“Crack whore skinny!” That’s what he called me and everyone (including myself) got a good laugh. Then I got a comment from a reader saying that maybe I shouldn’t re-lose those four pounds that I gained in California. I didn’t listen to her and they’re already gone, by the way. AND THEN someone who’s very close to me called me “scary skinny.” Even my mom has expressed concern about my current weight.
All the people expressing their concern about my weight have one thing in common—they all have known me as an obese man. In their heads, I’m still the fat guy that they used to know. The picture of me in their minds doesn’t match the visual they receive when they actually see me. And so, they’re actually shocked by what they see. I’m pretty sure that if you met me in person for the first time, that you wouldn’t look at me and say I’m too skinny. In fact, my current BMI (don’t holler at me about the limitations of BMI) places me in the upper range of normal. Also, no doctor in his right mind would examine me and tell me that I’m too skinny. I may be skinnier than the average guy, but I’m not a crack whore.
But let’s actually take a look at some stats:
[TABLE=7]
The new me is 30 pounds lighter than the average male from 2002. But I’m only 3 pounds lighter than the average man from 1962. It’s well documented that Americans are bigger than ever. According to US Government Info:
The average weight for men aged 20-74 years rose dramatically from 166.3 pounds in 1960 to 191 pounds in 2002, while the average weight for women the same age increased from 140.2 pounds in 1960 to 164.3 pounds in 2002.
It makes me a little bit sad that people look at me and think I’m too skinny when I’m basically the same size of a normal man from only one generation ago. It also makes me sad (and I’m glad that this no longer applies to me) that today’s “normal ” is 20 pounds over weight.
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
It’s interesting that even in 1962, the average man was technically “overweight” based on BMI standards.
It is an interesting comparison there, I’m 6’2″ and looking at getting my weight down to 168lbs lean and then building muscle on top of that.
Maybe a picture to illustrate how you currently look would help with people’s perceptions of ‘skinny’.
Darren
I can totally relate with you! For the past two years, I’ve been steadily losing weight. I’m 6’2″ and down to 182 pounds from 285 pounds. Everyone tells me that I’m starting to get too skinny despite the fact that I still have a decent amount of body fat to shed.
I think the answer is to shed the fat and build muscle to add bulk. However, I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to try and build muscle while trying to lose fat. Most people say that it’s counterintuitive because losing fat requires that you eat less calories than you use whereas building muscle requires that you eat more calories than you use. Ugh, this is such a hassle! It was so much simpler being oblivious and overweight.
Where can I get those stats for women?
Shannon-click the link in the article and then you can download the stats. Let me know if you can’t find it and I’ll email it to you.
I’m still going with super model skinny :]
I never knew you as an overweight man, but your before and after photos, which you recently posted, make you appear unhealthy right now.
I’m with Anne. The only current picture I’ve seen was the one you posted of you and Pam after WS100. I’m presuming it was because you had just been zooming all around for 21+ hours being part of Pam’s support crew and you were likely quite tired, but you don’t look well in that picture.
Pam is obviously very slim, too, but she looks healthy to me in that picture (though surely TIRED!).
You don’t look like a crack whore to me but you really look as though you are ill. Believe me I don’t ever want you to battle you over being healthy but I think that 10 pounds ago was a great weight for you. I also think with exercise, and the proper training you can get your muscle mass up and body fat down and still be very healthy at 170 or 175. Now I must emphasize everyone this is Mac’s mother and I know nothing about physical fitness except for what my son tells me but as a mother I would like him to look a little less thin.
This is just going on photos – but from the photos you look like you have a decent-sized frame, and it doesn’t look like there’s much muscle. I’d agree w/ your mom on this one! Forget averages and BMIs – go with actual fat percentages and how you look/feel.
That said, I think that we do have a skewed image of what “normal” is in the U.S. But… by the sound of it you are around a lot of people who are healthy and may not have as skewed an image as some others. Make sure you listen to the people you trust.
I think you look great Mac. I’ve been getting some of the same type of comments recently, and I’m nowhere near as “crack whore skinny” as you. My mom has asked several times when I’m going to stop losing weight. I’m still considered “overweight” by BMI standards, and still have moobs and a belly sticking out when I’ve got my shirt off.
Yes, I’ve lost quite a bit of weight in the past 7 months. But I think I’m in the same boat as you, where these people have known me to be overweight my whole life, and this is the first time they’ve seen me at a much healthier weight.
There’s definitely a syndrome amongst people who’ve known you when you were overweight in which they subsequently misjudge your body composition. I know, since I lost 130 pounds and have had the experience on several occasions. That said, there is a limit to how thin you ought to be, and body mass index is not necessarily an appropriate indicator. Sometimes you have to balance your need for the numbers to say what you’d like them to say with the input you’re getting from the people who love you. I’d have to agree that the picture you posted of yourself currently makes you look unhealthily skinny. But how you feel is probably more important than either numbers or appearance, after all.
