thoughts on skinnyfat--men specifically but all welcome

Options
124

Replies

  • Nerdy_Rose
    Nerdy_Rose Posts: 1,277 Member
    Options
    I'm sorry, but people who are totally comfortable with their bodies don't make posts asking strangers if they think said body type is acceptable. TO me, this suggests that even though you've had great success, there's work to be done before YOU are really happy with your results. That said, this:
    It doesnt have to be either or.

    The women who want to look soft simply need to carry more body fat,
    BUT should still lift weights.

    you wont look muscular.
    because you wont drop as much body fat as the women who want to show more definition.

    but you will be happy with the results...i assure you

    These are some smart ladies ^^ you should listen to them
  • keithmustloseweight
    keithmustloseweight Posts: 309 Member
    Options
    Firstly, well done so far
    is skinnyfat considered unattractive?

    Yes but it's still miles ahead of obese
    Would the men out there rather touch soft yielding flesh, or firm hard bodies? I'd love to hear all your opinions.

    Firm hard body
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    Options
    It doesnt have to be either or.

    The women who want to look soft simply need to carry more body fat,
    BUT should still lift weights.

    you wont look muscular.
    because you wont drop as much body fat as the women who want to show more definition.

    but you will be happy with the results...i assure you

    I also agree that lifting weights will help you a lot with the issue you are dealing with. But, I think you are beautiful.

    Oh, I just read all the other comments and there are a lot of great comments on here about options for you and finding a middle ground that would work for you.
  • BronTonyRollyBeau
    BronTonyRollyBeau Posts: 37 Member
    Options
    I agree,we all should feel comfortable with ourselves and not let others opinions mould how we think.
    My partner is'nt all focused on the body but also who I am as a person.
    I feel appreciated for being the person I am and what I offer . It's my choice to change my shape so I feel good . : )
  • duichaser
    duichaser Posts: 172 Member
    Options
    I wouldn't say it is a turn ON, but "skinnyfat" is just a small portion of a total package. You look great, I hope you feel great, and if you are a good person on top of all that then any man who would be concerned about you not having a six pack is not worth it. Personally, I would be turned on by someone who has had the will to get to where you are and look the way you do. (I also love the collie. Had one when I was a kid.)
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    Options
    as long as you have boobs :):p

    jk

    guys are scared of women who are too fit. i know this for fact.
    Not me. Athletic fit girls are the type I date, exclusively.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    Options
    as long as you have boobs :):p

    jk

    guys are scared of women who are too fit. i know this for fact.
    Not me. Athletic fit girls are the type I date, exclusively.

    Come on.......BOOBS! :laugh:
  • kimosabe1
    kimosabe1 Posts: 2,467 Member
    Options
    at 5'6" that is a bit small to me. I am 5'5" and my normal is 130 and if I go under, I look anorexic.
  • FloyMcCaudie
    FloyMcCaudie Posts: 1,132
    Options
    guys are scared of women who are too fit. i know this for fact.

    I know for a fact this does not apply to all guys because it doesn't apply to me.


    go to the back of the line

    TRU DAT!
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    Options
    as long as you have boobs :):p

    jk

    guys are scared of women who are too fit. i know this for fact.
    Not me. Athletic fit girls are the type I date, exclusively.

    Come on.......BOOBS! :laugh:
    You know I'm a booty man, Reenie =P
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    Options
    don't like it. i'm attracted to fitness.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    Options
    pathetic fat weak guys are scared of women who are too fit. i know this for fact.

    fixed that for ya

    p.s., you win today's
  • dave4d
    dave4d Posts: 1,155 Member
    Options
    If you've lost a lot of weight recently, that skinny-fat could, partly, be due to extra skin. It takes time for the skin to shrink back down to the point that it is not saggy. Give it time, but I would recommend doing some form of resistance training to build muscle mass, as that is the best way to get rid of the "skinny-fat" look.
  • pr3ttyk1tty
    pr3ttyk1tty Posts: 4
    Options
    just curious on what defines "skinny fat." i'm about 120-125ish which i believe is more than you said you weigh, but i'm training for roller derby so i have a lot of muscle. i'm still larger than you in clothes (4-6.) never really heard that term before so just trying to understand.
  • pr3ttyk1tty
    pr3ttyk1tty Posts: 4
    Options
    also, what everyone else said. weights are your friend.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    Options
    just curious on what defines "skinny fat." i'm about 120-125ish which i believe is more than you said you weigh, but i'm training for roller derby so i have a lot of muscle. i'm still larger than you in clothes (4-6.) never really heard that term before so just trying to understand.

    "Skinny fat" generally refers to a body composition where a person is within a healthy bodyweight range, or even sometimes underweight, but still has a proportionally high body fat percentage, which in turn means a lower than average LBM (aka amount of muscle) for their size.

