What To Do If You’re Skinny Fat

Last Updated May 29th, 2020, 2:53 PM

The term ”skinny fat” might sound contradictory – how can someone be skinny and fat at the same time?

Skinny fat people are those that look slim in clothes and maintain a low or moderate BMI (body mass index) but have high levels of body fat and low muscle mass.

So, underneath those clothes – they actually look soft and they don’t have a lot of muscle tone.

A skinny fat workout regime (if any) is mostly cardio and their diet is mostly based on processed food.

So, how to get rid of the skinny fat body? You definitely need to change your diet and workout regime (or adopt a workout one).

Both men and women can have this condition, but I’m just going to focus on skinny fat women in this blog post and what ”skinny fat workouts” they can do to fix this look.

AM I A SKINNY FAT WOMAN?

There are some common traits all skinny fat girls seem to have:

• Skinny fat women tend to carry most of their fat around their midsection (stomach) and hips and thighs 
  (You know, the dreaded “muffin top/love handles” and “saddlebags.”).
• Skinny fat girls’ diet typically consists of excess carbohydrates, artificial sweeteners, sugar or processed foods. Basically, you’re avoiding vegetables as much as you can and eating crappy food.
• Skinny fat women usually do not work out at all or do only cardio.
• They also tend to eat a low protein diet (usually substituted with processed food and sugar).
• Skinny fat women usually look good in clothes, but very flabby underneath.
• They also seem to have a constant “sugar crash,” or suffer from ”brain fog.”

If you are a skinny woman but struggle with fat around your midsection, hips, and thighs that you can’t seem to get rid of, then you might be skinny fat.

WHY AM I SKINNY FAT?

As mentioned above, one, two – or all of these – usually cause the skinny fat body:

1. Doing cardio only and avoiding resistance training
2. Poor diet
3. Genetics

Skinny fat is a result of losing muscle mass (which lowers your metabolic rate) and adding fat by eating the same calories – usually from unhealthy food sources (with a lower metabolic rate).

You may maintain the same weight, go slightly above, or even lower in weight- but it’s mainly fat, not muscle.

1. YOU’RE DOING ONLY CARDIO WORKOUTS

Is your ”getting rid of skinny fat workout regime” just cardio?

I often see this syndrome in women who do lots of cardio and don’t do any resistance training, because they’re afraid it will make them look bulky.

I understand this fear, as I had it myself. If that’s the case, I encourage you to read my blog post on how to do get lean and toned but without getting bulky.

Cardio keeps you slim but doesn’t build enough muscle to keep your body fat level down.

As you get older, your metabolism naturally slows down.

Your skinny fat workout regime must be based around building muscle that helps to keep your metabolism up and your body fat levels down.

Avoiding resistance training can cause a skinny fat look.

2. YOU’RE EATING A POOR DIET 

If you’re wondering how to get rid of skinny fat look- you MUST start from making better choices of the food you’re eating.

Skinny fat diet is usually high in carbohydrates and refined foods. This will definitely increase your body fat levels and cause you to look skinny fat and store a lot of excess body weight in the mid-region.

The old golden rule still applies – You can not out-train a bad diet!

3. YOU HAVE A GENETIC PREDISPOSITION 

Being a skinny fat woman can be a genetic trait, so you can thank your parents for that.

BUT, if you genetically have this kind of body fat to muscle ratio, it is not impossible to change.

With the right workout program and a good diet, you can be skinny AND toned!

4. YOU HAVE HORMONAL ISSUES 

I should also mention that in some cases, a skinny fat woman struggles because of a range of health conditions, which include hypothyroidism, hormone imbalances, certain medications (such as the contraceptive pill and antibiotics), gut health issues and more.

If this is you, consult your doctor and focus on fixing the cause of your hormonal disbalance.

5. YOU’VE DONE SOME EXTREME DIETING BEFORE 

Lastly, a skinny fat look can happen when a person loses a lot of weight by just dramatically cutting his/her calorie intake, without exercising.

That is why girls who diet a lot usually end up looking skinny fat (flabby).

If you have been exercising consistently (both cardio and resistance training) and eating a good diet, but still can’t seem to lose weight and tone up, then it could be worth seeing a health professional.

DANGERS OF THE SKINNY FAT LOOK FOR WOMEN

Skinny fat girls are, in most cases, those who do not exercise at all, or do only cardio, but somehow seem to get away with pizza, pasta and tons of bread – every day.

This sounds ideal when you’re younger but it all comes back to haunt you when you’re older and can be destructive for your body.

As much as we are about body positivity and the ”skinny fat” term can use some rebranding – if you’re struggling with the skinny fat body, you must be aware it can come with serious consequences.

