is being skinny worth it?

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.

Skinny, no. Healthy, yes. I also don't eat foods I don't like, but I genuinely enjoy most fruits and vegetables, so that helps. I started out not liking exercise, but I've got it down to a 30 min. affair, each day, and I feel like crap if I don't do it, so I really don't mind. Really, though, I still eat what I want, I just limit the "junk" food.

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.

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS ANSWER!! I totally agree with your philosophy!

Been fit and healthy is worth it.

I eat and drink what I want. Of course, fast food and junk food is not what I want so I have no issues in that area.

RIGHT ON!!

I am not dong this to be skinny, I am doing this to be healthy and improve my quality of life. I want to enjoy all the fun things with my kids, grand kids and friends that being over weight prevents me from doing.. I am enjoying challenging my body and seeing what it is capable of. I never think of my exercise regimen as something I don't really want to do. I like the way it makes me feel.

Like this! :flowerforyou:

Let me try this again..Right On, Sunshine! I am not doing this to please others. I am doing this to feel better about myself. From wearing the style of cloths I like to having the energy to play with my grandkids. I also enjoy horseback riding and the more physical things in life. I also find in eating a little healthier, I feel better, have more energy. Do I miss the ice cream? Well, sometimes. But I feel GOOD when I can walk away and know I don't need it and I make the healthy choice. Not saying I am perfect. I fall off the wagon, but I keep climbing right back on. It really is a life choice.

Trust me, it is.
I am on my goal weight, I can honestly say i was never happier in my life, it absolutely does have something to do with rising confidence when i look in the mirror.
When i was overweight i would eat yummy food every day, i did not even appreciate it. Once you get where you want to be, you still get to eat decent amount of food and if you include treats once in a while you will truly enjoy them, more than you did before.
And you will look great.
When you get there you will see, it is SO worth it!!!

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.

I love this

very well put!!!!

If you're eating food you don't like then you're doing it wrong. Start small and eventually what you like will change, then it's not dieting, it's living.

YES IT IS

I just gotta say that I've read all six pages of responses because this is the most inspirational discussion ever. I love what so many of you have said here and why I love MFP. It's not about skinny, it's about fitness.

OP, I used to think like you. Then I had a severe back injury caused by being overweight and out-of-shape. An area of my lower-back that had too much pressure on it due to me having too much of a sway in my back just gave way. One year of intense pain without being able to stand up straight and only being able to take little, mincing baby steps; then another year of teaching my body to extend fully upright due to shortened muscles/tendons in my front-half and teaching myself to lengthen my gait to a full-stride, while still having some back pain (although greatly lessened) and not being able to carry anything heavier than an average purse; then a couple more years just getting my back into good enough shape doing limited physical therapy-type exercising to be able to start doing normal activities without pain before I could start a more intense exercise program without pain or worry of re-injury....well, let's just say that it was a huge wake-up call. Heck, it was a full-on ***** slap.

I spent years doing it wrong, thinking I needed to deprive myself of food pleasures and torture myself with exercise I didn't want to do in order to return to my youthful, skinny body so I would quickly become demoralized, give up, and reward myself with junk and days of laying on the couch. Chronic whining and feeling sorry for myself is a horrible way to live. I can't believe my husband didn't bolt after years of living with someone with that kind of attitude.

The only thing that has been hard about all this is that I wasted almost 30 years living like that to the point where it took that ***** slap to shake me out of it. Sure wish I could get those years back but it's milk already spilled so I can only move forward and not live in the past. However, I sure do regret not setting a better example for my children and teaching them better eating and life habits as they now struggle with their own weight issues. While my son has embraced a healthier eating/exercise lifestyle and is doing quite well, my daughter is as stuck as I once was. So I can only hope my current healthier and happier lifestyle is an inspiration to her and that I can support her through it.

In the past few years, I've lost significant weight, gained fitness, and feel better than I have in several decades. I have not deprived myself of anything. Not really. Yes, sometimes I say no to food that tempts me because it's just not worth it or I'm satisfied with what I've eaten on my healthier eating plan and just don't feel a need for it. But I sometimes still indulge. Heck, I sometimes still over-indulge. Yes, I'm losing my weight slowly because of this but it's worth it for not feeling deprived. It's all about finding the right balance that works for you.

