So tell us...is being skinny worth it?

WelshPhil1975

I have a goal to lose 68lb, then aspirations to lose another 28-odd. This will get me down to "overweight" in the BMI scales if I achieve it. When i was setting my goals a couple of months ago I did consider going the whole hog and aiming for for skinny/optimal weight/etc, but I don't think I want that.

My brother did it 15 years ago and his life didn't exactly change dramatically. You have to ask yourself if the end justifies the means and what you want out of life.

I am not overly unhappy with myself as I am now, but I am doing this to head off potential future health issues and to be more active now. I like who I am adn am comfortable with myself, but I know I can't sustain being 20st for too much longer into life.

I think I would be happier being a little bit overwieght than I would being skinny. That may sound an odd way of looking at it but it's how I have felt for years, and this is my journey to get to "overweight". In my favour (and if I achieve my goal) I will have lost a hell of a lot of weight from my starting point so to the eyes of my family & friends I will have already done more than I guess thet expect of me.

And to the poster who championed "larger sex" - well said, it beats the hell out of sex with a skinny person any day of the week!

darrensurrey

He has gained back the weight and now is a jolly, older man with no regrets regarding his lifestyle.

Wait until the doc says to him in a few years, "Sorry, sir, but there's nothing more we can do for you." Then ask him if he regrets his lifestyle.

Of course, he may live to a ripe old age of 95 but statistically, being very overweight is more likely to result in stuff like cancer, heart disease etc.

If he's just slightly overweight then ignore what I've written. You don't need a six pack to be healthy.

TheFitHooker

I think being fit and healthy is more important then being skinny, skinny don't mean healthy.

Now to answer your question, I stepped back a bit and kinda let myself go after my 133 lbs weight loss, I got comfortable and gained only 10 lbs back and felt gross and it wasn't worth it to me. I was happier at 120, I felt good, I ate good and it was just so much better for me.

in_the_stars

I think being fit and healthy is more important then being skinny, skinny don't mean healthy.

Now to answer your question, I stepped back a bit and kinda let myself go after my 133 lbs weight loss, I got comfortable and gained only 10 lbs back and felt gross and it wasn't worth it to me. I was happier at 120, I felt good, I ate good and it was just so much better for me.

You can be skinny, healthy and fit.

TheFitHooker

I think being fit and healthy is more important then being skinny, skinny don't mean healthy.

Now to answer your question, I stepped back a bit and kinda let myself go after my 133 lbs weight loss, I got comfortable and gained only 10 lbs back and felt gross and it wasn't worth it to me. I was happier at 120, I felt good, I ate good and it was just so much better for me.

You can be skinny, healthy and fit.

Of course, but my preference to the word skinny makes me cringe. So in my opinion I prefer the word fit and healthy, being told I was too thin and looked ill when I was no such thing just left a bad taste in my mouth.

As I said to the OP Though, I personally feel gross with extra weight on me.

MissLeelooDallas

To whoever said that "fat lazy sex" isnt any good....... have you tried it? If not then please do not talk about what you do not know. I have a friend who told me the only thing a "skinny" girl is good for is to toss around a bedroom but when he wanted good lovin' he got it from a bigger girl. Even my husband tells me he loved the sex more when I had more meat on my bones because he doent want a skeleton to make love too. Fit sex is good but so is BIG SEX and BIGGER SEX. Please stop being so shallow and realize that everyone looks better with some meat on them cause only dogs like bones.

Ahh... so much thin shaming on here... No one at all should be shamed for their bodies whether they're fat, thin, fit, or somewhere in the middle. This is ridiculous and it is bullying. Let's all stop making each other feel about about our bodies! If you have to feel better about yourself by insulting others physiques, you are on the wrong path to happiness my friend.

likitisplit

I am so far from a healthy weight I can't even picture it but the changes I have made recently have totally been worth it. I sleep better at night, I have more energy during the day, my skin glows. I can walk for miles without feeling uncomfortable, in the gym when I push my body it responds rather than gives up. I feel strong and successful, rather than weak and a failure.

My overall 'why' is that I just want to be able to live my life without my weight affecting my day to day. To shop for clothes wherever I want. To go on holiday and not worry about fitting in aeroplanes or baring flesh in a swimming costume. To take part in family activities without worrying I might have to walk further than I am able. To just meet someone new and not worry that my weight is negatively affecting their view of me. I could continue this list for pages...

I still have a long way to go and am not out of the woods yet. I am a yo-yoer and am still worried that one day (maybe tomorrow) I'll wake up and for no particular reason eat a box of donuts for breakfast and then gain all of the weight back again. But every day I make good choices I feel stronger.

You won't gain all the weight back again from a box of donuts. It takes some persistence and consistency to pack on the pounds. It's over eating more habitual for most of us.

