Is Being Skinny Fat Okay?
MeiannaLee
Posts: 338 Member
Hi everyone! 
So last year I lost roughly 50 pounds and Ive been maintaining for 5 months.
I am super proud with losing the weight and I feel very confident and happy.
At 5'1 I weigh 100 pounds and needless to say I'm pretty flat haha.
Which I dont mind. Like I said I feel comfortable :}
However I feel an overwhelming amount of pressure from not only my family but to be honest, society, to gain muscle and have washboard abs, a big butt, toned arms etc.
I see people on tumblr and the victoria secret models that have a tone stomach and mad glutes and I feel like that is the only acceptable form of "attractive" or "skinny"...
What is everyone's opinion on that? Should I feel pressured to gain muscle and do it even though I dont care about not having a booty? (lol) Especially, because every {cute} person that Ive met always says that the first thing theyre attracted to is big booties.
So last year I lost roughly 50 pounds and Ive been maintaining for 5 months.
I am super proud with losing the weight and I feel very confident and happy.
At 5'1 I weigh 100 pounds and needless to say I'm pretty flat haha.
Which I dont mind. Like I said I feel comfortable :}
However I feel an overwhelming amount of pressure from not only my family but to be honest, society, to gain muscle and have washboard abs, a big butt, toned arms etc.
I see people on tumblr and the victoria secret models that have a tone stomach and mad glutes and I feel like that is the only acceptable form of "attractive" or "skinny"...
What is everyone's opinion on that? Should I feel pressured to gain muscle and do it even though I dont care about not having a booty? (lol) Especially, because every {cute} person that Ive met always says that the first thing theyre attracted to is big booties.
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Replies
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Being whatever you want to be is ok. Make your body what you want it, you're the only one that has to live in it.0
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At your age, I was pressured to get good grades and to do well in my job. You have it easy.0
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It's not OK because it is not good for your long-term health.
Build some weight lifting into your workout plan and focus on being strong and healthy rather than on achieving a rather impossible look.
What you see in ads and in magazines is largely fake anyhow--even models don't really look like that...it is photoshop.0 -
Everyone has different body preferences, but nobody's preference matters more than your own. If you don't care and you're happy with your body, then keep it the way it is.0
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MeiannaLee wrote: »Especially, because every {cute} person that Ive met always says that the first thing theyre attracted to is big booties.
Damn! Any other hella curvy (esp non-white) chicks low-key mad that big butts are in right now? WHERE WERE ALL YA'LL WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL!!! lol
Back to the matter at hand: You do you, boo. If you think your body is beautiful, then that should be enough for you. Back in the day, it was the opposite for me. No butts, slim, athletic-looking, tall, builds with big breasts were in and despite being a size 2, I was called fat for my curvy figure. I did everything I could to lose my bum and actually resented my smaller waist-size, wanting to be the lithe, thin, model-like frames that I saw everywhere at the time, but to no use. My measurements remained the same.
So I just shrugged and accepted it. I continued to work out because I wanted to be a better, healthier, stronger, me. And then--well, look at that. 2012 came and went and now for the first time in my years of being alive, all of a sudden, the body I'd been trying to get rid of for god knows how long is suddenly "en vogue". Screw you, society!
My point is, trends and desirability shift and change all the time. Lift weights because it's going to make you stronger, prevent osteoporosis when you're older, and give you more energy, NOT because you think you need to live up to someone *else's* standards of beauty.0 -
This is not what "skinny fat" means. "Skinny fat" refers to people who have very high bodyfat percentages despite maintaining an "optimal" BMI. Lacking popping muscles or not being a bodybuilder does NOT make you "skinny fat".0
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Do what you want.. You're the only one living your life0
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JanetYellen wrote: »At your age, I was pressured to get good grades and to do well in my job. You have it easy.
