Skinny But No Muscle. Tone? – Skinny Fat Question

Hi. I am skinny but have no muscle with a BMI of 19.3. Does this mean I am skinny fat? I am a 25-year-old female and have never had much muscle. When I was around 8, I noticed I was gaining fat weight more easily. I had to watch what I was eating more carefully, and have ever since. If I stray from my diet, I easily put on fat.

But so long as I track my diet and what I eat carefully, I can stay skinny. However, I have friends who are also skinny who eat whatever they want and do not gain weight. They are skinny but with muscle. Although it is not bulky muscle, it is toned muscle that looks really good. My body is not toned, even though I am skinny.

I get my steps, lift some weights, and eat as healthy as I can at my daily BMR. How can I get a toned body without having to lift more weights?

Skinny But No Muscle – How to Get “Toned”

Muscle is what allows for the “toned” look. Skinny fat is a lack of genetic muscle (1, 2, 3, 4). Your images and the information provided indicate that you are experiencing a fair amount of skinny fat (lack of genetic muscle). Keep in mind, getting to a lower BMI, like minimum safe 18.5 (or lower), will not magically cure your skinny fat (lack of genetic muscle) and give you the toned look you seek. You can technically lose 100% of your regular white/yellow body fat (body fat %, common adipose tissue), yet your skinny fat (lack of genetic muscle tissue) will remain. Regular fat and skinny fat are two different things — they are not the same.

You can take the new Scientific Body Type Quiz to get a better sense of where you are experiencing skinny fat on your body — there is a free version available — so you can choose proper resistance exercises to help build muscle mass, reduce your skinny fat as much as possible, and “tone” the added muscle mass as needed. Of course, diet (5), exercise (6), lifestyle (7), and metabolism (8) matter.

To get the toned look, you have to add muscle mass anywhere you are experiencing skinny fat. You do not necessarily have to “bulk”. But you cannot “tone” until you have the muscle to tone. Weightlifting (9, 6) is the gold standard. Here are 40 weightlifting exercises (10) with images that can help. If you do not have access to a gym/weights, then you can do Pilates, yoga, calisthenics, and/or isometrics (6). However, none of those are as effective as weightlifting. Depending on how much skinny fat you are experiencing, they can come close if you choose the right exercises and are diligent with your efforts. Here are Pilates exercises (11) with videos that you can do at home. Check back soon for more yoga, calisthenics, and isometrics exercises.

What Is Muscle Tone/Toning?

Muscle “tone/toning” (12, 13, 14) can be a tricky subject. “Toning” is basically a way to tighten and improve muscle definition and appearance. Once you have reduced your skinny fat by adding muscle mass, “tone” the added muscle mass by doing weight training exercises with lower weight and higher reps, which is essentially building endurance (15, 16, 17, 18, 19). If Pilates, yoga, calisthenics, or isometrics, do/hold exercises longer (endurance).

For instance, people who regularly and consistently do a moderate to intense amount of walking, hiking, jogging, running, bicycling, or similar cardio exercise typically have strong lower body muscular endurance and “toned” legs, at least, especially the more muscle tissue they have (less or no skinny fat).

You can also improve muscle tone/definition by safely (5, 6, 7) — maintaining existing muscle — losing regular white/yellow body fat. Remember, any muscle mass you add you have to maintain forever, or it will gradually go away and you will eventually return to your original genetic body composition, including any skinny fat (lack of genetic muscle tissue). Just as any regular fat you lose will have to be properly managed and maintained forever. The key is finding a sustainable routine for you.

References

1. Skinny Fat Science: Skinny Fat Is More Than Just Normal-Weight Obesity, April 2, 2025. https://skinnyfat.fellowone.com/skinny-fat-science/skinny-fat-is-more-than-just-normal-weight-obesity/
2. Skinny Fat Science: What Is Skinny Fat?, July 26, 2024. https://skinnyfat.fellowone.com/skinny-fat-science/what-is-skinny-fat/
3. Skinny Fat Science: Is Muscle/Mass Genetic and How Does It Affect Skinny Fat?, November 20, 2024. https://skinnyfat.fellowone.com/skinny-fat-science/is-muscle-mass-genetic-and-how-does-it-affect-skinny-fat/
4. Skinny Fat Science: Is Skinny Fat Genetic?, November 27, 2024. https://skinnyfat.fellowone.com/skinny-fat-science/is-skinny-fat-genetic/
5. Skinny Fat Science: The Best Skinny Fat Diet, According to Science, July 29, 2024. https://skinnyfat.fellowone.com/skinny-fat-science/the-best-skinny-fat-diet-according-to-science/
6. Skinny Fat Science: The Best Skinny Fat Exercise, According to Science, August 2, 2024. https://skinnyfat.fellowone.com/skinny-fat-science/the-best-skinny-fat-exercise-according-to-science/
7. Skinny Fat Science: The Best Skinny Fat Lifestyle, According to Science, August 14, 2024. https://skinnyfat.fellowone.com/skinny-fat-science/the-best-skinny-fat-lifestyle-according-to-science/
8. Skinny Fat Science: How Skinny Fat Affects Metabolism, August 7, 2024. https://skinnyfat.fellowone.com/skinny-fat-science/how-skinny-fat-affects-metabolism/
9. Skinny Fat Science: Best Skinny Fat Resistance Exercises, September 4, 2024. https://skinnyfat.fellowone.com/skinny-fat-science/best-skinny-fat-resistance-exercises/
10. Skinny Fat Science: Resistance Training for Skinny Fat – Weight Lifting, 40 Optimal Exercises (with Images), May 7, 2025. https://skinnyfat.fellowone.com/skinny-fat-science/resistance-training-for-skinny-fat-weight-lifting-40-optimal-exercises-with-images/
11. Skinny Fat Science: Resistance Training for Skinny Fat – Pilates, July 23, 2025. https://skinnyfat.fellowone.com/skinny-fat-science/resistance-training-for-skinny-fat-pilates/
12. NASM: Toning vs. Bulking Up: What’s The Difference?, Jeff Thaxton. https://blog.nasm.org/toning-vs-bulking-up
13. MD Anderson Cancer Center: Why muscle toning is a myth, September 21, 2021, Heather Alexander. https://www.mdanderson.org/cancerwise/why-muscle-toning-is-a-myth.h00-159464001.html
14. Wikipedia: Muscle tone. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_tone
15. Livestrong: Toning Muscle Versus Strengthening Muscle, Kate Richey. https://www.lifefitness.com/en-us/customer-support/education-hub/blog/muscle-strength-vs-muscle-endurance
16. Life Fitness: Muscle Strength vs. Muscle Endurance, July 29, 2024. https://www.lifefitness.com/en-us/customer-support/education-hub/blog/muscle-strength-vs-muscle-endurance
17. FG Aesthetics & Medicine: Understanding Muscle Toning: How It Works and Its Benefits. https://fgaestheticsandmedicine.com/fg-aesthetics-and-medicine/understand-muscle-toning-how-it-works/
18. Healthline: What is Muscular Endurance and Exercises to Improve it, December 4, 2023, Travis Edwards, PT, MPT and Jesica Salyer (Medically reviewed by Gregory Minnis, DPT). https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/muscular-endurance-exercises
19. NIH, National Library of Medicine: Adaptations to Endurance and Strength Training, June 2018, David C Hughes, Stian Ellefsen, and Keith Baar. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5983157/