I found this article today on the subject of being skinny fat by accident. It was so informative that I want to share it with you:

http://www.functionalfitmag.com/blog/2012/01/31/top-10-ways-skinny-fat/

Let me know your thoughts on it. Quite a number of the items are common, but some you would not suspect as being causes of the skinny fat syndrome. I had issues with too much cardio and no lifting when initially reaching goal at 7 months post op. I was skinny fat. Not so much anymore, but there are still areas for improvement around my belly button.

Wait I don't understand a lot of this. How does spin class make you retain lower body fat? Doesn't aerobic exercise also work to build SOME muscle? I can't see how you could be on a treadmill and not build lower body muscles? Wish they had some references to help explain some of their points but maybe someone here could?

Sorry, I don't think this article is at all medically sound. I wouldn't follow their advice.

Fiddle. Seriously....you are the man. You know I love you like a brother right? But this article is....questionable.

Scented plug ins?

Spinning?

Yeah, yeah. It wasn't meant to win any Pulitzer Prizes. I just found it interesting. There is something to be said about too much cardio though. It will eat away at your muscles. Cardio in moderation is fine.

Agreed

I'm no scientist, but those seem to be some random thoughts thrown out on a web page or something. But there are probably a few good points there, but some seem like urban legend stuff or not backed by research or maybe just someone's hunch. I saw where it mentioned catabolic is breaking down of muscle. Catabolic can be either breaking down of muscle and/or fat oxidation, or basically a loss or break down of body mass or the process of breaking down body mass. Catabolic can be a good thing if it's the fat burning part. I think the key is doing enough cardio to burn some fat before your body turns to muscle to burn for energy, which most of us really don't want. Everyone's body is different and has varying degrees of efficiency. Mine is fairly sensitive to long sessions of cardio several times a week. I stay with the short high intensity stuff for no more than twice a week. If I go more than that, I can definitely tell my muscle/strength is compromised. Other people may be able to do cardio 6 times a week and not have any adverse effects to muscle. There seems to be quite a bit of debate on this subject, so all I can go on is my own personal experiece(s). I get Fiddle's point here about long bouts and what he's trying to say about too much cardio. This article is pretty similar in regrds to the cardio and how it relates to muscle, which I think is what Fiddle is trying to say? Just a guess.....

But I don't subscribe to a "one type of cardio for fat loss fits all" approach. This one just seems the best for for me.

http://www.simplyshredded.com/fit-with-hiit-science-is-dropping-the-hammer-on-endless-bouts-of-steady-state-cardio.html

Yeah, yeah. It wasn't meant to win any Pulitzer Prizes. I just found it interesting. There is something to be said about too much cardio though. It will eat away at your muscles. Cardio in moderation is fine.

The article may be sketchy but there's value in posting it because now you have a group of people talking about it and their experiences. I'm pretty sure I'm a skinny fat person - I'm not plump like I was so I have skin hanging off (which will probably get worse). I haven't done any weights and have stuck to 100% cardio. I'm 50 years old and figured hanging skin was the price to be paid for losing weight so quickly.

What's further sketch about this article is the photo the author must have just found and slapped on there of the woman sitting down. She wasn't "skinny fat", she was pregnant! That photo was in a much seen article about loving your body after delivering a baby! Totally different things really, and subverting the loving message of that particular photo makes me a little mad.

Ha! Isn't that just like the Internet for you (lifting pictures). Apologies to anyone offended for posting this article as it appears content is in poor form.

Stick to Inclusion of weights with your cardio program as well as a nutritional diet focusing on a balance of macronutrients and you should be in good form to shield yourself more against the angst of skinny fat syndrome due to rapid deterioration of muscle.

Ha! Isn't that just like the Internet for you (lifting pictures). Apologies to anyone offended for posting this article as it appears content is in poor form.

Stick to Inclusion of weights with your cardio program as well as a nutritional diet focusing on a balance of macronutrients and you should be in good form to shield yourself more against the angst of skinny fat syndrome due to rapid deterioration of muscle.

Yeah, silly Internet! Anyway, the nutshell of it all is as you said; just try to stay balanced in all your healthy eating & fitness efforts, and you'll be just fine.