Skinny fat?!

[KatzBiscuits]

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!

This woman is a very established content creator so I'm accepting her stats as fact. I've seen many people show this sort of thing and I know myself to a lesser degree that this is true. The middle photo she is skinny fat. As she builds muscle she regains a lot of weight but clearly it's not fat

Skinny fat is a thing, and the most dangerous place to have fat is around your middle (because it means you likely have internal fat around your organs, which is a causal factor in diabetes and other metabolical issues).

BMI is a range because it takes into account people's body shape and frame. It doesn't mean you are automatically healthy if your BMI is under 25. You might need to be lower than that.

Your waist diameter should be less than half your height. Mine is in the safe zone at a BMI of around 24.5, but I have a large frame.

It's the opposite of body shaming. It's saying that it's not all about how you look/what size clothing you wear. It's about being actually healthy. You can be larger and heavier but healthier. Although I do not subscribe to the idea that you can be obese with a lot of body fat and healthy.

I'm grateful to all those who have posted that ' skinny fat' is a real thing. You've helped to educate me which will hopefully set me on the right track to dealing with this issue. I've had a lot of push back from friends and family since revealing my body fat percentages from, oh, you're slim already what a load of nonsense to you're a middle aged woman of course your figure will change with age... If I was to listen them I could easily convince myself that it's normal and to carry on as I were. It's clearly not about weight and I have no issue with being larger, but for the sake of my health I have to address the blubber lurking underneath. The poster who posted the pics above - that's really really useful.

It’s shaming skinny people, and it’s shaming people who aren’t strong or healthy for various reasons, including various medical conditions. It’s still telling us that building muscle is the right way to look that we should all aspire to. I get that it’s a reaction against the fashion industry promoting very thin models, but it still has an air of our bodies are better than yours and we’re more attractive than you.

It's really interesting. I'm well into the 'overweight' category on BMI and weigh quite a bit more than you OP, but my body fat is 30%. I do a lot of strength/ weight training though. Maybe you could do something to try and increase your muscle mass?

I've been skinny all my life. I hit Perimeno and put on a stone in weight, mostly on my stomach. Apparently, this is what happens when your estrogen starts to become low.
As I said above, my cholesterol is high as well. It's not about how I look and all about how healthy I feel. I don't give two shits about what I look like as long as I can stay active and healthy.
I bought those fitness bands and have been using them for a couple of months.
They're great for improving strength.

Yes, it's been a real eye opener and wake up call for me! There is so much focus on bmi and weight but body fat mass is rarely talkeabout. so you get people like me who have drifted through the years not paying any attention to their stats, under the guise of ' well I look ok and the scales are telling me the same thing, so there's nothing to worry about'! I've started some light resistance training now!

That's great. Strength training really changed my life. I was lucky to have a personal trainer and would highly recommend it if you can afford one.

I'd recommend a pair of 5kg dumbbells too if you can teach yourself how to do some basic exercises with them (step ups, bench press & deadlifts are all great). I've also got an 8kg kettlebell which I love, it's a really quick way to tone up.

It's nothing to do with being attractive, it's to do with health. Obviously some people can't exercise due to medical conditions or disability, but that doesn't mean that people who aren't in those situations shouldn't try to be healthy.

Building muscle is important as women get older, because of the risks of osteoporosis. Carrying internal fat increases the risk of developing diabetes and other metabolic conditions.

The trend for muscles in an aesthetic sense probably owes more to the Marvel franchise than anything else. Bodies are commodified and fetishised in human culture, always have been and probably always will be.

When I was a teen in the 90s, the heroin-chic, ultra-skinny look was in vogue, which was really only achievable by very tiny white women starving themselves. At least the current obsession with muscle is more inclusive.

BUT I have a hugely sweet tooth and can happily gorge on chocolate.

There's your answer. To score so high at your weight you must have high levels of visceral fat (the dangerous sort) and this is a precursor to all sorts of problems. Type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, etc etc.

The machine may be inaccurate, but hardly by that much one would think.

