too skinny?

[AllieCat0817]

Re: too skinny?

I am concerned about someone on this site because they are too thin..according to their stats they are actually undwerweight but I dont know if I should say something or not because everyone else is telling this person they look fantastic. But I care about the people on the board so I am kind of torn am I thinking irrationally or not

What would the response here be if someone made a post and said:
I am concerned about someone because they are too fat. They are overweight and I don't know if I should say something.

I know your post was made out of concern.... but still, just wondering.

[Squeaker]

Yeah, you don't see too many pot-bellied marathoners!! :guns

If I can get myself to run a marathon, you may see one. LOL

Even at my thinnest I still had a bit of a belly.

Oh - so did I!

mind you some the guys in the soccer team I support are a bit oversized in the belly department.

come to think of it the b*****s don't run round much either.

That would explain why they're so useless. :anger

[carbcounter999]

Think of these different people: 1) someone who was once overweight and changed their eating to Atkins and then became thinner than they had ever expected due to exercise and eating right. He or she can then sustain the lower weight while still eating well, and has a positive relationship with food. Or, 2) someone who starts off overweight, loses weight with Atkins to a healthy weight, then negative behaviours creep in and they lose much more weight and then must struggle in very unhealthy ways to keep at their new too thin 'goal' weight. By struggle I mean develops a poor relationship with food (is obsessed with every bite, must eat smaller and smaller portions to the point they're starving themselves, etc), possibly develops some form of eating disorder (e.g., uses laxatives, is a compulsive exerciser, purges, etc), and is obsessed with keeping the scale at an exact weight (we all fluctuate a little even when at our goal weight). Or 3) someone who is already in the 'healthy' weight range and is obsessed with being underweight and thinks Atkins is a quick fix (like the equivalent of a 'meat anorexia').

#1 does not concern me at all. Because of exercise they just have a lower 'set point' than most. I have friends who are tiny and would be considered underweight, but they eat well, exercise, and are not obsessed with their weight.

However, #2 and #3 concern me. Whenever there is an unhealthy obsession with weight and that translates into 'doing whatever is necessary' to become thinner and thinner there is a problem.

So it's not just a person's weight that determines if they have a 'problem' - in terms of eating disorders, that is determined by a range of behaviours and attitudes.

[Checkers]

When I was very thin I was always at the high end of the weight for my frame and height. And people told me I was too skinny (at 125 pounds and 5'4"). Those height/wieght just kill me.

[AllieCat0817]

Seems to me like, if people think someone might be anorexic, they all freak out and say the person needs professional help.

Yet, how many compulsive overeaters/bingers are on these weight loss forums, and you don't see 'get professional help' thrown at them. There are TONS of compulsive overeaters/bingers on weight loss forums, much more than I ever realized before. But they are much more accepted than is an anorexic... almost an 'oh everybody does it' type attitude with regard to compulsive overeating/bingeing.

Just an observation that has bothered me for a while and this seems to be a good thread to vent it.

Anorexia and compulsive overeating/bingeing are BOTH eating disorders, but they are not treated the same.

[Squeaker]

Seems to me like, if people think someone might be anorexic, they all freak out and say the person needs professional help.

Yet, how many compulsive overeaters/bingers are on these weight loss forums, and you don't see 'get professional help' thrown at them. There are TONS of compulsive overeaters/bingers on weight loss forums, much more than I ever realized before. But they are much more accepted than is an anorexic... almost an 'oh everybody does it' type attitude with regard to compulsive overeating/bingeing.

Just an observation that has bothered me for a while and this seems to be a good thread to vent it.

Anorexia and compulsive overeating/bingeing are BOTH eating disorders, but they are not treated the same.

Couldn't have put it better myself :clapping

[Effie]

Yet, how many compulsive overeaters/bingers are on these weight loss forums, and you don't see 'get professional help' thrown at them.

Allie, I agree with you to some extent. I definitely think that as a society, we are more "forgiving" of overweight people than we used to be. It's rare to see someone underweight these days, so when we do, we tend to point out that it's a problem.

However, because this is a weight loss forum, of course you're not going to see people accusing others of being too fat. We already know that, and by being here, we are seeking the help we need. There is even a forum for overeaters on this board. If these people were saying, "I'm a compulsive overeater and that's the only way to live!" then we'd have a problem. It's not the size of a person that is alarming, it's their attitude.

I'd also like to add that I ran two marathons weighing about 170, so it can be done! :yes I bet I'd cut about an hour off my time if I were at goal weight though.

[Miss Phode]

I agree with Alliecat. Of course anorexia/bulimia are awful, disgusting diseases, but so is compulsive/binge eating and obesity. Obesity is an epidemic in this country, but people seem so much more concerned about people being "too thin". I am a compulsive eater. I realize I have a serious problem. I think it's just as disgusting as bulimia/anorexia. This diet has helped me to overcome the addiction, but I'm 100 pounds from goal. I think that's disgusting too. I wish I had found Atkins when I was 20 pounds overweight, instead of weighting til I'm 100 pounds overweight. I'm sure, when I reach my goal of 145 pounds, people will tell me I'm too thin. I'm 5'9, and that's a healthy weight for someone my height. Being overweight has become the norm, when it really shouldn't be. My mothers whole family is overweight. You always hear comments from my mom and her sisters about how someone is "too thin". When I weighed 160, they would call me skinny, and tell me I had string bean arms. You never hear them say someone is too fat. They're all morbidly obese themselves. Now that I'm 100 pounds overweight, they never make negative comments about my weight or the way I look. Now I'm one of them. Actually, my moms friend lost over 100 pounds, and is still about 25 pounds overweight. My mom told her, "your face is too thin, I can see all your wrinkles now. Makes you look older." Their thinking is so warped. Makes me ill.

