Why You Could Be Skinny and Still Fat

There are some people that can seemingly eat anything in the world and never gain a pound. You know what I mean, the friend or cousin who devours an entire pernil right before your eyes, while you just smell it and can feel your clothes getting tighter.Well, you might actually be healthier than them. Why? Because being healthy does not mean being skinny. You see these skinny yet still fat people, who researchers at the Mayo Clinic call "normal weight obesity", may be actually be in poorer health than most others because of something called visceral fat.
We're not picking on people who are naturally thin (bless you), but more so giving a wake-up call for everyone, that just because you're naturally thin, does not automatically mean you're healthy. You don't get a free pass to load your body with all sorts of junk. For those that are overweight and think you can just starve yourself to lose weight - that's not healthy either!

Why visceral fat is dangerous.
If you don't exercise and eat properly, you will have higher amounts of visceral fat within your body. It's found deep within your abdomen, surrounding your internal organs. Men and women who have a body mass index (BMI) that falls within a "normal" range, can still be at an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and certain cancers because of excess visceral fat.

Your BMI does not tell the whole story.
BMI while a great tool, does not measure body fat. Neither does a scale. Muscle mass weighs more than fat, which means many athletes can technically be labeled obese on a BMI scale. A better way to assess your risk for many diseases, is along with BMI and the number on a scale, measure your waistline, cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar. Your risk for developing heart disease and diabetes, increases when your waist circumference is bigger than 35 inches for women, and 40 inches for men.

From flabby to fit.

"Leave Britney alone...."

You know what I'm talking about! People who may have lost a ton of weight, but still look like someone took the air out of a tire. If you don't do any cardio and strength training, you will have less tone and definition to your body. Here's another thing, cellulite does not discriminate! How many times have you seen the nalgas of celebrities plastered on the front cover of your favorite trashy magazine covered in cellulite? All those crazy crash diets, having a high amount of body fat, not exercising and not drinking enough water, can all lead to developing cellulite. A healthy lifestyle is one that includes mental wellness, healthy eating and regular exercise consisiting of cardio and strength-training.