Skinny enough

I was at Publix, shopping for a few odds and ends, like fruit, water, yogurt and bread. As I went down the bread aisle, I saw a vendor stocking the Pepperidge Farm breads. I don't usually buy Pepperidge Farm, but there were a few new varieties I hadn't seen before. As I was reading the label on a buttermilk loaf, the stock person says to me, "What are you reading it for? You're skinny enough!" I saw the dreaded "High Fructose Corn Syrup" and put the bread back, stating "It has high fructose corn syrup." He went on to tell me how terrible the stuff is and how he breaks out in hives every time he eats it--the Pepperidge Farm vendor! We traded a few more pleasantries, and I was on my way. I was quite confused by the whole situation. First of all, who said I want to be skinny?? Just because I'm reading labels doesn't mean I automatically want to be skinny. I do, however want to be healthy. I don't want to be very thin. I want to be a lean, mean, fit machine! Skinniness to me has a negative connotation: gaunt; bony; scrawny; meager; twiggy; weedy. Lean is also used as a synonym for skinny, but I don't see the two in the same light. Someone who is skinny isn't necessarily healthy. There is such a thing as skinny-fat, where a person is naturally thin, but not fit and can have a large percentage of body fat for his/her size. When a person is lean, they have a low body fat percentage and a high prcentage of lean tissue, including muscle. Someone who is lean is toned, fit, and athletic, not skinny. My desire is to be lean, not skinny.

Secondly, why would someone who has such an adverse reaction to and a distaste for a particular product/ingredient be involved in selling that product? The idea brings to mind an unsuccessful boat salesman who's afraid of water, or a personal trainer who hates to sweat, or even a surgeon who can't stand the sight of blood. Perhaps this guy was trying to build up his defenses against the stuff. Who knows.