Why would anyone want to be “skinny”??!

TGONZO63

It's a genetic lottery.

not always

mozingoashley

you also have to just listen to your body. if it's hungry and craving one thing in particular then feed it. If it's not then don't. Intuitive eating IS important. We've screwed up our body signals (a lot of people have anyway) by believing we can't have certain foods so it makes us crave it more mentally. If you feed your body what it craves physically your body AND you will be happy and everything will level out.

LaurenAOK

I never want to be skinny.
I don't plan on logging once i get to where i want to be, but rather using all this time logging, to make better decisions. You can have a burger, and pizza, etc, I have done it all along the way. Its just a matter of taking it easy the rest of the day, or the next day, and leveling it all out. Its that pizza everyday, and burgers everyday that hurt you. And logging your food shows you how damaging that can be. I consider it a learning tool but don't plan on logging forever.

This, totally this. I'm making plenty of sacrifices to lose weight, but once I get to my goal I won't be making those sacrifices all the time. I will have learned how to be healthier and I will definitely use that information in my every day life, but I won't completely restrict myself like I am now. I miss delicious, fatty food. Will I eat it as much as I used to? Absolutely not, but I will eat it and I will enjoy it. If I start gaining weight again, I'll just tone it down until I get back to my goal.

maryjay51

i dont know as if i want to be 'skinny ' as opposed to wanting to be healthier.. at almost 52 yrs old i never felt so vibrant and energetic in decades than when i started losing this darn weight and exercising regularly. my doctor is amazed and i feel that i will be able to watch my grandchildren grow up now. do i look better?? hell ya i do !! my gut isnt sitting on my lap any more and i have a neck....and i get complimented all the time on my legs.. do i want to be ''skinny'?? .. no .,but i do like being healthier and i do like looking better

ganesha303

I highly recommend incorporating true strength training into your exercise program. building a little more muscle makes your resting calorie burn higher and gives you a little more fudging room (that was a double entendre). Beware skinny fat:

http://www.crossfitsouthbay.com/2011/05/skinny-fat/

ANewton401

you can look at it in a more positive way for starters....give that a go

^
That's supportive!

I find the healthier I eat, the less I actually like unhealthy foods. I don't actually need to loose weight, but I'm always tryig for a flatter belly! I do find when I'm feeling stressed or low, I feel fatter and uglier, but when I'm happy, or just content, I'm more accepting of myself. Is anything up at the mo that's adding to the fustration?

Its interesting you asked that. I'm in a runway show in a couple weeks and this weekend is my fitting. I wanted to lean up best I could so I reached out to a nutritionist and she designed a plan for me. I'm eating PLENTY and its ALL super healthy but I think (since im on day 5) that is just getting to me. See, I'm finally losing again (its been awhile) and its all thanks to this plan so Im thinking to myself , "is this what it takes to lose weight these days? Is this how I need to eat to see results? If so, no pizza for me, ever!"

ANewton401

I highly recommend incorporating true strength training into your exercise program. building a little more muscle makes your resting calorie burn higher and gives you a little more fudging room (that was a double entendre). Beware skinny fat:

http://www.crossfitsouthbay.com/2011/05/skinny-fat/

HI! I do a TON of weight lifting and have always loved that article you attached-its what got me lifting in the first place

aregensb

I have not read all the responses on here, so maybe this has been answered, but why would you want to eat all that junk all the time? Maybe it's just me, but I feel ill eating pizza and hamburgers in the same day or even too often. Too much grease. It really hits the spot every once in a while, but blegh... I don't even eat a burger and pizza together in the same month, let alone in the same day...

