I offically hate the term "skinny-fat".
Replies
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"Skinny Fat" sounds like something b!tchy, jealous, insecure, overweight women invented to put down other normal weight women.
I respectfully disagree. Like obesity, skinny fat is a body composition that can cause health issues. It may be used by b!itchy people as a slur, but so can just about anything.
I am normal weight, and use the term skinny fat to describe people who are also in the normal range, but have a high % of body fat, no muscle tone or fitness. I do not use it in a derogatory manner.
But, this is the issue. And, I'm not saying this to argue with you. I've seen you around the site and I like you. But, how do people think they can determine another person's BF%. It's hard enough to measure our own. There is no scientific validity to those scales at the gym and measurements will yield very different results. The only accurate measurement is a dunk test.
And as a side note here: A person can be small and be physically strong. Muscle is smaller than fat.0 -
Skinny fat is a valid point. If a person loses 50# and 45# of it is muscle, they still have way too much fat. The thought behind the term is to educate people on trying to maintain or build muscle while losing fat.
And how often would one lose 50# and only 5# be fat?0 -
Sure, but 'obesity' is a medical term, whereas 'skinny fat' is not."Skinny Fat" sounds like something b!tchy, jealous, insecure, overweight women invented to put down other normal weight women.
I respectfully disagree. Like obesity, skinny fat is a body composition that can cause health issues. It may be used by b!itchy people as a slur, but so can just about anything.
I am normal weight, and use the term skinny fat to describe people who are also in the normal range, but have a high % of body fat, no muscle tone or fitness. I do not use it in a derogatory manner.0 -
Skinny fat is a valid point. If a person loses 50# and 45# of it is muscle, they still have way too much fat. The thought behind the term is to educate people on trying to maintain or build muscle while losing fat.
And how often would one lose 50# and only 5# be fat?
Right, there is an extreme lack of understanding about science and how the body actually works to think that someone could lose 50 pounds and only 5 pounds be fat.0 -
"Skinny Fat" sounds like something b!tchy, jealous, insecure, overweight women invented to put down other normal weight women.
I respectfully disagree. Like obesity, skinny fat is a body composition that can cause health issues. It may be used by b!itchy people as a slur, but so can just about anything.
I am normal weight, and use the term skinny fat to describe people who are also in the normal range, but have a high % of body fat, no muscle tone or fitness. I do not use it in a derogatory manner.
But, this is the issue. And, I'm not saying this to argue with you. I've seen you around the site and I like you. But, how do people think they can determine another person's BF%. It's hard enough to measure our own. There is no scientific validity to those scales at the gym and measurements will yield very different results. The only accurate measurement is a dunk test.
And as a side note here: A person can be small and be physically strong. Muscle is smaller than fat.
I totally agree. A person can be very small and (gasp!) be strong too. Why is that so hard to understand? I guess in some people's eyes big means strong and small denotes fraility. Maybe I'm an outlier here, but I'm at an age, where I really don't give a damn what anyone says about my body anymore. I get the validity I need about my physical body from my reflection in the mirror. If I'm happy, that's ALL that really matters. Others opinions, insults or jabs are of no consequence to me....not anymore. Happiness comes from within IMO.0 -
To each their own I suppose. Skinny fat isn't exactly a tactful description, but it does describe body composition, I suppose we could use "frail" instead.
Frail is what I would have called them back in my soccer days.0 -
The first time I encountered "skinny fat" was a guy I very briefly dated. He looked fine clothed. Slender. But nekkid, he had very thin arms, very thin legs, a bony chest, and a soft, mushy disproportionately large belly. Like a somewhat deflated beer belly, but he wasn't a drinker. He wasn't interested in fitness, exercise, nutrition... and neither was I at the time, so I didn't care about any of that, but I was surprised at how someone so thin could be so out of shape.
No, I didn't call him skinny fat, or make any mention of his physique, and it had nothing to do with why we only dated briefly. It wasn't until years later that I started hearing the phrase and remembered his unfortunate shape that I put two and two together.0 -
"Skinny Fat" sounds like something b!tchy, jealous, insecure, overweight women invented to put down other normal weight women.
I respectfully disagree. Like obesity, skinny fat is a body composition that can cause health issues. It may be used by b!itchy people as a slur, but so can just about anything.
I am normal weight, and use the term skinny fat to describe people who are also in the normal range, but have a high % of body fat, no muscle tone or fitness. I do not use it in a derogatory manner.
But, this is the issue. And, I'm not saying this to argue with you. I've seen you around the site and I like you. But, how do people think they can determine another person's BF%. It's hard enough to measure our own. There is no scientific validity to those scales at the gym and measurements will yield very different results. The only accurate measurement is a dunk test.
