I'm sick of the term "skinny-fat"

jetscreaminagain

Skinny fat is a real phrase that applies in research to people with a "normal" BMI (Body Mass Index) but "obese" levels of body fat percentage. There are health problems associated with this that are the same if slightly less in degree to being conventionally overweight.

So. Real word that's useful in conveying info.

You, my dear, are doing wonderfully. Losing 30 pounds is awesome. Deciding to lose weight and setting such a big goal is awesome. You are OF COURSE better off having lost weight. If you do it with cardio the whole way, great. That's WAY better than not doing it at all. I'm happy to be the cheerleader the whole way.

Personally, I just really don't find cardio interesting, motivating, rewarding, or all that good at getting the results I want. I think it'll be great to get to a certain body type that includes nice strong muscles. But, more importantly, osteoporosis runs in my family. Long distance running is associated with weakening bones. Strength training improves bone strength. I already have a low resting heart rate, ridiculously low blood pressure, etc. I conclude my cardiovascular health is pretty good. The health benefits of strength training are more important to me and more needed than are the health benefits of cardio.

That's me. Not you. I lift and don't greatly enjoy long steady state cardio and don't look for those benefits. You like cardio, you're losing weight, and you're doing GREAT with the results. You get to choose what you want. I get to choose what I want.

I get to say you're awesome. You can say what you want about me.

None of this means that "skinny fat" is no longer a useful phrase.

CakeFit21

I love the term, "skinny-fat".

It reminds me of what I never ever want to be.

Me too.

Reminds me of where I started and how hard it is to fix

What I like about it is the often forgotten message that "The Scale Isn't Everything."

No one's goal should be "weigh as little as possible." And it's easier to avoid skinny fat than it is to repair it.

excellent point.

myogibbs

Just my 2 cents....I do a lot of cardio, but I also do circuit training with weights & a personal trainer. I enjoy both & have had success after years and years of trying to lose weight. I know you are just starting & I commend you on your weight loss so far. I think you are doing great. I believe my success has come from cardio, but also from building muscle, because muscle burns more, even at rest. That doesn't always show on the scale, but I have lost 7 inches from my abdomen since January...the scale doesn't really matter to me...fitting into clothes I haven't been able to wear for years does matter to me. I honestly believe weight training helps with that. Not saying that YOU absolutely have to work out with weights, but I honestly believe it has greatly helped me with my weight loss, but even more than that...I am STRONGER...and I love that feeling. Best of luck to you & keep up the great work!!!

scorpio516

Edit: Found the quote from earlier. Turns out it's about HIIT not just running, but if he *were* running he would have to do 200m intervals of 40s/50s for 50 minutes to burn 1000 calories. Pretty good work out but still easily in the realm of do-able for your moderately dedicated runner.

That's not very high intensity . It would suck to do all those with no rest time though.

Anyway, @ 160 lbs, a person would have to cover about 9.75 miles. To do so in an hour would be 6:09 miles. Pretty quick, but do-able.

scorpio516

But, more importantly, osteoporosis runs in my family. Long distance running is associated with weakening bones.

Actually running is great for increasing bone density. All the pounding and working against gravity.
Cycling isn't great for bone density.

jetscreaminagain

But, more importantly, osteoporosis runs in my family. Long distance running is associated with weakening bones.

Actually running is great for increasing bone density. All the pounding and working against gravity.
Cycling isn't great for bone density.

You are correct. It also remains the case that strength training is best at increasing bone density. So we're both correct.

Also, being underweight is a risk factor for osteoporosis (not a risk I currently experience) runners tend to get into lower weight ranges than do people who lift weights.

I think it is ironic that I'm making these arguments when my profile pic is one of me running (albeit up a hill over and over, which makes it more of a strength exercise than is steady state running).

Yanicka1

Skinny fat is a real phrase that applies in research to people with a "normal" BMI (Body Mass Index) but "obese" levels of body fat percentage. There are health problems associated with this that are the same if slightly less in degree to being conventionally overweight.

So. Real word that's useful in conveying info.

You, my dear, are doing wonderfully. Losing 30 pounds is awesome. Deciding to lose weight and setting such a big goal is awesome. You are OF COURSE better off having lost weight. If you do it with cardio the whole way, great. That's WAY better than not doing it at all. I'm happy to be the cheerleader the whole way.

Personally, I just really don't find cardio interesting, motivating, rewarding, or all that good at getting the results I want. I think it'll be great to get to a certain body type that includes nice strong muscles. But, more importantly, osteoporosis runs in my family. Long distance running is associated with weakening bones. Strength training improves bone strength. I already have a low resting heart rate, ridiculously low blood pressure, etc. I conclude my cardiovascular health is pretty good. The health benefits of strength training are more important to me and more needed than are the health benefits of cardio.

That's me. Not you. I lift and don't greatly enjoy long steady state cardio and don't look for those benefits. You like cardio, you're losing weight, and you're doing GREAT with the results. You get to choose what you want. I get to choose what I want.

I get to say you're awesome. You can say what you want about me.

None of this means that "skinny fat" is no longer a useful phrase.

Did I told you lately that I love you?

Contrarian

Did someone call you skinny-fat? If they did, that's not very nice.

Nataliaho

Skinny fat is a real phrase that applies in research to people with a "normal" BMI (Body Mass Index) but "obese" levels of body fat percentage. There are health problems associated with this that are the same if slightly less in degree to being conventionally overweight.

So. Real word that's useful in conveying info.

