Is it bad to look at friends for weight loss inspiration?

[peace-love-couture]

2 of my best friends have lose a significant amount of weight over the past year through light exercising, but mostly through calorie reduction. It's not uncommon for them to eat maybe a salad a day and nothing more(besides drinking water) or for them to eat one small meal a day and nothing else. but they're completely healthy, have their periods, full head of hair and everything is fine. They've gone to doctors visits.

I'm the shortest of them so I weigh less than them, but I still diet routinely. Nowadays, before I eat something, I think about the decisions they would make. I say to myself sometimes "what would 'J' do?" "Would 'B' eat this?" I honestly look up to them as far as diet and exercise go and I try to align my diet with theirs. I admire their strength and willpower and they are older than me, so it's no surprise they have some amount of influence over me in the area I'm weakest in.

Is it bad to do this?

On a side note, I wish I could have these legs :///

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[Bodycology]

Inspiration is great, but eating a salad a day for prolonged periods aren't.

There is not much nutrition in salad, although this may not have a great negative effect when done occassionally, if you did this for any more than two weeks your body's metabolism WILL slow. It will be almost impossible to go back to a regular diet as the more you eat after you've slowed your metabolism, the more calories your body will store. This is why many women who do this because they suffer from anorexia find it difficult to recover, because they gain so much weight within the first weeks of recovery.

Those pictures you posted were probably women who do mostly dieting and not much exercise as they seem to have no muscle... it also depends on your body type.

I have family that struggles with eating disorders and similar things including binging... no side is easy. I do not know what your situation is, but if you find yourself unable to keep up with your ideals, find that it depresses you, or find yourself constantly anxious about your appearance and weight I would see a profession to ensure you have the proper coping mechanisms in the case that you develop or have a disoder.

[WeaponZero]

Inspiration is always good no matter where it comes from. That being said, the way your friends went about losing their weight ARE unhealthy in the long term. I myself have lost 118 lbs. Mostly it was done through nutrition, not exercise. I say nutrition because Any food plan you follow solely for the purpose of weight loss is one you won't be able to stick to. If you want to lose weight and you want to do it the healthy, smart, and respectable way, you will accept the fact that doing it will take time. You won't set deadlines for yourself and simply see where your new, healthy lifestyle takes you. If you set deadlines you are dooming yourself to fail or trapping yourself to adopt unhealthy methods to reach those deadlines, neither of which are good.

Be patient, and make lifestyle changes, not short-term changes in the name of weight loss.

The legs in the pics BTW are only possible for women with ectomorphic frames to have.

[sourpatchchik2]

It isn't bad as long as you still understand what you're trying to imitate. I don't know how they're staying healthy that way...people need to eat a lot more than that...it's crazy. And go for the body you want but I'll never understand the girls that want legs like those. I'm pretty little...almost 5'7 and only 111 because of my crazy metabolism but I have thighs. They may still be "skinny" but compared to my waist and stuff they are a little bit thicker because I work out and I love them. I'm super thankful I don't have tiny legs. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

[eaeaea]

Looking up to people to better yourself is a nice thing!

It's good to want to be healthy, take care of your body inside as well as the outside and look good in appearance, but those link pics are scary. xD

[WeaponZero]

very scary. the thing is not every girl has a natural build that will allow them to achieve that degree of slenderness (is that a word?) without becoming sickly. and when girls who don't have the genetic potential to safely and healthily achieve that body (the majority of girls in the world) are willing to sacrifice their health to try, that's just very very very sad.

[peace-love-couture]

It's also very very very sad that there are so many fat people in America, yet thin people are treated like a epidemic.

[WeaponZero]

obesity is also treated like an epidemic, because it is. you watch the news much? they talk so much about the obesity epidemic, but its only here on the internet on social websites where people advocate the importance of not taking extreme--and equally unhealthy--measures to combat it.

[WeaponZero]

we don't need to discuss how bad obesity is here because that already gets enough publicity in the news. what we need to focus on here is the stuff that isn't openly talked about in the news, and that is that the extreme opposite of obesity is equally unhealthy. health is found in the middle.

[peace-love-couture]

Nevermind, you're right. People on the internet are generally the ones who are against being thin, even if it is going through healthy measures.

That's why over weight girls go on the internet and ask about guys liking curvy girls and say guys always go for the thin girl, but guys rush to their side saying "thin is so disgusting/gross/unattractive." In real life, thin is technically in.

But obviously, someone being thin means they're anorexic. That's the true epidemic, anorexia

[eaeaea]

Seems you idolize this to a point where you take offence easily withought seeing the true nature of what we're saying.

If you want to lose weight that's fine & Yes you have to sacrafice things like giving up foods that make you look like a pie! Eating one meal a day doesn't sound healthy at all but, it all depends on what your body can handle. Talk to a nutritionist/doctor before you do this. So long as you're not sacrificing your health to achieve a look you might pay for later in health bills.

