chick is skinny...but has a jiggly, flabby *kitten* because she lacks muscle
She has a flabbyish *kitten*, but really? You're looking at that photo and thinking she has an unhealthy amount of body fat?
This is why people say the term is overused.
You could brush up on your reading comprehension skills I think...at what point exactly did I say "unhealthy amount of BF?" I simply stated that it was a higher BF% to lean mass ratio...which is absolutely true.
This thread is showing me that my initial reaction to this term was correct. People call others (and sometimes themselves) "skinny fat" because they don't have anough muscle tone showing, not because they are actually unhealthy. And I don't think the woman in that example looks bad at all. She may not be other people's ideal, but she doesn't look so bad to everyone.0 -
The general consensus on here is an unhealthy BF% with a healthy BMI.
But based on the posts in this thread, that is not the consensus.0 -
What would be nice is if we had an easy way to measure actual muscle percentage. I may be 25% body fat. I am 75% lean body mass, but how much is actual muscle? I think the problem with the flabby butt pictures is too low of muscle percentage, not necessarily too high of body fat.
*ETA: And I don't know that it's even really a "health" problem, but definitely an atheistic problem.0 -
I questioned the "skinny fat" thing a while ago and was told that the issue is because it means an "unhealthy amount of fat." I was told I was being silly questioning the overuse of the term because it's a health issue and not about aesthetics and that when people say someone is "skinny fat," they specifically mean a person with an unhealthy fat to muscle ratio and TOO MUCH FAT.Someone who is "skinny" but is otherwise at a higher % of BF to lean mass ratio. This often happens to people who crash diet and neglect resistance training. They shrink, but they lose a lot of muscle mass along with the fat...which leaves them "skinny" and at weight...but they're still kind of lose and flabby...
This chick is skinny...but has a jiggly, flabby *kitten* because she lacks muscle
She has a flabbyish *kitten*, but really? You're looking at that photo and thinking she has an unhealthy amount of body fat?
This is why people say the term is overused.
You could brush up on your reading comprehension skills I think...at what point exactly did I say "unhealthy amount of BF?" I simply stated that it was a higher BF% to lean mass ratio...which is absolutely true.
This thread is showing me that my initial reaction to this term was correct. People call others (and sometimes themselves) "skinny fat" because they don't have anough muscle tone showing, not because they are actually unhealthy. And I don't think the woman in that example looks bad at all. She may not be other people's ideal, but she doesn't look so bad to everyone.
that's fine...but you took one of my posts with a picture I posted and then you asked me why I thought that was an unhealthy BF%? I personally never said that...IMO skinny fat is largely aesthetic. The only health implications really are a lack of muscle mass which lowers the overall metabolism.
I would also add, that a lot of females in particular get to this point and are unhappy with their body composition (it has noting to do with what you or I think)...and they think the answer is more dieting and more dieting and more dieting. I would think it would be pretty unhealthy for the individual pictured above to continue dieting...they'd likely end up under weight which is a health issue. People need to understand that there's more to this than some number on the scale and that there are far more productive ways to deal with body composition issues than continued dieting (and usually it's these young things just crashing their diets and developing EDs that worry me the most).0 -
Amazing, Now i understand the importance of resistance training.0
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Wow. Interesting information.0
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that's fine...but you took one of my posts with a picture I posted and then you asked me why I thought that was an unhealthy BF%? I personally never said that...IMO skinny fat is largely aesthetic. The only health implications really are a lack of muscle mass which lowers the overall metabolism.
I would also add, that a lot of females in particular get to this point and are unhappy with their body composition (it has noting to do with what you or I think)...and they think the answer is more dieting and more dieting and more dieting. I would think it would be pretty unhealthy for the individual pictured above to continue dieting...they'd likely end up under weight which is a health issue. People need to understand that there's more to this than some number on the scale and that there are far more productive ways to deal with body composition issues than continued dieting (and usually it's these young things just crashing their diets and developing EDs that worry me the most).
This is exactly the opposite of what everyone insisted to me skinny fat meant. And, actually, it is what I always thought people meant when they said it.
And not all women are unhappy with that kind of body. If they are, then you are correct -- they need resistance training. But if they're happy with it, calling them "skinny fat" is rude and the reason I HATE that term.0 -
I think there are actually two different definitions that are commonly used.
1. Healthy BMI, unhealthy body fat percentage (above 30% for women).
2. Healthy BMI, upper end of the healthy body fat percentage, low muscle percentage.
The first has some serious medical consequences especially later in life. This should be avoided.
