Skinny Fat is my goal

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Replies

  • Silverkittycat
    Silverkittycat Posts: 1,997 Member
    If the one on the right is 30% then I'm 10%.. doesn't look correct for 30% at all..

    servilia, go to the end of the Leigh Peele article she explains the whole "same body fat % looks different" bit.
    http://www.leighpeele.com/body-fat-pictures-and-percentages

    15-percent-body-fat-female1.jpg
  • PBJunky
    PBJunky Posts: 737 Member
    Good for you, I myself would never want to be skinny fat
  • _Angie
    _Angie Posts: 19
    Working in health care for many years I'd never heard the term skinny fat used the way it is used on these forums (it has a very different meaning in healthcare) but people always use it as if it's as bad as being obese. But skinny fat (as it's used here) is exactly what I'm aiming for. I'm not there yet, but I hope to be by the middle of next year.

    I'm not saying I want no muscle, but I really only want enough to keep the fat I have left from sagging and to allow me to run and play and do normal activities. But I don't want to drop my body fat % so that my arms look like little sticks with tiny bulges on them and I have buy breast implants so people can tell I'm female. A little firm fat feels nice to the touch and it looks good both in clothes and out.

    Skinny fat is my 2012 goal.

    You are misinformed on what skinny fat really is.
  • daffodilsoup
    daffodilsoup Posts: 1,972 Member
    Not for me, but I support you and wish you luck in achieving your goals!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    This is what you should do:

    Set MFP at 1200 & don't eat exercise calories
    cardio 6x a week for minimum an hour (zumba, tae bo, body sculpt, long distance slow jogging, any jillian michaels dvd are really good)
    Make sure never to consume anywhere near 1g/lb of bw of protein
    Never pick up anything heavier than your handbag

    I wish you the best in you're quest for skinny fatness.

    I'd get too hungry on just 1200 calories. 60 min of Zumba 6 days a week is what I do though.
    I don't make a point to eat any certain amount of protein because I'm usually over every day.
    My handbag weighs more than my most of my handweights actually. :laugh:

    Thanks for the well wishes though.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Working in health care for many years I'd never heard the term skinny fat used the way it is used on these forums (it has a very different meaning in healthcare) but people always use it as if it's as bad as being obese. But skinny fat (as it's used here) is exactly what I'm aiming for. I'm not there yet, but I hope to be by the middle of next year.

    I'm not saying I want no muscle, but I really only want enough to keep the fat I have left from sagging and to allow me to run and play and do normal activities. But I don't want to drop my body fat % so that my arms look like little sticks with tiny bulges on them and I have buy breast implants so people can tell I'm female. A little firm fat feels nice to the touch and it looks good both in clothes and out.

    Skinny fat is my 2012 goal.

    You are misinformed on what skinny fat really is.

    Yes, this is quite possible. As I said, I've never heard it used as it is on these boards. But I have seem some pics posted. For example, one user posted before and after pics of her tummy. The first was flat but had no visible muscle definition. The second was still flat but you could see her '6 pack' and most of her ribs and honestly she looked like she needed to eat something. This was in the "success" forum. I thought the before pic looked much better than the after.

    So, IF the before pic, thin but soft and NOT saggy is skinny fat, that is what I'm shooting for. If it's not skinny fat, then I've misused the term but it's still what I'm shooting for.

    But honestly I've seen several before pics called skinny fat that I thought looked better than the after pic. Perhaps not all MFP members use it the same.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    If the one on the right is 30% then I'm 10%.. doesn't look correct for 30% at all..

    servilia, go to the end of the Leigh Peele article she explains the whole "same body fat % looks different" bit.
    http://www.leighpeele.com/body-fat-pictures-and-percentages

    15-percent-body-fat-female1.jpg

    I think the girl on the right looks better. Both are a skinnier than I'd like to get, but if those were my only 2 choices I'd rather be the one on the right.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I thought this place was for support not for people to down people for what they say. If this is her goal, thats it. Don't judge. I feel like there is enough judging already in the outside world and this is supposed to be a safe place. I guess I thought wrong.

