The Skinny on Skinny Fat
February 18, 2021
If you’re at a normal weight but carrying some fat on your belly, you may be “skinny fat”—putting you at higher risk for the same conditions that affect overweight and obese people.
By now, you’ve probably heard or read about why body mass index (BMI) isn’t a very reliable indicator of health. It categorizes people as underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese based solely on their height and weight, and for many people, it is drastically inaccurate. For instance, according to their BMI, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, John Cena, and Vin Diesel are all obese!
But in truth, we know that these men are just carrying lots of extra muscle mass, which makes them built—not obese.
Did you know that the opposite can also be true? There are plenty of people who are “normal weight” according to BMI standards but are actually carrying unhealthy amounts of fat that can increase their disease risk. This is called “skinny fat.”
What does it mean to be “skinny fat”?
Skinny fat is a condition in which a person appears slender and is not overweight or obese, but they are actually carrying more body fat than they should be. This fat can be on their belly or on their hips and thighs, but belly fat—also known as visceral fat—is more harmful and is one of the risk factors for chronic illness.
Risks associated with being skinny fat
Skinny fat people may have excess body fat, low fat-free mass (like bone or muscle), or a combination of both. Although they are at a normal weight, their body composition puts them at an increased risk of certain health conditions associated with obesity, such as:
Heart disease
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
Metabolic syndrome
Insulin resistance
Type 2 diabetes
Fatty liver disease
Sleep apnea
Chronic kidney disease
Unfortunately, being at a normal weight by BMI standards can often foster a sense of complacency in these individuals. Some people may feel like they have nothing to worry about because they are not overweight. However, we know that body composition can present a much more complete picture of health than BMI can.
How to know if you’re skinny fat
So, how can you tell if you’re skinny fat? One of the first things to consider is your body shape. If you carry fat primarily on your belly rather than on your hips and thighs, this is known as android fat, visceral fat, or having an “apple shape”—and it can put you at an increased risk of chronic disease.
If you can’t tell what your body shape is, you can check your waist-hip ratio for an easy indicator. Using a fabric tape measure, measure the circumference of your waist at its narrowest point and your hips at their widest point. Then, divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. The resulting number should be less than 0.99 for men and less than 0.90 for women. A larger number indicates that you are carrying excessive abdominal fat that may be increasing your risk of chronic illness.
Finally, the most accurate and reliable way to assess if you are skinny fat is to pursue body composition testing. A DEXA scan—which is as simple as having an X-ray taken—can give you a complete picture of how much fat you’re carrying on your body. It can also tell you your segmented body fat—or how much body fat you’re carrying on the different segments of your body (including your abdomen, which is where the most “risky” fat is).
Then, once you know how much fat is on your body, you can compare it to a body composition chart to see where you should be.
As a rule of thumb, healthy men should have no more than 24% body fat, and healthy women should have no more than 31% body fat.
Body recomposition
If you’ve made the discovery that you’re skinny fat, then your next step is to start working towards body recomposition.
Body recomposition describes the process of changing your body composition to a more favorable one without making weight loss a central focus. You’ll be aiming to burn body fat while increasing your lean muscle mass—resulting in minimal weight change. To do this, you’ll need to focus on diet and exercise. Here are the basics:
Diet: You should eat at maintenance calories, which will allow you to maintain your current weight. Some people will eat the same amount of calories each day, although it may be easier to eat more calories on workout days and fewer calories on rest days. Additionally, you’ll need to focus on eating plenty of protein to promote muscle growth.
Exercise: Because you’ll be eating at maintenance calories, you’ll need to include some cardio exercise—like jogging, biking, swimming, or aerobics classes—which can help burn stored fat and improve your bone density. Additionally, you’ll want to do muscle-building exercises like weight-lifting and resistance training. These exercises will build muscle and help boost your metabolic rate, or the number of calories you burn at rest.
Before you get started on body recomposition, it may be a good idea to have a DEXA scan and a metabolic rate test done to assess your baseline. These tests can give you valuable guidance by revealing exactly how much fat you are carrying (and where you’re carrying it), along with how many calories you burn at rest. After you begin your body recomposition efforts, you can repeat these tests every few months to evaluate your progress.
It can be hard to tell if you’re “skinny fat,” but carrying fat on your belly may be a clue. This type of fat puts you at an increased risk of a number of health conditions, and it should be taken seriously—even if you’re at a healthy weight. Body recomposition can help you burn fat and build muscle without losing weight to attain a healthier body composition. And if you need a resource for DEXA scans, metabolic rate testing, and support throughout your body recomposition journey, get started with Fitnescity today. Check out our DEXA locator, BOD POD locator and RMR locator to find the right assessments near you.
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