The second is more atheistic preference but it's use can be insulting to people who just don't want a lot of muscle or don't want to be especially lean. Like Puffy's first picture. There's nothing wrong with that. Some people want to look that way. To call those people "skinny fat" IS insulting them. We don't all have the same preferences or goals.0 -
Someone who is "skinny" but is otherwise at a higher % of BF to lean mass ratio. This often happens to people who crash diet and neglect resistance training. They shrink, but they lose a lot of muscle mass along with the fat...which leaves them "skinny" and at weight...but they're still kind of lose and flabby...
This chick is skinny...but has a jiggly, flabby *kitten* because she lacks muscle
She has a flabbyish *kitten*, but really? You're looking at that photo and thinking she has an unhealthy amount of body fat?
This is why people say the term is overused.
Completely agree. That photo does not fit any meaningful definition of "skinny fat".0 -
that's fine...but you took one of my posts with a picture I posted and then you asked me why I thought that was an unhealthy BF%? I personally never said that...IMO skinny fat is largely aesthetic. The only health implications really are a lack of muscle mass which lowers the overall metabolism.
I would also add, that a lot of females in particular get to this point and are unhappy with their body composition (it has noting to do with what you or I think)...and they think the answer is more dieting and more dieting and more dieting. I would think it would be pretty unhealthy for the individual pictured above to continue dieting...they'd likely end up under weight which is a health issue. People need to understand that there's more to this than some number on the scale and that there are far more productive ways to deal with body composition issues than continued dieting (and usually it's these young things just crashing their diets and developing EDs that worry me the most).
This is exactly the opposite of what everyone insisted to me skinny fat meant. And, actually, it is what I always thought people meant when they said it.
And not all women are unhappy with that kind of body. If they are, then you are correct -- they need resistance training. But if they're happy with it, calling them "skinny fat" is rude and the reason I HATE that term.
What term would you prefer...and by the by, I didn't invent the term. I hear people all of the time refer the themselves as "skinny fat"...I've never heard anyone say, "eeewww...you're skinny fat."
It's simply a way of describing a higher BF% to lean mass ratio. It is essentially a lack of definition due to a lack of muscle mass. And yes...there are plenty of people who are just fine with being that way...hell, I'm that way...but judging by your post number, you've been around here awhile...are you completely oblivious to the massive number of women on here who fit this bill and think they need to continue to lose weight and diet thinking they will change their body composition?0 -
Amazing, Now i understand the importance of resistance training.
+10 -
What term would you prefer...and by the by, I didn't invent the term. I hear people all of the time refer the themselves as "skinny fat"...I've never heard anyone say, "eeewww...you're skinny fat."
I see people all the time on this board look at a posted photo of a woman (not necessarily someone here, but just a general body shot of a woman from the Internet) and say just that. Some woman who is NOT asking to have her body evaluated and may be perfectly happy with her body.
And there are women on this site who have that kind of body and are happy with it and they see that.
I know you didn't invent it. That doesn't mean you have to use it, though. People use it to describe themselves because someone coined it and pointed to a body and said, "That's skinny fat." It's rude. I don't think there's a need for any term at all. It isn't necessary.0 -
What term would you prefer...and by the by, I didn't invent the term. I hear people all of the time refer the themselves as "skinny fat"...I've never heard anyone say, "eeewww...you're skinny fat."
I see people all the time on this board look at a posted photo of a woman (not necessarily someone here, but just a general body shot of a woman from the Internet) and say just that. Some woman who is NOT asking to have her body evaluated and may be perfectly happy with her body.
And there are women on this site who have that kind of body and are happy with it and they see that.
I know you didn't invent it. That doesn't mean you have to use it, though. People use it to describe themselves because someone coined it and pointed to a body and said, "That's skinny fat." It's rude. I don't think there's a need for any term at all. It isn't necessary.
It also applies to guys...like myself...who are skinny fat...it's just a term...I don't get my panties in a bunch about it. It is what it is...it is a higher ratio of BF to lean mass...nothing more, nothing less.0 -
Except that isn't what you were arguing before ...What term would you prefer...and by the by, I didn't invent the term. I hear people all of the time refer the themselves as "skinny fat"...I've never heard anyone say, "eeewww...you're skinny fat."
I see people all the time on this board look at a posted photo of a woman (not necessarily someone here, but just a general body shot of a woman from the Internet) and say just that. Some woman who is NOT asking to have her body evaluated and may be perfectly happy with her body.
And there are women on this site who have that kind of body and are happy with it and they see that.
I know you didn't invent it. That doesn't mean you have to use it, though. People use it to describe themselves because someone coined it and pointed to a body and said, "That's skinny fat." It's rude. I don't think there's a need for any term at all. It isn't necessary.
It also applies to guys...like myself...who are skinny fat...it's just a term...I don't get my panties in a bunch about it. It is what it is...it is a higher ratio of BF to lean mass...nothing more, nothing less.
Anyway, the term bugs me and I don't like it and nothing anyone says is going to change my mind.