I agree with the other people on here: everything in moderation. Also, weight training is very helpful. It burns calories even when you're at rest. Quite honestly, I find it way more fun to do than cardio. It's more enjoyable for me so I find it easier to stick with.

auticus

Basic math. Ready for it? Find your base metabolic rate. Not from a website. You may have to experiment to find the point where you gain weight. The point where you do no exercise, eat, and gain no weight is roughly your base metabolic rate. Mine is about 370 calories less than what MFP or other websites say it should be (one reason I've struggled for years is because I was told X was my maintenance and when I ate X, I still gained)

Not arguing with the fact that you experimented and found out what worked for you. Just wanted to point out that "The point where you do no exercise, eat, and gain no weight" is not your BMR. If you wanted to put it in plain english, it would be closer to "The point where you do nothing but lie in bed flat on your back 24 hours a day, take in your nutrition via an IV, and eliminate wastes via catheters, and don't gain weight" would be your BMR. What you're talking about is closer to sedentary TDEE (i.e. without any exercise). Because we all walk around, go to the bathroom, digest food, pick things up off the floor, etc - we LIVE. On MPF, all those little things are factored into your activity level, which even if you're sedentary is still 25% higher than your BMR alone.

Apologies. For me that's my BMR. I may be wrong in the technical definition, but for me my BMR is my base metabolic rate if I lay around and do nothing. I've always used that terminology. *shrug*

The value MFP gives for me is a good 350 calories too high. I've had to tweak my settings to accommodate this. Once I did this, I was able to lose weight well. For years I used to get frustrated and infuriated that I was eating to what the numbers said I should, but still gained weight.

threeforagirl

Couple things before I quote some all star responses here; my version of forum cliffnotes!
1. Thank you so much, each of you-I was not expecting this outpour of support!!!!
2. Believe me, I’m optimistic 98% of the time-which is why im freaking out to the umpteenth degree, not used to feeling like crap
3. I used the word “skinny” because it an attention grabber- Skinny is not the answer nor should it be the goal. It’s all about being fit and happy, trust me-I know this.
4. The latte was an example, I hate lattes, and no-this is not my number one gripe (I don’t think anyone in this world would have this as a number one gripe) _ will look into the book though!

“It isn't about denying yourself the things you enjoy, it is more about learning that you don't need to consume an entire cake -- that one piece IS sufficient.”----TRUTH

“When I want a cheeseburger I eat a cheeseburger. When I want pizza, I eat pizza. But, I don't want to eat cheeseburgers everyday so not eating them everyday is not a problem.” ----Totally didn’t even think about the fact that I wont want pizza everyday…whoops, good point!

“If you hate the gym, find something else. Get outside, go dancing, etc.” ---–Damn fine idea right there, love group sports…and dancing!

“When you deprive yourself, and feel like you are depriving yourself, you can't stick to it long term. So, it has to be a lifestyle change. And yes, that means forever. So, forever you have to have "bad" things in moderation.”----Big helping of TRUTH right there.

“Welcome to adulthood. Very little about life is 'what you want, when you want”---- Hi Dad.

“Everything in life is hard. Get over it. Welcome to being a grown up!” ----Hey Mom.


“As long as calories in equals calories out and you monitor your nutritional intake you can have whatever you want and maintain!!”---Must……Remember!


“Benefits far outweigh the burden” –so true


“Don't replace french fries with cherry tomatoes, that is so not a good trade.” –Valid point!

“I'm spending most of my time obsessing over my body so I might as well do it in a way that helps me instead of hurts me.” –---transference of obsession, genius!

“I love food and cooking and think about them frequently anyway! Might as well be thinking about what's most filling, nutritious, and tasty!” –---Damn fine point right there.

“In religion, you don't have to choose between being the pope and burning churches. There is room for some middle ground. I think the same is true in fitness.” Terrific comparison!