You, my dear, are doing wonderfully. Losing 30 pounds is awesome. Deciding to lose weight and setting such a big goal is awesome. You are OF COURSE better off having lost weight. If you do it with cardio the whole way, great. That's WAY better than not doing it at all. I'm happy to be the cheerleader the whole way.

Personally, I just really don't find cardio interesting, motivating, rewarding, or all that good at getting the results I want. I think it'll be great to get to a certain body type that includes nice strong muscles. But, more importantly, osteoporosis runs in my family. Long distance running is associated with weakening bones. Strength training improves bone strength. I already have a low resting heart rate, ridiculously low blood pressure, etc. I conclude my cardiovascular health is pretty good. The health benefits of strength training are more important to me and more needed than are the health benefits of cardio.

That's me. Not you. I lift and don't greatly enjoy long steady state cardio and don't look for those benefits. You like cardio, you're losing weight, and you're doing GREAT with the results. You get to choose what you want. I get to choose what I want.

I get to say you're awesome. You can say what you want about me.

None of this means that "skinny fat" is no longer a useful phrase.

Did I told you lately that I love you?

So so so so true!!

I always say the best exercise is the exercise you are actually going to do.. I hate running and cardio, when I (falsely) beleived that cardio and running was the only answer.. I was more likely to make excuses and not do it, when I found CrossFit and weight taining I loved and have never looked back. Really getting up and running 4 times a week is way better than intending to get up and weight-train!!

That being said I still think the concept of skinny-fat is a useful one. Personally I appreciate that we are moving beyond the pervailing perception that skinny=healthy and non-skinny=unhealthy. Even on these forums I see people who are naturally more petite, assuming that those of us with naturally bigger frames and/or more muscular bodies are 'settling' for a higher goal weight. There still seems to be alot of people who won't accept that the scales do not paint an accurate picture of even body fat, let alone health...

scottb81

Long distance running is associated with weakening bones. .

Wrong. Exactly the opposite is true. Long distance running is associated with increased bone density.

Katie3784

Isn't 'skinny fat' referring to very skinny people who are unhealthy? So whilst they aren't fat, because of their lifestyle it's more like a 'fat' persons?

Not sure what this has to do with cardio V lifting? Except that for skinny people they don't need the cardio to lose weight, they need the lifting to get a better body?

skinny fat means you look thin but have no muscle tone or definition, so you're still jiggly.

scottb81

So many definitions of the term skinny fat in this thread. It's a pretty useless term when nobody knows what it means.

MoreBean13

So many definitions of the term skinny fat in this thread. It's a pretty useless term when nobody knows what it means.

Amen. Now that you've discovered this, try out a "starvation mode" thread. You will pull your hair out.

chris2365

Just a quick point on the running and bone density. Moderation is the key. From Livestrong:

'Performing weight-bearing exercises that include running can lead to significant increases in your bone density. However, if you run too much, you can actually decrease your bones' mineral content and increase your health risks.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/368647-running-your-bone-density/#ixzz1uKpI6EGS'

Ooh, and I've been trying to find it but I saw a fabulous photo just last week. It was a side by side comparison two women's legs, same age, same clothes size, showing fat and muscle density in the thigh. The muscley woman showed muscle all the way to nearly the edge of the leg with just a thin layer of fat around the perimeter. The 'skinny fat' leg showed a small circle of muscle and fat through easily half the diameter. You realized that skinny fat person was quite frail even though outwardly they'd probably look similar (at least in clothes).

dad106

Here's my two cents: you want to do only cardio, great, more power to you. But when your body doesn't look the way you want, then don't come on her whining about it...

For the record, please start weight training sooner then later.. it really does make a difference.

Lift_hard_eat_big

Endurance runners may have large burns but take into consideration how long they run. I've burned up to 1,000 in 50 mins doing HIIT or Circuit Training with weights. Plus I get the benefit of strengthening and improving my bone density, something that typically doesn't occur when merely running.

there's no way you're burning 20 calories a minute at 160 lb bodyweight.

I train with heavy weight, pullups with a weight vest on, do weighthed dips, etc. Take a look at my profile pics!

Saruman_w

Well, whatever you call the term.. it's going to happen if you focus too much on cardio and nothing else. I accidentally did that for several months due to my lack of education on the matter. My BF% went down, however so did my LBM. The ratios of both stayed generally the same so no matter how small I got I still appeared to be chubby. It's taking awhile but I'm still attempting to correct it by hitting the weights and keeping cardio to a minimum while downing the protein.

jetscreaminagain

Long distance running is associated with weakening bones. .

Wrong. Exactly the opposite is true. Long distance running is associated with increased bone density.

Until you quote your source, your post is as good as "I'm rubber and you're glue". Note, there is a sourced comment on this matter below yours that indicates too much long distance running is associated with bone loss.

More so, my point is that weight training is very good at building bone. It is NEVER associated with loss of bone.

meerkat70

Endurance runners may have large burns but take into consideration how long they run. I've burned up to 1,000 in 50 mins doing HIIT or Circuit Training with weights. Plus I get the benefit of strengthening and improving my bone density, something that typically doesn't occur when merely running.

i'm calling BS on this. there's no way you're burning 20 calories a minute at 160 lb bodyweight.

I train with heavy weight, pullups with a weight vest on, do weighthed dips, etc. You wanna call BS, take a look at my profile pics chump!

How are you estimating burn for this activity?

(And I'm unlikely to check out the anything of someone who uses the term 'chumps'. Sigh.)

Smuterella

I use to be skinny-fat....but in my definition...it's where you have noodle arms, bird chest, and a beer gut...That was me

that's me and I'm a girl *cries*