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Except that isn't what you were arguing before ...What term would you prefer...and by the by, I didn't invent the term. I hear people all of the time refer the themselves as "skinny fat"...I've never heard anyone say, "eeewww...you're skinny fat."
I see people all the time on this board look at a posted photo of a woman (not necessarily someone here, but just a general body shot of a woman from the Internet) and say just that. Some woman who is NOT asking to have her body evaluated and may be perfectly happy with her body.
And there are women on this site who have that kind of body and are happy with it and they see that.
I know you didn't invent it. That doesn't mean you have to use it, though. People use it to describe themselves because someone coined it and pointed to a body and said, "That's skinny fat." It's rude. I don't think there's a need for any term at all. It isn't necessary.
It also applies to guys...like myself...who are skinny fat...it's just a term...I don't get my panties in a bunch about it. It is what it is...it is a higher ratio of BF to lean mass...nothing more, nothing less.
Anyway, the term bugs me and I don't like it and nothing anyone says is going to change my mind.
I will from here on out refer to it as the "Miley Cyrus Twerking Effect"...though I don't think it has the same, roll off your tongue fluidity. :drinker:0 -
I will from here on out refer to it as the "Miley Cyrus Twerking Effect"...though I don't think it has the same, roll off your tongue fluidity. :drinker:
:laugh:0 -
this is my personal example...
2011 - skinny fat - 120 pounds, 24-25% body fat
2012 - fit - 130 pounds, 15% body fat
And, again, while many women desire a lower BF%, 24-25% is a perfectly healthy, normal BF% for a woman. So how is that unhealthy? How is that "skinny fat"? It's just not as lean as you would like to be, but it isn't a bad thing health-wise.
I never said it was unhealthy. I said it was my example, based on the weight and body fat difference.0 -
I think there are actually two different definitions that are commonly used.
1. Healthy BMI, unhealthy body fat percentage (above 30% for women).
2. Healthy BMI, upper end of the healthy body fat percentage, low muscle percentage.
The first has some serious medical consequences especially later in life. This should be avoided.
The second is more atheistic preference but it's use can be insulting to people who just don't want a lot of muscle or don't want to be especially lean. Like Puffy's first picture. There's nothing wrong with that. Some people want to look that way. To call those people "skinny fat" IS insulting them. We don't all have the same preferences or goals.
Exactly. I not once said that my first picture was bad, nor did I say it was unhealthy. I was merely giving an example using pictures of my own. To ME, it is skinny fat, because I weighed 120 pounds in the first, compared to the 2nd where I had gained 10 pounds, but appeared smaller. If there weren't 2 pictures there, it would not have been as noticeable.
For the record, I actually like both pictures. I just prefer myself with more weight (130 vs 120 pounds).0 -
I think there are actually two different definitions that are commonly used.
1. Healthy BMI, unhealthy body fat percentage (above 30% for women).
2. Healthy BMI, upper end of the healthy body fat percentage, low muscle percentage.
The first has some serious medical consequences especially later in life. This should be avoided.
The second is more atheistic preference but it's use can be insulting to people who just don't want a lot of muscle or don't want to be especially lean. Like Puffy's first picture. There's nothing wrong with that. Some people want to look that way. To call those people "skinny fat" IS insulting them. We don't all have the same preferences or goals.
Exactly. I not once said that my first picture was bad, nor did I say it was unhealthy. I was merely giving an example using pictures of my own. To ME, it is skinny fat, because I weighed 120 pounds in the first, compared to the 2nd where I had gained 10 pounds, but appeared smaller. If there weren't 2 pictures there, it would not have been as noticeable.
For the record, I actually like both pictures. I just prefer myself with more weight (130 vs 120 pounds).
Fat, when speaking on appearance is negative. Someone who is fat has a HIGH percentage of body fat. If someone has a normal body fat percent then they are not fat because they do not have a high amount of body fat percent.
I see it mostly used to body shame here.
For the record I have actually been diagnosed as normal weight obese in the past and it isn't anything to joke about or take lightly.0 -
I think it's overused. What it should mean is someone who is a healthy body weight per something like BMI but an unhealthy bodyfat percentage. It often occurs in older women who are thin but have little muscle and have lost a lot of what they did have to age.
A lot of people use it for anyone who is thin but doesn't have visible muscle definition.
Yah no we don't.
Skinny fat has is about being the weight you "think" you want but don't like what you see when you are there....
The jiggle, the bulges, the hanging parts (belly esp with women who have had babies)
It often occurs when you lose weight through diet alone or diet and cardio...not strenght training.
ETA: I don't think the term is used to shame...my husband who is not overweight but has changed jobs a bit says he is "skinny fat" because he doesn't like his belly...my friend who doesn't do weights only cardio uses it to describe herself and her belly.0
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