So, apparently I am what they call "skinny-fat"

Well that sucks

If only I had to will power to be called skinny-macho

What is skinny-fat?

It's when you're average/ skinny sized (according to the scale)...but you don't work out so you probably have a higher bodyfat % than other people who are larger or weigh more.

*rolls eyes*

too many definitions!

Gahhh!

This is the lamest defination i've ever heard.

There is no such thing as 'skinny-fat'.

Original Post by mimi_js:

It's when you're average/ skinny sized (according to the scale)...but you don't work out so you probably have a higher bodyfat % than other people who are larger or weigh more.

I doubted this so I called my 14 yr old sister and asked if she knew any skinny-fat people.  She proceeded to name a few.  Wow.  This is just silly.  I don't think I would be too concerned with being skinny-fat.  Oh and btw, my sis said it's not nice to say skinny-fat.  It's skinny-fluffy.  *rolls eyes*

Original Post by mimi_js:

It's when you're average/ skinny sized (according to the scale)...but you don't work out so you probably have a higher bodyfat % than other people who are larger or weigh more.

 then heres an idea: start working out........problem solved! 

Never!!! Muahahhahahah

Here's an article on being skinny-fat.

http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/spas-spor t/22280/skinny-yet-fat-slim-shady

I bet that the majority of people who seem to eat whatever they want and never work out and never gain weight are skinny-fat.  I was skinny-fat, but I am working on fixing that.

The phrase "skinny-fat" has been around for years.

I still hate it. It's just another way for women to remain in need of alteration. We can't be too fat, too skinny, too muscular and now we can't be too un-muscular or un-toned either?

Let's just face up to the fact that there is no such thing as perfect, and stop giving ourselves demeaning labels.

I read an article that said that alot of Asians are skinny fat. They are so slim looking but have high body fat/lack of muscles.

skinny fluffy!!!

thats the funniest thing i've heard all week!!!!

so logic would say then that i'm not overweight, just fluffy!!!! like it!!

I'm kinda surprised people have never heard of this/ don't believe in it/ disagree with it.

I never knew what to call it until recently, but my mom has always been skinny-fat. She looks really skinny when she's wearing clothes. But she's never exercised in her life and has very little muscle so when you see her in a bathing suit she's actually pretty flabby and has little rolls of back fat. I'm trying to convince her to start lifting weights. I don't care what she looks like, but she complains about her back fat but refuses to exercise which gets annoying. She says she'd much rather just eat less than exercise, but that would just make her underweight and less healthy and probably still flabby.

Makes perfect sense to me. Why should the people who actually appear large be the only ones who have to accept the fact that they are unhealthy? Just becuase my poor choices actually show up on my body doesn't mean all "skinny" people are healthier then I am.

The way I see it, you're already half way there, so what's the big deal? Like the previous poster said, start working out - problem solved. If you don't like it, fix it. That's what we are all here for and some of us have a lot farther to go and a lot more to do then you do. Be thankful your lack of exersice and possibly poor food choices haven't made you "fat-fat".

My understanding of "skinny-fat" is that its purpose as a term has no emphasis whatsoever on how someone's body looks--at least when it's used medically. Rather, it denotes a health warning, because people in this category are taken by surprise by heart disease, diabetes, and other conditions that are more often associated with being overweight or obese. The truth as I understand it is that while these diseases are certainly present in overweight populations, the "excess" fat that is visible to the eye and remarked upon aesthetically is not the only complicating factor.

There are layers of fat with human internal organs, cushions and storage, that can become excessive and complicating without necessarily showing in the silhouette. This absolutely has to do with lifestyle; human beings were never at their most efficient physically while sedentary to the degree that our urban populations tend to be these days.

It has nothing to do with controlling how women look, though undoubtedly it can feed into that. It has to do with trying to wake people up to the fact that, even if you look "right," sitting around and doing nothing is not a great way to help your body maintain the balance it works best with.

Chotzee- you're very right. My mother, grandma, grandpa, and all my aunts and uncles are fairly thin people. But most of them have very high cholesterol and my grandma has heart problems!

merylwhite1 wrote: 

The phrase "skinny-fat" has been around for years.

I still hate it. It's just another way for women to remain in need of alteration. "

Skinny-fat doesn't only apply to females, but to us males as well, albeit not me personally - I'm obese(class 1)-fat. Also, it's a health issue rather than one of appearance.

It's a common, slang term for what happens when someone undereats and as a result burns muscle instead of fat.  Here's a more scientific explanation of what happens, from Ask Mary.

The body burns muscle to meet the needs of the central nervous system.  That system, which accounts for at least 20% of calories burned, can only burn glucose, a carbohydrate  The body doesn't really store glucose, but protein, from the muscles, organs tissues, and cells, can turn into glucose, while fat cannot.  Protein breakdown continues until the metabolic rate shifts to burn fewer calories from all sources.  That shift is familiarly called "starvation mode" and it is a life-sustaining adaptation. To forestall starvation mode, lose weight slowly, do muscle building exercise to offset muscle loss, and eat about 20% of your calories from protein.