Someone please explain skinny fat...

dmariearce

i've never heard that lol...but know that i read the replies i get it. I had a friend who was like 1 size 8 but never worked out, i was a 12 and i always thought i looked thinner than her even thou she wore a smaller size, i think it makes sense she wasn't toned.

TheDudette

better than fat-fat.

HA!

myfitnessnmhoy

OoooK. I understand now. But let me ask another question:

I like to run, actually, I LOVE to run. It's usually not steady state, I'll do some hills, some intervals, whatever I feel like for the day. I ALWAYS eat back my calories. If I didn't, I would collapse somewhere on the street. I still have to shake off another 25 to 30 pounds, but I can see some muscle tone. I'm not particularly fond of weight training (lifting weights), but I will do some body weight training three times a week.

Let's say I did NOT eat back my calories, and just ran the way I do now, skipped the resistance, and only ate 1000 or so calories. Would I be on my way to skinny fat?

I have ZERO intention on doing the latter. In fact, I can't. I'm just using the scenario for illustration purposes.

Probably not, though you would find that you'd be burning through body composition more quickly and probably losing muscle faster than fat. But if you focused your eating on proteins and kept the lifting up, you'd probably be OK as long as you could maintain the athletic performance.

But, as you've already stated, you can't keep up the athletic performance. So chances are your performance would dwindle, you'd be unable to lift as much and hence end up losing muscle faster, and you'd eventually end up burning fewer calories than you thought, and your weight loss would eventually stall. The natural answer everyone wants to apply to this problem is to further restrict calories, which leads to even poorer performance, which means more muscle loss.

So there is a slightly elevated risk of a "slippery slope" to "skinny fat".

You've already demonstrated you're a lot smarter than that, though.

Jill_newimprovedversion

It's when you're thin but still carry a high body fat percentage and a low lean mass percentage. Ideally you want that switched around giving you a fit "toned" look. It happens when some one loses weight to quickly and/or doesn't do anything to preserve muscle mass while losing weight.

^^ YEP, that's what I thought it meant- makes the most sense to me.

Been there, done that. Doing it differently THIS time.

Bobby_Clerici

That would be an unhealthy, jiggly person with little muscle and lots of fat but a normal weight.
They usually smoke.:smokin:

mgmlap

I do agree that skinny fat is when someone has higher fat content..but the fact that most people are this cause of diet or lack of exercise is wrong.
I have a metabolic syndrome, eat right and lift weights.. my body takes forever to lose body fat. I have been on my journey for a year..lost 40 pounds..but only 7% bodyfat...I do what I can..but its a very slow process for me

myfitnessnmhoy

better than fat-fat.

Better LOOKING, maybe, but not healthier.

This is why BMI is such a poor indicator - it makes people think that the scale tells all. It does not. Not even close.

If you have little muscle development and a very high body fat percentage, you can look like a meth addict (all the rage in fashion magazines) and be just as much a candidate for cardiovascular complications as someone with the same body fat percentage but who happens to be carrying around a lot of lean muscle as well.

And overweight people tend to carry around a decent amount of lean muscle - they need it to carry themselves around in daily life. Remember that someone who weighs 280 like I once did needs strong muscles just to walk around compared to someone who weighs 190 which is my goal weight. That's 90 pounds I was carrying around, which is good resistance training. Trouble is, of course, a lot of that 90 pounds happened to be fat, so my body fat percentage was pretty gruesome.

darrensurrey

As I understand it, it's a genetic thing.

You know that skinny person who can eat anything and not do any exercise - if you remove their clothes, chances are that they don't have the perfect six pack and actually have a mound of fat covering their waistline unless they are in their teens, in which case they are just skinny.

And as they grow older (into their 30s), their metabolism catches up with them and they slowly but surely become fat all over unless they do something about it. That's me. That's every former slim person who is "skinny-fat" and is now wondering wtf is going on with their former UK Dress Size 8 body. It leaves people wondering why the hell I want to lose weight ("You don't need to lose weight!" "But you're slim already!"). As a child, I was mocked for being skinny and having a ribcage that you could play like a guitar.

And as someone mentioned, the issue in terms of health is the same - visceral fat which can result in cancer.

PS I never wore dresses. Much.

tuneses

It's a term made up for those that were way too happy for losing weight and feeling good about themselves. We all need labels that make us feel like we aren't quite perfect.

ladyraven68

nice picture here - http://fitinyourbikini.com/flat-stomach-tips/not-all-skinny-is-the-same-are-you-skinny-fat/

1joanner

I really suggest getting a subscription to or going on line and reading Oxygen Magazine (not to be confused with the cable tv station Oxygen) - I have never found a magazine that I literally read page by page! The reason why I suggest this is that they speak a lot to this phenomenon of "skinny fat"...from what I understand, if you don't take in a certain amount of calories your body goes into starvation mode and begins to then store fat in an attempt to preserve itself.....so you could be exercising regularly and be eating cleanly but not taking in enough calories and you could still stay stifled in weight and begin to add "fat" .... I think that's it but I could be wrong with regard to the term....hope this helps and doesn't confuse - but look into Oxygen and enjoy!

myfitnessnmhoy

As I understand it, it's a genetic thing.

I can be, certainly. The person who never needed to work out never created much muscle, so whatever weight they suddenly put on is very likely to be fat. So if you are genetically disposed to burn a lot of calories you might be skinny fat and not even be aware of it.

More likely, though, it's the result of over-reliance on BMI as an indicator to health, a drive to lose weight too fast at the cost of all else, and an unwillingness to become "fit", not just "not fat".

And having a high body fat percentage is tied to a lot more than cancer. In fact, it's tied to a lot of things that will kill you a lot faster. Arterial diseases, blockage, etc.

