Thin=Unhealthy?

[Geonz]

saying you don't want to be a thin, unhealthy person does not assume that thin = unhealthy. What it does is call into *question* the assumption that thin means healthy. If I said I'd rather be short and happy than tall and unhappy, I wouldn't be assuming tall meant unhappy.

On the other hand, the "you're so lucky to be thin" and that whole line of commentary has to get old!

[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.

[salsabike]

Oh, no you're not!

Last year training for the STP I gained about 7 lbs of muscle and another 7 lbs of fat. Training = pigout time.

Someone from Cascade Bicycle Club, one of the STP (Seattle to Portland) sponsors, said last year that STP is known as the only 206-mile ride where people actually GAIN weight, because there's so much food at the stops and people are eating as much as they can to make sure they don't bonk. And I gained several pounds during last year's STP! Who would have thought?

Re the weight thing: most people are doing the best they can with what they've got. That I truly believe.

[crazybikinchic]

there is a difference between someone who is thin and works out verses someone who is thin and sedintary. In my moto, I state that i would rather be fat and fit than thin and not (fit). I don't equate thin with unhealthy. Many people are thin and fit, but there are those who are not. Most people equate fat with unhealthy, but there are some out there that are fit, though they have extra pounds.
I have to say, I obviously am not a thin person, but when I went to the doctor yesterday and the lady wieghed me and questioned the validity of what she saw, It made me feel pretty good.

[Lenusik]

Ladies, why can't you admit that everybody wants to looks good? Thinner women (I don't mean skeletons) do look better. And I agree that not all of them are healthy. But I know quite a few. I am 5'6, 114 pounds, wear size 0-2. I ride my bike fast, play tennis (hard) 2-3 times a week, eat healthy and I am very strong. Still I want to look better and I will strive for it. Genetics are only a small portion of your development. You physical and mind efforts make you a better athlete and a healthier person. No, it is not better to be fat and healthy - there is no such thing as fat and healthy. VERY thin is not healthy eaither. But being normally thin and healthy is in anybody's power. Just put some effort in it.

[Brandi]

Interesting subject! My mom is 5'8 and when I was 13 years old at 114 5'3 my mom weighed 103 pounds. And then got a breast job. She went from my size breast to a larger size. My Dad used to call me lard butt and they really regulated what I ate.
So I was always hungry and thought I was fat! So when I was 14 I started taking diet pills. I never slept (the caffein was high in those pills) and then started having siezures. I stopped taking the pills after going through a lot of test ten admitted I was taking those pills. The Dr turned to my parents and told them to lay off me!
I have some scaring mentally from growing up with such a thin mom. But I realize now that I am older she was struggling too. Don't get me wrong I had a terrible up bringing! But I am a bit more comfortable in my own skin (even as it ages). I now weigh about 140 but I am athletic. When i tell people how much I weigh they don't believe it. My mom now wieghs 135 but when Itell her how much I weigh she always goes " oh Brandi that is not good". I then say " Oh mom 2 packs of cigg's a day ids going to kill you". We don't get along to great.
Besides my usband says i look better without clothes on! He he

[Lenusik]

The same thing with my mom. She smoked all her life, never excersied and ate fried stuff all the time. But the only good thing that she did for me is made me play sports. I always ate well and healthy because I grew up in Eastern Europe where fruit and vegetable is natural without any chemicals. But my mom ended up with cancer, fat and unhealthy. As I said earlier, just do what's right for you and put an effort into yourself. When you love yourself and treat you right, then others will love you too.

[lnewv5]

Ladies, why can't you admit that everybody wants to looks good? Thinner women (I don't mean skeletons) do look better. And I agree that not all of them are healthy. But I know quite a few. I am 5'6, 114 pounds, wear size 0-2. I ride my bike fast, play tennis (hard) 2-3 times a week, eat healthy and I am very strong. Still I want to look better and I will strive for it. Genetics are only a small portion of your development. You physical and mind efforts make you a better athlete and a healthier person. No, it is not better to be fat and healthy - there is no such thing as fat and healthy. VERY thin is not healthy eaither. But being normally thin and healthy is in anybody's power. Just put some effort in it.

I might have to disagree with a few of these points. First of all, genetics do play a part. If you were to take a group of women who had the exact same fitness schedule, same lifestyle, and same eating habits, I promise you that they all wouldn't have the same body type. Everyone has a different metabolism and a different makeup. I understand your point that there is no such thing as fat and healthy, but you have to consider an overweight person who is exercising 5 days a week versus a 100 pound woman who is inactive, and eats horribly. I consider the overweight person to be healthier than the skinny person.

Personally, I commend you for your great body stats and exercise regime because you obviously work very hard to stay in shape and look good. But to tell everyone else that they too can have the same weight if they just work a little harder is just foolish. People can only do the best they can, and they shouldn't have to be a size 2 to feel good about themselves.

The most important thing ladies is how you feel. I'm 5'7 and about 130. There have been points in my life where I weighed a lot less, but I was not active. I'm in better shape than I've ever been in my entire life. I don't associate that with a number on a scale, rather my energy, endurance, and muscle tone.

[mtkitchn]

Ladies, why can't you admit that everybody wants to looks good? Thinner women (I don't mean skeletons) do look better. And I agree that not all of them are healthy. But I know quite a few. I am 5'6, 114 pounds, wear size 0-2. I ride my bike fast, play tennis (hard) 2-3 times a week, eat healthy and I am very strong. Still I want to look better and I will strive for it. Genetics are only a small portion of your development. You physical and mind efforts make you a better athlete and a healthier person. No, it is not better to be fat and healthy - there is no such thing as fat and healthy. VERY thin is not healthy eaither. But being normally thin and healthy is in anybody's power. Just put some effort in it.

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.

[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.

[fixedgeargirl]

But being normally thin and healthy is in anybody's power. Just put some effort in it.

What about women with PCOS, or other endocrine or thyroid disorders?

There are several women on this board who could ride circles around my size 2 butt all day (and night!), yet weigh half again my body weight and have spoken openly on this board about struggling with weight and body image . There are other mitigating factors in many, many people's lives that stymie their best efforts to be "thin" or "healthy". Some of them are medical, some are genetic, some are unfortunate circumstances imposed on women by other people. As a stranger, and sometimes even as a friend, you just don't know the whole story.

[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.