Skinny vs. Fit

nikii14

I know this is a strange question, and PLEASE do not attack me for asking....

What diet/exercise do you do to get "skinny" vs. fit? I do not need to lose alot of weight, however, I am getting more fit..which "seems" to be great, but I do not want my body to go that way. I would prefer to get slimmer.
I'm afraid Im going to go about it the wrong way, by not eating..etc. I would like to do it the healthy way.

Any suggestions/comments would be appreciated...No attacking please

kellygirl5538

Why would you want to get any skinner than 120 pounds? That is skinny!

nikii14

120 sounds skinny, but I am only 5'3" so on an average I can range from 104-120 lbs...

kellygirl5538

You know the society make a big deal about being thin..thin is good , fat is bad. Maybe talk to your doctor. I find that my weight is directly linked to what is going on in my life

kellygirl5538

You know the society make a big deal about being thin..thin is good , fat is bad. Maybe talk to your doctor. I find that my weight is directly linked to what is going on in my life

savvystephy

The healthy range for 5'3" is 104 - 140. I know because I am trying to get there

I would talk to your doctor to see if that is an appropriate weight for your body frame. I know that for me, even though I am 5'3", that weight probably won't be appropriate for my medium-large frame. If you're a small frame, then it might be.

gc2052

I am 5' 2 looking at 115 as goal. I want to be fit and shapely. Skinny is not necessarily fit or shapely. Re think your goal. I agree that our goal should be 104-140. I feel that is the middle is good. I changed my goal from 120 to 115. We will see what I do when I reach 115. How I look in my cloths matters.

Poison5119

I'm with everyone else, you really do look great, but ask a doctor.

But to answer your question, the way to get 'skinny' and not emphasize FIT is to stop any kind of serious weight training. Seriously, just omit most of it out of your fitness routine, do really light weights with extra reps, do your cardio, and make healthy eating choices, and it'll happen over a period of about a month (+/-), where you start to 'deflate' some.

This has been my experience. I noticed as I dropped the last of my weight that I looked 'skinny' and not defined well because I really did my weight training sporadically up until 3 months ago. Now I do it religiously (2-3x wk), and I'm building strong definition muscle-wise.

FireMonkey

I'm not sure I understand your question but it sounds as if you don't want to get too muscular? I would think activities such as walking, jogging or swimming would keep you fit and healthy but not building too much muscle.

nikii14

I am a small frame so 140 would be too big for me.
Im not sure how to explain what I want my body to look like. I guess we all have this vision of what we WANT to look like, but our bodies are going to do what it wants:grumble:

Hyperborean

Hey I get it especially for women you guys have this image and typically it revolves around this image that is mostly predetermined by some set of circumstances, but to me skinny just means skinny and fit means more along the lines of "healthy" if by fit you mean more muscle tone and shape say in your legs and shoulders for example which alot of women are afraid of what you may want consider is how can I emphasize other parts of my body in order that I be proportioned and maintain a womanly figure. Like for example creating a slimmer waist appearance by slimming the waist with a focus on certain exercises and broadening other parts of your body, like your shoulders or thighs through exercise, presses that target the upper chest in men can give women a lift in bust like inclined bench presses, on the other hand if you just want to get skinny i.e. less overall body mass but are comfortable with the shape and figure you will simply have to have more calories out then in until you reach that goal and focus on burning fat and not building muscle through a reduction in protein, but I would strongly urge you to consider this and seek advice of those around you before you do this, because often time women have this idea of what they should look like and often times it is unrealistic, you all get this notion from this magazine or that one but if you look at someone like say Arnold's wife Maria man to me she look sick but shes skinny right? But if you talk you your boyfriend or husband or any guy they will tell that probably is not a very appealing look there really is such a thing as too skinny and women usually go way past where men think that point is at. In the end you must be happy but if you are trying to get skinny for the man in your life talk to him about it you might be surprised, we all here want you to be fit and healthy but how skinny you are is a personal issue a taste issue, just remember that if you are unable to get the look you want and stay safe doing so then chances are you don't need to do it no matter who it is for.

Azdak

I am a small frame so 140 would be too big for me.
Im not sure how to explain what I want my body to look like. I guess we all have this vision of what we WANT to look like, but our bodies are going to do what it wants:grumble:

I think you are answering your own question.

From a health standpoint, there is a range of body fat % (not scale weight) that is considered "optimal" (i.e. has been shown to be association with little or no increase in health risk). That is not necessarily a "skinny" level of body fat.

There can be valid reasons for going below the "optimal" level of body fat--athletic performance, for example. Within bounds, personal aesthetics can also be a valid reason for maintaining a lower level of body fat.

At the low end, there are levels of body fat that are associated with a higher risk of health problems, especially if they are achieved through excessive means.

You can aspire to achieve a body fat level at the lower end of the "OK" scale, but ultimately, your body shape is your body shape.

Azdak

This is a general comment, not specifically related to the OP, but germane to the discussion.

Just as you have issues with larger-framed or more muscular people being told (wrongly) that they are "too big", the opposite can occur as well.

I have tested a number of women who appeared outwardly "skinny", but had surprisingly high levels of body fat. They were not "obese" by any means, but their body fat levels were noticeably higher than what would be expected from looking at them. This is because they had a very low lean body mass.

Some of them suffered from kind of a reverse peer pressure. They did not feel they were at an optimal weight, but could if they verbalized a desire to lose fat or did something to lose fat, they were faced with questions/concerns about eating disorders and body image problems. Because of their relative lack of muscle, they were usually at a low level of fitness for their ages (25-40). The overall lack of physical strength and endurance became a self-reinforcing pattern-many of them reported that they avoided physical activities, sports, etc.

In these cases, I was able to provide a "scientific" validation for their desire to improve their body composition and also strongly urge them to develop a regular exercise routine, with a particular emphasis on strength training.

stephcheers

But if you talk you your boyfriend or husband or any guy they will tell that probably is not a very appealing look there really is such a thing as too skinny and women usually go way past where men think that point is at. In the end you must be happy but if you are trying to get skinny for the man in your life talk to him about it you might be surprised,

My perspective on this is that you are correct ~ men in my life seem to be actually more concerned that I am too skinny. I have also had friends whose husbands have literally asked them to eat more. But society puts so much pressure on women to be thin. It feels as if we can never be satisfied because we really don't know what looks "good".

Good luck in achieving a sense of peace with your body. I find that regular cardio (like running or the eliptical) helps me to stay lean and the natural high I feel from the increased blood flow helps me stay postive about how I look.