Stop calling me too skinny!

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Replies

  • Josie_lifting_cats
    Josie_lifting_cats Posts: 949 Member
    Oh, I totally hear you! I was just asked yesterday if I could even shop in the women's section, or if I had to shop in the kids' section. WHAT??? lol

    People do not take into account that
    1) Short people can weigh less
    2) Skinny does not equal healthy
    3) Our culture has made fat normal, and obese "chubby"


    If you think our culture currently has made fat normal, you need to look at some historical paintings/drawings/photographs.

    Sorry, I just found that slightly irritating. I hate when people act like this is a "new" thing that people are "heavy". It's not new.

    To the OP, you need to do what you want to do - I have totally different goals than you, and that's okay - I admire you setting goals and working towards them, and I would hope that people would give the same respect. I know they don't, but wish they would!
  • Prahasaurus
    Prahasaurus Posts: 1,381 Member
    If you think our culture currently has made fat normal, you need to look at some historical paintings/drawings/photographs.

    Sorry, I just found that slightly irritating. I hate when people act like this is a "new" thing that people are "heavy". It's not new.

    Yes, it is new. Just because Rubens painted curvy models doesn't mean the streets of Amsterdam were filled with similar ladies.

    --P
  • BogusAnnie
    BogusAnnie Posts: 8
    I HAVE had this happen...all my life until I was fat.

    I think that it is all relative. We live in such a fat culture that people really don't know what 'normal' is anymore. They simply don't see it often enough.
    As well, I truly believe that when people point out how 'skinny' you are, it somehow justifies why they may not be at their ideal size and body image.

    People truly don't GET that is just as rude to point out how skinny someone is as it is to point out how fat someone is. people just don't know how to be civil anymore.

    I know it's hard to expect you to ignore it, but there isn't much more you can do, short of telling them all to go bleep themselves..and well, that simply isn't the nicest way to approach it either.

    It would be funny to ask them what their weight and height was and calculate their BF or BMI and point out just where they fit on the scale!! That might shut them up!

    Chin up and good luck....As long as you are healthy and happy, that really is all that matters!
  • obrendao
    obrendao Posts: 318
    Don't listen to people who criticize you - it probably gets really old when people say that. They think it's OKAY to tell a thin person that they need to eat. But they wouldn't tell a fat person that they need to lose weight (well, some of the would especially family LOL), so I can see how frustrating it can be.

    But honestly, be the way you want to be and be happy. Don't listen. Be proud. Focus on the fact that you are healthy and feel good!
  • gsager
    gsager Posts: 977 Member
    I'm 5'2" and weigh 118. I'm not trying to lose weight, I'm trying to gain muscle. And whether you know it or not if you are trying to get to 17% body fat you are too. I don't understand being bothered by what ignorant people think or say.
  • vettle
    vettle Posts: 621 Member
    Yes I get this all the time from co-workers now and even my mom (but moms are like that). We were all eating Indian food at an event and I took a half a cup of rice and one coworker said "oh I forgot you're on the crazy diet". I'm sorry but a half a cup of rice is reasonable for MOST people not just me, especially since I had half a piece of naan too. Or I'll get "oh now you have to run around the block!". sigh.

    You just have to smile and say "Thank you, but I am healthy and happy". Then roll your eyes as you walk away lol. People are going to pick on your no matter what. It's politically correct for some reason to tell someone they are too skinny but not to tell them they are fat.Some people are jealous, some are concerned (especially if you have lots of muscle then you look like you weigh less than you actually do), and some people have no off button. Another coworker of mine (who clearly has weight issues as she is smaller than I am and quite active) told me my neck was too thin.
  • jjean905
    jjean905 Posts: 175
    I've been getting that comment alot lately!! Pisses me off too. I'm 5'4" and 135lbs with a BMI of 23.2 and 20% body fat. So yes, i'm thin, but NOT skinny and I have muscle tone. I eat 1600 calories a day and actually eat more than my other coworkers. I think it's just jealously on their part but it still stings when people flat out ask you, "you're not going to lose anymore weight are you?". I wish people would say something nice or nothing at all.
  • lmelangley
    lmelangley Posts: 1,039 Member
    My advice is to go to your doctor and explain your plan to get your doctor's blessing. Then, if people say you're too thin, you can say your doctor approves.

    One note of caution- beware the weight on the scale. You may not need to lose pounds to hit the fat percentage you're shooting for. Remember that muscle is more dense than fat, which means you could end up thinner, with a lower fat percentage, but weighing what you do now or even more. I think you should rely more on measurements and how you feel.
  • AuddAlise
    AuddAlise Posts: 723 Member
    I used to ge that all the time. Before I had kids I was 5'7" and 100 lbs. I was eating like a maniac (not healthy at all). People would shove food at me like I was going to keel over at any moment. I just had a really high metabolisim; wish it would come back.

    You know your body. I think maybe getting an actual body fat test done would be a great idea. That way you will know, instead of guess.
  • nwilson91
    nwilson91 Posts: 70
    I think you should get your body fat checked by a professional to see where you really are.

    This.

    Ditto.

    But I also had problems when I went from 183lbs to 135lbs; everyone I knew said I was losing too much. Of course they didn't know about the decade of my adult life I spent under 125lbs (I'm 5'4" with a fairly slim build) - or that I'd never been over 135 until I moved to the Midwest in my late 20's.