And now, when I splurge, it's on something grand. Like the world's best cinnamon roll made at one of the local bakeries that is virtually orgasmic, not a piece of crap in a package by the check-out stand. When I splurge, I make it count by slowly eating small bites of something so good it lingers in my memory as a joyous event that continues to be savored long after I've eaten it. Or a fantastic hand-made, beautifully decorated chocolate/raspberry truffle so rich in flavor that I can take a few tiny nibbles that melt slowly in my mouth and then wrap it up tight and freeze the rest of it for later because it's so delicious I don't need a lot of it to feel satisfied and can look forward to my next nibble and plan it into my eating plan without any effort. No more eating several cheap candy bars that don't really satisfy because, guess what, they're really not all that good after all.

As for exercising...yeah, at first, it felt like torture. Then I started thinking about all the things I've dreamed about doing that I never thought was possible before and set some goals. And, wow, now exercising has become an adventure. I cherish every achievement, every time I notice a new spot on my body is strong and muscled instead of flabby and soft. It's incredible! Most of all, I'm enjoying the new things I can do with my stronger, fitter body.

Was it worth hours of spin classes and then outdoor, long-distance cycling to ride in a huge 200-mile cycling event surrounded by fantastic, energetic, happy people and realize I was one of them, and then crossing the finish line to cheers and my fancy patch as a memento for my achievement? Hell, yeah! Especially when I realize that 10 months prior to crossing that finish line I could only manage 5-minutes on an exercise bike. Was it worth suffering through the hard beginnings of C25k when I wanted to put a fork in my eye to get to the point of doing my first 5k race and, even though I was the last to cross the finish line, being greeted with cheers, hugs, high-5's by other runners who ran the race in 1/3 to 1/2 my time because many of them stuck around just to congratulate me because they knew it was such a struggle for me and to have family/friends there with cameras, hugs and smiles to celebrate my achievement? Hell, yeah!

And, while I keep cycling and running to get better at both, I'm going to start a climbing course in January that will get me to my ultimate goal to summit Mt. Rainier. While I know there will be struggles ahead as I'm still strengthening my back via heavy lifting to be able to carry a heavy pack for long hours on steep trails, I can't wait as I know the toil and sweat will eventually have me standing at the mountain-top. Oh, it's going to be grand.

Will I ever be as skinny as I was in my pre-pregnancy youth? Heck, no. Do I want to be? Heck, no. Because I wasn't strong or fit, just skinny. Probably skinny fat. I'm in the best shape of my life and things are only going to get better.

There are people that I've envied due to their thinness and the clothes they could wear because of it. I wanted to be like them. Not anymore. You know why? Most of them are skinny fat and none of them can do what I do. Now I'm inspiring them and there are a few others I like a lot and I'm trying to inspire them as many of them are now having health issues that I know healthier eating and exercise will diminish or totally resolve. I want them to fee the joy I feel when I do something that was, in my past, nothing but a pipe-dream.

Sorry to ramble on so long but I really hope the OP is inspired by everyone's beautiful posts here and just hope to add something else to help inspire her.

As for what society thinks? Who gives a rat's patootie? I think anyone who is strong, confident, enjoying their life, has interesting experiences to talk about, and glows with health and vitality is beautiful and to be admired regardless of their pant size.

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.

Edit: Originally just replied "By other women." but to expand on that; the culture that pressures women into being slim is largely publicised through magazines and advertising; a lot of which is written for and by women. Men have some influence for sure, but not nearly all of the blame can be put there.

You're right, women certainly do help enforce these norms, but it stems from a desire to please men because men are still largely in control. This is a patriarchy.

Whatever the source of the influence, even if you disagree it's hard to buck it if you are interested in any kind of mainstream success in which your appearance plays a role and women are notoriously judged by much harsher standards than those applied to men.

Unfortunately, some people move towards the opposite extreme and try to argue that being not just un-thin, but being excessively fat is healthy.

For me its science. More fat on the body means early death. Science has proven this.I can out run zombies, thus making my survival longer. Diet food only tastes bad at first because of all the chemicals in fatty processed foods have tricked our brains. Once you really get into eating clean it tastes really good. I feel better. I have more energy. I am happy. While working out, eating clean, becoming happy I happen to drop a few pounds. Ill take it!

Skinny is not something I want to be. Strong and healthy is what I want to be, and I definitely think it's worth it.

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I don't want to be skinny, I want to be FIT! Fit, healthy and toned, that's what I'm aiming for. Being fit and healthy is definitely worth it, I'm prolonging my life which is more than enough for me!