Why is everyone on CC so against being slim?

I feel like anyone that wants to lose weight and get down to slim is attacked for being vain or unhealthy. Im 134lbs 5'7 with a BMI of 21 perfectly in the middle of healthy range. I want to get down to 125lbs but keep being told its unncessary and im being silly, but actually i could drop as low as 118lbs before I would be at the lowest end of healthy, which isnt what im planning to do.

Someone at 125lbs 5'7 looks great and no one tells them they should gain 10lbs so why is it so wrong to say i want to lose 10lbs? Most 5'7 celebrities are below 125lbs, and everyone thinks they look great.

So here goes im proudly saying... "i want to be very slim! the best me i can be" whose brave enough to join me? Whats your vanity goal weight?

I'm not against *being* slim.  I'm against torturing yourself or adopting unhealthy habits to become slim.  And you already are slim. 

If you want to become slimmER and can do it in a healthy way - eating enough calories but adding exercise - then good luck to you!  As long as the weight you're aiming for is one that's realistic for your build.  After all, not everyone is small-framed enough to be able to safely maintain a BMI at the bottom end of the healthy range.  Only you know whether or not you're one that can.

I think many people here have decided to focus on improving their health. And so they have to forsake being at either extreme end of the BMI spectrum (unless they have a very large/small frame).

Their advice is given with the best intentions, they just have different priorities.

For what it's worth, I am looking to get to the verrrry bottom of my BMI (100 lbs), because I think the slim look is attractive. My goals are based solely upon vanity, not health. So we're in the same boat.

Haha, I love this...cause it's soooooo true.

I'm 5'4" and weigh about 110, I'm currently not planning on purposely losing anymore weight.  I got a lot of crap whenever I was looking for advice in the forums because I was already a healthy weight to begin with. Very few people seem to take body frame into account on this site.

There's nothing wrong with it, it just doesn't look that great. I guess this is shallow...

Who thinks celebrities look great?

nobody here is against "being slim."  lots of people are against sacrificing health in the interest of vanity.

i'm aiming for a goal weight that puts me at the bottom of the healthy range; nobody has ever told me not to do that.  at most, they've suggested that i'm already healthy, and when i've talked about struggling with the last five pounds, they've suggested that i find contentment where i am.

none of that is offensive to me, and i'm far too old and jaded to believe that being "the best me i can be" has anything to do with what i weigh.

I am with you!! I am 25 years old, 5'8" and between 135-140 lbs.  I would like to be back around 130 pounds.  I have been there before and I don't look too skinny and it is not an unhealthy weight for me.  I don't restrict myself very much (I ate at the Capital Grille this past Saturday and it was fantastic!), but I am trying to shrink my fat by paying more attention to how I eat.  I am trying not to eat just because I am bored, I am making sure I drink enough water, and I am trying to incorporate more vegetables and fruits thereby making me less hungry when I see a bag of potato chips!  I think all of these are improvements that no one could really say are bad.  I don't like to be hungry and I love food so it would be near impossible for me to undereat or starve myself.

As a side note, when I told my husband I wanted to lose a few pounds he told me that I looked great and didn't need to.  When he asked what I weighed and I said close to 140 he gasped and said "That much?!"  I just think it's funny that he thinks I look skinny but thinks 140 pounds is too much to weigh.

Rock on Chelseagirl for knowing what you want and going for it.  As long as you get enough food and variety there is no reason anyone should be down on you for it.

the only time ive every suggested that someone rethink their goal is when they sound miserable about themselves.   ive read a lot of stuff from girls who literally hate themselves for not being at the lower end of a healthy bmi, or for being in the middle.   there is also a lot of stuff on this site from people who whine and cry about 5 lbs as if it is actually something to cry about.   Im totally cool with anyone being rational and wanting to be slim and healthy, but some people just have really bad attitudes and probably wont be happy even when they get to their goal.  you dont sound like one of those people. 

