What exactly does 'skinny fat' mean? Could anyone provide picture examples, please?

[nea_lin]

Wow, some people are under the impression that not super fit = skinny fat. There is a grey area called normal/healthy. Doutzen Kroues, Amanda Seyfried, Salma Hayek... according to some of ya'lls descriptions these women are fat, lmao!

Google Kim Stewart, Rob Stewart's daughter. She's skinny but completely flabby.

Or Kate Moss as she currently is. Beer belly, flabby butt & totally underweight.

I agree!!

it seems like these boards are getting to be really clique-y with the whole "skinny fat" thing. I swear, every second thread mentions the term! I think as long as people are doing some form of exercise and eating somewhat healthy, then they're body-type shouldn't matter!

It just kind of seems like a lot of people are really condescending with the term.

[Miranda]

I do imagine myself an athletic, hardworking (very!) 15-18% :P. I've been much "fatter" at the same weight and it wasn't something I could deal with. Definitely I've been skinny-fat and I certainly can deal with where I am now much better without being all squishy and soft and actually having definition.

yeah but you happen to be extremely lean. to the degree you might be healthier with more BF.

this site certainly isn't representative of the general population.

nope. the less i've come to care about wanting to live my life 'ripped' at any cost, the more screwed in the head the general consensus of the board is to me.

what bugs me personally is the stigma women (not here but pretty much everywhere) attach to fat.

here, if you're within the normal range without 'more' lean mass, you're deemed 'skinny-fat'. once you build lean mass you're suddenly 'muscle-fat'. boo. never good enough. it's as if carrying bodyfat is a disease or something. it's not.

[Rowyn]

"You're a fake thin person... in your swimsuit you really not toned!" Unfortunately, she was right (rude! but right) so I am now working on changing that

Best way to get back at her, I say! That was really rude, but "fake skinny person" is the best definition of skinny fat so far, lol.

[nextsuperhero]

I think you might be misinterpreting the "fat" concept as people are speaking about it here. You don't need to be super fit in order to NOT be skinny fat. "Skinny" looking people who seem as though they SHOULD have a bf% of say 18% based on weight/height but actually have a bf% 25-30% are skinny fat. Because they have no muscle tone at all, forget super fit.

The bodyfat chart thing is not particuarly accurate, I think we could all agree. What is a healthy bodyfat depends on the person and their composition. My bodyfat chart would call me obese a few pounds back, though my bodyfat was measured at 22%. Do I have some fat to lose, yep. But I am not obese. If they are skinny and completely flabby, then YES, they are skinny fat. Including Kate Moss. Its about percentage of lean muscle versus fat.

Are they "fat" the way the rest of the world terms fat? Nope, they are skinny. We aren't using the term fat and its real world connotations in the same way here.

I think you're confusing bmi chart with what you're calling body fat chart. Going from an obese body fat to 22% in a couple days is a 13% drop in body fat!

But I don't think I'm misinterpreting anything. Especially after I can quote the woman as...

As for you, it's just a matter of too much body fat.

No, my bf% is at the bottom of what Health & Exercise physiologists deem "fit". How "fit" translates into "too much fat" to her is her issue.

[freebirdmac]

Hmm, so what am I according to your (ridiculously unsisterly) opinion of skinny fat, given the stats in my sig & the fact that I have cellulite & a bit of saddlebags?

Fat fat?
Muscular fat?
Completely healthy & womanly?

I mean seriously, having fat around your uterus or thighs makes a woman fat? Or having cellulite!? You just called 99% of females fat

Oh jeez, for what do I have too much body fat for?
Health?
Athleticism?
Sex with the lights on?

Anyway, your idea of fat is a lot like the popular opinion of women with "too much" muscle being manly. You're entitled to think what you want, but calling people with a healthy body fat % fat is as strange as calling women manly.

Dang girl! Talk about reading YOUR insecurities into someone else's words...
Read your own bolded words. Cellulite and saddlebags = bodyfat. As I said before, it is up to each person to determine what body type they want. If you're happy that is all that matters. If like most women here you do not like these features you have to lose body fat to get rid of them. I did not call you or anyone else fat, unhealthy, ugly, or any other derogatory word. Your own insecurities are making you read things that are not there.

