Thin=Unhealthy?

[Crankin]

Thank you all for saying this. I have been thin and unhealthy and overweight and unhealthy (though not for a long time). I am short. Even two extra pounds makes my clothes not fit. I work hard to stay fit (and not overweight) and I resent it when people tell me that I am crazy to exercise too much. With all of the lifestyle related disease around, I don't think that anyone should question my exercise habits or my weight! Many years ago, when I first started exercising I did lose a lot of weight, but it was a product of exercising, not starving myself. I was too skinny, but I was healthy. People constantly asked my friends if I was anorexic. If anyone knew me, they would laugh, because most of the time I'm not exercising, I'm cooking or eating out! But, I eat healthy and I get sick of my co-workers saying stuff when I don't eat the french fries and other junk served at school. I commend all of the people who are trying to lose weight through cycling and not by starving themselves.

[snapdragen]

I used to be skinny, not thin, skinny, 5ft 6inches and 100 pounds. And very unhealthy. Smoked 2+ packs a day, ate garbage. When I hit 35 my weight started to change, and I quit smoking. I don't blame that for my weight gain, I blame my eating habits. I never had to pay attention to what I ate before!

Now I try to eat healthy, I'm on Weight Watchers which is great, I'm learning everyday. I don't always succeed, but I keep on trying. I had a friend who always made fun of me trying to maintain healthy eating habits. She'd brag about eating 16 oz steaks, and frying everything in butter, like it was something to be proud of. Then she got diagnosed as type 2 diabetic. She's singing a different song these days....

snap "pudgy but healthier than I was" dragen

[Brina]

I keep thinking about this post, and i gotta tell ya, the original comment sounds like a bunch of sour grapes. Or somebody trying to rationalize not eating well and not exercising.

yes, our media over-emphasises thinness, and yes, some people over-internalize that obsession, yet on the whole our country is fat and getting fatter. In societies where food is scarce fatness is prized - t becomes a sign of wealth and status. This is true in parts of Africa - I remember seeing a special on Discovery Channel about a tribe that has an annual contest among the men to see who can gain the most weight the fastest. The guys entered literally do nothing except sit around and eat. Winning brings prestige to their family. This was true in western society for a long time - when ruebens painted his "chunky" nudes he was not painting the average woman, he was painting an "ideal". His paintings were the equivilant of a Vogue cover.

In todays time of abundance it is hard to be thin for many people. Food is everywhere and it is cheap. In addition, most people to not do physical work. Lots of food and no strong motivation to burn calories (by strong I mean work hard at physical labor or starve to death) and we have more fat people and suddenly, thinness is the ideal we strive for. Thinness is what we idealize and strive for. Or at least we say that we strive for it. A relatively small number of people really put in the work neccessary to be thin and healthy. (I put myself into this category- I have only recently begun to work out after being fat and lazy for far too long) Another relatively small number take reaching the ideal too seriously and begin to endanger their health.