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Is Skinny is the New Fat?

January 11, 2013 by Jay Leave a Comment

Previously, being fat was the biggest crime you could commit when it came to the pursuit of happiness and wellness. That is, at least in the eyes of the multi-billion pound health, fitness and self-improvement industries. Now that the movement to ‘encourage’ fat people to do something about their condition by cajoling, belittling and humiliating them has reached saturation point, is it now the turn of skinny people to be ‘motivated’ into doing something about their shortcomings?

The Rise of Skinny Fat Syndrome

As the rise in popularity of the term ‘skinny fat’ has exploded in recent times, and the number of people searching for skinny fat solutions on the internet has increased exponentially, it seems it is now the turn of people who are underweight, or at least, not obese to feel bad about themselves.

As the use of models with aesthetically pleasing bodies remains the norm and the requirements for those entering the limelight, whether it be actors, musicians or media personalities, include physical perfection as much as ever, with exceptions only serving to prove the rule, it seems it’s time for those at the skinny end of the scale to feel the pain the overweight have known all their lives.

The Turn of Skinny Fats to Feel the Pinch

While skinny people aren’t fully in the sights of the fitness and wellness industries, their cousins, the skinny fats, are taking over from the fat people or at least being given their share of the pie when it comes to being pushed into doing something about their body shape.

Being skinny can allow you to hide from the body shape prejudices and judgements that abound in modern society. When I was skinny I wasn’t particularly pleased about it, but it wasn’t until I become skinny fat that I decided to do something about my body type. I could tolerate being skinny, it seemed, but being fat was out of the question!

Imagine what is will be like for the skinny people amongst us when the spotlight is turned on them, and they are held up as something to be fixed and cured much in the way fat people have been for decades. Some might say it is only fair they get their turn, others might ask where will the hiding place remain for those who want to stay out of the sights of those promoting and marketing the body improvement industry?

Skinny Fat is the New Fat

Skinny fat is becoming the new fat in terms of something people need to be made aware of as being unacceptable, at least in the eyes of the self-improvement industries. Whether ‘regular skinny’ will become the new fat remains to be seen though. Especially since the number of skinny people is dwindling on a daily basis, will it even be worth going after this market when the fat segment is so large?

What do you think? Is Skinny Fat the new Fat? Leave a comment below or join the discussion on Facebook now.

Help: I’m Working Out but not Losing Weight!

June 21, 2012 by Jay Leave a Comment

When most people start working out their initial goal is to “lose weight” but this phrase can be misleading as what their actual goal is is to lose fat. In fact they might not even really want to lose any weight at all!

When I first started going to the gym I did so because I noticed, or rather one of my friends noticed and kindly pointed out, that I was starting to develop a bit of a belly after years of being skinny due to a bad diet, too much drinking and no exercise (sound familiar?). I decided to nip this problem in the bud and join my local gym and start exercising there as I played no sports or did any training of any kind apart from walking around town.

Losing Weight vs. Losing Fat

My strategy was to do lots of cardio on the running machines and use the resistance machines in the gym. If I had a goal back then it would’ve been “to lose weight” but really what I wanted to do was “lose fat and gain muscle”.

As muscle weighs more than fat your weight might increase when you first start going to the gym as your body will be shedding its excess fat reserves while putting on some new muscle or lean mass. If you are unaware of what is going on there is a good chance you might get disheartened when you first step on the scales after a month or so of going to the gym. You will see that your total weight has gone up when the reason you started going to the gym was to lose weight – what is going on?