My DH is skinny fat. His weight is very healthy, but constitutes more than the right amount of fat vs muscles. He needs to build more muscles and lose the fat whilst keeping the same weight. Especially visceral fat which sits around your vital organs in your torso region.
Eat more protein
Do some weights
Gradually you'll tilt the balance and feel much fitter and stronger

Instead of BMI use the waist: height and waist:hips measurements which are more relevant

Thanks all. Yes I'm a confirmed chocolate fiend, can't stop eating the bloody stuff. I now know this is stupid, but in years gone by I'd consume my entire calories for the day in sweet stuff. My thought was, all calories are equal so I may as well have 12 curley wurleys for instance rather than 'waste ' my intake on salads. Ironically, these were my proper skinny years where I retained my 7.5 stones without any real effort Yeah, daft I know. I now enjoy cooking and I like vegetables and healthy stuff, but the love for junk has remained. The visceral fat scares me. I wouldn't say I have a particularly podgy tummy though, I carry most of my weight distribution on my thighs. I used to have a very curvy bum even at my lowest weights, but that has shrunk too or else gravity has took hold!

Am I the only person finding this thread a bit disturbing? Yes, ‘skinny fat’ may be a thing, and building muscle through exercise/increasing protein intake may be a good thing. But ultimately it’s just one more stick for otherwise healthy women to beat ourselves with, along with cankles or cellulite or turkey neck or whatever other invented flaw is in the news or SM this week. Instead of looking good, it’s about having the right numbers on some machine.

I have never trusted those machines since one of them came up with 60%fat on a 5 ft 3 normal shaped 10 stone figure. And I have yet to be convinced that the correlation between the ‘right’ numbers on a domestic body analyser and long term health is entirely valid.

OP - by all means improve your diet and your workout schedule. But fretting over these measurements should not be what health is about.

10 stone at 5'3" does suggest there would be quite an excess amount of body fat

Sounds like you have a massive chip on your shoulder tbh

Having excess fat isn't healthy though. And it's not just another thing to beat women over the head with. It applies to men too. My friend's dad was built like a rake but ate crap and had angina at a young age.

Just because you feel healthy doesn't mean you necessarily are or that you aren't lining yourself up for future health problems. My dad is overweight but does CrossFit, goes to the gym regularly at 68 and feels fit and healthy. He overeats though and drinks too much. He's just been told he's pre-diabetic.

By all means ignore the numbers but you just have to look at people around you to see we clearly have a national problem with obesity. People can take offence, stick their heads in the sand or give themselves whatever excuses to not improve their health. OP has had a bit of a reality check and has admitted to not eating the healthiest so is it really that disturbing that's she's keen to do something to improve their health?

I don’t think the OP is obsessing about her body fat % on a machine. It was simply the wake up call which made her realise that just because she is slim, doesn’t mean she is in great health - she doesn’t do much exercise and her joints are painful. If you read her posts it is very clearly health and fitness she is aiming at rather than body fat reduction per se.

I wouldn't say I have a particularly podgy tummy though

Visceral fat is a problem because it is wrapped around your organs - and utlimately infiltrates your liver and pancreas, etc.

But ultimately it’s just one more stick for otherwise healthy women to beat ourselves with, along with cankles or cellulite or turkey neck or whatever other invented flaw is in the news or SM this week.

No, it isn't. It's a problem for both sexes, and it is a massive health risk.

I'm the opposite, I think I look really fat and wobbly but those machine say I have low body fat. It just can't be possible since I can see all the god damn stuff wobbling about when I'm naked

@KatzBiscuits I can really relate to all your posts! Can I ask - what resistance training are you doing? I have just bought some bands and some light dumbbells but no idea where to start!!! I currently walk at least 15000 steps a day & am fairly active but never really done any resistance/strength training. I definitely need to lose some belly fat (although at healthy BMI) and heard that some resistance training could help but no idea where to start!

Hi, welcome to the club 😂 I've only had the resistance bands for a couple of days, so can't advise on suitable workouts etc. I bought a cheap set from Argos and they are ' light' resistance - 2kg according to the back of the pack! They might be too light for you though, I only selected them because my muscles are so weak and I need to start off small. I've been following some beginners workouts on YouTube; literally 10 minutes exercises in the morning and 10 minutes at night! And one day I've been doing the lower body and the following day the upper body as it gives your muscles time to rest I think. Someone more knowledgeable on the thread will hopefully come along with uggestions ! I think it was the poster mini who offered me some good advice. Keep up the walking as well coz that helps too. I always try and do 10,000 a day but honestly, that slips too when the weather's bad. I'm limiting my chocolate intake though , so sticking to one mini cake bar a day opposed to a family slab !

Minipie is the poster I'm thinking of!