12/30/2008

Are You "Skinny Fat"

You've seen them.They are the "naturally" skinny people.They don't do exercise.They eat what they want.They make you jealous with envy because you are fighting to keep this weight off, but your “skinny” friend is eating the chocolate cream pie and not gaining an ounce. I have clients who...

You've seen them. They are the %26quot;naturally%26quot; skinny people. They don't do exercise. They eat what they want. They make you jealous with envy because you are fighting to keep this weight off, but your %26ldquo;skinny%26rdquo; friend is eating the chocolate cream pie and not gaining an ounce. I have clients who will point to them and say I want to look like that.




They aren%26rsquo;t obese so they must be healthy, right??



Well, new research is showing that might not necessarily be the case. Doctors in London are saying that internal fat can be just as dangerous as the external fat we can see.





Their findings suggest that people who try to control their weight through their diet rather than exercise have major deposits of internal fat around their vital organs (heart, liver, or pancreas).




Unlike the ever-expanding gut we can see, there is no barometer to signal you have too much internal fat. The pants fit fine, you can see your feet, so why would you need to worry about your health. People who are skinny just assume they are healthy and that might not be so.




How do they get this way?




These people tend to eat a lot of fatty and sugary foods and don't exercise that much. Although, they don't eat a lot of food in general to actually be fat. Consequently, they look healthy enough, but if they were standing in a bathing suit, you would see no actual muscle definition. In fact, you might see a little pouch in the stomach area. Also, if you were to grab their arm, it would feel like mush. Nothing really there. Is that the appearance you want to have??




Studies suggest that it might be deadlier to be thin, sedentary, and unfit than obese, active, and fit. These studies also state that %26quot;skinny fat%26quot; people are at higher risk of heart disease and diabetes. This could be dangerous. Studies show that if you are overweight, you are at a higher risk for these diseases, but if you are of normal weight, then you don%26rsquo;t realize these potential risks, and they are easy to ignore.






The best way to control your weight and stay healthy is through diet, but also exercise. If you can combine the two, it will burn the fat for energy and keep your arteries clog-free. The more lean muscle you have the faster your metabolism will be, thus you won%26rsquo;t get overweight. Fatty and sugary foods are empty calories. Meaning they have a lot of calories in them, but they do your body absolutely no good. If you can replace those calories with healthier choices, they can be turned into the muscle you need (due to your exercise program) to speed up that metabolism, keep you thinner safely, and keep you healthier.





Once again, it boils down to increasing the exercise and improving your diet. It should be an automatic part of your daily life no matter who you are or what physical shape you are in. So, next time you long to look like the super skinny model, you might want to re-think that choice. It might be the unhealthier one.