The Skinny Fat Solution: Rebuilding Your Body
Being skinny doesn’t mean you’re healthy.
Appearances be deceiving especially when you have a high percent body fat which makes you skinny fat.
And being skinny fat can be dangerous for your health. You have the same health risks as someone who is obese because you’re carrying a large amount of fat but it’s just hidden and wrapped around your organs.
Luckily, being skinny fat is reversible and easy to do with a few lifestyle changes.
Here I outline a skinny fat reversal plan that you can start implementing today.
Skinny Fat Reversal Plan
Skinny fat is defined as someone with a normal body mass index but has unhealthy levels of body fat and is metabolically unhealthy.
Your metabolic health can be evaluated by measuring blood panel factors such as cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and blood sugar.
The medical term for skinny fat is normal-weight obese.
From the outside, people who are skinny fat look healthy because they appear skinny but with their clothes off they have little to no muscle definition making them look soft.
In some cases, they may also have a protruding belly or a tire around their waist.
They are at risk for developing heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and high cholesterol.
Skinny fat is caused by a combination of unhealthy lifestyle habits that accumulate over time. They include the wrong type of diet, extreme calorie restrictions, being sedentary, doing too much cardio, poor sleep, and chronic levels of high stress.
Here I’ll address different lifestyle factors that you can improve to reverse skinny fat and reduce your levels of visceral fat.
Improved Nutrition Habits
1. Eat more lean protein
One of the hallmarks of being skinny fat is the lack of muscle definition and reduced muscle mass.
When our diet doesn’t include enough protein our bodies will break down our muscles to access protein for other bodily needs like repairing skin, producing new cells, and remodeling bones.
Gradually over time, we start losing muscle mass.
To prevent this we need to eat enough lean protein every day and include it in every meal.
The average American adult's recommended daily allowance (RDA) is 0.8 grams of protein per kg or 0.4 grams of protein per pound. But requirements will vary based on age and activity levels.
Besides muscle retention, there are many benefits to including more protein in your diet.
2. Cut back on processed foods
All calories are not equal and they differ in their quality of nutrients.
Compared to whole foods, processed foods have reduced nutritional value, are calorically dense, and do not resemble their whole-food origins.
They also contain lots of unhealthy additives such as sugar, preservatives, refined starches, sodium, and fillers.
Reduce body fat by cutting back on the amount of processed foods you eat. You’ll also feel fuller, improve how you regulate your appetite, and fill up on fewer calories.
Calorie comparison for 100g of processed (bottom row) versus unprocessed (top row) foods.
3. Substitute refined carbs for complex carbs
Healthier, complex carbs are digested more slowly compared to refined carbs. This helps to reduce insulin spikes which are not beneficial.
Diets that are high in refined carbs and sugar are digested faster and can lead to an increase in body fat, especially belly fat.
In addition, it can contribute to elevating bad cholesterol and cause insulin spikes.
Eating more complex carbs such as vegetables, whole grains, and fruits can help control insulin levels, improve cholesterol, and keep you fuller. They pack in more nutrients and fiber than refined carbs which makes them a good option for weight control as well.
4. Pay attention to portion control
Eating fewer calories than you need will help you lose weight and body fat. You can do this by simply reducing your meal portions or by counting calories.
An easy tool to measure your portions is by using your hand as your portioning tool. You don’t need a special app or carry around a food scale because your hand is always with you.
Here are some good guidelines to start with for each plate,
· A palm full of protein
· A fistful of vegetables
· A cupped hand of carbs
· A thumb size portion of fats
How to use your hand as a portioning tool. Photos courtesy of Precision Nutrition.
It’s also a good idea to log your meals in a journal as well so you can track how eating different foods affect how full you are and your energy levels.
With this information, you can also customize your plate.
For example, if you’re following a low-carb diet you can substitute carbs for an additional fistful of vegetables. Or you can double up on protein, do a fistful of vegetables, and for your cupful of starches do 50% fruit with 50% brown rice with a thumbful of dressing.
5. Try out intermittent fasting
An easy way to reduce overall daily calories is to reduce your eating window hours with intermittent fasting.
The most common method is called 16/8 where you are fasting for 16 hours and eating within an 8-hour window.
Whichever time you decide to start your eating window you will be skipping one meal, either breakfast or dinner, which helps you eat fewer calories.
An average person sleeps for 8 hours which means during the 16-hour fast you’ll be awake for 8 hours with an empty stomach. Usually, it’s easiest for people to skip breakfast and start their eating window at lunchtime.
The trick to sticking with intermittent fasting and succeeding at it is to eat more lean protein and focus on whole foods to keep you full. This way you’ll less be tempted to reach for snacks when your eating window is closed.
Skinny Fat Exercise Guidelines
A healthier diet can make a big dent in reducing body fat but to improve overall health and speed up the process it’s recommended to add exercise to your lifestyle.
The benefits of exercise go beyond just changing your body composition. Other benefits include improving your mood, boosting your energy, improving your sleep, and reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease.
But exercise done the wrong way can increase your body fat.
Here I outline exercise guidelines to follow to prevent that and take you from skinny fat to fit.
Resistance Training AKA Weight Lifting
Someone who is skinny fat has an unhealthy percentage of body fat compared to their lean muscle mass.