And as a side note here: A person can be small and be physically strong. Muscle is smaller than fat.
I totally agree. A person can be very small and (gasp!) be strong too. Why is that so hard to understand? I guess in some people's eyes big means strong and small denotes fraility. Maybe I'm an outlier here, but I'm at an age, where I really don't give a damn what anyone says about my body anymore. I get the validity I need about my physical body from my reflection in the mirror. If I'm happy, that's ALL that really matters. Others opinions, insults or jabs are of no consequence to me....not anymore. Happiness comes from within IMO.
I think "skinny-fat" means that they are small and NOT strong, as in, they have very little muscle tone, just flab.0 -
"Skinny Fat" sounds like something b!tchy, jealous, insecure, overweight women invented to put down other normal weight women.
I respectfully disagree. Like obesity, skinny fat is a body composition that can cause health issues. It may be used by b!itchy people as a slur, but so can just about anything.
I am normal weight, and use the term skinny fat to describe people who are also in the normal range, but have a high % of body fat, no muscle tone or fitness. I do not use it in a derogatory manner.
But, this is the issue. And, I'm not saying this to argue with you. I've seen you around the site and I like you. But, how do people think they can determine another person's BF%. It's hard enough to measure our own. There is no scientific validity to those scales at the gym and measurements will yield very different results. The only accurate measurement is a dunk test.
And as a side note here: A person can be small and be physically strong. Muscle is smaller than fat.
Its not measuring exact BF% - its composition! I am smaller now at 140lbs than I was at 134lbs before children. My BF% is lower - do you knwo what it is....of course not. There are plenty of men and women on this site who can attest to the fact that gaining muscle is beneficial to our overall health and body composition.
But the fact is - the term is not meant to be derogatory. but much like any adjective one can always find a way to make it be so. Short, fat, tall, skinny, round, plump, bald, hairy, frail, thin, etc.....each one is a way to describe someone. Skinny-fat is just a way to decribe someone who may be thin/skinny but is made up of more fat....which can cause major medical issues!!! Do people use it negatively.....yes. But take it how you want - if you let it get to you it will.
Of course someone can be small and strong. I have a lot of small friends who are insanely strong. Small does not = skinny fat. How are some of you not understanding that??0 -
The first time I encountered "skinny fat" was a guy I very briefly dated. He looked fine clothed. Slender. But nekkid, he had very thin arms, very thin legs, a bony chest, and a soft, mushy disproportionately large belly. Like a somewhat deflated beer belly, but he wasn't a drinker. He wasn't interested in fitness, exercise, nutrition... and neither was I at the time, so I didn't care about any of that, but I was surprised at how someone so thin could be so out of shape.
No, I didn't call him skinny fat, or make any mention of his physique, and it had nothing to do with why we only dated briefly. It wasn't until years later that I started hearing the phrase and remembered his unfortunate shape that I put two and two together.
YOU ARE AWESOME :flowerforyou: -AND I think you dated my current boyfriend j/k but really he is shaped like that a little and he taught me that term
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"Skinny Fat" sounds like something b!tchy, jealous, insecure, overweight women invented to put down other normal weight women.
I respectfully disagree. Like obesity, skinny fat is a body composition that can cause health issues. It may be used by b!itchy people as a slur, but so can just about anything.
I am normal weight, and use the term skinny fat to describe people who are also in the normal range, but have a high % of body fat, no muscle tone or fitness. I do not use it in a derogatory manner.
But, this is the issue. And, I'm not saying this to argue with you. I've seen you around the site and I like you. But, how do people think they can determine another person's BF%. It's hard enough to measure our own. There is no scientific validity to those scales at the gym and measurements will yield very different results. The only accurate measurement is a dunk test.
And as a side note here: A person can be small and be physically strong. Muscle is smaller than fat.
I totally agree. A person can be very small and (gasp!) be strong too. Why is that so hard to understand? I guess in some people's eyes big means strong and small denotes fraility. Maybe I'm an outlier here, but I'm at an age, where I really don't give a damn what anyone says about my body anymore. I get the validity I need about my physical body from my reflection in the mirror. If I'm happy, that's ALL that really matters. Others opinions, insults or jabs are of no consequence to me....not anymore. Happiness comes from within IMO.
I think "skinny-fat" means that they are small and NOT strong, as in, they have very little muscle tone, just flab.
