Too Skinny!

Ge0rgiana

Sweetheart, if you feel like you're healthy and look healthy and your woman thinks you're sexy, that's all that matters. More power to you. :flowerforyou:

erickirb

Wow, that is a very low LBM for that height. I am 5'6" with LBM of about 130lbs (and I'm not jacked). You would be classes as underweight at that height and weight (with a relatively high BF% would classify you "skinny fat"). I suggest eating slightly above maintenance and lift heavy to add some LBM, then cut the fat once you increase your LBM to a point that you are happy with.

gjulie

just jumpin in here,Im 5 2 and years ago I was 136 lbs I was a member of unislim at the time and I was told if I lost anymore my membership would be suspended!i never went back and regaind all my weight!
It s about how you feel about yourself! When some people found out my goal weight of 110lbs they were worried. Keep in mind I am 5"3 and 110lbs looks great on me! Plus I have muscles which bulks me up a little more. I am sometimes told I am skinny from family members. I have not yet been told I'm too skinny from another person around my size. Its all about perception and preference.

quietasariot

Yes, I have gotten it - from my family mostly, the older ladies are worried I will wither away and that I'm not eating. I tell them I eat a LOT but somehow they just don't believe me .

It's common, yes, and as long as you feel good about you and you are taking care of yourself by eating enough and eating right, and exercising, then you aren't doing a darn thing wrong!!!

bowser625

I think what has happened in our society is that being mildly obese has become the new norm, and when someone is actually lean and in shape, they are perceived as obsessive. This is a sad commentary in an age where obesity is the number one killer. In many other countries I would be looked at as totally normal, if not chubby. Has anyone else out there gotten to a lean weight and experienced the same kind of reaction?
By the way, it's almost always overweight people that make the comments.

YES! I get this several times a week and I am in NO way a bean pole. 5'7'' 145 lbs. I have curves. I did lose 25 pounds since the late summer so maybe that's why people are saying stuff to me, but I definitely am BARELY over the healthy BMI range. According to BMI, I could go as low at 127 lb., which is waaaay too small for my frame IMO.

Haven't they looked through pictures of people who grew up in the 30/40s? MOST people were thin. NOWADAYS, most people in my family/friends pictures are overweight. Sad but true...

And it's always people who are struggling with their weight who say stuff to me. "You look great but don't lose anymore!"

So to turn it around sometimes (depending on how well I know them), I'll tell them how I lost the weight. Simple tracking of calories on MFP and exercising at least 5 days a week. It's all about portion control and keeping yourself accountable for what you put in your mouth.

I'm getting healthy. Period.

heddylyn

Just keep doing what makes you happy. I agree that being overweight or obese is the new normal especially in the US so when you're fit and healthy you stand out more and people that don't take care of themselves dismiss all your efforts and tell you you're too skinny. I get told this quite often. I am in the best shape of my life and I'm able to eat like crazy since I exercise so much and it feels great! I know I'm healthy. My body fat percentage is around 22 (I'm a 37 year old female) and I'm not doing unhealthy things to maintain. My husband has lost 40 pounds since February and the receptionist at his work told him that he's starting to look like a cancer patient. Uhhhhh...... thanks?!? Some people are just clueless. It's frustrating that it's perfectly acceptable to tell people they're "too skinny" but the second you turn around and comment on people's obesity you're seen as rude and out of line. The double standard drives me crazy.

Mustlovepugs11

I agree with easywider...My husband is 5'10 - 5'11 and he is currently 167 I believe. I tell him all the time not to lose too much more weight because he feels too skinny. I couldn't image what he would be like at 150. I know his goal was to lose the weight and then add more muscle.

trailblazer888

I hear this quite often from co-workers and my family especially when I haven't seen them in awhile. I still have 30lbs to lose, and am slowly working my way there. It is difficult when people are constantly commenting on what your eating, or trying to give you advice as they sit there stuffing their face with chips/pizza etc.I have a co-worker who jokes that I used to be to fat to fit through the door at work.He always harrasses me now telling me I need to eat because Im getting to skinny and soon I'll look sick.
He wonders why I tell him off :P he comments on me having an attitude now that I've lost weight. People can be crazy sometimes. I apologize that kind of turned into a rant. I refuse to talk to unsupportive people about my weightloss/fitness goals, maybe that is something you could do?
I feel if your are being healthy about your weightloss and your goal weight is inline with your height forget people sometimes they are just jealous you are accomplishing something they can't.

