Poll of the Day > This never made sense to me when fat people lose weight...

(+) Yeah! (+)

My manager at work has lost 70 pounds. down from 240 to 170 He's on the short side, around 5'7"

The other day somebody else said "He should stop losing weight, he's going to look unhealthy"

Uhh, what? the average healthy weight for somebody of his height is like 140 or so(Im guessing), and while his progress has been amazing, if he wants to lose more weight good for him.

I guess the shock of seeing somebody who was always big be skinnier can cloud peoples judgement. But saying he will look unhealthy if he loses more weight seems very wrong to me, since at 170 he is actually still "overweight"

In addition to watching his calories he has made an effort to eat healthier, too. he isnt just eating 2,000 calories a day of fattening, sugary goodness so i find this sentiment even more bizarre

argonautweakend posted...

Uhh, what? the average healthy weight for somebody of his height is like 140 or so

I'm 5'1" so my suggested weight is like 90lbs... ain't gunna happen.

That aside, no one looks "unhealthy" losing weight unless they're totally emaciated and that's unlikely.
---

Yeah, idk why everyone always tell fat or chubby people they shouldn't lose weight. I'm a little chubby, and every time I told my brothers or someone i'm trying to lose weight they just tell me i'm good enough weight. Almost feels like they're telling to you to be fat even if they think they're telling you that you're okay. Always had a little bit of chub but I actually had abs for the first time in my life last year, but alas, I started eating a lot chips again and lost that lulz, but I still lift weights tho.

Lokarin posted...

I'm 5'1" so my suggested weight is like 90lbs... ain't gunna happen.

Dang son, gotta get committed and chop off a leg there.
---

Lokarin posted...

argonautweakend posted...

Uhh, what? the average healthy weight for somebody of his height is like 140 or so

I'm 5'1" so my suggested weight is like 90lbs... ain't gunna happen.

That aside, no one looks "unhealthy" losing weight unless they're totally emaciated and that's unlikely.

Damn! You short, son! Im 53. Hows the weather down there?

I use to fight at 108lb when I was in my late teens. Going from 122 to 108 was VERY hard. Now Im fricken 160lbs but not fat. Bulky.
---

darcandkharg31 posted...

Dang son, gotta get committed and chop off a leg there.

BMI is pretty strict. They say being 130 pounds at 5'10 falls under "normal," but 175 is overweight.

---

BMI is also a terribly flawed measurement.

---

I had a coworker who was 5'8 or 5'9 and a good 280. She was obviously very unhealthy. She lost 100 pounds and looks sick. You can clearly see her collarbone and bones around her neck and chest. She looks gaunt.

Whether she lost too much too fast, if we were just accustomed to her obesity or what... she looks really bad now. Maybe she should put on some muscle to make it less obvious? I don't know

I had the same bullshit when I lost a massive amount of weight. Treat me like shit all my life because I'm fat, pressure me to lose weight, and then tell me I'm looking too skinny and unhealthy at an absolutely ideal weight. Grr.
---

Americans are so use to fat people everywhere they think fat is healthy and normal is anorexic.
---

CTLM posted...

I had a coworker who was 5'8 or 5'9 and a good 280. She was obviously very unhealthy. She lost 100 pounds and looks sick. You can clearly see her collarbone and bones around her neck and chest. She looks gaunt.

180 at 5'8 is still pretty meaty

---

nogaems posted...

CTLM posted...

I had a coworker who was 5'8 or 5'9 and a good 280. She was obviously very unhealthy. She lost 100 pounds and looks sick. You can clearly see her collarbone and bones around her neck and chest. She looks gaunt.

180 at 5'8 is still pretty meaty

Normally yes. Although she says she is 180, maybe she lost more. She had a little party to celebrate the 100 lbs loss. she looks exactly the same now as she did then (4 months ago), except for a few new tattoos

I think it depends where all your weight goes. For example, when I was 180 pounds it was all in my stomach. Then when I lost 50 lbs I looked exactly the same except my stomach was thinner. As a result, I have always looked "too thin" even if I am normal weight.

