What is Skinny Fat? How to Get Rid of Skinny Fat?

Be it because of the lifestyle we lead or the food choices we make, obesity has become this generation's biggest enemy. It is easier to kill our demons when they are right in front of our eyes. However, if they’re invisible, then what?

Our society has the misconception that being skinny implies being healthy. But, in some cases, skinny people can also store harmful fat in their bodies, which is not visible to the naked eye. That is when they are called skinny fat! 

Ready to transform your body from home? The Ativafit Glide R8 Foldable Exercise Bike with Upper Body Resistance combines cardio and strength training in one space-saving machine—perfect for building lean muscle while targeting stubborn visceral fat.

Let's learn more about it and how to fix skinny fat by working out at home.

Start Your Body Recomposition Journey

Definition Of Being Skinny Fat

The medical term "skinny fat" refers to a condition in which a person has a relatively high body fat percentage and low lean muscle mass, yet retains a normal BMI. 

A person who is described as skinny fat is usually someone with high amounts of visceral fat, which is much more harmful than subcutaneous fat.

Too much of any body fat is detrimental to our health. Still, visceral fat is more of a trigger for chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other severe health issues like high cholesterol and stroke. 

The worst part is that visceral fat usually grows around the abdominal area, wrapping the organs, and is difficult to feel or see with the naked eye. So a person with a significantly flat belly can still have high amounts of visceral fat. Only an expensive scan can help detect that, which is why doctors usually don't order it. 

Quick Ways Of Finding If You Are Skinny Fat

Even though pricey image scanning is the only way of knowing the exact amount of visceral fat you have, you can still get a rough idea by using these tricks.

1. Measuring Waist:

Wrap the tape around your waist over the belly button. 

For an average woman, 35 inches or more is a sign of skinny fatness. For an average man, it's 40 inches. 

For Asian people, the numbers are 31.5 and 35.5, respectively. 

2. Calculating BMI:

There are online calculators available to measure one's BMI. If the number is over 30, it means overweight and could be a sign of visceral fat. 

For Asians, 23 or higher is concerning.

3. Analyzing Body Shape:

Closely analyzing your body shape can help you get clues. For example, having a bigger trunk and slimmer leg can indicate higher visceral fat levels. This is more common for men.

In women, stored fat in the lower abdomen gives them an apple or pear shape.

The Right Approach: Body Recomposition

Here's the truth about what to do if I'm skinny fat: Simply losing weight is NOT the answer. In fact, extreme dieting can make skinny fatness worse by reducing muscle mass along with fat.

The correct approach is body recomposition - building muscle while losing fat simultaneously. This is achieved through:

• Resistance training to build lean muscle mass

• Adequate protein intake to support muscle growth

• A slight caloric deficit (10-20% below maintenance) or eating at maintenance

• Consistency with your workout program

This strategy improves your body composition by increasing muscle and decreasing visceral fat, which is far more effective than simply dropping numbers on the scale.

Ways To Get Rid Of Skinny Fatness 

Nutrition plays a crucial role in determining how to avoid skinny fat when losing weight. Here's your complete nutrition plan:

Protein Requirements:

Consume 0.8-1g of protein per pound of body weight daily. For a 150-pound person, that's 120-150g of protein daily. High-quality protein sources include:

• Chicken, turkey, fish

• Eggs and Greek yogurt

• Lean beef

• Legumes and tofu

Essential Foods:

Calcium and Vitamin D-enriched foods are linked to reducing visceral fat. Therefore, try to incorporate a lot of leafy greens such as spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale collards, etc. Aim for 25-35g of fiber daily for optimal digestive health and fat loss.

Foods to Avoid:

Avoiding trans fat, deep-fried or processed food, sodas, refined carbs, and high amounts of sugar will be a wise decision if one wishes to lose skinny fat belly.

Calorie Guidelines:

Don't drastically cut calories. Maintain a 10-20% caloric deficit below your maintenance level, or eat at maintenance while strength training. Use online calculators to find your baseline caloric needs.

Strength Training:

Strength training is known for its effectiveness in improving body composition. This is because it not only helps burn unhealthy fat but also helps build muscle mass and increase your metabolic rate. Resistance training is essential for how to avoid skinny fat when losing weight.

