"I don't want to be too thin" - a "fat" people thing to say?

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  • marinebiologist_girl
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    When I say I don't want to be skinny I mean under 120 (I'm 5'4) and at that weight I have hip bones jutting out and don't look healthy in my eyes.

    This is what I mean. I'd like to get to a weight which is considered healthy and fit and looks, to me, attractive, but I don't want to lose my curves. That, and I live with a suffering/recovering anorexic so I want to make sure I don't fall into the same trap.
  • nomena
    nomena Posts: 165
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    To me that means going back to an underweight BMI and having to ear far too little to maintain my weight. Too thin means unhealthy for me. I've never been overweight, but I have been underweight.
  • tryclyn
    tryclyn Posts: 2,414 Member
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    I remember when I was too thin, although I didn't realize I was at the time, I remember being miserable. So for me "too thin = misery". I also remember being fit, I prefer that. Funny thing is, it was only a 10 pound difference.
    Too thin is a subjective phrase. With that being said, if one is so thin that the skin from their front grazes their backbone between meals well...
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    I want to look healthy - to BE healthy. Skinny is just as unattractive as fat, in my opinion. A little bit of curves is sexy.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
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    I don't think it has anything to do with fat/skinny. I think that statement would come from a person who is a little bit afraid of identity change. Body size is significant to how other people see you, whether we like to believe it or not, and it's also a part of how we identify with ourselves. A lot of heavier people feel some degree of resent or envy toward those who are thin, and are hesitant to want to identify with them.

    They aren't really pretty human emotions, but many of us have experienced them.
  • ckay220
    ckay220 Posts: 271 Member
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    I am a curvy woman, and it's not an excuse to be fat...Even when I was smaller, I had large thighs,hips, and a big butt. I've always had these characteristics so it comes normal to me to look like that. However, now that I've gained weight, I look at old pictures and see where I was and where I felt most comfortable at a healthy weight. I'm between 5'2" and 5'3" and I don't want to be below 130...and 130 might be too much for me. That may be too heavy for some at 5'2", but I absolutely do not want to be below that. I have pictures at my smallest, when I was in the 7th grade, and I haven't grown an inch since then...but in that pic, I looked sickly...and I know that I was 130 because I've never been below that. So when I say "I don't want to be too thin", it means, I don't want my whole collarbone bulging out like in that picture. Some may be comfortable with that, but I'm not.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    When I say I don't want to be skinny I mean under 120 (I'm 5'4) and at that weight I have hip bones jutting out and don't look healthy in my eyes.

    This is what I mean. I'd like to get to a weight which is considered healthy and fit and looks, to me, attractive, but I don't want to lose my curves. That, and I live with a suffering/recovering anorexic so I want to make sure I don't fall into the same trap.

    I am 5' 4" and my current goal weight is 150. I may even get down to 135, but I do not want to go much under that. I have a large frame and when I was fit and fabulous in high school, I was weighing 130-135.
  • marie_cressman
    marie_cressman Posts: 980 Member
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    For me, when I say "I don't want to be too thin" I am saying an unhealthy weight for my height. Obviously I don't know how I'm going to look at 160lbs yet nor do I know how I'll look at 124lbs (I'm currently 182lbs and 5'6" and have NEVER been a healthy weight in my entire life) so 160lbs is my "ultimate goal" for now. If I get to 160lbs, I will decide whether or not it is a healthy weight for me. I don't think the lower end of the BMI scale is "too thin" since I see plenty of women who are in the 120lb range and my height who are perfectly healthy looking and beautiful. I just know that even at 182lbs right now, I have a healthy body fat percentage (recently measured) and I am a size 10 jeans and medium top. My ribs are already visible at 182lbs (but I by no means have a flat stomach... I'm still working on strengthening my core and I have a little bit of loose skin on my tummy). Most of all, I think I don't want to be SO obsessed that I get myself to a place where I am not healthy at all nor do I look healthy. :)
  • m16shane
    m16shane Posts: 393 Member
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    As a guy I personally don't think sticks are attractive I like curves. Each culture and generation defines "fat" or"skinny" differently. Marlin Monroe was an icon of sexy at one period of her life. she ranged between 118-140. A lot of people found her the most attractive at her heavier stage because of the curves. Though each persons judgment is different. I feel the biggest challenge is to worry about your self and not others. Do what make you happy, and be healthy!
  • DiscipleN2k
    DiscipleN2k Posts: 24 Member
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    I can kind of see where at least some of them might be coming from. I've been over 200lbs since my junior year of high school and got up to 250lbs before I started getting back in shape. After a serious diet change and a lot of hard work, I got down to 185lbs. I was still around 12% body fat and people told me I looked great, but I just didn't feel like me. I just wasn't designed to be a lightweight. I feel MUCH better now that I'm back up to around 200lbs!
  • coachblt
    coachblt Posts: 1,090
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    I don't want to be too skinny. I really don't. But who's to say what is too skinny and what isn't? I have an athletic build with broad shoulders and muscular frame, so who can tell if I'm too skinny? I get compliments all the time when people tell me I don't need to lose another pound and I think I have another 20 to go. So it all depends on who you talk to.