Scales aren’t the Best Way to Track Your Progress

For this reason using scales to weigh yourself isn’t the best way to see if your hard work in the gym is paying off. Seeing your body weight going up can be disappointing so we recommend that you track your progress in other ways. Some great ways to chart your change in body composition are:

Use a tape measure to measure the key parts of your body. Choose the main areas of your body you think that would give you a good indication of whether you are losing fat or not such as your belly, hips, thighs and upper arms. Make sure you measure yourself in exactly the same positions each time. A good idea is to measure yourself at the widest point, so for your belly find where you are the biggest and measure there each time. Do this once a month to allow enough time to pass for there to be a noticeable change and don’t get despondent if there isn’t a change as when it comes to getting in shape patience is definitely a virtue. If you are doing weight training as well as cardio which you really should be as it is the best way to lose fat and get toned for both men and women, then you will notice that some measurements might start going up such as your upper arms, chest and possibly shoulders. This is due to an increase in muscle and is nothing to worry about!
Take a photo of yourself at regular intervals to record the change in your body’s composition. If you are quite overweight then at first you will notice your fat deposits starting to reduce in size and visibility and then once you get to a low body fat percentage which could be less than 20% for men and maybe under 30% for women you will then see some muscle tone and definition start to become visible. This is where your weight loss might start to slow but do not worry! This means you are still losing fat but are gaining lean mass or muscle which will keep your weight level or even increasing but will result in a great new look which is toned, healthy and athletic looking. Try to ensure you take the photo in the same place such as the bathroom or the changing rooms at the gym to keep it consistent as different lighting and positions can make it harder to determine if there are any changes from photo to photo. I wish I started doing this when I first decided to get in shape as it can be a great motivator for you to see how far you’ve come and when you don’t feel like going to the gym a quick look at the photos of yourself looking fat and out of shape can give you that extra bit of motivation to workout!
Measuring your body fat is probably the best way to keep track of your fat loss progress but it is also quite tricky to do, especially by yourself. The cheapest and easiest way to get a measurement is to use a pair of body fat measuring calipers and although they come with instructions they can often give inaccurate readings if you don’t know what you are doing. There are more reliable methods available but they require special equipment that you won’t even find in most gyms. There are of course scales that claim to be able to measure your body fat by sending an electrical current around your body which they time to calculate what percentage of your body consists of fat on the premise that the current travels slower through fat. These products are not known for their accuracy and even on the same day can give different readings so don’t rely on them for an accurate reading or even to track your progress.

The best way in my opinion is to use a combination of the mirror and measuring tape to track your fat loss and muscle building progress once you start working out at home or in the gym. One of the main reasons we workout after all is to look good and to have a healthy appearance so what better way to keep an eye on this than by using our reflection.

If you still want to try and measure your body fat levels at home check out these products now.

Why Weight Training is the Best Way to Lose Fat for Everyone

June 6, 2012 by Jay 4 Comments

If you are serious about losing weight and getting a lean, toned physique then it doesn’t matter whether you are male or female, weight training should be your main focus when working out.

Shouldn’t I be Doing Cardio Exercises?

This is one of the biggest misconceptions in the gym and if you ask most people using the cardio machines such as the treadmills, the stationary bike or the elliptical trainer they will tell you that losing weight is their number one priority. Doing cardio exercises are a great way to increase your fitness levels but when it comes to losing fat then there are much more effective ways to use your time that you should be doing first before you even think about getting on the treadmill.

Why Weight Training is Great for Weight Loss

One of the main benefits of training with weights is that as the amount of muscle in your body increases so too does the amount of calories your body burns when resting (your basal metabolic rate or BMR). Add more muscle or lean mass to your body and you will burn more calories each day even if you haven’t had a workout. Let’s say your body uses 2000 calories per day just to function. If you start increasing the amount of muscle your body contains then this number will increase meaning that you can either eat more food without putting on weight or eat the same amount of food as before and lose weight as you will be in a calorie deficit. As fat loss comes down to calories in vs. calories out the more calories your body uses means you are much more likely to lose fat. As there are many factors that come into play such as your weight, height, diet and fitness levels it is impossible to give a general number for the increase in calories burned but as a rough guide for every three pounds of muscle you add, your body will burn an extra 120 calories per day.

Apart from the increase in your BMR there is also the calorie burning properties of the workout itself. Estimates state that an average 30 minute weight training session can burn 240 to 300 calories or eight to 10 calories per minute. When compared to a 30 minute cardio workout which on average uses around 300 to 360 calories they compare quite favourably but when you factor in the increase in your BMR and also that weight training gives your body a metabolic spike which lasts for about an hour after you have finished you can see that lifting weights is the best way to lose fat in the short and long term.