Yeesh.

[heidismommy]

nope. the less i've come to care about wanting to live my life 'ripped' at any cost, the more screwed in the head the general consensus of the board is to me.

what bugs me personally is the stigma women (not here but pretty much everywhere) attach to fat.

here, if you're within the normal range without 'more' lean mass, you're deemed 'skinny-fat'. once you build lean mass you're suddenly 'muscle-fat'. boo. never good enough. it's as if carrying bodyfat is a disease or something. it's not.

But this is a bodybuilding site and although not everyone here is wanting to compete, there has to be something about this site that has drawn each person here. Whether it is to build muscle, to get leaner, or just to be in better shape. What is considered normal and healthy in the general population may not be viewed as such here and vice versa. Since I joined this site years ago I've seen numerous already very lean women who are encouraged to get even leaner, even when competition isn't a goal. Usually it doesn't take place in the female section of the forums, but I see it on blogs and stuff a lot. So an outsider looking in may think many here have very distorted perceptions of what is normal and perhaps that is the case. Do I think it's right? No, but it comes with the territory on a site like this I suppose.

Another point is that a lot of women in the general public would rather not have "big" muscles like a lot of the women here would strive for. Many people I know personally would rather have a softer look and think being super lean is gross and having any visible muscle is manly. I remember reading a blog once (Leigh Peele?, I'm not entirely sure) where more people would rather be too fat than too muscular. Obviously that tends not to be the case here.

But I agree that the population at large, even outside of here, tends to fear the "f" word.

[freebirdmac]

i agree. there's nothing 'fat' about carrying 20-28% BF, or having fat on the thighs and ass. that's how nature made women. gee.

a lot of women on this site fall within that range anyway, expect they imagine themselves being an athletic, hardworking 15-18%

I agree!!

it seems like these boards are getting to be really clique-y with the whole "skinny fat" thing. I swear, every second thread mentions the term! I think as long as people are doing some form of exercise and eating somewhat healthy, then they're body-type shouldn't matter!

It just kind of seems like a lot of people are really condescending with the term.

yeah but you happen to be extremely lean. to the degree you might be healthier with more BF.



nope. the less i've come to care about wanting to live my life 'ripped' at any cost, the more screwed in the head the general consensus of the board is to me.

what bugs me personally is the stigma women (not here but pretty much everywhere) attach to fat.

here, if you're within the normal range without 'more' lean mass, you're deemed 'skinny-fat'. once you build lean mass you're suddenly 'muscle-fat'. boo. never good enough. it's as if carrying bodyfat is a disease or something. it's not.

I swear the personal sensitivity bat-light must be on....

Many, many women come here unhappy with how they look. Note They are unhappy. I was one of them when I joined. Be it too many yo-yo diets, illness, recovery from an ED, or too much cardio, or whatever. We landed here unhappy, looking skinny in clothes, but not so good in bathing suits/shorts/naked. And we wanted answers on how to change this. We were/are skinny-fat. More fat loss was not the answer. Building muscle was the missing piece. I can't tell you how many women had that light bulb go off once they heard the term skinny-fat. It was not an insult. It was an answer. No one took offense to the "fat" term. We hear all the time about diet and exercise, which almost always means cardio. Doesn't work when you're already skinny-fat. In fact it makes it worse.

I personally don't give a rats ass what anyone's bf is. What I do care about is helping others along with myself get closer to the type of body that they'd like to have. There's absolutely no reason to jump from the term skinny-fat to thinking you're being called fat or that you have to have bf in the teens. This site is about bb, and using bb to move toward the type of body you want.

[Mindi912]

I swear the personal sensitivity bat-light must be on....