Also, I have been told I have a "large" frame and should have more weight to fill it out.
---

I thought it was pretty much stating that they might overcorrect and start looking sickly if they keep it up
---

it's because you are going to look different and they don't like that

or it's because you are going to look better than them and they don't like that

really it's because you're gonna have weird lose skin and that's gross since people tend to forget that happens
---

SunWuKung420 posted...

BMI is also a terribly flawed measurement.

When I weighed what the BMI said I should for my height, I looked like I was dying of terminal cancer or AIDS.

When I looked the best I've ever looked in my life, when I was at the peak of my athleticism and running track/weightlifting/playing soccer, I was about 25lbs "overweight" according to BMI.

It's a large part of why I kind of consider it bullshit, and dislike the idea of it ever being used for any sort of official purposes (like health insurance) or making sweeping generalizations about people's weight. It's not terrible at defining "average" body types and builds, but there are a metric fuck-ton of people out there who aren't even remotely average.

People should basically strive to maintain a healthy weight for their body frame based on lifestyle and bone structure, and not pick a specific "number" to aim for which might not accurately reflect what they should be in any way.

That being said, "big is beautiful" or "it doesn't matter if I'm 200lbs overweight as long as I'm healthy" are destructive mentalities of their own.



Moonjay posted...

I had the same bullshit when I lost a massive amount of weight. Treat me like shit all my life because I'm fat, pressure me to lose weight, and then tell me I'm looking too skinny and unhealthy at an absolutely ideal weight. Grr.

That's partly because people get used to seeing someone overweight, and when their appearance radically changes from weight loss, it looks "wrong" (and subconsciously, we associate that sort of wrongness with illness). Al Roker STILL doesn't look right to me, and he lost his excess weight almost 20 years ago.

But in some cases, that sort of reaction can also come if weight isn't quite being lost evenly. I've seen larger people who lose a ton of weight, but who still have fat faces from being overweight, which leaves their head looking like it's too large for their body.

Ironically, in most of those sorts of cases, it's the fact that we KNOW the person from before that makes them look worse to us. If you'd never seen one of these people before when they were overweight and only saw them for the first time when they were thinner, they'd probably look much more normal.
---

I do have high cheekbones and basically looked like Skeletor compared to my fat face. I like my face better obese. :P
---

When I qualified for the special forces in the Air Force I was 6'1 and 220 pounds. That was pretty much my ideal weight.

I think I have heard that 6'1 is normally supposed to be 190 or so....but not for me. I'm an ogre and have huge calves etc.....220 is perfect for me. I have not seen 220 though since half the people on this board were born lol.
---

SunWuKung420 posted...

BMI is also a terribly flawed measurement.

It really is. On base, they tape peoples waist. And people were failing. So, they added a BMI chart to test that out to see if it helped. It didnt... At all... People were doing worse. They could see that, so I believe they stopped. It does really work. Especially with the way a lot of guys were constantly working out and trying to get bigger...
---

ParanoidObsessive posted...

That's partly because people get used to seeing someone overweight, and when their appearance radically changes from weight loss, it looks "wrong"

Kind of like when someone always wears a hat or glasses. And you see them without one or both of them... They almost look like a different person. Same with a co-worker and his beard. I saw a picture of him without, I thought it was his little brother at first...
---

ParanoidObsessive posted...

Al Roker STILL doesn't look right to me, and he lost his excess weight almost 20 years ago.

Penn Jillette looks like he got deflated after his weightloss.

I think the thing about losing weight without adding muscle is true

---

LinkPizza posted...

Kind of like when someone always wears a hat or glasses. And you see them without one or both of them... They almost look like a different person. Same with a co-worker and his beard. I saw a picture of him without, I thought it was his little brother at first...

It's always fun if you know anyone with small children (or have some of your own) and you have a beard to see how they react to you the first time you shave it all off. Kids who otherwise love you will start to act like you're a total stranger, because their brains can't handle the weird sense that something's off, and they can't logically process why yet.

I shaved my beard for Halloween, and my friend's 2-year old (who has known me his whole life, who sees me at least once a month, and who is usually pretty chill with me) was acting like he'd never met me before.
---