Yes - I think this is the point I was trying to make. My mom is skinny fat. She fits into size 4 jeans and starves herself to stay thin, but can't walk a mile without huffing, and has extreme amounts of visible fat. This is not a 'cosmetic issue' as her waist to hip measurement puts her in danger as does her level of internal fat. (this from her Doctor, not me. She disagreed and said 'I am a size 4, of course I am healthy!)
I suppose the issue here is the term being misused. It certainly does not apply to small people, or slim people, but a few people who fit small clothes, but might have the same body fat percentage as an obese person. I suppose I have used it in one context which is why I think it is a perfectly good term, but I can understand the OP's irritation if it is being misused!0 -
In fact, they use that term to describe women with my ideal body. I don't want 14% BF and muscles all over. I want to be thin and in shape, but I don't want a six pack.
I agree.0 -
The term "Skinny Fat" is adequate to describe a state of body composition. Applying some sort of emotional response to it is ridiculous. Fat, skinny, toned, bulky, chunky, skinny fat, thin, etc. are all simply terms to describe the physical appearance of a person's body composition.
Do you get equally offended when someone is described as tall or bald or pale?
Simply describing someone's physical appearance does not mean anyone is suggesting they be treated differently based on it or should gain/lose value in themselves as a person.
All words have connotations and evoke some sort of emotional response. We are not robots, nor should we be, which is why it is important to treat each other politely. If someone asks specifically whether they are skinny fat, I see no problem with an honest response, but to go out of your way to give someone a negative opinion of their physique, whether you think they are overly thin, skinny fat, or simply fat, is unkind.0 -
"Skinny Fat" sounds like something b!tchy, jealous, insecure, overweight women invented to put down other normal weight women.
I respectfully disagree. Like obesity, skinny fat is a body composition that can cause health issues. It may be used by b!itchy people as a slur, but so can just about anything.
I am normal weight, and use the term skinny fat to describe people who are also in the normal range, but have a high % of body fat, no muscle tone or fitness. I do not use it in a derogatory manner.
But, this is the issue. And, I'm not saying this to argue with you. I've seen you around the site and I like you. But, how do people think they can determine another person's BF%. It's hard enough to measure our own. There is no scientific validity to those scales at the gym and measurements will yield very different results. The only accurate measurement is a dunk test.
And as a side note here: A person can be small and be physically strong. Muscle is smaller than fat.
I totally agree. A person can be very small and (gasp!) be strong too. Why is that so hard to understand? I guess in some people's eyes big means strong and small denotes fraility. Maybe I'm an outlier here, but I'm at an age, where I really don't give a damn what anyone says about my body anymore. I get the validity I need about my physical body from my reflection in the mirror. If I'm happy, that's ALL that really matters. Others opinions, insults or jabs are of no consequence to me....not anymore. Happiness comes from within IMO.
I think "skinny-fat" means that they are small and NOT strong, as in, they have very little muscle tone, just flab.
So, what does "skinny" mean, then?0 -
"Skinny Fat" sounds like something b!tchy, jealous, insecure, overweight women invented to put down other normal weight women.
I respectfully disagree. Like obesity, skinny fat is a body composition that can cause health issues. It may be used by b!itchy people as a slur, but so can just about anything.
I am normal weight, and use the term skinny fat to describe people who are also in the normal range, but have a high % of body fat, no muscle tone or fitness. I do not use it in a derogatory manner.
But, this is the issue. And, I'm not saying this to argue with you. I've seen you around the site and I like you. But, how do people think they can determine another person's BF%. It's hard enough to measure our own. There is no scientific validity to those scales at the gym and measurements will yield very different results. The only accurate measurement is a dunk test.
And as a side note here: A person can be small and be physically strong. Muscle is smaller than fat.
I totally agree. A person can be very small and (gasp!) be strong too. Why is that so hard to understand? I guess in some people's eyes big means strong and small denotes fraility. Maybe I'm an outlier here, but I'm at an age, where I really don't give a damn what anyone says about my body anymore. I get the validity I need about my physical body from my reflection in the mirror. If I'm happy, that's ALL that really matters. Others opinions, insults or jabs are of no consequence to me....not anymore. Happiness comes from within IMO.
I agree with this last post, completely. I don't build muscle easily and am skinny, but I'm still pretty fit and can do quite a few things requiring strength and agility. Most using my own bodyweight, but not all.
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Ehh i use all those terms i like being called tone or fit i used to call myself skinny fat because i jiggled even though my stomach was flat guess im not sensitive :flowerforyou:0
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I am probably what most people here would call skinny fat as other than pretty big arm muscles from lifting kids all day I have no muscle tone. Not that it really bothers me as I am now the smallest ive ever been in my life recently walked a charity 10k walk with no problem what so ever which I also wouldn't have been able to do before. My stomach is very squishy some of which is lose skin from years of being overweight and having 3children.