Many, many women come here unhappy with how they look. Note They are unhappy. I was one of them when I joined. Be it too many yo-yo diets, illness, recovery from an ED, or too much cardio, or whatever. We landed here unhappy, looking skinny in clothes, but not so good in bathing suits/shorts/naked. And we wanted answers on how to change this. We were/are skinny-fat. More fat loss was not the answer. Building muscle was the missing piece. I can't tell you how many women had that light bulb go off once they heard the term skinny-fat. It was not an insult. It was an answer. No one took offense to the "fat" term. We hear all the time about diet and exercise, which almost always means cardio. Doesn't work when you're already skinny-fat. In fact it makes it worse.

I personally don't give a rats ass what anyone's bf is. What I do care about is helping others along with myself get closer to the type of body that they'd like to have. There's absolutely no reason to jump from the term skinny-fat to thinking you're being called fat or that you have to have bf in the teens. This site is about bb, and using bb to move toward the type of body you want.

Well said.

[nextsuperhero]

Dang girl! Talk about reading YOUR insecurities into someone else's words...
Read your own bolded words. Cellulite and saddlebags = bodyfat. As I said before, it is up to each person to determine what body type they want. If you're happy that is all that matters. If like most women here you do not like these features you have to lose body fat to get rid of them. I did not call you or anyone else fat, unhealthy, ugly, or any other derogatory word. Your own insecurities are making you read things that are not there.

Yeesh.

By stating that I have cellulite & saddlebags, I'm insecure?
I don't know how you reached this conclusion but if it follows the same "logic" as your other claims... let me guess, having cellulite automatically makes a woman insecure? Like it also makes her have "too much fat" (you still didn't answer what it is too much for. Avoiding the question?).

Yes cellulite & saddlebags = body fat, but you're saying that they automatically imply TOO MUCH FAT. What does "too much fat" mean if it doesn't just mean fat? You aren't being clever, at all.

[Miranda]

But this is a bodybuilding site and although not everyone here is wanting to compete, there has to be something about this site that has drawn each person here. Whether it is to build muscle, to get leaner, or just to be in better shape. What is considered normal and healthy in the general population may not be viewed as such here and vice versa. Since I joined this site years ago I've seen numerous already very lean women who are encouraged to get even leaner, even when competition isn't a goal. Usually it doesn't take place in the female section of the forums, but I see it on blogs and stuff a lot. So an outsider looking in may think many here have very distorted perceptions of what is normal and perhaps that is the case. Do I think it's right? No, but it comes with the territory on a site like this I suppose.

'everyone's doing it' doesn't validate unhealthy attitudes toward fat.

i agree the site is what it is though.

I personally don't give a rats ass what anyone's bf is.

if 'skinny-fat' is related to weight and fat/lean mass ratio then BF% does matter.
the problem i see on this site is that women

1. have unrealistic expectations as to what is maintainable or 'normal'/healthy

2. [grossly] underestimate their BF% and consequently have a distorted view as to what's 'normal'/healthy

[Mindi912]

Do you ladies realise that you can have a body fat of 28 % and still be skinny?

The OP was wondering what the term skinny fat meant. It doesn't necessarily mean you LOOK fat only that you don't have any muscle to speak of.

What is the problem here exactly?

Who is calling who fat I personally don't see it.

Superhero - you know I like you a lot but you really are reading too much in to what Freebird was trying to say.

She definitely knows what skinny fat means because she's been there and done that.

[Miranda]

Do you ladies realise that you can have a body fat of 28 % and still be skinny?

yup. 28% is also considered at the upper end of the healthy range.

what i found odd in freebird's 1st response was how she referred to 'above 22%' as if it were nearing skinny-fat city. at least that's how i read it. being 22% or above is 'normal'.

[Mindi912]

yup. 28% is also considered at the upper end of the healthy range.

what i found odd in freebird's 1st response was how she referred to 'above 22%' as if it were nearing skinny-fat city. at least that's how i read it. being 22% or above is lean and 'normal'.

Ok yeah I see your point. Yes 22 % is normal, depending on how old you are of course.

I haven't got my book in front of me but as you get older the percentages do change.

[freebirdmac]

By stating that I have cellulite & saddlebags, I'm insecure?
I don't know how you reached this conclusion but if it follows the same "logic" as your other claims... let me guess, having cellulite automatically makes a woman insecure? Like it also makes her have "too much fat" (you still didn't answer what it is too much for. Avoiding the question?).

