July 21, 2018
The skinny fat body type refers to having a slim appearance but a high body fat percentage with low muscle mass. This can lead to health risks despite looking “thin.”
Weight alone cannot tell whether or not you’re skinny fat.
Losing muscle mass and gaining fat mass due to maintaining the same caloric intake and a sedentary lifestyle creates a skinny fat condition.
Getting a body composition test can help assess your body fat and muscle mass distribution.
In this guide, we’ll explore skinny fat in depth, including what causes it, what it looks like, and how to transform your body composition for a healthier, stronger physique.
What Does Being “Skinny Fat” Mean?
So what is skinny fat? Skinny fat body type refers to having a normal weight and BMI for your height but having excess body fat and not enough muscle mass. This imbalance can negatively impact overall health despite an outwardly slim appearance.
Many people just assume that if their weight and/or BMI is normal, they have nothing to worry about. This has a lot to do with misconceptions about BMI’s usefulness in assessing weight and health.
For example, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), if your BMI is between 18.5 and 24.99, you are considered to be in the normal range for sufficient health. So if you have a BMI of 22, you’re automatically in the clear, right?
Not so fast – although the WHO has set these ranges, they are quick to qualify them with the following:
[BMI] should be considered as a rough guide because it may not correspond to the same body fat percentage in different individuals.
The bottom line, looking skinny doesn’t mean you’re healthy if you have a skinny fat body type.
Subcutaneous vs Visceral Fat: What’s the Difference
Not all fat gets stored under the skin. The fat that people can pinch is referred to as subcutaneous fat, but there’s a second type — visceral fat — and it’s the worse of the two. If you’re skinny fat, you likely have a lot of this second type.
Visceral fat is internal fat that develops in the abdominal cavity, gets stored around the organs, and wraps around your kidneys, intestines, stomach, and liver. Because visceral fat isn’t visible, many skinny fat people may not realize the potential dangers lurking within.
Having large amounts of visceral fat can spell a heap of trouble, according to Harvard Medical School. Visceral fat has been linked with:
Increased risk of heart disease
High cholesterol
Insulin resistance, leading to type 2 diabetes
Loss of cognitive function
So while on the outside, skinny fat people might look healthy, on the inside, their bodies may be at high risk for several health problems and syndromes.
How to Tell If You’re Skinny Fat
How can you tell if you have a skinny fat body type? It’s not as easy as looking in the mirror or standing on a scale. You need to understand what your weight is made of. Since skinny fat people often fall within a normal weight range, traditional weight measurements don’t tell the full story. Instead, the key is understanding your body composition — the balance between muscle mass and body fat.
Here are a few signs that you may have a skinny fat body:
Normal weight but high body fat percentage – You may weigh within a “healthy” BMI range but have low muscle mass and excess body fat. The healthy body fat percentage is:
Men: 10-20% body fat
Women: 18-28% body fat
Lack of muscle definition – If you appear soft or have little muscle tone despite being thin, this could indicate a skinny fat body type.
Fat accumulation around the midsection – A skinny fat person usually stores excess visceral fat in the abdominal area, which increases health risks.
Weakness or low strength levels – If you struggle with strength-based activities, it could be a sign of inadequate muscle mass.
Low energy and poor metabolic health – High body fat and low muscle mass can adversely impact your metabolism and make you feel sluggish.
There are several ways to have your body composition analyzed, all of which come with differing degrees of convenience and accuracy. Here are three ways to measure body composition:
Calipers
Probably one of the most common forms of body composition analysis. Calipers operate by pinching the fat that is held just under the skin (subcutaneous fat) and estimating the internal (or visceral) fat, which is where many skinny fat people hide their weight.
Getting consistent results from test to test can be an issue as well because each test administrator will have a different degree of skill than the person who conducted the test before. Even if it is the same person conducting the test, there is always the risk of human error (pinching softer/harder, etc.) with each test.
So, although this is probably the most accessible way to measure your body fat, it won’t be the most accurate. This is because calipers only actually measure the subcutaneous fat and then use prediction equations or tables based on your age to guess the visceral fat.
Clinical Tests
It is possible to have your body composition determined in a clinical setting using tests and procedures such as hydrostatic weighing and dual x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). However, these procedures both require specialized equipment, and in the case of DEXA, expose your body to low levels of radiation. Although both of these tests are regarded as being highly accurate, because of the limited access, they may not be the easiest to access for regular testing to track changes in body composition.
BIA Scales and Devices
BIA devices are devices that use small electric currents to measure body composition. They are quick, easy to use, and depending on the manufacturer, are accurate in determining body composition results for all areas of the body — including the abdominal area, where visceral fat builds up over time.
Below are the results from an InBody Test, a medical body composition analyzer:
This section is taken from the InBody Result Sheet.