TAnne123

I totally agree: moderate obesity is the norm, and a healthy weight looks "too thin" in our backward society. It's sad... and, as a woman, inconvenient! I'm average/thin and have to shop in the children's or junior's section, depending on the store. The expensive stores (with 00's) have a plethora of big sizes (like 6-12), but finding a 0 that fits is hard, and 00 are very limited. If I'm a 00, what would a very thin person wear?!? It's very hard to buy work clothes that fit ! That's my #1 complaint of being at a healthy weight in America. But it was worse in Europe because everyone was just.. big! Not fat- but big. The women towered over me! children's section to the rescue!
We're a dying breed, my friend! :yawn:

MariaLivingFit

I just got the same comment over the weekend, and I completely agree with you!

I haven't even lost any pounds - I've lost fat and gained muscle, but the scale has stayed the same.

miche_smash

Yup, I've been surprised lately with the comments that I am 'small.' I'm still slightly overweight! I think we have become way too accustomed to overweight being normal. It's very sad to me...

Angie__1MR

My husband lost a significant amount of weight. He went from 280 pounds down to 160 pounds. He's 6'1", and has a very large build. Over the past few years, he's gotten into bodybuilding, and has gotten his weight up to 220 pounds - 8% body fat. As he was losing weight, I thought he looked great, and he thought he looked great. Now, when we look back at photos of him at his lightest, he did look very skinny, unheathfully so, we didn't see it at the time. I think it's very, very difficult to look at yourself, and for your significant other to look at you, on a daily basis and see the true changes your body is making. Once you get going on a diet, it feels so great to lose weight, especially when you were uncomfortable before.

I do think people can be very insensitive however, as a society, we just aren't used to seeing people that are lean anymore...it's a sad, sad state.

bananapancakebella

I totally agree: moderate obesity is the norm, and a healthy weight looks "too thin" in our backward society. It's sad... and, as a woman, inconvenient! I'm average/thin and have to shop in the children's or junior's section, depending on the store. The expensive stores (with 00's) have a plethora of big sizes (like 6-12), but finding a 0 that fits is hard, and 00 are very limited. If I'm a 00, what would a very thin person wear?!? It's very hard to buy work clothes that fit ! That's my #1 complaint of being at a healthy weight in America. But it was worse in Europe because everyone was just.. big! Not fat- but big. The women towered over me! children's section to the rescue!
We're a dying breed, my friend! :yawn:

Since when is a size 6 "big" ? I feel a little bit more understanding seeing that you're 5'2", but for those of us who are naturally "big" like you say (I'm 5'7" and wear a size 4, which to you I'm guessing is giant sized), can be very healthy, even slim, at the sizes you stated were "big." I know that finding petite sizes can be difficult, I just wish you had expressed this frustration without making taller folks feel like freaks.

mizzie1980

Yeah, I got that when i was losing before. I got down to 152 and was getting a lot of comments from family about "getting too skinny". The thing is, according to my BMI, I was still in the "overweight" category. Just barely, but still. When I'd comment that I needed to lose at least 5 more pounds and ideally wanted to lost 10-15 more, they would start exchanging worried glances. *sigh* At 5'5", 135 is exactly in the middle of the healthy weight range.

I think it has a lot to do with how our family is used to seeing us. I looked much skinnier to them than a 150 pound woman that they didn't know, because they had spent the last 8 years seeing me at 220, if that makes sense.

Casandra1029

oh yes. I am latina so its the norm to have a little extra in the back (which i don't mind). i am 5'6" and am 173. My ideal is about 150 and when i say that people have the nerve to look at me like i'm bulimic or something...People i'm only 5'6" its too much weight on my knees. Just think no one called me fat when i was walking around at 235...... now that's saddddd:frown:

kschr201

I really hate this too.
Whenever I go running, my family is like '' Why are you running?'' And the right question should be to them '' Why aren't YOU running?'' It's healthy and you should exercise even if you don't want to lose weight. Besides is 20% exercise 80% diet. I run because I feel good about it and there's nothing wrong with me doing that, they just look at me like i'm crazy because i run everyday. bull****.

