13. The "Skinny-Fat" Dilemma

On today's episode, Coach Dylan & Coach Sam dig into the nuance of "skinny-fat" - the how and why we get there, and the what-to-do if you're feeling stuck.

Roses & Thorns:

- Dylan’s COVID induced numbness, the slow path to recovery, the perils of emotional maturity & the hardship of being a cycle breaker
- Sam’s frustration with being sick, being an impatient patient, taking our health for granted & the acknowledging the gratitude for health privilege

The Meat:

- why we feel “skinny-fat” is a problematic term
- the difference between being over-fat & under-muscled
- how diet culture contributes to the "skinny-fat" problem
- Sam's perspective on her own "skinny-fat" realization
- why when we lose the fat, we might still be unhappy from a body composition perspective
- the difference in body composition while maintaining the same body weight: decreasing body fat %, while increasing muscle mass
- why the scale isn't a great tool for progress measurement
- how restrictive/crash dieting & excessive cardio (or the binge-restrict cycle) can contribute to the "skinny-fat" problem
- "decomping" = losing muscle mass instead of body fat
- why recomping is so painfully slow
- WHAT TO DO: how to recomp
- the composition of macro ratios: what will be most beneficial
- why sleep is so important from a diet, lean body mass & recovery perspective
- the hierarchy: 1. quality training 2. adequate protein intake 3. more manageable deficits 4. getting enough sleep 5. prioritizing recovery
- what we can learn from physique competitions in body building competitions
- knowing when to turn the dial up or down
- why we reach for "hedonic" hyper-palatable foods when fatigued
- setting yourself up for success instead of failure

Dylan's article on body recomposition:
https://www.five-elements.ca/blog-2/body-recomposition-can-and-should-you-aim-for-it

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Post-production, music & overall wizardry by Jonathan Gavin @gonathanjavin