    Generally it is a consequence of really fast weight loss where measures were not taken to preserve LBM. Such measures to preserve LBM include getting sufficient protein, resistance training, and having a moderate calorie deficit. It can also happen as a consequence of years of yo-yo dieting, weight loss with excessive cardio without other preservation methods, or simply having a lifetime of minimal exercise, and then diet-alone weight loss. I'm sure there's other ways to get there that are escaping me.

    If you say you have a good amount of muscle, you're not skinny fat. You don't look it in your profile pic, either. To avoid it, get sufficient protein, keep a moderate calorie deficit, and weight train. :)
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Options
    just curious on what defines "skinny fat." i'm about 120-125ish which i believe is more than you said you weigh, but i'm training for roller derby so i have a lot of muscle. i'm still larger than you in clothes (4-6.) never really heard that term before so just trying to understand.

    "Skinny fat" generally refers to a body composition where a person is within a healthy bodyweight range, or even sometimes underweight, but still has a proportionally high body fat percentage, which in turn means a lower than average LBM (aka amount of muscle) for their size.

    Generally it is a consequence of really fast weight loss where measures were not taken to preserve LBM. Such measures to preserve LBM include getting sufficient protein, resistance training, and having a moderate calorie deficit. It can also happen as a consequence of years of yo-yo dieting, weight loss with excessive cardio without other preservation methods, or simply having a lifetime of minimal exercise, and then diet-alone weight loss. I'm sure there's other ways to get there that are escaping me.

    If you say you have a good amount of muscle, you're not skinny fat. You don't look it in your profile pic, either. To avoid it, get sufficient protein, keep a moderate calorie deficit, and weight train. :)

    I find it much more often that those who are "skinny fat" are those who are just born with a small frame/lower than average amount of muscle mass. Obviously, that is also combined with a lifetime of no resistance training.

    I deal with hundreds of people on weight loss programs and almost none of them ever become "skinny fat". I suppose that could be due to selection bias, since I work in a fitness center, but I rarely see it even among the people who have lost weight on their own and are just starting to work out.

    I don't necessarily dispute your comments, since that is conventional wisdom. I just find it curious at how few of those people--i.e. those with diet-induced "skinny fat"-- I have ever actually seen in the real world.

    BTW: Good definition of "skinny fat". It's not the scale weight, height/weight ratio, or even the BMI that defines it.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    Options
    just curious on what defines "skinny fat." i'm about 120-125ish which i believe is more than you said you weigh, but i'm training for roller derby so i have a lot of muscle. i'm still larger than you in clothes (4-6.) never really heard that term before so just trying to understand.

    "Skinny fat" generally refers to a body composition where a person is within a healthy bodyweight range, or even sometimes underweight, but still has a proportionally high body fat percentage, which in turn means a lower than average LBM (aka amount of muscle) for their size.

    Generally it is a consequence of really fast weight loss where measures were not taken to preserve LBM. Such measures to preserve LBM include getting sufficient protein, resistance training, and having a moderate calorie deficit. It can also happen as a consequence of years of yo-yo dieting, weight loss with excessive cardio without other preservation methods, or simply having a lifetime of minimal exercise, and then diet-alone weight loss. I'm sure there's other ways to get there that are escaping me.

    If you say you have a good amount of muscle, you're not skinny fat. You don't look it in your profile pic, either. To avoid it, get sufficient protein, keep a moderate calorie deficit, and weight train. :)

    I find it much more often that those who are "skinny fat" are those who are just born with a small frame/lower than average amount of muscle mass. Obviously, that is also combined with a lifetime of no resistance training.

    I deal with hundreds of people on weight loss programs and almost none of them ever become "skinny fat". I suppose that could be due to selection bias, since I work in a fitness center, but I rarely see it even among the people who have lost weight on their own and are just starting to work out.

    I don't necessarily dispute your comments, since that is conventional wisdom. I just find it curious at how few of those people--i.e. those with diet-induced "skinny fat"-- I have ever actually seen in the real world.

    BTW: Good definition of "skinny fat". It's not the scale weight, height/weight ratio, or even the BMI that defines it.

    But, just to clarify (and prevent more misinformation & myths) having a small frame does not mean a person will have a genetically lower than average muscle (that is actually absurd). They could even have a lot of muscle for their small size and it shows ups more easily because of that as well. More Bean gave an excellent definition. And you are correct that you have not personally seen it because you work with people that have lost weight in a healthy way (and that's great). People who have always maintained a healthy fitness and nutritious eating without dieting will not be skinny fat just because they have a small bone structure.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Options
    just curious on what defines "skinny fat." i'm about 120-125ish which i believe is more than you said you weigh, but i'm training for roller derby so i have a lot of muscle. i'm still larger than you in clothes (4-6.) never really heard that term before so just trying to understand.

    "Skinny fat" generally refers to a body composition where a person is within a healthy bodyweight range, or even sometimes underweight, but still has a proportionally high body fat percentage, which in turn means a lower than average LBM (aka amount of muscle) for their size.