Women with an amazing metabolism, and ”skinny genes,” may not look like it, but they can suffer from the same medical conditions as an obese person:

• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Blood sugar issues
• Increased cholesterol levels

This is why a healthy BMI or your scale are not the most accurate representation of your health and fitness.

According to Times magazine: ‘‘If you eat a diet high in sugar and processed food you may suffer from visceral fat that can cause a lot of issues – some being a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, Alzheimers and stroke (Dr. Mark Hyman, author of The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet).”

So, how to get rid of skinny fat look?

Luckily, you can fix this by doing the right exercise regime and eating a healthy diet.

SKINNY FAT TRANSFORMATION 

I’ve received a lot of questions from girls asking me, ”Can I really go from skinny fat to fit?”

The answer is: ”Absolutely!” Just check out the skinny fat transformations of my girls:

Below, I’ve covered the best skinny fat workout examples and diet programs that will help you gain some lean muscle, lower your body fat and make you healthier overall.

But, before we cover the details, I want to share some transformation photos of the Lean Legs Girls that struggled with getting rid of the skinny fat look.

SKINNY FAT WORKOUT PLAN FOR WOMEN

For skinny fat girls who want to tone up and lose a bit of excess body fat, you will need to do a combination of resistance training and cardio.

1. FOCUS ON RESISTANCE TRAINING AS YOUR MAIN SKINNY FAT WORKOUT

As I mentioned above, it’s really important that you don’t neglect resistance training.

Building muscle will help boost your metabolism and also reduce your body fat levels.

The resistance training should include both a mix of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and circuits, using weights or bodyweight.

HIIT is an awesome skinny fat exercise because it burns a really high number of calories in a short period of time.

But the best part is, after your HIIT workout, you will continue to burn more calories.

HIIT is one of the best exercise regimens to get rid of the skinny fat body.

However, another really common complaint I hear from women is that they become too muscular when doing HIIT and lifting weights, particularly in their legs.

I have written a blog post on how to lift weights without getting bulky, to help with this exact issue.

It has some good guidelines and workout ideas that will help you tone up without getting bigger and too muscular.

2. DO SOME CARDIO WORKOUTS (BUT DON’T OVERDO IT)

If you are already skinny, you don’t necessarily need to do a lot of cardio.

But I do recommend it to mix it up with your resistance training workouts so that you stay slim with all of the HIIT and weight lifting you will be doing.

Please have a read of this blog post on cardio and why it’s so important for getting lean legs.

FULL SKINNY FAT WORKOUT PLAN FOR WOMEN

The skinny fat workout program below is only a framework to guide you.

If you really want to get started and get results, it is best to have a proper plan to follow.

You will be much more likely to stick to it and be consistent if you are able to follow a guide.

The workout plan in my program is great for skinny fat women because the workouts will help you tone up and get rid of your skinny fat body, but without becoming bigger.

The link to my program is below.

If you are serious about getting results, then it is definitely worth investing time and money into yourself.

My weekly skinny fat workout recommendation for women would include the following:

1-2 DAYS OF FULL BODY RESISTANCE TRAINING 

You don’t need to lift heavy weights – you can use bodyweight only, lighter dumbbells, resistance bands, ankle weights, and gliding discs. Just get those muscles working.

Aim for a 30-minute resistance training workout.

Also, please have a look at the blog post I mentioned above some guidelines on how to lift weights without getting bulky.

Here is the example of full-body resistance training.

This is the type of a skinny fat workout you can do at home anytime.

1-2 DAYS OF HIIT: HIGH-INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING

As I mentioned, HIIT is amazing for getting rid of the skinny fat look, and the workouts don’t need to take long!

You can do a great HIIT workout in 20-30 minute.

Just be careful not to overdo it on lower body HIIT exercises, such as burpees, jump squats, jump lunges, box jumps, etc. as they can make your legs overly muscular.

I have posted lots of different HIIT workouts that won’t cause bulk, so have a look at these for some workout ideas.

If you prefer not to do HIIT (especially endomorph women who may get bigger with HIIT), that’s OK.

You can still get great results, with full-body resistance training, and I would aim for a total of 3 sessions per week.

1-2 DAYS OF HIGH-INTENSITY CARDIO 

High-intensity cardio can include exercises such as running, swimming, dancing, cycling, etc.

Do something that you love so that you will actually stick to it! Keep your high-intensity cardio workouts to 20-30 minutes (obviously, if it’s a dance class or spin class, you can go longer).

Plus, it’s a great idea to try and fit in as much low-intensity cardio as you can!

1-2 DAYS OF REST

It’s really important to give your body some time to rest and your muscles to recover. Overtraining can cause you to hold onto excess body fat, so if you feel like your body needs a break, give it one.

THE BEST SKINNY FAT DIET REGIME

Diet plays a huge part in your body’s ability to lose weight, so you can’t just rely on a good workout program alone.