    Good luck to you all.
  • trudance4
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    my goal weight is 133lbs and i am 5'1 and to me it means I dont want to loose curves or shape, i have always had curves even now . i just dont want to be too thin where i look unhealthy and dont have a shape, i dont actually think i would suit it, i know due to my height 133lbs is the heaviest i should be but sometimes going lower just doesnt look nice!

    but that is just my 2 cents!
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
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    I am 5'9" and have a goal of 175. I don't really want to be smaller than that, plus it would put me in single digit pant sizes. Considering I weigh around 225 now and in a size that I'm not too ashamed of I think that is a happy goal for me. I'm pretty thick all over but have a defined waist, legs and boobs. I more I lose the more I am seeing I have the hips and waist to have sexy, healthy curves.

    I know a few women who got addicted to fitness and do look sick now. One in particular was recently approached by her boss and family because she looks worse now than she did when she had meat on her bones (she was never "FAT"). I'm tall and I don't want to be a different person and I don't want to look in a mirror and forget who I am looking at. I don't want to be a string bean. I don't find that attractive in other women and it's not what I want for myself.
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
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    i know due to my height 133lbs is the heaviest i should be but sometimes going lower just doesnt look nice!

    True. I think Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill and Aaron from Ghost Adventures all looked much more cute when they were bigger!
  • vypeters
    vypeters Posts: 475 Member
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    Too thin can be a frame thing or preference thing. For example: I'm 5'8" and 143 lbs, so a BMI just under 22. Medically that is far from "too thin". On me, though, with my very large frame, it really is a little too thin. I'd like to gain a few pounds but slowly and some of it muscle. My current body fat percentage is a little over 18%.
  • marie_cressman
    marie_cressman Posts: 980 Member
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    "Curvy" is a body shape, not a size. There is a difference between being overweight and having curves. If you are a pear or an hourglass, you will have curves at any weight.

    You are very right. I am somewhere between a pear and an hour glass shape I think... wide set hips, small waist, and medium/average bust. I have curves and I know I'll always have them. That's just how my body was built. :)
  • aqua_zumba_fan
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    There is absolutely a point at which too skinny is unhealthy and unattractive. I absolutely do not want to be medically unhealthy because of my weight being too low or to look like my bones are sticking out too much etc. I feel healthy and happy at my current weight so why go further? I could, but why always keep aiming for losing more and more weight? Much more healthy mentally to get to a point where you're happy and stop beating yourself up for not being enough!
  • HauteP1nk
    HauteP1nk Posts: 2,139 Member
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    I never say that, but I think most people don't use it as an excuse. I would assume that they probably don't want to look unhealthy. Not saying a skinny person is necessarily unhealthy, but in a lot of cultures a skinny physique is associated to a poor person with a poor diet. I think today there is much more emphasis on having a fit body as opposed to just being thin as well.

    And just like fat isn't attractive to some people, bones aren't attractive to others. Don't take things personally. We are all different and have different tastes.
  • tashjs21
    tashjs21 Posts: 4,584 Member
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    Yea no, It is not an excuse for me. I am 5'5 and at 120 I was extremely unhealthy looking. So that is not my goal. I do not want to get back there. When I was in the peak of my physical fitness I was 135 and was toned, muscular and looked great. That is my ultimate goal.

    But yes, I have heard many people say that and are probably using it as an excuse to not give it their all. As with any blanket statement "people use it as an excuse because they are too lazy" is not a one size fits all thing.

    For some yes, it may be an excuse, for others it may be they have realistic visions of their bodies.



    ** Disclaimer, some people may be 5'5 and look great at 120. I am saying I did not.
  • andie2013
    andie2013 Posts: 101
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    For me, I'm 5'6" and so skinny for me is anyone wearing pants size 8 or smaller (same height as me)... and so I'm personally aiming to drop down to a size 10-12 with a BF% of less than 20%....