Thin outside, fat inside
Just because you are “naturally” thin, doesn’t mean you are safe from diabetes and obesity (diabesity) related diseases. You may be a TOFI if you have the following characteristics below:
- If you are average or below weight
- If you have a low BMI and very little muscle
- If you rarely exercise or engage in muscle building exercises
- You can eat whatever you want and never gain weight
Sounds lovely doesn’t it?! However, Physician’s are often unaware that TOFI’s are at great risk for “diabesity” since they aren’t overweight or obese. Metabolic features of diabesity include: Low muscle mass, inflammation, high triglycerides, low good cholesterol, high blood sugar and high blood pressure. The good news is that it’s never too late to reverse TOFI. Start with yearly routine lab work, eat heathier, reduce stress, start a strength training regimen (to replace fat with muscle), drink 6-8 glasses of water a day (for hydration), sleep 7-8 hours a night and start taking a multivitamin (to reduce inflammation). The goal of a TOFI is to maintain a healthy weight consisting of greater muscle mass than fat mass in order to reduce diabesity related health conditions.
Meagan Johnson, PA-C, RD
Resource:
Hyman, M. Why “Skinny Fat” Can Be Worse Than Obesity. (July 23, 2015). http://eatlocalgrown.com/article/14813-skinny-fat-can-be-worse-than-obesity.html