You can reverse this ratio and reduce body fat by building more muscle mass and do it by starting a strength training plan.
With any strength training plan, it’s important to follow these three tips to maximize results in the shortest amount of time.
Tip #1 – Focus on Compound Exercises
These types of exercises recruit multiple major muscle groups and burn more calories than isolation exercises. They should make up the bulk of your workout because compound exercises are excellent for building muscle.
Not only do they build strength but they increase the production of testosterone and growth hormones which are responsible for building muscle and burning fat.
Compound exercises are also time-efficient since they involve multiple muscle groups at the same time.
You also improve coordination and movement skills and elevate your heart rate for a cardiovascular workout to improve your overall quality of life.
Tip #2 – Progressive Overload
This is the most important rule to follow in your strength training plan. To ensure that you are always challenging and growing muscle you must follow this rule of progressive overload.
This means you are gradually increasing the weight you use for every exercise. It can be as often every week or every two to three weeks for more challenging lifts or even a month.
The key is to keep making progress and to use a weight that is challenging for you. Without this challenge and stimulus, there is no incentive for your muscles to keep growing for you to burn fat.
Tip #3 – Be Consistent
To reduce body fat, you must be consistent with your strength training plan. It takes a dedicated amount of consistent lifting, at least 2 to 3 times a week over months, to increase your strength to build muscle mass.
Rate of fat loss based on your current body fat percentage.
When you dedicate yourself over months and years, you increase your metabolism, see muscle definition, and prevent future fat and weight gain.
Another reason to be consistent is to prevent the post-workout soreness that lots of people experience that prevents them from returning to the gym.
When you’re sporadic with showing up at the gym, it can lead to muscle tightness and soreness, making you more prone to injury and keeping you out of the gym.
If you struggle with consistency, using a wall calendar can help you form the necessary habits.
Cardiovascular Exercise
Cardio helps you burn fat but too much cardio and having a cardio-centric workout routine can be detrimental and contribute to being skinny-fat.
Here’s what typically works best to help you lose body fat,
Tip #1 – Do low to moderate-intensity cardio
You don’t need to kill yourself with high-intensity cardio to burn a few calories. You want just to increase your calorie burn and not have cardio interfere with your strength training sessions.
This could be walking or a light jog for 20 to 30 minutes several times a week. This doesn’t require a lot of time or motivation to complete.
Tip #2 – Do cardio on separate days
Ideally, you’d want to do cardio on the off days when you’re not lifting.
This is so that you have the intensity and energy you need to bring to your lifts to grow muscle and burn fat.
If this isn’t possible then do your workouts at different times of the day separated by at least 6 hours.
Lifestyle Changes
Focusing on just exercise and a healthy diet isn’t enough to lose body fat.
If you feel like your progress has stalled but you’ve been consistent with diet and exercise then there are other areas to look into improving.
Better Stress Management
Chronic long-term stress is a major contributor to body fat, especially belly fat.
Stress triggers our fight-or-flight mode and causes us to secrete cortisol and adrenaline which elevates our blood sugar to prepare for a threat.
When we’re consistently under high stress our blood pressure and blood sugar levels are always elevated which is unhealthy.
High levels of cortisol are strongly linked to abdominal fat. They trigger our cravings for high-energy comfort foods and re-distribute our fat cells to the abdominal area.
You can reduce your stress level by daily exercise, meditating, spending time with friends and family, and creating self-care time.
Get 7-8 hours of Quality Sleep
When we’re lacking in sleep we tend to experience daytime sleepiness, cravings for sugary, salty refined carbs, and need more caffeine for a quick energy boost.
These patterns can increase our body fat and our BMI leading to weight gain.
Practicing good sleep hygiene is essential to getting quality sleep.
Some good practices include waking up and going to sleep at the same time 7 days a week and avoiding any electronics and blue light at least one hour before bedtime.
Start with creating a bedroom environment that is helpful for sleeping.
This includes blackout curtains to keep any outside light out, turning down the thermostat to 65 F, and buying comfortable sheets and pillows.
Minimize Alcohol Intake
Get faster fat loss results by abstaining from alcohol.
Your body takes up to 72 hours to metabolize alcohol to get it out of your system.
During that time it switches from using fat as its energy source to using alcohol instead.
If you’re drinking every week, half the week you’re not burning any fat no matter how much you exercise because your body is using alcohol as its energy source.
Alcohol is also high in calories and increases your waist-to-hip ratio.
Summary
Being skinny doesn't necessarily mean being healthy. Often people with a normal body mass index (BMI) can have high levels of body fat, particularly dangerous visceral fat.
The risks associated with being skinny fat are comparable to those faced by obese individuals, including an increased likelihood of heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and high cholesterol.
Fortunately, this condition can be reversed with improved nutrition habits, such as incorporating lean protein, reducing processed foods, and opting for complex carbs. Portion control and intermittent fasting are also effective strategies to reduce calorie intake.
In addition, the role of exercise, specifically resistance training, in building muscle mass and reducing body fat can help reverse this condition.
By following the strategies outlined in this article, individuals can reverse the risks of being skinny fat and improve their overall health and well-being.
Candace is the owner of Rhodes To Strength. She provides weight loss and mindset coaching services to women around the world to create sustainable habits that work for their lifestyle.
You can find her rollerskating, hiking, and bird watching in her spare time.