My freshman year of college I went from 129 to 108 in a month. All bad. And I can say with certainty that I was way too skinny. I gained the weight back in about two to three months, so I wasn't that thin for too long and don't remember feeling ill effects from it. However, I looked sick. Plain and simple. My cheeks were very hollow, my elbows looked ridiculous because they stuck out so much from the rest of my arms, and I looked like a bobblehead or a lollipop. It was also painful to sit on hard surfaces or lay down because my hips were so bony, and I have no butt to begin with. That was definitely too skinny.

Too skinny? Is either an obsessive mentality, a health condition (Which I'm in no place to speculate about for other people) or aesthetics. Aesthetically speaking- if your limbs appear to have no muscle, your joints and head look oversized for your body, or you can count the ribs above your breasts/below your neck on your chest, then in my opinion, you are too skinny.

As for numbers and sizes- I try not to judge people's "skinniness" by their weight as long as it's above the underweight category in the BMI range. Most people would say that 130 is too skinny for someone my height- but at that weight I was a competitive soccer player who ate like a horse and was at the peak of physical fitness. I was also a size 8 in womens (11 or 13 in juniors) and the only people who really knew my "number" was so low were my doctor and nutritionist, most people still would have guessed I weighed 150 or more.

As for the tiny people. I hate you. Really. Well, no, that's just the jealousy speaking. But I've always wanted to be tiny. Petite. Delicate. I'm an almost 5'9" woman (who would be 5'11" if it weren't for scoliosis) in a family full of 4'11" and 5'2" women who never weighed over 100 pounds until they had kids. If they ever did. Skinny, waify, tiny, etc. Are never in my cards. But, I'm coming to grips with that. I'll settle for looking like I'm in shape again.

mkendrick, thanks for this thread. I find it so interesting and actually inspiring! I like what you said about feeling good when you're tiny. I actually feel tiny when I'm weighing 145 lbs. and I really hope I get there so that I can have this feeling back. The problem is that my family starts to tell me that I'm way too thin. This is quite annoying because it messes with my mind and makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong and I end up losing my motivation. This time, I'm determined not to let that affect me (there are, of course, a multitude of other reasons). Anyway, can you please tell me....did you eat the same calories while losing as you do at maintaining or did you bump up your calories? I'm very curious. Thank you!

I have been thinking about this question ever since I saw this post yesterday. Wow - very thought-provoking.

For others, I have no idea what "too skinny" is unless we're talking about health issues/disordered eating (similar to being "too overweight"). From an aesthetic point of view, I think people toward the low end of the weight spectrum occasionally look sunken-in and almost hollow, and that's not attractive to me.

For myself, and what I've mainly been thinking about in regards to the question, I'm absolutely stumped. I've never ever been normal weight. I was chubby kid, an oveweight adolescent, an obese college student . . . I have no memories of what it's like to be normal, so how can I know what skinny will feel like?

When I set my initial goal (it feels like a million years ago) I made it 140 because I never thought I would actually achieve it. When I realized calorie counting and exercising were working (shocker!) I lowered my goal to 135 because that would put me in the normal BMI range. Now that I'm within 12 pounds of that (what?!?! seriously?!?) I'm thinking that I want to go lower. How low? How skinny? Not a clue.

It's been mentioned in other threads often, but people don't necessarily see themselves or others clearly. Right now, at 147 and in a size 8/10 (which I partially attribute to vanity sizing) I see myself, most days, as just as big as I was when I started this journey. Last weekend I visited old friends and got called "skinny." I'm neither of those things.

I would LOVE to be little and wear a size 4, just because I've never done it before. I would love to feel dainty and delicate. Will I ever get there? I don't know, and at this point I don't think I'll know how skinny is too skinny until I get there and find out what the lower end of the normal BMI range looks like on me.

Mckendrick, congrates on reaching your goal and having the body you've dreamed about. You've more than earned it.

Having said that, and please don't take this the wrong way, I will admit that I am intensely insanely jealous of your achievement. I want to be skinny too (there, I've said it) but I don't think my stupid older body will cooperate. Yes, I'm lighter than you but I'm also six inches shorter. The equivalent of my 115 pounds would be 145 pounds on somebody your height, and for me to be as skinny as you I would have to get all the way down to 95 pounds. And if I can't drop a measly five pounds to 110 there is no way I'm ever going to lose twenty.

I think I would have to weigh in the 80's to be too skinny.