Can someone show & explain skinny fat to me?

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Replies

  • hmg90
    hmg90 Posts: 314 Member
    I agree that it is overused. Some fitness people refer to a healthy body fat percentage (for women) as 'skinny fat'. It's completely fine with me that some women want to have a BF of 18% but that's not everybody's goal, nor does it have to be.

    Skinny fat to me is a slim body with an unhealthy body fat percentage (two lines under unhealthy).

    As somebody said, 'skinny fat' is not a medical term, and means different things to different people. I've heard guys refer to girls as 'skinny fat' when they don't have visible abs or a thigh gap, that's how much the world have changed.. To many, it just means a body that is slim yet not attractive to them.
    Skinny fat usually looks flabby, IMO.
  • chatogal
    chatogal Posts: 436 Member
    I think claiming that 24 - 25% body fat can be described as "skinny fat" is a nonsense. I understand that the poster who described herself this way is doing so because she competes in competitions. But this is a HEALTHY body fat percentage for the normal young woman of child bearing age. Going much lower for these women will be putting their fertility at risk. Most women just want to be slim and calling 24 - 25 % body fat "skinny fat" is in itself a form of "body shaming". Just my opinion
  • hmg90
    hmg90 Posts: 314 Member
    I think claiming that 24 - 25% body fat can be described as "skinny fat" is a nonsense. I understand that the poster who described herself this way is doing so because she competes in competitions. But this is a HEALTHY body fat percentage for the normal young woman of child bearing age. Going much lower for these women will be putting their fertility at risk. Most women just want to be slim and calling 24 - 25 % body fat "skinny fat" is in itself a form of "body shaming". Just my opinion

    I agree with this. I once pointed out that going too low in terms of body fat will reduce fertility, and I was accused of being "hateful". I understand that some want to go low to look very toned, but I don't see anything wrong with referring to a medical fact.
  • IpuffyheartHeelsinthegym
    IpuffyheartHeelsinthegym Posts: 5,573 Member
    I think claiming that 24 - 25% body fat can be described as "skinny fat" is a nonsense. I understand that the poster who described herself this way is doing so because she competes in competitions. But this is a HEALTHY body fat percentage for the normal young woman of child bearing age. Going much lower for these women will be putting their fertility at risk. Most women just want to be slim and calling 24 - 25 % body fat "skinny fat" is in itself a form of "body shaming". Just my opinion

    I am in no way body shaming ANYONE. I said it was my personal opinion of MY pictures. Not once did I say that was about everyone, or how I view others. I also NEVER said 24-25% body fat was unhealthy. I said it had to do with the weight/body fat ratio in the 2011 and 2012 pictures.

    It is how I perceive myself in a phase in my life. First, I was anorexic - weighing in at maybe 95 pounds at 5'5", then I feel I was "skinny fat" and now fit.

    I don't call anyone else "skinny fat". That to me is a personal thing. Then again, I don't call people skinny or fat, either.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    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.

    Skinny obese?
    Skinny morbidly obese?

    Skinny fat is a social term not medical. Not a single pubmed article uses the term as a ref or title.
    No, the medical community wouldn't be so crass. But they do refer to the phenomenon.

    "According to staff at the Mayo Clinic, obesity is defined as "having an excessive amount of body fat." Consequently, it is possible to have too much body fat despite being relatively thin. This phenomenon has been tagged "normal weight obesity" within the medical community, and "skinny-fat" among the general population."

    http://voices.yahoo.com/mayo-clinic-study-reveals-many-thin-5720710.html?cat=5
  • Binky_Muffin
    Binky_Muffin Posts: 191 Member
    I think claiming that 24 - 25% body fat can be described as "skinny fat" is a nonsense. I understand that the poster who described herself this way is doing so because she competes in competitions. But this is a HEALTHY body fat percentage for the normal young woman of child bearing age. Going much lower for these women will be putting their fertility at risk. Most women just want to be slim and calling 24 - 25 % body fat "skinny fat" is in itself a form of "body shaming". Just my opinion

    I agree that this term is a form of body shaming. If a person exercises regularly and eats a healthy diet, they most likely have a healthy body fat percentage. However, some people may refer to them as "skinny fat" if they do not look a certain way in a bikini. Whatever floats your boat, I guess.

