is being skinny worth it?

Options
12357…14

Replies

  • bronnyd
    bronnyd Posts: 278 Member
    Options
    I hate that there is an assumption that you can't possibly LOVE healthy foods and LOVE working out. I absolutely love fresh fruit, roasted vegetables, fresh fish, etc. I can't stand eating fried foods-- I think they taste bland and make me feel sick after I eat them. I don't eat candy or baked goods because they taste sickly sweet to me.

    I think there's no greater feeling that finishing a great workout--it's not something that I dread doing, in fact, I look forward to it everyday.


    Are there "bad" foods I like? Of course-- I love a good wine or beer and have a serious problem if I start in on a bag of fruit/nut trail mix.

    I do these things because I enjoy them, and I want to protect my health. Obviously it's a great "side effect" that it keeps me in shape.

    Yes, yes and yes!!

    I don't eat "diet foods" while fantasizing about gorging myself on McDonalds. I eat healthy, whole foods that I love to eat. It is rare that I crave junk food like burgers and fries, and over the top sweet pastries. I do like to splurge on some dark chocolate, wine, beer and cheese.

    I also love to work out! I don't work out so that I can eat more - I eat more so that I have lots of energy to work out hard! It's fun and challenging and energizing! :smile:
  • kimosabe1
    kimosabe1 Posts: 2,467 Member
    Options
    Same thin MyownSunshine said on page one.......
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Options
    Health and beauty are two different things. I wish that the reality were different, but I think that being thin is often worth it. We live in a sexist society in which women are pressured be thin.

    So you fight it, you don't conform to it. Be healthy, fit and happy. Find a job (and a spouse/partner) where you are valued for your mind and not your appearance. "Society" can go screw if it wants me to be something I'm not and to suffer and be unhealthy to get there.

    Every flippin' word of this! :smile:

    I was an itty bitty little skinny thing with a boyfriend who thought I was getting fat when I crept up to about 115 pounds. I was a lot happier at my highest weight with a husband who worships every inch of my body.

    Now, as somewhere between the two, I realize that I think my body is the best it's ever looked, and that I feel healthier and stronger than ever, but honestly... what size I am has no direct impact on my happiness. I'm still the same person whether I'm skinny, chubby or somewhere in between.

    The world is not magically an easier place. I still have to scoop the cat box. People don't walk up to me and hand me money. Life is the same.
  • mommykismet
    mommykismet Posts: 6
    Options
    I'm treated a world differently. I'm happier. I'm healthy. I feel good. Everyday I work hard, but it's been worth it to me. Some days I wish I could just give up. Eat more, relax, but then I remember how good I feel. How much energy I have! How fun it is to shop and I keep going. :)
  • NickDHussin
    NickDHussin Posts: 348
    Options
    Skinny? No
    Skinnier? Yes
    To me skinny is the opposite side of the spectrum as being overweight. I want to be in the middle where I am healthy, fit, and feel great!

    Not to mention if you were super skinny I feel like you would have no energy...I couldn't handle that.
  • nickyfm
    nickyfm Posts: 1,214 Member
    Options
    Not at all.

    At the end of last year/beginning of this year, I lost 13 pounds eating unknowingly below my BMR. I was constantly hungry, always thinking about food, and had no energy. I looked freaking amazing, but I was weak as hell. This was NOT worth it.

    (Not to mention the fact that I gained 7 pounds back quick smart while overseas...)

    Being in SHAPE however, is. Sure I need discipline not to go overboard at times, but just by eating 150-200 cals more a day, I have much more energy to lift, feel better, and the weight is coming off at a slow, but maintainable pace. I get to eat more, so I'm not constantly missing foods or thinking about eating. Also I'm starting to look daymn good with some muscle tone!!

    And junk food is yucky...Give me a yummy bowl of Protein oatmeal with nuts & seeds over KFC any day!!!
  • aproc
    aproc Posts: 1,033 Member
    Options
    I think it's mostly health that we should be doing it for...

    And I don't eat anything I hate. There are plenty of choices out there to find food you love that will fit your plan. I also love my workouts. I hate cardio so I don't do it too much and stick to weights. Theres got to be some form of exercise that each person likes even if it's just walking with somebody.
    You don't have to eat the typical diet foods or do some hardcore workouts that you hate. Find stuff you like to do that just gets you off your butt and experiment with foods to find stuff you like. It doesn't have to be an absolutley terrible experience. I wouldn't say being 'skinny' is worth it. Being fit and healthy is definitely worth it though.
  • NCchar130
    NCchar130 Posts: 955 Member
    Options
    I actually like the healthier food I'm eating better than the old way. In fact, I unintentionally didn't eat any fast food for about 3 months after starting on MFP and decided one day I wanted McDonalds, so I did. Honestly, it didn't taste the way I remembered. I'd rather eat the food I cook than that.

    To your other points, whether I'm fat or skinny, I"m going to have to walk up stairs sometimes, walk around all day shopping or doing whatever, I'm still going to have to clean my house and work in my yard. Dragging a sadly out of shape 217 pounds on my body was H-A-R-D. I'd prefer to be able to do these things without wheezing, feeling like my heart is gonna explode, or being unable to walk right for a couple days. Probably there are some women who at 5',6" and 217 who are very fit and have none of the above issues. But that does not describe me. And with every few pounds I lose, these things get easier. Part of that is from exercising almost daily but the other part, I'm betting, is just dragging fewer pounds around with me.