I'm not a massive fan of the term skinny fat and do think its used in the wrong way a lot but I would definitely rather be called that than fat or obese.0 -
"Skinny Fat" sounds like something b!tchy, jealous, insecure, overweight women invented to put down other normal weight women.
I respectfully disagree. Like obesity, skinny fat is a body composition that can cause health issues. It may be used by b!itchy people as a slur, but so can just about anything.
I am normal weight, and use the term skinny fat to describe people who are also in the normal range, but have a high % of body fat, no muscle tone or fitness. I do not use it in a derogatory manner.
But, this is the issue. And, I'm not saying this to argue with you. I've seen you around the site and I like you. But, how do people think they can determine another person's BF%. It's hard enough to measure our own. There is no scientific validity to those scales at the gym and measurements will yield very different results. The only accurate measurement is a dunk test.
And as a side note here: A person can be small and be physically strong. Muscle is smaller than fat.
I totally agree. A person can be very small and (gasp!) be strong too. Why is that so hard to understand? I guess in some people's eyes big means strong and small denotes fraility. Maybe I'm an outlier here, but I'm at an age, where I really don't give a damn what anyone says about my body anymore. I get the validity I need about my physical body from my reflection in the mirror. If I'm happy, that's ALL that really matters. Others opinions, insults or jabs are of no consequence to me....not anymore. Happiness comes from within IMO.
I think "skinny-fat" means that they are small and NOT strong, as in, they have very little muscle tone, just flab.
So, what does "skinny" mean, then?
Skinny means bony, no flab or muscles, just skin and bones.0 -
"Skinny Fat" sounds like something b!tchy, jealous, insecure, overweight women invented to put down other normal weight women.
I respectfully disagree. Like obesity, skinny fat is a body composition that can cause health issues. It may be used by b!itchy people as a slur, but so can just about anything.
I am normal weight, and use the term skinny fat to describe people who are also in the normal range, but have a high % of body fat, no muscle tone or fitness. I do not use it in a derogatory manner.
But, this is the issue. And, I'm not saying this to argue with you. I've seen you around the site and I like you. But, how do people think they can determine another person's BF%. It's hard enough to measure our own. There is no scientific validity to those scales at the gym and measurements will yield very different results. The only accurate measurement is a dunk test.
And as a side note here: A person can be small and be physically strong. Muscle is smaller than fat.
I totally agree. A person can be very small and (gasp!) be strong too. Why is that so hard to understand? I guess in some people's eyes big means strong and small denotes fraility. Maybe I'm an outlier here, but I'm at an age, where I really don't give a damn what anyone says about my body anymore. I get the validity I need about my physical body from my reflection in the mirror. If I'm happy, that's ALL that really matters. Others opinions, insults or jabs are of no consequence to me....not anymore. Happiness comes from within IMO.
I agree with this last post, completely. I don't build muscle easily and am skinny, but I'm still pretty fit and can do quite a few things requiring strength and agility. Most using my own bodyweight, but not all.
-gets into wrestleing stance- here kitty kitty kitty ;p0 -
Hmmm... I always considered the term to imply that someone who is skinny that eats like crap. Not a direct insult on their physical traits, but their actual health.0
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Why don't we go back 10, 20, or 30 years and just call people what they really are. Like, people who are bigger in the middle than the top or bottom are fat, obese, or whatever. Why do we need to be so polite about it?
Oh, and skinny people are skinny.0 -
"Skinny Fat" sounds like something b!tchy, jealous, insecure, overweight women invented to put down other normal weight women.
I respectfully disagree. Like obesity, skinny fat is a body composition that can cause health issues. It may be used by b!itchy people as a slur, but so can just about anything.
I am normal weight, and use the term skinny fat to describe people who are also in the normal range, but have a high % of body fat, no muscle tone or fitness. I do not use it in a derogatory manner.
But, this is the issue. And, I'm not saying this to argue with you. I've seen you around the site and I like you. But, how do people think they can determine another person's BF%. It's hard enough to measure our own. There is no scientific validity to those scales at the gym and measurements will yield very different results. The only accurate measurement is a dunk test.
And as a side note here: A person can be small and be physically strong. Muscle is smaller than fat.
I totally agree. A person can be very small and (gasp!) be strong too. Why is that so hard to understand? I guess in some people's eyes big means strong and small denotes fraility. Maybe I'm an outlier here, but I'm at an age, where I really don't give a damn what anyone says about my body anymore. I get the validity I need about my physical body from my reflection in the mirror. If I'm happy, that's ALL that really matters. Others opinions, insults or jabs are of no consequence to me....not anymore. Happiness comes from within IMO.
