Why Skinny-Fat people are generally ignored???

Haven't read the thread yet but my first thought when I read the title was this.

People who are morbidly obese are at severe health risk and their weight loss is vital to their long term health. Losing weight is what they should do and losing weight is what they want to do but struggle with. Therefore lots of response.

Someone who is skinnyfat is not overweight, not particularly at risk...they just don't like the way they look. A skinnyfat person would benefit most in terms of health by gaining weight in the form of muscle yet many seem to think they need to calorie restricte to get rid of a "stomach pooch" they seem utterly fixated on. Posters say this, OP says no no....I want to lose weight not gain it and conversation ends.

I am not saying that is how it always goes but that is how ive seen it go numerous times. If a person wants to change their aesthetic but argues against the advice they are given it'll be a short conversation.

Please read up on the definitions. The term clinically (or morbidly) obese is not just used for people who are significantly overweight. The BMI limits are widely used for a basic evaluation, but in order to determine if a person has a healthy body composition, too, there are more tests required.

I think, the OP's concern is a valid one, and it reaches beyond vanity issues.
As a matter of fact, a seemingly skinny (or normal looking) person with a body fat percentage over 30% is just as much at risk for health issues (heart problems, fat around the organs....) as a 'regular' obese person.
You can see, that there is a need for wanting a different body composition. My college buddy's girlfriend was one of those cases. She was a size S, but when she sat down, her thighs flattened out as thin as a magazine, with the top of the femur being visible... No muscle mass whatsoever... Can't say that it looked healthy... The girl was so weak overall, she couldn't even pick up a water bucket... The only thing that kept her flabby thighs in shape, was her size 4 jeans...

On the other hand, the BMI chart can be misleading as well, when a person (like myself) has a lot of lean muscle mass. I hear 'OMG-you-are-so-skinny-eat-something' all the time. There are a lot of surprised faces, when I give them the number on the scale. Imagine, how many athletes/football players are considered obese, according to BMI charts.

I see this a lot on this site. "You're already in the healthy weight range for your height, why do you want to be smaller?" Or people who seem to think that since they are 100 lbs over weight, someone who is 10lbs over weight shouldn't worry about it. If you want a smoking body and are willing to put in the work (diligent with consumption and macros, lifting heavy) more power to you! Do it right and get it done. Do you need attention from people to lose fat? No.

All of this.

I see a lot of people who are, or were, very fat and they tend to shoot for the high end of the healthy weight range. As long as they get one pound out of the "overweight" category they're set. I read results of a national survey fairly recently that showed the average American, both male and female, now has an "ideal" weight that is still higher than healthy. Sometimes people who have goals to be light, svelte, skinny, thin, lean, however you want to label it, are told that they're fine because they're at the higher end of the healthy range. But these people, as well meaning as they are, should be ignored. Nobody has the right to dictate to you what goals you should shoot for.

Me personally? I'm a male between 5'10" and 5'11", with a medium frame. I once thought I was a large framed, "big boned" guy thanks to years of childhood obesity. Yet when I got down to the 180s in my late teens I still had way too much fat on me for my liking, despite decent musculature. At the time, having been fat for so long, I couldn't conceptualize that I could still afford to get much lighter. My goals aren't to get "big", but to have a very low body fat and a very light, slim body. I'm prepared to go as low as the 150s if that's what it takes. This is perfectly within the healthy range of the BMI charts for my height, but I know the very thought of that sounds far too light to the average guy these days.

Skinny fat people are not ignored, you just aren't being told what you seem to want to hear. If you are skinny fat, as in are at a healthy weight for your height but have a high body fat percentage, focusing on the number on the scale isn't the right way to go. Your goal is less about losing weight and more about body composition, in which you reduce your body fat while retaining your lean muscle.

In order to do that, you need to eat at a slight deficit, about 0.5 lb loss per week, so that you will be losing fat and not muscle. Lift heavy weights, do a little bit of cardio, eat lots of protein to feed your muscles. You probably won't see much movement on the scale, but your measurements will shrink and you will be smaller and tighter.

