Someone explain "skinny fat" to me?

LauraSmyth28

All I'm seeing on these boards lately is "I don't want to be skinny fat". wtf?
Is it skinny but unfit? Skinny but not ripped? What?

Since when is it absolutely necessary to lift weights to be healthy? What's wrong with being a good healthy weight and fit enough to run 6 miles? What's wrong with pure cardio?

I am just looking for someone to explain this all to me. Thanks :flowerforyou:

modernmom70

It is someone who is thin however has a high/unhealthy body fat %.

gumigal82

For instance, I am not "overweight", but I want to lose more of my body fat percentage (be more lean).

Helloitsdan

Okay!
When dieting incorrectly you can actually become a smaller version of your fat self.

This is skinny fat.

This commonly happens when people eat VLCDs and dont lift weights or use resistance training to maintain lean mass.

To fight skinny fatness youll need to do a few things.

1) Eat higher calories so you are only burning fat while dieting.
2) Pick things up and put them down.

If you are skinny fat it can be fixed with simple recomposition but this process takes time.

I can run Recomp numbers for you if interested but youll need to know your body fat%.

wolftrax

"Skinny fat" is a term that describes the ectomorphic body type (taller with small frame) because ectos gain weight in the belly and not much elsewhere..To get rid of belly fat we have to be at a very low BF%...gaining muscle is difficult and hanging onto it is even more difficult..walk in the mall and you will see a lot skinny fat people both genders..Body type is a genetic factor..

katiem555

a thin person who has a high BFP. for instance; someone could weigh 98lbs but be 98lbs of fat, whereas someone who was 98lbs and the same height as the aforementioned person could have a lower BFP and be 98lbs of muscle, and look a lot thinner and less 'soft'. skinny fat is usually a product of an ectomorph with a sedentary lifestyle and poor, albeit minimal diet.
things like fasting encourage a 'skinny fat' build as they cause your muscles to deteriorate and leave you with a higher BFP and probably looking a little bigger (despite weighing less) than you did before you fasted. the best way to avoid it is regular exercise and a balanced diet high in good fats and protein. skinny fat people tend to look rake thin with their clothes on but less than impressive in a bikini or their underwear haha.

ninerbuff

All I'm seeing on these boards lately is "I don't want to be skinny fat". wtf?
Is it skinny but unfit? Skinny but not ripped? What?

When the person physically appears thin, but in reality the body fat % is still high for their body.

Since when is it absolutely necessary to lift weights to be healthy?

Lifting weights doesn't ensure health, but the benefits are stronger muscles (which helps to reduce stress on joints), better metabolism, and added strength for everyday life (like lifting grocery bags, children, etc.)

What's wrong with being a good healthy weight and fit enough to run 6 miles? What's wrong with pure cardio?

If you're a healthy weight, probably not much is wrong, but pure cardio alone to lose weight can catabolize lean muscle tissue leading to the "skinny/fat" mentioned above.


A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
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Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Helloitsdan

"Skinny fat" is a term that describes the ectomorphic body type (taller with small frame) because ectos gain weight in the belly and not much elsewhere..To get rid of belly fat we have to be at a very low BF%...gaining muscle is difficult and hanging onto it is even more difficult..walk in the mall and you will see a lot skinny fat people both genders..Body type is a genetic factor..

Survey Says!!!!

silkysly

Less weight without any tone. Usually weight lose with huge caloric deficit, not eating healthy & no exercise results in being skinny/fat.

kylesmommy89

Me 3 months ago!! I was 5'4 118lbs, but with no muscle tone and tons of flab. Not cute!

LauraSmyth28

Thanks people, you cleared it up for me

Sapporo

If you can run 6 miles I don't think you would necessarily be skinny fat. My father is into running, biking, swimming, has completed a triathalon, and never does any strength training. He has muscles from this alone and there is nothing fat about him at all.
A female cousin of mine is a runner with very fit legs and tiny arms, again nothing fat about her, doesn't touch strength or resistance training at all.
Skinny fat I would say are some of my friends who do nothing but eat, work, sleep, they are in the normal BMI range yet they are flabby because they do nothing to use their muscles beyond walking to their fridge or car.

Jbarbo01

A flabby thin person

k8blujay2

Skinny fat is where you are physically skinny, but you have a higher body fat percentage and you can also have the same health problems that a phyisically obese person can have (eg, high cholesterol/blood pressure, fatty liver, type 2 diabetes).

k8blujay2

Since when is it absolutely necessary to lift weights to be healthy?

Lifting weights doesn't ensure health, but the benefits are stronger muscles (which helps to reduce stress on joints), better metabolism, and added strength for everyday life (like lifting grocery bags, children, etc.)

Doesn't lifting weights also strengthen bones, reducing the risks of osteoporosis? Or is that just hype?

LorinaLynn

I've been skinny, I've been fat, I've been skinny fat, and I'm now fit. Fit is the most fun.

I soooo wish I had more pictures of how I looked about five years ago. The vast majority of the photos you get from a google search for "skinny fat" are just plain skinny, not skinny fat.

I weighed the same as I do now, but I wore jeans about two to three sizes bigger. I had a muffin top, back fat rolls, cellulite out the wazoo, double chin... just all over mushy. I was so distraught because it took me soooo long to lose weight, and I worked sooooo hard to get there, and I had a worse body than when I started. I looked deflated. So I gave up. I preferred to weight more and be happier, than suffer to have a smaller number on the scale.



http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/494091-i-just-don-t-care-anymore

The ironic part is that it was a lot - and I mean A LOT - more work to become skinny fat than it did to become fit. To become skinny fat, I had to eat extremely low calories for a long, long time. The weight came off slowly, and I had a great deal of guilt and shame. I thought there was something wrong with me that I couldn't lose weight. I thought I was doomed to be chunky. I thought I wasn't disciplined enough. I thought I had a crappy metabolism.

Becoming fit, on the other hand, I ate a fairly normal amount of food from the beginning. Typically around 1500 plus exercise calories while losing weight, so often between 1800-2000 calories total. I exercised, but I enjoyed it. Running became my hobby, and I viewed it as a way to reward myself, not as punishment for being gluttonous and slothful. I typically run between 2 and 5 miles, three or four times a week. I strength train, on average, a total of two hours a week. So I exercise on average about 30-60 minutes a day, 5 or 6 days a week. To put that into perspective, I devote just as much time per week watching reruns of Big Bang Theory.

Exercising regularly plus eating well (I'm now on maintenance eat over 2000 calories a day), feeling amazing physically and emotionally, is a lot easier than eating minimal food with guilt and shame.