Anorexic at goal weight?

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  • cantjustcant
    cantjustcant Posts: 1,027 Member
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    I think it is perception. I am currently 221 and originally set a goal of 175 because I thought lower would make me appear too thin. Now I am thinking that it is because I have been heavy for so long I don't remember what 150 felt like or looked like. Your family is probably the same way. They are looking at you losing 100 lbs and thinking that's a huge difference. Once they see that you are working it off the smart way and not in a dangerous unhealthy way they will come around\
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    This is why I think that a goal bf% is more realistic than a goal weight. I'm 5'3" and at 125# I am at 13% bf, if I drop much further below this I will be unhealthy over the long term. I know women who stand taller than me and can be an extremely healthy 115 pounds, it's body composition and muscle mass.
  • jamiealdridge02
    jamiealdridge02 Posts: 93 Member
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    I think it is perception. I am currently 221 and originally set a goal of 175 because I thought lower would make me appear too thin. Now I am thinking that it is because I have been heavy for so long I don't remember what 150 felt like or looked like. Your family is probably the same way. They are looking at you losing 100 lbs and thinking that's a huge difference. Once they see that you are working it off the smart way and not in a dangerous unhealthy way they will come around\

    Well said!! Even though I am still 10lbs away from my goal weight, some people have already saide "how skinny" I look, but it is just because they are used to me nearly 17lbs heavier. Sometimes people say things out of jealousy or just b/c they dislike change, especially good changes for someone else. Stick with it and be flexible with your goal weight.
  • inlander
    inlander Posts: 339 Member
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    There are two reasons why someone would say that:

    1. You actually DO appear unhealthy from an objective person's viewpoint ( a doctor can confirm ) or
    2. He/she is so used to you being heavier that they think you are "too thin" - even at a healthy weight.

    I wouldn't listen to anyone but a doctor.
  • Erica002
    Erica002 Posts: 293 Member
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    It honestly depends on your body. I'm 5'9" and when I was 160, people told me I needed to put on some weight. That I was disgustingly skinny. And I had never been bigger than that (till now) for them to be used to seeing me at a bigger weight. Go for what you happily see in the mirror. There's a girl at the gym I go to, she's my height as well. I don't know how much she weighs, but her thigh is as big as my upper arm and you can see her bones, now THAT is anorexic...
  • megz4987
    megz4987 Posts: 1,008 Member
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    In my profile pictures, the one in the red sweatshirt is me at 5'8, 140lb. I have a fairly large frame, broad shoulders, big hips, etc.
    To answer your question, yes. People told me at 160 I was getting too thin but they had never seen my any smaller than I had been so.

    I think what they're saying is that they wont be used to seeing you that weight so it'll be a little bit of a shock to them. However, if you're comfortable at that weight, good for you :)
  • barbiex3
    barbiex3 Posts: 1,036 Member
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    no... i'm 5'8.5" 130lbs... this is a joke
  • barbiex3
    barbiex3 Posts: 1,036 Member
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    Anorexic is a strong word to use when someone does not have an eating disorder.

    this...
  • Mitchlou84
    Mitchlou84 Posts: 135
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    I would look far too thin if I went off a goal weight off the charts. I am only 5ft1, but just heavy I think. Don't get me wrong I am overweight, I weigh 211 lb at the minute and I want to get to about 154! I am a size 14-16 UK though, not as enormous as you might think.

    I will see how I look then and go from there, I might reduce it a bit, but not to anything like the 107-134 that I 'should' be going for!

    I am aiming for a UK size 10, I would be over the moon with that.
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
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    It depends on your body. My grandfather was told his healthy weight was between 80-85kg. When he got under 95kg he looked terrible. I had friends asking me if he had cancer!

    My goal weight is between 60-70kg. To me that seems insane! But I won't know until I get there. My current goal weight would have me still being overweight. But I'm going to get there and reevaluate what my goals are.
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
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    People tell me all the time that my goal is too thin. People on MFP send me personal messages all the time that tell me what they think of my goals...

    It seems that if your healthy range is from 115-150 (for example) and you set your goal for the low end of the range, people automatically think you're crazy or something.

    I'm 5'5" tall, weigh around 140 now and can pinch a heck of a lot more than an inch. I have over 30% body fat and look like crap in a bikini... When I was 126 pounds, I was still "pudgy" and had between 22-25% body fat. My goal is to maintain around 17% body fat and get down to about 12% on occasion to participate in figure competitions. By all calculations, it seems that I will weigh around 115 when I get there. But for some reason, yes, people feel they have to tell me how "unhealthy" that is.

    But those people ignore the fact that I eat around 1500 calories a day minumum. I also do 3-4 weight training sessions per week and 4-5 cardio sessions per week. I am certainly NOT an unhealthy person. I think people just enjoy picking apart other people's goals if they have different goals.

    I wouldn't tell someone that their goal of 145 pounds is too heavy and would make them look fat simply because my goal is lower than theirs. They should have the decency to not tell me that 115 is too thin and unhealthy simply because their goal is higher than mine.
  • jackiemarie
    jackiemarie Posts: 111
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    I really hate that! It's every bit as rude as saying "You look obese." Why do people feel it ok to "intervene" for one and not the other?