Exercise and healthy eating are the keys to avoid or get out of any kind of fat, skinny or otherwise.

devil_in_a_blue_dress

Basically, if you control your weight by diet alone. You can weigh 115 pound, but your body fat can be like 30ish%, which is a board line obese number. So, you're thin, but "fat".

trm981

It's a term made up for those that were way too happy for losing weight and feeling good about themselves. We all need labels that make us feel like we aren't quite perfect.

Pretty much. While most of the definitions given on this thread are correct its the way people use it that is the problem. Acceptable body fat levels for women go up to 32%. Yet anyone here without visible muscles is labeled as skinny fat which is really insulting. I'm at 24% according to my body fat scale and online calculators, so I'm going to say its pretty accurate, and but I don't have noticeable muscle definition so I would be labeled as skinny fat even though by body fat percentage is in the "fitness" range. Its ridiculous.

What I don't get are the people who get so bent out of shape when someone calls a muscular woman masculine but throw around the term skinny fat like its nothing. They are equally insulting.

tamtamzz

I really wasn't trying to insult anyone. I was just asking a question. Sorry if I offended anyone!

trm981

I really wasn't trying to insult anyone. I was just asking a question. Sorry if I offended anyone!

Oh my gosh, this wasn't meant at you! I'm so sorry. I guess my irritation at the way its used on these forums came out a little harsh. I had no idea what it was either until I came here, I had never heard of it.

ctooch99

better than fat-fat.

Better LOOKING, maybe, but not healthier.

This is why BMI is such a poor indicator - it makes people think that the scale tells all. It does not. Not even close.

If you have little muscle development and a very high body fat percentage, you can look like a meth addict (all the rage in fashion magazines) and be just as much a candidate for cardiovascular complications as someone with the same body fat percentage but who happens to be carrying around a lot of lean muscle as well.

And overweight people tend to carry around a decent amount of lean muscle - they need it to carry themselves around in daily life. Remember that someone who weighs 280 like I once did needs strong muscles just to walk around compared to someone who weighs 190 which is my goal weight. That's 90 pounds I was carrying around, which is good resistance training. Trouble is, of course, a lot of that 90 pounds happened to be fat, so my body fat percentage was pretty gruesome.

Very important points here - well said. My personal opinion (based on no facts admittedly) is that skinny-fat people are at higher risk for heart attacks than fat-fat people are. All the people I know who suffered heart attacks were skinny-fat...

ctooch99

It's a term made up for those that were way too happy for losing weight and feeling good about themselves. We all need labels that make us feel like we aren't quite perfect.

Pretty much. While most of the definitions given on this thread are correct its the way people use it that is the problem. Acceptable body fat levels for women go up to 32%. Yet anyone here without visible muscles is labeled as skinny fat which is really insulting. I'm at 24% according to my body fat scale and online calculators, so I'm going to say its pretty accurate, and but I don't have noticeable muscle definition so I would be labeled as skinny fat even though by body fat percentage is in the "fitness" range. Its ridiculous.

What I don't get are the people who get so bent out of shape when someone calls a muscular woman masculine but throw around the term skinny fat like its nothing. They are equally insulting.

I don't know that I agree with this. I agree that "skinny-fat" may be an insensitive label in some ways, however I do believe that "skinny-fat" is a true health issue just as generally accepted clinical obesity is. In my opinion, "skinny fat" is the end result of an unhealthy weight loss, or the idea that someone can "eat whatever they want and not get fat". Both are myths that people would like us to believe, but the reality is in both cases they are indicative of very unhealthy and dangerous lifestyles.

The "thin" person who eats whatever he/she wants, does not exercise and does not seem to gain a pound in actuality is often in terrible condition, has clogged arteries, high cholesterol and carries all their weight in their mid section. They may appear thin and fit and hold themselves out to the world that way (as if they have magic genes), but it in reality they are probably a stroke candidate. The person who crash diets, does not exercise, sheds 30 pounds in a month and now holds themselves out as a "skinny" person is no different. Crash dieting is one of the worst things for health.

So yeah, maybe the "skinny-fat" label is just that - a label, but I think the message sent by the two examples above to those of us who have made serious lifestyle changes, had slow steady weight reductions and maintain healthy eating and exercise habits is a detrimental one - it says (to me anyway) all you people who work hard and take the slow steady path are stupid and wasting your time...

toomuchsweetness

better than fat-fat.

like

Oishii

It's a term made up for those that were way too happy for losing weight and feeling good about themselves. We all need labels that make us feel like we aren't quite perfect.

I agree, along with bingo wings, cellulite and many, many more. The fitness industry can't sell as much to you if you're happy, so they have to make you insecure about something

When I first lost weight, back when we were allowed signatures, my signature read 'Skinny fat and proud of it'. Now I'd like to be 'lean' someday. I see what they did there, but they still did it!:noway:

GelinaKnows

I think I'm the opposite, I still need to lose some weight but I have definition, when really all I wanna lose inches yeah I have decent mean biceps and the beginnings of a 6 pack but all I really want is to lose inches around my upper arms inner thighs and stomach. Right now I weigh 134 but I am barely 5'4", and I just wanna fit into my clothes from last year, I'm not quite sure what happened because my weight stayed the same, but apparently my waist didn't....I have weighed between 135 and 145 pretty much my entire adult life, but I have fluctuated in clothing size between a 3 & 14, except for a couple years when I was around 115 & a size 00, people would bet me money ALL the time that I weighed under 90 pounds and I weighed 120, I guess I have very heavy bones lol...also, wth are bingo arms? I keep hearing that...