Healthy vs Skinny

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wyze
wyze Posts: 248
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello

ok so i am curious. my attitude to weight loss is to get healthy. However i have noticed that some say skinny and i am wondering if skinny means healthy? I am not trying to put anyone down in their goals. We all want to look good and slimmer, and i know in mainstream america skinny is considered healthy hence the overexposure to models who could use a little more food in their systems.

Should we buy into the mainstream notion of healthiness which is skinny by any means possible, or aim to be a healthy weight best suited for our body frame? Please feel free to be honest, i honestly want to know what you guys think
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Replies

  • YeaILift
    YeaILift Posts: 580 Member
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    I think of healthy as having good cardio endurance, and I think of skinny as a body type. So, one could be both skinny and healthy, fat and healthy, skinny and unhealthy, or fat and unhealthy. Out of just the two I want to be healthy, but more importantly for me, I want to be muscular and healthy. I want to not only look amazing, but be able to run 5 miles shirtless if I feel like it.
  • wyze
    wyze Posts: 248
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    that made sense. thanks
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    My goal is to get healthy, any weight loss that results is just a happy side effect! I do have a weight goal that I am working toward but that's just to be at a healthy weight and healthy BMI. I'd like to be able to fit back into my "skinny" clothes and I'm actually fairly close, but if I never get back in them, it's not a big deal.

    Having been overweight for several years I can see myself heading in a negative direction if my focus is on being skinny. I've seen it already. I've lost 7 pounds and I'm starting to see some positive changes in my body, but I still see all the flaws. I was looking at myself in the mirror and saw where fat is coming off and still thought, "But I'm still fat." I have gotten on the scale, seen the number go down from before and still thought, "There's a lot left to go." or "That's not enough." I quickly realized that it takes a lot longer for the mind's perception of how we look to catch up with how we actually look. So I reevaluated my goals and the reasons behind them. Since my main goal is to be a healthy example for my children getting skinny isn't my end result. It's simply being healthier and living a healthy life.
  • donella73
    donella73 Posts: 26
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    I've known many skinny people who are very unfit and I've known larger people who are very fit. You're right that our society (here in Australia too) often confuses skinny with healthy, but it's not always the case. Personally, I want to be slimmer around my tummy as belly fat is quite dangerous long-term (linked closely to diabetes and heart disease) so for me it's linked - slimmer tummy means healthier.
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
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    Well, I am a former unhealthy skinny! I smoked, ate fast food everyday for lunch, never exercised and weighed 107 lbs. Now I am running almost 5 miles, I rarely eat fast food, I quit smoking. So, I am sure some people just want to be skinny, but it's not necessarily healthy to just be thin.
  • wyze
    wyze Posts: 248
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    Thanks, When i think of getting healthy, i think that as the weight comes off, you lose fat and become slimmer. For some people it may mean them being really skinny, for others it means being way smaller, well toned and fitting into old clothes which may be a small size. I ultimately want to be healthy, look slim and toned and very good too.

    I also think that if someone has a large frame, skinny may be out of reach. I dont know, these are just some of my thoughts. I have a large frame, and i think that when i eventually get down to the best weight for my height i will look way smaller than i am now, but i dont ever think i will be skinny. And i am good with that.
  • tigertchr23
    tigertchr23 Posts: 418 Member
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    I think "healthy" is more important than "skinny." Making healthier food choices, exercising every day, and drinking 8-10 glasses of water is what I aim for. Sure, I would like to look smaller but I also want to look and feel healthy. I personally think people who are too skinny are unattractive. I would like to look "athletic" by having toned muscles. So, to meet this goal I am trying to stay away from processed foods (especially carbs and sugars) and eat a high protein diet with a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables (natural carbs and sugars). I try to fit in at least 30-60 min of cardio and/or strength training. I try to mix it up by doing running, exercise DVDs, kettlebell exercises, yoga, etc.

    I am NOT perfect by any means but I strive everyday to make better choices for my health, and the added bonus of looking good. I hope this helps! :flowerforyou:
  • abyt42
    abyt42 Posts: 1,358 Member
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    My stated goals are to be healthy, to increase my cardio endurance to prepare for the zombie apocalypse (ha!), and to be a good example for my children. Honestly, though, I was fairly tickled when I went clothes shopping with my husband and found J.Jill's small sweater dress was the right size. (My husband was pushing for the extra small skirt, but I'm not a fan of clothing that hugs the downward curve of my @ss....even if the DH liked that feature of the skirt.) It was pretty wonderful to be able to try on skinny girl clothes in a nice shop.....and to get the dress on sale just made it all the much better.
  • funkyspunky871
    funkyspunky871 Posts: 1,675 Member
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    I'll be very honest. My goals are all about being skinny. (And by skinny, I don't mean TOO skinny. Haha. Just whatever looks right on me) I've got this mentality that being healthy is a side effect of being skinny. Like I'll be able to run an easy mile when I'm thin and eat whatever the heck I want. Lol. Not true at all, but right now it is all about losing the weight. I've never wanted to be one of those people who've lost tons of weight and all they ever talk about or do is running marathons and stuff. Thanks for you're question; you've really got me thinking now. Maybe since I'm getting pretty damn close to my goal, it is time to start thinking about the healthy aspect of it all.
  • bellinachuchina
    bellinachuchina Posts: 498 Member
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    Love this topic, & think that women should be more concerned with becoming a healthy size for their structure rather than idealizing a fantasy & unattainable body that only 5% of the population possesses. Truth.

