To wonder what it feels like to be thin?

[sunshine5997]

I'm 24, married and quite frankly I am fat.
I hide away in black clothes and coats. It's my fault I'm fat (size 16).
I see some lovely photos of people in their early 20s stick thin in lovely short skirts or crop tops.... and all I think is, what does it feel like to be thin and confident to wear those lovely clothes? So what does it feel like not to have saggy over hangs or horrendous chafing in summer???

(Ps i have had some wine!!)

It's amazing !!! At age 21 I was 8.5 stone. 12 months ago I was 15 stone. 38 years have passed in between. Then I got ill and didn't/couldn't eat for 3 months. I'm now 10.7. I have clothes I've not worn for years that finally fit again. I look better. I feel better. I'm happier with myself. I'm never going back (although I do think I look older). Fat does make you look younger.

i'm working on being slim but after having a breast reduction i can tell you that NOT having sweaty underboobs, and NOT wearing a bra in 30C temps is wonderful. so much more comfortable.
i look forward to that feeling with my tummy and inner thighs.

Size 8, still have loose skin and worry about other things about my looks. Being slimmer doesn’t really solve anything unfortunately. You’ll always find something else to focus on.

You’ve lost loads, that’s a huge achievement.

I'm currently pregnant but usually a size 6-8. Being thin feels good. You can pull off cheaper clothes.

It’s fine. Being naturally slim meant I just didn’t have to think about my weight at all and could wear and eat whatever I wanted. I am fatter now (late 40s) but still at the healthy end weight wise. I am not attractive at all, so it has never been a vanity thing, just that feeling light is part of who I am.

I'm quite slim. Size 10, 5'10. I am horribly insecure about my body even though I know it's not logical. Men stare at my body quite a bit which makes me uncomfortable. On the plus side, I love feeling fit and strong. I used to be much thinner and was always tired and freeeeezing.

I have put on about 2 stone and I was not particularly slim before but was not overweight either.. what I notice now being fat is not so much how it looks but how uncomfortable it feels to have a big spare tyre, thighs rubbing together etc. It feels like my body is not my own and I hate it, desperately want to get back to my previous weight where I could move easier, not feel so uncomfortable etc.

I’ve been many sizes in my life - size 6 to size 16, mainly dictated by hormone treatments. Even as a size 6 I was unhappy with my body, didn’t feel “thin”, I’ve cone to the conclusion as I’m heading for 40 that I’ll never be happy with it (twin pregnancy has wrecked my body completely) and I’m trying to just live with that. There are much more important things about me than my saggy stomach and cellulite. That’s what I keep telling myself at least!

I've been all sizes (well from size 6/8-14) , and I won't lie, It's nice to be a size 10 . I like it and won't let myself get any bigger. I work quite hard to stay like this - exercising and watching what I eat. But not alot, or I'd be thinner and more toned. I like food and drink too much to be really thin.

i've been thinner too - but I was ill and stressed wasn't eating at all. The gin diet. I can see how people get EDs at that stage because no matter how people told me I was too thin, I liked it. Sadly I like food too much and when I'm happier I eat more - so that wasn't sustainable.

I've been bigger too. And I'd rather not be bigger again.

I lost 1.5 stone this year and the difference has been absolutely bloody amazing! I've literally had the best summer of my life. I can wear the clothes I've always dreamed of, and chafing is gone. I can waltz into the shops knowing that I can have whaver I fancy, not just whatever looks bearable.

I'm a size 12 now so I'm not mumsnet skinny, but I feel like a fucking goddess. I went to a special event in the summer in a fabulous dress and I actually felt like a famous person.

I can run longer and faster now, and best of all I'm no longer entertaining thoughts of paying ten grand for a breast reduction op. My boobs have gone down three sizes all by themselves and I can now wear gorgeous bras.

I'll keep these positive thoughts high in my mind as winter and Christmas threaten their usual carnage on my eating habits.

I never, ever want to go back.

Well, at 24 I felt too skinny and no boobs. Clothes often hung too loose and it was difficult to find the size 6s that actually fit me.
Then I'd get the comments that I looked too thin or asking if I had lost weight with a concerned look or that looked too young, without any consideration for my feelings.

Is this what you wanted to know?

Lighter people still have different body shapes and clothes don't necessarily fit well or suit them.

If you decide to lose weight, do it to become healthier. So look at your lifestyle and food habits. Speak to the GP or a nutritionist.

Fat does make you look younger.

When you're older.
And older when you're younger.

Im probably a size 18/20. But ive lost decent amounts of weight a few times in my life. The last time, in my 30s, I was training and running half marathons. When I stopped, for silly reasons, I couldn't keep it off.

I dont eat badly or big portions at all and rarely drink so, I think, some of it is the way Im made. It would be very hard to cut down more without being hungry. So, my only way would be greater exercise on 30 miles a week levels.

