To just not FEEL that overweight??

[TheHouseOnBellSt]

I'm one stone overweight. That's quite a lot...but I look in the mirror and think "I don't look fat!"

But I must be!

I'm a size 14 on the bottom and a 12 on top..5.7 and 13 stones.

These pictures are really interesting.
At my gym most of my group of friends are between 40 and 75, mostly pretty fit, mostly pretty lean
but we are all different shapes

Things that affect your happy size

• shoulder width : outer point of bone to outer point of bone affects how much muscle your arms and upper torso can ever build

• rib cage depth : If you squeeze between two walls ho far out your collar bones and your shoulder blades ^affects how your muscles drape down the front and back of your body to your pelvis

• pelvis shape : whether the tops of your hip bones flare or turn in ^affects whether your bum is wide side to side or front to back

• legnth of femur head : cannot be seen from the outside but varies between 1/2 and 2 inches affects the whole shape of your thigh muscles and how your hips carry muscle and fat

Skeletons consistently weigh just under 15% of body mass

• so from the DXA scan I had done, mine weighed just over 9 kg

But since then I've lost 4kg of fat, and my skeleton has clearly not shrunk so its nearer 15% of my lean plus essential fat weight ie just under 7kg

but how that 7kg is laid out varies HUGELY between people
eg I clearly have much smaller knee joints than most people so my thighs are naturally thinner

The thing to do is aim for a Healthy weight at which your health indicators are good and your life is still enjoyable

Just to show the range of sizes/weights for each BMI - I am 5 foot 9 and weigh just over 11 stone - my BMI is 22.7, which is middle-to-top of healthy range. I am a size 12 bottom, 12-14 top. I am 37.

(fully clothed pictures because I am covered in identifying tattoos!)

Thank you Cactus! A girl, whopping 8lbs 8oz, she was born at 9am and we were home by 5pm

I'm 5'11" and weigh 10st6lb (BMI of 20.4). In my first year of uni I put on a lot of weight and ended up at 12st4lb, which was technically still a healthy weight - I think my BMI was 24.something - but I looked and felt awful, really wobbly and lacking in definition.

grobag
Not your first one then!

And if you wanted to regain a tiny waist, in the next few months while your cartilage is still soft, it will be easy

alma
chances are that if you look at the list of skeletal points I listed, you are light/narrow framed so cannot carry much muscle and thus look flabby while lighter than those with a different frame
IYSWIM

Grotbag congratulations! How gorgeous!

I think I am going to ask for this thread to be moved to chat...it means it will dissapear eventually but it's gone beyond an AIBU...all of the pics are so informative....is there another area I could ask for it to go to where it will stick around?

CactusAnnie I'd give a lot for an extra 10cm in height... I think you have a fab figure!

Worlds Many congratulations! And isn't it funny how we are never happy with our own body shapes. I've always wanted bigger boobs (mine are really small).

Well I've just seen a photo of myself on DH's phone and MY GOD I have arms like hams!

:(

BellSt
Post it.
You are your own worst critic.
In my pic, you all saw my legs, I saw my tummy ....
This is a splendidly honest and calm thread

post it and lets see where you fit in
(and arms are really easy to lean down FWIW)

I can't! I don't know how and DH is out now....I don't think he knows either. Also, my head is in it

Talkin - I am pretty large framed, broad hipped and toned, but I have always had a skinny rib cage, even when I was 'fat'. I'm a bit of a mix!

where your head is your body will follow. ignore pressure but do get him to look at our pics as he might be blunt but he loves you and he'l look at the whole of you whereas you will just look at the bit you do not like

you are heading in the right direction and you are informed : all is good

I have photo editing on my phone, its a free one that you can fuzz out the head/face...or crop it?

And I had bad arms, on my wedding day 5 years ago I weighed 8st 12 (a record low for me) but I'd been running and not exercising the top half of my body at all - in my lovely wedding photos all I can see is back fat and chunky arms. They say you cant spot reduce fat, but you can tone up all over and if body fat is low ish you will end up looking pretty decent

This thread is so fascinating.....

Talking head, HOW do you know all this?!

I think its a good thing that you don't FEEL that overweight. Much better for you than for the people on here who are despising themselves for weighing a few extra pounds.
I am 5' 8"-I feel no different at 13 stone and size 16-18 than I did at 11 stone and size 12-14. I don't think I look a lot different either-but I must, I suppose.
Certainly not worth loosing sleep over.

I have been reading this thread and it is genuinely lovely - I am 5ft 8 and currently weigh 12st 3 & hate it. I normally sit at 11st 5 as my normal, eat what I want & run around after children etc and felt ok there still would like to be that magic stone lighter though
I was ill though and lost loads of weight and went down to 9st 5 To be absolutely honest I felt it was the only positive thing about my illness, and everyone said how awful I looked but I could only see that I was thinner. Photos from that time show how ill I was - anaemic (Hb of 6..) gaunt & not healthy at all. So not a true representation of how I would really look at that weight.
10mths of steroids has got me to where I am now and I am struggling to lose the weight ( would like to be back within the healthy range for a start) and although my health is a hundreds times better, I struggle to be thankful that I am currently well, and my weight is reflective of my health.

I think you are all marvellous

Its all a bit ridiculous. I had part of my lung removed and went quite thin-felt like shit---cue, loads of compliments.
Next stage of treatment was high dose steroids-gained over 2 stones. Felt better but compliments dried up.
I don't care really-I'd rather be able to breathe-but attitudes are strange.

Fluffy
I've been a fan of - and poster on - 5:2 for nearly three years
I'm analytical by habit
and read science press for leisure

therefore the "holistic" side of reaching a healthy size is of interest to me.

plus3
work out your own personal TDEE : even if you never calorie copunt, having your number in your head will help a lot.

drudge
steroids are a bugger as they make your face look puffy and ill
only the bluntest friends bods like me feel able to ask
as its clearly not normal weight gain, but often associated with major health issues so scares people
stay as toned as you can as when the drugs wear off the good shape will show again

Hmm...the only priority when you are ill enough to be on steroids like this is wellness and for many of us you actually can't breathe so thinking about doing things to maintain the shape of your bum wouldn't necessarily be wise, helpful or kind to yourself.

Where can I read more about the hip femur shape etc. talking peace.....is there a website I can browse?

fluffy
Look up any catalogue of hip replacement implants - that will show the variation within human pelvises
or google image of hip replacement xrays shows the range of pelvis shapes and alignments