I agree, I am just a blog reader and I think that that one particular photo makes you look way too skinny, like anorexic skinny. Get someone to take a normal photo of you with normal clothes and lighting so people aren’t worried about you! Also, maybe your skin is too bigger and that’s what causes the too-skinny look– maybe it will catch up with you in time?
The wife weighs in…Mac is NOT underweight. But that picture does make him look terrible and sickly. He had been up for over 24 hours on a 100 degree day without much food, being my “crew” for my race. He was a rock star but the effects of the day are evident in that photo.
As Bruce Cockburn sang: “The trouble with normal is, it always gets worse.”
I thought you liked rather tired in that photo but that was to be expected.
Tell you what, in the interests of science, I think you should try being a crack whore for 6 months and we’ll do a comparison!
Excellent stat comparison.
Here’s my hypothesis:
I wonder, if your body still is adjusting the lack of excess weight. When one loses weight, the skin has been stretched out to accommodate it. This causes a person to look sickly, because the excess skin causes a wrinkly skinny look which we, as a society, have associated with sickly. When someone who ages, they’re body and bone mass shrinks which causes their skin to wrinkly. The aged person then eats less and less, because their activity level shrinks too which eventually causes the body to look sickly near the end.
I doubt your are unhealthy. I think it will take a while for your body to adjust. As long as your keep up the activities (running and weight lifting), and keep toning/strengthening the muscles, your skin will adjust and you look will eventually be less sickly.
How long did it take you to gain the 65 excess pounds and stretch out your body? Compare that with how long did it take you to lose the weight? My guess is that the numbers don’t match, and you’ve got some adapting still to take place. Your body wonders if you’re going to go through another feast period where you’ll put all the weight back on, but of course all us readers know that’s not happening.
Hey Mac – You look just like I did when I raced bikes 5 years ago. I received all of the same comments from family and friends and, after 5 years away from competition, I realize they were partly right. This is by no means a judgment about your weight as it may be just right.
However, one thing is clear, you are obsessed with your weight. I starved myself to get down to just over 170 lbs, at 6’2″. Yeah, I could climb mountains with some of the best climbers in town, but my body was fragile (I could not do anything active, other than riding a bike, without getting hurt) and my workout recoveries suffered. With the benefit of hindsight and extra pounds I now know that my active body was completely underfed when I was at my peak cycling fitness.
Keep in mind that top athletes don’t typically maintain low body fat all the time. They put on some pounds when it’s not competition time to keep their bodies in balance and build strength. Top cyclists actually lose the weight before a big race weeks before the event. This provides great short-term benefits, but is not sustainable year round.
Stay healthy and keep up the good work. I have a feeling you’ll be the skinny one the next time we see each other.
Wow—A Comment from the legendary Jon Rocque! (That’s my best friend by the way) I feel I must respond to this one. First off, I probably am obsessed with my weight. I weigh myself every morning. But I’ve found that it’s the easiest way to keep myself from weighing 228 pounds. I’m not at the point in my life where I can let my guard down, eat whatever I feel like eating, and not gain weight. I’m not sure I’ll ever make it to that point—but it is a goal of mine. Secondly, I’m in the best shape of my life. I can run a marathon, play golf and basketball forever. I’m also stronger than I’ve ever been. I can do more pull ups, push ups, and sit ups than I have ever been able to do. I know that’s not very impressive, considering where I used to be. But I don’t think that there are many people out there who can say that they are in better shape at the age of 36 than they were when they were 18. While most people my age start to slow down, get softer, and gain weight, I’m doing the opposite of that. My body is not fragile, I recover quickly, and I’m able to do most anything I want to do. Finally, I don’t consider myself a top athlete, nor do I consider myself to have a low body fat. I do consider myself an athlete with a normal body fat percentage. My current goals are to continue my strength gains, continue to get faster, continue to firm and tone my body, and let the number on the scale do what it may (within reason of course) Even though that picture may not be the most flattering picture of me, and I may look too skinny in that one instance, I have others that make me look better and will post them for everyone to see soon. Who knew this would be such a can of worms!
My hubby measures a bit more than 70″, and weighs 154 pounds. He looks good, and is definitely *not* underweight. I wouldn’t be worried if he dropped 2 or 3 pounds, even though he doesn’t need to. Just my 2 cents
nice posting,
I never knew you as an overweight man, but your before and after photos, which you recently posted, make you appear unhealthy right now.
I totally get it man. when I tell people I still have 20 lbs to lose (people I know) – they reply in the same manner….now, I am far from the crackhead skinny….but considerablly from where I was. Interesting post – i enjoyed it.