Other Reasons You Should be Training with Weights

Apart from the increase in the amount of calories your body burns on a daily basis and the calorie zapping properties of the workout lifting weights has many other great advantages. Increasing your strength is just one of them and although it might not be at the top of your list of goals it does bring benefits, making day to day life easier and more effortless. Plus you never know when you might need to win that arm wrestle or lift that heavy box or open that jar of pickles! Increasing your strength is a great secondary goal to achieve. As you train with weights your bone density increases which is a good thing as it strengthens your bones. This can have immediate positive benefits but in the long term, when you start to get old and frail your increased bone density can keep those bones strong and healthy minimising the risk of breaks and fractures.

But I Don’t Want to Get Big!

A lot of you reading this might be concerned about adding too much muscle and starting to look like a bodybuilder. This is something you should not worry about at all. To get to the stage where people are commenting on your muscles and size takes years of heavy lifting and serious dedication. Not only do you have to lift heavy weights but in order to become big and bulky you also need to eat lots of food so that your body can convert the extra calories into muscle. If you train at a medium intensity and stick to a sensible diet then the chances of you starting to look like you should be on stage are next to nothing. If it was that easy to get big and muscular then there wouldn’t be so many men grunting and huffing and puffing in the gym!

I Just Want to Get Toned, Not Build Muscle

Getting toned just means you have a decent amount of muscle or lean body mass and also have low body fat levels. This means that you don’t look too skinny and don’t wobble about when moving even if you have a small build. In order to get the toned look you have to lift weights to build your muscles. Just doing cardio and losing fat that way won’t get you toned. You might lose weight from doing cardio but once the fat starts to go there won’t be any muscle tone underneath and you won’t get the look you’re after. Getting that layer of muscle under your skin keeps you firm and toned to give you that healthy, athletic figure.

Even Women Must Lift Weights

A Toned Womens Physique

So far this article has been aimed at men and women who are serious about fat loss and getting in great shape. All the above applies to both men and women but as we get near the end of the article I want to make it crystal clear that for women to get in shape both in terms of losing fat and getting that sporty, athletic toned figure they need to start weight training as their number one priority. Yes diet and cardio vascular exercise are important but starting a weight training program should be your main focus if you want to transform your body composition and boost your body’s calorie burning abilities. You won’t get big and muscular unless you really want to and even then it will be a real struggle to achieve the bodybuilder look so don’t worry about that happening.

What Exercises Should I Do?

Even if you are a regular gym goer who uses the cardio and fitness machines, making the transition to weight training can be a daunting prospect. Like the first day at school, crossing the invisible line into the free weights section of the gym can be a nerve wracking experience but once your first workout is underway you will be wondering what all the fuss was about. Sure there might be some big guys waddling around but overall they are a friendly bunch. If you are nervous ask a gym employee to show the ropes on some of the free weights and then start off with a basic workout and then add more exercises as time goes by until you have a rock-solid weight training schedule you are happy with.

Alternatively you could always train at home which is easier than it sounds due to the plethora of home weight training equipment on the market. To get started you only need a set of dumbbells or a single kettlebell and you can start performing a full body workout in the comfort of your own home. This is another advantage over cardio training as the size a treadmill or exercise bike takes up can’t be compared to the size of a small set of free weights.

Check out our Home Weight Training section for more ideas on training at home.

Conclusion

To summarize weight training is the best way to lose fat because:

The more muscle you have the more calories your body burns on a daily basis
Weight training workouts burn a comparable amount of calories to a cardio workout but your body continues burning calories at an increased rate for the next few hours as well
Adding lean body mass or muscle to your body will give you that healthy, athletic and toned look
Increasing your strength has many practical applications
Weight training at home is far easier, cheaper and takes up less space than doing a cardio workout at home

So if looking good, burning more fat and becoming healthier are your main priorities then training with weights should be you be your new favorite activity!