How to Fix Skinny Fat

Now that we have scientifically answered what is skinny fat, the next logical question is how to fix skinny fat, scientifically. The first step is to scientifically determine and understand your unique genetic body composition. Are you experiencing genuine skinny fat tissue — cellulite and/or thin fat (1) — and, if so, where exactly on your body? (The Scientific Body Type Quiz (2) accurately determines your unique genetic body composition.)

Understanding your unique genetic body composition helps you keep body shape/figure/physique (body type) including regular white/yellow fat (body fat/adipose tissue) weight loss and added muscle mass expectations and goals realistic and achievable — and any body dysmorphia disorder (BDD) (3, 4, 5, 6, 7) or distorted/negative body image (3, 4, 5, 6, 7) in line. If you are genetically blessed with a genetic scientific Standard Body Type One/BT1 (8, 9, 10) with minimal to no skinny fat tissue, then all you have to do is safely lose the excess regular fat (or more) that is covering your genetic muscles and you are once again a Standard Body Type One.

You can also no less than add muscle mass to improve definition, bulk, and overall appearance.

How to Fix Skinny Fat – How Much Thin Fat and Cellulite Tissue Do You Have?

If you are experiencing enough skinny fat tissue (more than Standard BT1 (11) minimum), then how much determines (12, 13) if you are a genetic scientific Body Type Two (BT2)(14), Body Type Three (BT3)(15), or Body Type Four (BT4)(16). If you are a BT2, then it is more probable that with proper diet, exercise, and lifestyle you can recomposition your body (17) and fix your skinny fat to look like the BT1.

This is accomplished by safely losing (cutting)(18) any excess regular fat, no less, and then properly adding muscle mass (bulking)(19) where you have skinny fat tissue. Both can be done at the same time. The more skinny fat tissue that you are experiencing, like with a BT3 or BT4, the less likely it is that you can fully recomp your body and reduce your skinny fat enough to look like a Standard BT1.

You can experience skinny fat tissue at any BMI (21, 1). Underweight BMI (18.49 or less), overweight BMI (25 to 29.99), obese BMI (30+), and morbidly obese BMI (40+) people can experience five types (1) of skinny fat including thin fat, cellulite, loose skin, saggy skin, and crepey skin. Normal weight/healthy/safe Standard BMI (18.5 to 24.99) people can experience those same five types along with skinny fat type six (1), normal weight obesity. You can technically lose 100% of your regular fat tissue yet your skinny fat tissue will remain.

The Science of Body Recomposition – Genetics, DNA & Genes

What almost every fitness/exercise, weight loss, and diet/nutrition influencer and the like along with many medical professionals fail to tell you is, body recomposition is not permanent (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31) — like with Research Participant 378 (32). It is temporary. The internet, especially social media, is inundated with professionals and laypeople alike, making, at best, misleading claims that make it sound like you can permanently fix and get rid of your skinny fat with enough hard work.

It is a scientific/medical fact that your genes are inherited (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38) from your parents and cannot be permanently changed at this time. Body composition, skin color, eye color, hair color, height, breast size, genital size, facial features, etc. are inherited.

You cannot naturally, permanently change your hair, eye, or skin color any more than you can change your height, breast size, genital size, facial features, body composition, or the like.

Genetics are Permanent

Genetics determines all of it. You can choose surgery, contact lenses, hair dye, etc. to unnaturally change things as you want. But, at this time, you cannot inherently, naturally, permanently change your unique DNA (39, 40, 41, 42), or genes — segments of your DNA that give you physical characteristics that make you unique — which are responsible for building and maintaining your unique human structure; including genetic body composition.

You can temporarily change your body composition including muscle mass, regular fat (visceral and subcutaneous)(43), and skinny fat (subcutaneous)(43) with diet, exercise, and lifestyle. And, with enough consistent hard work for the rest of your life, you may be able to maintain those changes. But they are not permanent.

Epigenetics

Some people point to epigenetics (44, 45, 46, 47, 48), a field of study that focuses on how genes respond to environmental influences (diet, exercise, lifestyle) and the reading of DNA sequences.

However, unlike gene mutations (49, 50, 51) that are permanent, there is no scientific evidence presently that indicates that epigenetics  — like body recomposition — causes permanent changes in the underlying DNA sequence. Instead, non-genetic factors (diet (18), exercise (58), and lifestyle (65)) cause the organism’s genes to temporarily behave or “express themselves” differently (body recomp), but are reversible. 

The Genetics of Added Muscle Mass – How to Fix Skinny Fat

Like every other human being on the planet, you will gradually begin to lose any added muscle mass that you build above and beyond your original default genetic body composition, if/when you stop (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31) the exercise(s) that built the added muscle mass. For some people, added muscle mass loss can start in as little as two weeks. Three to four weeks is more typical.

The more skinny fat tissue that you have, the less likely it is you can successfully add the muscle mass you want to that area of your body. Muscle tissue cannot (52, 53, 54) turn into any kind of fat tissue, or vice versa.

Anyone who claims that they can turn skinny fat tissue into muscle tissue, or that muscle tissue turned into skinny fat tissue, needs to provide the scientific data, evidence, and facts to back up their claim. At present, there is no FDA-approved (55, 56, 57) way because there is zero/no scientific evidence to back up such claims.

Fact from Fiction

The thing is, as mentioned, it is possible for someone with skinny fat to add enough muscle mass to look like a Standard BT1. In that moment, the influencer screams, “see, I told you so!”. As if they permanently fixed, got rid of, and cured that person’s skinny fat. But, there is no/zero science to back up this claim either.

Let’s see that person, and anyone like them, 10 years from now when life takes over and they no longer have the time or motivation to maintain the added muscle mass. And they are back at their original default genetic body composition including skinny fat. Like Research Participant 378 (32). The skinny fat never went away or goes away, it was and is only reduced (you cannot permanently get rid of or cure any type of skinny fat at this time).

You Can Reduce/Fix Your Skinny Fat Three Ways: 

1 – Diet (18) & Exercise (58): safely and sustainably lose regular white/yellow fat (adipose tissue/body fat).

2 – Resistance Exercise (19): add muscle mass.

3 – Pay for a few FDA-approved methods (59).

Start by scientifically understanding your unique genetic body composition (2) along with the current health of your metabolism (60), diet (61), exercise (62), and lifestyle (63). The Scientific Health Quizzes accurately calculate your unique metrics using the latest wrangled science in proprietary algorithms. Free options are available.

What is the Best Skinny Fat Diet According to Science?

References

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