“The key is knowing when to say when!” –Need that carved on my silverware

“No matter how frustrated I feel, nothing could compare to the frustration I felt as I sat on the floor in my closet crying because I was too big to fit into my clothes.” –---You are me

“As long as calories in equals calories out and you monitor your nutritional intake you can have whatever you want and maintain!! –From your keyboard to God’s ears

“When I am indulging in whatever I want whenever I want, I may not have my diet obsessively in the back of my mind (although I do to some extent as I'll always know that I'm overeating).... BUT when my body is carrying the extra weight that comes from eating that way the extra weight affects my decisions and controls my life the way that dieting does now. There really is no greener side here. –--Mind=BLOWN

“It is frustrating to know that I'll have to monitor my eating for the rest of my life, to some extent or another, but I look at it as just another routine for better health. I mean, I don't like flossing, or brushing my teeth, or other maintenance things like that, but I do them routinely because I know they pay off in the long run.” ----Perspective 

“My boyfriend always has a stack of frozen pizzas in the freezer. When he makes them he offers me some and I decline.” ---Must.Learn.

“For ONE week, eat how you use to, don't count calories, don't work out and I am willing to BET that you will feel like *kitten*
Think of your energy level now, compared to before. Think of all the things you can do NOW that you couldn't do then.” ---Im scared to because I WILL feel like ****-GREAT POINT!!

“I DON'T HAVE TO BE MISERABLE TO LOSE WEIGHT AND MAINTAIN IT!”

Teehee. Glad to see the Cliffs Notes version of my novel there at the end with positivity!

circe21

I know exactly where you're coming from. But you've answered your own question in a way. When you ask if your only choices are to "be a slave to the lifestyle or be fat," I have to say those aren't your only options. You're asking the wrong questions. I've been angry at myself for a long time-for the way I look, what I eat, how others look at me, and so on. It sounds to me like you're very angry with everything, and yourself. I'm not trying to cut you down, it's just an observation.

What I suggest is to change how you are seeing the situation. You are not dieting, but how you live your life. You get to eat a salad, one slice of pizza, and a small french fry. I know this might sound a bit hoaky, but I have had to slowly make this transition over the years. If you are constantly battling yourself and the world, you will never be happy. But if you change to "have to" mindset to "get to" you're world will get a bit calmer and easier to manage. And your weight will become just one more thing in that cycle, instead of a burden.

I hope this helps. I hope this doesn't make you feel bad. I say this with all the love and knowledge that I have. I think I know where you are in your life, and I've been there. I wish you the best!

aekaya

Think about what it takes to STAY at your maintenance weight: Exercising 3-5 times a week and consistently watching what you eat.

Regular latte INSTEAD non fat skim latte
Bacon Cheeseburger INSTEAD turkey burger, no bun, no cheese
Pizza INSTEAD salad
French Fries INSTEAD cherry tomatoes

F***! I settle for enough things in my life, is it too much to ask that food not be added to the list?

Maybe this is why it has taken me so long to get to my maintenance level-I mean, what the hell am I looking forward to…? A lifetime of kicking my *kitten* at the gym and never eating what I want, when I want? Why would anyone want to be skinny if this is how you have to live? Beside the health benefits and looking great.
I’ll never be able to grab a cheeseburger for lunch and then a couple slices of pizza for dinner. You respond with ‘sure you can, just in moderation’. Again I ask, how is that living? How are you doing what you want, when you want? I don’t want to be a slave to “in-moderation” for fear of being “fat”. I can’t believe THESE ARE MY CHOICES: Be a slave to the “lifestyle” or be fat.

Those of you maintaining, please reason with me and tell me this is NOT how it has to be, or will be. Perhaps then I will reach my goal weight because no one should be scared of the light at the end of the tunnel.

I don’t want my weight to ALWAYS be at the back of my mind when I make every day choices.

Sorry but that just might be the case....give this a read if you have time: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/magazine/tara-parker-pope-fat-trap.html?pagewanted=1&_r=4

It's a really really good article about losing weight and then maintaining. The gist is that when you lost a significant amount of weight, your muscles stop burning as many calories, so you have to work harder to keep the weight off because your bodily is essentially trying to gain the weight back.

However, I think that what you'll get is relative to what you put in.

