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Original poster

Skinny fat?!

82 replies

KatzBiscuits · 01/10/2023 16:59

I weighed myself yesterday on one of those fancy machines where they also measure body fat percentages, and well, I'm stumped by the results! Apparently I have body fat of 42% which puts me into the obese range, yet my weight falls within the "healthy" bmi range for my height. This led me down the garden path of Dr Google and there seems to be such a thing as ' skinny fat ' where you present visually as an average sized person but internally I'm harbouring masses amounts of fat. What is this?! How did it happen?! Can anyone shed any light? Thanks!

OP posts:
Autumnunmasks · 01/10/2023 21:28

Skinny fat is definitely a thing sadly

Papillon23 · 01/10/2023 21:33

I am very skeptical of those scales. Mine reckon I am 19% fat which would be delightful except I'm 99% sure it can't be true. I'm pretty muscular but I'm also obese and not an Olympic rugby player/weight lifter.

Doyoureallyhavetoask · 01/10/2023 21:35

I think I'm the same, OP. Am trying to build muscle by doing lots of squats

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Weight management
minipie · 01/10/2023 21:39

I agree the scales body fat % isn’t reliable (eg it fluctuates according to how hydrated you are)

BUT it does sound like you may have been ignoring your unfitness because you are slim. I did the same for years and years and am only now regularly exercising in my 40s.

Recommend a combo of cardio (couch 2 5k is fab if your knees can hack it) and strength training (can use resistance bands, and/or bodyweight eg press ups, squats). You can find good strength training videos on youtube. Pilates is also brilliant although the body changes are slower but it is really good for preventing injury, back pain etc.

Original poster
KatzBiscuits · 01/10/2023 21:53

Papillon23 · 01/10/2023 21:33

I am very skeptical of those scales. Mine reckon I am 19% fat which would be delightful except I'm 99% sure it can't be true. I'm pretty muscular but I'm also obese and not an Olympic rugby player/weight lifter.

God I would love to be just a little bit muscular ! I hate the way that society automatically deems an overweight person to be unfit, whilst assuming all slim people are fit! It's clearly rubbish as my body fat percentages can testify

OP posts:
Original poster
KatzBiscuits · 01/10/2023 22:02

minipie · 01/10/2023 21:39

I agree the scales body fat % isn’t reliable (eg it fluctuates according to how hydrated you are)

BUT it does sound like you may have been ignoring your unfitness because you are slim. I did the same for years and years and am only now regularly exercising in my 40s.

Recommend a combo of cardio (couch 2 5k is fab if your knees can hack it) and strength training (can use resistance bands, and/or bodyweight eg press ups, squats). You can find good strength training videos on youtube. Pilates is also brilliant although the body changes are slower but it is really good for preventing injury, back pain etc.

Thanks for the advice. Yes my knees are truly shot, which again I've been ignoring or putting it down to age when it's probably a side effect of inadequate muscle to hold the knee caps in place. So sort of bone rubbing against bone. I definitely can't run because of the pain, but I think I can get on-board with some strengthening exercises . The resistance bands I've ordered are coming tomorrow! I know it's not going to be easy but I'll start slow and hope for improvement. I'll look at some Pilates exercises online too. I don't enjoy exercise at all so if I go in too hard I'll give up but I can't afford to at this point. I'm genuinely shocked that my body is comprised of almost 50% fat!

OP posts:
minipie · 01/10/2023 22:26

Yes I injured my knee just after completing couch 2 5k. At this point I’d been doing a bit of pilates but nothing else , I had ok core but little leg muscle. Physio said the injury was because of this - no muscle to support the knee on impact. I have since done lots of weights, built leg muscle and the knee is much better and now I can run without knee pain.

Anyway, in short, I agree stay off the running for now and focus on muscle strength - but once you feel you’ve really built leg strength then running might be on the cards again.

Look up resistance band workout on Youtube, I like Caroline Girvan and Madfit, lots of choice. Good luck!

