when your skinny you don't need to work out any more?

13

Replies

  • Sharyn913
    Sharyn913 Posts: 777 Member
    she is jealous and expressing it in a weird way.

    Agreed!!
  • cyberskirt
    cyberskirt Posts: 218
    Darling, I'm really overweight and I think the gym is for everyone! my biggest motivation comes from seeing fit people at the gym and knowing that'll be me one day! and not a hundred years but 1 to 2 years that'll be me! And I'll still be going to the gym because I'll want to stay looking awesome!

    I already did the math, It will have taken me longer to get to the weight I was (15-20 years) than it will to lose it all and get fit... (1 to 2 years!)... 1 to 2 years seems like a long time until you put it in context! hehehe.

    Take the compliment that you look great. but boo on the woman for suggesting the gym isn't for fit people!
  • thistimeismytime
    thistimeismytime Posts: 711 Member
    When I was about your age, I remember several different people at the gym making similar comments to me. One in particular said, "If I looked like you, I'd just sleep in and not bother coming up here." It's a compliment, but it's also really ignorant.

    I DID stop working out for 4 long years after I had 2 kids, and BEHOLD--my "before" picture--almost 40 lbs heavier than when I received those---ahem--complimentary comments. And believe me, no one was making comments like that anymore!!! lol

    USE IT OR LOSE IT!! Simple as that. Anyone who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    She sounds like some friends that I have. Last year when I embarked on this journey, joined a gym and got a trainer, they all told me my trainer was the reason I was losing weight. If I didn't have the extra help and all the free time to go to the gym, that I wouldn't look the way I did.

    Well now that my one friend has graduated college, she's following in my footsteps to a T. She joined the same gym chain that I belong to, got herself a trainer and started couch to 5 k. She also admitted to me that working out with weights and going to the gym wasn't easy... I was like well no **** sherlock!

    Don't let her get to you.. one day when she's thin, hopefully she'll realize how stupid she sounded!
  • Yellabutterfly05
    Yellabutterfly05 Posts: 43 Member
    I agree. That green eyed devil attacked you unfairly. I love seeing women smaller than myself it is encouraging, and I love seeing women that are heavier than I am, its a reminder of how far I've come.
    she is jealous and expressing it in a weird way.
  • kiminikimkim
    kiminikimkim Posts: 746 Member
    you're
  • SPNLuver83
    SPNLuver83 Posts: 2,050 Member
    That's silly, but in all honesty, it was surely coming from a place of jealousy..... People don't get it is hard *kitten* work to get in shape, and they can't imagine themselves working that hard so they pretend it's not possible for them.

    Besides, it's not about being skinny, it's about getting strong! And that most def takes continuous work!
  • gc_tweety
    gc_tweety Posts: 205 Member
    Just yesterday my sister n law asked me why i still work out since i'm so skinny. trust me, i still have weight to lose and muscles to firm up. it was a compiment but so strange that i had to "defend" my decision to become healthier.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
    LOL
  • yaddayaddayadda
    yaddayaddayadda Posts: 430 Member
    I workout so I can eat :)


    Exactly that!!
  • BigMech
    BigMech Posts: 472 Member
    Before I started working out, I bought into all that genetics and some people are just fit stuff. I think most overweight and out of shape people do.

    Now after 2+ years of busting my butt at the gym, one of the things I have learned is that the fit people are there at the gym busting their butts most mornings along with me. Learning this was big for me, as it showed me that with hard work, I could achieve what they did, and stay that way.

    I have people tell me all the time that I exercise too much. I say hell no, this is what I need to do to maintain the weight loss I have achieved, and the level of fitness/musculature I want. Maybe you don't need to workout this much, but I do.
  • VanessaGS
    VanessaGS Posts: 514 Member
    I'm not toned, but I've always been thin and people ask me all the time why I work out when I'm so skinny. Just like you said HOW DO THEY THINK WE GOT THIS WAY. We keep working at it to maintain it.
  • jenkinsjerry
    jenkinsjerry Posts: 99 Member
    Ah, the tale of cholesterol, and other often hidden health matters (e.g. like Ostiop.), plague all of us, thus throwing a lot of water on the, "I'm skinny and no longer need to work out", mantra. Add to this the psychological benefits that come from endorphins which far outweigh the benefits of pharmacological alternatives, and I'd say that we all need to work out.

    Balance I say -- physically, mentally and spiritually. There are no substitutes or shortcuts.
  • Rhea30
    Rhea30 Posts: 625 Member
    I've always felt the opposite. Skinny people are thin because they do work on it :/, of course I know those few who don't need to work out or eat proper, just like a I know some big people who seem to eat like a bird and still gain weight easy but anytime I've been to a gym its always thin people which is probably how they are staying thing. I know my weight gain was from inactivity and then getting into poor eating habits.
  • Meggles63
    Meggles63 Posts: 916 Member
    I workout so I can eat :)
    This is certainly part of it, I must admit. I, for one, DON"T turn down the treat at work, etc. I don't have to, so I can enjoy it.
  • drdebbiejo
    drdebbiejo Posts: 9
    When I started working out at one gym, the girl asked me what I wanted to focus on - my thighs, my butt, my tummy etc. (Apparently she thought they were a problem????) I told her I just wanted to be strong because no matter how hard I tried to be "pretty" there would always be someone who didn't think I was, but if I was in really great shape I could just kick their a**!!!