Yes cellulite & saddlebags = body fat, but you're saying that they automatically imply TOO MUCH FAT. What does "too much fat" mean if it doesn't just mean fat? You aren't being clever, at all.

Geez girl. Everything you have accused me of saying is not what I said. That my dear means your insecurities are reading what is not in my words into my words.

You asked me;
"Hmm, so what am I according to your (ridiculously unsisterly) opinion of skinny fat, given the stats in my sig & the fact that I have cellulite & a bit of saddlebags?

Fat fat?
Muscular fat?
Completely healthy & womanly?"

Based on your admission of cellulite and saddlebags I responded;
"As for you, it's just a matter of having too much bf. Whether it's a problem is up to you.
One can be in excellent shape with multiple body types. Ultimately each of us chooses how we want to look. Other than obese or anorexic everything else is acceptable as long as it doesn't effect your health. "

Now like it or not cellulite and saddlebags will only go away when you reduce body fat. My assumption, which may be where I went wrong, is that you wanted to get rid of these things. I also stated that only you could determine if it was a problem. I didn't call you fat, or tell you that you wouldn't be healthy otherwise, or say your overall body fat was too high. In fact I stated that there are many healthy body types.

"Oh jeez, for what do I have too much body fat for? "
Re-read. It was all in reference to getting rid of saddlebags and cellulite.
Re-read;

"One can be in excellent shape with multiple body types. Ultimately each of us chooses how we want to look. Other than obese or anorexic everything else is acceptable as long as it doesn't effect your health. "

[freebirdmac]

yup. 28% is also considered at the upper end of the healthy range.

what i found odd in freebird's 1st response was how she referred to 'above 22%' as if it were nearing skinny-fat city. at least that's how i read it. being 22% or above is 'normal'.

The problem was not in giving some bf%, it was neglecting to give a lean body mass %. Skinny-fat definitely has ranges but queues in more on lean mass, which is not a percentage thrown around here very much. Actually these numbers are a problem all around as unless you get a dexascan there's just too many inaccuracies. What matters, aside from health, is how happy you are with how you look.

Skinny-fat can easily be "normal". No surprise there.

The point to take away with skinny fat isn't the fat part, it's the skinny part. As in lacking of lean muscle mass. Whether or not this is a problem is up the owner of the body.

[freebirdmac]

Just an overall comment...

Occasionally this topic of skinny-fat comes up that results in a discussion that goes in all different directions. Usually it gets thrown off course by women who are not skinny-fat and have never been skinny-fat. There seems to be a real problem in understanding and reacting as if the subject were about overweight people or some sort of statement about needing to have a particular look or bf% in order to be considered attractive. That alone is subjective. Some think any sign of a bicep is manly, others need quad sweep. Some like their curvy bits and others don't want any jiggle.

The terms skinny-fat, soft, curvy, full-figured, athletic, muscular, hard are just convenient and apt descriptions. They say nothing about whether the woman needs to gain/lose body fat/muscle as that is up to the owner of the body and what she wants. None are insulting.

Beyond any medical concerns it is up to you as to what makes you happy.

As for the skinny-fat term it's great for those who come to realize that it describes them, that that is their problem! That there is an answer as to why continued fat loss changes nothing. These are women who do not like how they look. These are women who do not have the genetics to pull it off and be happy with how they look. For us it was a revelation. And a way out. Can you be skinny-fat, be in a normal BF% range, and be healthy. Yep. Be happy. Certainly. But you also have to allow us the vanity to improve.

[drumchick34]

I still love Leo though! There have been times when he has been muscular and fit....hasn't there? Sorry to totally change the convo in this thread lol

[viridian]

Things are definitely being read into way too far...
The question was rather opinion based to start with, though there is apretty good wide-range agreement on what skinny-fat is.

For instance:
Skinny-fat to me is nearly no muscular development but having a nice squishy appearance... if the fatwere gone, the person would look like a skeleton.
Where as, if you take someone with some muscle but an average to high body fat (20-35%) and strip the fat, theyd appear very much differently.