A real-world example from an InBody Test shows the body composition of a 5’4” female weighing 135.3 lbs. While her BMI (23.2) is within the normal range, her body fat percentage (35.0%) exceeds the healthy upper limit of 28%.
Despite appearing to be a healthy weight, her body composition suggests an increased risk for metabolic issues. Studies show that a visceral fat area above 100 cm² raises the risk of metabolic syndrome, which includes conditions like insulin resistance and heart disease.
When using a BIA device, it’s important to look into how the device you are using determines body composition and how accurate its results are. Some handheld devices may only directly measure your arms and estimate the remainder, while others may only directly measure your legs and estimate the upper body. Whenever possible, use a BIA device that directly measures the entire body for the most accurate results.
How Do People Become Skinny Fat?
Image Credit: LifeSpan
The skinny fat body type develops as a result of losing muscle mass while simultaneously gaining fat mass. This imbalance is often caused by a combination of poor diet, lack of exercise, and a sedentary lifestyle. Over time, these factors contribute to a lower metabolic rate, making it easier to store fat and more difficult to maintain muscle.
Carbohydrates and calorie-dense foods provide energy, but when that energy isn’t used through physical activity, it’s stored as body fat. Similarly, muscle mass declines over time if it isn’t actively maintained.
Many people who work desk jobs and sit for most of the day experience muscle loss due to inactivity, while fat accumulation increases as mobility decreases. Without intentional efforts to counteract these effects, a sedentary lifestyle can quickly lead to a skinny fat body type.
However, this isn’t the only way muscle loss and fat gain can occur.
Michael Matthews over at Muscle For Life, in an exceptionally well-researched piece, has another take on how people become skinny fat. Instead of losing muscle because they don’t exercise, he shows that people can lose muscle because they don’t diet and exercise the right way:
Conventional weight loss advice:
Severe calorie restriction which deprives the body of necessary nutrients for maintaining muscle mass.
Excessive amounts of cardio, which can burn both fat and muscle if not balanced with strength training.
Minimal weightlifting, especially focusing on high-rep, low-resistance training, which does little to stimulate muscle growth.
If you try to cut calories, while at the same time run on a treadmill an hour a day 5 days a week, your body may not have the energy it needs to perform. After a certain point, your body will start metabolizing muscle because it needs energy once the other options are exhausted. Weight loss will occur at the expense of both fat and muscle loss, which will do very little to improve body fat percentage and reduce a skinny fat physique.
How to Fix Being Skinny Fat
The key to fixing a skinny fat body is improving body composition by increasing muscle mass while reducing body fat. The key is a combination of strength training, proper nutrition, and strategic cardio:
Lift heavy weights – Focus on compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and rows at least 3-5 times per week. Lifting heavy weights is the best way to increase muscle growth, and correspondingly, Lean Body Mass. More lean mass means a higher Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) — your body burns more calories at rest, even when sleeping. The higher your BMR, the easier it is to maintain fat loss over time.
Limit excessive cardio – Avoid long-duration steady-state cardio, which can burn muscle. Replace it with short HIIT workouts (2-3 times per week) to preserve muscle while burning fat.
Eat more protein – Consume 1.0–1.2 grams per pound of body weight from lean sources like chicken, fish, eggs, tofu, and legumes to support muscle repair and growth.
Maintain a slight calorie deficit – Avoid severe calorie restriction, which slows metabolism and leads to muscle loss. Reduce calories moderately to lose fat while preserving muscle.
Choose the right carbs and fats – Prioritize complex carbs (quinoa, brown rice, sweet potatoes) and healthy fats (avocados, nuts, olive oil) for sustained energy and muscle maintenance.
Sleep at least 7-9 hours per night – Poor sleep disrupts muscle recovery, metabolism, and hormone balance, making fat loss and muscle growth harder.
Stay hydrated – Drink enough water to support muscle function, digestion, and fat metabolism.
Take rest days – Allow 1-2 days of rest per week or do active recovery (walking, stretching) to prevent overtraining and support muscle growth.
Track progress with body composition tests – Use BIA devices or DEXA scans to monitor muscle gains and fat loss, rather than relying on the scale.
If you’re worried that building muscle will make you bulky, don’t be! Muscle is denser than fat, so even at the same weight, you’ll appear leaner and healthier with more muscle. In fact, as you gain muscle and lose fat, your weight may increase, but your body composition will improve, reducing health risks that aren’t visible on a scale.
Rethink What It Means to Be Healthy
Fixing a skinny fat body type isn’t just about losing weight — it’s about improving body composition by building muscle and reducing excess fat. Just because someone looks skinny, don’t just assume they’re healthy. Don’t strive to be skinny, hone in on being healthy. Because at the end of the day, being healthy is more important than appearing healthy.
Instead of focusing on the number on the scale, prioritize muscle growth, metabolic health, and overall strength. Stay consistent, give your body time to adapt, and you’ll see lasting improvements in how you look and feel.
