I was skinny fat. Seems like a bit of an oxymoron, doesn’t it? Is it possible to be fat and skinny at the same time? How is it possible to be fat and skinny at the same time? The answer is yes, and this is how.
Throughout my life, I have always had a tall, thin build. Naturally. Which turns out doesn’t necessarily mean I am healthy. As a child and teen, I was very active with sports. As I got older, sports became less and less a part of my life, and sitting at a desk became my dominant habit through school and my job.
My eating habits adjusted to my more sedentary lifestyle as I began to notice I couldn’t eat whatever I wanted and keep my tall, thin figure. So I adjusted. More coffee, more diet coke, less calories. With these unhealthy changes, I was able to maintain my weight.
A few years out of university and I felt lethargic. I worked, came home to eat dinner and sit on the couch until bedtime. At the age of 22. So I decided to hit the gym! Upon joining, I went straight to my comfort zone, what I knew how to use. The cardio section: treadmill, elliptical and bike. I wouldn’t look stupid using them because I knew how to and would fit in instead of sticking out like a sore thumb in the weight room. And I could see the amount of calories I burned on each machine. Perfect. So I started back into a regular routine of going to the gym 3-5 times a week, doing approx 30-60 minutes of cardio and off I went. After a month or two, I realized although my legs might have toned up a bit, I didn’t look any different, nor did I feel much different. I needed to venture into the unknown; the weight room. But was intimidated and didn’t know where to start. Luckily, the gym had a friendly trainer that was able to complete a fitness assessment to record my current state in terms of weight, body fat percentage, water percentage, etc. and point me in the right direction in the weight room.
Without much activity in my daily life other than my 30 minute cardiovascular session, I was still able to maintain a weight I was comfortable with and this was only going to improve upon that and developed a more toned look. It wasn’t until I stepped on that scale and actually went through those numbers with the trainer, did I realize I was skinny fat. Physically looking at my appearance, I appeared normal, healthy, skinny. When in reality, I was metabolically overweight. I was at an ideal weight range for my age and height, but had enough body fat to be categorized as overweight. Wait, what?! I was fat? I was overweight?. I was at risk of developing diabetes. Impossible.
Actually, very possible. And very common. Artificial sweeteners and processed foods wreak havoc on your metabolism, not to mention an abundance of other things. I was eating to be skinny, instead of healthy. This meant I was eating processed, modified products that had the “low calorie” or “low in fat” attractiveness. Those foods are not healthy for you. They are not what our great grandmothers would have used to prepare a meal for the family. I needed to get back to eating real, natural, whole foods. Foods without a nutrition label to analyze. Foods without a television commercial. Nutrient-dense foods. That mental shift of eating to be healthy is critical to fueling your body with the nutrients that are going to keep you active and present all day. Aim to be healthy, not skinny. Losing weight will be a side effect of eating natural, whole, organic foods.
Lifting weights is another major component to repairing my metabolism and decreasing my body fat percentage to a healthy range. Skinny fat people tend to be the ones doing only cardiovascular exercise in the gym, exactly like I originally did. Their goal is to burn as many calories as possible while they are there, elegantly displayed for them on the treadmill. Unfortunately, that is the exact opposite of what skinny fat people should be doing. They need to be lifting weights. They need to be increasing their muscle mass. Lifting weights actually helps you increase your metabolism because you continue to burn more calories after a weightlifting session. Building and keeping that muscle mass, especially with core activation will help reduce the fat stored around your organs, and reduce inflammation. Added bonus is the side effect of a more toned or muscular appearance.
Lastly, sleep. I will be the first to admit, I love my nice, warm cup of coffee first thing in the morning, or anytime of day for that matter. But I love my sleep more. I limit my coffee intake to one coffee a day, before noon. And I sleep. I have a set bedtime I follow, and stick to it as much as possible, even on weekends. This ensures I have 7-8 hours allocated to getting the restful night sleep I need to recharge my batteries and prepare to dominate another day.
Throughout this process, I have gained weight. I weigh more now than I did before I started lifting weights. And that might be a terrifying thought for some women out there, but although that scale shows a higher number, I have muscle now. I have confidence in my body now. My muffin top is no more. I am no longer skinny fat. And it feels amazing.