    I agree! To OP I wish you the best of luck!:flowerforyou:

    Thanks, but the negativity doesn't bother me. I've never understood why, but I do understand that some people feel the need to trash anything that contradicts their mindset.
  • turningstar
    turningstar Posts: 393 Member
    It sounds like you like the more "feminine" look. Maybe something in between is for you. I would LOVE to be fit and muscular, yet still soft and curvy....but I don't know if my body will cooperate with those goals!:laugh:
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I think the girl on the right looks better. Both are a skinnier than I'd like to get, but if those were my only 2 choices I'd rather be the one on the right.

    I actually agree, but she's also not skinny-fat, either. She's just skinny. Maybe not even skinny... her bones aren't sticking out or anything.
  • auticus
    auticus Posts: 1,051 Member
    God bless western culture and what we consider "good" and "ugly".
  • LHSweeney
    LHSweeney Posts: 87 Member
    I say go for whatever makes you feel healthy and happy and full of energy. My goals are not like yours but its all good. I only take exception to the insane crap I hear from so many women who don't want to lift weights because they don't want their arms to look like "sticks with tiny buldges on them" Guess what women. That DOESNT HAPPEN FROM HAVING A REGULAR AND SENSIBLE WEIGHT LIFTING ROUTINE !!!!!!!! It doesn't happen unless you are genetically super skinny or you have EXTREME control over your diet and do massive amounts of lifting like 5 days a week or more .... I mean REALLY !? women who talk this nonsense tick me off. For your nice and self accepted fat, which I am not hating on, is not going to remain firm AND attractive unless you have some nice healthy MUSCLE under it. So have some beautiful smooth feminine fat, but if you lift weights and do ab work and some cardio 3 days a week your fat will look super hot and firm and rounded like you want it to. Don't be "skinny fat' Be fit AND curvy and healthy and happy. Bless you for asserting your individual choice : )
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
    Sorry for the sarcasm but to be frank, this is the weirdest goal that I ever saw on an online fitness community. Don't be surprised if you find most of us with a negative response because what the majority of us want is to be fitter & healthier, not to be "skinny-fat" (or normal weight obesity in medical terms) who maybe look thin but technically are overweight & obese & faces the same risks as with the actual overweight sedentary people. You should know that since you said you've been working in the health industry.
  • StatutoryGrape
    StatutoryGrape Posts: 365
    I thought this place was for support not for people to down people for what they say. If this is her goal, thats it. Don't judge. I feel like there is enough judging already in the outside world and this is supposed to be a safe place. I guess I thought wrong.

    This.

    I don't think there's anything wrong with losing weight and taking steps to be healthier, but to still have a soft, curvy body. Not everyone wants to have a six-pack, and that's okay.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I say go for whatever makes you feel healthy and happy and full of energy. My goals are not like yours but its all good. I only take exception to the insane crap I hear from so many women who don't want to lift weights because they don't want their arms to look like "sticks with tiny buldges on them" Guess what women. That DOESNT HAPPEN FROM HAVING A REGULAR AND SENSIBLE WEIGHT LIFTING ROUTINE !!!!!!!! It doesn't happen unless you are genetically super skinny or you have EXTREME control over your diet and do massive amounts of lifting like 5 days a week or more .... I mean REALLY !? women who talk this nonsense tick me off. For your nice and self accepted fat, which I am not hating on, is not going to remain firm AND attractive unless you have some nice healthy MUSCLE under it. So have some beautiful smooth feminine fat, but if you lift weights and do ab work and some cardio 3 days a week your fat will look super hot and firm and rounded like you want it to. Don't be "skinny fat' Be fit AND curvy and healthy and happy. Bless you for asserting your individual choice : )

    So, just to be clear you are fine with my goals but they really tick you off. Though it sounds like you really didn't read my posts so I'll just leave it.
  • SusanRN2b
    SusanRN2b Posts: 106 Member
    Sorry for the sarcasm but to be frank, this is the weirdest goal that I ever saw on an online fitness community. Don't be surprised if you find most of us with a negative response because what the majority of us want is to be fitter & healthier, not to be "skinny-fat" (or normal weight obesity in medical terms) who maybe look thin but technically are overweight & obese & faces the same risks as with the actual overweight sedentary people. You should know that since you said you've been working in the health industry.

