Skinny Fat is my goal

mysteria_

I agree that people are pretty harsh with the "skinny fat" thing... somebody called me skinny fat before, actually. Just because I'm not bursting with muscle is no excuse to call someone names or insult their body type... I feel fit and healthy, and just because someone looks "skinny fat" or whatever does not mean they are necessarily unhealthy.

I think it's just another way to criticize people you don't agree with. Not everyone on this board is harsh like that, but some are, and frankly it's no different than insulting someone for being overweight. I am happy with my body type, so whatever.

bcattoes

Why not fat-fat?
Or skinny-skinny?
Or fat-skinny?

Im totally down with sober drunk. Does that mean I can dance on the bar, make out with strangers and no hangover the next day?

fat-fat is unhealthy
skinny-skinny in unattractive
fat-skinny - is that the same as skinny fat?

fakeplastictree

Huh???

brittanyjeanxo

Good luck, OP! I would much rather be skinny fat than fat fat :laugh:

Who really cares what skinny fat really means, or what Dr. Oz said once, or what you read on the Internets. If she says she wants to be skinny-fat, let her be.

questionablemethods

I don't plan to lose muscle, I just don't plan to lose all my fat either.

Then it doesn't seem as though skinny fat is your goal. You say "the way 'skinny fat' is used on this forum" is what you are aiming for, but I've always understood the term (here and in healthcare) to mean "very little muscle, even for someone who is a healthy weight." It doesn't really sound like that is what you're going for.

taso42

Good luck with that! I will pray that your butt does not get too saggy.

Well, I'm 50 and I've been skinny fat for most of life and it wasn't saggy. It's not saggy now. I don't plan to lose muscle, I just don't plan to lose all my fat either.

it sounds like you want to be lean, which is different than skinny fat.

i don't necessarily want to go win powerlifting competitions, but that's not the same as me starting a post saying that my goal is to be weak. see what i mean?

joejccva71

Bcatts why would you want to look skinny fat? That makes no sense. You'll look ..well...hideous.

How about just keep dieting and incorporate some strength training just to make sure you don't get bad body composition?

Seriously.

sexforjaffacakes

I deffo want to tone up a wee bit myself, but I do think peoples attitudes towards skinny fat on this site are a bit harsh. I mean, it's still healthier to be skinny fat than obese, and to go from weighing like 300lb to 150lb is still amazing, even if it's purely through diet.

So I say each to their own, yes we know it's healthier and you'll look better if you build a bit of muscle, but for people that aren't that fussed about being fit and strong, who are you ti judge what's right or wrong?

I repeat, skinny fat is still a huge improvement on fat fat.

not necessarily as a skinny fat person you may have a BF% stating your are obese but your BMI says healthy. BF% matters more for health.

Yeah but most people that go from being obese to thin do lose BF% at the same time. I mean I know you lose muscle as well as fat while dieting but usually someone who loses large amounts of weight will improve their BF% naturally, even if that wasn't their aim.

End of the day, skinny fat still looks better than fat fat, so even if you don't care about your health skinny fat is way better than fat fat.

Again, I don't want to be skinny fat, I want to be lean and strong, but people need to stop hating on the skinny fat because losing a tone of weight is still a huge achievment, improves your health and makes you look better!

bcattoes

not necessarily as a skinny fat person you may have a BF% stating your are obese but your BMI says healthy. BF% matters more for health.

I think my body fat is at or near a healthy range (about 26-27% by most calculations). I'd like to drop it to somewhere in the 23-24 range. I don't want to go below 20. With muscle underneath so it's not saggy.

Dustinryan24

if thats what you want, then go for it.. it shouldnt be hard to reach that goal..
ill bet you change your mind though when you get there.. best of luck

Lizzy_Sunflower

I wanna be sober-drunk next year! :drinker:

J/K - I don't know what "skinny-fat" means but it made me giggle. :flowerforyou:

Is that like "kinda pregnant"?

bcattoes

I don't plan to lose muscle, I just don't plan to lose all my fat either.

Then it doesn't seem as though skinny fat is your goal. You say "the way 'skinny fat' is used on this forum" is what you are aiming for, but I've always understood the term (here and in healthcare) to mean "very little muscle, even for someone who is a healthy weight." It doesn't really sound like that is what you're going for.

