too skinny?

segovm · May 2014

When I was in my twenties I was 5'9 about 135-140 lbs and people ALWAYS said the same thing about me. I was incredibly active and mostly endurance stuff, long distance biking and running with some martial arts thrown in.

I was healthy and energetic so honestly I could care less.

Looking back at my own pictures though I can see what they were talking about. I was gaunt and very lean. It was the perfect body for the lifestyle I lived but not what most people consider healthy.

If the body you have right now works for the things you love to do with it then keep it! If you want to go for meeting other people's expectations I guess the idea is to eat a little more and build a bit more lean muscle mass. But keeping other people happy is a full time job and the fact is most of the folks saying stuff have no idea what they are talking about.

When I was younger gaining 10 lbs of muscle might have made me look better but it would have slowed down my runs and hindered my rides. People think muscle is always a good thing but the reality is a lean body has some advantages too.

kid_amy · May 2014

I know how you feel. I'm 5'7, CW-117, GW-115 and people throw the "you're too thin" comments at me too. Go by how you feel, not by the number on the scale. If you feel healthy and energized then you're good. I don't think people realize that harping on someone being too skinny can be as hurtful and offensive as saying someone's too heavy.

MyChocolateDiet · May 2014

Because I was worried her hair might be thinning from too few cals. Try not to get all up in arms. To me she does look borderline thin. So I was concerned. She asked this question on this thread and pointed to her profile pic for judgement. As such I can ask. So I did.

Another sign of not eating enough is thinning splitting nails, FYI.

ash190489 · May 2014

You look fine, but I'd consider doing some weight training now to get some nice shape

fificrazy · May 2014

BMI charts are inaccurate- they do not reflect a person's natural set point. They do not tell you anything about your genetics. The most accurate ways to gauge whether or not you're underweight for your body type depends more on:

1. the amount of calories you're maintaining on (it should be between 2400-3000)
2. are all normal bodily processes (hair growth, menstrual cycle, sleep) still functioning properly?
3. blood work: are you low in any categories? or are your results coming up too high in some? often times, nutrients will leech out from your bones during times of restriction- giving you false and very high levels of calcium in the bloodstream.
4. -and these are the most indicative of a problem- are you always thinking about food? does your emotions fluctuate depending on what you have/have not eaten? do you feel guilty? do you meticulously plan every meal? do you have a hard time straying from your "meal plan"? do you have safe foods/fear foods?

loseweightfast339 · May 2014

they could mean by that is that you have little muscle making you appear frail no matter your weight

healthforlife11 · May 2014

From what I see you look like you are at a healthy weight. Don't go by what people say..especially if they don't know what they are talking about. Find out your body mass index and go from there!

PikaKnight · May 2014

So only your opinion counts and we are to assume you know what you are talking about and that you are psychic to know that all of us don't know what we are talking about.

I see.

HAS415 · May 2014

I am starting to get the same thing, hun. I feel your pain. I have lost 130 lbs since April of last year. People are used to seeing me fat. It's driving me crazy to hear all of these comments. I don't see it, but I'm starting to question are these people right? Also, you have to have enough muscle. That's what my trainer is trying to get me to build up now. It's a struggle for me, but I trust him with my life, so I'm trying to fight through my doubts. Talk to your doctor and see what he says. I think it's all about how you feel. Good luck!

ashleyisgreat · May 2014

I guess your arm looks kind of thin, but overall you seem okay. I certainly wouldn't look at you and be instantly alarmed for your health.

scarrletti_girl · May 2014

no that is a healthy weight for that height but i wouldn't lose anymore weight though. so right now i say your not too skinny. but who cares what others think it's about what you think.

youngdreamer · May 2014

From your profile picture, I'm sorry but I would have to say too skinny. If I may ask, are you large framed? I'm 5'6, large framed & my UGW is 145lbs. I'd imagine any lower than 140 wouldn't look good on me at all.

SunofaBeach14 · May 2014

5'6" and 145? Um. Okay.

MyChocolateDiet · May 2014

There are times I feel we are just throwing a deck of cards up in the air and just seeing where the numbers land. This gets pretty confusing sometimes.

MrGonzo05 · May 2014

Life becomes more fun when you stop trying to change yourself so others feel validated.

SunofaBeach14 · May 2014

So we're not playing 52 pickup?

MyChocolateDiet · May 2014

NO it's more like a combo game of that and the game where you stick the card to your forehead. All of us are in a room with the tape sticky side out on our foreheads. Then someone throws all the cards in the air and we just see which card sticks to whose head. And that's our cal goal. Right now I think mine is the Jack of Spades. What's yours?

