Bike Fitness Fashion

Source: Robbie Ann Darby /

Do you know that YOU may be skinny fat?!!! Many of us walk around looking healthy and thin according to what society deems as a perfect weight and BMI for our height. A skinny fat person is defined by having a body fat percentage that is higher than their lean muscle mass for optimal health. As you can see in the first picture above your measurements can be within normal ranges and you look lean; that may not be true. A skinny fat person can have a small belly pouch, back fat, squishy buttocks and legs, and fatty looking arms, as shown in the other pictures and still be considered skinny and healthy.  If you notice fat that is squishy in the stomach, back,  buttocks, arms and the back of the thighs with no tone or firmness, you could be skinny fat! This type of fat is more dangerous due to where it is stored and the type of fat. It is more likely visceral fat which surrounds the organs and not subcutaneous fat that is underneath the skin. Visceral fat and storage is more dangerous for a person who is skinny fat than for someone that has been overweight the majority or all of their life! Subcutaneous fat is easy to see in the appearance of cellulite, where visceral fat is deep inside the body around the organs.  Visceral fat has been associated with increased risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, insulin resistance which leads to type 2 diabetes, lower bone muscle mineral density, and loss of cognitive function, just to name a few.  On my next post I will be giving more information on how to tell if you are skinny fat!!!