Tag Archives: Skinny Fat

New Documentary “Fed Up” Shows Skinny Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Healthy

There is a new documentary in the works, and it has certainly captured my attention. Executive produced by Katie Couric and directed by Stephanie Soechtig, the film  “Fed Up” explores the American obesity epidemic, specifically focusing on sugar. However, the film differentiates itself from other books, movies, television specials that focus on sugar in one big way: In addition to railing on sugar as the cause of obesity, “Fed Up” focuses on the fact that skinny is not a sign of healthy.

It’s about time.

I’m so glad that we are finally having a conversation around the fact that someone can thin but still have as much internal body fat as a morbidly obese person. In recent years, emerging research has shown that just because a person is skinny it does not mean that they are healthy. People of average weight can suffer from type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other conditions once thought to be associated with only obese individuals. Weight may not be the driver behind this, but body fat that comes from foods loaded with sugar most certainly is, according to “Fed Up”.

The film attacks sugar pretty seriously, even referring to it as the “new tobacco,” and blaming the food industry and the government as the biggest pushers of the substance. Fed Up focuses on the importance of not blaming children for the fact that they are obese, but rather the marketing that has pushed our country into a sugar induced epidemic. (more…)

Posted on June 4, 2024 by Jessica Tholmer

Equinox’s Skinny Fat Ad is Causing Controversy

If the goal of advertising is to get attention, then Equinox Gym has got the perfect formula. The gym’s most recent advertisement has got many people talking, but not necessarily singing praises.

The new ad features a very thin nude model whose mid-section is hidden by a red circle with the question, “Are You Skinny Fat?” The phrase “skinny fat” refers to the concept of normal weight obesity. The researchers at the Mayo Clinic describe someone as “skinny fat”  if they may look fit on the outside yet they actually have a high ratio of body fat in comparison to their weight. In other terms, “skinny fat” is simply when someone looks thin, but has excess fat and little muscle mass underneath the surface.

So, yes, this is a real condition with rather serious health risks. ABC reported that the high ration of fat to lean muscle can actually interfere with the liver’s metabolism and these individuals are at a higher risk for diabetes and hypertension. However, most agree, this health condition isn’t really an issue to deal with in the gym, rather it’s a serious condition to first deal with in the doctor’s office.

Ultimately the simple ad leaves many left with questions, and as most critics agree, it simply will fuel thin women to fear that they aren’t thin enough. There’s not enough context in the advertisement to be a service announcement, it’s simply another ploy to get members in the door.
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Posted on March 13, 2024 by Lacy