What exactly is skinny fat?

24

Replies

  • Tuesdayfortnite
    Tuesdayfortnite Posts: 3 Member
    To clarify slightly, and why skinny fat is a problem:

    yes it's to do with your body fat %. But it's to do with WHERE that % is distributed in your body. I am a UK size 12, but my body fat is 33%. This means I'm 'internally obese' (not my term, the doctors). what that means is that almost all my extra fat (about 15% in this case for normal ranges of 18 - 20% for women my height) is packed around my internal organs, meaning my liver, pancreas, lungs, etc.. have to work extra hard, and can't work efficiently. That fatty liver can't clean my system like it should, resulting in more fatty deposits.... long term it can lead to high cholestrol, high blood pressure, heart disease, increased risk of diabetes....

    I look slim when dressed (as already beautifully summed up) but I'm actually very unhealthy. My current high % is due to recent illness, and I'm getting to a point where I can start to kick this. However 'normally' I'm a professional dancer so have high muscle ratio, and my BMI has the same problem of athletes in that I have a lot of muscle for my height - I am, by normal non-gym member standards 'fit'. It's not a case of I'm not fit and can't lift weights etc... it's all down to the fat and where it is.

    And to counter the poster who said that muffin top goes over the top of "too-tight-pants" - I have a muffin top naked - it's about excess fat (though I agree that most young women seem to believe they are a dress size smaller than they are ;-)
  • 10acity
    10acity Posts: 798 Member
    The definition of skinny fat is my before pics...Yikes!!! Definitely not desirable :/

    I'd trade you for your "before" body any day.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,992 Member
    I personally never heard of this term until I came here. So I finally looked it up on Google and all I can work out is its people who are thin with no muscle definition! Is that what it means and if so what's so wrong with that? A lot of the pictures under that where of people with bodies I could only dream of having. So is that what it means or have I got it completely wrong?
    Skinny/fat is having a HIGH amount of fat while appearing skinny. It doesn't mean muscle definition, it's that ratio of lean muscle to fat with fat being a high ratio. A skinny fat person can till have 28% bodyfat and still appear skinny.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Symphony6
    Symphony6 Posts: 116 Member
    There's a select bunch of people on MFP that I honestly don't think I could have ever called "fat." They want to get fit and ripped and that is great for them!

    However, there are those of us who have been obese, maybe all our lives, maybe just since we had kids (like me) who haven't seen their feet in 20 years and would give anything to be "skinny-fat."

    Fit is great, but I call "skinny-fat" NORMAL. Yes, exercise does a body good, and resistance training has amazing health benefits, especially as people age, but the fat people on here (like me) need to mostly ignore posts that make them feel like even after they lose the weight, they won't be good enough. You ARE good enough. Continue with your path to lose weight. Then make the decision to go further if you want to.
  • _JPH_
    _JPH_ Posts: 25
    I was hoping they would come out with "Sexy Fat" but until then, I run......:wink:
  • psiren28
    psiren28 Posts: 530 Member
    skinny fat looks good with cloths on, not off.

    True, that's me that is :grumble:

    People tell me I don't need to lose any more weight because I look quite slim but there's a ton of flobble going on under the clothes.
  • JipsyJudy
    JipsyJudy Posts: 268 Member
    I've read medical studies that state that people who are in the bottom quarter of their "healthy" weight range have fewer problems with a whole range of diseases. Also if it motivates a person to stay fit, then I'm all for encouraging the practice of getting rid of skinny fat. Fat has almost no healthy purpose at all in a society where we don't have to worry about periods of famine. I'm shooting for the bottom quarter of the healthy weight range as my goal here.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I work in the healthcare industry and had always heard this term used to refer to people who are naturally thin but eat unhealthy diets and develop unhealthy fat around their organs.

    On this site it seems to mean people who are thin, but not muscular.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    Fit is great, but I call "skinny-fat" NORMAL. Yes, exercise does a body good, and resistance training has amazing health benefits, especially as people age, but the fat people on here (like me) need to mostly ignore posts that make them feel like even after they lose the weight, they won't be good enough. You ARE good enough. Continue with your path to lose weight. Then make the decision to go further if you want to.

    This is an unfortunate viewpoint for 2 reasons:
    1. Shows the sad state of health in modern society that you would consider a fundamentally unhealthy condition "normal."
    2. You seem to think that gaining muscle is something that you do AFTER you lose the fat. Building lean muscle is the best way to burn the fat away to begin with.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I personally never heard of this term until I came here. So I finally looked it up on Google and all I can work out is its people who are thin with no muscle definition! Is that what it means and if so what's so wrong with that? A lot of the pictures under that where of people with bodies I could only dream of having. So is that what it means or have I got it completely wrong?
    Skinny/fat is having a HIGH amount of fat while appearing skinny. It doesn't mean muscle definition, it's that ratio of lean muscle to fat with fat being a high ratio. A skinny fat person can till have 28% bodyfat and still appear skinny.

