Skinny Fat?

Like someone said, it happens a lot when you lose a significant amount of weight. I am a prime example of this. When I was my size before I gained weight, I had a lot of muscle but some fat. Then I gained weight, lost it, and now I have just fat, even though I'm 35 pounds lighter than I was initially. Go figure.

Some people can look normal but have high amounts of internal of visceral fat. This is white fat that coats around internal organs and shows up in MRI scans. Once someone starts exercising, it can reduce significantly.

I consider myself fat even though I think I must be quite skinny as I wear children's clothes.
Basically I don't have much of a covering on my bones but what there is is generally wobbly and squishy. It's disgusting.

I win! (yuk!)

I am 5'5.5", 134lbs, with BMI of 22 and I wear dress size 10 (pants) / 12 (tops) but my body fat % is 33%.

It was 33% when I started on MFP and I have lost 13lbs but it's still 33%!

I know I need to start lifting weights but getting to the gym with my schedule is unrealistic at the moment.

Any ideas of what I can do at home or how I can change my diet?

Thanks (that was horrible posting that photo!)

I can't get the photo to work - can anyone help?

I win! (yuk!)

I am 5'5.5", 134lbs, with BMI of 22 and I wear dress size 10 (pants) / 12 (tops) but my body fat % is 33%.

It was 33% when I started on MFP and I have lost 13lbs but it's still 33%!

I know I need to start lifting weights but getting to the gym with my schedule is unrealistic at the moment.

Any ideas of what I can do at home or how I can change my diet?

Thanks (that was horrible posting that photo!)

I can't get the photo to work - can anyone help?

We should start a club. I'm 5'5 and now weigh about 127-130. I also have somewhere between 25 and 28 percent bf (yuck!). I have a relatively fast metabolism and am inactive by nature, so I tend to be "skinny fat." I'm now lifting heavy weights and watching my macros.

I hate the words skinny and fat. I'd rather be healthy than labelled either skinny or fat. Its ridiculous.

Girl me too...I don't want to be fat or skinny, I love having curves however with those curves I definately have to have a healthy weight and feel good about myself. If I would be the weight that im supposed to be at 5'8 I would look like a skeleton and that definately is not what im wanting soooo I choose to be healthy

Hopefully that will do it!

To help at home:

Planks
Squats (no weights needed at first)
Lunges across the room
Push ups
Sit ups/crunches/Leg Lifts
Plyo Jumps

Buy a Jillian Michaels DVD (or Brazillian Butt Lift, P90X, etc) to help.

lots of ways to do it at home - no excuses.

I ussed to be skinny fat. All I cared about was the number on the scale. Actually....I wont lie, I still care (too much) about the number on the scale. However, the big however is that I have now incorporated much more weight lifting to my workouts where before I'd only run (and run and run)!
I actually have a good 4pack, biceps and thigh muscles that were never there before. NSV - I had someone yesterday who hasn't seen me in 3 weeks ask me how much more weight I've lost. I said, none - actually I've gained 2lbs since you last saw me. But he didn't believe me. Although I have not lost the weight I want to - I have lost the inches (and BF (from 27% to 21%)).

Skinny and healthy can very well be two very different terms!!

<

---

Definition of skinny fat.

I was always skin and bones growing up. I weighed in my senior year for football at 6', 135 lbs. I could obviously eat whatever I wanted.

Once I hit my 20s, got married, and got a lot less active, the pounds started creeping on. I'm currently at 180 or so, which at the high end of the healthy BMI range, but I have plenty of weight to lose. Minimal muscle definition and mass, but too much around the gut.

I actually got down to 159 at one point, but I still had "love handles" that I couldn't get rid of, but I couldn't manage to lose anymore weight (didn't have MFP at the time to get me over the hump). I tried like heck at that point to put on some lean weight, but my genetics apparently aren't condusive to that, so I slowly crept back up to where I am. :grumble:

I agree with this. There are too many labels we stick on both ourselves and others.

What else can we use? Sign language? Smoke signals? At some point we need words to discuss ideas.

I've seen it mean different things. Sometimes "fat" is meant to be "overweight" or "obese".

Other times, I hear it used far more harshly, in the sense there is some normal healthy fat visible or present. Those people expect you have to be 10-15% BF to not be "fat". There, "fat" means "not ripped".

Personally, if I ever uttered the term "skinny fat" (which I don't), I would use to mean having a too-high bodyfat counts (around 25 men, 30 women) but still having normal weight. I wouldn't ever apply it to a normal-BF/weight person who simply isn't ripped or toned enough.

Skinny fat = the lower weight

WOW some of these pics are amazing!!

How did you do it? Just strength training? What about cals and diet?

Did you have to eat consistently clean to achieve this?

I need to figure out how this can work for me! Advice much appreciated. Thanks..

