Body Fat Percentages ~ How much is too much?

I have had several clients ask me if they are "skinny fat" after reading my article, (click here if you haven't read it) so I thought I would write about what is a normal body fat percentage and how much is too much either way? A "healthy skinny" body fat percentage is between 14-22% for women. About 18% is low enough to be skinny, but high enough to be healthy. Skinny Fat people typically have a normal BMI (body mass index), but lack Lean Body Mass (bone density and muscle mass). This is common in both men and women believe it or not. Women tend to achieve this look by a low calorie diet and do lots of cardio, but do not implement weight/strength training. They eat processed foods high in sugars, fats & carbs, skip meals, and some may even consume large amounts of alcohol. The issue of being skinny fat is not necessarily about the extra fat, but the lack of lean muscle on your frame. People that are genetically thin are also at a higher risk due to the fact they don't watch their diets, so the tend to eat much more junk food because they don't gain weight. Huge mistake! This problem leads to the dangers of what lies "inside" the body..... FAT! Fat that is accumulating around your internal organs, and causing more damage than even those people that are considered slightly overweight, or that may have a higher BMI, but are active. So what's the big deal with skinny fat? Although you may look great in your clothes, when the clothes come off, you may not look so hot! You want to be lean with muscle tone, there's nothing worse that being just skinny! That's just not healthy~here's why: The fat that is building around your internal organs can lead to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, it can also contribute to issues including high blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar, and even heart disease. If you’re thick around the middle, your chances increase for having high blood pressure and cholesterol or having excess fat deposits around your organs. A body fat percentage above 25% indicates that you’re carrying an excess of body fat and need to lower your number, now! How much is too low? Having a body fat percentage below 10-12% is considered dangerous for women and can cause long term harm to your hormonal function and ability to maintain bone density (which can lead to Osteoporosis later life). However, if you are getting ready for a competition, your will be running a body fat around 8-12% depending on the competition; figure is less, bikini is a little more. Those competition numbers are not a number that you will be at normally. You have a competition/in-season percentage, and an off-season percentage. I just had my body fat percentage professionally taken this weekend. I am at 18% and I want to be closer to 14-15%, to "see more" and just in case I decide to compete!...lol :-) This will entail tweaking of my carb intake to a lower number, and adding even more protein. 9/18/2012 Update: 4 months after writing this blog, my body fat is now at 16%, my weight has remained the same.