Small people can be strong and healthy too!

skinnyfit09

This is mainly a rant. I've seen quite a bit of skinny shaming on these boards. Everything from snarky comments to automatically assuming a lower BMI is unhealthy, weak and can't possibly have any muscle definition. People also seem convinced smaller people must have some type of ED or aren't being honest about how little they eat.

Now some posters genuinely do show signs of an ED and they should be encouraged to get healthy. If you're severely restricting, over exercising or obsessing over food to maintain a low weight then absolutely that's not ok. What I'm referring to is anyone who happens to give a low weight and ask if their body looks ok, maybe saying others have expressed concern they're too thin. 99% of the responses are always "you have to gain weight, skinny is gross, you must be so weak, etc". If the poster is eating a healthy amount of food and shows no signs of an ED, then maybe that's where their body is comfortable maintaining? Some people are just smaller than others. People are always saying there is no such thing as naturally thin but what about naturally small framed? Certainly genetics must come into play somewhat.

I've always been very small. Was a skinny kid, skinny teenager, skinny adult (although I do hate that word, I prefer slim). Aside from being pregnant, I've maintained the same weight, within a 5 lb range or so, for the past 15+ yrs. My eating habits and level of exercise have certainly changed. As a teen I ate a lot of fast food, exercised somewhat regularly. In my early 20s there was a lot of restaurant food, beer and alcohol, and minimal exercise. After I had my daughter, I rarely ate out but didn't exercise for about 2 yrs. Currently I'm on a 3 yr streak of eating mostly healthy and working out regularly. However, my weight has always remained the same!! I have never restricted, if I'm hungry I eat, stop when I'm full. I love pasta and pizza, I don't deprive myself of anything. I usually do prefer healthy foods though. I know it's all about calories. Anytime I've logged I'm 2000-2500 a day on average. Some days 3000+. Occasionally I'm busy and may only eat 1700-1800.

I've always been extremely healthy, great blood work, my doctors have never expressed concern over my weight. My daughter is built just like I was as a kid, she's happy and active with gymnastics and dance. So I do think a lot is genetic and frame size.

I'm sure most here would tell me to gain weight, that I should gorge myself until I'm sick on peanut butter and whole milk but why? I'm perfectly healthy and fit. I have muscle definition and it's not strictly because I have low body fat. When I don't work out, I lose definition and look "skinny fat" yet my weight stays within a few lb. I am strong, I can easily do push-ups and lift a decent amount of weight on the machines.

There seems to be this ideal you have to be right in the middle of a healthy BMI AND have decent muscle tone on these boards for your body to be deemed attractive and healthy. What's wrong with loving your body for how it's naturally intended to be? Some people are larger, some are smaller. It should all be about being healthy and fit, being happy with yourself. It seems skinny shaming has become so socially acceptable, it makes me sad. Women who aren't "curvy" aren't any less women. I'm small but I believe my measurements 33-24-34 still qualify as an hourglass, a 10 inch difference between waist and hips is not a stick figure. I clearly have a feminine shape, it's just a smaller one.

I'm not sure if there's a point to my rambling except maybe ask a poster how much they eat, if they easily maintain that low weight naturally before the snarky comments come out. It is possible to be healthy, fit, active, even muscular at a lower BMI.

watto1980

Try eating more, see if that helps. Peanut butter and whole milk are great options.

Or

Try not to take things written on the forum personally. There are lots of different types of ppl on here with varying degrees of knowledge in respect to diet and exercise. Most ppl say what they think will help based on what they think they know.

DjinnMarie

I am small framed as well. I weigh 114 at 5'4". I'm at the low end of my BMI. If I didn't lift I would be underweight. I eat... A lot! It's not unusual for me to eat 3000 calories on some days. I have 3 kids and am constantly moving. I find it quite easy to maintain my weight, I eat when hungry and I don't log calories. I have a hard time gaining or losing though, because I eat when I'm hungry, and don't eat when I'm not hungry. I have to log my food when I'm bulking or cutting or it doesn't end well.

AliceDark

I'm sure most here would tell me to gain weight, that I should gorge myself until I'm sick on peanut butter and whole milk but why? I'm perfectly healthy and fit. I have muscle definition and it's not strictly because I have low body fat. When I don't work out, I lose definition and look "skinny fat" yet my weight stays within a few lb. I am strong, I can easily do push-ups and lift a decent amount of weight on the machines.

You realize that you posted this in the Gaining Weight forum, right? People post here because they want advice on how to gain weight. Obviously, if you're posting questions in this forum, you're going to get responses that are geared toward helping you gain.

JoRocka

What's wrong with loving your body for how it's naturally intended to be?

loving your body for what it is is completely not at all on the same as trying to change it.

I love myself- and I love who I am- but I am actively trying to change it because I think it could be better.

Secondly- if people post in the Gaining section about being to skinny- and they are looking for advice on that- your probably going to get a boat load of comments on eating more.

Thirdly- just because you've successfully maintained an even weight for years doesn't mean you couldn't change your body if you wanted to. Nature only gets to dictate so much to me- my body's my bi*tch and I'm going to make it what I want. Naturally I'm strong- but soggy- and naturally I carry a fair bit of weight.

Not accepting that as an answer to just kind of half assing my way through life.

If you're okay with where you are- so be it- but there are a great many of us who want to take the collective bull by the horns and do some work and change things.

__freckles__

There seems to be this ideal you have to be right in the middle of a healthy BMI AND have decent muscle tone on these boards for your body to be deemed attractive and healthy. What's wrong with loving your body for how it's naturally intended to be? Some people are larger, some are smaller. It should all be about being healthy and fit, being happy with yourself. It seems skinny shaming has become so socially acceptable, it makes me sad. Women who aren't "curvy" aren't any less women. I'm small but I believe my measurements 33-24-34 still qualify as an hourglass, a 10 inch difference between waist and hips is not a stick figure. I clearly have a feminine shape, it's just a smaller one.

I'm sure all "stick-figured" women out there are tilting their heads to one side in confusion. So are you for body shaming or not? Cuz I don't have an hour glass figure (lacking the boobage, but boy do I have one heck of an *kitten*) but I still consider myself as having a feminine shape. I do have all the parts that qualify me to be female so...

this part of your post confuses me...

As to the rest of your post.........it also confuses me. Gaining weight forum is for people who want to gain weight. :huh:

DeadliftAddict

What's wrong with loving your body for how it's naturally intended to be?

loving your body for what it is is completely not at all on the same as trying to change it.

I love myself- and I love who I am- but I am actively trying to change it because I think it could be better.

Secondly- if people post in the Gaining section about being to skinny- and they are looking for advice on that- your probably going to get a boat load of comments on eating more.

Thirdly- just because you've successfully maintained an even weight for years doesn't mean you couldn't change your body if you wanted to. Nature only gets to dictate so much to me- my body's my bi*tch and I'm going to make it what I want. Naturally I'm strong- but soggy- and naturally I carry a fair bit of weight.

Not accepting that as an answer to just kind of half assing my way through life.

If you're okay with where you are- so be it- but there are a great many of us who want to take the collective bull by the horns and do some work and change things.

^Umm, all of this. Preach JoRocka!

jimmmer

If you don't want to be told to eat more to gain weight - don't post on the gaining weight sub.

It's pretty simple.

Post on the maintaining sub or the fitness sub, or whatever.

This place is for advice on getting bigger. The clue is in the title "Goal: Gaining Weight" (where people pursue the goal of gaining weight. Novel idea, I know!)