As far as 'healthy' goes, its perfectly possible for an obese person to be healthy. Thats even more relative.

[vandalgirl59]

LOL. For picture of 'skinny fat' see Vandalgirl59's photos . It's quite annoying really...

But honestly, I can't add more to what's been said! All true!

[Rowyn]

I swear the personal sensitivity bat-light must be on....

SOMETHIN' gotta be going on, my two best friends got into a huge argument today and my dogs brawled, lol!


I don't see any "cliques" on the board concerning body type bashing, I see some people who are being overly sensitive about being skinny and/or possibly being labeled skinny fat. Hey, I would personally take skinny fat over chubby fat, which was MY starting point. All you guys gotta do is lift and eat!

I breed and show dogs, and this whole sensitivity thing reminds me of show dog people. You judge a show dog by its physique, too. If you are a serious breeder, you can handle constructive criticism of your dog's structure because you need an objective eye to improve and perhaps teach you so that you can take your breeding program to a higher level. But some show dog people get MIGHTY irked when they hear someone give a negative critique of their dog...its not personal! Its about structure and body condition and things like that. And their defensiveness always gets in the way of improving their breeding program.

It can be hard to get used to hearing what one feels is "negative" criticism (I don't consider it negative, I consider it educational). But frankly, that's what bodybuilding is all about, ongoing assessment of the body. I might be okay with the droopy fat on my upper arms, but that doesn't mean its not fat, lol.

[nextsuperhero]

The problem was not in giving some bf%, it was neglecting to give a lean body mass %. Skinny-fat definitely has ranges but queues in more on lean mass, which is not a percentage thrown around here very much. Actually these numbers are a problem all around as unless you get a dexascan there's just too many inaccuracies. What matters, aside from health, is how happy you are with how you look.

Skinny-fat can easily be "normal". No surprise there.

The point to take away with skinny fat isn't the fat part, it's the skinny part. As in lacking of lean muscle mass. Whether or not this is a problem is up the owner of the body.

???

100-bf%=lbm%

Knowing one means knowing both.

[nextsuperhero]

Geez girl. Everything you have accused me of saying is not what I said. That my dear means your insecurities are reading what is not in my words into my words.

You asked me;
"Hmm, so what am I according to your (ridiculously unsisterly) opinion of skinny fat, given the stats in my sig & the fact that I have cellulite & a bit of saddlebags?

Fat fat?
Muscular fat?
Completely healthy & womanly?"

Based on your admission of cellulite and saddlebags I responded;
"As for you, it's just a matter of having too much bf. Whether it's a problem is up to you.
One can be in excellent shape with multiple body types. Ultimately each of us chooses how we want to look. Other than obese or anorexic everything else is acceptable as long as it doesn't effect your health. "

Now like it or not cellulite and saddlebags will only go away when you reduce body fat. My assumption, which may be where I went wrong, is that you wanted to get rid of these things. I also stated that only you could determine if it was a problem. I didn't call you fat, or tell you that you wouldn't be healthy otherwise, or say your overall body fat was too high. In fact I stated that there are many healthy body types.

"Oh jeez, for what do I have too much body fat for? "
Re-read. It was all in reference to getting rid of saddlebags and cellulite.
Re-read;

"One can be in excellent shape with multiple body types. Ultimately each of us chooses how we want to look. Other than obese or anorexic everything else is acceptable as long as it doesn't effect your health. "

Yes, you assumed wrong. I don't see anything bad about having cellulite or the various ways women deposit fat. I certainly don't think that typical female fat patterns makes a woman skinny-fat or disproportionate.

But if you want to quote everything, maybe you should start with your original comment.

Or I can just quote your last one...

Can you be skinny-fat, be in a normal BF% range, and be healthy. Yep.

NO! Skinny fat implies an above healthy bf%. "Yeesh" even the people sticking up for you admit this. Lol, how are you not understanding this?
My entire point is that people with a healthy body fat are NOT fat, skinny or otherwise.