    ETA: In no way am I accusing anyone in this thread of body shaming anyone. :-)

    In addition, body weight does affect fertility. If you have too little body fat or too much body fat, you may have difficulty conceiving. If you are trying to get pregnant and want to have a certain % of body fat, you may want to consult a doctor beforehand.
  • chatogal
    chatogal Posts: 436 Member
    I think claiming that 24 - 25% body fat can be described as "skinny fat" is a nonsense. I understand that the poster who described herself this way is doing so because she competes in competitions. But this is a HEALTHY body fat percentage for the normal young woman of child bearing age. Going much lower for these women will be putting their fertility at risk. Most women just want to be slim and calling 24 - 25 % body fat "skinny fat" is in itself a form of "body shaming". Just my opinion

    I am in no way body shaming ANYONE. I said it was my personal opinion of MY pictures. Not once did I say that was about everyone, or how I view others. I also NEVER said 24-25% body fat was unhealthy. I said it had to do with the weight/body fat ratio in the 2011 and 2012 pictures.

    It is how I perceive myself in a phase in my life. First, I was anorexic - weighing in at maybe 95 pounds at 5'5", then I feel I was "skinny fat" and now fit.

    I don't call anyone else "skinny fat". That to me is a personal thing. Then again, I don't call people skinny or fat, either.

    I understand totally what you are saying and I did not intend to imply that you specifically are body shaming people by calling "24-25%" body fat as "skinny fat". However, that is how you described yourself. Other, young, impressionable people might also have read this thread and now be thinking that a 15% body fat is the ideal for them. I fully appreciate that you are competing and are putting an enormous amount of work into achieving your results. I applaud you for this just as much as I would a concert pianist or an athelete who put in hours and hours of practice per day to achieve their goals.

    Dont think I can add anything else here without it getting too convoluted and complicated.

    Good luck with your goals and feel proud of yourself for all you have achieved :flowerforyou:
  • IpuffyheartHeelsinthegym
    IpuffyheartHeelsinthegym Posts: 5,573 Member
    I think claiming that 24 - 25% body fat can be described as "skinny fat" is a nonsense. I understand that the poster who described herself this way is doing so because she competes in competitions. But this is a HEALTHY body fat percentage for the normal young woman of child bearing age. Going much lower for these women will be putting their fertility at risk. Most women just want to be slim and calling 24 - 25 % body fat "skinny fat" is in itself a form of "body shaming". Just my opinion

    I am in no way body shaming ANYONE. I said it was my personal opinion of MY pictures. Not once did I say that was about everyone, or how I view others. I also NEVER said 24-25% body fat was unhealthy. I said it had to do with the weight/body fat ratio in the 2011 and 2012 pictures.

    It is how I perceive myself in a phase in my life. First, I was anorexic - weighing in at maybe 95 pounds at 5'5", then I feel I was "skinny fat" and now fit.

    I don't call anyone else "skinny fat". That to me is a personal thing. Then again, I don't call people skinny or fat, either.

    I understand totally what you are saying and I did not intend to imply that you specifically are body shaming people by calling "24-25%" body fat as "skinny fat". However, that is how you described yourself. Other, young, impressionable people might also have read this thread and now be thinking that a 15% body fat is the ideal for them. I fully appreciate that you are competing and are putting an enormous amount of work into achieving your results. I applaud you for this just as much as I would a concert pianist or an athelete who put in hours and hours of practice per day to achieve their goals.

    Dont think I can add anything else here without it getting too convoluted and complicated.

    Good luck with your goals and feel proud of yourself for all you have achieved :flowerforyou:

    That is why I stated they were my personal opinions, based on the fact that I compete. I did say I like my body at both stages. I also do not maintain the 15% for very long, as its not easy or fun - foodwise, lol.

