What counts as thin?

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  • soapsandropes
    soapsandropes Posts: 269 Member
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    hekla90 wrote: »

    Why does it make her partner a jerk? Because he/she isn't a liar? A bmi of 21 is not "thin" it's right in the middle of normMal and no where near skinny or slim or whatever unless you are rocking a really low body fat.

    I said that the comment was kind of a jerk comment, not that they were a jerk. It may be honest but it is kind of thoughtless. To put it in another context: You have a hobby that you worked really hard on a project, it took you months of work. You say "Hey look at this thing that I made isn't it great?" and they say "I could buy something better at the store". I think that her partner was discounting all of her hard work. I didn't say that it was meant to be mean spirited, and lying isn't good either. Since slim and thin are both so subjective why would you use those terms at all?
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    I think in general that men and women view "thin" differently. I know a guy who thinks anything size 12 and under is too thin and another who thinks a six is "getting fat". Most women I know are ecstatic to be a six to 10 so.. I don't know.

    I would have to agree. I don't know what sizes can be consider thin or the other way around.

  • hekla90
    hekla90 Posts: 595 Member
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    hekla90 wrote: »

    Why does it make her partner a jerk? Because he/she isn't a liar? A bmi of 21 is not "thin" it's right in the middle of normMal and no where near skinny or slim or whatever unless you are rocking a really low body fat.

    I said that the comment was kind of a jerk comment, not that they were a jerk. It may be honest but it is kind of thoughtless. To put it in another context: You have a hobby that you worked really hard on a project, it took you months of work. You say "Hey look at this thing that I made isn't it great?" and they say "I could buy something better at the store". I think that her partner was discounting all of her hard work. I didn't say that it was meant to be mean spirited, and lying isn't good either. Since slim and thin are both so subjective why would you use those terms at all?
    And if it sucked I would fully want the world to be honest with me especially my partner of all people. Just because you work hard doesn't entitle you to credit results haven't achieved yet. You get credit for what you have done. If you don't want the real answer don't ask.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    Yeah, but there's honesty and there's brutal honesty! I don't want to be lied to, but something like 'You look great and you're doing really well, but you're not skinny' or something would have been fine. Even 'You're doing well but you still have a bit to go' would have been better than 'You are not a thin person' lol.

    Huh?

  • Diana_GettingFit
    Diana_GettingFit Posts: 458 Member
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    Yeah, but there's honesty and there's brutal honesty! I don't want to be lied to, but something like 'You look great and you're doing really well, but you're not skinny' or something would have been fine. Even 'You're doing well but you still have a bit to go' would have been better than 'You are not a thin person' lol.


    If he knew your mother was freaking you out calling you skinny then he probably thought he was giving you the answer you wanted. This is the classic no win situation for your boyfriend.
  • JamestheLiar
    JamestheLiar Posts: 148 Member
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    Question: Do scales in the UK actually give weight in "stones" or does one have to do the math in one's head? As an American, don't I have the God-given Right to not have to multiply and/or divide by 14 (stone) or 2.2 (kg) just to understand what the rest of the world is talking about? I'll have to check our long list of God-given American Rights, but I'm sure that's in there somewhere.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    As you can tell from this thread, guys HATE this question. Especially guys who haven't been through it before and had a good outcome.

    As a guy how you look after you've been gardening in cutoffs and your hair is all stringy and you're drenched in sweat. 99 times out of 100, you'll hear, "Fine."

    As them how you look after you just had your hair done and a mani/pedi and have slipped into the most gorgeous dress on
    the planet: "Fine."

    This is why God invented best friends. Best friends will say, "Oh, my god, you look gorgeous. That is the PERFECT shade dress! I love it! And it's so pretty while being just the right amount of cute. No, not teenage at all. It's beautiful. I can see why you'd worry, but no. It's perfect. It's like you were born to wear this dress. That much? So what?! You deserve it. You look fantastic. And those shoes are amazing. Where did you get them? And you hair! The highlights look good. They totally blend with your hair and skin. Did you get lowlights, too?"

    I'd you get more than "Fine", be glad. One day, it will be the answer to every single question about how anything looks. New bathroom curtains? Fine. The flowers you've slaved over? "Fine." Stain on the wall? "Fine." Everything will be "Fine."
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    Kalikel wrote: »
    As you can tell from this thread, guys HATE this question. Especially guys who haven't been through it before and had a good outcome.

    "

    Oh I had good outcomes out of questions like this.

  • momar23
    momar23 Posts: 292 Member
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    The thing is a lot of my friends and people I meet at races, sociable things etc are very good runners and many of them are extremely thin compared to most people, almost certainly underweight. I think I'm comparing myself to them. I can pinch a lot more than an inch lol!

    How do you know they are underweight? You can't tell someone's weight just by looking at them. People who have a higher muscle mass and lower body fat can look really thin, but weigh more than you think.

    Case in point:
    image007.jpg

    This is great!
  • ExRelaySprinter
    ExRelaySprinter Posts: 874 Member
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    Kalikel wrote: »
    As you can tell from this thread, guys HATE this question. Especially guys who haven't been through it before and had a good outcome.

    As a guy how you look after you've been gardening in cutoffs and your hair is all stringy and you're drenched in sweat. 99 times out of 100, you'll hear, "Fine."

    As them how you look after you just had your hair done and a mani/pedi and have slipped into the most gorgeous dress on
    the planet: "Fine."