    Generally it is a consequence of really fast weight loss where measures were not taken to preserve LBM. Such measures to preserve LBM include getting sufficient protein, resistance training, and having a moderate calorie deficit. It can also happen as a consequence of years of yo-yo dieting, weight loss with excessive cardio without other preservation methods, or simply having a lifetime of minimal exercise, and then diet-alone weight loss. I'm sure there's other ways to get there that are escaping me.

    If you say you have a good amount of muscle, you're not skinny fat. You don't look it in your profile pic, either. To avoid it, get sufficient protein, keep a moderate calorie deficit, and weight train. :)

    I find it much more often that those who are "skinny fat" are those who are just born with a small frame/lower than average amount of muscle mass. Obviously, that is also combined with a lifetime of no resistance training.

    I deal with hundreds of people on weight loss programs and almost none of them ever become "skinny fat". I suppose that could be due to selection bias, since I work in a fitness center, but I rarely see it even among the people who have lost weight on their own and are just starting to work out.

    I don't necessarily dispute your comments, since that is conventional wisdom. I just find it curious at how few of those people--i.e. those with diet-induced "skinny fat"-- I have ever actually seen in the real world.

    BTW: Good definition of "skinny fat". It's not the scale weight, height/weight ratio, or even the BMI that defines it.

    But, just to clarify (and prevent more misinformation & myths) having a small frame does not mean a person will have a genetically lower than average muscle (that is actually absurd). They could even have a lot of muscle for their small size and it shows ups more easily because of that as well. More Bean gave an excellent definition. And you are correct that you have not personally seen it because you work with people that have lost weight in a healthy way (and that's great). People who have always maintained a healthy fitness and nutritious eating without dieting will not be skinny fat just because they have a small bone structure.

    That would be why I mentioned "small frame size/lower than average amount of muscle mass" together. But thanks for reading only what you wanted to see.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    Options
    just curious on what defines "skinny fat." i'm about 120-125ish which i believe is more than you said you weigh, but i'm training for roller derby so i have a lot of muscle. i'm still larger than you in clothes (4-6.) never really heard that term before so just trying to understand.

    "Skinny fat" generally refers to a body composition where a person is within a healthy bodyweight range, or even sometimes underweight, but still has a proportionally high body fat percentage, which in turn means a lower than average LBM (aka amount of muscle) for their size.

    Generally it is a consequence of really fast weight loss where measures were not taken to preserve LBM. Such measures to preserve LBM include getting sufficient protein, resistance training, and having a moderate calorie deficit. It can also happen as a consequence of years of yo-yo dieting, weight loss with excessive cardio without other preservation methods, or simply having a lifetime of minimal exercise, and then diet-alone weight loss. I'm sure there's other ways to get there that are escaping me.

    If you say you have a good amount of muscle, you're not skinny fat. You don't look it in your profile pic, either. To avoid it, get sufficient protein, keep a moderate calorie deficit, and weight train. :)

    I find it much more often that those who are "skinny fat" are those who are just born with a small frame/lower than average amount of muscle mass. Obviously, that is also combined with a lifetime of no resistance training.

    I deal with hundreds of people on weight loss programs and almost none of them ever become "skinny fat". I suppose that could be due to selection bias, since I work in a fitness center, but I rarely see it even among the people who have lost weight on their own and are just starting to work out.

    I don't necessarily dispute your comments, since that is conventional wisdom. I just find it curious at how few of those people--i.e. those with diet-induced "skinny fat"-- I have ever actually seen in the real world.

    BTW: Good definition of "skinny fat". It's not the scale weight, height/weight ratio, or even the BMI that defines it.

    But, just to clarify (and prevent more misinformation & myths) having a small frame does not mean a person will have a genetically lower than average muscle (that is actually absurd). They could even have a lot of muscle for their small size and it shows ups more easily because of that as well. More Bean gave an excellent definition. And you are correct that you have not personally seen it because you work with people that have lost weight in a healthy way (and that's great). People who have always maintained a healthy fitness and nutritious eating without dieting will not be skinny fat just because they have a small bone structure.

    That would be why I mentioned "small frame size/lower than average amount of muscle mass" together. But thanks for reading only what you wanted to see.

    Lol, sorry if I misunderstood you (it happens). I didn't mean this as a criticism on you personally. Just wanted to make a clarification. That seemed important to me since this concept gets misunderstood very often as you can see from the questions and confusions on this thread and all the many others (including that I also vastly misunderstood it when I first joined here, having never heard of it before mfp). Different things will matter to different people, as we are all coming from different places here and encounter different things due to our personal circumstances (and it does matter since there are young people and people with ED's and Body Dysmorphia that read these comments). Personally, when it comes to this subject, I am myself still learning and trying to understand. It's not a scientific concept, so the "criteria" is sure fuzzy. As far as I understand "skinnyfat" means being at a normal weight, but having at least 25-30% bodyfat placing one in the overweight or obese category regardless of scale weight or it just means looking loose and flabby and not firm with defined muscles. On the flip side, some people are just skinny, but people confuse that for skinny fat for reasons I don't understand, and some people just have a couple pounds of extra fat over top their muscles.

Categories