I felt good when I was slimmer, although running endorphins helped plus buying clothes was easier, as was getting around. But its hardly difficult at my size. I still have the energy to work hard. Having said that, my job is sedentary.

I'm 5ft 2 and currently 8.5 stone. I was 11.5 stone 3 years ago. Being slim is awesome! I can wear almost anything, if someone parks too close to my car I can still squeeze in the door, I can get through the obstacles at soft play if my kid needs to be rescued, I'm just so much happier. On the flip side I've basically been on a diet for 3 years but not a strict one. Really healthy eating for the most part then the occasional treat. The sacrifice is worth it.

Not as good as pizza tastes

What makes you think you can’t eat pizza and still be thin?

To e it just feels normal. I feel like me. When I’ve put a few pounds (usually when work’s been busy etc) I feel sluggish and heavy. That’s usually enough to get me back on track.

I'm a size 12 now so I'm not mumsnet skinny

^

I'm by no means 'thin', but I've recently slimmed from a big 16 18 to a 12 and I feel fucking amazing. I'm proud of myself.

Getting dressed in the mornings is no longer depressing. My clothes are comfortable and look good. I enjoy browsing shops and online for clothes, looking for what I actually like rather than whatever is black and going to hide the parts of my body I don't like. When I sit down I don't feel fat rolls folding over. My thighs don't chafe.

I've worked hard for it. I'm in the gym a lot and I have significantly cut back on calories. I don't drink. But it's worth it, both for my physical and mental health and how I feel in myself.

Being thin has always been my norm, on a practical level I love it because I’m really into clothes and personal style and I can generally get away with whatever I want and often don’t need to try things on.

The only slight draw back is how frequently other people comment on it. People are usually very kind & complimentary but even so it can be quite uncomfortable having your body commented on by others, I think it’s a bit rude to be honest. And surprisingly it’s happening more now that me and my peers are in our 30s, I’ve been ‘jokingly’ pushed out of photographs before and had people say ‘crikey best not be photographed next to Vulcan’ which is cool I understand it’s just banter, but can feel a bit awkward from my perspective.

At 24 you can put in 2 years of eating clean with moderate exercise and find out for yourself. You can do it. Go and do it xxx

@VulcanRay And it would be seen as socially unacceptable to behave that way towards someone who was 'big'.

I’ve just turned 30 and I’m currently a size 22 having gone from a 24 down to an 18/20 and then back up again. I’m currently trying to lose weight again because it’s impacting my physical health (I have plantar fasciitis, which seems to be worse now I’m heavier).

That said, I don’t own any black clothes and don’t try and hide. I find that wearing baggy black clothes makes you look way bigger than you actually are. And from reading all these comments, it sounds like it’s better to try and gain confidence no matter what size you are. That is the main thing I’m trying to do at the moment. I wore a bikini on holiday this year (a high waisted one that I love) and it felt fabulous. I didn’t care whether anyone was looking at me. I was just having fun on holiday. I’ve also worn some tops that are shorter in the body this summer, and not cared that it shows my belly. I wear summer dresses (with anti chafing shorts under) and shorts. I also did loads of hiking on holiday and didn’t care if I was going really slowly and looked like I was about to die. I feel like life is too short to care what anyone thinks about me, and actually a lot of people are so busy worrying about their own hang ups that they don’t really notice others.

I feels good but it doesn’t make life perfect. My ex is an alcoholic, he was an alcoholic when I was 5 stone heavier (we were together then), I think part of me thought that once I’d lost weight so many problems would be solved.

I guess I read your post and thought, does your husband love you, is he the one and how does that feel? Not in a pity party way, but just I think to be happily married would feel better than being thin.

Even when I was skinny i was still paranoid about my figure. My belly being too big or my hoovering too small.

Gah not hoovering but boobs being too small.

Feels fantastic.
To put into context, I've been everything from slightly underweight to obese (BMI 35, size 20-22, at 5'4" ), so I've seen it from both sides. At the moment I'm in the normal weight range, size 10-12, could probably comfortably lose another stone/couple of inches.
It's just being able to move around freely, feel light on my feet, not get sweaty rashes under my boobs, being able to cope better in very hot weather, not having pain in my ankles and knees.
It's not really about clothes most of the time for me. I see a lot of larger women around wearing lovely fashionable clothes and obviously taking care of their appearance and feeling good about themselves. I'm more casual myself, apart from the odd ocassion, though I did get a kick when I tried a size 12 dress on for the time in years and thought I look good.
OP if you have already lost weight, keep at it. You can get there. It has taken me 8 years so far, with plenty of ups and downs. It is worth it though, whatever your motivation.

Congratulations on losing 5 stone. Great achievement