What is skinny fat ?
"skinny fat" or "thin fat obesity" is defined as the presence of an increased Body Fat Percentage (BFP) in an individual with normal Body Mass Index (BMI).
Let's dissect these terms
BMI, or Body Mass Index, is a measure of body fat based on a person's weight and height. It's calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by the square of their height in meters.
Conversely, the body fat percentage (BFP) is the ratio of fat mass to total body mass, expressed as a percentage.
How to know If I am skinny fat?
A male body type classified as "skinny fat" would exhibit the following features
You are someone who appears thin and has belly fat.
You have very little muscle mass.
You have slim arms and legs but also carry excess fat around your belly, giving you a soft or flabby appearance despite your overall thinness.
Here is an example:
How to fix being skinny fat?
To fix being skinny fat, all you need to do is reduce the amount of fat and increase muscle mass. This is called "Body Recomposition".
To achieve this, you should:
Decrease your calorie intake.
Incorporate a protein-rich diet.
Engage in regular resistance training (aka weightlifting) at least 5-6 times a week.
This was the quick version.
Now, let's break down diet and exercise one at a time.
Skinny Fat Diet
Protein should be the cornerstone of your diet. It's crucial for repairing cells damaged during weight training and ensuring their proper function.
Depending on your body weight, consume 1.2 to 1.6g of protein per kilogram of body weight. This is your mantra for the next 6 months. For instance, if your body weight is 75 kilograms, aim to consume around 120 grams of protein daily for the next 6 months.
Cut down significantly on sweets and oils. This won't be easy—it requires considerable determination.
Best Protein Sources
For a vegetarian Indian like myself, the best protein source would be:
1L Yoghurt
200gm paneer
30gms scoop of protein powder.
100gms of lentils
This worked both cheap and best for me. Feel free to choose what you like but make sure that you follow the mantra.
Here are some of the top best sources of protein per 100gm for vegetarians:
Protein Source | Protein per 100gms |
|---|---|
Soya Chunks | 50gms |
Green Gram | 24gms |
Rajma | 24gms |
Paneer | 20gms |
Curds | 11gms |
Now, for the non-vegetarians:
Protein Source | Protein per 100gms |
|---|---|
Chicken Breast | 31gms |
Turkey Breast | 25-30gms |
Beef Steak | 20-30gms |
Chicken Wings | 20-25gms |
Egg Whites | 11gms |
Remember to enjoy your protein meals, not just to maintain a long-term dietary commitment, but also because eating under stress or forcing it down your throat can affect digestion.
After all, nourishing your body and savoring delicious flavors can go hand in hand.
Skinny Fat Workout
For a body classified "Skinny fat", optimizing workouts involves a balance of regular exercise and cardio.
Here's a simple home workout plan to follow for a month
25 full pushups
25 squats
10 bicep curls
10 bicep hammer curls
Jog or brisk walk for about 1-2 kilometers a day.
Add 5 repetitions every week to each of these exercises. For jogging or Brisk walking, aim to increase your running distance by 500 meters.
Don't worry if you don't know how to do these. I'll leave a link to all the exercises at the bottom of the page.
Now, Let's dig a little deeper into how muscles grow.
There are three types of muscles in our body: Cardiac, Smooth, and Skeletal muscles.
Cardiac muscles, found exclusively in the heart, contract rhythmically to pump blood throughout the body, providing essential oxygen and nutrients to tissues and organs.
Smooth muscles are involuntary muscles found in organs like the intestines and blood vessels, responsible for various functions including peristalsis and regulating blood flow.
Skeletal muscles are voluntary muscles attached to the bones by tendons, enabling movement of the body's skeletal system.
While all muscles are important, we will focus on the skeletal muscles in this post because these muscles, when trained, are the ones that prevent you from looking 'skinny fat'.
Skeletal muscles grow through a process called hypertrophy.
Hypertrophy is essential knowledge for anyone who trains. It's the process wherein muscle fibers are damaged. Yes, that's right, your muscles grow when they're damaged. Your body then repairs these damaged fibers, leading to an increase in muscle size.
So, the more you challenge your muscles through activities such as weight lifting, the more the hypertrophy and more the muscle growth.
Make sure you train 5-6 times a week. Staying consistent is the key.
Once you are consistent for a month, then consider buying a gym membership. It's definitely one of the best investments ever.
How do I get rid of belly fat?
Belly fat could be of two types: visceral fat and subcutaneous fat.
Subcutaneous fat, also termed subcutaneous adipose tissue, resides beneath the skin's surface and has a soft texture. Approximately 90% of total body fat is subcutaneous, with women typically having more than men.
In contrast, visceral fat is located deeper within the body, enveloping organs such as the intestines and liver. It cannot be detected by touch under the skin, unlike subcutaneous fat.
Despite constituting only 10% of total body fat, visceral fat poses significantly higher health risks. It generates detrimental chemicals and hormones, which are major contributors to obesity, high cholesterol, insulin resistance, and high blood pressure.
If you have to get rid of visceral belly fat, Then you need to start start integrating a healthy lifestyle.
you first need to consume less calories and eat more protein rich foods. You need to keep track of the calories and protein your diet.
Along with diet, you need to incorporate some type of cardio exercise. So choose a cardio exercise of your choice.
Although weight exercises do burn significant amounts of calories, Cardio workouts usually burn more calories than weight training sessions of the same length.
Here is a rule of thumb for fitness and life in general:
"Always make it as easy as possible for you to work hard"
If you make the mistake I did and opt for running instead of something like walking, yes, you'll burn more calories in less time. However, the downside is that you may lack the motivation to run every day.
For me, waking up in the morning and going out for a run seemed too tiresome and uninspiring. I did however do it for about a month straight just before quitting it altogether.
Remember, if you walk consistently every day for 3-4 kilometers compared to running just two days a week for the same distance, you'll likely burn more fat with the former.
So chose wisely. Chose something that you wouldn't mind doing for extended periods of time.
here is something you can try -
If you workout from home, then try brisk walking 1 kilometer a day. Increase it by 500 meters every week and continue it for about a month.
Brisk walking 4-5kms a day is enough cardio and you will easily burn more than 300 calories.
Make small changes in your daily life. Fitness is not just not something you do in the gym. It is a lifestyle that you adopt.
Next time at the mall, take the stairs instead of the escalator.
Avoid using the elevator and take the stairs at your home, college or office.
Do this for about 6 months consistently and you will see significant results.
I promise you.
Here is my personal transformation. This took me 8-12 months. Although I admit, my consistency only kicked in during the last 4 months. So when I say that you can transform your skinny fat physique in 6 months, trust me, it's entirely achievable.