    When I was young I was skinny and not fit, and now as a thirty-something mom of two I'm a less-thin but much more fit woman, and I'm much better off now! Beauty is in health, not a 24-inch waistline. What a warped perception our society has. *sigh*

    Well, time to go kick some a**!
  • drdebbiejo
    drdebbiejo Posts: 9
    Boo yeah! I actually get in shape faster when I cheat a little because it motivates me to work out harder! Chocolate is an amazing motivator. :happy:
  • kendrart
    kendrart Posts: 49 Member
    It's cool to see the people here who have realized that it is truly a lifestyle change and a commitment, not a short term plan. I'm also really humbled by the few comments praising the OP's positivity, and others wanting to express compassion. I get so frustrated with my overweight coworkers saying, in all seriousness, "but you're already skinny!" - that I don't stop to remember how helpless I felt 20+ pounds ago. I become so angry and impatient having to defend wanting to be healthy - I know I'm not 'fat' by most people's standards, but I'm not healthy! I'm not fit, I'm not in shape, I don't feel strong - I'm "skinny-fat" - that I don't stop myself from thinking the person is ignorant, when I should remember how daunting and overwhelming it can be.

    Something I realized the other day is that if I want to be strong and fit, I have to think like an athlete and train - not think like a girl on a diet.
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
    It does sound like she was being mean and I think you handled it beautifully!
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
    I am going to assume the worst and say that she is jeoulous of you and that she is stupid.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    I just don't like how people act like since I am thin I don't have to work for it. I was always skinny growing up and could eat whatever I wanted (and did) and never exercise (I didn't) but those days are long gone. I think these people would be surprised to find out I keep track of everything I eat on most days... I track my calories, protein/carb/fat intakes and I work out regularly. No I am not fit and thin just by sitting around and eating whatever I want all the time. But at the end of the day, who really cares what other people think.
  • sasssurf
    sasssurf Posts: 58 Member
    Great to see this discussion. I am a ex ballet modern dancer and now want that gorgeous physique I used to have. I still look good and am a curvey 12-14. I feel uncomfortable. Simple. It is not a comment on anyone else. I am sedentary, severe depression from childhood abuse memories ignited from traveling in India. Careful females!! In India men molest westerners in the street. It is relentless and disgusting. So I struggle with motivation. Thankfully my friends understand and I also generally don't tell them how I feel about my weight. Sweetly they always say I look great. My ballet teacher too is great and advocates health before thinness. Horse riding would be better on my Horsie shoulders and point work is easier ..... I slog along. This is the best I've felt on ages. My fitness pal support helps me hugely hugely hugely.
  • kajpen
    kajpen Posts: 120 Member
    The problem is that once you are "in shape" the next level becomes exponentially harder to achieve. I lost 40 pounds in a matter of 6 months. It is taking me significantly longer and more work to lost the next 15. Taking my body fat % from 25 to 18 wasn't easy but it wasn't nearly as hard as trying to get it down to 15%. In 5 months I have taken my 5K time from 27:47 to 24:03. I bet it will take more work and time to get the next three and a half minutes off of that time than it did to get the last three and a half.

    The first time I did P90X I was burning 700+ calories per workout. I did a second modified round after having completed Insanity and having been running for several months and I was burning 400ish calories doing the same workouts. More efficiency is more difficult to improve.

    In college I worked in a shop where we built hot rod and racing motorcycles. Getting an extra 20 horsepower out of a stock motor was cheap and easy. Getting an extra 20 out of a motor that was already running at top performance was more difficult and more expensive.

    Bottom line - someone who is already in shape needs to work even harder to make progress than someone who is trying to get in shape in the first place. I don't see myself getting to a place where I just want to maintain. When I reach a goal I set another. I want to coninue to get stronger and faster and healthier for as long as I can. That will require me to continue to kick it up a knotch at every milestone. My last 5K goal was to beat 25:00. I did that this week (24:03). My 5K goal is now to beat 23:00. When I beat 23:00 I'll set another goal.