    Thank you for the luck!
  • lockedcj7
    lockedcj7 Posts: 257 Member
    My own personal opinion is that wolfman's second pair of pictures shows it perfectly. The picture on the left shows more abdominal fat which is known to be a biologically active, unhealthy kind of fat. The picture on the right shows better muscle tone and less fat.

    I have been heavy all of my life and always considered myself as "fat". When I was younger, my height and weight put me in the "normal" category but I always had a spare tire around my middle, contributing to my negative body image. Now I know that there is a name, albeit a crude one, for it.

    This kind of information helps me to develop specific goals for shaping my body instead of a generic, random approach. If I can build muscle in the right places and lose fat overall, I'll finally have the body I've always wanted.
  • Karababy51
    Karababy51 Posts: 124 Member
    Throwing in my two cents... I'm by no means an expert on this stuff, just my own personal opinion on the subject from what I've read, observed and experienced. :)

    First, I think the phrase 'skinny fat' is an oxymoron. I don't see how anyone can be skinny and fat at the same time. I think I understand though what this unfortunate term is trying to convey.

    It means someone who falls within what is considered a 'normal' range of weight for their height/age, but their body looks & feels soft, squishy to the touch and skin hangs loose. This is due to very little muscular structure filling out their skin and giving it definition.

    This happens when a person eats at a calorie deficit for a length of time without doing some kind of strength training/exercise to retain/reveal whatever muscular structure they have, they lose body fat but also lose muscle too so there's nothing much left to 'fill out' their skin.

    Someone who is above the 'normal' range, or fat, if you will, most likely has a soft, squishy feel too, but they usually don't have loose skin since their body's fat content fills it out and also covers up any muscles hiding beneath. They might still look 'droopy' though in areas from the fat content weight pulling down their skin. What is known as 'flab.' I'm guessing this may be how the phrase 'skinny fat' was coined since loose skin hanging down mimics the look of flab? Maybe? *shrugs*

    I believe loose skin with no fat content underneath it is also the reason why some people look older when they lose weight. It's simply because they don't have as much fat content underneath their skin to plump up and/or smooth out any wrinkles they already had.

    Lastly, whether you're 'fit and firm' or 'soft and squishy', if YOU are happy, healthy and satisfied with the way your body looks and feels, that's what matters most. :flowerforyou:
  • Losingthedamnweight
    Losingthedamnweight Posts: 536 Member
    Throwing in my two cents... I'm by no means an expert on this stuff, just my own personal opinion on the subject from what I've read, observed and experienced. :)

    First, I think the phrase 'skinny fat' is an oxymoron. I don't see how anyone can be skinny and fat at the same time. I think I understand though what this unfortunate term is trying to convey.

    It means someone who falls within what is considered a 'normal' range of weight for their height/age, but their body looks & feels soft, squishy to the touch and skin hangs loose. This is due to very little muscular structure filling out their skin and giving it definition.

    This happens when a person eats at a calorie deficit for a length of time without doing some kind of strength training/exercise to retain/reveal whatever muscular structure they have, they lose body fat but also lose muscle too so there's nothing much left to 'fill out' their skin.

    Someone who is above the 'normal' range, or fat, if you will, most likely has a soft, squishy feel too, but they usually don't have loose skin since their body's fat content fills it out and also covers up any muscles hiding beneath. They might still look 'droopy' though in areas from the fat content weight pulling down their skin. What is known as 'flab.' I'm guessing this may be how the phrase 'skinny fat' was coined since loose skin hanging down mimics the look of flab? Maybe? *shrugs*

    I believe loose skin with no fat content underneath it is also the reason why some people look older when they lose weight. It's simply because they don't have as much fat content underneath their skin to plump up and/or smooth out any wrinkles they already had.

    Lastly, whether you're 'fit and firm' or 'soft and squishy', if YOU are happy, healthy and satisfied with the way your body looks and feels, that's what matters most. :flowerforyou:

    /thread

    Why couldn't you have been the first reply? We could've saved ourselves from pages worth of people chiming in with their misguided interpretations of what skinny fat means!

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