Thin=Unhealthy?

[Lenusik]

I've seen voluptuous (sp?) women who look AWESOME. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and thin is not better looking to everyone. Obese and healthy may not be possible, but I think there is a wide margin between thin healthy and voluptuous healthy and it's all good.
I think as long as you are pretty happy with yourself and you exercise and eat right, you're okay. The stress of worrying about how people perceive your body probably does more harm to your health than ten extra pounds.

I guess, you are not exactly getting my point. As I said, everybody wants to look better and feel better. Certainly, it is true that only you can define what's better. Therefore, everybody is entitled to an opinion. It does not matter whether an overweight or a thin person eats unhealthy, it is still unhealthy. Genes do play role in how tall or short you are or the color of your skin and hair. Certainly not everybody would have the same shape. But those who are active and eat right, and put effort into taking care fo themselves will always look better and feel better. Effort! That's all it takes. I am not afraid of gaining more weight because I know that I have ability to lose it. And I really do not do this because I am concerned of what other people think. I do this only for myself and my family. As I said before, only if you love yourself others will love you too. And that does not apply to a thin or an overweight person. This is a universal statement.

[mtkitchn]

I guess, you are not exactly getting my point. As I said, everybody wants to look better and feel better....Ladies, why can't you admit that everybody wants to looks good? Thinner women (I don't mean skeletons) do look better

Perhaps I'm not getting your point. Personally, I don't work out because I want to look thinner, but because I want to be healthy. Your post sounded to me at first read like a blanket statement that thin women look better and all women want to be thinner, so I'm sorry if I misunderstood. I think all women who are making an effort to be healthy are beautiful. As you said, we all have our own opinions, and that's what makes the world go 'round!
Peace out.

[Crankin]

I readily admit that I exercise to look good, but of course also to be healthy! I started exercising to look good (i.e lose weight) I gained when I graduated college and got my first teaching job. It worked, but the "endorphin" effect kicked in and 30 years later I am still exercising. It's a lifestyle that you have to make a commitment to. So many people are not willing to make that commitment. I don't think it's vain to want to look good. This is for ME, not anyone else. I've never done well doing things because others expected them and exercising is not one. I understand the terrible messages that young girls and women get regarding weight and body image. I'm a middle school teacher and I see the results daily. Maybe if we switched the message a little and emphasized exercsing instead of focusing on eating, it would work better for everyone.

[Lenusik]

It's a lifestyle that you have to make a commitment to. So many people are not willing to make that commitment. I don't think it's vain to want to look good. This is for ME, not anyone else. I've never done well doing things because others expected them and exercising is not one.

This is exactly the point. Of course there are cercumstances and medical conditions. And it would be fulish to generalize. But I still believe that our mindset and effort are stronger that genes. I could be politically correct if needed, but why. Adopting exercise and healthy habits for a lifestyle has not killed anybody yet. Eating a lot of bad food and no exercise have.

[CR400]

Thin doesn't equal unhealthy unless the person lives an unhealthy lifestyle, like smoking, drugs, eating disorders, lack of meaningful exercise, or a number of other things we might think of. Also I have to keep reminding myself that going to extremes to get thin could make me unhealthy even if I do weigh what the tables say I should.

Right now I am back up to a weight that for my height 5'5 says I'm obese 182lbs. Yes I am still fat with room to improve but I can do something at this weight that I couldn't do at the 173 I was at. I was angery that I had gained almost 10lbs back over the past two months, it was really depressing. Until I went to the gym a few nights ago and easily put up 410lbs on the leg press and could have done more. Apparently that 7lbs of other based on body fat was muscle. I had stopped lifting in February and could only do 290. So on some occasions heavier can mean healthier. Oh I never thought I'd say it but after all that I may actually love hills. Until I run into that 105lbs person. I think to make races even we all should trap on those weighted vests and try to climb with the weight of the biggest person in the race. Watch tiny not even be able to turn the cranks over. Amazing how hard it is to produce 400+ watts to climb a hill.

On a side note I don't think I ever want to be that thin it is unsafe. For the most part even psycho men won't mess with a woman who looks big enough to put up a fight. However even women will take on the real little ones. Why, for the average woman greater weight means greater strength. Even in the world of power lifting the heavy weight women way out lift the feather weights.

[Dogmama]

Until I went to the gym a few nights ago and easily put up 410lbs on the leg press and could have done more. Apparently that 7lbs of other based on body fat was muscle. I had stopped lifting in February and could only do 290. So on some occasions heavier can mean healthier.

Muscle begins to degrade after 3 days of non-use. You can't gain muscle by sitting around. Gaining 7 pounds of muscle in a few months without lifting weights is impossible. Heck, gaining 7 pounds of muscle in a few months is impossible unless you're on steroids.

[Kathi]

Muscle begins to degrade after 3 days of non-use. You can't gain muscle by sitting around. Gaining 7 pounds of muscle in a few months without lifting weights is impossible. Heck, gaining 7 pounds of muscle in a few months is impossible unless you're on steroids.

Dogmama, I'm with you on this one. All it takes is an injury to demonstrate how quickly muscle is lost. When I tore my MCL/ACL in Jan. within 2 weeks the injured leg had lost all muscle tone. My leg shunk in size and looked horrible. PT brought back some of the strength and shape but ACL surgery slowed the progress. The uninjured leg also lost shape and strength but not as much.

While I did not lose as much muscle after surgery, I started PT immediately, it has taken a long time to regain the strength in the injured leg. At the end of April I had 85% of the strength of the uninjured leg. My injured quad still does not have the same shape as my uninjured quad, the vastus medialis muscle is not back 100% yet and I don't have the cardio or muscle endurance that I had before my injury. My hamstrings and glutes also lost strength so I'm doing specific exercises to strengthen them.

Sometimes I do leg presses and I can do about half amount of weight with my uninjured leg as I could do before the injury.

Next week, I'll be 3 months from surgery and progress is slower than what I'd like it to be, although, considering what I've been though, I've come a long way in a short time.

[CR400]

Muscle begins to degrade after 3 days of non-use. You can't gain muscle by sitting around. Gaining 7 pounds of muscle in a few months without lifting weights is impossible. Heck, gaining 7 pounds of muscle in a few months is impossible unless you're on steroids.

Ok, then explain why I can suddenly lift 120lbs (410) or more, I stopped there afraide I may hurt myself before a big ride? Because I was truely shocked and mystified as to why this happened. My thought is it can only be muscle mass gain. And I don't just sit around my job requires me to stand 8 hours a day. When I rode my bike I had done lots of climbing, sprint over short hills and grind out long ones, work at trying to maintian speeds over 20mph even on long false flats.

As far as some of you ladies don't be bothered but what other people say about your size, truth is you are blessed to be small and have worked hard to stay there. People, especailly big people like myself, are usually actually jealous. It irritates me that I'll always be big even at a size 8 I have broad shoulders and the body even at its smallest to go with them.