    Well said
  • alexbusnello
    alexbusnello Posts: 1,010 Member
    I was at the gym this morning, in the changing room and this lady kept staring me up and down. and then she asked me if i was one of the class instructors here at the gym, because she said my body looked so amazing and in shape. i told her no, i said i just run a lot. she told me that the gym is for people like her, not people like me. bascially saying that since i'm already in shape and skinny i don't really need to be working out. why do people have that misconception that people who are skinny and in shape can eat whatever they want and not work out. how do they think, i got this way. i worked out hard to get to where i am now. and if i want to continue being a healthy weight, i need to keep going to the gym and work at it. i feel bad, cuz the woman was really over weight. i told her, that she can do it too, just have to work hard at it. and she just kinda rolled her eyes, and said, yea in like a hundred years, i would look like you. any one else ever have people tell you that you don't have to work out if your in shape already?

    How rude! Sometimes people workout just because of the feeling they get after they're done and it makes them happy! She complimented you at first, but then insulted you in my opinion. I would have gave her a dirty look and then walked away.
  • cbevan1229
    cbevan1229 Posts: 326 Member
    You know, though, I can totally relate to the fantasy. The idea that once you do all the hard work to get thin, then your work is over. I know it's not. I know it's an always thing, and that fit and thin people are that way because they don't over eat and are physically active.

    But somehow, especially before I started losing weight, I would look at it that way too. I think if I believed that fit folks were born that way, rather than working for it, I would feel less bad about making poor food choices and sitting on my bum - it wasn't my fault - some people are born to be thin, and some heavy, right? It's just a way of being in denial, and rationalizing behavior you know is not in your best interest.
  • likearadiowave
    likearadiowave Posts: 445 Member
    I was at the gym this morning, in the changing room and this lady kept staring me up and down. and then she asked me if i was one of the class instructors here at the gym, because she said my body looked so amazing and in shape. i told her no, i said i just run a lot. she told me that the gym is for people like her, not people like me. bascially saying that since i'm already in shape and skinny i don't really need to be working out. why do people have that misconception that people who are skinny and in shape can eat whatever they want and not work out. how do they think, i got this way. i worked out hard to get to where i am now. and if i want to continue being a healthy weight, i need to keep going to the gym and work at it. i feel bad, cuz the woman was really over weight. i told her, that she can do it too, just have to work hard at it. and she just kinda rolled her eyes, and said, yea in like a hundred years, i would look like you. any one else ever have people tell you that you don't have to work out if your in shape already?

    She was trying to compliment you, but she was wrong.

    Exercise is good for the body in general -- it doesn't matter if you're thin or not, it's just a good activity to maintain a healthy body. It's good for everyone.
  • likearadiowave
    likearadiowave Posts: 445 Member
    You were very nice to a woman that gave you a negative compliment, if such a thing exists. The reason you look good is because you worked hard for it. As I was reading what you wrote I thought the woman was going to appreciate you positive feedback but she rolled her eyes. What a shame. Unfortunately that attitude she has may be why she is where she's at, not to mention she affected your day. Her issue is not yours it would have been nice to hear that she engaged you to see if what you do could help her. That's a shame.

    Also this.

    She was being kind of defeatist and trying to insult herself in order to compliment you .. somehow. I hate when people do that. I would have been annoyed at the presumptuousness of the lady.
  • likearadiowave
    likearadiowave Posts: 445 Member
    I'm not toned, but I've always been thin and people ask me all the time why I work out when I'm so skinny. Just like you said HOW DO THEY THINK WE GOT THIS WAY. We keep working at it to maintain it.

    Yea, that kind of thinking doesn't make sense. They don't understand that you need to workout to maintain a healthy body - it doesn't usually stay that way on it's own. Even if it does, exercise is still good for you regardless.
  • RealWomenLovePitbulls
    RealWomenLovePitbulls Posts: 729 Member
    i hear that all the time, why do u work out and watch what u eat, its not like u need to. hello? everyone needs exercise and a healthy diet, you can be skinny and not be healthy, exercise is good for you! it does more than just make u "skinny"
  • brandee1212
    brandee1212 Posts: 20 Member
    I like to play devil's advocate to give balance sometimes. I think that what she said was dumb yes, but there is a bit of truth to it.

    The body, once it becomes lean and generates muscle tends to burn more fat and calories then it did before it was lean.

    For example, you could eat 2k calories per day and workout for 30 minutes and gain nothing, while that lady who was overweight could eat 1500 calories per day and workout 60 minutes and still gain weight.

    When you get leaner and more muscular, the body burns fat for you while you do nothing..obviously working out and watching your calories helps, but you innately have an advantage over someone who is bigger.

    Now getting into "well they shouldent have got big in the first place" is a different discussion...but just wanted to point out that while she is incorrect in saying "you dont belong in a gym" she has some truth to the fact that it is easier for you then it is for her.

    This is patently false. It has been shown in numerous studies that when formerly overweight people become slim, their metabolism actually decreases, and slows to about 80% of the metabolism of someone who is the same weight but who has never been overweight. Your body becomes more efficient if you increase your muscle mass to fat ratio, but there is a significant loss of efficiency when losing weight in general. Watch HBO's Weight of the Nation if you need more citations for this info.
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