[peace-love-couture]

All I ever see on here is "skinny is ugly yadda yadda yadda." Even if I was going through healthy means to be thin, I'd still receive answers saying it's unhealthy and that no guy will be attracted to me. I never said skipping meals was healthy, but to me it's worth it

[eaeaea]

That's just pathetic. Thin is not ugly... Being overweight is as unhealthy as being underweight

But if you're comparing it to Fat is ugly then so is being too skinny.. Same same same.

Everyone should be exercising and eating healthy. If you're too fat then lose weight! But do it the healthy way not starving yourself! You're narrow minded it seems, stop reading what's not there and making up assumptions.

Good luck. :]

[WeaponZero]

I never at any point threw the word anorexia down. All I said is that only girls with a very specific frame type can safely and healthily achieve that degree of thin-ness. And given how uncommon those girls are in the genetic pool I think more than likely your goals are unrealistic. And I worry you may do serious damage to yourself before you grow to learn and accept that yourself.

[peace-love-couture]

No, you just don't like thin girls is all. Your preference is fine, but I'm not trying to please you or any other chubby chaser

A couple of users on here have already brought up anorexia, cause y'all obviously know how to diagnose eating disorder(but that's not allowed with obese people)

[eaeaea]

Haha I give up on this one. She's looney! XD

[snake6473]

It's fine to use them as inspiration, but don't look at those pictures for what your body should look like. I'll be honest, if there was a girl that looked as skinny as the girl in that second link, I wouldn't be interested. Too skinny, I like a fit girl far more than an anorexic one...

[peace-love-couture]

I'll be honest when I say I don't care, cause I'm not trying to attract guys on this site

[snake6473]

Alright, then go ahead. I personally don't think eating a single meal in a day is particularly healthy, but if it gets you to lose weight and be at a healthy weight(go to a doctor and talk to them), go for it. I lost 80 pounds eating more or less special K with no exercise, and now that I'm at the weight I'm proud of, I exercise. People are different, find what works for you.

[Is_a_belle]

It's okay to do this (though I do think their diet methods are unhealthy- you NEED at least 1300 calories a day to live even if you just sat on a couch all day). Just be sure that "looking up to them" does not turn in to competing with them to see who can survive on less food. I personally think that those girls' legs are a bit thin (the last one might be okay).

[coolllama]

No, I don't think it is. However there is a slight possibility that they could think it's a little odd to be idolized, but that's a miniscule chance. Heck when I first started using weights I looked at Dragonball Z characters for inspiration lol XD now that's weird.

[lucky24]

calorie reduction is okay but not to the amount where you are only eating a salad a day

thats not healthy. Eat at least 4 meals of 300-500 cal each with proteins and vitamins in each meal

you can suffer a lot of different health problems doing because your body just doesn't have the nutrition to do anything

[And-Once-I-Was-Human]

If they're doing it the right way and being healthy about it then it's a good way to try and motivate yourself knowing that they managed to do it and show you that it CAN be done. I'm not sure they're doing it the best way though. the portion control is important but with only one meal a day you're going to be lacking nutrients.

[sephora]

How do your friends survive on one small meal a day? :/

And those girls look anorexic in those pictures.

[peace-love-couture]

it's called self control I suppose. Plus, one of them is a workaholic so she couldn't eat even if she tried to fit it in. She's literally busy with not only work, but school.

And anything thin looks anorexic compared to the average fatass in America I suppose. thin obviously means anorexic

[eaeaea]

I disagree! You can tell the difference in a body between a very thin person and that of an anorexic. If you look anorexic you will look anorexic whether compared to a 'fatass' (as you call it) or a thin person just the same. Anorexic people tend to have a specific look to them.

Most commonly *lollypop head*

[peace-love-couture]

Anorexia is a SERIOUS disorder, for those of you who feel inclined to label any thin person anorexic. I take offense to this retarded attitude that anything without thunder thighs or a wobbly cellulite ridden ass is anorexic, because anorexia extends beyond weight.

There are plenty of naturally thin girls and most girls on tumblr are just that, but they're admired.

[NerdInDenial]

No, it's not bad to do this. You should also detoxify your system too. Use whatever inspiration you need to get the job done.

[Anonymous]

I hate how people on here put down us skinny girls :( I can't help that I'm skinny and its hurtful to see them say mean things about skinny girls or their body

[peace-love-couture]

It depends who is on. You have the one who will say being chubby is fine and healthy and the ones who are all anti-thin.

"Thin is in" and it always has been, which is why fat girls often ask the "do guys like curvy girls?" questions

[sephora]

no one is putting down skinny girls (at least on this question)

[Bruce]

The first two are anorexic looking. Get into a program, that will try to help; you with your body image

[99PROBLEMS]

No. its okay to do it.

Love the legs *.*

[Lj236]

( . Y . )

[peace-love-couture]

I know! their legs are uh-mazing

[lucky24]

those legs are way too thin =/

i can almost wrap my hand around it