Training Guidelines:

• Workout frequency: 3-5 days per week

• Rep ranges: 8-12 reps for muscle building

• Focus on progressive overload - gradually increase weight each week

• Allow 48 hours rest between training the same muscle group

The dumbbell workout is a staple in strength training for its convenience of working out at home or any limited space and efficiency of building muscle strength. Fitness enthusiasts of all levels can engage in countless dumbbell exercises to stimulate their muscles with dumbbells at different weights.

The good news is that the newly-released Ativafit 66lbs Adjustable Dumbbell set helps you enjoy the flexibility of weight adjusting from 11lbs to 66lbs during the strength training, saving time and space. This makes progressive overload easy to implement at home.

Compound Movements: 

Compound movements are one of the most efficient ways of working out as one uses twice the muscles in half the time. Therefore, when losing weight, people often prefer to include compound movements in their exercise regimen. 

Some of the most popular compound movements include bench presses, squats, and deadlifts. 

Aerobic Exercises:

Besides helping with fat loss, aerobic exercise is great for cardiovascular conditioning and helps reduce the risk of heart disease. They are also helpful in lowering blood pressure and increasing the amount of good cholesterol in the body. 

Aerobic exercises can include swimming, cycling, rowing, jumping rope, or just simply walking or using a trampoline.  

Aerobic exercises can include swimming, cycling, rowing, jumping rope, walking, or trampoline use. Squat jumps and lateral hops are also excellent full-body cardio options that engage multiple muscle groups.

Lifestyle Factors for Success

Sleep & Recovery:

Getting 7-9 hours of quality sleep nightly is crucial for muscle recovery and fat loss. Poor sleep increases cortisol levels, which promotes visceral fat storage.

Stress Management:

Chronic stress elevates cortisol, leading to increased abdominal fat. Practice stress-reduction techniques like meditation, yoga, or deep breathing exercises.

Daily Activity:

Aim for 7,500-10,000 steps daily. A sedentary lifestyle contributes significantly to skinny fat development, even with regular workouts.

Consistency Over Perfection:

The most important factor is consistency. Following your plan 80% of the time yields better results than perfection for 2 weeks, followed by quitting.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

When learning how to fix skinny fat, avoid these critical errors:

1. Too Much Cardio, Not Enough Strength Training: Excessive cardio without resistance training burns muscle along with fat, worsening body composition.

2. Extreme Calorie Restriction: Crash dieting causes muscle loss. Your body needs adequate nutrition to build muscle while losing fat.

3. Insufficient Protein: Without enough protein, your body can't build or maintain muscle mass during fat loss.

4. Focusing Only on Weight Loss: The scale doesn't tell the whole story. Focus on body composition changes - building muscle and losing fat.

5. Skipping Progressive Overload: If you don't gradually increase weights, your muscles won't grow. Track your lifts and aim to increase weight or reps regularly.

6. Inconsistency: Sporadic workouts and nutrition won't yield results. Commit to a sustainable program you can follow long-term.

Takeaway!

People who appear skinny can also suffer from fat-related chronic diseases like cholesterol and diabetes, and that’s because their bodies are in a state of skinny fatness.

Understanding how to get rid of a skinny-fat belly starts with recognizing that appearance doesn't always reflect health. The solution isn't weight loss - it's body recomposition through resistance training, adequate protein intake (0.8-1g per pound body weight), and lifestyle optimization, including proper sleep and stress management.

Focus on building lean muscle, maintaining a balanced diet, tracking your progress with measurements and photos, and staying consistent with your training goals. With the right approach, you can transform your body composition in 8-12 weeks.

So, to be on the safer side, never let yourself be deceived by appearances and always try to lead a healthy life!

Frequently Asked Questions

What to do if I'm skinny fat?

Focus on building lean muscle through resistance training 3-5x weekly while consuming 0.8-1g of protein per pound of body weight. Prioritize body recomposition—building muscle and losing fat simultaneously—rather than just cutting calories for optimal body composition changes.

How to cut skinny fat effectively?

How to cut skinny fat requires strength training with progressive overload, adequate protein intake, and a slight caloric deficit (10-20% below maintenance). Avoid excessive cardio and extreme dieting, as these worsen body composition by reducing both muscle and fat mass.

Is skinny fat easy to lose?

Is skinny fat easy to lose? With consistency in resistance training, proper nutrition (0.8-1g protein per pound), and balanced lifestyle habits, most individuals see noticeable changes within 8-12 weeks. It's achievable but requires patience and the right approach.