Why "skinny" is a scam ... the sneaky way your body could be holding onto excess fat.
First of all, just in case you're new around here, fat is IMPORTANT. The fat we eat. The fat we have on our body. Important! Helpful. Needed. Nothing I share is EVER about denying this fact or any kind of shaming. My goal is always to help you feel your best and optimize your health while achieving your body composition goals.
So ... have you ever been told you're "skinny fat"?
Ever feel like your body is playing an elaborate prank on you? You’re not technically overweight, but you also don’t feel strong, energized, or remotely like the thriving human you’re trying to be. Maybe your arms feel kind of squishy, your waistline isn’t where you’d like it, and despite eating what should be healthy and exercising, your body is just… not cooperating.
Welcome to the frustrating-but-fixable world of skinny fat -- where your body is holding onto fat while quietly ditching all the good stuff like muscle, bone density, and metabolic efficiency. And spoiler: this isn’t just about looks. It’s a major metabolic red flag.
What Exactly is “skinny fat”?
Skinny fat, or metabolically obese normal weight (MONW) (yes, science is just as rude as the internet), happens when you’re at a normal weight but have a higher body fat percentage than what's considered healthy — paired with lower muscle mass.
And here’s where it gets interesting -- people who store fat easily actually have a protective advantage. Their bodies make new fat cells to store excess energy safely. But if your body doesn’t do that well, fat has to go somewhere -- and that somewhere is inside your organs, muscles, and liver, where it wreaks absolute havoc. This is called ectopic fat storage, and it’s like stuffing a storage unit past capacity until the doors burst open. Only instead of an avalanche of Amazon impulse buys, it’s inflammation, insulin resistance, and metabolic dysfunction.
People with this type of fat storage tend to “look” fine longer -- but they get sicker faster. They don’t have the visual warning signs of weight gain, so by the time blood sugar, cholesterol, and hormone levels wave the red flag, metabolic damage is already well underway.
Signs this might be happening:
You feel soft instead of strong, even though you work out.
Your clothes fit weird -- somehow tight and loose at the same time.
You don’t weigh much, but you struggle with stubborn fat.
Your energy fluctuates wildly, and sugar cravings own you.
You’ve been told you have blood sugar issues, high cholesterol, or inflammation, even though you’re “not overweight.”
"Ok, but what causes it?"
It’s not just about eating too much or skipping the gym -- this is a metabolic issue. Your body is constantly making decisions about what to store, burn, or break down based on input from food, movement, stress, the environment, sleep, temperature variability, etc. And if the wrong signals are being sent? Muscle loss and fat storage become your body’s default settings.
*Chronic dieting & undereating: If you’ve ever aggressively cut calories, your body may have responded by burning muscle instead of fat. Muscle is expensive to maintain, and if your body thinks famine is coming, it hoards fat instead while burning more of the "other stuff".
*Skipping strength training: Your body needs a reason to keep muscle otherwise it won't. If your workouts are mostly cardio, you’re not giving it that reason -- so it prioritizes fat storage instead.
*Low protein intake: Protein is the raw material for muscle. If you’re not eating enough, your body doesn’t have the building blocks to maintain or grow it.
*Blood sugar rollercoasters: If your meals spike and crash your blood sugar all day, insulin gets thrown off, fat storage gets prioritized, and your metabolism slows down.
*Chronic stress + poor sleep: High cortisol (hello, life) drives fat storage and muscle breakdown, especially in the belly area. If you’re constantly stressed and underslept, your metabolism is not thriving.
Let me introduce you to past-me: a person who exercised daily, ate "clean" (whatever that means!), and was somehow still dealing with a body that felt out of sync. I was exhausted, moody, and despite doing 'all the right things', I was very unwell!
Turns out, I had a VIP pass to metabolic dysfunction. PCOS, insulin resistance, prediabetes, and hypothyroidism -- a delightful cocktail of conditions making my body resistant to fat loss, prone to muscle loss, and perpetually tired.
I wasn’t just dealing with body composition issues, I was experiencing real metabolic dysfunction. And nobody had ever explained this to me.
The shift happened when I stopped focusing on restriction and started focusing on metabolic health. I prioritized muscle, blood sugar balance, stress resilience, and supporting my metabolism instead of punishing it. And then? I became present me. :-) Much healthier in my 40s than I ever was in my 20s or 30s.
The good news is this is totally reversible, and you don’t have to give up carbs, fun, or your will to live.
1️⃣ Eat more protein: Aim for 1g per pound of your ideal body weight. Protein tells your body to hold onto muscle instead of breaking it down.
2️⃣ Strength train 3-4x / week: Muscle is your metabolic insurance policy. Give your body a reason to keep it.
3️⃣ Balance blood sugar: No solo carbs. Eat protein, fat and fiber alongside your carb intake. This reduces glucose spikes and prevents fat storage.
4️⃣ Prioritize sleep + stress Management: Blah blah blah. Easier said than done, right? But really important! Poor sleep and chronic stress drive muscle loss and fat storage. Fix these, and your metabolism will thank you.
5️⃣ Stop dieting: If your maintenance calories are too low (think 1,200-1,500), that’s a red flag. That’s not just “how your body is” -- it’s a sign your metabolism needs support.
6️⃣ Move more (not just workouts): Walking, stretching, kitchen dance parties, 10 air squats after meals ... small movements throughout the day matter just as much as workouts for fat loss and metabolic health.
Being “skinny fat” isn’t just about aesthetics ... it’s about longevity, energy, and feeling strong in your own body. If you’ve been struggling, your metabolism likely needs more support, not more restriction.
Let me know -- which of these steps surprised you the most? Want me to break any of them down further?
XO,
Tara
P.S. Something new is coming soon -- something built just for women who are done feeling weak, tired, and stuck. No diets. No nonsense. Just real results, real strategies, and a real community to help you make it happen. Stay tuned. 😉