What Is Skinny Fat? Five Important Things to Keep In Mind to Avoid Achieving This Body Type While on Weight Loss Regime

If you think that you're healthy as your weight falls under the normal category as per Body Mass Index (BMI) measurement, then you might not necessarily be right. Many people who fall under the normal weight category as per BMI, have a good amount of fat around their belly and very less muscle, which results in a skinny fat body. BMI is measured by a person's weight in relation to their height. It simply says that if your BMI is above 25, then you are overweight and if it's below 18.5, you are underweight. However, the ratio of weight to height is not all that decides your health status, overall body composition that mainly includes the muscle percentage, fat percentage plays a vital role. For a healthy body, it is necessary to have higher muscle percentage (fat-free mass) and less fat percentage. So if you are planning for weight loss, you should train and follow a diet keeping these facts in mind. WORST Exercises and Workout Mistakes That Will RUIN Your Fitness Goals.

What is Skinny Fat?

As discussed above, your weight as per BMI might state you healthy, however, you still have an excessive amount of fat stored in your body. Skinny fat is basically a term used to describe a body appearance where the person has thin arms, legs, narrow shoulder but high fat around the belly area. Also, skinny fat body type people have a high body fat percentage. The healthy range of fat percentage for a male is 15 percent to 20 percent and it's 18 percent to 28 percent for a female. A person might have a BMI of more than 25, but a fat percentage of around 15 percent. This means he/she is healthy and muscular. In short, a person needs to have more muscle mass than fat to justify a healthy body. Let's take a look at five important things that you should keep in mind while training for weight loss and avoid achieving a skinny fat body type. Eggs for Breakfast: Why It Is Important to Eat This Protein-Rich Food in the Morning Meal for Weight Loss and Good Health.

Five Important Things To Keep in Mind For Avoiding Skinny Fat Body Type 

1. Don't Do Too Much Cardio: Cardio exercises are, of course, good for endurance and heart health. However, they should not be done more than twice a week. Over-excessive running on treadmill and cycling can cause muscle loss, which will lead to a skinny fat body.

2. Important to Lift Weights: You may be a runner, cyclist, sportsperson or a regular person, but you just can't ignore weight training. It is not necessary to lift heavy weights, you can train as per your fitness goals and requirement. Incorporating compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, bench presses are essential for quick fat loss, belly fat loss and developing lean mass in the body.

3. Eat Adequate Protein:  Most people give more than their 100 percent towards exercise, however, they fail in their diet and fall short of required macronutrients - carbs, protein and fats. It is necessary to take 1.6 to 2 g of protein per kg of your body weight to develop a lean mass.

4. Avoid Stress: Overthinking and stress can release cortisol in the body which will make you feel depressed. Also, cortisol will raise the blood sugar level in the body and increase fatty acid mobilisation from fat reserves to active tissues.

5. Take Good Sleep: Our muscle grows and fat burns when we take a good deep sleep. This is due to Resting Metabolic Rate RMR) which burns calories when the body is at rest. The RMR rate will be higher in people who do regular training.

According to a 2013 study published in the American Journal of Cardiology, older adults with normal BMIs but high levels of body fat are at greater risk for cardiovascular disease. Therefore, one shouldn't ignore skinny fat and take proper measures to increase muscle mass. It is also very important to train under proper exercise programme designed by a certified fitness trainer. This should also be supported with proper consultation from a dietician.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 18, 2020 09:33 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).