Being skinny or looking good doesnt mean you are healthy

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  • angelalawsons
    angelalawsons Posts: 30 Member
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    I made my post with the intent to find people who care about their health and well being. But so many others sort of twisted this and emphasized on weight or "looking good." Im on the hunt for people that think about more than jean or dress size. I prefer to befriend people that also care about sodium, iron or sugar levels , pay attention to carb intake, people who know about vitamin supplements. PEOPLE THAT I CAN LEARN FROM. When im trying to eat healthy and i click on a diary of a person who looks healthy but only eats 600 calories a day with no exercise it just feels pointless to me. I want to click on a diary that reminds me to add flax seed in my oatmeal or to put hemp seed on my salad for extra omega benefit. I dont ridicule people. I dont argue like a high school girl. I dont condemn. I dont tell people how to eat or live or think they should do what i want to do. Im just looking for people with similar goals.
  • angelalawsons
    angelalawsons Posts: 30 Member
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    Why can't people just do what works for them and stop condeming others?

    Who is condemning someone?

    "Some people fasting, some people eating less than 1000 calories a day, some people saying that since they have so many calories left that they can eat fried meat and its okay..."

    Sounds like condemnation to me. I don't understand why the original poster thinks they know what's "okay" for other people's bodies.

    For that matter, unless you are specific about fasting, short term, what is called intermittent fasting, has been shown to have great health benefits. Our bodies are not made to be constantly fed.

    Well.. How confusing. I read every where that snacking through out the day is beneficial to our health because it keeps the metabolism working. And Ive been doing this for years. :-O Yikes.
  • angelalawsons
    angelalawsons Posts: 30 Member
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    Why can't people just do what works for them and stop condeming others?

    Who is condemning someone?

    "Some people fasting, some people eating less than 1000 calories a day, some people saying that since they have so many calories left that they can eat fried meat and its okay..."

    Sounds like condemnation to me. I don't understand why the original poster thinks they know what's "okay" for other people's bodies.

    For that matter, unless you are specific about fasting, short term, what is called intermittent fasting, has been shown to have great health benefits. Our bodies are not made to be constantly fed.

    Also, what is considered to be "short term?"
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    Why can't people just do what works for them and stop condeming others?

    Who is condemning someone?

    "Some people fasting, some people eating less than 1000 calories a day, some people saying that since they have so many calories left that they can eat fried meat and its okay..."

    Sounds like condemnation to me. I don't understand why the original poster thinks they know what's "okay" for other people's bodies.

    For that matter, unless you are specific about fasting, short term, what is called intermittent fasting, has been shown to have great health benefits. Our bodies are not made to be constantly fed.

    Well.. How confusing. I read every where that snacking through out the day is beneficial to our health because it keeps the metabolism working. And Ive been doing this for years. :-O Yikes.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/529002-a-compliation-on-meal-frequency

    Not linking it because I wrote it -- there are links inside the above post that will take you to external sites containing research on this topic. You can evaluate for yourself.
  • wackyfunster
    wackyfunster Posts: 944 Member
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    Why can't people just do what works for them and stop condeming others?

    Who is condemning someone?

    "Some people fasting, some people eating less than 1000 calories a day, some people saying that since they have so many calories left that they can eat fried meat and its okay..."

    Sounds like condemnation to me. I don't understand why the original poster thinks they know what's "okay" for other people's bodies.

    For that matter, unless you are specific about fasting, short term, what is called intermittent fasting, has been shown to have great health benefits. Our bodies are not made to be constantly fed.

    Well.. How confusing. I read every where that snacking through out the day is beneficial to our health because it keeps the metabolism working. And Ive been doing this for years. :-O Yikes.
    That is unequivocally wrong, and has been debunked.
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
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    But one can also claim that going from obese to fit will cause a significant improvement in your overall health. I believe this to be true even in the presence of a "crappy" diet.

    I'm not suggesting that people lose weight eating nothing but fast food, but I absolutely believe that the inclusion of some junk food among a diet that is mostly whole and nutrient dense, is completely fine.
    I don't want to become some boring food Nazi who is too miserable to lay back and just have a nice meal that may not be perfect. Life is to be lived.
    For optimal health, clean eating is best; we all know that.
    And that's lean meats, low fat dairy, nuts, whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies.
    Simple.
    I eat clean 75% of the time. That's as good as it gets.
    I obtained great results doing this! :drinker:
  • LeggyKettleBabe
    LeggyKettleBabe Posts: 300 Member
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    Funny how so many people are worried bout how someone else is losing weight / getting healthy. FOCUS ON YOURSELF. Stop worrying bout everyone else. geez. People join this site for motivation and support not constant KNOW IT ALL people constantly whining and moaning bout everyone else.
  • knk1553
    knk1553 Posts: 438 Member
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    I dont drink coffee anymore instead I have 1 cup of green or black tea in the morning

    Black tea has nearly the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee....so really if you're cutting coffee out for that reason then you should stick to a non-decaffinated herbal tea. Also, if you drink your coffee black it actually isn't bad for you in moderation.
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 3,019 Member
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    You are 100% correct - and yes, you will find that there are many good folks on here who get that fitness is about major lifestyle and habit changes - not just watching the scale.

