Are You Skinny-Fat?

Yesterday I came across what may possibly the BEST article I have read in a very long time… so naturally I wanted share. The article begins with some great low-tech ways to tell if you're "skinny-fat" and concludes with some tips to transform a skinny-fat body into one that is lean and tone, all in a matter of months. When you’re working towards your “dream body,” it’s important to remember that when it comes to health, looks can sometimes be deceiving. Skinny isn’t always best.

Check out the article below written by Jade Teta from Metabolic Effect.
http://metaboliceffect.wordpress.com/

Are You Skinny-Fat?
Jade Teta ND, CSCS

Skinny is a deceiving word. The last thing a person thinks of when they here the word skinny is fat, yet skinny-fat is very real and increasingly prevalent. The term skinny-fat refers to someone who appears skinny yet has a body that is excessively soft and flabby and lacks firmness or tone. The mushy feel of this type of physique is a dead give away the person avoids weight training and/or avoids adequate protein intake. For participants of the fat loss lifestyle, skinny-fat is every bit as worrisome and undesirable as traditional obesity. In medical terminology, skinny-fat is known as sarcopenic obesity. This is where despite a thin appearance, a person has a muscle to fat ratio that is undesirable. This is most often seen in elderly women, but is increasingly prevalent in younger women and some men as well. So how do you know if you are skinny-fat and how do you fix it if you are?
Indications of Skinny-Fat

There are several low tech, subjective ways to determine if you might be skinny-fat and one more scientific and objective way. Here are the 6 indications/signs you may be skinny-fat:

1. Flabby Arms: If the back of the arm is flabby and hangs down rather than stays tight, there is a good chance of sarcopenic obesity or low anabolic hormones. The back of the arm is what I call a testosterone and growth hormone point. The more of these hormones you have the more muscle you have, the less muscle you will lose, the tighter your skin will be, and the more firm your body will feel. Young men are leanest in their triceps (back of the arm) due to high amounts of testosterone and adequate muscle mass young women are less so. Over the years I have done countless skin caliper tests for body fat where I pinch parts of the body and take measurements. In addition, in my clinical practice I have run many hormone profiles. It has become apparent to me and other professionals in the field that lean triceps are a primary indication of healthy hormone balnce and lean muscle mass. Older women especially suffer from poor measures in this area of the body with young, physically inactive women and older men having equal difficulty.

2. The upside down gluteus muscle: The gluteus maximus is the biggest component of the butt muscles, while the gluteus medius is the smaller portion up near the top. A muscular, toned, rounded buttocks is a sure sign of adequate muscle mass regardless of its fat content. A healthy butt muscle has a very distinct shape and will be bulky at the top as well as rounded toward the sides and thickest towards the bottom. An upside down gluteus is where the gluteus maximus loses bulk and becomes flat while the gluteus medius develops too much bulk at its upper most portion. This leads to a butt muscle that is flat and saggy at the bottom. See the diagram below. The gluteus medius can be seen in the right side picture anterior, superior and lateral (above to the side and mostly covered by the gluteus maximus)

3. Middle fat storage: When the arms and legs stay thin yet the middle accumulates fat, this is a sure sign that the body has elevated stress hormones like cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline. These hormones act to break down muscle tissue and store fat in the middle. However, testosterone and growth hormone not only block fat storage around the middle but help maintain muscle mass and keep the body firm and toned. Many people who suffer from being skinny-fat have fat accumulation at the belly, love handles and saddle bags while remaining thin and soft in the arms and legs.

4. Weak muscles: Muscle strength is usually lacking in the skinny-fat syndrome. Research has shown that type II muscle fibers are responsible for keeping the muscles strong and powerful. These fibers are easily reduced during aging as well as long distance aerobic activities that are not substituted with resistance training and adequate protein. Weak muscles may be a consequence of low muscle mass and almost always are present with sarcopenia.

5. Low Bone density: The “pulling effect” muscle has on bone is the primary stimulus for the development of bone density. Osteoporosis is a major consequence of low muscle mass and sarcopenic obesity.

6. One more objective way to determine if you suffer from low muscle mass and high body fat is to have your body fat tested. Unlike body weight or body mass index (BMI), which are useless in determining the true composition of your body, body fat % is a much more meaningful measurement. Along with a thin appearance and lower than average weight, a body fat % of greater than 25% is suggestive sarcopenic obesity.

Who’s at risk?
Age, eating disorders, very low calorie diets, excessive aerobic exercise, lack of weight bearing activity, disease and prolonged vegetarian diets may all push the body to lose muscle and develop the thin flabby look that is a hall mark of the skinny-fat physique. Like traditional obesity, this condition has many risk factors associated with it.

Here are 5 steps to go from skinny-fat, to lean and tone in only a few months.
1. Workout with weights 3 to 5 days per week
2. Eat adequate protein from quality sources
3. Avoid excessive frequent aerobic exercise lasting over 60 minutes
4. Eat a calorically-adequate diet balanced in protein, carbohydrates and fat
5. Avoid empty calories, like sugar, fast-food, and regular/diet soda.