    28% BF falls within the healthy range of charts I've seen. It's not at the athlete level, but it is in the healthy range so why would that be considered HIGH?
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I get the whole idea behind this. But I can't help thinking the phrase is crazy. Now we're even calling skinny people fat? C'mon.

    I think it's got it's own phrase because it's still technically unhealthy, you might be at less risk from certain things but you're still shoving a load of rubbish in you for years on end, something's got to give!

    Why do you assume that skinny fat people eat rubbish? It's quite possible to become overweight eating healthy food. What many of the weight lifter MFP member refer to as skinny fat is not necessarily unhealthy. It's really more about a "look".
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
    http://www.crossfitsouthbay.com/2011/05/skinny-fat/


    This website has great info on what is Skinny fat !!!

    Thank you! I'm loving this link! I am essentially that 30% Body Fat example - spot on :)
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I'm not sure I was ever technically "skinny fat," but retaining my lean muscle while losing weight certainly looks a lot better than losing my lean muscle while losing weight. It was just a matter of getting the right nutrition and exercise.

    Before picture was at about 130 pounds after eating under 1000 calories a day to lose about 20 pounds.

    After picture is a little over 130 pounds after eating around 1800-2000 calories a day to lose about 30 pounds.

    five-years-later.jpg

    A pair of the jeans I wore then at 130 pounds, and the jeans I'm wearing now.

    IMG_3265.jpg

    Avoiding becoming skinny fat is easy... or at least just as easy as losing weight and becoming skinny fat. Exercise and eat right. Don't focus only on dropping pounds as quickly as possible.
  • kylesmommy89
    kylesmommy89 Posts: 356 Member
    The definition of skinny fat is my before pics...Yikes!!! Definitely not desirable :/

    I'd trade you for your "before" body any day.

    Well, it was unacceptable to me. I felt like crap all the time and was really unhealthy. I feel like a new person now. Skinny fat sucks.
  • bekki0927
    bekki0927 Posts: 57
    man that one article says it takes years to get non skinny fat.... : ( thats kind of daunting. years of super clean diet, years of intense training....what about us that like to do some normal everyday activities ex: like dinner out with our family once a month, and birthday cake, and taking vacations. how is this manageable for people like that. does that mean I'll never build muscle or be toned....
  • Hambone23
    Hambone23 Posts: 486 Member
    Why can't it be a more productive phrase like "skinny fit" or "skinny unfit." It's terms like "skinny fat" that make certain people who are susceptible to eating disorders justify their image that they're "fat."
  • Symphony6
    Symphony6 Posts: 116 Member
    Fit is great, but I call "skinny-fat" NORMAL. Yes, exercise does a body good, and resistance training has amazing health benefits, especially as people age, but the fat people on here (like me) need to mostly ignore posts that make them feel like even after they lose the weight, they won't be good enough. You ARE good enough. Continue with your path to lose weight. Then make the decision to go further if you want to.

    This is an unfortunate viewpoint for 2 reasons:
    1. Shows the sad state of health in modern society that you would consider a fundamentally unhealthy condition "normal."
    2. You seem to think that gaining muscle is something that you do AFTER you lose the fat. Building lean muscle is the best way to burn the fat away to begin with.

    You can build lean muscle while losing weight, I am not discouraging that. Perhaps I should have worded it better, but as one poster said above, I would give anything to be that girl's before picture. You don't have to look like Jamie Eason to be healthy. I would also like to know how you get the idea that being of an "average" build, at around 30% body fat is unhealthy? Where is the article that being average, i.e. normal, is bad?
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
    I get the whole idea behind this. But I can't help thinking the phrase is crazy. Now we're even calling skinny people fat? C'mon.

    It's not about calling skinny people fat... it's saying that just because one is skinny, it doesn't necessarily mean they are healthy... on the inside... skinny obese people can still have higher body fat percentatges, fatty livers, clogged arteries, weak lungs, type 2 diabetes and all the other unhealthy attributes commonly associated with overweight/obese people. It has little to do with appearance and everything to do with their health.
  • Symphony6
    Symphony6 Posts: 116 Member
    Why can't it be a more productive phrase like "skinny fit" or "skinny unfit." It's terms like "skinny fat" that make certain people who are susceptible to eating disorders justify their image that they're "fat."
    I agree with you. Seems we're giving people another reason to look in the mirror and feel that, because they don't look good naked, feel as though they're not good enough.
  • mslack01
    mslack01 Posts: 823 Member
    This certainly isn't the technical condition, but all of my life until I hit my thirties I weighed 95-105 lbs. I was skinny. But my diet was awful---full of processed foods, sugary drinks, loaded carbs, fatty foods. I just naturally had a high metabolism. However, by 38 years old I had a total cholesterol of 389 and I had to be put on cholesterol meds. I was also found to be prediabetic. I still only weighed about 125 lbs. So, I have since had to change my lifestyle. I still really struggle with foods because I ate that way for so long and never knew anything different. It's just not healthy. It's not all about being skinny. I was already high-risk for cancer and heart disease because of genetics, but because of how I treated my body, I put myself at high-risk for heart attack and stroke also.
  • jackpotclown
    jackpotclown Posts: 3,275 Member
    What exactly is skinny fat? Oprah
  • kylesmommy89
    kylesmommy89 Posts: 356 Member
    man that one article says it takes years to get non skinny fat.... : ( thats kind of daunting. years of super clean diet, years of intense training....what about us that like to do some normal everyday activities ex: like dinner out with our family once a month, and birthday cake, and taking vacations. how is this manageable for people like that. does that mean I'll never build muscle or be toned....