If you don’t eat a good diet, you won’t get rid of excess body fat.

In general, someone who is skinny fat and looking to lose excess body fat will follow similar guidelines to anyone that is trying to lose body fat.

If you’re curious about my diet, you may read about it in detail here.

1. CUT THE CRAP 

Skinny fat diet recommendation starts with getting rid of the processed food.

You don’t need to do anything fancy with your nutrition – just cut out the packaged foods (think anything unnatural that comes in a bottle, packet, tin or box), processed foods, fizzy drinks, sugary foods, deep fried food and anything that is “typical” junk food, such as cakes and chocolate.

I’m not saying that you can never eat these, just try to limit them to a few times per week and keep portion sizes under control.

2. REDUCE CARB INTAKE

It is becoming more and more well-known that a diet lower in carbohydrates will help you lose weight quicker.

A skinny fat diet regime should be focused on protein (which will help you build muscle) and healthy fats. But, don’t cut out carbs completely, as your body still needs them and that’s where all the fiber is!

You just need to be smart about it.

• Switch any white carbs (i.e. bread, rice) to brown and whole-meal varieties
• Eat more carbs on your workout days and fewer carbs on your rest days
• Try to eat most of your carbs at breakfast or post-workout
• Aim to get most of your carbs from fruit, vegetables and whole grains

3. EAT MORE VEGGIES

Skinny fat diet recommendation is to focus on fruit and vegetables- they contain a range of vitamins, minerals and fiber, which your body needs.

I know you probably always hear people talking about fiber and how you should try to eat more of it.

But it really does play a huge part in keeping you full and regular.

Aim for 2-3 pieces of fruit per day and at least 5 servings of vegetables.

This can be hard to do without consciously thinking about it, so you really need to make the effort.

For getting rid of the skinny fat look I’d recommend you to try to eat vegetables with every single meal and snack to get those 5 servings in.

If you have smoothies for breakfast, add some spinach.

If you have an omelette, add spinach and other green vegetables.

Some of my favourite healthy snacks are carrot sticks and hummus, egg cups made from eggs and vegetables in muffin tins and whole pieces of fruit.

Lunch and dinner are a little easier to eat vegetables. Pack them in as much as you can!

One cup of vegetables has very little calories compared to any other foods, so it will keep you full, fill you with nutrients and won’t result in weight gain.

4. DRINK MORE WATER 

It can also be hard to drink the required 2l of water per day if you’re not consciously thinking about it.

Try recording your water intake for a couple of days to see how much you are actually drinking, and aim for 2-3l per day.

This will also help with bloating.

One of my favourite tips is to carry a water bottle with you everywhere you go. It will help you drink more water!

I should also mention my FREE 7 Day Meal Plan that is gluten, dairy and refined sugar–free. So, if you’re not sure where to start, this meal plan would be a great starting point. And it’s completely free! :)

LEARN YOUR BODY TYPE

I would also recommend that you to learn your body type. You see, there are three different body types and they all gain muscle and lose weight differently.

I have a skinny fat workout plan recommendation, but I assure you that you’ll get the best results after you learn which body type you are!:)

I have created a special Body Type Quiz that will help you learn your body type in just 2 minutes, and it is completely free.

After you take it, you will also get tips on how to eat and train specifically for your body type.

SUMMARY

To summarise all of the information above:

• Skinny fat women are those who look skinny in clothes, but underneath the clothes look soft and flabby
• The skinny fat body is caused by doing cardio only, eating a poor diet and genetic factors
• Skinny fat workout should include a mix of resistance training (HIIT and lifting weights) plus cardio
• The skinny fat diet includes reducing carbs and sugar and eating more fruit and vegetables
• Drinking lots of water is very important and will help with bloating.
• Learn your body type to get the best possible results

If you stick to a good workout and nutrition plan, you will get results. But you need to be consistent and actually put in the work!

Eating healthy for a few days and then binging, going out for lots of meals, drinking alcohol or skipping workouts will set you back.

You need to be consistent!

START MY LEAN LEGS PROGRAM FOR GETTING RID OF SKINNY FAT LOOK

If you need help with a skinny fat workout plan, you don’t know where to start with resistance training, or you tend to get bulky when you lift weights, then my program is perfect for you!

My program includes a full workout and nutrition program which will help you get a lean and toned body, and get rid of your skinny fat body forever. And because all of us are different, I have created separate programs for each of the 3 main body types.

This way, you can be sure you are going to get the best possible results!

And from now on, the resistance training part of my program will also have FULL-LENGTH VIDEOS you can follow from warm-up to cool down.

To find out more about my 3 Steps to Lean Legs Program click the link below.

Love,

Rachael xx