Pilates, ideally you need an in person class to start with, so they can check you are using the right muscles, it’s easy to “cheat” in pilates and then it has no effect!

minipie · 01/10/2023 22:27

PS I hated exercise too but funnily enough it gets more enjoyable the fitter you get! Shouldn’t be a surprise really 😆

Hellostrawberries · 01/10/2023 23:01

Sorry but you MUST know that that's not accurate. 42% of 9 is 3.78. So nearly 4 stone. So you're saying that at 5'4 and 9 stone you've got nearly 4 stone of fat on your frame. You'd be literally deformed with blubber, there'd be no room for your bones, blood, organs etc. Know that the scales were wrong and that you're a slim person.

Original poster
KatzBiscuits · 01/10/2023 23:16

minipie · 01/10/2023 22:26

Yes I injured my knee just after completing couch 2 5k. At this point I’d been doing a bit of pilates but nothing else , I had ok core but little leg muscle. Physio said the injury was because of this - no muscle to support the knee on impact. I have since done lots of weights, built leg muscle and the knee is much better and now I can run without knee pain.

Anyway, in short, I agree stay off the running for now and focus on muscle strength - but once you feel you’ve really built leg strength then running might be on the cards again.

Look up resistance band workout on Youtube, I like Caroline Girvan and Madfit, lots of choice. Good luck!

Pilates, ideally you need an in person class to start with, so they can check you are using the right muscles, it’s easy to “cheat” in pilates and then it has no effect!

Very inspirational to hear how you turned your health around and ended up actually enjoying exercise! Beggars belief that anyone could actually enjoy it, but I've an open mind so you never know! Yes, it does seem likely that my knees are damaged due to lack of muscle, so I'll really be focusing on these areas first and foremost. Let's see how it works out but anything will be an improvement!

OP posts:
Original poster
KatzBiscuits · 01/10/2023 23:24

Hellostrawberries · 01/10/2023 23:01

Sorry but you MUST know that that's not accurate. 42% of 9 is 3.78. So nearly 4 stone. So you're saying that at 5'4 and 9 stone you've got nearly 4 stone of fat on your frame. You'd be literally deformed with blubber, there'd be no room for your bones, blood, organs etc. Know that the scales were wrong and that you're a slim person.

Well, yes I'm 🤷 too and when you break the calculation down like you just have, it does seem implausible but also totally terrifying. I've done a bit of reading on this skinny fat thing since first posting and it is a very real thing. Apparently the fat is stored around your internal organs which is the worst place to carry it and can lead to all types of health complications. Obviously I'd love for the scales to be wrong but it's too scary to not take seriously

OP posts:
AThickLayerOfLard · 01/10/2023 23:29

I know I’m skinny fat. I have a ridiculously low bmi but live on chocolate and I store weight on my tummy. Skinny arms and legs, no boobs or bum but I can look 5 months pregnant. 😬

pantypant · 02/10/2023 12:40

Hellostrawberries · 01/10/2023 23:01

Sorry but you MUST know that that's not accurate. 42% of 9 is 3.78. So nearly 4 stone. So you're saying that at 5'4 and 9 stone you've got nearly 4 stone of fat on your frame. You'd be literally deformed with blubber, there'd be no room for your bones, blood, organs etc. Know that the scales were wrong and that you're a slim person.

What do you think the 9 stone is made up of then? 4 stone of it being fat is not at all unlikely. That's 5 stone of bone and muscle (which the OP has said there is not much of) and organs.
A healthy person has between 22% and 32% fat. That's 2.5-3 stone of fat. If someone is carrying too much then it's hardly surprising that it could be 4 stone of fat.

