How to Avoid Being Skinny Fat

Skinny fat refers to individuals who look thin but are flabby underneath.  In short, if you are skinny but you don’t exercise and you don’t have healthy eating habits, you could be skinny fat.

We live in a weight-obsessed culture. But most people use the numbers on the weighting scale as the sole yardstick of their physiques. But most fitness experts will tell you, being skinny is not enough. You need to tone your body to increase muscle mass. By toning the muscles, you avoid a flabby appearance. You might look skinny, but you’re no healthier than an obese person. In fact, some studies suggest that being skinny fat is more dangerous than being obese!

Instead of focusing on body weight, check your body composition. This refers to the ratio of lean mass to fat mass. If your lean mass is less to fat mass, you’re skinny fat.

How You Become Skinny Fat

We all store fat in various places in the body. In our youth, these fats were burned off so we don’t get flabby. But as we age, our metabolic rate slows down. Instead of burning off fat from physical activities, we develop layers of fat. These layers of fat slowly build up around the belly or butt. Eventually, we become flabbier.

Top heavy individuals store fat in the arms, belly or back. Bottom heavy individuals store fat in the bottom, legs, or thighs. Males store fat on the belly. On the other hand, female store fat in the butt and the belly area.

How to Avoid Being Skinny Fat

If you want to minimize fat, you have to tone your muscles. As such, to avoid being skinny fat, you have to stay fit. Below are ways to prevent the accumulation of fat in various parts of the body:

Resistance Training

Lifting heavier loads prevent fat buildup. It also burns off enormous calories. That’s why resistance training is such an effective fat buster. As you lift weight, your body starts developing definition. The body start growing newer muscle fibers. This helps tone and support flabbier body parts. A full body weight training done two to three times per week is an excellent workout to start. You want to choose exercises composed of multi-joint movements. This way, muscles that you tend to overlook becomes toner, more defined.

Eat Healthy

Being naturally skinny is not an excuse to eat greasy, fattening foods. Bad eating habits will catch up with you later in life. As your metabolic rate slows down, the liver will start processing sugars into stored fats. Instead on noshing of carbs, boost your vegetable and fruit consumption. Rather than eating sweets, turn to dried fruits instead. The key is to replace unhealthy foodstuff with healthier alternatives. This way, you don’t feel like depriving yourself.

Minimize Stress

Yes, stress is making you fat on the inside. Too much cortisol and adrenaline weaken the heart and the immune system. It could also lead to fluid retention and lack of sleep. So squeeze an hour of your time de-stressing at least once a week. You can get a massage or exercise five times per day. Don’t over-train. Try to get enough sleep every night and do breathing exercises too. All these are proven to bring down stress and anxiety.