    Generally when someone makes such ridiculous statements she is seeking attention. Who wants to be anything with the word "fat" in the title?!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Sorry for the sarcasm but to be frank, this is the weirdest goal that I ever saw on an online fitness community. Don't be surprised if you find most of us with a negative response because what the majority of us want is to be fitter & healthier, not to be "skinny-fat" (or normal weight obesity in medical terms) who maybe look thin but technically are overweight & obese & faces the same risks as with the actual overweight sedentary people. You should know that since you said you've been working in the health industry.

    Generally when someone makes such ridiculous statements she is seeking attention. Who wants to be anything with the word "fat" in the title?!

    What does a word have to do with anything? Would you want to be fat if had a title other than fat?
  • JulieF11
    JulieF11 Posts: 387 Member
    Hey, my first goal was to get out of the 200's. There is nothing wrong with setting a goal that makes us healthier, even if it's not what the rest of us would think is our ultimate goal.

    I have a dear friend who lost a ton of weight, got off diabetes meds and THEN started exercising. Her goals changed as she evolved into new stages. If your goal is "skinny fat", I support you 100%. You will still be healthier once you get there by simply doing the steps it takes to get there. Once you are there, then you can decide what you want. You may decide that you have more energy and exercising feels great (where it used to hurt)... you may start enjoy the feeling you get, or notice that you wake up with a spring in your step and like that feeling, and want to explore getting more fit. You may not.

    Our bodies are simply a casing of who we really are. It's important to take care of them, but who we are becoming along the way is even more important. I want you to love yourself and want the best for yourself. I don't care if your goal is "skinny fat" or athlete. I exercise a lot and yet I'll never have a flat, ripped stomach. My stomach has hanging, droopy skin.... So do you think all those sit-ups and crunches aren't worth it?!? Silly ones, of course they are. I am not doing them for "others" to see my accomplishments, but because I want better balance, and less chance of injury when I run, bike, etc... I need those core exercises. Of course, I'd love to have a ripped stomach, but without surgery (which I can't afford) it's not a reality.

    If you'd have told me a couple years ago that I was crazy with having my ultimate goal be "under 200" I may have gotten discouraged.... Who knows, maybe next year I'll be grinding my own wheat flour... But my next goal is to finish an Olympic Triathlon in the spring. (I'm in my mid-forties and was morbidly obese a couple years ago... who'd of thought I'd become an athlete??)

    Anyway, you go bcattoes! High fives for you. I'm happy you have a goal that is in line with a healthier you. Whether that truly becomes your ultimate goal (once you reach it) or not, your body is better off, so I support you.
  • auticus
    auticus Posts: 1,051 Member
    Believe it or not there was a time in western culture when being chubby was the most sought after physical qualities in a mate and a person.

    People with hard bodies were seen as laborers and trash.
  • KariQuiteContrary
    KariQuiteContrary Posts: 274 Member
    i don't think it means what you think it means....

    inconceivable!

    :laugh: You so just made my day!
  • jenomaha
    jenomaha Posts: 631 Member
    My arms don't look like this though unless I flex. So I walk around looking softer.


    So you're telling me you don't walk around busting out front double bicep poses? :tongue:

    Chris...only on days that end in "y" :tongue: lol!!!
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    I haven't read into any of this for a moment that the OP wants to be normal weight obese. Most of the people I have heard using the term "skinny fat" have meant it to mean anyone who doesn't have visible popping out muscles, which is not a look I would ever want to have. I am sure this is what the OP means.

