Opposite of "skinny fat"?

crewgirl86
crewgirl86 Posts: 28 Member
edited November 22 in Health and Weight Loss
Just posting out of curiosity more than anything, but is there such thing as an opposite of being "skinny fat"?

I recently had a DEXA assessment and my BMI is 25.8 (just about 5 lbs overweight) but body fat is at 25%. I am female, 5'7 and 165 lbs. My understanding is that my 25% body fat is a "good" rating for a woman of my age (early 30s) but I'm concerned that BMI is a little high. From what I've read on other forums, it seems 25% body fat is typical for much lighter women. But maybe I'm wrong? Curious to hear thoughts.....

Replies

  • vespiquenn
    vespiquenn Posts: 1,455 Member
    edited October 2017
    For most folks, body fat is a better measurement to mark progress because it takes into account muscle mass. However, not many people have a DEXA scan or similar methods of more accurate body fat readings at their disposal, doctors included, so BMI becomes a pretty good range to evaluate one’s potential health.

    With that being said, 25% is in the middle of average. 19-24% is considered fit, 25-33% is healthy. But I would argue that females in the upper 20s show signs of visible fat. So I always questioned those numbers, personally.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Once you have had a reliable body fat assessment done, BMI is no longer relevant. Based on your numbers, your lean body mass is almost 124 lbs. That’s higher than average for someone your height. So you either have a lot of muscle, or you have the proverbial “large frame” (or both).

    As the other poster said, 25% body fat is perfectly healthy and many people are happy with how they look and feel at that level. It is not “lean”. (That’s a description, not a judgement—people don’t have to be “lean” to be healthy; your physical appearance is up to you).

    You are Exhibit A as to why BMI is problematic when applied to individuals. Anyone who doesn’t have a perfectly “average” body will have skewed BMI numbers. I would not pay any attention to it.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    How do you feel at that bodyfat %? Are you happy with your body composition and weight? I would say "skinny fat" would typically be someone who is a healthy weight for their height (in the normal BMI category), who is very undermuscled .. so they may look lean in clothes, but without clothes they carry a lot of excess fat.

    In your case, 25% for your stats is great.. so if you decided to lose weight (and did what you could to retain as much muscle as possible) you would probably have a very athletic/fit body composition as you lean down. If that is something you wanted of course.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    Take it! I'd be thrilled with that. I recently had a DEXA (I'm also 5-7", but 140#) and mine was closer to 32% and 25% is my goal. Whatever you're doing, keep doing it!!
  • pamfgil
    pamfgil Posts: 449 Member
    Opposite is either muscular or big boned depending:)
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    Yes, there is. Recently there have been studies that have shown that people who are overweight but exercise tend to be healthier than people who are thin but don't exercise. Those healthy overweight people are the opposite of skinny fat.
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