I look at it this way:

When people come on here and post about themselves also including their goal weights,  you are naturally going to get feedback from people. Things you want to hear and things you don't. It's just going to happen. It's pretty much like putting yourself into the fire. If you are content with your goal and don't want it discussed then don't bring it up on a forum full of people with different opinions.

I have my own goal set, but I'm not going to make it public if I don't want to hear anything negative. There's always the journal here anyway. Pretty much it's my body and people can comment any way they like, but what it comes down to is..They aren't living in my body, they don't know what I'm comfortable with just as I don't know with them. So quite frankly I don't give a crap what anyone thinks. I'm going to do what makes ME happy. Now if I go asking for opinions on my weight and go posting it...well then I guess I have to accept different opinions. Doesn't mean I'll follow it, but if I'm asking I guess I better get what I'm asking for.

~kayola  I have the same issue with my weight.  Because you're tall, 5'8'' like you said, people tend to underestimate your weight... and when you end up saying it all loud people are all shocked and surprised.  People are used to see 120 lbs for women... but that's way unhealthy for a tall girl!

I think no one should aim for a BMI that's under 19.

Even though the healthy range starts at 18.5, I think 18.5 to 19 is strictly for people who are ALREADY there.

But I think if you find yourself dieting to be under 19, that's, in my opinion, unhealthy.  If you aren't there already, your body doesn't want to be there.

Added a few seconds later:

That being said, if you want to get closer to 19, go for it!  I am aiming for a 20.2 BMI myself.

Original Post by chelseagirl:

........ Most 5'7 celebrities are below 125lbs, and everyone thinks they look great.

CG, for me, I'm not against anyone wanting to be slim as long as they stay within a healthy range.  For me, and possibly many others on CC, it's that we get so frustrated when we hear a young lady say she wants to be slim because that's what is reflected by so many celebrities.  This is an image that so many girls want but won't be able to achieve, and when they don't achieve it, it can damage their self-esteem.  I'm 5'7" and would LOVE to get below 145.  But at my age, I've learned that if I can fall into the healthy weight category, then that's okay.  That's just the difference between your age bracket and mine.  Some of the comments you read on CC, you just have to learn to take with a grain of salt..... we have different perspectives on why we want to lose or gain weight and what we consider normal.  Just be healthy!

By the way, not 'everyone' thinks they (5'7" celebrities below 125 lbs)  look great. 

I think it's largely a matter of perspective.  A lot of people are or have been very heavy.  So heavy that even getting close to having a BMI that's considered normal would be a magnificent feat!  Many of these people will look at someone like you, and not understand why you think you are heavy... because by comparison you are not.  The perspective is very different.

I am 5'7". I have weighed as much as 262 lbs.  Looking at you... close to HALF that weight, there's no way I can see you as having even an ounce to lose.  I bet if something happened and (heaven forbid) you gained weight up to 200 lbs, you wouldn't look at 134 as a problem anymore, because your perspective will have changed too.

i just want to let you know guys i'm enjoying the thread of msgs on this site.  the way people maintain respect from differing opinions just inspire me to read more and learn more from you and maybe one day, i can share something useful too about physical health.  i think we are on the right track to looking at health because people here are also conscious about public health on this site, that is, focusing on the issue at hand...through this thread, I realized the complexity of how we view healthy weight (vanity vs. health ).  Also, I never realised the "frame" will also be taken into consideration.  I'm a 5'2" and my ideal weight is 110...i get overwhelmed by 5'8" whose goal is 110lbs. yes, i wish to read more on body frame and weight...

I'd like to add that not every one thinks most celebrities look great.  I think 80% of them look terrible.  The look like bobble head dolls....

worse they look skeletal...  Have you ever seen pictures of survivors of german concentration camps after WWII?   Yeah, some of today's celebrities look for to similiar to that...  it just doesn't seem a sane look to aim for.

However, as long as your aiming for a healthy BMI, eating more then 1200 cals a day, and have under a 1000 cal deficit.... it's your body.  Mostly though I think you may be taking people's comments in the most negative light.  People here will encourage you to love yourself and your body reguardless of weight.

