is being skinny worth it?

It's not about being skinny if you're doing it right. That said, it's very convenient to be thin. When I gain weight, clothes don't fit as well and I don't feel as comfortable.

I started watching what I eat and exercising more because I lost my grandma to congestive heart failure on one side and my grandpa to the same thing on the other side of my family. I also can end up getting Cardiomyapathy at any time because I am a carrier for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy so I try to do what is best for my body. I am not at a healthy BMI but once I am, I'm not going to worry about if I look skinny enough or not, I just want to be healthy for myself and my family. If I end up looking skinny though I can't say that I wouldn't enjoy it. But, with my body type and height I don't think I could ever be in a size 0-5, but I am happy as long as I am healthy. With that being said, I don't deny myself of foods I love I just try to eat a smaller portion and eat more low cholesterol and heart healthy foods while making sure I work out for at least 20 minutes 4/5 times a week.

I want my confidence back and if that means that I will make sacrafices to get there then so be it it will be worth it to me in the long run. Skinny, no I am a mixed chick and will always keep my hips and thighs so skinny is not in it for me what is is a healthy strong toned body that exudes confidence!

It's not about society seeing me as attractive and it's not about being skinny. It's about being healthy and fit.(Being attractive is a good bonus, though) And yes it's worth it. I don't deprive myself. I eat anything that I want. I believe everything in moderation. I made pizza for dinner last night and I just had some hershey's dark chocolate.

Also, I work out because I like to work out. I don't have to "make" myself go. i would rather be at the gym than sitting on the couch watching TV.

Why do I always have to be that guy...but screw it here I go. Im calling bull**** on all the people who say all they care about is being healthy not skinny. Let's be honest everyone wants to look good naked and atractive to the opposite sex. This isn't superficial or wrong it's in our DNA our very being and that fine. Don't get me wrong I do wanna be healthy and live a long life for me and my kids. But when I take my shirt off now and I catch my wife checking me out and staring at these fancy new muscles, hell yeah its worth it!

When I hear the term "skinny" I get visions of starvation and famine. I think people want to be attractive & healthy and that's perfectly normal. IMO

Why do I always have to be that guy...but screw it here I go. Im calling bull**** on all the people who say all they care about is being healthy not skinny. Let's be honest everyone wants to look good naked and atractive to the opposite sex. This isn't superficial or wrong it's in our DNA our very being and that fine. Don't get me wrong I do wanna be healthy and live a long life for me and my kids. But when I take my shirt off now and I catch my wife checking me out and staring at these fancy new muscles, hell yeah its worth it!

Yes, but you are looking at an isolated portion of the question. For one thing, when it comes to men, emaciation is not glorified to the extent it is with women. So for you being ripped with muscle is your goal. And that goal is worth it. But that does not mean you are sacrificing to be skinny.

You are conflating skinny with attractiveness. Leanness, health, confidence. All of these are components of attractiveness.Case and point, I got down to 129lbs, and there are women well below that weight at my height range (I'm 5'3"). But I was not comfy-I could see my bottom rib. To me this was neither healthy nor attractive. So I made the decision to gain weight again. Now I'm a smidge over my goal weight (about 5-7 lbs) of where I am the most comfortable - 135 or so.

So yes. It is worth avoiding processed junk, cooking my own dinners, planning out my grocery lists, and being smart about going out with my friends. Yes it is worth working out 6 days a week. Yes it is worth getting up early and going to be early. Yes it is worth drinking all that water and peeing like a damn racehorse all day long. But not to be skinny. To be healthy and happy. To be lean and strong. To have energy to do all the things I want to do from running to work to school to going out.

That's what my sacrifices are worth.

For me, it's not a case of being skinny. It's basic survival. I have a lot of major health issues, and I AM obese. So...if I want to live and have some kind of quality of life, I HAVE to lose weight. Getting "skinny" will have major health benefits for me, but being "skinny" is only a fringe benefit. A lot of us are doing this for our health.

For me, this is all worth it because of a few reasons. The superficial, yes I want to look better, but also FEEL like I look better. I want to look in the mirror and not cringe. I want to not hide behind people in photos. I want to walk into a store knowing I can find whatever pants/shirt/dress that I'm looking for and it will look good and be something I want to buy and not just something that fits. But keep in mind my goal is not to be "skinny" or even fit in a bikini. I want to be a size 8/10, which with my height and how I carry things should be about 140-150lbs. I have a boyfriend who loved me and thought I was beautiful at 211lbs so what guys think of me have nothing to do with why I'm here and what I'm doing.

The health reasons, my mom died from Diabetes when I was 18 (she was 41 years old). My sister was diagnosed with it 3 years ago and struggles everyday with medications, food choices, weight, checking her blood sugar and being petrified of dying young like our mom. I don't want to have to struggle like that with a disease I can prevent myself from getting to a degree. We also have heart disease on both sides of my family with people dying by their late 50's/early 60's. I'm breaking that cycle.

I also have a chronic knee injury and the 25lbs I've lost so far has taken 200lbs of pressure off my knee. I can't tell you how much PAIN that has elleviated. I can climb up stairs (somewhat awkwardly but I can do it!). I can sleep through the night now without waking up from intense aching. I haven't been forced to sit down in tears, waiting out a wave of pain in over 5 months. I haven't had to take pain medication stronger than Aleve in 5 months. The biggest thing? I can jog for 2 minutes straight. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but 5 months ago I could barely make it through 2 miles of a Leslie Sansone power walking video. I've signed up for a 5k in January which I know I will have to walk at least half of, but thats okay because I've never done a 5k anything in my entire life.

All of this wouldn't be possible without all of the things I've done the last 5 months to get to where I am now and is definitely worth logging my food, exercising even when I'm tired and all the other stuff.

I live a healthy lifestyle - I don't want to be skinny. I want to be FIT & HEALTHY! There's a bit difference.

Also, when it becomes your lifestyle, you are not restricting calories, or forcing yourself to do things you don't want to do or eat things you don't like to eat. I crave healthy foods (sure I splurge once in a while, but when I do like on the holidays it feels so freakin good to get back to my normal healthy eating the next day)..... working out is part of my day now - like taking a shower. I WANT to go to the gym..... I WANT to go run this half marathon on Sunday...... I WANT to make healthy choices because I feel so much better when I do - it has nothing with wanting to be skinny because that isn't my goal. Skinny does not equal healthy

I guess until you try the exercise and eating mindfully...you really don't know what your body wants. I believe that if you give the exercise and eating a true chance (at least 6 months) and it still feels forced and miserable then maybe yes, it is not worth it to be skinny and its best to just have a change of attitude about your body image. I truly believe there are men and women out their that just are not going to be dieters and exercisers. Women and men who work hard, play hard and the way their body looks just does not matter. But I don't think its fair to your psyche until you give the exercise and just a tiny bit of mindful eating a try. I know I struggled in the past with wanting to be ok with myself the way I was--but frankly I was not happy with the way I was. And now I know why my body (and mind) likes to be healthy and for the past 4 months--I feel better than I have in 11 years. I have not lost a lot of weight and but damn--my body is changing and I feel sore and awesome!