    It also shows a certain amount of ignorance on the part of the person saying it. Anorexia is not a "look", it's a mental disorder. People may HAVE anorexica, or SUFFER FROM anorexia, but they don't "look anorexic". Not all anorexics are ultra thin, and all thin people don't automatically have anorexia.

    People have (in the past) told me I "look anorexic". I was very thin, but never sick. I was fit and healthy, just skinny. (By the way, my teenage son is the same way, but no one ever asks HIM if he has an eating disorder. Why is that?) As I get closer to my goal weight I expect I'll start hearing it again. *sigh* I know what they mean when they say it, but it still irritates me. It irritates me even more when they say it like it some kind of compliment. Ugh.

    And last but not least, 150 is NOT an unhealthy weight for most 5'7" women. Everyone is different and carries weight differently, of course, but 150 is within the normal weight range for a 5'7" woman.

    this!!!! Totally agreed nothing drives me more crazy then when I
    told "I'm worried about you" I'm 5'7 124lb as of yesterday it took me 8 months to get here with diet and exercise and I'm at a healthy weight for my height and build. Not many people would go up to someone who weighs 400lb and say "I'm worried about you!!!!" when they probably should be. Why is it ok to say someone is too thin but not ok to say someone is too fat???!!!!
  • ilookthetype
    ilookthetype Posts: 3,021 Member
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    I'm sorry, but:
    1. You would NOT look like you had an eating problem at 5'7" and 153 pounds...that's totally healthy
    2. Please be careful throwing such a strong word (anorexic) around. It's a SERIOUS disease that shouldn't be taken lightly. There's a huge difference between being thin and being anorexic. One is a state of being, the other is an illness.

    Amen, my friend, amen. Your doc is a little odd, your sister might just be used to you at a heavier weight. She might also have no idea what you'd look like at 150.
  • jessradtke
    jessradtke Posts: 418 Member
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    I don't know if anyone is reading this thread anymore, but I would like to point something out.

    This was originally a question post. It was not my intention to start an argument over a simple word.
    Yes, I understand Anorexia is a serious disease and should be discussed seriously. I apologize again for throwing it around lightly and not treating it with the proper amount of respect.

    The entire point of this post was to ask if anyone else had been in the position my sister put me in with that statement...

    Has anyone else had a friend or family member tell them they would be too thin and not look healthy at their goal weight?

    I know this is an older thread, but I just wanted to say that I don't think anyone thought that YOU weren't taking the word seriously. We were frustrated by other people's casual use of the word TO YOU, not the way you were using the word. I'm sorry if you thought our venting was directed AT you!
  • LindaSue5
    LindaSue5 Posts: 7
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    My sister in law always tells me I will look sick but I know its just because she is jealous! She is big and doesn't want to do a thing to change it. She says thats the way it is when you get older and for a long time I bought in to that but not any more! We are both 48. I have lost 25 pounds and other people tell me I look good and I look healthy. Could it be possible that your people are jealous? Don't let anyone discourage you from doing what you need to do to feel good about yourself!
  • rodneyderrick
    rodneyderrick Posts: 483 Member
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    He wants you on sugar and blood pressure pills. He wants you paying for his big house in the Hills.
  • MrsZMartin
    MrsZMartin Posts: 165 Member
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    I'm 5'7" and my goal weight is 125. I don't start to look underweight until 115.

    Everyone is different! I am also 5'7" and I look best 130-135. I got down to 125 in college, and didn't like the way I looked. Maybe 150 is your stopping point. You need to look at yourself and figure out how your body looks best. I hate to hear a doctor said something so unprofessional. As for your sister, hrm, well, my mom told me lovingly once that she thought I was too thin, but would never use a serious accusation such as anorexic. As stated before, that's a disease that should not be taken lightly.
  • wildone31
    wildone31 Posts: 21
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    Sound like people not thinking before they speak to me, the doctor included. I have been at my goal weight before and only the people who didn't think before they spoke and the haters said mean things like that. I did look totally different but I not only felt great but I was in the best shape of my life! I was beating kids in foot races best shape of my life! grade school and high school kids! You have to grow a thick skin and learn to notice when people are talking out of their necks. It can be discouaging to listen to them. Keep going and when you get to your goal weight see how you feel and go from there. But trust me your going to feel and look great!
  • vanessaclarkgbr
    vanessaclarkgbr Posts: 765 Member
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    Totally untrue - I'm 5'7" and my best weight is 10 stone 7 (149.8 - just checked on my app!) and that was a 'perfect' weight for me. I felt like I looked good, I felt good, and was a UK size 12 so by no means skinny. That puts me at around the middle of a healthy BMI also - which is what I go by and unless you are especially muscular, I think BMI is a good, safe, guide. You're on the right track as far as I'm concerned, you go for it :-)
  • FabCheeky
    FabCheeky Posts: 311
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    http://www.mybodygallery.com/
    You can type in your height and your weight to see photos of other women at that weight and height. See for yourself.

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