You’ve tried every diet you’ve come across. You’ve run yourself ragged on the treadmill. You’ve even popped a few weight loss pills – but, despite decent results on the scale, that stubborn belly-fat refuses to budge. Sound familiar? You may be struggling with metabolically obese normal weight (MONW), a condition known less formally as “skinny-fat.”
What is skinny-fat?
Skinny-fat is a paradoxical body composition problem that affects one in four Americans who otherwise maintain a healthy body weight. The condition links to a host of potential health problems, including diabetes and heart disease. Skinny-fat body types are associated with the following characteristics:
- Normal body weight range in relation to height
- Lack of adequate muscle mass
- Flaccidity
- A tendency to store fat in the lower abdominal region
Skinny fat body types can be identified by a Body Mass Index (BMI) test conducted by a doctor or a qualified fitness trainer. According to Dr. Mark Hyman, director of Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Functional Medicine, the condition can also be weeded out by requesting specific tests from your doctor, including:
- Fasting blood sugar or glucose
- Triglycerides
- HDL
- Blood pressure
- Insulin response
- NMR lipid particle
Most doctors agree that diet, fitness and lifestyle modifications can markedly improve the skinny fat condition. Are you tired of wasting time and making sacrifices without garnering results? Read on to crack the code of skinny fat.
Stop thinking about weight loss and start thinking about recomposition.
Body recomposition is a systematic approach to wellness, not a scientific verity. The body cannot literally morph a fat cell into a muscle cell, nor can it exist in an anabolic (growth) state and a catabolic (diminishing) state in the same instant. However, with careful planning, the body can be trained to lose fat and gain muscle over a period of weeks and months. This is the cure for skinny fat.
When you are skinny-fat, pounds are not the problem. The culprit is the skewed ratio of fat to muscle. This means that successful results may not be evident on the scales. BMI caliper tests, body measurements, mirror observations and lab tests will be your compass.
Give your diet an overhaul.
The first order of business is to cut your high-glycemic carbohydrates. Overconsumption of foods like white flour, rice, sugar and soft drinks cause a spike in the body’s insulin production.
“Insulin stores belly fat and leads to hormonal and metabolic changes that cause muscle loss and inflammation, furthering the vicious cycle of pre-diabetes or worse, developing type 2 diabetes whether you are skinny or fat,” Hyman says.
The majority of your carbohydrate choices should consist of vegetables, whole fruits, legumes and other foods that illicit a milder insulin response.
If you exercise (which you should), carbohydrates can be increased slightly on training days, and reduced on non-training days. This type of diet, called a carb cycle, allows your body to maintain necessary energy levels while keeping you in a state more favorable to burning fat during less active periods.
In addition to controlling carbohydrates, you should also ensure that your protein and fat intake is adequate for your level of physical activity. Lean protein sources like chicken, eggs, fish and Greek yogurt are crucial for the retention and development of lean muscle mass. Healthy fats found in foods like nuts, salmon and avocados increase satiation and actually assist your body’s fat burning capability. Talk to your doctor or a sports nutritionist about specific macronutrient ratios that can help you restructure your diet.
Get to the gym.
Unfortunately, grinding out hours of low-impact cardio on the treadmill will do little to solve the problem of skinny fat.
“I often see the skinny-fat syndrome in women who do lots of cardio and don’t do any resistance training,” says Rachael Attard, a personal trainer and sports nutritionist. The cardio keeps them slim but does not build enough muscle to keep their body fat levels down.”
Workouts should focus on strength training and high-intensity interval training. Skinny-fat body types benefit from compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, rows, bench presses, pull-ups and push-ups. These exercises work multiple muscle groups, create a higher anabolic response and enable you to get in and out of the gym before stress hormones wreak havoc on your body.
If you still like cardio, favor a series of short sprints or a boot camp class over long periods of jogging to ramp up your metabolism. If you are a beginner to strength training and/or fitness dieting, the services of a personal trainer are a worthwhile investment.
Control your cortisol levels.
Cortisol is a hormone that is released into the body in response to stress. While the hormone is beneficial for fight or flight reactions during emergencies, elevated levels can cause increased fat storage and loss of muscle mass.
Follow these healthy living tips to keep cortisol levels at bay:
- Get 7-9 hours of sleep daily
- Limit caffeine consumption
- Limit workout duration to 45 minutes
- Take time to relax or meditate
- Eat 3-5 meals a day and don’t skip breakfast
- Drink 8 glasses of water every day
Can you crack the code to skinny fat?
Skinny-fat is a temporary condition, not a permanent curse. With time, effort and perseverance, the symptoms can be controlled and, eventually, reversed. Talk to your doctor or personal trainer about BMI tests, carb cycling, macronutrient percentages and strength training to help you win the battle of the bulge and put yourself on the road to healthier living.