For me personally: (my pic in my profile images)

Monitoring calories, and macros, adding in strength training a few days a week , lifting heavy, low reps. I personally also still do some cardio, but thats because I am still working on lowering my bodyfat still. You may or may not need cardio with the resistance trainingg.

To build muscle (which is what lowers your bodyfat to a better level, and tightens jiggles) you need to eat closer to your maintenance level range, (or possibly above, depending on your body) making sure you have enough protein (.5-1 gram per pound of lean body weight, or your goal weight) Dont cut yourself to short on good fats or carbs, or you will not be able to workout as well as you need to, or build and repair muscle.

Calorie level sort of depends on where you are at, and what you are doing, what your goals are etc.

Are your trying to lose fat, and maintain lean mass, or are you trying to mainly build in some muscle, on where you already are?

I do not eat "clean" I do choose nutrient dense, and healthy foods generally, but if I want a chocolate chip cookie, or two, I have one, If I want some Kraft Mac and Cheese, I have some, If I want some Taco bell I have some. I have chocolate often Usually pizza, ice cream or fast food once a week, just depending on whats going on

-as long as I stay in my calorie goals for the day./week Using common sense, moderation, etc.


Do I eat Taco Bell or Kraft Mac and Cheese every day? Nope. Do I limit these - yes - but I donot ban them

I do not have any banned foods. I do have calorie ranges to stay in and protein levels to hit - so thats my focus. Then I eat what myself and my family enjoys, aiming for healthy food choices, but also allowing in a wide range of good and so called "bad" foods, to allow us to live and enjoy life.

This is not a diet for me, just lifestyle adaptations..

Different people have different diets they prefer, based on their goals, and health needs, and personal preferences. So you can use whatever eating style you like, in reason, as long as you are not so low on calories you are preventing muscle building, and as long as you have enough proteins, carbs and fats for your needs.

I also personally have a free day once a week, which allows me to go out an eat some fast food, or whatever that I could not incorporate in my daily calorie ranges.

I have lost almost 60 pounds, lowered body fat, and pretty tight all over now, with some light muscle definition. Though i am still trying to drop a bit more fat, to get my body shape goal. But I am at my goal size. Will post another link for you in a min, with more pics.

Same weight. 4 months difference.

WOW some of these pics are amazing!!

How did you do it? Just strength training? What about cals and diet?

Did you have to eat consistently clean to achieve this?

I need to figure out how this can work for me! Advice much appreciated. Thanks..

For me personally: (my pic in my profile images)

Monitoring calories, and macros, adding in strength training a few days a week , lifting heavy, low reps. I personally also still do some cardio, but thats because I am still working on lowering my bodyfat still. You may or may not need cardio with the resistance trainingg.

To build muscle (which is what lowers your bodyfat to a better level, and tightens jiggles) you need to eat closer to your maintenance level range, (or possibly above, depending on your body) making sure you have enough protein (.5-1 gram per pound of lean body weight, or your goal weight) Dont cut yourself to short on good fats or carbs, or you will not be able to workout as well as you need to, or build and repair muscle.

Calorie level sort of depends on where you are at, and what you are doing, what your goals are etc.

Are your trying to lose fat, and maintain lean mass, or are you trying to mainly build in some muscle, on where you already are?

I do not eat "clean" I do choose nutrient dense, and healthy foods generally, but if I want a chocolate chip cookie, or two, I have one, If I want some Kraft Mac and Cheese, I have some, If I want some Taco bell I have some. I have chocolate often Usually pizza, ice cream or fast food once a week, just depending on whats going on

-as long as I stay in my calorie goals for the day./week Using common sense, moderation, etc.


Do I eat Taco Bell or Kraft Mac and Cheese every day? Nope. Do I limit these - yes - but I donot ban them

I do not have any banned foods. I do have calorie ranges to stay in and protein levels to hit - so thats my focus. Then I eat what myself and my family enjoys, aiming for healthy food choices, but also allowing in a wide range of good and so called "bad" foods, to allow us to live and enjoy life.

This is not a diet for me, just lifestyle adaptations..

Different people have different diets they prefer, based on their goals, and health needs, and personal preferences. So you can use whatever eating style you like, in reason, as long as you are not so low on calories you are preventing muscle building, and as long as you have enough proteins, carbs and fats for your needs.

I also personally have a free day once a week, which allows me to go out an eat some fast food, or whatever that I could not incorporate in my daily calorie ranges.

I have lost almost 60 pounds, lowered body fat, and pretty tight all over now, with some light muscle definition. Though i am still trying to drop a bit more fat, to get my body shape goal. But I am at my goal size. Will post another link for you in a min, with more pics.

Thank you. This is very helpful. I think i will increase my cals to my BMR and make an effort to lift heavier and see what changes there are. It's nice to see that you can still have treats and eat normal food

Skinny fat is looking skinny but not having muscle definition. You burn muscle instead of fat. It's from improper eating and lack of weight training. It leaves you with the appearance of having a small figure but you actually look flabby and blubbery because fat is replacing muscle.