Too Skinny!

I recently got this.. It came from the guy I've been dating for a year. As I've been losing weight, he's been very complimentary. Saying I look great, but adding I don't need to lose any more weight, I'm perfect as I am. Then last week I saw him for the first time after not seeing him for awhile (about a month). He said I lose weight each time he sees me. (Funny thing is, I only lost about 1-1.5 lbs in that time). And I could tell how he was saying it, he wasn't liking it. And he asked how much more weight I plan on losing. And even held up a finger, insinuating I was turning into a twig. But if he doesn't like it, I see that as his problem.

And the funny thing is-- this weekend, I did my first race (a 4k "beer run") and was speaking to a girl at the starting line. I told her this was my first race. She said she doesn't even exercise but then made a comment about how "there are women EVEN bigger than us who can do it". Uhm, ouch.
And then after the race, while I was enjoying a slice of cheese pizza, a guy sitting near me was saying "You're not going to eat that are you!?! Do you know how many calories are in that?!!". He later told me I was going to hell for eating it. He added that he was trying to be funny but was failing miserably. Uhm, yes.
So, which is it? Am I too skinny or am I still a 'bigger girl' who gets crap from strangers for indulging in a slice of pizza???

I agree with most of this thread!

It sounds like your lean mass is on the low side, I thought my ex was getting too thin because he had relatively low lean mass, like you. But ultimately, what matters is that you are healthy and happy!

Also, I do think people are kind of used to seeing people be overweight, so the low side of normal strikes people as weird.

From 107lbs through 120lbs i get the "too skinny" , " you're anorexic" comments from the older people and at the same time from people closer to my age I get the "chubby" , "pretty fat" ( i have no idea what that means) comments ....

i rather the too skinny ones over the chubby ones... and tat 5"4, 117-120lbs cannot be considered dead looking nor chubby (especially not at the same time :grumble: )


Ignore what others say ... if you feel happy and healthy you're good to go
(Must listen to this myself)

I get this all the time, especially from my mum. I come from a family of feeders, they just LOVE to load up your plate and make sure you eat every scrap of it! I'm technically still in the overweight range going by my current BMI. I'm not happy with my weight at the moment and trying to lose about 12kg, so I don't really need people telling me I'm too skinny!! I need people telling me to put down the chocolates and back away from the fridge! :laugh:

Yes! My family always puts a lot of pressure on me to eat second helpings of dinner and have dessert afterwards. They also say I'm too skinny and theres nothing of me, when there is! And now my mum has started some stupid diet and is lecturing me about how I shoukdn't do any of those things because they are bad for my health, etc when I didn't even do them in the first time. And, I have done extensive research into health and nutrition and get lectures about what is right and wrong. like I dont already know!! Its a bit sad.

I get this sometimes, too. I'm 5'8" 113lbs and 16%BF so I'm not grossly skinny or anything. When someone tells me I'm too thin I just tell them they're too fat. If you get to comment on me being underweight I get to comment on you being over weight. It's only fair.

I get this sometimes, too. I'm 5'8" 113lbs and 16%BF so I'm not grossly skinny or anything. When someone tells me I'm too thin I just tell them they're too fat. If you get to comment on me being underweight I get to comment on you being over weight. It's only fair.

Except that you're 20 years old and wreaking havoc on your endocrine system. I'm not sure what your ultimate goal weight or BF% is but I will confidently say that you are, IN FACT, too skinny. Unless of course you have no aspirations for giving birth or maintaining your reproductive health.

I actually never plan on trying to have children and my body seems to agree with that (never started menstruating) but there's nothing wrong with my current weight and BF%. 14-20% body fat is considered athletic. What's the point of me packing on muscle if I'm going to allow it to be covered in a thick layer of fat?

You should consider more that they are considered about your health. Being both too heavy and too skinny can mean unhealthy consequences. Just consider it as a thoughtful worry than an insult and politely say that you're actually quite healthy and they have no need to worry.

i am 5'7 male 146lbs family tells me that I am too thin, they tell me to put on some muscle to look better?

Nobody said hey your too fat you need to lose some weight. When I weighed over 300lbs. But I sure hear hey your too skinny almost everyday. Ignore these people or I just say Don't hate me because I'm beautiful. Lol

I am a 5'10" male and weigh about 150 down from 180ish. I have at least one person tell me a day that I shouldn't lose any more weight and that I shouldn't get "too skinny". What the hell does that mean anyway?! I am at around 15.5% body fat with about 125 pounds of lean body mass. My blood pressure is perfect, and I eat a very healthy 2000 calories maintanance diet of delicious food. I work out 3 times a week with weights and treadmill. I am certainly not a bean pole and I can even pinch an inch here and there.
I think what has happened in our society is that being mildly obese has become the new norm, and when someone is actually lean and in shape, they are perceived as obsessive. This is a sad commentary in an age where obesity is the number one killer. In many other countries I would be looked at as totally normal, if not chubby. Has anyone else out there gotten to a lean weight and experienced the same kind of reaction?
By the way, it's almost always overweight people that make the comments.

I am close to your weight and height and believe I am very healthy. Try to ignore comments such as those you describe. Instead of focusing on your weight, keep focusing on WEIGHT LIFTING like you are doing and you will see your body fat decrease as you add more muscle even if your weight stays the same.

My focus is currently on adding strength (and hopefully reducing body fat to below 10% by the end of the year). In addition to the health benefits, a more muscular frame is also likely to receive far fewer "too skinny" comments. Keep up the good work!