What is "too thin?"
AwesomeOpossum74
Posts: 106 Member
I am 45yr, 6'3", 185lbs, my maintenance weight. I brought myself down from 215lbs since last July (I once weighed 230). My genetic build is thin, carrying most of my weight in my belly, most of which has also disappeared, and I am not particularly muscular.
I am proud of my accomplishment, both in the way I feel about my image, and for health reasons, as I hope this will at least delay the diabetes that runs in my family.
Since my loss, a couple of people have commented that they think I'm too thin. Coming from these people, these are not jealousy comments, but perhaps more "I'm not used to you looking like this." In my early 20's I was in the 160lb range. I was a stick, looking like a giraffe with my long, thin neck and lanky limbs.
So, cutting to the chase, how thin is too thin for someone my my height/age?
I am proud of my accomplishment, both in the way I feel about my image, and for health reasons, as I hope this will at least delay the diabetes that runs in my family.
Since my loss, a couple of people have commented that they think I'm too thin. Coming from these people, these are not jealousy comments, but perhaps more "I'm not used to you looking like this." In my early 20's I was in the 160lb range. I was a stick, looking like a giraffe with my long, thin neck and lanky limbs.
So, cutting to the chase, how thin is too thin for someone my my height/age?
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Replies
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I think where you are now is a healthy weight, with a BMI of around 23, and if you like that weight and feel comfortable there that should be good enough.
Here is a BMI chart that you might find handy. A BMI of 18.5 is usually considered the cutoff for underweight.
https://www.webmd.com/men/weight-loss-bmi0 -
One thing to note is that typically when someone loses weight and first gets close to their goal those sorts of comments are very common. As you maintain over the months and hopefully years you will find folks become more accustomed to "you" and they tend to stop.... I got a TON of them in 2017 when I first dropped my 30# but within a few months when I stabilized out (and I think in maintenance you also lose some of the haggard look as glycogen replaces in cells) they completely stopped. Just do YOU!11
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"Too thin" is such a personal preference.
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You are considered a normal weight for your height. There really isn't any reason you should be considered "too thin". I think honestly that people just consider normal weight people to be "too thin" because obesity is such a large epidemic now that it's shaped our perceptions of things. Overweight BMI is considered the new skinny and obese BMI the new normal. So someone who is actually a normal healthy weight for their height seems like a rarity which is what makes them think you are too skinny.11
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It sounds like you have a long, lean body type (ectomorph.) You could try to bulk up with weight bearing exercise, but it doesn't sound like you are too thin or doing anything to damage your body. I'm 5'7", but I have a larger frame. My ribs and such start poking out in the 130's. There are other women my height that look healthy at 120 because they have very petite frame.17
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SummerSkier wrote: »One thing to note is that typically when someone loses weight and first gets close to their goal those sorts of comments are very common. As you maintain over the months and hopefully years you will find folks become more accustomed to "you" and they tend to stop.... I got a TON of them in 2017 when I first dropped my 30# but within a few months when I stabilized out (and I think in maintenance you also lose some of the haggard look as glycogen replaces in cells) they completely stopped. Just do YOU!You are considered a normal weight for your height. There really isn't any reason you should be considered "too thin". I think honestly that people just consider normal weight people to be "too thin" because obesity is such a large epidemic now that it's shaped our perceptions of things. Overweight BMI is considered the new skinny and obese BMI the new normal. So someone who is actually a normal healthy weight for their height seems like a rarity which is what makes them think you are too skinny.
^^^This. A LOT of us who have lost a significant amount of weight have gotten the "too thin" comments. I think it comes partially from the fact that the people around us are not used to seeing us at a healthy weight, and partially from the fact that most people in general do not know what a healthy weight looks like.
If you are happy with your weight and your doctor says that it's a healthy weight for you, then you aren't too thin.8 -
People have NO IDEA what they're talking about when they say this! What made them an expert in knowing what random people should weigh or look like?2
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Their “too thin” comment might say more about them than it does about you.6
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Im currently experiencing a lot of this myself at the moment. Im 5'4" and now 124lbs, down from 163 at my heaviest. I feel great, but im fed up with people telling me not to lose any more or asking if I'm ill! I have no intention of losing more (officially started maintenance a week ago) but trying to explain that or recomposition is just frustrating.