It's like flossing. It can be hard to stay motivated. One day of not flossing doesn't mean that you've ruined everything, but its easy to drop the habit. If you do it for long enough, you don't feel right unless it's done.

Pasukaru2

Like some other said, I too want to enjoy life as much as I can. But I think that since I work in the medical field, I realised that if I really wanted to live a long life and to be as healthier as I could, I had to lose some weight to achieve that Goal. Would I say that everything is better now that I'm in a healthy BMI? No. I sometimes miss the carefree eating for example, But I keep telling myself that staying at that weight could'Ve eventually caused me health issues and I definetly don't want that. I don't say that you can't have heath issues if you're in a healthy BMI here! But various studies do show that the greater the BMI, the more risks you have in developping various illness. So all in all, I don't regret losing all that weight, considering that I really want to lower the risks as much as possible for my health. Moreover, I freaking love the way my body looks like now too, so no reason to go back

HowieShank

I've never been skinny and never will be skinny.

That said, I used to be physically fit and then I let that go and became not so fit. I developed health issues that cost me time, money and would have gotten worse with time. So the solution was to get fit again.

Weight and physical fitness while related are not the same thing. You can be 200 or 300 pounds and still be physically fit. You can be 100 pounds and be physically UNfit. You can have any combination and end up fit or unfit.

Fitness is what ultimately counts, being skinny, chunky, fat, tall, short, bulky, pudgy or whatever you may describe yourself as is just visual.

Becoming fit and being able to perform activities you enjoy is what makes it all worthwhile!

in_the_stars

I think being fit and healthy is more important then being skinny, skinny don't mean healthy.

Now to answer your question, I stepped back a bit and kinda let myself go after my 133 lbs weight loss, I got comfortable and gained only 10 lbs back and felt gross and it wasn't worth it to me. I was happier at 120, I felt good, I ate good and it was just so much better for me.

You can be skinny, healthy and fit.

Of course, but my preference to the word skinny makes me cringe. So in my opinion I prefer the word fit and healthy, being told I was too thin and looked ill when I was no such thing just left a bad taste in my mouth.

As I said to the OP Though, I personally feel gross with extra weight on me.

^ This. The word skinny shouldn't really be used to explain fit or healthy, as it doesn't mean fit or healthy at all (refer to dictionary meaning) I don't really think it should be a word used when it comes to weight as it messes with young girls minds because most people think of skinny as model thin and not healthy which you see if you just google image the word skinny. 90% of the people sadly look like they're starving... which is why most mags now don't say "Get skinny this summer" Instead it's "Get fit." But of course you can be fit and "skinny" just as you can be unfit and skinny same with heavier people. You can be fit at many different weights and BF%. It's just better to encourage health more than using words like fat and skinny which are both extremely vague and wrong to use when talking about weight.

So true.

SillyC2

I never ended up getting overweight or obese... but in my early 20s, I smoked, barely exercised, and lived off of candy. I felt terrible. I got a wake-up call from the doctor BEFORE I ended up overweight.... my blood tests came back really bad and I had some endocrine problems. Likely if I hadn't changed my behavior then I probably would have ended up large in a short period of time.

I made the same major changes to my lifestyle that many other people have to do to lose weight.... although my body "size" hasn't changed all that much.

And, yes, it's worth it. Very, very worth it. I never want to go back to feeling like I did before. It's so much better to live in a strong and healthy body.

thatgirlkellib

Being fat and lazy is why I came here, it made me feel totally disgusted with myself...I much rather be thin, confident , healthy and able to persue a long life because i took care of my body.

dianalee9

Honestly, for me, at this point it's a toss-up. I've gone from 220ish to 155ish but it's taken 5 years. I realize I'm not old by any means but I wonder if my age has something to do with it. I never felt bad when I was 220 and 24 years old - no aches, pains, energy issues, or health issues. I just didn't like the way I looked and I was tired of having a husband who was thinner than me. Now that I'm 29 and 155 I don't feel great. I don't have more (or any) energy. My health isn't perfect. I seem to have more backaches than I ever used to and I have one knee and one ankle that give me serious problems. More importantly I don't feel like I look THAT much better. My boobs are sad, my stomach is iffy, and my face is more angular and seems almost more masculine than it used to. I'm also hungry most of the time and miss being able to be satisfied by what I'm eating/drinking. I realize I'm not a special snowflake (or whatever snarky phrase is being used at this time) but I've been at this long enough to know that I have to eat a relatively small amount of food in order to lose or maintain and it will likely always be that way. It sucks. There are some things I love that I will never be able to fit into my day no matter how much I exercise and it's frustrating. I don't feel normal. I'm banking on there being serious health benefits in the future because otherwise it really hasn't been worth it to me.

I feel the same way right now, but then again, Spring allergies always get me down, and when I'm depressed and boogery, nothing in the world is good.