    This is why God invented best friends. Best friends will say, "Oh, my god, you look gorgeous. That is the PERFECT shade dress! I love it! And it's so pretty while being just the right amount of cute. No, not teenage at all. It's beautiful. I can see why you'd worry, but no. It's perfect. It's like you were born to wear this dress. That much? So what?! You deserve it. You look fantastic. And those shoes are amazing. Where did you get them? And you hair! The highlights look good. They totally blend with your hair and skin. Did you get lowlights, too?"

    I'd you get more than "Fine", be glad. One day, it will be the answer to every single question about how anything looks. New bathroom curtains? Fine. The flowers you've slaved over? "Fine." Stain on the wall? "Fine." Everything will be "Fine."

    Ha,ha,....too funny!
  • paris458
    paris458 Posts: 231 Member
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    I consider myself thin. I am 5'9" and 130lbs. many people tell me I am skinny or tell me to eat a cheeseburger. There is no set number of what makes you thin, just a comparison. So it really depends on what you compare it to.
  • MarziPanda95
    MarziPanda95 Posts: 1,326 Member
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    Jamloche wrote: »
    Question: Do scales in the UK actually give weight in "stones" or does one have to do the math in one's head? As an American, don't I have the God-given Right to not have to multiply and/or divide by 14 (stone) or 2.2 (kg) just to understand what the rest of the world is talking about? I'll have to check our long list of God-given American Rights, but I'm sure that's in there somewhere.

    I know you're being sarcastic, but just in case anyone wanted to know... scales here go by whatever you want them to. You can set them to tell you your weight in stones and pounds, pounds only, or kg.

    OP, what I've found is that it's harder for someone who's tall to be regarded as 'thin' or 'slim', especially if you have a big bone structure. I'm 5'7 with very wide hips and I doubt I'll ever get to a point where I'll be considered slim/thin unless I'm underweight, which I certainly don't want to be. Though there are of course plenty of people who are tall and don't have a big bone structure, so it sort of depends on that. But at your current BMI... I doubt you're 'cuddly' as your husband puts it.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
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    noelitall wrote: »
    Different cultures have different meaning to those terms. For me personally, slim and trim means skinny/trimmed like size 00-3. Then normal to me is 4-8. Anything above that is chubby fluffy. But those terms are for my body and height and what I think of myself

    That's ridiculous. Height and frame size make a BIG difference. I'm nearly 6' tall and a size 4 could never be normal for me--it's just not physically possible unless you have a really tiny frame.
  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
    edited August 2015
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    It depends on how you are built, so BMI isn't necessarily the only thing you need. But...in general, I think women at a BMI of 21 look "average" or "healthy". I wouldn't use the words thin or slim for most of them. Some look very good, and some still look a little chunky to me and should lose a few pounds (in my opinion!!!). There are exceptions...typically for people who are mostly muscle with very low body fat. If you have any kind of bulge around the waist, or any areas that are still a little larger than you like, then I would most likely not call you slim/thin (they mean the same thing to me).

    I'm at a BMI of 24 right now. While I know that is healthy, and I think I look pretty good, there is no way I would describe myself as slim or thin. And I have much broader shoulders than most women, so that weight is distributed over a probably slightly above average frame size. However...I still have too much fat in the waist and upper arms, and I still want to lose a few more pounds. Until my waist size is where it should be, I can't use the word thin to describe myself.

    FYI, I do agree with the person above who said friends and loved ones can't necessarily be relied upon to give honest feedback. For example, several of my friends have recently called me "skinny". That is ridiculous, but I know they are just being nice and encouraging since I have lost so much. Most people just want to make you feel good, and those who are honest know they might get their heads bitten off if the person doesn't want genuine feedback but is instead just fishing for compliments. LOL!

  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
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    Yeah, but there's honesty and there's brutal honesty! I don't want to be lied to, but something like 'You look great and you're doing really well, but you're not skinny' or something would have been fine. Even 'You're doing well but you still have a bit to go' would have been better than 'You are not a thin person' lol.

    They mean the same thing. Personally, I see no difference and would not be offended by any of them. If you don't want an honest answer, don't ask the question. Don't complain because someone didn't lie to you or use the exact words you were looking for.
  • Stuart107
    Stuart107 Posts: 17 Member
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    Jamloche wrote: »
    Question: Do scales in the UK actually give weight in "stones" or does one have to do the math in one's head?

    Typically switchable between stones/pounds, e.g. 9st 13lb, and kilograms. In my experience it's rarer to see scales that weight just in pounds, e.g. 139lb.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    edited August 2015
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    Yeah, but there's honesty and there's brutal honesty! I don't want to be lied to, but something like 'You look great and you're doing really well, but you're not skinny' or something would have been fine. Even 'You're doing well but you still have a bit to go' would have been better than 'You are not a thin person' lol.


    If he knew your mother was freaking you out calling you skinny then he probably thought he was giving you the answer you wanted. This is the classic no win situation for your boyfriend.

    That's exactly what I'm saying. This is how I imagine this conversation...

    OP: My mom told me I'm on the slim side of thin? [frown face] Do you think I'm thin?
    BF: [frown face = bad. This one is easy--I know how to respond!] You are not thin.
    OP: [bigger frown face]
    BF: ?
  • paris458
    paris458 Posts: 231 Member
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    I had a bf tell me I wasnt exactly petite :( hahaha
  • dolliesdaughter
    dolliesdaughter Posts: 544 Member
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    Don't ask a guy because you will never hear what you want to hear, or think you should hear. It is always a set up. I wish guys would stop falling for that trick question.
    If a lady is asking a question under the pretense of wanting honesty when she really only wants to hear what she wants to hear, that is her fault and problem, in my opinion.

    Not all guys are the same. So, the "Don't ask a guy because..." is not a logical statement.
    Correction: IMHO "Dont ask a guy because......."