Being Skinny Fat – The Mental and Emotional Toll: A Hidden Health Crisis

If you have been on social media lately, you have likely heard the term skinny fat. Especially if you are interested in body composition/shape, diet, exercise, lifestyle, and/or health. Or are experiencing some degree of body dysmorphia. You would also know that skinny fat is most often used in a derogatory way to shame, bully, and troll people who are experiencing it. At present, being skinny fat is most commonly associated with negative connotations, which takes a very real adverse mental and emotional toll.

The typical shaming spiel goes hand-in-hand with a conveniently spun Google search that claims that skinny fat is caused by poor diet, exercise, and lifestyle choices. And genetics is nothing more than an excuse. Because, of course, as the spiel goes, all human beings are born in the same general body with the same general amount of muscle tissue relative to height and gender. No matter that, at present, there is no way for a licensed medical doctor — anyone — to accurately measure total genetic muscle tissue, let alone any average muscle tissue measurement to compare it to.

Nonetheless, the common spiel claims that it’s solely your poor diet, exercise, and lifestyle choices that cause you to become skinny fat, with lost muscle somehow being replaced by regular white/yellow body fat. Even though it is indisputably impossible (1, 2, 3) for muscle to turn into fat, or vice versa. No worries, though, social media has your back. The solution is simple. Stop being so lazy and glutinous and lose more regular fat while adding muscle mass.

The Mental and Emotional Toll of Being Skinny Fat: A Hidden Health Crisis

Young people, in particular, not realizing that skinny fat science is young and currently very vague and misunderstood, hear this dubious spiel and believe it hook, line, and sinker. Many seek out the fastest way to lose regular fat. All too often, regardless of health. Never mind that every human body is unique, with its own specific shape, amount of genetic muscle tissue (or lack of), and metabolism, no less. Many of them, especially females, get to a minimum safe BMI of 18.5, yet the skinny fat remains.

They try to “tone” (lower weight, higher reps) the skinny fat areas, without adding muscle mass because that means unwanted added weight, but they cannot get the skinny fat areas to look toned. Frustrated, they turn to social media for more answers. And social media is happy to oblige. The answer? They still have too much regular white/yellow body fat weight to lose — despite already having a safe minimum BMI of 18.5.

Determined to make their body look how they want, many listen and continue to inappropriately starve and abuse their body to lose more regular fat down to dangerously low BMIs. While developing an eating disorder (anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, etc.) and losing priceless genetic muscle. Yet, the skinny fat just won’t go away, and is actually getting worse. They once again turn to social media seeking more answers, many failing to ever seriously question the validity of the answers they are getting.

A Hidden Health Crisis – The Mental and Emotional Toll of Being Skinny Fat

The same general story is true for people, particularly young males, who want to fix their skinny fat by adding muscle mass, especially the more severe the skinny fat they are experiencing. Social media shows them example images of people who “fixed” their skinny fat — without any science-based confirmation that the person has or had skinny fat to begin with, how much, or where on their body, no less — because there is no way for licensed medical doctors to diagnose skinny fat at this time, let alone anyone else.

Even so, social media is happy to magically diagnose skinny fat on a whim and offer a solution. And when their solution fails, it is always the person’s fault. They are not working hard enough, cheating, lying, or the like. All this negativity snowballs and overwhelms many, which leads to severe mental health issues, including emotional breakdowns, life-threatening eating disorders, physically damaging their body, and, for too many, eventually suicide.

What Does the Science Say?

For those who actually care about and respect science, the story is much different. First, skinny fat is a lack of genetic muscle (4, 5, 6). It is not the same as regular white/yellow fat. You can technically lose 100% of your regular fat, yet your skinny fat (lack of genetic muscle) will remain.

Like this person who got down to a life-threatening BMI of 8 (7), yet failed to get rid of their skinny fat (lack of genetic muscle). See how they are lacking genetic muscle (skinny fat) on their love handles, stomach, and lower back, no less. See how starving did not magically make the skinny fat go away, nor did it make the genetic muscle that should be there appear. Genetics.

You cannot starve away a lack of genetic muscle (skinny fat). In fact, starving causes muscle tissue loss and makes any existing skinny fat worse. The best way to reduce skinny fat is to add muscle mass, which this person successfully did in recovery.