    At the beginning of my journey, I felt like I wanted to attain "skinnydom", but it's just not me. I cannot identify with the concept, no matter how much I lose, b/c I've realized I actually like my curvature, always have :) It was time for a life change when curvy became rolly, though :wink:
  • sexygenius
    sexygenius Posts: 1,078 Member
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    i use the term skinny for anything smaller than me lol
  • Kimdbro
    Kimdbro Posts: 922 Member
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    Skinny does not equivelate to being healthy... healthy is the whole picture. I believe in most cases those of us that refer to the word "skinny" it is used as a figure of speach. When I say I want to be skinny again, or fit my skinny jeans I'm referring to pants I wore when I was fit and healthy, both on the inside and the outside, I was far from being ACTUALLY skinny. I was still clinically 20 lbs overweight, but I felt fantastic. I was confident and strong. I knew what to eat and when, it didn't matter that I was a size 8 instead of a 6, or that I wasn't the perfect weight... I could run a set of stairs without panting, and climb a straight vertical hill to reach a river to paddle (whitewater kayak) Being a skinny stick is not healthy. Being a vibrant, confident, lean and strong woman meeting challenges and achieving goals is healthy.
  • NMay50
    NMay50 Posts: 40 Member
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    I hope this makes sense.... IMHO the term "skinny" means different things to different people. Similar to "spicy". What's spicy to one person, isn't necessarily spicy to another person. "Healthy" can be measured. I am working on being healthy and fit. :smile:
    Nancy
  • aproc
    aproc Posts: 1,033 Member
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    I have learned that everyone's idea of skinny isn't healthy at all. I lost weight and am now told I look great but now I am under the healthy bmi range. But it's skinny right? I'm working on gaining some of the weight back because too many risks come with being what most of the country defines as skinny. I never had as many problems with such intolerance to cold. I've gained ten pounds back from the 110 I was a couple months ago. I think it's just important to focus on what is healthy for your body and how you feel at the weight. It's no good if your miserable when you get 'skinny'. My focus is just working on my fitness and letting the weight work itself out. :P
  • kwebster1956
    kwebster1956 Posts: 14 Member
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    I agree I have been both very thin and overweight, but have never been really fit and healthy. I started this to get thin, but since joining this forum I changed my goals to also become more active, to gain more endurance and try new things out of my comfort zone...like kyaking, or taking a dance class. I truly feel so much more motivated by using MFP!!
  • emmerrs
    emmerrs Posts: 158 Member
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    When I really think about it, my goals are to be skinny AND healthy, but not one without the other. I really want to focus on eating nutritious food, lowering the amount of sodium and processed food I eat and help stabilize both my blood pressure and blood sugar levels. But in doing so, I also really want a bomb body.

    However, I definitely see people who destroy their bodies in pursuing the goal of being skinny and I'm gonna work really hard to make sure I don't do that because it can be so easy to do and excessive dieting can be SO bad for your health.
  • wyze
    wyze Posts: 248
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    Thank you all for your honest responses. Like i stated earlier, my aim for putting up the topic is not to put anyone down, i just wanted to know how people felt about the issue. I think it is safe to say that we have all learned one or two things from all the responses here, i know i have. Keep it coming and thanks for taking the time to respond

    Here's to a healthy BMI and slimmer selves, hot bods and most importantly happy and peaceful lives...Cheers:smile::flowerforyou:
  • misslizz6958
    misslizz6958 Posts: 124 Member
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    Not many will agree with this but I've been healthy the last 50 pounds (withn my norm body weight) but I want to be skinny
  • alantin
    alantin Posts: 621 Member
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    I have been wondering this same thing.

    To me, skinny has very much the same ring to it as "anorexic", i.e. skinny --> skin and bones.. lol :laugh:

    My mini-goal was being healthy and the ultimate goal is being fit. :wink:
    Reached the healthy weight zone already and some indexes say that I'm in my ideal weight right now but I'm not fit yet. Weight loss has been secondary to me for a while now.
  • wyze
    wyze Posts: 248
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    I think ultimately whatever we all decide that our goals are, whether its to be healthy or skinny, we get to live in those choices. The most important thing is to be as honest as possible with ourselves...;

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