    I decided it must be a regional thing - I was living in Iowa (one of the fattest states in the Union). No one ever hassled me when I went home to CA.

    I say let THEM eat cake... I'd rather trust the experts to determine a healthy weight for my height, and though I know that the charts are skewed for us small folk, getting down there is not beyond the pale.
  • freckledrats
    freckledrats Posts: 251 Member
    Why the hell do people think it's okay to say things like "You're too skinny" and "Eat a cupcake! It'll put meat on your bones!" but not "Maybe you should think before you put that cheeseburger in your mouth, fatty"?

    Commenting unnecessarily on people's body weight and eating habits is just never polite. A BMI of 20 is in the normal range. You eat a fine number of calories per day. You aren't suffering any low-weight related ailments. There is 0 reason anyone should say a damned thing.

    Sometimes I cook extra food for my guy, because his BMI is 18.2. He is actually underweight and has terrible eating habits. I don't say "you're too skinny, look at ya, all skin and bones" because that's MEAN and RUDE. I just make sure he remembers to eat at mealtimes (he gets very busy and puts off eating, hence his weight) and I cook for him when I can, to keep him from resorting to instant mac n cheese.
  • pandora13star
    pandora13star Posts: 2
    I think you look great, based on your picture, and based on your numbers. But, there is also a point where it can be dangerous, like a lot of people say. I have a friend who is about 5'6" and she is about 110lbs which is a little on the low side, but she is really small-boned. However, it always worried me because she literally was skin and bones. I wasn't trying to say anything about her size or offend her in any way, but it was worrisome, especially when she lost weight to be 100lbs. I do admit that at times I was jealous, but I wasn't nagging her for that reason.
    I know that you may not want to hear this from another person, but go for your goals, but also make sure that your goals are still in a healthy range and that you're doing things right, because sometimes habits can turn into obsessions. So, Congratulations and good luck.
  • Josie_lifting_cats
    Josie_lifting_cats Posts: 949 Member
    If you think our culture currently has made fat normal, you need to look at some historical paintings/drawings/photographs.

    Sorry, I just found that slightly irritating. I hate when people act like this is a "new" thing that people are "heavy". It's not new.

    Yes, it is new. Just because Rubens painted curvy models doesn't mean the streets of Amsterdam were filled with similar ladies.

    --P

    And cave men?

    There has been quite a variety through all of time. I do agree that overall we are heavier than we were, but there are also areas and times where being "fat" was a symbol of wealth.

    I'm not saying it's okay, but people love to claim that people are so different now than in the "old days", but it's really not true.
  • Prahasaurus
    Prahasaurus Posts: 1,381 Member
    If you think our culture currently has made fat normal, you need to look at some historical paintings/drawings/photographs.

    Sorry, I just found that slightly irritating. I hate when people act like this is a "new" thing that people are "heavy". It's not new.

    Yes, it is new. Just because Rubens painted curvy models doesn't mean the streets of Amsterdam were filled with similar ladies.

    --P

    And cave men?

    There has been quite a variety through all of time. I do agree that overall we are heavier than we were, but there are also areas and times where being "fat" was a symbol of wealth.

    I'm not saying it's okay, but people love to claim that people are so different now than in the "old days", but it's really not true.

    And don't forget Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble. They seemed overweight, too...

    --P
  • momtokx2
    momtokx2 Posts: 37 Member
    I just wondered if anyone is going through something similar to me during their weight loss efforts. All my adult life I have been around 120 pounds (I am 5'3) so I guess I've been reasonably thin, but I didn't eat very well and drank a ton of beer 4-5 nights a week (up until a few years ago) and I had a lot of body fat- I am guessing around 26-27%. After I had my baby last year I joined myfitnesspal with the hopes of not just losing the rest of the baby weight, but getting rid of all the fat I was carrying.

    All I ever ate were refined carbs and fruit (like, NO fat or protein ever, except for the weekly mcdonalds burger and fries, no vegetables, very little water- mainly I drank diet coke and beer). So, in addition to logging my food I also made a conscious effort to get more vegetables, protein, and healthy fats. I am now 113 pounds and am going to guess I am around 21% body fat. I would like to lose at least another 6 pounds and get to 17% (that's a rough estimate).

    Well, now I am getting hassled by everyone. My coworkers all tell me to "eat something" (I eat more often than anyone in my office, you can frequently find me in the breakroom slicing a zucchini and crunching on celery sticks), and mocking my food choices and my boss recently brought over a slice of cake and said I was wasting away. My parents came to visit and hassled me over my new body. My husband frequently complains I am skin and bones (I'm not; he's just pissed my quest to lose the love handles and jiggly *kitten* have cost me my former D cup boobs).

    I am not too skinny (I actually still have a gut and still some jiggle around the middle) and I am eating healthier than ever and although I don't really log my foods anymore, I am sure I get around 1400-1500 calories per day and I just want people to either say something positive or nothing at all.

    Is anyone else going through this? How do you deal?

    Wow this could be me except The only difference is my husbands believe that I run to much (currently training for my 2nd half) and that it is not normal. I feel better and have more energy than I have ever had in my life. I want to loss between another 5-10lbs. I may look thinner than before but believe me there are still parts that jiggle.
    My only suggestion and what I do is tell everyone that I am ok. I am eating plenty, just healthier. When offered sugary snacks, I tell them I am not eating that type of food anymore (mostly). Good luck in your journey!

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