Skinny Fat
Who do you think has more body fat? The model on the left or the whippet thin model on the right?
You would be wrong to think that the model on the right has less fat. In fact, she has got very little muscle tone and her body is made up of fat, skin and bones. However the fitness model on the left has buffed her body to perfection and has minimal fat, with great muscle tone and definition. In case you don’t know who she is, her name is Jennifer Nicole Lee, my favourite fitness model. She is just A W E S O M E. Tight abs, tight butt cheeks, nice womanly curves, beautiful face. Perfection.
My other half once told me of an incident a couple of years ago when he was chatting to a random girl in a bar who was fairly attractive in the face and was skinny in build. He went to gently grab her on the arm and he was horrified at the encounter. Though she was thin, his fingers sank into a sea of fat while his thought process screamed “SKINNY FAT!!!”.
It’s pretty common these days and you only have to look at the likes of Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan to see that though they are skinny, they are full of fat with a lack of muscle. This condition usually strikes those who are naturally skinny but have been inactive for some time. The main cause though is a bad diet which lacks nutrients and is packed full of junk food. Go and grab the arms or thighs of someone who is skinny fat, I dare you and you will feel mush. On the other hand, grab my arm and it’s a different story =) I remember an incident last year when a French work colleague was standing next to me at a bar and she grabbed my arm to get my attention and she blurted out “Putain!” which is a swear word in French but translates as “Holy sht!” in this context because she felt solid arms. LOL
Also a few months ago, I was standing up next to my boyfriend who was sitting on the couch and he grabbed one of my thighs playfully, paused and asked me “Are you tensing your thigh muscles??” and I replied “Err…no” and he complimented me on how strong and firm they were as opposed to soft and flabby. Not being boastful here at all, just proving a point that solid is so much better to mush, in terms of feel and aesthetic appeal.
Skinny fat people are also usually quite weak in strength and I have seen girls down at the gym who cannot do a proper push up, even with knees bent nor can they squat with a barbell on their upper back.
Now I have to admit that there were times in my life when I was younger that I wished I was skinnier but have learned to recognise that skinny does not necessarily mean healthier or better. Rather than starve myself to get down to a smaller me and lose all the valuable muscles I have worked so hard to achieve, I would much prefer to stay at my current shape and be able to lift heavy, punch hard and be able to bash out 25 full push ups in one go. Far from looking butch though, I have lean muscles and have got my curves still! So ladies, do not be afraid to lift weights!
Watch this great video by my gorgeous other half who explains why weight training is a must for women:
If you suffer from the skinny fat syndrome and would like to change into a sexy, hot lean mean, muscle-making machine, firstly your diet needs to be addressed. You’ve got to start eating clean which means eating vegetables and fruits, whole grains like wholemeal bread and brown rice, sweet potatoes, fish, grilled skinless chicken breasts, egg whites, lean meats, etc. However you must also eat for your body type! David can provide you with some excellent advice if you check out his website www.physiqueprofessional.com. He knows his stuff, after all he was on the cover of Men’s Health here in the UK for their July issue 2009!
- David Godfrey – a.k.a my other half who knows a thing or two about fitness
Secondly, I reiterate…hit the weights! Read my previous post “Work that Ass” to pick up useful training tips.
xoxo
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What an awesome entry!! I was thinking about the skinny fat syndrome the other day too (not in those terms though).
When I was younger I always thought I was chubby and had “thunder thighs” and huge calves. I worked out a lot but the “imperfections” just seemed to get larger. Turns out I was just really athletic and even though I was jealous of skinny skinny girls I was much stronger and the only weight I gain was pure muscle. I joined the United States Marine Corps at 17 and I was healthy and this time I was envied by skinny girls. = )
your article makes me more comfortable with myself, that what i was always trying to explain !
i rather prefer to be tone and have strenght to open a can than be skinny without energy !
thank you so much !
Thanks Nicole! I’m glad you like the article! It’s taken me a while to be comfortable in my own skin too, I think that’s just part of growing up and you hit an age where it all falls in the right place and you realise that it’s not all about size and being thin. Rather, it’s about muscular tone and being healthy which consequently leads to a healthy mind. x
Hey Josie! Thanks for commenting, I totally agree with you, I did go through a stage myself when I was younger and was working out loads and gained muscle and thought I looked chunky, but the thing was I was comparing myself (neurotically) to skinny skinny girls and were envious myself of how skinny they were (not realising then that being skinny fat was actually bad for your health!) Truth was, my body was just fine as it was but I was comparing myself to these skinny waifs. However I educated myself on health, fitness and training and grew to love and accept my naturally athletic and curvy frame and I find myself being stronger than most of my female friends. xoxo
Thanks gorgeous! xox
Good job discussing this topic, however, I don’t think the post should have a picture of Luisel Ramos, the model who died of heart failure caused by anorexia. Even though she thought she was fat, she definitely did not have much fat on her body since she was 5’9″ and 97 lbs. She was just skin and bones and not skinny fat. It just feels wrong to talk negatively about the dead.
However, I know a lot of skinny fat people and they refuse to work out. I forced my friend to do 10 crunches. She could barely do 2. It was really sad, but she doesn’t care. Same for most of them. They just like being skinny.
I think what you’re saying is spot-on, but your boyfriend kind of sounds like a douche. He has the same kind of judgmental attitude as someone who is grossed out by girls that are not super skinny, only he’s grossed out by people who don’t meet his standards for muscle tone.
Hence the reason why we’re not together anymore =)
Most of the really thin models on there are poor examples of skinny fat. I would describe the one on the right as ‘skinny toned’ in that she has visible arm definition but the overall size of the muscles are a bit too “un-bulky”. The woman on the left has a bit more fat and considerably more muscle, although she could theoretically have a lower percentage.
A good example of skinny fat would be if one of those models ‘let herself go’ and gained only fat weight on a sweets and chips binge.