I think "skinny-fat" means that they are small and NOT strong, as in, they have very little muscle tone, just flab.
So, what does "skinny" mean, then?
Skinny means bony, no flab or muscles, just skin and bones.
So what does one use to describe the non-muscley, non-emaciated women (such as underwear models?) Other than gorgeous, I mean.0 -
"Skinny" isn't a medical term either. "Underweight" is. Some people also use "skinny" negatively which is dumb. There's the whole "I don't want to be 'skinny' I want to be 'fit'" thing, which again is just putting other people down. I would generally use "skinny" to describe those on the low end of "healthy" and no, I never thought it was a negative word either.0
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How about "Fatty fat"?0
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So what does one use to describe the non-muscley, non-emaciated women (such as underwear models?) Other than gorgeous, I mean.
Skinny, thin, svelte (I like that word), slender, maybe even fit (if she could run a 5K but I have no way of knowing this by looking at her).0 -
What would you suggest? "High Body Fat Percentage, Normal BMI" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, and "triple-bypass candidate bikini model" seems, well, a little overly medical.
How can one have a high BF and be skinny? A women is not going to be skinny with > 30% BF. Skinny fat is more often used to make women with a normal healthy BF% but not a lot of muscle feel bad about themselves.
YES.
I get my weight down to a healthy range, I walk and have good cardio fitness, I look good in my clothes and feel good. Then you read snipes on MFP saying 'yeah, but you don't do strength training' . . . 'yeah, but it's flabby, not six pack abs' . . . 'yeah, but they didn't hit the gym . . . '
Give me a break. We're all trying to move forward from where we were to where we're going.
And then someone drops the subcu fat and people say they look too thin or anorectic. There's no winning for losing. There are lots of different ways to look good and be healthy. Get over it.0 -
On the other hand . . .
I have been coming to understand the term 'skinny fat' personally recently.
I've lost enough weight fast enough that suddenly my bottom and my lower abdomen both feel soft and flabby. Worse than they did when I was heavier.
My first thought was - oh, that's what people mean by 'skinny fat'. It's like the extra flesh you have after you've just had a baby. There's too much space where the fat used to be. And it hasn't yet been moved back to where it all should be by really well toned muscles.
That's what I'd just call 'flabby', but you could call 'skinny fat'. Except skinny fat is a dumb phrase.0 -
What would you suggest? "High Body Fat Percentage, Normal BMI" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, and "triple-bypass candidate bikini model" seems, well, a little overly medical.
How can one have a high BF and be skinny? A women is not going to be skinny with > 30% BF. Skinny fat is more often used to make women with a normal healthy BF% but not a lot of muscle feel bad about themselves.
YES.
I get my weight down to a healthy range, I walk and have good cardio fitness, I look good in my clothes and feel good. Then you read snipes on MFP saying 'yeah, but you don't do strength training' . . . 'yeah, but it's flabby, not six pack abs' . . . 'yeah, but they didn't hit the gym . . . '
Give me a break. We're all trying to move forward from where we were to where we're going.
And then someone drops the subcu fat and people say they look too thin or anorectic. There's no winning for losing. There are lots of different ways to look good and be healthy. Get over it.
Everything you've ever posted Rae.. I have agreed with. stalker much lol?
Today I skipped my Stronglifts workout and just did the elliptical and felt really down about it.
But then I thought..well hell, I have 90 lbs to lose and ANY exercise is better than NO exercise.0 -
The idea of going to a gym, lifting weights, isolating certain muscles... it's pretty damn new, especially for women. I'm pretty sure most women throughout the history of this earth were "skinny fat."
You can't please everyone, so focus on pleasing yourself. As long as your doctor is satisfied with your weight and health markers... it's all good. There's always going to be someone who thinks you're fat, or untoned, or whatever. My husband, for one, finds thin but soft women very attractive. I look forward to being "skinny fat." It'll be a nice change from my current fat fat.0 -
So what does one use to describe the non-muscley, non-emaciated women (such as underwear models?) Other than gorgeous, I mean.
Skinny, thin, svelte (I like that word), slender, maybe even fit (if she could run a 5K but I have no way of knowing this by looking at her).
Svelte. Yes. I like that word also, and it seems accurate. Svelte is my goal, though I've never been very graceful.
svelte /svɛlt, sfɛlt/
adjective, svelt·er, svelt·est.
1. slender, especially gracefully slender in figure; lithe.0
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