    I feel there is a lot of completely baffling negativity on here towards anyone who doesn't want 6 pack abs and visible veins showing on the sinews in their arms. Those of us who don't like that look get constantly slated with no justification whatsoever. It isn't even HEALTHY to have a BF low enough to have serious abs as a woman. Ok, at 18% BF you can have some definition (I do myself, though I'd be happier not to), but to have popping muscles your BF actually has to be in a range lower than is optimal for women's reproductive health.

    Of course we are all biologically different and some women keep getting periods with 10% BF, but not many. I certainly don't below about 16% (my lowest BF was 14%).

    I am pretty muscly for a girl, and I find myself arguing this side because I see endless attacks on anyone who doesn't want to build muscle all the time on here. Some of us don't want to lift heavy weights, ok? Some of us have plenty of muscle without doing so, and some just don't like that look.
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
    "Skinny fat" doesn't mean "thin without crazy muscle definition." It means "thin with a high bodyfat percentage." Check out this girl:

    http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

    She doesn't have crazy definition like the bodybuilder posted earlier, yet she is incredibly muscular. She looks soft and feminine. She's not skinny fat. She just has a "normal" amount of bodyfat as opposed to an extremely low percentage.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    "Skinny fat" doesn't mean "thin without crazy muscle definition." It means "thin with a high bodyfat percentage." Check out this girl:

    http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

    She doesn't have crazy definition like the bodybuilder posted earlier, yet she is incredibly muscular. She looks soft and feminine. She's not skinny fat. She just has a "normal" amount of bodyfat as opposed to an extremely low percentage.

    I know, but it is very often used on here to mean just thin without much definition. It is pretty easy to assume that is what the OP means.

    I think a lot of people take things far too literally on here.
  • dhakiyya
    dhakiyya Posts: 481 Member
    I just thought of an analogy that might help. Some women wish they could look like Madonna and some wish they looked like Marilyn Monroe. I happen to prefer the Marilyn Monroe look. Some people today might call her a fat "skinny fat".

    Marilyn Monroe was definitely not skinny fat. And I've seen a pic of her doing bench presses in the gym. She was strong and healthy, and also had enough bodyfat so she didn't have muscle definition.

    Skinny fat (aka normal weight obesity) = high bodyfat %, very little muscle, risk of cardiovascular illness and scale weight within the so-called normal range. And weak, lacking in energy, slow metabolism and maintaining their weight by eating very little. Usually also at risk of osteoporosis (due to a combination of low calcium intake and no exercise).

    What Marilyn Monroe and lots of other really nice looking women have is good muscles and a healthy amount of body fat over them. Not too much to look fat, but not so little that you can see the definition of the muscles under it. If the Marilyn Monroe look is what you want to go for then great :) go for it :) but it's not skinny-fat and pumping iron will help you get there. You can control how much bodyfat you have over your muscles, when you get the look you want, raise your calories to maintenance and keep working out.
  • courtgosvener
    courtgosvener Posts: 66 Member
    I don't think it's an entirely bad thing. I think to each their own. I am obese and well my goal is to not be obese. My goal is 120 lbs lost. But that will not get me to the standards of society. I look good at 165. In high school I tried everything to get the scale under 165. I didn't understand being "fat" like I am now. I thought I was fat then. Society told me I should be 145, hell even 135. Even my BMI said to be 145. But, that doesn't figure in body type (I am big boned) and other things. To be honest, I think a lot of obese people wish to be "skinny fat" because it's better than being as big as a house. But truth be told, if I was below 200 right now, or closer to 165, "skinny fat" would not be my goal, because in high school it was muscle and lean and tough. It would be Muscle and Fitness Hers and Oxygen Magazine fit. That was my goal then and maybe if I get this 100 lbs off I will focus more on that goal.
  • Kim55555
    Kim55555 Posts: 987 Member
    I deffo want to tone up a wee bit myself, but I do think peoples attitudes towards skinny fat on this site are a bit harsh. I mean, it's still healthier to be skinny fat than obese, and to go from weighing like 300lb to 150lb is still amazing, even if it's purely through diet.