    True health involves eating wholesome, healthy foods every day, avoiding garbage food, exercising, slow steady weight loss and control and keeping an active lifestyle.

    There was a discussion on the boards recently about "Skinny Fat" people and some people got offended because they felt that any type of weight loss was a good thing and that "Skinny Fat" was a label put on them by people who were envious of their success. Many of us made the point however, that "Skinny Fat" could mean that a person probably lost weight in an unhealthy manner (like crash dieting) and although they were the correct weight on the scale, they were still very unhealthy with a high body fat %.

    so how do you find out what a "good" number is for BF%? how do we know if our bf% is still too high for "us"? i would love to knwo if i fall into that category or not...
  • vade43113
    vade43113 Posts: 836 Member
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    Also, what is considered to be "short term?"

    Lean gains define it as 16 hour fasts every day, I think... Eat stop Eat defines as 24 hour fasts, 2 times a week....
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
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    Why can't people just do what works for them and stop condeming others?

    We aren't condemning them. She's making a point that people are doing very unhealthy things, in an attempt to be healthy. If you under-eat, and lose a lot of weight doing so, you're putting yourself at greater health risk than when you were obese. It's been proven that this happens to anyone. It's not a "everyone is different" situation. Sure, we're all different, but we're all human. Our bodies all generally work the same way.

    I would have to diagree, I believe it is an "everyone's different" situation. I agree with the sentiments of the OP but how could you simplify health and nutrition to some standard that everyone must meet to be "healthy" in your eyes?

    Everyone IS different, in small ways, but study after study has proven that fasting yourself skinny leads to prolonged health issues. People who do that are also at a much higher risk of putting the weight back on as visceral fat - the fat that can kill you.

    Sure, if you have a medical condition or something similar, and your doctor recommends you shave off 15 lbs in a week, go for it, but in every other situation, we're all the same. There's only a 0.01% difference between each of us. To say that Eating next to nothing is good for more than half the population is outrageous.

    If you want to prove me otherwise, show me some credible numbers.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
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    You are 100% correct - and yes, you will find that there are many good folks on here who get that fitness is about major lifestyle and habit changes - not just watching the scale.

    True health involves eating wholesome, healthy foods every day, avoiding garbage food, exercising, slow steady weight loss and control and keeping an active lifestyle.

    There was a discussion on the boards recently about "Skinny Fat" people and some people got offended because they felt that any type of weight loss was a good thing and that "Skinny Fat" was a label put on them by people who were envious of their success. Many of us made the point however, that "Skinny Fat" could mean that a person probably lost weight in an unhealthy manner (like crash dieting) and although they were the correct weight on the scale, they were still very unhealthy with a high body fat %.

    so how do you find out what a "good" number is for BF%? how do we know if our bf% is still too high for "us"? i would love to knwo if i fall into that category or not...

    A quick search on Google can lead you to some good sources that will tend to agree on what a healthy BF% range is. I believe for average men, it's 12-18%, or something close to that.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
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    Funny how so many people are worried bout how someone else is losing weight / getting healthy. FOCUS ON YOURSELF. Stop worrying bout everyone else. geez. People join this site for motivation and support not constant KNOW IT ALL people constantly whining and moaning bout everyone else.

    I agree. If someone is being ignorant enough to nearly kill themselves, let them do it. If they're asking for help, help them. If s/he's your friend, then do something about it. Otherwise, let them at it. They should be smart enough to seek out the right information on their own.
  • jetscreaminagain
    jetscreaminagain Posts: 1,130 Member
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    I have said it before and I'll say it again...Being "fit" is an optical illusion. Example: By looks, who is more fit, the 300 lb man with the fat gut or the sexy runway model in the bikini? On looks alone the bikini model looks much better, so she's obviously the fit one.
    However, you discover that the 300lb man plays in the NFL as an offensive lineman and pushes big strong men up and down a 100 yd field all game long every Sunday. Whereas the bikini model cannot run up a flight of stairs without passing out because her diet consists of 3 crackers and a diet coke. How many 300 lb football players are there? Too many to count. I don't dare say they are currently unhealthy. Save the 'after retirement' speech about health and eating habits...I'm talking about current health.

    It's about doing more.... not what the measuring tape says.

    I have never once thought that a runway model looks "fit". There's some amazing athleticism in the NFL. There are also people who die from being overheated in pre-season camps. This suggest a level of fitness not implied in your post. Which is mostly your point--you can't look and tell for sure. And, lets be serious, there are some linemen carrying too much weight, not in the form of muscle, and they are gassed at the end of a 40. Especially at the beginning of a season.

