"Don't get too skinny"

The following article was written by Brennen Keene, a member of my Beachbody Team, on his TeamBeachbody.com blog.  I thought it was well written and conveys a great message, and so I asked him his permission to repost it here: 

"Co-workers, family members, friends, and others I know have noticed my weight loss (40 pounds since January 1, 2010).  I'll be the first to admit that I look noticeably different (thinner face, greatly reduced midsection, etc.).  Some people are forward enough to ask me how much I have lost (which is fine by me because I am not ashamed to say how much I have lost).  Several people have asked whether I plan to lose more weight, and the simple answer is yes, I do plan to lose more weight (although the way I look at my future weight loss will be more focused on body fat reduction and my waist to hip ratio, with weight loss being a consequence of that focus).  I find it interesting that a number of people have said something to the effect that I don't need to lose more weight or they say "don't get too skinny!"

When folks say these things to me, I politely say that I still have excess body fat that I need to shed.  I know that the people making these statements are well-intentioned, but in my mind, these statements are perplexing (and borderline irritating).  For me, a person who has been overweight for most of my adult life, I can't understand the concept of being "too skinny".  I just want to be healthy, and it would be a nice bonus to have a flat stomach and (hopefully) some visible abs.  But too skinny?  Please.

I recognize that there are people who truly suffer with being underweight because of disease, malnourishment and/or eating disorders.  People suffering from those conditions are "too skinny" because because of a problem likely beyond their immediate control.  But that's not me.  My BMI (28.9) is still in the "overweight" range, and I would have to lose another 25+ pounds just to get to a BMI of 25 (the top range of "normal" for BMI).  That's just not going to happen.  I simply have too much muscle mass in my arms, shoulders, chest and legs for that to happen, and I'm not going to try and reduce my muscle mass just to get to some number that somebody decided was "normal" (particularly since BMI is not the final analysis of what is a "healthy" weight).  But I can become more lean (e.g., getting to a body fat percentage of 15% +/-).   Heck, right now my body fat percentage is somewhere north of 25% (depending on which measurement tool you use).  That alone should tell you that I have the "opportunity" to lose more body fat and still be very healthy.

I'm not quite sure why I get irritated at these statements about me becoming "too skinny".  Maybe its because I don't like to be second-guessed as to what my goals should be (in other words, pride).  Another part of me says that I should use those statements as an opportunity to tell folks about how to look at weight as only one part of the puzzle to being a healthy weight.  But that can come across sometimes as condescending and "preachy".  I'm not sure what the right response should be.  Maybe I should just  keep my thoughts to myself, keep my head down, keep pushing play and focus on my own goals and stop worrying about what other people have to say about my goals."