    So I say each to their own, yes we know it's healthier and you'll look better if you build a bit of muscle, but for people that aren't that fussed about being fit and strong, who are you ti judge what's right or wrong?

    I repeat, skinny fat is still a huge improvement on fat fat.

    in some ways i agree, but dont forget the visceral fat! This is the fat that surrounds the organs and skinny fat and fat fat people have this. The visceral fat causes all sorts of health problems.

    On another issue....some people who are slightly overweight and are fit and eat healthily may be far more healthy than a skinny fat person when you look at their insides etc etc.
  • Kim55555
    Kim55555 Posts: 987 Member
    YES!! Exactly. I don't particularly want visible muscles. I want to be able to feel them when I use them, but I don't want a six pack, i want a smooth soft flat tummy. I don't want "gun" but I do want only my hand to move when I wave bye-bye (no "bat wings") I want a booty and I'd like to to jiggle a little when it's slapped lightly. :blushing:

    This looks good to me (and my husband, thankfully) naked and in clothes. But more importantly it feels good. I don't want my husband to feel like he's curling up with bag of bones and muscle.

    I think just in imo you might be confused with what skinny fat is. I dont think you are aspiring for skinny fat. I think you want to look nice and toned, at a healthy weight and body fat % and look good naked (shapely)

    With me I like to exercise vigorously and with weights. I am striving for the athletic look. I want some muscle definition however dont want the extremes of getting large muscles and 6 packs. I want a flatter more defined tummy too. I also dont want to go to too low a weight because I need to have enough calories for my sport.

    I'm working really hard and my diet consists of a lot of brown rice, lean meats atm to achieve this look. I reckon i'm 4 - 6 months away from the body of my dreams and I am getting so excited now every time I visit the gym because when I do my weights I am seeing more and more muscle definition coming through as the fat covering the muscle gets burnt off. Exciting times indeed!

    A work colleage hadn't seen me in 4 months and her jaw dropped when she saw me. I'd only lost 2.5 kg but the change in my body compostion was dramatic. I lost a heap of centimetres. haha she thought I'd lost heaps more.

    All the best with it. :) Good work so far. Also at the 26-27% body fat you are at. That is a good healthy range of body fat. That isn't skinny fat. I'm atm 26.5%. I'm striving for low 20's. My problem area is my midsection which is what is keeping my bf % high. My legs are totally ripped. Lovely athletic looking definition.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    in some ways i agree, but dont forget the visceral fat! This is the fat that surrounds the organs and skinny fat and fat fat people have this. The visceral fat causes all sorts of health problems.

    Having visible fat does not mean you have visceral fat, just as having no visible fat does not mean you don't have visceral fat.

    In fact, among the medical people I deal with this is how the term 'skinny fat' is used. It describes those people who can eat anything they want without gaining weight so they consider themselves "lucky" enough to gorge on candy, fatty foods, simple carbs, etc. and make those the mainstay of their diet. But even though they don't develop visible fat, they can still develop visceral fat and be subject to all the diseases associated with it. Even having being thin and muscular doesn't guarantee you will have no visceral fat if you eat a poor diet.
  • Barneystinson
    Barneystinson Posts: 1,357 Member
    I (personally) think of the following physical characteristics when I think of "skinny fat":

    1. Bat wings
    2. Saggy boobs
    3. Jowls

    Common in women who lost a significant amount of weight at some point in their life through diet and little to no physical activity to spare or gain lean muscle mass and did not obtain any form of plastic surgery to remove excess skin.

    And look, I'm not here to go on a rant about how awesome it is to lift heavy. I like it, but I understand how some dislike it or don't wish to have muscle-laden legs of steel. You don't have to lift like a bodybuilder to have a trim physique. I lift heavy because I WANT to have an athletic physique.

    Regardless of that, you do need to stay active and push yourself. Reading your post you're not against physical activity or staying in shape so why have a goal of "skinny fat"? Why not simply say "I want to be trim" ???
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