A certain amount of fat keeps your skin looking younger and more supple. As females, we have 12 percent essential fat in our bodies to support our reproductive organs, brain, bone marrow, spinal cord, and complete nervous system. That percentage is high compared to men who only require three percent essential fat. We also need some non-essential fat. That is the fat that lies just below our skin layer and helps protect our bodies from injury and cold. It also provides us with a great source of energy and allows us to sit on something, rather than just a tail bone.
~Trim Healthy Mama, p97~
A healthy amount of body fat on a woman is not repugnant. Don’t think you need to be “shredded” and try to eliminate all body fat. That is not healthy for your hormonal profile. Going too far below a healthy body fat ratio will disrupt your delicate endocrine balance, and if you are pre-menopausal, you may stop your period altogether. That is a dangerous set-up for bone loss, depression, skin aging, and cardiovascular disease. God did not design a grown female to appear like ripped muscle and skin as men are more apt to be. Desiring that appearance is a warped perception of how a female should look. Female fat layers in the right proportion are beautiful. That “too skinny” look is very aging for anyone over 30 years.
~Trim Healthy Mama, p97~
I have heard a lot about Trim Healthy Mama and have been thinking about borrowing the book from the library just to see what it’s all about.
I’ve noticed that about “too skinny” too- it can definitely age a person moreso than being a tad bit overweight.
I took away a few helpful snippets from it, but overall, not my favorite book on the subject of lifestyle feeding my family. It’s not the box my family fits in, I’ve found. But I am thankful to have read it, esp since so many folks talk about it these days!
Fat is good, if it’s the good kind of fat has become my new diet motto. I have also found I am much happier and healthier with a few more pounds than I was a few years ago.