Skinny fat – thin on the outside but fat on the inside
Being thin does not prevent you from developing pre-diabetes. In fact, it is estimated that nearly 20 % of all of people diagnosed with pre-diabetes and diabetes – are of normal weight. Many of these people even exercise and eat right and are still prone to getting this awful disease.
What gives? Here are four main reasons why this happens.
Having a family history of diabetes is a potential risk factor but with certain ‘lifestyle changes’ the onset of the disease can be prevented and even reversed if you have it.
Another major factor for developing pre-diabetes is your ethnicity. Certain ethnic groups are more likely to become pre-diabetic. These include African-Americans, people of Asian-Pacific background, Native Americans, and Latin Americans. Whether they are skinny or fat these people have a higher likelihood of becoming pre-diabetic.
And thirdly, it’s important to develop a consistent activity program that gets you off the couch or out of your chair. It should promote good blood flow and reduce fat from in and around vital organs – liver and pancreas specifically.
Whether you are skinny or overweight living a sedentary life-style will have a negative impact on your health. A slim person can have high cholesterol just as badly as an overweight person. The same goes for excess fat forming around vital organs. The type of exercises that gets rid of this type of fat requires more than just walking around the block after diner.
A fourth reason for someone of normal weight to develop pre-diabetes is certain medications. A close relative was recently diagnosed as having high cholesterol – resulting in minor heart problems. He is under age 40 and of average weight and was in fairly good health. Under advisement of his doctors he started taking statin drugs to control his condition. As a consequence he developed pre-diabetes – his blood sugar level is high but not high enough for him to be labeled a full-blown diabetic. Before starting on cholesterol-lowering drugs his blood sugar levels were normal. He must now be more mindful of what he eats and become more active.
Are you a ‘skinny fat’ person?
A condition that can develop in each of the above situations is termed skinny fat. This describes a person who is thin on the outside but fat on the inside. They are of normal weight for their age and body frame but having a higher fat to muscle ratio than they should. It is caused by poor diet and inactivity. The only way to get rid of this type of fat is to start a workout program that will directly target this excess baggage and allow our internal organs to function normally again.
How to cure skinny fat
You can fix skinny fat and in the process prevent or reverse pre-diabetes. It requires you to become more active and less sedentary.
You have to increase the muscle to fat ratio by doing resistance and cardio exercises that focuses on torching fat calories. Ideally, you need both because adding muscle to a fat body will only make you look bigger . . . especially if you are a woman trying get smaller. Go to any gym and you can easily pick out the people who adding muscle to a fat body. They are focused on weights and not a complete fitness program.
Doing cardio alone or just resistance as your main form of workout won’t cut it either – you are losing muscles along with any fat you shed. It will take longer to cut the fat and puts more stress on your body. Doing a pre-programmed routine of cardio and weight training each day will get you better results faster and more efficiently. You will also reduce total cholesterol and improve respiration so the need for medication will not be as great.
Be sure to get enough rest at nights. Lack of proper sleep and being in a constant state of stress are potential causes of pre-diabetes.
One thing that has helped me is intermittent fasting where you consume your meals within a certain window each day. For example, eat all your meals within an eight hour time period and fast for sixteen hours.
Take up a sport. I like swimming – its low impact, build muscles and improves my respiration as well as burn excess calories. The same goes for cycling or dancing. Increase the intensity over time to see faster results. Make love to your partner longer. You will both enjoy it and burn more calories in the process.
The point is being sedentary, or living an inactive lifestyle, affects many of us but the good thing is that we have the power to change it. Did you know that over 50% of those who develop pre-diabetes will go on to have full-blown diabetes later in their life.
Don’t be a skinny fat
Take the necessary steps today to put the odds in your favor to avoid kidney complications, heart problems, poor vision, neuropathy, and a host of other problems that full blown diabetes can lead to.
Visit How to Prevent Pre-diabetes for more information on pre-diabetes and how you can prevent it without medication.