Here is emaciated Christian Bale, showing no signs of any skinny fat anywhere, including on his love handles or stomach. Genetics.

Some people are born with more genetic muscle tissue, some less, and every degree in between.

More Scientific Facts to Consider

*You cannot “tone” muscles you do not have. Skinny fat is muscle you do not have. If you are experiencing skinny fat, especially the more severe it is, you have to add muscle mass first, then “tone” it with lower weight and higher reps.

*You cannot spot/target (8, 9, 10, 11) regular fat weight loss — it is impossible to choose where you do or do not gain or lose regular body fat. How your unique body gains and loses regular fat, and where on your body, is specific to your genetics, at least.

*Societal expectations are unrealistic and unfounded in terms of real science — all human beings are not born in the same general human body with the same shape and amount of genetic muscle relative to height and gender, no less — what you see on social media, in television ads, movies, magazines, and the like is not realistic in terms of the average person, and is typically photoshopped or all too often involves special camera angles and lighting, etc.

*No magic pill or supplement exists, or will ever exist, that allows you to eat a poor diet, not properly exercise, and/or live an imbalanced lifestyle however you want and still lose weight and be healthy without serious, life-altering consequences. Even GLP-1 drugs come with severe side effects, high costs, and you must take them forever, or you will regain the weight (and likely more than you had before).

Scientific Health Quizzes – Healthy Metabolism, Diet, Exercise, and Lifestyle

Using the latest science, we developed the Scientific Health Quizzes to give the average person — anyone — an accurate, cost-effective, user-friendly, anonymous, secure, private way to understand your unique genetic body composition, particularly skinny fat, along with metabolism, diet, exercise, and lifestyle. Accounts are free and free options are available.

References

1. LiveScience: Can You Turn Fat into Muscle?, November 10, 2017, Ashley P. Taylor. https://www.livescience.com/60904-can-you-turn-fat-into-muscle.html
2. Healthline: Does Fat Turn into Muscle? What to Know, March 2, 2021, Katey Davidson, MScFN, RD, CPT (Medically reviewed by Jake Tipane, CPT). https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/does-fat-turn-into-muscle
3. NIH, National Library of Medicine: Muscle-to-fat interaction: a two-way street?, January 1, 2019, Bente K Pedersen. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2821541/
4. Skinny Fat Science: Skinny Fat is a Lack of Genetic Muscle – Beyond Normal-Weight Obesity, August 13, 2025, https://skinnyfat.fellowone.com/skinny-fat-science/skinny-fat-is-a-lack-of-genetic-muscle-beyond-normal-weight-obesity/
5. Skinny Fat Science: What Is Skinny Fat?, July 26, 2024. https://skinnyfat.fellowone.com/skinny-fat-science/what-is-skinny-fat/
6. Skinny Fat Science: Is Muscle/Mass Genetic and How Does It Affect Skinny Fat?, November 20, 2014. https://skinnyfat.fellowone.com/skinny-fat-science/is-muscle-mass-genetic-and-how-does-it-affect-skinny-fat/
7. Daily Mail: From anorexic to body builder: Woman who was on the brink of death after dropping to FOUR STONE becomes a champion weight lifter in just 18 MONTHS, April 4, 2107, Marth Cliff. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/lifestyle/article-4378340/Recovering-anorexic-wins-bodybuilding-title.html
8. Wikipedia: Spot reduction. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spot_reduction
9. GoodRx: Health Debunked: Can You Target Fat Loss?, December 12, 2024, Cheyenne Buckingham, BS (Reviewed by Farzon A. Nahvi, MD). https://www.goodrx.com/conditions/weight-loss/can-you-target-fat-loss?srsltid=AfmBOorAcZzKD8phrAkScHBQcQG8Fl8HoRR7ilCViObQZNYIoibwxlJI
10. The Conversation: Can I actually target areas to lose fat, like my belly?, October 31, 2023, Nick Fuller. https://theconversation.com/can-i-actually-target-areas-to-lose-fat-like-my-belly-205203
11. Healthline: Is It Possible to Target Fat Loss to Specific Body Parts?, January 5, 2018, Jillian Kubala, MS, RD. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/targeted-weight-loss