    However, if the standard of beauty or handsomeness were one that required healthful behaviors--some muscle tone, some fat but not unhealthily much, the standard of beauty requires some cardiovascular endurance, some skeleto-muscular strength and some good eating (especially if you factor in skin elasticity and clarity and quality of hair). Easy peasy.
  • angelalawsons
    angelalawsons Posts: 30 Member
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    I dont drink coffee anymore instead I have 1 cup of green or black tea in the morning

    Black tea has nearly the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee....so really if you're cutting coffee out for that reason then you should stick to a non-decaffinated herbal tea. Also, if you drink your coffee black it actually isn't bad for you in moderation.

    My doctor says im healthy.But my bp for about 5 years now has been at a prehypertention level. I cut coffee out for that reason . Before doing so i drank it black. But i drank about 2-3 cups a day. I was told one cup of black tea daily for 6 months has proven to lower blood pressure. Thanks for your input.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    I like to think I'm eating much better than I was before... but it's so hard to know, I eat a lot of fruit and salad, I have a hard time with veg but am really trying (although my diary for the last couple of days is just awful because I have some sort of throat infection and am just concentrating on eating food I could safely suck on)

    I still eat pasta etc, but I've noticed I eat a lot of red meat so have bought quorn products as a sub... does this count as healthy? I am a newbie at this and I just get so confused... Hopefully one day I will know without a doubt that what I'm putting in my mouth is doing nothing but wonders for me. I also would like to be healthy, with being slim (not skinny) as an added bonus but I have a long way to go!

    There is actually nothing wrong with eating either red meat (and this is coming from a vegetarian!) or quorn as long as it fits into your calorie and macro targets and is part of a balanced diet. By balanced diet I mean that it does not consiitute the majority of your intake for the day and you have some fruits, veggies etc. However, I love quorn and you get a good protein 'bang for your calorie buck'. Its made primarily from a mycoprotein and does not contain soy (some people like to limit their soy intake due to certain health concerns).
  • luthage
    luthage Posts: 12 Member
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    I agree with the OP about 1/2 way.

    I've seen people starve themselves into malnutrition, complain about the health problems that come from it, gain the weight back quickly and do it again. All for the sake of being skeletor. That nonsense is horrible to your body.

    I don't east fast food (except on vacation) and packaged meals are rare. Majority of my diet is fruits and veg. I focus primary on being healthy and toning up is just an added bonus.

    However a happy and fulfilled life for me includes beer, burgers, chicken sandwiches, fries, desserts, etc. In moderation. Going out to dinner and having a few drinks with friends has other health benefits - emotional and mental ones.

    Good luck in your search. I've been training in martial arts gyms for 27 years. Those are some of the healthiest people I've ever met, but the amount of food we go through when going out usually makes waiters confused. The people who fight competitively (myself included for a while), don't cut out all "bad" food for good. Even leading up to a fight, you still get 1 day a week to eat whatever you want.
  • chickentunashake
    chickentunashake Posts: 165 Member
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    Also, what is considered to be "short term?"

    Lean gains define it as 16 hour fasts every day, I think... Eat stop Eat defines as 24 hour fasts, 2 times a week....
    You kidding right? 16 hours fasts everyday? 24 hours twice a week? Did you personally tried to do some intense workouts without passing out? Cuz I eat in moderation and maybe not as much as I should, and sometimes have trouble already. And with no eating? Does your car drive without gas? If it does, I wanna buy the same kind of car
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    Also, what is considered to be "short term?"

    Lean gains define it as 16 hour fasts every day, I think... Eat stop Eat defines as 24 hour fasts, 2 times a week....
    You kidding right? 16 hours fasts everyday? 24 hours twice a week? Did you personally tried to do some intense workouts without passing out? Cuz I eat in moderation and maybe not as much as I should, and sometimes have trouble already. And with no eating? Does your car drive without gas? If it does, I wanna buy the same kind of car

    I have biked 30 miles at an almost 20MPH pace fasted no problem. Yes, but I only fill my car once a week, twice if I drive a lot. My energy comes from the energy stored in my body in the fat, muscles and liver. Unless a person has a medical problem fasting 24 hours will not hurt them, and will likely have beneficial effects.
  • taiyola
    taiyola Posts: 964 Member
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    I've just started to see it this way. Before I just wanted to be skinny, now I want to be slim, toned, healthy, fit...

    I have the occasional treat, but mainly try and avoid crap. I'm improving on this weekly.

    I do get a little... confused... at people who're so desperate to lose weight, yet their diary is full of *kitten* on a daily basis. Like, EVERY day. Reaaalllyyyy?!

    :noway:

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