Are You Skinny-Fat?

Just because you're thin on the outside doesn't mean you're not at risk for type 2 diabetes.

If you think you can get skinny just by irrigating your bowels, you're dead wrong.

Sure, counting calories or going on crash diets might have the slimming effect you want on the outside, but what about what’s going on inside? There’s no getting around it--exercise is absolutely vital to your overall health and weight. But a growing trend suggests that us gals are skipping the cardio and just focusing on our diets, leading to skyrocketing cases of diabetes in young women.

To Count, Or Not to Count

Yes, it’s true--caloric intake is important to losing weight or maintaining an ideal one. Caloric intake forms the basic equation for weight loss: In order to lose weight, you must burn more calories than you take in. And yes, lazy ass, you can technically lose weight by watching and amending what you eat in order to reduce the amount of calories you take in, rather than working out to burn them off. But there are serious health risks associated with keeping your weight down this way.

Number 2 is the Number 1 Danger

When we hear mention of type 2 diabetes in women, we typically picture Paula Deen--dumping shitloads of butter into a stand-up mixer--not Paula Patton. But skinny bitches aren’t immune to this disease. Although the predominant face of type 2 diabetes is of older, heavier adults, there has been a disturbing rise in its occurrence in younger, thinner adults. In 2007, 57 million people age 20 or older were diagnosed with prediabetes; the number has now risen to a staggering 65 million. According to the National Institute of Health, one in eight people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are of normal weight.

An Important Acronym

While we’re often busying obsessing about our bodies (thanks, mass media!), scientists are studying the incongruence between seemingly good exterior and poor interior health. Professor Jimmy Bell has dubbed this “TOFI,” or “thin on the outside, fat on the inside.” TOFI happens when fat that is virtually indiscernible outside the body builds up in and around abdominal organs on the inside. So yes--that super svelte girlfriend you envy might look fab, but praise your thunderthighs if you're the one busting a move at the gym every day. People who attempt to manage their weight through caloric regulation without exercise are fucked. Why? Because exercise is crucial in lowering blood sugar. Excess blood sugar turns into fat--hence, TOFI. Regular exercise is also the only way to get rid of hidden, visceral fat.

You Bettah Work

Make no bones about it--even if you're already skinny as a rail and think you’re freakin' fabulous, you simply must work out. Not only does it help stave off the potentially lethal TOFI and type 2 diabetes, it boosts endorphins, making you feel good. What’s more, it helps you better manage stress, which further keeps off weight gain. When stressed, the body releases a hormone, cortisol, which elevates blood sugar levels. Grab a friend, grab your dog or grab a DVD. Whatever you do, just get that ass movin'.

What do you think of the skinny-fat phenomenon? Let us know in the comments. 


Brook Bolen, Contributing Writer
Born and raised in Appalachia, Brook Bolen is a bona fide country girl who now lives in the heart of the Dirty South. When she's not cooking, eating, or writing, she's scouring the Internet for videos of baby animals. A flawlessly manicured freelance writer and proud pitbull mama and advocate, Brook eats like a rabid vegan wolverine. And her garden kicks major ass.