Its funny how nobody was rude enough to comment on my ever increasing weight when i was being unhealthy, smoking, drinking and eating junk food, but now I'm at a healthy bmi, eating nutritious food (mostly!) and exercising when i can, it seems everyone feels they have the right to comment!9 -
Im currently experiencing a lot of this myself at the moment. Im 5'4" and now 124lbs, down from 163 at my heaviest. I feel great, but im fed up with people telling me not to lose any more or asking if I'm ill! I have no intention of losing more (officially started maintenance a week ago) but trying to explain that or recomposition is just frustrating.
Its funny how nobody was rude enough to comment on my ever increasing weight when i was being unhealthy, smoking, drinking and eating junk food, but now I'm at a healthy bmi, eating nutritious food (mostly!) and exercising when i can, it seems everyone feels they have the right to comment!
Congrats on your weight loss! I think many of us no longer know what normal weight looks like. And maybe there is some “crabs in a bucket” mentaility too? If fat shaming is verboten, why is it okay to call out slim people? I see it a lot on social media, that people are quick to point out how unhealthy skinny people can be - as a response to questioning an overweight person’s health. Really, whose business is it anyway?2 -
Their “too thin” comment might say more about them than it does about you.
Very true.
For context I've been maintaining fit & well near the top of the BMI healthy range for 5+ years.
But when I meet up with a certain friend she always asks "Have you lost MORE weight?" with a concerned look on her face as though I'm undernourished and wasting away.
A harsh but accurate description of my friend would be a fat, failed dieter.6 -
the "too thin" comments are coming from people who have diarrhea of the mouth and don't understand that commenting on another person's body is inappropriate. I get lots of inappropriate comments on my body right now because I'm pregnant so I'm a little extra sensitive to it atm.
I'd say if you're in the healthy range of BMI and your doctor has no concerns and you are happy with the way you look, then you're not too thin.9 -
If you look at the BMI chart..which you should.. you'll see there is a pretty big range from too thin to the top healthy weight right before the "overweight" range takes over.
I could weigh another 15 or 20 pounds less and still be in my healthy BMI range. Would I look too thin? I think for me.. yes I would look too thin. However.. as long as your weight is within that healthy range... you should not be concerned for your health3 -
'Too thin' is something I will never be...2
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When you look at a selfie and you scared yourself3
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Thanks to all your comments, I feel better!
And I have a couple of things to look up, e.g. glycogen and ectomorph. I've also been considering more exercise, but I have a back problem right now and am in PT for the next while.
You guys are awesome!1 -
I can't speak for other people, but after I lost all of the weight I hit my lowest of about 124 lbs. I didn't feel too great. 130-135 (as someone with a good amount of muscle) is where I feel my best.1
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elisa123gal wrote: »If you look at the BMI chart..which you should.. you'll see there is a pretty big range from too thin to the top healthy weight right before the "overweight" range takes over.
I could weigh another 15 or 20 pounds less and still be in my healthy BMI range. Would I look too thin? I think for me.. yes I would look too thin. However.. as long as your weight is within that healthy range... you should not be concerned for your health
Yes. I am at the very top of the BMI range for my height, and while I could lose more weight, I am pretty muscular. I feel I would look too thin if I lost 20 pounds. Is this because it has been a long time since I’ve been that thin? Not sure. I want to lose a few pounds to get to my goal weight and then reassess. Maybe lose five at a time, maintaining for a while at each milestone and see where I feel my best ... for reference: I am in my 40s and I know I was at the lower end of the healthy range as a teen. Back then I was skinny with flab - I am so much stronger now!!1 -
Depends on muscle mass and BF%, for someone with a lot of muscle, under 210 may be too thin, for someone with very little muscle and low BF% that number may be 170, tough to say0
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You're the same height/weight as my spouse (who has been at that weight probably the last 40 years dammit). I have seen men that height who are long distance runners and are all bone and sinew, may weigh less than that (and certainly folks at that height who weigh a lot more, either with more body fat or more muscle mass or both). I think that it's a good place to settle. People who have known you through your transition may not yet be used to how you look now. Eat for nutrition, work out a bit for fitness, and you're golden. Congratulations on your accomplishment!0
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I'm going to assume you are a man...
My husband is 40 also 6'3. He looks "too thin" to me at 180. He looks at his best between 200-210 (he lifts, but isn't a super lean or huge 210). He agrees with the weight range. It's really personal preference.0
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