You're skinny, you can afford it!!

United States
March 6, 2007 9:28pm CST
I am petite and slim for my height. I try to eat healthy, exercise and live a balanced and healthy lifestyle. I hate it when people make comments such as these to me when I make conscientious choices on my intake of food..."oh, what have you got to worry about...you're so skinny, you can afford to eat anything, go ahead and have another piece of cake..it's not going to kill you..probably does nothing to you..you're so skinny", etc. I keep telling them that weight has nothing to do with health. I can be skinny and completely unhealthy with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc. But they just laugh it off like I just made a stupid statement. Why do people think just cos' someone is slim, they are healthy?
5 people like this
17 responses
• United States
7 Mar 07
I am the same way. I am 5'1" and 117 lbs. (although I am 2 1/2 months pregnant now with my 3rd child, so the weight will be coming soon.) I do eat what I want for the most part, but I do eat lots of fruits and vegetables, low fat milk, take vitamins, etc. I don't want my "slimness" go to my head and end up unhealthy because I abused the right to just eat whatever I want. I want to be fit for a lifetime, not just while I am young.
2 people like this
• Philippines
7 Mar 07
Perhaps the reason why people tend to tell you that it's because of the fact that there are some skinny people who look like they are malnourished on their figure. Since you yourself know that you have an active and healthy lifestlye, so just don't mind them. They're definitely envious of you because they just can't possibly look like you do. But just a piece of advice. Just don't forget not to diet too much. You might see yourself as too skinny already. Just keep and continue on the healthy lifestyle that you have. :)
@wsue1023 (1395)
• United States
7 Mar 07
I completely agree with you. I have very heavy friends who try to sabatoge my efforts to eat healthy and take care of myself. If I say no to a bowl of nachos they act as if I personally insulted them. I don't get it. I've also been in the situation where people naturally assume I can eat anything I want, but really that's not the case. My weight is up and down all the time and I know my limitations. If you see me eat something unhealthy from time to time that doesn't mean I can get away with it, that really means I have to work it off later or sacrifice calories at my next meal. Most thin people work very hard to be that way, it doesn't just happen as a freak of nature. It's annoying when people don't appreciate what it takes to maintain a proper weight.
@Foxxee (3651)
• United States
7 Mar 07
You have a point. Not all skinny people are healthy. People just assume that skinny is healthy and fat is unhealthy. My ex coworker was really slim and she had so many health problems. She also had a sister that was over 400lbs and believe it or not, the doctors said she was healthy, even with all that weight. You just never know what the body holds up to.
1 person likes this
@dopey22girl (3319)
• United States
7 Mar 07
I completely agree with you. I'm not trying to sound like I'm bragging or something but I'm really skinny as well and people are always saying that. And I'm honestly not in the best of shape. I can run and I'll already be out of breath after just two minutes. It's really bad. And just because you are skinny does not mean you don't have high cholesterol; you are right. I wish people would realize that.
1 person likes this
@mrsturner (518)
• Canada
7 Mar 07
Look at the covers of almost any magazine on the stand and you'll see why people associate slenderness with health. Myself, no one has said that to me in a long time. I have more than twenty pounds to lose and have a hard time watching what I eat. I am also one of the healthiest people I know. I'm never sick, my blood pressure and cholesterol levels are perfect, and I can walk uphill without losing my breath. I know a lot of thin people who can't say that. As for people who tell you to eat more - they are jealous of your figure and want you to eat more calories so they don't look bad.
1 person likes this
@usmcsgtwife (4997)
• United States
27 May 07
yes I am the same way I am 5'4 weigh 120 pounds I hate it when people say do you eat enough your too skinny
@onesiobhan (1327)
• Canada
8 Mar 07
I've never understood why all the emphasis is on weight these days. I know tons of healthy fat people with great diets who gets total strangers constantly criticising their choices. And lots of skinny people who are held up as examples of healthy lifestyle when in fact I know they are bulemic. It's like some kind of bizarro world. Personally I think the fact that anybody feels they have the right to make comments about your body type is pretty disturbing all on it's own. I don't know how culture got so weird about body size.
• Canada
8 Mar 07
I understand your point so well! Except I'm on the flip side! I am tall by women's standards and I do have weight to lose. Yet, according to my doctor and all the tests I have done on at least a yearly basis, I'm in very good health. In spite of high blood pressure, my cholesterol is excellent, all my blood tests come back exactly as they should, etc. As much as people equate slim with healthy, I'd wager that just about the same proportion equate overweight with unhealthy. I'm not saying that it's good to be overweight (not by a long-shot!) but it's a fallacy to assume that every heavy person suffers from a long list of health problems. It's terrible that people make all kinds of assumptions based solely on someone's physical size, no matter how big or small that might be.
@lecanis (16647)
• Murfreesboro, Tennessee
7 Mar 07
You can thank the media for this one. "Slim is healthy" is everywhere. Especially with all the worry about "the obesity epidemic" people are automatically going to assume that if you're slim you simply don't have to worry about your health. I would just ignore these people. Obviously you know what is best for you, and you're living your life in the way that keeps you healthy and happy. So just tell them that. Or don't tell them anything, if you prefer.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
8 Mar 07
We're of the same problem, but others says that because i'm skinny i'm not healthy, but i eat a lot. I don't care if it will give me cholesterol or what, but as long as i want the food i will eat it, but if its bad for my health, i will only limit what i eat and take only few of it, But we should also be aware of our health, our weight should correspond to our age and height..
• United States
7 Mar 07
I don't think most people think about it. They just hear being over weight is unhealthly. They may never get it, so don't let it bother you. Just stay healthy and roll with the punches.
1 person likes this
• United States
7 Mar 07
Oh my goodness!! I could have written this myself!! It makes me so frustrated-like I don't have a right to try to be health conscious and make healthy choices. It is so easy for a slim person to have high cholesterol or even a high fat percentage...that is just the ratio of fat within each given person's body...it is a percentage. I personally, have a high fat percentage, even though I am slim. I've also been told to watch my cholesterol. Slim and petite people can still be out of shape, and not strong (in terms of strength training). I have tried to explain my desire for health, to help others understand where I am coming from. I think that people are slowly starting to accept my desire for health and fitness, although I always have to preface any thing I say with, " I don't want to lose weight, per se, but..." It's so annoying!! I can totally relate! Thanks for this post!
@devilsangel (1817)
• United States
27 May 07
Ya know it kinda goes both ways...I am by far not skinny and I get the same thing in reverse. People think that just because I'm a bigger person that I'm not healthy. Extreamly wrong assumption on their parts. I work out everyday and I eat healthy. I have never been a small person and to be honest I don't really want to be. I like having my squishy parts and cruves. I have great blood pressue, and cholesterol and outside of smoking lead a pretty healthy lifestyle. I find it sad that people tend to put so much focus on weight as a relation to health, when sure it plays a part but its not everything. You can have the body of a supermodel and still be the most unhealthy person there is. Or you can be a bit plumpy and able to run a mile in under 8 mins. It just depends on the person and how they live their life.
@mona123 (911)
• United States
7 Mar 07
even same used to happen with me , when i was slim ..but now i have started gaining weight and i dont know, what to do?
@mona123 (911)
• United States
7 Mar 07
even same used to happen with me , when i was slim ..but now i have started gaining weight and i dont know, what to do?
• United States
7 Mar 07
This is very interesting. For me it is the opposite I am not physically fit so if I even look at a cake at a family party someone will say maybe you would like an apple? No one ever offers me a first piece of cake let alone a second. Oh to be perfect like all the people offering up the food advice. It seems like others always know how much we should or shouldn't eat.