SunofaBeach14 · May 2014

*pours tequila shots* here, this will make your clothes fall off . . . Or so I'm told

MyChocolateDiet · May 2014

And when they do, I will weigh less, yes?

youngdreamer · May 2014

"Um. Okay."? Care to elaborate, please? Something wrong with that number? It's most certainly not set in stone. Just a figure that I've come to believe is a good aim. Ultimately, I'd like to go by how I feel/being content with what I see in the mirror. I'm not so naive to think that once that magical number appears on the scale it will serve as the sole source of newly found confidence & happiness.

ninerbuff · May 2014

Well within range.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

MJ_Watson · May 2014

OP, I think you look fine (though I don't feel entirely comfortable judging by a single pic) and your weight seems reasonable. If you like the way you look and feel healthy and your doctor agrees, I see no reason to doubt yourself. Your loved ones will most likely get used to the change eventually.

Also:

Not sure what you're trying to say. 145 is a perfectly fine weight for a 5'6" individual. If you're going by BMI, it's well into the healthy range, and 140 being the median, it makes sense for someone who has a bigger frame or more muscle mass to aim for the middle-upper range - in fact, that's the recommendation.

einzweidrei · May 2014

I don't think you look too thin---I think the angle of your picture is making your arm look very thin.

I think you look thin/normal.

SunofaBeach14 · May 2014

Congratulations on criticizing another's body and immediately taking umbrage with even the hint that someone was doing the same to you.

SunofaBeach14 · May 2014

I agree with you on both points. The OP appears to be at a perfectly healthy weight. One of the interesting phenomena that I watch both on here and elsewhere is the knee-jerk criticism of anyone on the lower end of the BMI scale as being too skinny while simultaneously calling anyone at the upper end of the BMI scale as just fine and beautiful. I read the former and it didn't take much to elicit the latter.

VampireDiariesxo · May 2014

Technically the OP did ask whether anyone thought she was too skinny so she's bound to get people that think she is and people that think she isn't.

Anyway based purely on the pictures I don't think the OP is too skinny at all. I hate when people use BMI to judge whether someone is healthy or not. Yes it's good to be used as a base but it's not the be all and end all that people make it out to be. Far better to go by bodyfat % or even measurements like waist to hip ratio.

Also, everyone is different. What I look like at 120 lbs is going to be different to what someone else with the same height looks like at that weight. This is why BMI is so rubbish as it doesn't take into account lean mass.

SunofaBeach14 · May 2014

Post a thread with a picture of an overweight individual and ask if you are too fat, wait for "that" guy/woman to actually tell you that you are overweight, and watch the outpouring of criticism. I'd say use search but most of them are eventually deleted for body shaming.

BMI works fine for the majority of the population. It does not work well with those with considerable lean mass and the guides to the use of BMI are pretty clear on this. It is one tool in the tool box and it should be used thoughtfully. I honestly don't use it myself though and I'm not arguing with your general criticism of it, just that I think saying it's "rubbish" is pushing it too far.

VampireDiariesxo · May 2014

That's fair enough. It's wrong in either case so I get where you're coming from as a bit of double standards going on.

I guess saying it's rubbish is a bit too harsh, but I guess what I meant was it's impossible to judge how slim someone is on BMI alone which is what always happens nowadays on internet forums (especially when there are no pictures to see). For example someone with a low BMI may be told she's far too skinny but she just might have a smaller frame than the average person. Basically what I'm trying to say is, BMI is not an indication if you have the perfect body or not. Yes it shows for most people whether they're at a healthy weight for their height, but it doesn't really show whether you're skinny or chubby. Pictures, on the other hand, I think are perfect if taken properly.

youngdreamer · May 2014

Hmm, my apologies. I actually didn't mean to come off so rude. OP did ask for other people's opinions, but I'm sure I could have phrased what I wanted to say much better. Ultimately, I'm with a previous post that recommended she consider lifting & gain some muscle.

runningagainstmyself · May 2014

You look great, but start lifting. Big weight loss = big muscle loss if you don't maintain it, and big muscle loss = lower metabolic burn. You want your body to be constantly burning calories, so get weight training!

Les Mills' Pump is a pretty good way to start if you've never maneuvered weights before, as they start light and you can choose how much you want to lift.

Also, New Rules of Lifting for Life looks to be pretty promising, and I'm sure you could find an e-copy somewhere.

too skinny?

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