Well, perhaps I've misunderstood the use. It always seemed to me from the descriptions and pics that it was meant to describe someone that was thin, with some muscle but did not have a very low body fat %. I want to be thin, with some muscle (not "lifting heavy things" but excersing them and occasionally lifting not light things) but I want to keep some fat. I like my curves.

tattoonikki

all the more power to you, to achieve your goal no mater what the goal maybe, as long as you are hurting no one else in the process. not every one wants what we concider "toned" these days. and our views on a fit body change every decade it seems,

Hey, in the 17th & 18th century it was fashionable to be fat..it showed you were wealthy and could afford rich fatty foods..just think of those dresses that made womens hips and butts look way outta proportion!! talk about getto booty lol

bcattoes

if thats what you want, then go for it.. it shouldnt be hard to reach that goal..
ill bet you change your mind though when you get there.. best of luck

I doubt it. I've been there before. I don't like the way a lot fo the ladies that lift heavy on here look. I'm happy they achieved that, I know it wasn't easy. But it's not for me.

Dustinryan24

btw... its not like muscle is easy to get.. it takes strength training, and proper protein, and carb intake.. i understand some women dont want to look really ripped, but people dont understand how hard i is to reach that point

lauradian

This is the most confusing thread ever!!

mysteria_

if thats what you want, then go for it.. it shouldnt be hard to reach that goal..
ill bet you change your mind though when you get there.. best of luck

I doubt it. I've been there before. I don't like the way a lot fo the ladies that lift heavy on here look. I'm happy they achieved that, I know it wasn't easy. But it's not for me.

I agree! Good for them if it makes them feel good & happy with themselves... everyone is different, but it's not for me either!!

keesh1123

Yea, I think that what you typed and what you actually mean are two different things. So basically, U don't want to look like a stick figure and you don't want to look like a body builder.

oodlesnoodles

I can't believe I actually just read through this whole thread. What was the question again?? LOL

questionablemethods

I don't plan to lose muscle, I just don't plan to lose all my fat either.

Then it doesn't seem as though skinny fat is your goal. You say "the way 'skinny fat' is used on this forum" is what you are aiming for, but I've always understood the term (here and in healthcare) to mean "very little muscle, even for someone who is a healthy weight." It doesn't really sound like that is what you're going for.

Well, perhaps I've misunderstood the use. It always seemed to me from the descriptions and pics that it was meant to describe someone that was thin, with some muscle but did not have a very low body fat %. I want to be thin, with some muscle (not "lifting heavy things" but excersing them and occasionally lifting not light things) but I want to keep some fat. I like my curves.

Hmm, I guess I haven't seen the same posts as you have. Women on the cover of Shape magazine, for example, are thin but have enough body fat such that they don't look "ripped" but I wouldn't call them "skinny fat." They look curvy, but not saggy. Skinny fat women, in pictures that I've seen, usually look pretty unattractive naked, even if they are thin -- muffin top, saggy butt, flappy arms, etc.

erickirb

not necessarily as a skinny fat person you may have a BF% stating your are obese but your BMI says healthy. BF% matters more for health.

I think my body fat is at or near a healthy range (about 26-27% by most calculations). I'd like to drop it to somewhere in the 23-24 range. I don't want to go below 20. With muscle underneath so it's not saggy.

at 23-24% you would not be skinny fat, you will be healthy. Your goal weight at 30% plus would be skinny fat.

MrsCon40

Working in health care for many years I'd never heard the term skinny fat used the way it is used on these forums.

I have seen you say this before, so I really needed to investigate.

The Ohio School of Medicine says these things in discussion of "skinny fat"...

...her body fat was much higher than she expected, even though she’s at an ideal weight, according to her body mass index, or BMI.
...
BMI is not the best way to look at physical fitness. Many people have a high BMI who exercise and are a lot healthier than people with a low BMI who are couch potatoes. There’s a thing called ‘skinny fat,’

http://phc.osumc.edu/tag/skinny-fat/

How does that differ at all with how it is used here? To me that's pretty much exactly what people are thinking when using the term "skinny fat" on MFP.

