Skinny Fat, a term I found in the urban dictionary means a physique, while not overweight (and possibly underweight), lacks any visible lean, striated tissue. Everything seems cool until you're naked. You look slim with your clothes on, even after a lifetime of eating whatever you want. I use that term in the least demonstrative way possible. A friend of mine, ex-trainee and inspiration recently asked me for tips on getting lean and my opinion on Herbalife.
First, I have not personally taken Herbalife, so I am not an expert on the product. I have reviewed the product and spoke to several people about there personal results and the overall consensus is that if used correctly Herbalife provideS results.
Now back to Skinny Fat and toning up. The common wisdom is that if you are overweight you are unhealthy, and if you are thin, you are healthy. But new research points to just how dangerous being skinny can be -- if you are a "skinny fat" person, that is. The medical term for this is "MONW," or metabolically obese normal weight.
I read a story about a guy names Jim recently. Jim went in for a "wellness check up" and felt happy about his weight. His BMI (or body mass index) was 22 (normal is 18 to 24.) He never seemed to gain weight and felt he could "tolerate" a diet that included lots of bread, pasta, and sugar. He liked his two sodas a day and a few glasses of wine at night. He walked but didn't do much vigorous exercise or weight training. It turned out that Jim’s blood pressure and insulin levels were very high. Insulin was the issue. It is the fat storage hormone. It stores belly fat and leads to hormonal and metabolic changes that cause muscle loss and inflammation.
Here are some tips to cure the skinny fat syndrome.
Stop focusing on your weight and start looking at your body-fat percentage. The goal for men is dropping to between 9%-12% and 12%-15% for women. That's where you can actually see abs, plural.
Lift weights. When you weight train, especially if you lift heavier loads of 6, 8 or 10 repetitions, your body adapts by growing new muscle fibers that tone and support body parts that can tend to sag, especially in naturally skinny people. To avoid a skinny-fat look, you should do a full body weight training session two to three times per week, using multi-joint moves. If you are a avid running, stop running so damn much
! Start flexing some iron. Skinny-fat people typically avoid the weight room, fearing they'll get huge. Lifting is the fast track to replacing fat with muscle, which is what skinny-fat people need. And don't bother with isolation workouts. Dead lifts, burpees, and other hybrid moves will help you look cut all over. Once you're strength training, put your workouts on shuffle. Every week, change the exercises you're doing. And when lifting gets easy, bump up the weight or reps. Even minor tweaks (like swapping a barbell for individual dumbbells) make a difference. Expect to be sore.
Adjust your diet. All those carbohydrates that naturally skinny and lean people are able to get away with can catch up with them later in life as metabolism slows and the liver begins to convert sugars into storage fats. You will find that higher amounts of healthy fats and proteins not only satiate your appetite better than pasta, bread, scones, bagels, and biscotti, but will also help you to eat less and control your appetite better.
- Start the day with protein and at each meal. This makes your metabolism run hotter and cuts hunger. Incorporate eggs, protein shakes, nuts, seeds, chicken, or fish.
- No sodas, juices, sweetened drinks and no more than 3-4 glasses of wine or alcohol a week with meals.
- Avoid the white powder or flour, including gluten-free flour products. Even whole grain flour acts like sugar in your body.
- Factory-made foods are often science projects with fake ingredients including MSG (which causes ravenous hunger and is hidden as "natural flavoring"), high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, preservatives, and chemicals.
- Eat omega-3 fat-rich foods including sardines and wild salmon and avoid refined and processed vegetable oils except olive oil.
- Sleep deprivation alters metabolism and increases cravings for carbs and sugar. Sleep is sacred. Make your bedroom a sleeping temple and stay there for 7 to 8 hours a night.