    It doesn't take years!! Your diet doesn't have to be perfect. Do the 80/20 rule!! I go out to eat all the time, drink alcohol, and just ate bday cake a couple weeks ago. You just have to find a balance!! Everyone here says that you have to lift really heavy to build muscle, but I've been able to do it with Jillian videos and now 8lb dumbbells, started at 3lb. I want to get into lifting, but haven't found a weight set yet. I eat anywhere from 1500 to 2000 and sometimes more cals a day!! You don't have to starve yourself!!
  • Symphony6
    Symphony6 Posts: 116 Member
    What exactly is skinny fat? Oprah
    Oprah isn't in her normal weight range. She has always had problems maintaining a healthy weight.
  • bekki0927
    bekki0927 Posts: 57
    man that one article says it takes years to get non skinny fat.... : ( thats kind of daunting. years of super clean diet, years of intense training....what about us that like to do some normal everyday activities ex: like dinner out with our family once a month, and birthday cake, and taking vacations. how is this manageable for people like that. does that mean I'll never build muscle or be toned....

    It doesn't take years!! Your diet doesn't have to be perfect. Do the 80/20 rule!! I go out to eat all the time, drink alcohol, and just ate bday cake a couple weeks ago. You just have to find a balance!! Everyone here says that you have to lift really heavy to build muscle, but I've been able to do it with Jillian videos and now 8lb dumbbells, started at 3lb. I want to get into lifting, but haven't found a weight set yet. I eat anywhere from 1500 to 2000 and sometimes more cals a day!! You don't have to starve yourself!!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Why can't it be a more productive phrase like "skinny fit" or "skinny unfit." It's terms like "skinny fat" that make certain people who are susceptible to eating disorders justify their image that they're "fat."
    I agree with you. Seems we're giving people another reason to look in the mirror and feel that, because they don't look good naked, feel as though they're not good enough.

    It's also important to remember that "looking goog" in clothes or without is just an opinion. I have seen some before and after pics on this site where IMO the before pic looked better. Different looks appeal to different people. Just do what makes you happy.
  • bekki0927
    bekki0927 Posts: 57
    ok sweet! i was getting a little freaked out lol. I get over whelmed easily and i was thinking holy s$*!.....
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    2. You seem to think that gaining muscle is something that you do AFTER you lose the fat. Building lean muscle is the best way to burn the fat away to begin with.

    I'll take that one step further and say it's more a matter of retaining muscle than building it. If you're carrying around an extra 30-50-whatever amount of pounds everywhere, you probably have a decent amount of muscle. Eat right and exercise to keep it.

    Skinny fat, in my opinion, is the result of dieting with the main goal being the number on the scale and losing it as quickly as possible. People who immediately set themselves to lose 2# a week, especially if they only have 10-20 pounds to lose, are setting themselves up to be skinny fat. Then they lose the weight, aren't happy with the results because they lost just as much muscle as fat, and think they need to lose even MORE weight.

    If they'd set out to lose a half pound a week, and monitored their progress by measurements and photos, they'd probably have reached their goal body long before they reached their goal weight, because the majority of the weight they lost would have been fat.
  • scraver2003
    scraver2003 Posts: 526 Member
    I have heard/read that thin people can have fat deposits around their heart and other organs. So, a fat person who is in shape, but has no fat around their organs can have lower risks of some diseases than someone who is thin and does have fat around their organs.
  • beckyinma
    beckyinma Posts: 1,433 Member
    skinny fat looks good with cloths on, not off.

    That's me and my legs... :( I'm working on it though...
  • Hambone23
    Hambone23 Posts: 486 Member
    I get the whole idea behind this. But I can't help thinking the phrase is crazy. Now we're even calling skinny people fat? C'mon.

    It's not about calling skinny people fat... it's saying that just because one is skinny, it doesn't necessarily mean they are healthy... on the inside... skinny obese people can still have higher body fat percentatges, fatty livers, clogged arteries, weak lungs, type 2 diabetes and all the other unhealthy attributes commonly associated with overweight/obese people. It has little to do with appearance and everything to do with their health.

    Actually, it is calling skinny people fat. Thus, the term skinny/fat. I guarantee most people who don't train would have to look that up, which they probably wouldn't. They'd hear "fat" and think you were calling them fat/fat. Not to mention you'd probably hurt their feelings and ruin their day. As for health concerns, being fit can only take you so far. Genetics does play its own role. (And no, I'm not saying fat people should blame being fat on genetics. I'm just saying that because of genetics even fit people can be susceptible to certain health-related issues.)
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