Please tell us how that differs from your experience in the medical field - and what it is you do in the medical field.

I'd appreciate clarity on this so I can understand better your goal.

kathleennf

not necessarily as a skinny fat person you may have a BF% stating your are obese but your BMI says healthy. BF% matters more for health.

I think my body fat is at or near a healthy range (about 26-27% by most calculations). I'd like to drop it to somewhere in the 23-24 range. I don't want to go below 20. With muscle underneath so it's not saggy.

This is me, exactly. I'm 49, and now officially "skinny-fat" as I understand it. My weight and BMI are in the low-normal range, but my body fat percent is around 26-28%. And yes- I have the mini-bat-wings and other areas sagging LOL. Overall I'm pleased with what I have achieved - but NOT satisfied. Just changed gyms to be able to do more weight training, and was talking to the trainer there about my goals. For now- I want to do the heavy weights (not very heavy yet for me LOL) and low reps to gain muscle- but I was clear to say for now.

thecrossfitter

...Your goal weight at 30% plus would be skinny fat.

Me at a healthy weight with 30%+ body fat. (Whether this is what we call skinny fat or not, I don't really care. I don't have much to contribute here. I just wanted to provide a visual for the above statement.) I can tell you that I felt awful at this point in time - and I'm not just talking from a confidence and strength perspective - but from an energy perspective. I was drained and exhausted all the time. I was constantly fighting against everything I put in my mouth, and felt like I had to be incredibly restrictive in my diet to not continue to gain.

Edit: For reference - during this time I did light cardio as my exercise and nothing more. I think I gained weight if I looked at a piece of dessert the wrong way.

CaptainGordo

Is OP in the UK? Perhaps "skinny fat" means something else there. In the UK, they call the car's trunk the "boot" and they call the hood "the bonnet". :happy:

mysteria_

How does that differ at all with how it is used here? To me that's pretty much exactly what people are thinking when using the term "skinny fat" on MFP.

I often see it used to describe women who are thin with little to no visible muscle. There are often no numbers or actual data associated with it... to me it almost seems like it's used as an insult at times.

HeidiMightyRawr

Is OP in the UK? Perhaps "skinny fat" means something else there. In the UK, they call the car's trunk the "boot" and they call the hood "the bonnet". :happy:

I'm in the UK and the term skinny-fat is the same as far as I know. Somebody who is slim, looks good with clothes on but doesn't have much muscle mass and has an above average body fat % still so doesn't look great in a bikini or naked.

To the OP:I really think you misunderstand it. To have a bf% of low 20's and be firm with some muscle is not skinny fat. It just sounds like the average slim but toned woman.

Bronx_Montgomery

Skinny Fat?! Is it April fools? Not sure about skinny fat. I have seen thin woman who have bellys because they eat crap and dont eat but I have not heard of skinny fat. I think you are probably saying you do not want to be toned? You probably have weight to lose but maybe keep your curves. Is that right?

jennisgonnadoit

I just have to say after reading some of the negative responses and people attitude I am rather disappointed. I don't think the OP was trying to be clinical in her description. And I think I understand what she wants. I myself would like to be "skinny-fat" too. I actually prefer the look of a little bit of cushion on people, both male and female. Just not as much as I have now. And being "skinny-fat" would be such an improvement over what I have been my entire adult life, I would be ecstatic! I don't like exercise, to me it is something I have to do, not want to do. And I like curves. I have no desire to be a size 6. I can wear the styles and clothes I want at size 10-12.

And as far as the people saying skinny-fat without clothes is gross, that is your opinion and you have a right to it. But to come on a weight loss forum, where people are working their butts off (literally) to achieve what they feel is important is just rude and inconsiderate. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and having attitude (IMHO) towards others just because they want something different than you makes you ugly regardless of what body type you are hoping for.

I say go for whatever body size you want and feel good at. Let the haters go on hating while you find your happiness!

CaptainGordo

Is OP in the UK? Perhaps "skinny fat" means something else there. In the UK, they call the car's trunk the "boot" and they call the hood "the bonnet". :happy:

I'm in the UK and the term skinny-fat is the same as far as I know.

Rats! So much for my theory... :laugh: