Anyone else "Skinny fat" - "Healthy" BMI and so on, but really, really poor fitness?
bkate24
Posts: 73 Member
I used to have a BMI of about 23-24 (yes, I know the limitations of BMI, just trying to give an idea of where I was at). At that time I figured I was a little below average in fitness, but nothing too bad. I have a job where I'm on my feet all day so I figured that was better than people who are totally sedentary. At my doctor's appointments, nobody ever mentioned my weight or fitness.
HOWEVER, once I started to try to lose a little weight (hoping to get to around BMI of 20) and get a little more toned, I learned: I'm really, really badly out of shape. Like, NO muscle, NO endurance, NO flexibility. I can't run 200 meters without feeling like I might be sick. I can't get close to touching my toes. My personal trainer keeps having to modify exercises to be less strenuous . . . and less . . . and less because I simply cannot do them, or else I do 2 reps and then I feel like I just climbed Mount Everest. And according to my physical therapist, my muscles in my core are so weak that they're actually not supporting my body, which was causing me terrible back pain.
I never thought I was this out of shape, particularly with having a job where I'm on my feet and walking all day! But clearly my fitness is absolutely terrible, like really really really bad, and it's kind of a shock.
Anyone else have similar realizations? Is there any explanation for this? I wonder if I just had the mistaken idea that being sort of "lightly active" in my regular life would at least do a little towards keeping me in shape, but that obviously isn't the case.
This has definitely made me realize that a) BMI truly doesn't indicate anything about FITNESS and b) "just taking the stairs" and other small lifestyle adjustments are not enough to keep a body healthy.
HOWEVER, once I started to try to lose a little weight (hoping to get to around BMI of 20) and get a little more toned, I learned: I'm really, really badly out of shape. Like, NO muscle, NO endurance, NO flexibility. I can't run 200 meters without feeling like I might be sick. I can't get close to touching my toes. My personal trainer keeps having to modify exercises to be less strenuous . . . and less . . . and less because I simply cannot do them, or else I do 2 reps and then I feel like I just climbed Mount Everest. And according to my physical therapist, my muscles in my core are so weak that they're actually not supporting my body, which was causing me terrible back pain.
I never thought I was this out of shape, particularly with having a job where I'm on my feet and walking all day! But clearly my fitness is absolutely terrible, like really really really bad, and it's kind of a shock.
Anyone else have similar realizations? Is there any explanation for this? I wonder if I just had the mistaken idea that being sort of "lightly active" in my regular life would at least do a little towards keeping me in shape, but that obviously isn't the case.
This has definitely made me realize that a) BMI truly doesn't indicate anything about FITNESS and b) "just taking the stairs" and other small lifestyle adjustments are not enough to keep a body healthy.
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I started with a personal trainer about 5 weeks ago. I kind of realized I was out of shape but he told me my core and stability were very weak. After 5 weeks of training 3x a week for an hour each time with the trainer and doing cardio on the other days, I've improved greatly.
I feel like if you continue, you will certainly get stronger but it does take time. I don't know your stats but I'm 61 female and do have weight to lose. I don't think I was much help but I do wish you all the best.0 -
I have a BMI of 24 right now and know exactly how you feel. I have various reasons for letting myself get out of shape but mostly because of a previous back injury and an autoimmune disease that breaks down muscle faster than normal people and causes extreme exhaustion.
I think your next step should be going to a doctor to have your vitamin levels checked and a physical. Also how well do you eat? Are you getting enough protein to help your muscles build. You can work with a personal trainer daily but without the proper nutrition you won't be helping your body any. But you have to start slow and gradually increase the exercise if you are not used to actually using muscles.
I am currently working towards a BMI of 20 as well and it is not going to be an easy road.0 -
alfonsinarosinsky, I'm only 27, female, nonsmoker and nondrinker, and never had any kids. So I didn't think it would be so bad! I should have mentioned that stuff in the first post.
emmalpoppy, thanks for the recommendation. I have a physical soon so I will ask my doctor about the vitamins and so on. I know that my uncle has some kind of B vitamin thing so maybe that's relevant.
Before I started using MFP, I would count calories but paid no attention to my macros. However, I did usually eat a good amount of protein, I think. But I didn't eat that well - some junk at times. I think it's a good point that nutrition is a key factor so that as I lose weight, I don't lose muscle too. I have definitely been paying way better attention to my nutrition since I've used MFP (about a month).
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I am not skinny by any means (190 @ 5'6" puts me at obese, but to look at me, meh, you'd probably see overweight - I'm a 12-14 pants and a L top 40F chest) but I AM so out of shape even though I am lightly active in my day-to-day life ...chasing a toddler. I don't know if it's the crappy sleep, the need to take advantage of any rest I can, or what but there are probably tons of more obese people than me that are in better shape. I am planning to do C25K soon (getting over a cold and I have seasonal asthma, so I am waiting til I feel better lungs wise to start). But a 20 minute walk at a 20 min/mile has me feeling like collapsing.0
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supersocks117 wrote: »I am not skinny by any means (190 @ 5'6" puts me at obese, but to look at me, meh, you'd probably see overweight - I'm a 12-14 pants and a L top 40F chest) but I AM so out of shape even though I am lightly active in my day-to-day life ...chasing a toddler. I don't know if it's the crappy sleep, the need to take advantage of any rest I can, or what but there are probably tons of more obese people than me that are in better shape. I am planning to do C25K soon (getting over a cold and I have seasonal asthma, so I am waiting til I feel better lungs wise to start). But a 20 minute walk at a 20 min/mile has me feeling like collapsing.
Yeah, I had always thought that being active in regular life meant you were at least a little bit fit, but I am definitely reconsidering! I bet that poor sleep also plays a part, since sleep is where you heal, right? I probably had insufficient sleep as well since I used to clock about 5-6 hours a night (although for a while now I've been way better about getting 8-9 hours).
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I was skinny fat.
But I do believe that the BMI chart is useful. According to the chart, I would be at the very low end of obesity starting at 170 pounds. At a little below 5'2", I can believe that.0 -
I was skinny fat.
But I do believe that the BMI chart is useful. According to the chart, I would be at the very low end of obesity starting at 170 pounds. At a little below 5'2", I can believe that.
Oh, yeah, I think it's useful but has flaws. Like specifically regarding me, it doesn't deal with the question of whether your weight is muscle or fat. So for me, although my BMI was 23 and I was "healthy weight," in fact I had barely enough muscle to literally support my body (as my PT told me again today), so obviously I was actually overfat and not in a healthy condition at all. Like, I weighed 148 pounds or whatever (at 5'7.5") but that weight was not the ratio of muscle/fat that a healthy person would have, because basically it was all fat. If I had known my body fat percentage, it would have shown that I had too much fat.
I'm actually a bit annoyed that I thought I was fine for many years based on my weight, when in fact pure weight wasn't the whole story at all.
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I was skinny fat.
But I do believe that the BMI chart is useful. According to the chart, I would be at the very low end of obesity starting at 170 pounds. At a little below 5'2", I can believe that.
Oh, yeah, I think it's useful but has flaws. Like specifically regarding me, it doesn't deal with the question of whether your weight is muscle or fat. So for me, although my BMI was 23 and I was "healthy weight," in fact I had barely enough muscle to literally support my body (as my PT told me again today), so obviously I was actually overfat and not in a healthy condition at all. Like, I weighed 148 pounds or whatever (at 5'7.5") but that weight was not the ratio of muscle/fat that a healthy person would have, because basically it was all fat. If I had known my body fat percentage, it would have shown that I had too much fat.
I'm actually a bit annoyed that I thought I was fine for many years based on my weight, when in fact pure weight wasn't the whole story at all.
BMI is a useful tool but it is often wrong. My 12 year old BIL is as taller or taller than my DH (6'1") and looking at him skinny with tons of muscle because he plays a sport every season. He is overweight/obese by BMI when he is weighed.
My DH is 6'1" 275 lbs (down from 300) and BMI tells him he should be 160-200 (depending on frame) so he is having trouble setting his goal - my mom and I say he has a large frame, aim for 200 see how you feel, see how fit you are.
I should be 136-142 120-133 (Whoops accidently read the mens portion for mine too) (I know I have a small frame) at 5'6"-5'7" but I was 136 before having a baby and felt too slim and had a hard time maintaining it. I am aiming for 150 but fit and think that is possible. If I was 150 and fit I doubt anyone would look at me and see overweight, but I might be!
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I was skinny fat.
But I do believe that the BMI chart is useful. According to the chart, I would be at the very low end of obesity starting at 170 pounds. At a little below 5'2", I can believe that.
Oh, yeah, I think it's useful but has flaws. Like specifically regarding me, it doesn't deal with the question of whether your weight is muscle or fat. So for me, although my BMI was 23 and I was "healthy weight," in fact I had barely enough muscle to literally support my body (as my PT told me again today), so obviously I was actually overfat and not in a healthy condition at all. Like, I weighed 148 pounds or whatever (at 5'7.5") but that weight was not the ratio of muscle/fat that a healthy person would have, because basically it was all fat. If I had known my body fat percentage, it would have shown that I had too much fat.
I'm actually a bit annoyed that I thought I was fine for many years based on my weight, when in fact pure weight wasn't the whole story at all.
It's definitely not accurate for people who have a good amount of muscle, but to be honest, the BMI will work for the majority of the population. Most people aren't active enough for the BMI to not matter. Even if I was an experienced bodybuilder, 170 at 5'2" is a crap ton of muscle is pretty unrealistic unless I'm taking steroids.
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I've been skinny-fat for a while now & never really realized it until I found the fitness community. I haven't measured by body fat but I'm certain it's higher than it should be. People tell me I am "skinny" but as I get older I see more jiggle. I've been working on it but not seriously enough to make a difference because I love food & have a lot going on right now that it's tough to get a gym schedule down.
But @Fujiberry you are a beast & very inspirational for people like me who are slacking!!!0 -
Op this was me for a very long time, and because I was at the lower end of a normal bmi I thought I was fine and everyone else thought I was fine. Realisticly though I couldn't go up a flight of stairs without being winded and playing with my kids outside was exhausting. A few years ago I was much more active, it was really when my kids started school that I got lazy and very out of shape. I started going to the gym in April of this year and it's made a huge difference, I'm doing cardio and lifting weights and I feel so much better and also starting to look better too. I really can't believe I let myself get so out of shape before.0
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I was skinny fat.
But I do believe that the BMI chart is useful. According to the chart, I would be at the very low end of obesity starting at 170 pounds. At a little below 5'2", I can believe that.
Oh, yeah, I think it's useful but has flaws. Like specifically regarding me, it doesn't deal with the question of whether your weight is muscle or fat. So for me, although my BMI was 23 and I was "healthy weight," in fact I had barely enough muscle to literally support my body (as my PT told me again today), so obviously I was actually overfat and not in a healthy condition at all. Like, I weighed 148 pounds or whatever (at 5'7.5") but that weight was not the ratio of muscle/fat that a healthy person would have, because basically it was all fat. If I had known my body fat percentage, it would have shown that I had too much fat.
I'm actually a bit annoyed that I thought I was fine for many years based on my weight, when in fact pure weight wasn't the whole story at all.
It's definitely not accurate for people who have a good amount of muscle, but to be honest, the BMI will work for the majority of the population. Most people aren't active enough for the BMI to not matter. Even if I was an experienced bodybuilder, 170 at 5'2" is a crap ton of muscle is pretty unrealistic unless I'm taking steroids.
I agree, but I wasn't looking at the idea of people who are really muscular - I meant the reverse. People like me who are "healthy" according to BMI, but in fact are not healthy because their body composition has too much fat and not enough muscle. I definitely agree that the BMI is a useful measure. I just meant that I wish my doctors had looked at a bigger picture and realized that although my BMI was "healthy," I had too much fat and too little muscle and therefore actually wasn't healthy.0 -
Op this was me for a very long time, and because I was at the lower end of a normal bmi I thought I was fine and everyone else thought I was fine. Realisticly though I couldn't go up a flight of stairs without being winded and playing with my kids outside was exhausting. A few years ago I was much more active, it was really when my kids started school that I got lazy and very out of shape. I started going to the gym in April of this year and it's made a huge difference, I'm doing cardio and lifting weights and I feel so much better and also starting to look better too. I really can't believe I let myself get so out of shape before.
This is exactly it! I didn't feel out of shape at the time but it's only now that I'm realizing how out of shape I really was. I'm definitely committed to keeping my body in better condition strength and endurance-wise from now on.
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I was the opposite, in my twenties, a little plump for my frame and super fit. I fixed the plump part, and I still make time for exercise, as well as generally being active. I don't feel as fit as I did when I was fatter.0
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You can reverse it! It will take time, but work hard now and every day and it will pay off. I was in a similar situation. Look at my profile pics. I was more on the fatter side though, with a nearly obese BMI and no strength, no flexibility, back pain every day, shoulder problems. 6 months later and I'm still working on it, but feel so much better. Much more endurance, I'm still very weak, but that's finally getting better. It takes time and the right approach, but you can get it great shape.0
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lithezebra wrote: »I was the opposite, in my twenties, a little plump for my frame and super fit. I fixed the plump part, and I still make time for exercise, as well as generally being active. I don't feel as fit as I did when I was fatter.
This is really interesting - the part about how you feel less fit. Do you think you really are less fit, or is it just your impression?
I think sometimes it's hard for us to judge our own fitness - but then again I am noticing my own strength increasing (e.g. picking up heavy objects) about 5 weeks into my own new fitness routine.
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lithezebra wrote: »I was the opposite, in my twenties, a little plump for my frame and super fit. I fixed the plump part, and I still make time for exercise, as well as generally being active. I don't feel as fit as I did when I was fatter.
This is really interesting - the part about how you feel less fit. Do you think you really are less fit, or is it just your impression?
I think sometimes it's hard for us to judge our own fitness - but then again I am noticing my own strength increasing (e.g. picking up heavy objects) about 5 weeks into my own new fitness routine.
Not my quote but some is perception for me. I went from 125-155 back to 135 in college back up to 160 and then to 195 when pregnant. I like my body more at 195 than I did back at 155-160 even though I am definitely fatter now. I bet this time around I will be fitter at 160 coming down than I was when it was my high weight.0 -
I have always been at a "healthy weight".
I started going to the gym to change my body from being described as "Skinny" to "strong" and found that I have no strength whatsoever. I can't leg press much, I can't squat barely anything and I can't lift much.
The progress has been slow due to cutting but definitely going somewhere.0 -
When I was younger I was pretty athletic. Played tennis, and was outside a lot. Fast forward 20 years later and I had my 2nd kid and got up to 200 lbs then lost 50 pretty quick and thought I was almost to goal weight and was fairly fit. Nope!! Several months ago I would climb the stairs in my house and be winded and my knees would hurt going back down them. I just figured it was old age. NOPE!! I started lifting and doing a little HIIT and what do you know, I wasn't winded anymore and my knees stopped hurting. I'm literally only a few lbs from where I started but I just feel much fitter and stronger.0
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I have always been at a "healthy weight".
I started going to the gym to change my body from being described as "Skinny" to "strong" and found that I have no strength whatsoever. I can't leg press much, I can't squat barely anything and I can't lift much.
The progress has been slow due to cutting but definitely going somewhere.
This is me too. I have seen progress over 5 weeks of working out 2-4 times a week (plus like 2+ hour walks and more general activity), but it's slow. I'm still way above average. : (
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