What, really, is "too thin"?

Options
245

Replies

  • catshark209
    catshark209 Posts: 1,133 Member
    Options
    I'm considered too thin at 114lbs and 5'3". I think I look good. When I was in high school I was 95lbs and a size 00. Now that was too thin. I couldn't lift anything or run without panting.
  • kestrel359
    kestrel359 Posts: 342 Member
    Options
    thin-776705.JPG
  • jenniferinfl
    jenniferinfl Posts: 456 Member
    Options
    I have adjusted my views a lot on this over the years. Back in the day I really thought one of my friends was anorexic because she was 5' 2" and 80 lbs. But, looking back at photos now, she was very small boned, heck, she wore kids jewelry as an adult. But, you couldn't see the bones in her arms and legs like you can pretty obviously in most photos of anorexic people.
    She also ate very normally, fries and burgers and so on. She just had a quick metabolism and a very small frame.

    I don't think the BMI chart is accurate for me, so, I have to acknowledge that there are probably discrepancies on the other side as well.

    I would ask a balanced, intelligent trusted friend what they thought. Family can be kinda iffy in the weight honesty department.
  • jenniferinfl
    jenniferinfl Posts: 456 Member
    Options
    thin-776705.JPG

    YES ^ That is the definition of too thin..
  • Madelinew22
    Madelinew22 Posts: 289
    Options
    thin-776705.JPG


    hawt!!!! lmao
  • HurricaneElaine
    HurricaneElaine Posts: 984 Member
    Options
    I was *going* to say my sister, who's lost almost 90 pounds and has lost all her boobs, has no hips or buttocks left, and her face is sagging like h*ll - and then I saw those pictures that kestrel posted. O.M.G. That is just scary.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Options
    to me? TOO THIN isn't the right question
  • ColetteCopeland
    ColetteCopeland Posts: 16
    Options
    Hm, well I am trying to GAIN weight myself because I consider myself to have already crossed that point of "too thin". I've never had any sort of eating disorder or anything like that, but I've always been very thin. Now I'm 5'4" and at 96 pounds.
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
    Options
    you know, you just look at someone and think " that doesn't look fun at all"

    Exactly. I've looked at people and thought they look almost painfully thin, simply because it looks like they're starving themselves because they're so skinny. When it looks like you can take their arm and snap it in half, or when they look drawn and unhealthy and gaunt, that's when they're "too thin".

    I agree with this one. There is a woman who works in my local supermarket... she can't be more than 25 years old. She's about my height (5'4") and painfully thin. Every single time I see her I can't help but stare.... be it rude to do so.... just because you can see how unhealthy she does look.

    Now she might be a person who can't keep weight on, or is just built that way.... but wow you should really see her. Her whole body is nothing but bones sticking out of skin. She is always so very very pale & even her face has no fat at all. According to her BMI she would be very underweight & not healthy, she may well be though.... but by looking at her you just see something is wrong. If you could go into negative clothing sizes..... she'd be a -10


    BTW she is skinner that those photos posted. SO that will give you a great indication of why I stare.
  • jus_in_bello
    jus_in_bello Posts: 326 Member
    Options
    If you have a good GP ask them, they're great about that kind of thing. "Too thin" is subjective, "healthy" is the goal, that is something the doc can confirm or deny for you.
  • mackzaj
    mackzaj Posts: 42
    Options
    Too thin, to any given person, is like porn - impossible to define, but you know it when you see it.

    But like porn, it's rude to talk about.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Options
    Too thin, to any given person, is like porn - impossible to define, but you know it when you see it.

    But like porn, it's rude to talk about.
    hmm. I think it's necessary to talk about.
  • faceoff4
    faceoff4 Posts: 1,599 Member
    Options
    I don't agree with peoples opinions of "too thin" I think it's all about where you feel most comfortable, and healthful. This is a good question you raised.

    ditto!
  • dvisser1
    dvisser1 Posts: 788 Member
    Options
    "Too thin" is generally a matter of opinion. Unless it's coming from a doctor who has just given you a clinical exam, including body fat percentage, I wouldn't put much stock in it.

    I got this same thing from my mother back in August when I was 10-12 lbs heavier than I am today, but still much thinner and lighter than when she last saw me at Christmas. It's that sudden change from what people expect to see and are used to seeing that sets off an alarm with them.
  • mackzaj
    mackzaj Posts: 42
    Options
    Too thin, to any given person, is like porn - impossible to define, but you know it when you see it.

    But like porn, it's rude to talk about.
    hmm. I think it's necessary to talk about.

    Well, YEAH, in some circumstances. However, I generally refrain from discussing porn with strangers. :)
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Options
    Too thin, to any given person, is like porn - impossible to define, but you know it when you see it.

    But like porn, it's rude to talk about.
    hmm. I think it's necessary to talk about.

    Well, YEAH, in some circumstances. However, I generally refrain from discussing porn with strangers. :)
    Ummm. okay. That's an odd comparison then.

    I thought we were talking "what is too thin".
  • Aviva92
    Aviva92 Posts: 2,333 Member
    Options
    thin-776705.JPG

    yikes, that makes me a little queezy to look at. is that real or a photoshop?
  • mackzaj
    mackzaj Posts: 42
    Options
    Too thin, to any given person, is like porn - impossible to define, but you know it when you see it.

    But like porn, it's rude to talk about.
    hmm. I think it's necessary to talk about.

    Well, YEAH, in some circumstances. However, I generally refrain from discussing porn with strangers. :)
    Ummm. okay. That's an odd comparison then.

    I thought we were talking "what is too thin".

    To clarify - IMO, it is rude to comment on or discuss someone's weight, either too thick or too thin, unless asked specifically to do so.

    The comparison was that pornography, like "thinness" or "fatness", is notoriously difficult to define and varies often by person. However, again, like pornography, a person's thinness/fatness is rude to discuss without being specifically asked to do.

    I thought you were saying you thought it necessary to talk about porn, which I agree is important in some circumstances, but not in general company.
  • molly_grue
    molly_grue Posts: 215 Member
    Options
    I once worked with this girl who looked like someone stretched skin over a skeleton.
    I'm not sure if she had an E.D. or was seriously ill in some other way but she didn't even look like she should be able to walk around.
    that is "too thin".
  • eatathome
    eatathome Posts: 81 Member
    Options
    It depends on the person. But regarding the OP's specific issue at hand, only you can really know if you have body dysmorphia/a distorted body image. You say you're at the low end of your BMI: Do you think you're fat? Do you think you still need to lose weight?

Categories