Skinny-fat is a body type where a person is under muscled and overly fat. It means having a high body fat percentage at a normal body weight.
Skinny fat people might look thin or slim at first but they have a high amount of body fat and very little muscle mass. Which is apparent when they don’t have a shirt on.
What are the skinny-fat signs?
The skinny fat body type usually has a soft, doughy appearance with a spare tire, love handles of muffin top.
Skinny fat individuals may be at a healthy weight according to their BMI measurements, but they may be at risk for serious health problems down the road.
Being skinny fat is a matter of body composition. Body composition is what your body is made of – it’s the ratio of lean body mass compared to body fat.
Add up all the ‘stuff’ you’re made of including lean body tissue, muscle mass, bones, ligaments, tendons, organs, and sinew. And compares that to the total amount of body fat.
The more body fat you have in proportion to your total lean mass, AND the LOWER your total body WEIGHT, the more likely you are to be skinny fat.
Here’s another way to look at it:
Imagine two people are the same height. One person weighs 150 pounds and is 25% body fat, and the other person is 150 pounds and 15% body fat. The first person is more likely to be skinny fat compared to the second person.
Skinny Fat, Thin Fat, and Metabolic Obesity
Skinny fat has many names. There are several terms used to describe skinny-fat, including:
- Thin fat
- Normal Weight Obesity (NWO)
- Metabolic obesity
- And, my personal favorite, Metabolically unhealthy non-obese
No matter how you dress it up, skinny fat is still no good for you. It’s proven to be unhealthy. The faster you stop being skinny fat the better off you’ll be.
If you are skinny fat, the best way to stop being skinny fat is to focus on building muscle and reducing body fat by eating all natural whole foods.
Here are some specific steps you can take to stop being skinny fat:
How to Fix Being Skinny Fat
Firstly, you should consult with a trusted healthcare provider and/or a fitness professional to determine a safe and effective exercise and nutrition plan that is tailored to your specific needs and goals to get healthy and fit.
That being said, here are some general guidelines for you to consider.
Weight Training for Skinny Fat Guys
Lift weights 3 days per week minimum. Focus on the ‘Big 3’ exercises: Squat, Bench Press and Deadlift.
Unlock the pull up as quickly and safely as possible. Pull ups will reshape your body quickly.
Do your push ups and other calisthenics. beginners should always do a base level of bodyweight exercises to stay honest and thoroughly healthy and strong.
Start with a linear strength building training program to get the hang of the exercises. If you are getting stronger you are building muscle, so focus on building strength first. Then focus on muscle control to build mind-muscle connection. Then focus on isolation exercises to target certain areas of your body you want to shape up.
The key is to focus on a balanced training program and train your legs and back thoroughly.
They are your biggest muscle groups and will give you the best results in the shortest amount of time and allow you to keep your gains longer.
Build muscle and increase your metabolism, which can help you reshape your body, burn fat more effectively and keep the fat off. This will solve the low muscle mass problem and improve your body mass index score.
Skinny Fat Guys SHOULD Do Cardio
Skinny fat guys especially should incorporate cardiovascular exercise into their routine in order to burn calories and improve your overall fitness level.
Cardio increases oxygen delivery to every cell in your body. It makes your workouts better, helps you detox faster, and helps you build more muscle as long as you don’t over do it.
20 minutes of cardio 3-5 times a week is all you need. Cardio can include walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, or dancing.
Boxing and combat sports like jujitsu are great for cardio as well plus you’ll pick up some practical self defense skills. Sports are a perfect way to get rid of visceral fat and excess body fat in general.
If you’re the adventurous type then skiing, surfing, hiking or climbing mountains are great ways to get in shape too.
You can also do the skinny-fat workout made especially for skinny-fat guys to blast away belly fat and build broad shoulders.
You’ll notice a huge difference when being skinny fat vs fit. Big changes in wellbeing and confidence.
What’s the best diet for skinny fat guys?
Now let’s talk about food.
The defacto diet to fix skinny fat is the old school steak and eggs diet.
Eat steak and eggs for a couple of weeks to jump start your fat loss and clean your system. Then reintroduce carbohydrates to your diet from natural sources like potatoes.
Best Foods to Fix Skinny Fat
Chow down on steak, eggs, chicken, turkey, bacon and lamb chops.
Get your animal protein in each day. Eat plenty of healthy fat from animal sources. Avoid processed and sugary foods, and focus on eating whole, unprocessed foods as much as possible.
Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day. Water flushes out all the bad ingredients polluting your system. And water obviously helps keep you hydrated, which in turn improves your physical performance and overall wellbeing.
How to fix skinny fat for real – TOP TIP
I’m saying this again because it’s so critical. This should be Step #1 because it’s the best and most important thing to do to stop being skinny fat. And that is to clean up your diet.
Stop eating processed frankenfoods and start eating all-natural Whole Foods. Give your body a chance to heal itself. Let it breathe man. Stop eating the stuff that made you skinny fat in the first place. This is the way.
Foods that cause skinny fat
Seed oils, processed foods, and artificial ingredients are the top producers of skinny-fat physiques.
These foodstuffs destroy your metabolism making it hard to burn fat and build muscle. They also kill your energy and ruin your mood. start checking food labels and stop eating this stop. Easier said than done because seed oils are in everything.
Seed oils vegetable oils to avoid: rapeseed, grape seed, soybean oil, sunflower seed oil, etc… basically any type of oil that isn’t 100% PURE extra virgin olive oil should be avoided completely.
Cook all your own food. Cook for yourself as much as you can. Find a nice lady friend to cook for you if she’s down. Eat the food your mom cooks for you. You get the point eat the good stuff. The real stuff. It’s the only way to know for sure what you’re eating and to avoid the nonsense.
Be Patient but don’t Procrastinate
Fixing skinny-fat will take time, effort, and dedication. Give yourself a chance and stay positive. Don’t get down on yourself. Keep pushing and never give up.
Be patient with yourself and be consistent with your diet and training routine. Try new things and tweak the process to suit your individual needs as you go. You need to optimize for you.
You took the first step to fixing skinny fat. Getting healthy and taking your health and life into your own hands. Now the rest is up to you. Reach out if you need anything.
Further reading: Here’s a deep dive into how to fix the skinny-fat condition with the ultimate workout and diet plan for skinny fat guys. Check it out. It’s dope.
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