But it's hard, and it hasn't done much for my life, and I still don't look in any way acceptable naked (I do look damn good in clothes, though). I am also not a super human health specimen. My knees gimped on me and I can't jog anymore (that was depressing for real) I still have asthma and I still wheeze, and even though being thinner helps my social anxiety a lot, it's still not enough to make me actually want to be around people. Hell, that might not even be anxiety, maybe I just don't like being around people.

Anyway, the people who brush it off as breezy easy, just get to goal weight and eat at maintenance, have perhaps never used up energy that could have been used elsewhere wrestling with hunger all day. It's not cheap in any way to be a healthy low weight. Along with energy, I find it far more expensive on my already very limited wallet.

So is it really worth it? Maybe. Jury still out. If I ever decide it's not worth it, I can always get fat again.

Seriously???????????? :huh: :noway:

MysteriousMerlin

I don't want to be skinny. I want my A1c to be a decent number, along with my blood pressure and cholesterol. I want to be HEALTHY.

SapiensPisces

It's 100% worth it to me.

I felt like I was 28 going on 80 when I was at my highest weight. I have no desired to have the mobility and health problems I had then ever again at any age.

kwantlen2051

I didn't have much to lose, but at 5"2" every extra lb looked so heavy on me. I've lost 22 lbs so far and a few more to lose. But I feel better, healthier and with more confidence. No more unkind remarks from relatives and supposedly friends. YES, YES, YES, it is worth it!

juliafromrf

Of course it's worth it. Food is just food is just food. I seriously wonder why I would deny myself the experience of being healthy, happy and sociable and instead stuff my face with huge amounts of low-quality foods and feeling guilty and gross afterwards.

Ely82010

To whoever said that "fat lazy sex" isnt any good....... have you tried it? If not then please do not talk about what you do not know. I have a friend who told me the only thing a "skinny" girl is good for is to toss around a bedroom but when he wanted good lovin' he got it from a bigger girl. Even my husband tells me he loved the sex more when I had more meat on my bones because he doent want a skeleton to make love too. Fit sex is good but so is BIG SEX and BIGGER SEX. Please stop being so shallow and realize that everyone looks better with some meat on them cause only dogs like bones.

WOW, you really went the wrong way girl. Chill out!

TheFitHooker

Of course it's worth it. Food is just food is just food. I seriously wonder why I would deny myself the experience of being healthy, happy and sociable and instead stuff my face with huge amounts of low-quality foods and feeling guilty and gross afterwards.

This!

It's funny you mentioned this, I wonder why so much food has such a control over me, I have moments when I just wanna indulge and over eat and pig out on crap, sometimes I feel like I just can't keep on. However, we should eat to live not live to eat.

Ely82010

There is a lot more to enjoy in life than food.

Aside from sex, not really.

^^ this. and man, fitsex is sooooooo much better than fat lazy sex.

+2 Completely agree.

+3 Who else agree?

Not me! I like food but I also find other things in life that bring me more pleasure than eating. I eat to live, not the other way around. Sex is good too, and let's leave it like that...

karaharrison2012

It is VERY MUCH worth it. I never deprive myself. If I want something I eat it, no matter what it is, just in moderation. That has been the secret to my success. I have never been happier in my entire life. I can shop and look good in anything, not like before, when I would see a beautiful dress and look like a sack of potatoes when I tried it on, BUT everyone is different. Some people may be happy being overweight. I believe if it makes you happy, then so be it. I used to try and please others, but now I am out to please MYSELF! After all, no one has to live in my body but me! Good Luck, no matter what your goals are.

PJPrimrose

If I was being skinny or the sake of being skinny I probably wouldn't be skinny! I am staying in shape to do what I love! This includes, Martial Arts, gardening, good sex, and keeping up with all the stuff I have to do pain free !

donnarogers6211

Being skinny is not my goal. Being healthy and feeling good about myself is my goal. After 130pound weight loss I am no longer a diabetic, no more high blood pressure and no more high cholesterol. That in itself makes it worth it. Other advantages are no more seat belt extenders on planes, no more knees killing me, and when I go to buy clothes I can actually get what I like not what happens to fit. I love to exercise now. I have a new rule at work. I work on the 6th floor and I havent been on an elevator in over a month. I climb the stairs 4 or 5 times a day.

BinaryPulsar

To whoever said that "fat lazy sex" isnt any good....... have you tried it? If not then please do not talk about what you do not know. I have a friend who told me the only thing a "skinny" girl is good for is to toss around a bedroom but when he wanted good lovin' he got it from a bigger girl. Even my husband tells me he loved the sex more when I had more meat on my bones because he doent want a skeleton to make love too. Fit sex is good but so is BIG SEX and BIGGER SEX. Please stop being so shallow and realize that everyone looks better with some meat on them cause only dogs like bones.