ANewton401

I know exactly where you're coming from. But you've answered your own question in a way. When you ask if your only choices are to "be a slave to the lifestyle or be fat," I have to say those aren't your only options. You're asking the wrong questions. I've been angry at myself for a long time-for the way I look, what I eat, how others look at me, and so on. It sounds to me like you're very angry with everything, and yourself. I'm not trying to cut you down, it's just an observation.

What I suggest is to change how you are seeing the situation. You are not dieting, but how you live your life. You get to eat a salad, one slice of pizza, and a small french fry. I know this might sound a bit hoaky, but I have had to slowly make this transition over the years. If you are constantly battling yourself and the world, you will never be happy. But if you change to "have to" mindset to "get to" you're world will get a bit calmer and easier to manage. And your weight will become just one more thing in that cycle, instead of a burden.

I hope this helps. I hope this doesn't make you feel bad. I say this with all the love and knowledge that I have. I think I know where you are in your life, and I've been there. I wish you the best!

You couldn't be more right with your observation. Thank you so much for your insight!!!

cmbneeley

most of the responses here have all seemed, to me at least, to just assume that we all want to be "skinny" or thinner. one of the first responders even noted that most of the reasons people want to lose weight is for "visual" reasons. and sadly, we want to be skinny because that is what advertisers and the diet industry and media want us to want-- and they have a product to help us get it, as long as we keep paying them, we'll continue the quest to achieve that elusive "skinny" ideal. we want ot be skinny because we are told, at least women (not so sure about a man's perspective on this one, but i did notice a few men who were able to say "i don't want to be skinny"), that skinny-ness is happiness: when we are skinny we are more sexy, more desirable, more successful, etc. and since you're in the modeling industry-- you're going to get a butt-load of pressure to fit that "skinny" ideal.

but the truth is, to be happy-- you don't have to be "skinny". you can be firm, solid, energetic, active, and eat what you want. and when you have a healthy mind AND body-- what you want to eat is usually healthy, with occasional cheeseburgers, lattes, and pizzas (just not all at once), and what you want to do is move your body. i don't know a happy and healthy person who only subsists on salads and celery stalks, or only on cheeseburgers and pizzas. a happy and healthy person has both and lots of things in between, and has a positive body image and is able to reject the false advertising that tells them there is always something wrong with how a woman looks-- be it the post-baby bulge below the bellybutton, or flabby skin on the arms, or thighs that touch no matter how much you run, or the slightest "wrinkle" even if it's from smiling, or... the list could go on.

maintenance shouldn't always be about restriction to keep from going backwards-- it should be that point when you can just feel what your body is telling you it really wants-- to move and work your heart, enjoy a delicious italian meal, take a nap, etc. my goal is to reach that point when i can know what my body wants and needs, not just what my mouth is salivating for when i walk past the mickyDs, but if i'm sitting down and i get the urge to stand and dance-- i can feel it and do it. when you reach that-- you can eat what you want, when you want-- because your body won't lie to you about what it wants and when, and you won't want to eat junk all the time and you won't want to eat rabbit food all the time.

chevy88grl

Eating garbage is not *living*.... you can do it if you consider it important to your lifestyle, but human beings were not designed to intake 3000+ calories a day. The consequence is gaining weight... you need to decide which is more important, being healthy or eating what you want to eat.

Ah, but for some people they can easily consume 3000 calories a day. It depends on your activity level. If you're very active, you could easily be consuming 3000+ calories a day and be happy and healthy.

Paolinat

why do you need a cheeseburger and 2 slices of pizza in one day?
Why not have a cheeseburger 1 day and the pizza ton another day?
If you know your life will end and that is the last day of eating, I could understand your urgency.
However, if you continue to be healthy and balanced, why not take your time with the things you want? Rushing into anything, food, car purchase, relationships, etc hardly comes out with positive results.

