What is Skinny Fat?

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What’s skinny fat? It’s what I defined myself as about two years ago.

I had lost around 140 pounds, about ten pounds more than what I’ve lost today, but I didn’t look as “good” as I do today. I counted calories and the scale plummeted. I was happy with the number, but not my appearance.

It’s because I didn’t have any muscle. I got rid of it all in my pursuit to lose weight. How’d I get rid of it? By doing nothing — no weight lifting, that is.

The definition of skinny fat is to be at a weight that you might consider normal, skinny even, but still have too much fat. You reach your goal weight and go, “But wait, I lost 50 pounds and I’m at my goal weight. Why am I not tone?” Because that “tone” look doesn’t come from skin and bones.

Being tone comes from muscle.

People who are skinny fat look great in clothes. If you’re not doing any weight lifting and just count calories and do cardio to lose weight, rest assured you’ll look good in public (unless you typically walk around naked in public). You’ll look fantastic heading to the movies, working at the office, picking your kids up from school, etc. People will comment on your weight loss and appearance all the live long day.

It’s only when you take your shirt off at the beach or take a shower in the morning and look in the mirror do you realize that your body probably isn’t what you had imagined it would be prior to losing weight.

That’s where I am today.

The good news: It’s never to late to put an end to skinny fat. While I’d recommend to people who are just starting out trying to lose weight to do a combination of counting calories, cardio, and weight lifting, I know many will only do the first two. And that’s fine. I’m alive and breathing today and happy with how everything has evolved. I’d be a lot further down the road as far as progress if I had lifted weights from day one, but then again, I don’t think I could’ve lifted a twenty pounds of dumbbells on day one.

I could barely walk on the treadmill the first time I stepped into the gym.

If you do decide to start lifting weights, just find a basic weekly routine online that you can do with the resources/time available to you. Much like counting calories, lifting weights isn’t about following complicated routines or gimmicks (but those do sell magazines!). Instead, focus on consistency and progression (trying to lift more weight!). A solid routine has 3 or 4 workouts a week and usually lasts around 30 minutes a day for beginners.

Whatever you decide to do, you’ll do it knowing of the skinny fat boogieman.