Original poster
KatzBiscuits · 04/10/2023 11:03

For anyone interested, the resistance bands arrived and strangely enouugh, I'm quite enjoying the exercises! Who'd have thought it. They are the lightest ones, so don't have a huge amount of tension but this is best for me for the meantime as I am so weak. The leg exercises are excruciating obviously as I have so little muscle to work with, but the upper body ones are easier and I can feel the pain ( in a good way) today. The only thing in struggling with is knowing if I have the right technique. Does anyone know if they burn fat as well as build muscle ?

OP posts:
LoobyDop · 04/10/2023 11:07

I think those calculations can be a bit hit and miss. I had a health assessment this year, and compared to my last one three years ago, I have lost weight, lost cm around my waist and dropped BMI, but increased body fat. I don’t quite know how that works. It must have all gone on my arse 😄

Original poster
KatzBiscuits · 04/10/2023 11:12

LoobyDop · 04/10/2023 11:07

I think those calculations can be a bit hit and miss. I had a health assessment this year, and compared to my last one three years ago, I have lost weight, lost cm around my waist and dropped BMI, but increased body fat. I don’t quite know how that works. It must have all gone on my arse 😄

The hunan body is a strange thing. Lol. Mine's hiding out somewhere too, I'm suspecting my thighs !

OP posts:
minipie · 04/10/2023 11:12

Does anyone know if they burn fat as well as build muscle ?

Well any kind of exercise will use calories and so help with weight loss. Doing strength exercises doesn’t use up nearly as many calories as say cardio BUT once you have built muscle, the extra muscle burns more calories just by existing, so your whole metabolism improves. If that makes sense!

tectonicplates · 04/10/2023 11:13

Skinny fat is just another way of body shaming people. All this stuff about “strong is the new sexy” or “healthy is the new skinny” is still telling women they should aspire to look a certain way.

If you want to make some changes in your life for health reasons then fine, but in terms of what we’re supposed to look like I still find it annoying.

Original poster
KatzBiscuits · 04/10/2023 11:19

@minipie ahhh, ok, yes that does sort of make sense . So I'm on the right track

OP posts:
Original poster
KatzBiscuits · 04/10/2023 11:21

@tectonicplates I hear what you're saying but for me it's a matter of health. My creaking achy knees and sore joints are screaming for help so I'm trying to oblige.

OP posts:
minipie · 04/10/2023 11:26

Skinny fat is just another way of body shaming people

No it really isn’t. It isn’t about looks at all, it’s actually the opposite. It’s saying that even if your body looks “ideal” ie slim, you may still have poor fitness and need to do some exercise for health reasons. It’s actually quite a useful phrase I think and helped give me a wake up call.

tectonicplates · 04/10/2023 11:28

That’s fine if you’re actually interested in your health. I’m talking about “inspirational” quotes on social media with associated phrases.

ModeWeasel · 04/10/2023 11:40

A bit of a shock but also great to know so you can do something about it. I found out I had similar % fat and am working on reducing it. Slow but steady progress. A few thoughts:

  1. What was the machine? Home scales or something like Dexa or Bodyscan? This will help work out how accurate it is
  2. How much protein do you eat? I had no idea I was massively under eating for this and upping it helps when building muscle. Maybe try getting an app and tracking macros (protein, carb, fat)
  3. Progressive weight training will likely have the biggest impact on muscle increase and will also support bone health. It builds over time so aim to make it a long-term habit

I found Facebook groups like PLT Nutrition v helpful to get my head round the key points and basics of what works to successfully change body composition and health over time.

minipie · 04/10/2023 12:03

tectonicplates · 04/10/2023 11:28

That’s fine if you’re actually interested in your health. I’m talking about “inspirational” quotes on social media with associated phrases.

I haven’t seen any of those using the phrase skinny fat.

Laurdo · 04/10/2023 12:11

Skinny fat is definitely a thing. I trained with a PT for 3 months and at the end of the 3 months had gained 1kg however had lost inches and looked noticeably more toned.

Body fat percentage is definitely a better thing to go on than BMI but unfortunately some of the machines aren't that accurate.

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