You really want to have sex with someone that talks about people that way. "The only thing they are good for his throwing around" (although that is fun).

juliafromrf

Of course it's worth it. Food is just food is just food. I seriously wonder why I would deny myself the experience of being healthy, happy and sociable and instead stuff my face with huge amounts of low-quality foods and feeling guilty and gross afterwards.

This!

It's funny you mentioned this, I wonder why so much food has such a control over me, I have moments when I just wanna indulge and over eat and pig out on crap, sometimes I feel like I just can't keep on. However, we should eat to live not live to eat.

I've been there too and it is definitely possible to stop craving and binging on unhealthy things. It has been a long process for me but now I'm able to say no to pretty much everything, and most importantly, without any regret.
If it's possible for me, than it is possible for everybody including you.

Capt_Apollo

To whoever said that "fat lazy sex" isnt any good....... have you tried it? If not then please do not talk about what you do not know. I have a friend who told me the only thing a "skinny" girl is good for is to toss around a bedroom but when he wanted good lovin' he got it from a bigger girl. Even my husband tells me he loved the sex more when I had more meat on my bones because he doent want a skeleton to make love too. Fit sex is good but so is BIG SEX and BIGGER SEX. Please stop being so shallow and realize that everyone looks better with some meat on them cause only dogs like bones.

that was me. i've had fat sex, and i've had fit sex. fit sex is better.

tfire77

Still far from goal. But I can tell you what is worth it to me in my 20 lbs lost. Being able to bend over and buckle my snowboard (didn't snowboard for 5 yrs because I was to fat and out of shape.) , heck tie my shoes. Climb up stairs with out huffing and puffing. My biggest thing is lack of aches and pains, my back, hip, feet, calves, knees feel better after 20 lbs, When I lose 100 who knows what Ill be able to do.

chele1028

Yes, I would not say I am skinny, but much healthier from where I started and therefore, very happy, very worth it!

alpine1994

I wouldn't call myself "skinny", but I am at a healthy weight and I would say that I'm fit. I was overweight my whole life until I reached my goal a year ago, and I will tell you that it is indeed worth it. It's not so much the looks part. It's mostly the new hobbies I found, like cooking (you gotta learn how to cook tasty, healthy food!), spinning, running, dancing, generally doing active things that I used to avoid my whole life because I thought I was "too fat" or "too lazy". I feel good. I feel healthy. I couldn't say that when I was overweight.

Jestinia

Honestly, for me, at this point it's a toss-up. I've gone from 220ish to 155ish but it's taken 5 years. I realize I'm not old by any means but I wonder if my age has something to do with it. I never felt bad when I was 220 and 24 years old - no aches, pains, energy issues, or health issues. I just didn't like the way I looked and I was tired of having a husband who was thinner than me. Now that I'm 29 and 155 I don't feel great. I don't have more (or any) energy. My health isn't perfect. I seem to have more backaches than I ever used to and I have one knee and one ankle that give me serious problems. More importantly I don't feel like I look THAT much better. My boobs are sad, my stomach is iffy, and my face is more angular and seems almost more masculine than it used to. I'm also hungry most of the time and miss being able to be satisfied by what I'm eating/drinking. I realize I'm not a special snowflake (or whatever snarky phrase is being used at this time) but I've been at this long enough to know that I have to eat a relatively small amount of food in order to lose or maintain and it will likely always be that way. It sucks. There are some things I love that I will never be able to fit into my day no matter how much I exercise and it's frustrating. I don't feel normal. I'm banking on there being serious health benefits in the future because otherwise it really hasn't been worth it to me.

I feel the same way right now, but then again, Spring allergies always get me down, and when I'm depressed and boogery, nothing in the world is good.

But it's hard, and it hasn't done much for my life, and I still don't look in any way acceptable naked (I do look damn good in clothes, though). I am also not a super human health specimen. My knees gimped on me and I can't jog anymore (that was depressing for real) I still have asthma and I still wheeze, and even though being thinner helps my social anxiety a lot, it's still not enough to make me actually want to be around people. Hell, that might not even be anxiety, maybe I just don't like being around people.

Anyway, the people who brush it off as breezy easy, just get to goal weight and eat at maintenance, have perhaps never used up energy that could have been used elsewhere wrestling with hunger all day. It's not cheap in any way to be a healthy low weight. Along with energy, I find it far more expensive on my already very limited wallet.

So is it really worth it? Maybe. Jury still out. If I ever decide it's not worth it, I can always get fat again.

Seriously???????????? :huh: :noway:

I'm very serious. I was wondering the other day how many novels I could have written and sent off to publishers with all the energy I've spent working out and controlling my ravenous appetite.

Maybe that is what I should have been doing instead of losing weight.

Something to think about.