Sorry for the rant, I know it got a little out in left field.

[AllieCat0817]

You are right Effie... but it just gets on my last nerve is all and it felt good to vent it!

[AllieCat0817]

I agree with Alliecat. Of course anorexia/bulimia are awful, disgusting diseases, but so is compulsive/binge eating and obesity. Obesity is an epidemic in this country, but people seem so much more concerned about people being "too thin". I am a compulsive eater. I realize I have a serious problem. I think it's just as disgusting as bulimia/anorexia. This diet has helped me to overcome the addiction, but I'm 100 pounds from goal. I think that's disgusting too. I wish I had found Atkins when I was 20 pounds overweight, instead of weighting til I'm 100 pounds overweight. I'm sure, when I reach my goal of 145 pounds, people will tell me I'm too thin. I'm 5'9, and that's a healthy weight for someone my height. Being overweight has become the norm, when it really shouldn't be. My mothers whole family is overweight. You always hear comments from my mom and her sisters about how someone is "too thin". When I weighed 160, they would call me skinny, and tell me I had string bean arms. You never hear them say someone is too fat. They're all morbidly obese themselves. Now that I'm 100 pounds overweight, they never make negative comments about my weight or the way I look. Now I'm one of them. Actually, my moms friend lost over 100 pounds, and is still about 25 pounds overweight. My mom told her, "your face is too thin, I can see all your wrinkles now. Makes you look older." Their thinking is so warped. Makes me ill.

Sorry for the rant, I know it got a little out in left field.

this is EXACTLY what I'm talking about and it drives me INSANE. Totally. grr I'm gritting my teeth right now. AMERICA IS FAT.

[ex-barbie-doll]

I've come to the conclusion that, to most people, "too skinny" is a person thinner than they are.

Betty

I totally agree with you.. in this case the person who thinks you are too skinny has 83 more pounds to lose :yes
so I guess you look really skinny to her... so would I :nod but I am not!

[G-Mom]

I've come to the conclusion that, to most people, "too skinny" is a person thinner than they are.

Betty

I totally agree with you.. in this case the person who thinks you are too skinny has 83 more pounds to lose :yes
so I guess you look really skinny to her... so would I :nod but I am not!

Oh come on! That is ridiculous. I think what you two are insinuating is folks like me, who have a lot of weight left to lose look at gals like you with my "green glasses" on. I look at the greater issue at stake when someone is underweight: Health problems.

Check this out: http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2005-mchi/2796.html

Although being underweight may make running or cycling easier (due to being lighter, not the workload), it doesn't mean that a body like that is the healthiest. There are reasons a person should have the least amount of padding. If an underweight person gets cancer or another disease that makes a person lose weight, that person doesn't have any fat to lose and that would be devastating for the person.

I know that is extreme, but it can happen. I know those charts are just a guide, heck, I won't fall nicely into a chart when I am at goal, but I will have nice muscles and the right amount of fat and my bones won't stick out. I like a healthy appearance, and unfortunately many (not all) underweight people look gaunt and unhealthy, even if they eat right and exercise. I guess a little fat isn't so bad for one's health and appearance.

[texwife&mom]

I am so glad someone else said it first. Anorexia and Obesity are both symptoms of the same root problems/disease!!!!! However society views it as---If you are obese you are lazy if you are anorexic you need medical treatment.-- This is a raw nerve with me as someone in my extended family has been battling anorexia for about 3 years now. When I first started to notice how thin she was becoming I was told not to mention it because she was sensitive about it. No one has ever had any problems asking me when I am going to go on a diet, or asking if I was sure I should be eating that. Her family has spent litteraly thousands of dollars sending her to different treatment centers to help her with her illness. She gets better and then she gets worse again (sound familiar to any yo-yo dieters out there) Wouldn't it be wonderful if insurance would pay to send you somewhere for 3 months where all had you worried about was learning how to eat correctly and make your body healthy? All the while getting the emotional counseling so greatly needed as most of us are overweight due to more than what we put in our mouths and being LAZY!!!! Ok sorry, I just don't understand why more people do not see that these two things --anorexia, obesity-- are the same and both need to be treated in similar manners. -- Sorry if I offended anyone, I have been holding on to that one for a while!!--btw I have been both so I am not speaking out of my hiney!!

[AllieCat0817]

It's good to get it off your chest! I know I did.

[ex-barbie-doll]

[quote="G-Mom"][quote="ex-barbie-doll"]

I've come to the conclusion that, to most people, "too skinny" is a person thinner than they are.



I will have nice muscles and the right amount of fat and my bones won't stick out. I like a healthy appearance, and unfortunately many (not all) underweight people look gaunt and unhealthy, even if they eat right and exercise. I guess a little fat isn't so bad for one's health and appearance.

some people look great with a little fat..... I am not one of them...... I used to be very slender and when I put on weight it goes to my face...chin... stomach... abs....
does not look good on me at all... :no

But I can relate to what Betty said...... slender people tell me I look great while overweight ones tell me I should not lose any more and that I am skinny...
I am not... still have about 10 pounds to lose