Enjoy your cheeseburger one day and pizza on another day. Take your life will balance and grace. Enjoy the flowers, enjoy your burger and enjoy the way you look and feel.

Also, this might help with balancing everything:
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_93.htm

The reason most of us have/had weight issues is because we had issues with something else that threw us off balance...

cchardt

I don't want to be skinny, I want to be healthy!! That may mean I am still over my own goal weight or what I am supposed to weigh. As far as pizza and cheeseburgers, if you do not allow yourself to have it every once in a while then you are going to gorge on it. Have a cheat day every once in a while.

Alpha12

I've never been "skinny", but the only reason why I would consider being skinny, is so that I can eat my way up to a healthy weight.

strawberrie_milk

Well, that's your opinion. If you think fast food is more important than a healthy body, then that's your call. You personally don't have to be thin. Some people value health over junk food. Hell, you can still eat junk, just not as often and not as much. Anyway, I don't consider being unhealthy, fat, and eating copious amount of junk food "living." I prefer healthy foods now, and I feel better about myself. To me, that's "living." It's all subjective, I guess.

PetitePerfection

personally, by the time I reached maintenance, I had no desire to eat those kinds of things. I can tell a HUGE difference in how I feel when I eat a cheeseburger or pizza or a bunch of fries vs eating healthy. That kind of junk food would leave my body feeling just stuffy inside and clogged up. Its not a lot of work or deprivation anymore for me because I prefer to eat healthy food and learned to channel my stress into a really kick as* workout! Also, I am "allowed" significantly more calories. to lose 1 lb a week, I have to net 1230, but to maintain I get to have 1730 as a net goal! I have a really hard time getting that high because I enjoy lighter foods, so I eat practically ALL DAY! Like yesterday, it was a friends birthday, so I had a pretty big brownie and still fell under my goal. MAINTENANCE IS AWESOME!!! woohoo! My advice to you is to embrace a *healthy* lifestyle (not filling up on junk and just staying under your cal goal) at first giving up that stuff is hard, but it quickly just becomes second nature and you never think about grabbing a cheeseburger for lunch then pizza for dinner. Just have faith!

ShrinkRapt451

First off: part of being an adult is recognizing that you have to own your choices, AND your results. Which means that sometimes you don't get to do whatever you want, whenever you want, because you don't want the results.

You work to make money so that you can afford the things you need and want. Do you love your job every minute of every day? No. Do you go to work anyway? Yes.

You get your car's oil changed and put new tires on it and occasionally do even more expensive and dramatic things to it so that you will not be stranded on the side of the road somewhere from something completely preventable.

You don't walk out of a store with anything you care to have without paying because you would rather not be arrested, thanks.

As for your food: consider thinking about what you have to GAIN if you make certain choices.
Choice A: You are extremely strict with calories, work out for hours every day, and constantly deprive yourself. Predicted gain: low weight and probably fairly fit, AND resentful and angry (AKA: how you're apparently feeling right now).
Choice B: You eat whatever you want, whenever you want it. You never deprive yourself. You work out only when you feel like it, and only for as long as you want. Predicted gain: satisfaction of eating whatever you want whenever you want, weight gain (mostly fat), loss of muscle tone and energy, increased joint and back pain, poor sleep, heart disease, diabetes, a variety of digestive complaints, feeling like food controls you... the list goes on. Left alone long enough, you get it all.
Choice C: You eat what you want, but not in the portions it's regularly served in, and not as often as you do in Choice B. You find healthier alternatives to your faves. You exercise regularly but not for hours a day. Predicted gain: reasonable weight, reasonable fitness, consistent energy, more years free of diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Probably improved self-image and a sense of being capable of handling challenges and persevering, even when the going gets tough.

So it's really up to you. You wanna eat what you want, when you want? Suck it up and accept that you get what comes with that when you're 30 and 40 and 50 and on. That's what being a grownup is about.

Those of us who have already gone with Choice B for a decade or so have learned better, and are going with Choice C.