ETA: You can see changes within four weeks, but you are not going to see a massive overhaul in that time. The process takes time, but it's worth it to get the body you want.

seconded.

though im inclined to think that "skinny-fat" people should start out by bulking to get a good muscle base before cutting.
if you cut then bulk, you will end up gaining a decent amount of fat in the process, and since skinny-fat people by definition dont have much muscle mass they cannot afford to lose any before bulking, as well as the fact that at a lower muscle mass you burn less calories so your eating is more restricted. if you bulk and then cut you may lose some of the muscle that you gained in the bulking process however it will be easier to cut down the fat at a higher weight with more muscle

Where in the weight loss process do you think it is appropriate to do a bulk? I'm not trying to argue the bulk vs recomp issue, I think both have their place and both can be effective depending on the individual. I'm honestly curious because I think there are a lot of people who are either struggling with vanity weight/ more fat than they would like, or who are frustrated at trying to lose those last few pounds, but do not consider the idea of bulking until they hit goal weight.

it really depends on your goals and where you started out to begin with. for myself, i started out with a pretty good muscle base from sports and whatnot, so im not going to try for a bulk until i hit my goal weight. for someone who wants to gain muscle, ive always thought bulking first is the best option

im personally against recomps, bulk/cut cycles are faster and give a little more leeway in terms of diet

ETA; this may sound mean or whatever, but also mental strength. many people cant handle the idea of putting on weight when their end game is too look better, its a little counter intuitive

What above the 5:2 diet? I think body recomp is a good way to go.

What above the 5:2 diet? I think body recomp is a good way to go.

honestly i havent looked much into the 5:2 diet mostly because 2 fully days of fasting a week sounds painful to me, even if they arent consecutive. to me it falls into the "too strict in diet" category, and i havent seen any evidence to say it'd be worth the effort and willpower needed

What above the 5:2 diet? I think body recomp is a good way to go.

honestly i havent looked much into the 5:2 diet mostly because 2 fully days of fasting a week sounds painful to me, even if they arent consecutive. to me it falls into the "too strict in diet" category, and i havent seen any evidence to say it'd be worth the effort and willpower needed

Makes sense low calorie days are crazy IMO too. And doing this diet I have to take time anyway from the gym which I not really down to do. I have one true rest day where I do absolutely nothing for exercise and sometimes I like to fit in a Tabata HIIT. I think body recomp is a good way to lose weight and still build muscle all in the same weight with calorie cycling.

I can't imagine someone with normal BMI could carry more than 30% body fat...they must be really really small boned....

I think I was around 140, 5'4", when a gym and my own calipers estimated me around 30-35%. I'm large boned, if anything.

On the original post- I think too that people who are fighting this battle for their health do naturally tend to scoff at the urgency of some vanity pounds, especially when the problem is presented here as if it's of earth-shattering importance, which happens a lot.

I might be wrong about the concept of "skinny fat" but I doubt the ones who call themselves "skinny fat" are truly falling into the "unhealhty fat percentage" group. I have a lot of asian friends whose BMI are border lined with underweight but they apparently carry more fat than muscle. With that small amount of body mass (weight) I wonder how much fat they actually can have, say 20% or 25% but that is still not "unhealthy".

I can't imagine someone with normal BMI could carry more than 30% body fat...they must be really really small boned....

FAT is SOOOOO light inch for inch compared with muscle, which is SOOO dense. You'd be surprised. It's very common to have a normal BMI and be overfat. I see a lot of people naked and I see how much they weight when I look at their charts and am often surprised they are so light. Lots of people that look way chunkier than me are much lighter :grumble: but then again they have high blood pressure and heart disease that I don't have

Too many Americans are overfat. Only some of those are overweight. In general our junk food, lazy habits, and yoyo dieting has allowed for an incredible degree of weakness and muscle atrophy. I commend anyone for working on reducing their body fat (umm until about 15 for women and 8% for men of course...).

I think the term "skinny-fat" is inane and can't wait until the people who use trendy terms stop using it. Ditto "butthurt."

OP, a lot of people here are fat. We haven't yet made it down to where you are and cannot possibly have any advice on what worked for us.

After reading all the troubles people have with the last 10-15 pounds, my plan is that if they won't budge, I'll starve them off, lol.

You don't have to feel persecuted or ignored or whatever yada yada. Just do whatever you want and don't tell anyone about it. Don't mention anything about diet or exercise, etc. Top secret. And if anyone asks, "Have you lost weight?" just deny it. "Oh, I haven't noticed." And who cares what other people think?

But yeah, you don't need to focus on the scale. Skinny fat people need to drop fat and gain muscle. You could even gain 15 pounds and look better if it's all muscle and no fat.

What's a Skinny-Fat person???