What is skinny fat? Skinny fat is someone that is moderate or underweight and has a high amount of bodyfat which is clinically unhealthy. The person might look healthy because they are thin, but they are not because of the amount of bodyfat they have. Lifestyle and genetics play an integral role in anybody developing skinny fat. Most healthcare professionals don’t use the word skinny fat as they use the word normal weight obesity which is the clinical term.
What is skinny fat? iStock- photo credit: Staras
Some of the signs of someone that has skinny fat syndrome is the following:
- Excess fat tissue around the internal organs.
- Below average skeletal lean muscle mass.
- Fat deposits in tissue that normally doesn’t contain fat.
Studies have shown the main reasons why anybody would get to the skinny fat phase is because of smoking, unhealthy diet, heavy alcohol consumption and no exercise or physical activity. Some of the examples of a bad diet is consuming foods such as candy, cookies, ice cream, fast foods like hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries, pizza, cake, pies, pastries, etc.
Drinking alcohol has a lot of empty calories which can lead to an unnecessary amount of fat gain. Some of the types of healthy foods you can eat that can help to maintain a moderate to low bodyfat is:
- Healthy fibrous carbs like fruits and vegetables.
- Healthy proteins like fish, chicken, turkey, lean beef, etc.
- Complex carbs like baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, brown rice, etc.
- Healthy fats like avocado, yogurt, unsalted cashews, peanuts, pistachios, almonds, etc.
Exercise is one of the important things you can do to burn calories and lose body fat. And the best exercise modalities you should incorporate on every day basis are cardiovascular and weight-training workouts. Cardiovascular workouts like swimming, walking, jogging, dancing, gardening, etc.
A 2023 cross sectional research study revealed that the group that was skinny fat ate more processed foods and drank more beverages with added sugar, more than the group who were not skinny fat.
Weight-training workouts like resistance band workouts, dumbbells training workouts, bodyweight workouts like push-ups, planks, chair dips, lunges, body squats, wall-sits, etc.
The best way to clinically define what skinny fat is someone that has a normal BMI but has a high amount of body fat. Anybody that has that type of body type is considered unhealthy. And that can lead to an elevated risk of obtaining different chronic diseases. And those diseases can potentially be heart attack, stroke, diabetes, etc.
The Bottom Line is skinny fat is someone that has a normal BMI but a high amount of body fat. The clinical term for skinny fat is normal weight obesity. The best way to rid yourself of being in the skinny fat phase is to follow a healthy balanced diet and exercise regularly.
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About Author- Obi Obadike
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