I love my grades and job so Im good in that department xD0 -
First, congrats on the weight loss! I'm also short, 5"2, so I know how hard it is since we get less calories to begin with. I don't think you should change bc you feel pressure. That is the biggest problem with society. Like you, I'm small on top, and even flatter as I leaned out. I like the muscle gain and definition I got from lifting. It's what makes me happy and more confident. I think lifting is great not only for how it can change your body composition, but as you get older, it's great for maintaining your lean mass and helps prevent osteoporosis like another person mentioned. As far as abs go, a lot of it is genetics. Not everyone can get seperation in their abdomen, it doesn't mean you can't get detention and look great, but genetics play a role there.0
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you only need to do what you want, how dear other people tell you to bulk up . You look fabulous0
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As long as you like how you look, go for it. Don't try to change for someone else. Men's tastes run in every possible direction; for every one you find that likes one particular body shape, you'll find someone who likes the opposite. And of course looks are only one factor of many anyway - it may determine initial interest but actual interactions can adjust the level of attraction wildly in either direction.0
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OP congrats on the loss, I think you look great. Weight training is really only good if you (personally) enjoy it. If you don't enjoy something it's easier to give it up.0
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20yearsyounger wrote: »
Well according to bod fat percentage calculaters online it says im 25% bf. Wouldnt that be considered too much?0 -
djeffreys10 wrote: »Being whatever you want to be is ok. Make your body what you want it, you're the only one that has to live in it.
Favorite thing I've read all day0 -
Hmmm, this should not be about what you look like or what pressures you feel from the outside. This should be about what is healthy... if you want to optimize things, you should build muscle...it is good for you in so many ways.
Do it for the right reasons, though.
R
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MeiannaLee wrote: »20yearsyounger wrote: »
Well according to bod fat percentage calculaters online it says im 25% bf. Wouldnt that be considered too much?
Not at all. It would be a lot for a man, but women naturally have higher body fat percentages because men have greater musculature (so it takes more fat to reach the same bf%).
Normal for a young woman like you is 21-33%, so you're on the low side of normal.0 -
MeiannaLee wrote: »20yearsyounger wrote: »
Well according to bod fat percentage calculaters online it says im 25% bf. Wouldnt that be considered too much?
Unless you get a dexa scan nothing is 100% accurate.0 -
You are fine. BUT......
I am the same height and weight as you, and was from my teens to my fifties. Up to my forties my daily activity kept me fit and with a decent muscle mass.
In my fifties I put on 30lbs then lost back to my normal weight.
The difference was- I had to work very hard to regain the muscle I lost. I am now in better shape than I was in my 30-40's, but it has taken 3-4 years to get there.
Why do I tell you this?
So you know, even if you do not want to work out formally, keeping active and moving is important.
At your age I thought once I hit 50 never mind 60 I would be an old lady and wouldn't care. How wrong I was!
I enjoy an active regular life, much more so than a lot of my friends and look pretty good for my age, yes still important.
I now have the opportunity to travel to far flung places and I want to be the woman that keeps up with everyone, not the woman tagging along struggling with a walker.
TLDR: Stay as you are that is fine, but be aware that as you age the benefits of good bones, muscles, heart, and lungs become more apparent.
Cheers, h.0 -
MeiannaLee wrote: »20yearsyounger wrote: »
Well according to bod fat percentage calculaters online it says im 25% bf. Wouldnt that be considered too much?
All depends how good your measurements are. You dont look like 25% bf.
Take a look at the pictures as well on this link
http://www.builtlean.com/2010/08/03/ideal-body-fat-percentage-chart/
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This is not what "skinny fat" means. "Skinny fat" refers to people who have very high bodyfat percentages despite maintaining an "optimal" BMI. Lacking popping muscles or not being a bodybuilder does NOT make you "skinny fat".
Bingo!
OP, you are not skinny fat.
You may not be muscular but if you want to try a resistance program that's up to your personal preference.0 -
I would die to have your body!!!1
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Of course you shouldn't feel pressured, if you do, that's an internal issue you need to address. If your health markers are good, and you're happy with your body, then get on with your bad self!
Edit because making werds is hard.0 -
Ignore any family members who are criticizing you.1
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Screw society. You look amazing and should do whatever makes YOU feel comfortable.0
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What's important is how YOU feel.
I work out because I like to feel strong.
Anyway, definitely wouldn't call you "skinny fat". You look great.
but if you wanted to build some booty, just do some squats, no biggie.0 -
gracepost123 wrote: »I would die to have your body!!!
But...then you wouldn't...because...you'd be dead...0 -
"Is it okay to not want to look like people in magazines?"
I have a hard time even accepting this is a serious question. If you don't think something is attractive and you don't want to look like that, then be your own person and don't. If being on tumbler and Instagram makes you feel insecure then, ya know, don't be on tumbler and Instagram. You don't have to drink the koolaid just because others are. Life's going to be rough until you figure that out.0 -
I'd be more worried about the fact that you have the body of a female human but the head of a cat! Get caught in the transporter device from the Fly?
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I can't wait for this waist trainer, butt implant/fat transfer trend to be over with.0
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