Are you happy with your body?

[Sokuto]

And if so, what kind of body do you have?

I've spent my life trying to be skinny. I wasn't bothered about being healthy, I just wanted to be as thin as possible. So fad diet after fad diet, low carb, Atkins, 5:2, slimming world, caveman ... constantly feeling shit and unhappy even though I've always been within a healthy BMI - I just wasn't skinny enough.

Recently, within the past year I have grown an interest in fitness and have started taking part in fun runs (colour run, inflatable 5k, Halloween run etc). I've also gone back to martial arts and was shocked at how weak I was. I joined the gym and started building up my cardio abilities and muscle mass. At this point I realised i needed to eat properly in order to do these things. Ironically, I have now lost weight and am finally happy with my weight.

Now I strive for lean and healthy rather than thin.

AIBU to think there is far too much emphasis on "losing weight" and not enough on actually exercising? If everyone exercised appropriately, the food wouldn't be such an issue?

Slimming world is the absolute pits but they, along with NHS etc all lay emphasis on simply "losing weight". Shouldn't the emphasis be on "improving health"?

And my initial question, are you happy with your body?

No, never have been, or will be, but happily these days I can't be arsed to get depressed about it either!

Not right now. Need to lose at least 2 stone and get rid of the CS overhang.

However, I usually start losing weight and very quickly feel better about it. So it’s not unrelieved doom and gloom!

Yes. But for the first time in my adult life. Turned 40 last year, I’m 5’5 and a size 10-12, weigh 9.5 stone. I decided that actually I’ve nothing to complain about; after 3 kids I realised that I’m ok. And my DH loves me (so much!!) for who I am so I decided months ago to stop hating myself.

No because I have no boobs so have to get really skinny just to look in proportion otherwise my belly looks bigger than my boobs!
Saving up for a boob job but going to take forever at the rate I'm saving.
I'm 5ft 3 and 9st 10 so probably could do with loosing a bit more.

I love my body.

I was involved in a serious accident about 20 years ago and had to work hard to bet back full mobility. Also I have a serious back condition and both these things make me hugely grateful for and really proud of my very imperfect, hard working body. I can't look at it critically - it's been through a lot and keeps going.

I have scars from my accident, childbirth etc -but to me these are reminders of my luck to date.

I'm lean and strong. I'm well over 40 and although my body has changed I really enjoy it by exercising and setting myself physical challenges. Perhaps because I know I might not always have freedom of movement I relish it whilst I do.

I see my body as a really incredible machine. Feel overwhelmed thinking about it actually.

Yes. Very. I'm a size 8 and have a slim, athletic build. Ten years ago, I was six stones overweight and a size 20.

I work relentlessly to maintain my new look. Any deviance from the plan and ..... the weight will go back on. Extremely hard work; but absolutely worth it. I feel fab

Happy here too.
I could be thinner but I like curves and I started running a few years back... Now run 10km regularly and aiming for half marathon.
Love that my body can do this.. I wS once very over weight and did no exercise because it wS hard... So now love that I am fit and healthy and that is worth more that a size label in my clothes or a reading on the scales

Yes. My body is healthy and has never let me down. Long may that continue.

I'm unhappy. Recently had a baby, now full of stretch marks and baggy skin. Need to get motivated to diet

I’m gwtting more comfortable with it.

I’m one of those lucky ones - always been slim and never really had to do much to maintain it. I’ve got good appetite control and like walking.

But I’ve spent a long time hating my body and looking back I regret that! Now I’m 36, slightly out of shape and having had two kids I’m a bit battle weary but still things look ok.

I've recently lost 53lbs and, at 51, I love my body for the first time ever! It's taut and lean and I'm really quite fit! I'm suddenly realising how utterly amazing our bodies are and I'm really respecting mine now. It's served me well! If only I'd appreciated it years ago.

I am happy with my body shape, size 10 , 5ft8 , 9 and a bit stone. It's a shame my mind is such a mess, which is far more important than body size imo.

Yes, very happy. I’m five feet four and a half, weigh just over 10 stone, size 12.
I’m got a slimmish hourglass figure. After having two kids my belly is bigger but so what.
I love my body and enjoy keeping fit and feeling quite toned. But I also love food and hate diets.
I hate it when other women talk to me as if they assume I want to lose weight or obviously can’t be happy with my body because I’m not stick thin. I think they do it as a sort of bonding thing.
I wish they would stop. I think as women we should stop trying to achieve a ridiculous standard of beauty.
I never read women’s magazines.

No I’m a fucking troll, huge arse and thick horrible legs, no ankles and a face like dropped pie.

Yes, but it took me until I was 30 or so before I felt better about how I looked and stopped nit-picking.