EXACTLY. I get from my family "haven't you already lost the weight?". So I can only run when I'm overweight? now that makes no sense.

ltl_leah

I am a 5'10" male and weigh about 150 down from 180ish. I have at least one person tell me a day that I shouldn't lose any more weight and that I shouldn't get "too skinny". What the hell does that mean anyway?! I am at around 15.5% body fat with about 125 pounds of lean body mass. My blood pressure is perfect, and I eat a very healthy 2000 calories maintanance diet of delicious food. I work out 3 times a week with weights and treadmill. I am certainly not a bean pole and I can even pinch an inch here and there.
I think what has happened in our society is that being mildly obese has become the new norm, and when someone is actually lean and in shape, they are perceived as obsessive. This is a sad commentary in an age where obesity is the number one killer. In many other countries I would be looked at as totally normal, if not chubby. Has anyone else out there gotten to a lean weight and experienced the same kind of reaction?
By the way, it's almost always overweight people that make the comments.

My husband gets the same comments. He's about 5'9" and about 152#, lean with decent muscle size. He's about 12% BF with a little to pinch. My sister saw him recently and asked if he was alright because she thought there was something wrong with him. She thought he was sick because he looked "so skinny". I actually think he looks normal for his height and frame. He's has a smaller frame and I can understand how society thinks it looks strange when someone is at a healthy weight.

lilmisfit

I really hate this too.
Whenever I go running, my family is like '' Why are you running?'' And the right question should be to them '' Why aren't YOU running?'' It's healthy and you should exercise even if you don't want to lose weight. Besides is 20% exercise 80% diet. I run because I feel good about it and there's nothing wrong with me doing that, they just look at me like i'm crazy because i run everyday. bull****.

EXACTLY. I get from my family "haven't you already lost the weight?". So I can only run when I'm overweight? now that makes no sense.

Yep, I get that comment from a coworker a lot - "Are you still working out". Um, yes...just because I'm at my goal weight doesn't mean I don't want to continue strengthening my body. Ridiculous, I tell ya!

naculp

My family is the same way. However, I'm not convinced that I'm borderline "too skinny" at 198 pounds. I think I could stand to lose 20 more and still be normal-looking, but coming from a background of weighing 300+ I think is what they all reference against.

I'm happy with where I am now, and I'd be happy 8 pounds lighter too. I'd mostly be happy with the loose stomach skin going away! That's about the only thing I don't have much more patience with

namluv

I totally agree: moderate obesity is the norm, and a healthy weight looks "too thin" in our backward society. It's sad... and, as a woman, inconvenient! I'm average/thin and have to shop in the children's or junior's section, depending on the store. The expensive stores (with 00's) have a plethora of big sizes (like 6-12), but finding a 0 that fits is hard, and 00 are very limited. If I'm a 00, what would a very thin person wear?!? It's very hard to buy work clothes that fit ! That's my #1 complaint of being at a healthy weight in America. But it was worse in Europe because everyone was just.. big! Not fat- but big. The women towered over me! children's section to the rescue!
We're a dying breed, my friend! :yawn:

Since when is a size 6 "big" ? I feel a little bit more understanding seeing that you're 5'2", but for those of us who are naturally "big" like you say (I'm 5'7" and wear a size 4, which to you I'm guessing is giant sized), can be very healthy, even slim, at the sizes you stated were "big." I know that finding petite sizes can be difficult, I just wish you had expressed this frustration without making taller folks feel like freaks.

ditto bananapancake. I feel like I should be a freaking giant whale right now at 5'9" and size 12 ... but no one I talk to believes I need to lose any weight. Definitely has to do with societal norms. Also questioning why this 5'2' woman has on her profile she wants to be 92 lb when the standard female weight chart for a small framed person lists the low weight at 108 lb.