    As far as "society" goes, whether we like it or not, whether it should be or not, appearance does matter. The trick is to not compare yourself to others. You work with what you have and do the best with what you've got! You can't get hung up on supermodels or actresses or what type that boy back in high school liked the best (which was not YOU), or what is trendy now. I have always admired other women who get up each day (like my mom) who always tried to be and look her best. She has always been committed to health, exercise, etc, and she wouldn't have been caught dead in the grocery store in her pj's. From watching her all my life, it seemed not so much because of what others would think of her, but what SHE would think of her if she didn't do these things, that it would feel like she had just given up on life, or something.
  • gingerveg
    gingerveg Posts: 748 Member
    Options
    Yes it's worth it. I'm healthy, happy, and I fit into my clothes. I feel like me again so absolutely totally worth it!
  • hollykaplan
    hollykaplan Posts: 33
    Options
    yes
  • cindl24
    cindl24 Posts: 178
    Options
    I'm a nurse. You need to change your focus. Not skinny, healthy. You are decreasing your risk of heart disease, stroke, high cholesterol, diabetes. Keep pushing.

    This.

    Plus, eat foods you like and try to find an exercise you enjoy. For example, I will often play games on the Wii to exercise because it is fun! This venture started for me to stave off diabetes and it has worked.
  • Priincess_Natalie
    Priincess_Natalie Posts: 367 Member
    Options
    It's not about being skinny. It's about being healthy and happy. Be the best you, you can be. If that's skinny, awesome. If that's curvy, great. If that's eating what you want and being overweight then awesome too! Life is short and your the only one that has to live yours so do it the way you want. If you want to be skinny, do it. If not, don't :). Don't worry about society. Live your life for you. You'll be WAY more satisfied in the end if you do. Good luck. :flowerforyou:
  • Kurls4Daze
    Kurls4Daze Posts: 125 Member
    Options
    BEAUTIFUL POST AND I CONCUR WHOLEHEARTEDLY!!!!!!!!
    SIDE BAR CONGRATS ON THOSE LBS YOU RELEASED!!!!!!!
    I don't necessarily think being skinny is worth it, and that was my goal when I started this endeavor.

    I do think that being fit, healthy, confident, strong and more emotionally balanced is definitely worth it.

    I believe that being free of the shame and guilt I felt when I would binge and attempt to fix the difficulties in my life by consuming massive amounts of food is worth it.

    I believe that the pride and sense of accomplishment, not to mention the endorphin rush, that I get when I accomplish a workout or fitness goal that I never dreamed I would be able to do is worth it.

    I believe that my daughter would tell you that having a healthy, active mom who isn't ashamed to attend events and socialize with other parents is worth it.

    I believe that being able to do things without worrying about a weight or size limit (horseback riding, amusement park rides, flying on a plane) is worth it.

    Would I put forth this much effort simply to be a size that society deems attractive or acceptable? Probably not, but I've learned that there is a lot more to this than a number on a scale or a size on a tag in my jeans.
  • Ramberta
    Ramberta Posts: 1,312 Member
    Options
    I am never going to be "skinny". But that's not my goal and it never has been. Just because I'll probably always be a plus-size doesn't mean I can't be healthy and beautiful, and the same goes for you and anyone else trying to lose weight. It looks like you're thinking destructively about your motivating factors, rather than embracing the fact that this is a LIFESTYLE change, not just a magical vanishing of fat. You eat healthy so that you can get a diet rich in nutrients, which promotes long life free of illness. You eat less so that you have more energy, can enjoy more activities, and not feel self-conscious about your body image. You exercise because of the endorphin rush, and the opportunity to be outside doing something other than staring at a screen or driving or being at work.

    No, you don't have to love everything that you do and eat every day. There will be some cranky days where all you want is a tub of Ben & Jerry's, but you restrict yourself to yogurt instead. Where you grumblingly get out of bed for your morning yoga. But it WILL be worth it in the end. Trust me.

    If you apply this logic to anything else in life-- your job, your academic studies, your relationships-- of course every day isn't going to be rosy. But when you look back on things in the future, are you going to hate how they turned out? Only if you don't put in the effort they deserved at the time. And the same goes for your body!!
  • c2111
    c2111 Posts: 693 Member
    Options
    nope not skinny I like fit ! fit & strong thats worth it all :)
  • Umeboshi
    Umeboshi Posts: 1,637 Member
    Options
    No. It's not.
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
    Options
    Feeling and looking healthy is most definitely worth all the tough work it is to get there to me! ..and it's not always tough, some days zip right by.. a few others seem to last forever...

    It's worth it, so worth it! :wink: :drinker:
    nope not skinny I like fit ! fit & strong thats worth it all :)
    Absolutely LOVE how you worded your response!:heart:
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
    Options
    really, is it worth all the time and effort that women put into eating foods they don't really love, exercising when they'd rather not, and just not being truly happy to be "skinny?" what do men/women really think about skinny women, and what do you women think about society and feeling like you must achieve a certain body image to be considered attractive? do you wish you could just eat and not exercise and let your body do what it wants and be happy like that, or do you feel content with eating diet foods or restricting calories, daily exercise, and feeling the pressure to be skinny?

    this is not meant to offend anyone of any body type, i'm just curious as to what you all think! society frustrates me sometimes. :p
    In a "perfect" world, yes of course however its not how it works in the real world.

    Of course no one wants to be skinny (skin & bones) & neither me.
  • VelociMama
    VelociMama Posts: 3,119 Member
    Options
    Is it worth it to be skinny? No.

    Is it worth it to be strong, able to do great things in life, and to be healthy and feel great? Hell yes.
  • Superchas
    Superchas Posts: 129 Member
    Options
    Negative waves
    Work out what you want to achieve for you is a far more positive goal
    If that is skinny then ok
    If that is healthier ok
    Best

Categories