What the heck is skinny-fat?? Skinny-fat or, MONW – Metabolically Obese Normal Weight, is a term used when a person may look skinny or at least normal weight on the outside but because of poor nutrition and lack of exercise, is a mess in terms of health on the inside. Skinny-fat people have the same diagnostic markers of diabetics such as high blood sugar, low good cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood pressure and inflammation, which is a precursor to many other health diseases that people in the U.S. are facing today.
How do you know if you are skinny-fat? One of the biggest contributors is having very little muscle. If you have low muscle mass due to inactivity, vitamin deficiency from poor dietary choices such as fast food, sugars and processed food and are living a generally sedentary lifestyle where your only exercise is walking between one sitting place to another (car, desk, sofa), you may be at risk for health problems that even overweight people do not have. Because your frame is thin, you may believe that all of those negative lifestyle factors are not having an effect on your health at all. But being in your normal BMI range is NOT the end-all to being healthy. For far too long we have been equating being at a “normal” weight for our height and age as a symbol of our general health and this is simply not always the case.
For example, if you are skinny with low muscle mass and have a diabetes diagnosis, you have twice the risk of death from diabetes than someone with the same diagnosis that is overweight. Part of this is due to the fact that overweight people may have more muscle mass from carrying around those extra pounds. Having adequate muscle on your frame aids in controlling blood glucose levels and reducing insulin resistance. In fact, for each 10% increase in skeletal muscle mass, there is an 11% reduction in insulin resistance and a 12% reduction in pre-diabetes.
If you are consuming a diet high in plant based foods and low in sugar and processed foods AND, you exercise on the regular with at least some weight bearing resistance, AND you maintain a normal body weight, you are most likely not at risk. The only way to know for sure is to see your health care professional and have tests run. Your lipid, glucose, cholesterol and insulin levels will need to be checked.
Thin may be in, however, it is not the only indicator of good health. If you are not including enough healthy sources of protein, vitamins and minerals in your diet and you never do anything to build and maintain some muscle mass, you are at risk for being skinny-fat! Check with your health care professional and then make a plan, with help if necessary, to start making positive changes. Even if you are thin right now, being healthy is a much better look. Inside and out!
Kirsten Meekins is a certified nutrition coach and registered natural health practitioner. She has certifications in health, fitness, nutrition and naturopathic medicine. Kristen’s passion is coaching people to better health in a safe and natural way. She loves WFPB (Whole Food Plant Based) cooking and eating, fitness, and making her own natural remedies and household products. She firmly believes that prevention is the best cure for sickness. Visit her website, plantstrongcoach.com