Also when your at a healthy BMI the idea is that it is better to aim for fat lose then for wieght lose.  Usually this means focusing on building muscle and losing fat.  This can allow you to look slimmer and more toned with out having an extremely low weight.

Good luck reaching your goals though!

I all for slim.

I think it depends on a person's current weight, because clearly, someone weighing over 200 (women) with a goal to weigh 110..well, you know..that's a long way to go and might involve drastic measures for that person.

My heaviest weight ever was 130, and you sound like someone who is also on the small side to begin with, so for people in our category, getting down to a slim weight is a lot different in terms of diet length, and all that.

I'm back to 114 at 5 ft 3, which is great. My usual was 110-115 for years on end, so I see it as getting back to my normal. I could go for that last 4, but so far I'm not really worried about it. I don't see any pudge that needs to go when I look in the mirror.

I've been doing a bit of exercise to tone, though, and have seen a great improvement in my legs and thighs and arms.

I'll probably kick it up a little with some light cardio and see what happens while I continue to be a Nazi toward myself with diet.

lol

they are against a lot of things here...I never thought slim was in that list.

....but I will add it..

thank

Original Post by raychelc:

I all for slim.

I think it depends on a person's current weight, because clearly, someone weighing over 200 (women) with a goal to weigh 110..well, you know..that's a long way to go and might involve drastic measures for that person. 

I disagree. There is no drastic measure for women over 200lbs to get down to their goal weight. I started at 235lbs and my goal is 135lbs and I have done nothing "drastic" just slowly change my eating habits and incorporate exercising to my life. I've lost 45lbs since August doing it the healthy way.

It took time to get fat so it will take time to get slim and healthy again.

Original Post by chelseagirl:

I feel like anyone that wants to lose weight and get down to slim is attacked for being vain or unhealthy.

 Exactly. We do not promote unhealthy choices rather, Calorie Count's mission is to promote healthy and sustainable weight management. Also, I feel we don't attack people, we just want to make sure it is healthy and people are doing damage to their bodies. We are like family and want to make sure everyone succeeds in the best and healthiest way!

One thing I would like to point out is that a lot of people with a very slim goal weight really just want to be smaller all over.  There is nothing wrong with that at all.  But being a smaller size is not the same as weighing too little.  If it is done with  exercise.  But I see a lot of women commenting on how hard they are working to improve their bodies with exercise but still complaining about the scale number.

But if you are well toned you will look so much better than just "skinny".  The scale number is really a phantom - if you are toned, you will have muscles and weigh more and probably will wear the same small size. 

I am really tired so i dont know if that all made sense. 

Having said all of that though, I too have a "vanity" number in my head.  It only represents my weight from a time when I thought I looked really good.  But in the future, if I weigh more but look great I wont persist in trying to get smaller.

I may have mucked up what I meant to say. Someone who posted here saying she was 200+ pounds and wanted to be say , 110 pounds would probably get the usual responses.

You know..that's so skinny, that may not be healthy, yada yada.

And often, you have people with a goal like that who want to achieve it quickly, so the comments about taking drastic measures probably are accurate for some.

Generally, isn't the thing to do when you're very heavy to choose a goal say, 30 pounds less, achieve that, then set a new goal until you're in the range you want?

It seems to be viewed as 'vanity' when someone already slim wishes to be slimmer, but may also be seen as a bit nuts when someone very large aims to look like an Olsen Twin.

Not by me..I say shoot for the stars if you can safely do that, because at the end of the day, it's all about finding happiness in your own skin, so if nothing is actually wrong with your goal or your self image..why not go for it?

It does feel good to know you can achieve what you set out to, whether it's health, weight, fitness, career..whatever.

I don't like to discourage anyone.

Original Post by raychelc:

It seems to be viewed as 'vanity' when someone already slim wishes to be slimmer, but may also be seen as a bit nuts when someone very large aims to look like an Olsen Twin.

*grin*  I would consider it nuts for anyone to aim to look like an Olsen twin (especially the one with the documented eating disorder).