5 ft 7, size 8/10 hourglass, 56kg. Never been on a diet or really changed weight much but as I get older I try to eat healthily and do a lot of walking and some dancing.

Feeling more comfortable with my body came with feeling more comfortable in myself generally and being more aware of what I am (and what I am not). I also haven't read a woman's magazine in years, which may have helped.

I’m happy with my body, some people may think I shouldn’t do I pretend to be something about it.

I am not doing anything about it because NOTHING. Works so I continue to eat healthy, walk the dog for hours, do long walks at lunchtime and complain about not loosing much weight regardless but TBH I don’t care, I’m just getting a bit plump because that’s what happens with age.

Yes. I had a baby a month ago, so I’m about a stone heavier than I’d like to be and I wobble and leak in all sorts of strange places - but I’m in awe of how my body handled pregnancy and birth. The whole process has made me more aware of how our bodies are incredible machines - I hope mine stays healthy for as long as possible.

Right now, no. I gained a lot of weigh during pregnancy and spectacularly failed to lose it since having DS, but I'm on it now, eating less, moving more etc. I've lost 6lbs in 2 weeks and though I've got a lot more to go, I'm pretty happy with the way it's going and I know I'll get back to my skinny self!

I'm fairly happy with my body, it does what it's supposed to do, is strong, healthy and fit. I work out a lot and love working out hard. I weight train, do HIIT and run.
For the past few months I've been experimenting with lowering my body fat percentage to see if I can lose some of my mum tum. I'm 5ft 5 (and a half) and now at 9stones 5. My waist has decreased to 24.5, and I still have a bit of a tum, not much but I have loose skin. I've had three crash c-sections so I'm fairly happy with the state of it. Also the older I get, the more other important it becomes to me to protect my health and bone density rather than being as thin as possible.

Ish - I need to lose a bit of weight, but I also need to get back into exercise, which will sort that out. Fortunately, I have something I love doing but circumstances have made it difficult to get to for the last couple of months, so I just need to go now it's easier again! When I'm fit my body does everything I need it to and that's satisfying, especially as I know it won't be forever and that anything could happen to take that away from me. Feeling healthy matters most I think - I don't feel unhealthy right now but I know I'm not quite at my best.

Would I like to be taller (I'm 5'4") and slimmer? Well, yes. And I've never thought I was pretty, but DH thinks I'm beautiful and makes me feel fabulous, so perhaps my opinion has been wrong all along...?

I'm accepting of my body. I don't love it but there are things I can't change & I'll live with it. When I was younger I was really skinny but covered up because I felt so fat. I joined weight watchers in 1999 & didn't learn much about food other than I could eat what I want & still lose weight. No food is a sin so I'd Use half my daily points on a chocolate bar. I was constantly starving or binging. The message was always eat what you want but stick to your points. I did weight watchers for the next 10 years.

When I was 30 I struggled to maintain my weight & 4 stone later I was diagnosed with an under active thyroid. It took over a year to stabilise & I ended up over 17 stone. I decided to lose weight & got a PT expecting to run on a treadmill but she got me lifting weights & doing exercises with weights. She taught me how to eat & how to make sensible choices so I'm full on healthy foods & less likely to binge. It has changed my life & my attitude to my body. I've still got weight to lose & my skin is flabby & hanging in places but I'm really strong. I do a boot camp with people 18 years younger, stones lighter & I'm the fittest & strongest there which is a huge confidence boost. I'll never wear a bikini but I can squat 80kg & my focus now is a strong healthy body.

Not at the moment.

I used to have a cracking figure but two babies in two years, and a long wait for a part knee replacement meant I couldn’t exercise like before and when I can’t exercise I eat crap. I had my op and had a box of chocolate every day after lunch!

Now that I’m recovering and my mobility should improve I’m hoping to get my figure closer to where it was. I like being lean. I’m not fat by any means but quite wobbly and being so short white stumpy at the moment

Yes, why shouldn't I be?
It is the only body I will ever have. I treat it nicely, dress it well and nourish it properly. It does what I want it to do. What more is there to say?
My brain says that people, who try to compare themselves with unattainable goals, should get real.

Yes I'm happy with my body, I'm 5ft4, 52kg and a size 8. I've had 2 children in the last 2 years too so have done very well to shrink back twice to my original-ish size. I was very fit before I had my kids, a bit of a fitness fanatic really and I think that has everything to do with me springing back. I'm not toned as I was 2 1/2 years ago and a kg or so heavier, but you'd never guess I'd had 2 kids not so long ago.

I have a very positive relationship with food too. I don't believe in diets, but I also don't stuff my face, a bit of whatever you like in moderation.

I'm probably very lucky I realise and in a minority, but I like my body.