Is it healthier for me to be skinny?

[gorillahung]

This past 9 months I've gone from a kind of fat 201 lbs. down to a skinny 155 lbs. I looked best when I was at 175 lbs. I still had nearly 16" arms and was lean with some definition. I certainly looked good for a 44 year old man, especially living in the fattest part of the country (Appalachia).

So, I ran into an old powerlifting buddy that I trained with in the early to mid 90's. He's 61 years old now and I'm 44. He quit lifting altogether earlier this year as it was hurting him too much. He thought I'm better off staying skinny and doing light weights with cardio at the gym (on top of quitting the juice). Part of me knows he's right but another part of me wants to do more cycles and put on some size and strength. Should I just be content with being a thin guy?

 

[SteveMobsterG]

Has some of the weight loss been since you stopped some of the huge list of meds you're on?

 

[stevesmi]

man this is totally up to you

I don't think skinny nor big is healthy.. it is somewhere in the middle.

I have been all over the place in my life since high school. we are talking anywhere from 133 pounds to 200 pounds..

If you are doing this for strength, you want to be BIG.. if you want to be healthy then yes be somewhere in the middle with lean mass.

 

[gorillahung]

man this is totally up to you

I don't think skinny nor big is healthy.. it is somewhere in the middle.

I have been all over the place in my life since high school. we are talking anywhere from 133 pounds to 200 pounds..

If you are doing this for strength, you want to be BIG.. if you want to be healthy then yes be somewhere in the middle with lean mass.

I don't have good lifting genetics, I know that. I accomplished a 405 bench weighing 190 lbs. through much hard work and some sustanon. That was 20 years ago though and now I think I'm content to be just normal size and strength. I guess life priorities change for everyone and nobody gets to keep their youthful physique and strength.

 

[Zinergy]

It's healthier to be a lighter weight, too skinny isn't good either. But those who tend to live the longest and have the least amount of health complications are on the lighter end.


Weight is hard on your body, just think how much harder all your organs have to work to maintain everything. For every positive there has to be a negative and that even applies to your body. If you want to be strong you're whole life your going to be paying for it somehow, performance/strength and athleticism do not equal healthy.

 

[SteveMobsterG]

I don't have good lifting genetics, I know that. I accomplished a 405 bench weighing 190 lbs. through much hard work and some sustanon. That was 20 years ago though and now I think I'm content to be just normal size and strength. I guess life priorities change for everyone and nobody gets to keep their youthful physique and strength.

This. It's very true.

 

[Lev Butlerov]

It is best to be on the leaner side of the scale, but without going into extremes. It is less stressful for the body to be lean. When you are too big the heart may struggle.

 

[muskate]

People with low body weights have the highest life expectancy. This has been shown in study after study.

High body weight puts a lot of stress on your organs. It makes every organ in your body have to work harder.

For health and longevity - being small and fasting is the best for optimal health.

 

[MasonicBodybuilder]

I would think optimal body fat for a man would be around 15%. That would not have you skinny or big but just lean. I don't think the body appreciates the stress of being too far on either end.

 

[gorillahung]

I would think optimal body fat for a man would be around 15%. That would not have you skinny or big but just lean. I don't think the body appreciates the stress of being too far on either end.

My last body composition test in the Bod Pod had me at 12% fat. I've lost 6 lbs. since then but I've lost a little muscle with it. I'm probably the same percent now. The medical community recommends less than 20% fat for men and 30% for women.