You've seriously just come full circle. The entire argument can happen all over again now that you've brought us back to the illogical thinking of your first comment.

[freebirdmac]

Yes, you assumed wrong. I don't see anything bad about having cellulite or the various ways women deposit fat. I certainly don't think that typical female fat patterns makes a woman skinny-fat or disproportionate.

But if you want to quote everything, maybe you should start with your original comment.

Or I can just quote your last one...



NO! Skinny fat implies an above healthy bf%. "Yeesh" even the people sticking up for you admit this. Lol, how are you not understanding this?
My entire point is that people with a healthy body fat are NOT fat, skinny or otherwise.

You've seriously just come full circle. The entire argument can happen all over again now that you've brought us back to the illogical thinking of your first comment.

Last time, and I give up.

You are NOT skinny-fat. There is a whole range of BF percentages where someone could be considered skinny-fat and one does NOT have to be above a healthy bf %. One could be but one could also be well within the healthy range. Remember, these women are skinny! Not overweight. Not big by any stretch of the imagination. In clothes we look thin and most would assume we look like VS models or runway models underneath the clothes. Here are examples at 15 and 18% bodyfat http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=123726731. Can you pick them out and tell the difference?

Just as "overweight" can have wide variation, so does skinny-fat.

You put your own admission of cellulite and saddlebags out there as what? Bait? To trap me into an argument about female fat patterns and whether they are bad/unattractive or not without even revealing the underlying argument? Pretty disingenuous of you. Start another thread if you want. That is not what this thread is about. Skinny-fat is more than female fat patterns. It affects the entire body. While you may embrace your cellulite and saddlebags many of us don't. We also don't like our skinny arms, belly pooch, and missing butts. If you were skinny, under weight, and frustrated at not being able to get rid of those attributes you'd love to find out why you were failing. It's not a commentary on cellulite, saddlebags, belly pooches, etc. They can be a symptoms along with weight of being skinny-fat. But one can be without any of these attributes and be skinny-fat as those picts demonstrated.

Skinny-fat is not an insult. It does not mean women who are skinny-fat must do something to improve. It's a term that describes her body. Nothing more.

[freebirdmac]

???

100-bf%=lbm%

Knowing one means knowing both.

Posting a lbm on this site is pretty meaningless as it's a number rarely if ever thrown out. BF% on the other hand are like candy, and mostly wrong. Underestimated. So much more focus is on bf. If I were to throw a number out all anyone would do is convert it to bf%. LBM in your equation also includes everything except fat which also muddles the number as it includes far more than just muscle. Dexascan will include water as lbm.

[freebirdmac]

Hey, I would personally take skinny fat over chubby fat, which was MY starting point. All you guys gotta do is lift and eat!

This is a fallacy and where I suspect some are actually jealous and react badly to the term skinny-fat. Unless you've done some yo-yoing or other muscle destructive dieting you are at a MUCH BETTER starting point! You have more muscle mass to start off with. You can lean out, lift heavy, take advantage of newbie gains, and not only keep your muscles while leaning out but gain more. You get to see your positive changes month to month toward your goal in a straight line. Ever see a skinny-fat person in a 12 week transformation contest? It's rare, very rare. Why? Because we are sorely lacking in the muscle mass you started off with and it takes time to gain it. You don't make much in 12 weeks. We have to ignore our bodyfat while gaining muscle. Iterate between bulking and leaning out. For the average skinny-fat woman it'll take 18 months to get to the endzone.

There's this perception that because the skinny-fat chick is, well skinny, it's an advantage. It's something to be envied by the "chubby-fat" when it's actually the opposite.

[Rowyn]

There's this perception that because the skinny-fat chick is, well skinny, it's an advantage. It's something to be envied by the "chubby-fat" when it's actually the opposite.

Ah, well, I would not know that struggle since I am not skinny-fat, lol. But when you think about it, certainly it makes sense. A reason to be thankful for chubby-fat haha. Unless of course you cannot transform it.

[rockangel]

SOMETHIN' gotta be going on, my two best friends got into a huge argument today and my dogs brawled, lol!


