Too skinny...BRING IT ON!

I have recently been getting a few comments from friends and loved ones that say "Dawn, you are looking good, I hope you don't get too skinny." Now, let me say that the people that have actually said this to my face are very supportive of my endeavor and are also encouraging and I realize that they are saying this out of concern only.

I decided this would be a great blog topic to share my thoughts on this comment.

First, "too skinny" is such a personal opinion in my eyes. What one person views as too skinny might possibly be fit and trim to another person. In my eyes their are two people in my life that I personally know (and I know a lot of people) that I view as too skinny and they actually both have eating disorders. The two of them have little to no muscle mass and almost look like skin on bones. That is a personal issue to them and I am sure they fight it themselves or most likely they have NO CLUE that they look that way to others b/c again to them they look fine. So truly the only person that can deem if a person is too skinny is themselves. Since we all know we can't please everyone you have to go with YOU and how you view yourself and that is the bottom line. Plus, the people that I might view as trim and fit with a small body fat percentage and a good deal of lean muscle mass might be the people that you think are too skinny and I think have the perfect body. Again, a personal opinion here.

Secondly, I have worked too hard to get to where I am now and I finally have this healthy lifestyle down that I can assure you that I will NOT get what I view as too skinny and an un healthy body weight. I WILL NOT DO IT!! My health is too important to me and I have made too many strides to overcome some eating issues to throw my health out the door and become what I deem is too skinny and un healthy.

Thirdly, I think (again this is my own opinion) that it is hard for people that have known me for my lifetime or for several years to see me smaller/thinner. They have seen me either overweight for too many years of my life or they have seen me at an average weight for several years that looks decent on me and they think anything smaller is just too skinny when in fact that is just their image they have of how they think I should look in their head.

Finally, For once in my life (my adult life at least) I don't give a crap if people view me as too skinny. In fact, I think I deserve it. I lived 12 years of my life from age 18 - 30 what I consider really overweight for my height (over 185 pounds and up into the low 200's for about 5 years of that) and I want the satisfaction of being too skinny in some people's eyes. I am finally (have been for the last 4 years) making a lifestyle change so that I feel better and hopefully live longer and look better to boot and dang it if you think I am getting too skinny in this venture to the competition stage and you feel the need to tell me about it then you can expect a BIG SMILE AND A "THANK YOU, I WORK VERY HARD" response from me.

I forgot to add that during this process I will most likely get down to a weight of around 115 (this number is not set in stone and my trainer does not go by scale weight but by the look I have and everyone's body is different based on the amount of muscle that they have) but 115 is a snapshot in time. I will not stay at that weight for long. After the competition I will do my best to settle in at a weight that I feel the most comfortable at possibly around 130 or so just to throw out a number. 115 is for the competition and a specfic goal and not a liveable maintenance weight for me.

BRING ON SKINNY!!!!