I don't see any "cliques" on the board concerning body type bashing, I see some people who are being overly sensitive about being skinny and/or possibly being labeled skinny fat. Hey, I would personally take skinny fat over chubby fat, which was MY starting point. All you guys gotta do is lift and eat!

I breed and show dogs, and this whole sensitivity thing reminds me of show dog people. You judge a show dog by its physique, too. If you are a serious breeder, you can handle constructive criticism of your dog's structure because you need an objective eye to improve and perhaps teach you so that you can take your breeding program to a higher level. But some show dog people get MIGHTY irked when they hear someone give a negative critique of their dog...its not personal! Its about structure and body condition and things like that. And their defensiveness always gets in the way of improving their breeding program.

It can be hard to get used to hearing what one feels is "negative" criticism (I don't consider it negative, I consider it educational). But frankly, that's what bodybuilding is all about, ongoing assessment of the body. I might be okay with the droopy fat on my upper arms, but that doesn't mean its not fat, lol.

Good Anaology.

[Echo814]

I think what Freebird was trying to say, is that some people in an ideal BF range can not lose more fat because if they did there wouldn't be a muscle base underneath in which to support the lower BF%. There are also people that in the same ideal range who can drop to a lower BF% and still look fine.

I know what skinny fat is, I was there three years ago. I was in a normal weight range after a bought of anorexia. At 5"4 I was 123 lbs, perfectly acceptable, except I could grab the fat hanging off of my torso and back, yet I could take my hands and connect my forefingers and thumbs around my thighs. While I have no clue what my bf% verses lean mass was, I can well bet it was pretty high aka "skinny fat". If I lost the fat that was still there I would have looked again anorexic.

This term is VERY subjective and with the recent sticky on BF% that Emma posted, there is a huge difference between how it looks(see the 15% vs 15%, not that the second girl is fat or anything but should not lose more weight).

[angimal]

Is it just me or is the term "fat" being taken out of context here? When people talk about fat on this site, it seems to have a different meaning than what the general population means when talking about fat.
I guess I don't see the need for an argument. Emma's pix and the other ladies here have explained it quite well. This is a body building site. Women on this forum desire muscles, visible muscle. If I looked like Kate Moss, I would be skinny, no doubt about it, and would not be considered fat by the general population. BUT, Kate Moss has next to nothing in muscle mass. Therefore, her lbm is quite low, making her skinny-fat. Again, the "fat" is not a description of her weight or how she is viewed by the general public.
Am I wrong or does the term skinny-fat have to do more with muscle mass, or the lack of it, than actually looking fat?

[Rowyn]

Good Anaology.

Oh, I thought YOU would like that one, lol.

I think what Freebird was trying to say, is that some people in an ideal BF range can not lose more fat because if they did there wouldn't be a muscle base underneath in which to support the lower BF%. There are also people that in the same ideal range who can drop to a lower BF% and still look fine.

I know what skinny fat is, I was there three years ago. I was in a normal weight range after a bought of anorexia. At 5"4 I was 123 lbs, perfectly acceptable, except I could grab the fat hanging off of my torso and back, yet I could take my hands and connect my forefingers and thumbs around my thighs. While I have no clue what my bf% verses lean mass was, I can well bet it was pretty high aka "skinny fat". If I lost the fat that was still there I would have looked again anorexic.

Good example.

Is it just me or is the term "fat" being taken out of context here? When people talk about fat on this site, it seems to have a different meaning than what the general population means when talking about fat.
I guess I don't see the need for an argument. Emma's pix and the other ladies here have explained it quite well. This is a body building site. Women on this forum desire muscles, visible muscle. If I looked like Kate Moss, I would be skinny, no doubt about it, and would not be considered fat by the general population. BUT, Kate Moss has next to nothing in muscle mass. Therefore, her lbm is quite low, making her skinny-fat. Again, the "fat" is not a description of her weight or how she is viewed by the general public.
Am I wrong or does the term skinny-fat have to do more with muscle mass, or the lack of it, than actually looking fat?

Not wrong