To feel unhappy with being a uk size 12?

[lazysloth]

First of all this is not intended to be 'fat shaming' in any way. I know lots of ladies who look fabulous (and most importantly feel it) in larger sizes.
In my late teens and early-mid twenties I was always a slight size ten (not small enough to feel comfortable in an 8 but more like a size 9). I feel comfortable, happy, confident and healthy at this size.
I am now late 20s and seemingly out of nowhere I am a size 12, bordering on a 14. I tried on some size 12 jeans today in River Island and whilst they fit they really did not look any good!
I am not eating any more or doing any less excercise. Do you have to try harder at this stuff once you hit late twenties/ early 30's? I am really not happy with my body and feel like I need to cover up .
Everyone else says I look fine and this is a normal and healthy size.I am wondering if I shouldn't be so worried about it and it's all in my head? But I'm feeling like I need to go on some sort of diet. I've never been able to diet properly ever and I really hate the gym.

Definitely gets harder after you hit mid-20s. As in, you sometimes have to put a bit of effort in, whereas if you are like me you never had to even think about it as a teenager/early 20-something.
I swing between an 8/10/12 and as I'm short I feel dumpy when I'm on the 12 side of that pendulum. Making sure I get my steps in, make healthy choices (not dieting, if I try to diet I end up stuffing my face) and take even one class a week makes a big difference. I like hiit style classes as they knack you, but then they're done and you feel like you've just made a massive achievement.

I'm slightly taller than you and the same size. I am also unhappy. I know I am not fat but I feel fat. I feel heavy and swollen all over. I do feel healthy. What many shorter people don't understand is that when you are a tall person going up a dress size entails an extra 10kg. That's a lot of extra weight. It's also harder to carry when your legs are so long etc. I would suggest trying to build more muscle (that's what I am doing) it will compensate for your slower metabolism and will also help prevent skeletal problems as you get older.

Hate to say this, but wait till you hit your 40s.

It is a slippery slope and worth keeping an eye and cutting back or eating more healthily. I do weigh myself regularly and if my weight goes over too much, I cut back for a week to 're-set' back to the lower weight.

That way, I enjoy my food but do not allow my weight to get too far out of control as I know it is difficult for me to lose weight. Once you have children, it becomes much more difficult so best to build in some allowance whilst you are still without children (that is, if you want children at some stage).

At 40 with 2 dcs, I have cut dinner right back to be able to stay the same weight. But you are not there yet.

*don't feel healthy

This is so helpful thank you for all the tips and kind words.
Yes @AmazingDetectiveSlashGenius it just doesn't feel like 'me'.
@Whatshallidonowpeople I only mentioned fat shaming as I didn't want anyone to get the wrong end of the stick. I was keen to emphasise that a size 12 plus or any size for that matter is fine. It is all about self perception and what you are comfortable with as an individual.
My best friend is size 16, beautiful confident and comfortable with her size. I think because I'm not used to being a size 12-14 I am not used to it or comfortable with it.

Hi op. I am 50 and size 8 but much shorter than you at 5/2 so I can’t be a 12 as look dumpy.

I put in weight after dc 6 and went to almost 10stone.

If you really want to loose it you have to exercise daily, bike is great but I have s static one in the garage and a rower. Also the sit up arc thing.

I cut out all carbs and rarely eat chocolate, never bread.

I generally eat salads and fruit also chicken and fish. but my one weakness is wine, cannot cut that out.

You can’t diet. It’s s life style choice.,

I am with you OP< it's even more depressing when you realise that today's 12 used to be 14 or 16 - definitively not slim.

Age doesn't help, but you can work through it: less calories (and better calories) and more exercise. You do have to put some effort, and be aware that you will need even more efforts when menopause strikes, but being olderer doesn't have to mean being bigger.

If you're not comfortable with the size then you will need to do more dieting and exercising to fix it. I wouldn't be too hard on yourself though. I still consider size 12 to be slim and I think the older you get the more you need to take into account all your other competing priorities.

I was able to maintain a size 10 when I was single in my 20s through strict diet and exercise (never had it easy unfortunately). However now I'm married and have a more demanding job, and family, I just struggle to put that time in now. Sadly I'm more of a 14/16 and I look back at when I'd gone up to a 12 and felt horrible and really wish I looked like that now! So I also think we can be bad about appreciating what we have when we have it.

I know myself though if I want to change it, I need to put in the effort...and the older I get the harder that seems to be.

*being older
fat fingers alert

Women's clothing sizes are mostly arbitrary. Being a size 12 doesn't really mean anything. It can be small in one shop and large in another. A size 12 nowadays might have been a size 16 a few decades ago. And then there's the individual's height and build to take into account.

What I'm trying to say is that you can't make a blanket statement that a size 12 is slim or normal or overweight. I'm a fairly tall size 12-14 and I could do with losing a couple of stone. What really matters are your measurements, your weight and your BMI. Focus on your body not on your dress size.

It's like when people say being a size 16 is fine because it's the British average for women. Well just because size 16 is the average, and just because size 12 sounds fine, doesn't necessarily mean that either are healthy for each individual.

Do you know your frame size? I am tall(ish) but small frame. Me at a size 12 would be very different in terms of body composition to someone with a large or medium frame at size 12.

This has just happened to me at 44, 5'8 and I've always been an 8-10 (although an 8 20 years ago was much smaller), in the last couple of months I've gone up a size and I hate it and have realised that all the little bad habits I've always indulged in are no longer easily shrugged off.

I'd got into the habit of drinking sugary drinks when I was BFing (althoug haven't bf for seven years the habit stuck), and also having late-night snacks, apropos of fuck all.

Have dropped those and am already seeing things getting back to normal, so I think you probably only need to make small adjustments to get it under control.

I feel you pain though!

I'm with you OP!

I used to be a small 10 and am now a big 12, 14 in Topshop. Whilst I know I am not fat, at 5'4" I am overweight.

Whether I am going to bother trying to lose a stone or 2 though is another matter!!

Healthy weight at that height covers quite a broad range. Neither a size 8 or size 12 are outlandishly big or small. It’s up to you what size you feel most comfortable.

I'm older than you (36) but I also gradually crept up from a size 8 to a 12. Having a baby 3 years ago certainly cemented the size 12. Can I recommend Team RH Fitness, it's a Facebook based coaching page. It's not a diet, it's a sustainable way of eating and maintaining fitness. Some friends have had amazing results, I've been doing it for a few weeks and am losing weight steadily, and I'm finding it easy to do. No nonsense like cutting out carbs (no food is banned, it's all about balance) or syns or anything else. It takes a little while to get your head around it but it's a supportive community and once you've figured out what you're doing it's easy. You need a Fitbit (or similar) as you aim for 15000 steps a day, and you used MyFitnessPal to log your food and monitor your macronutrients (protein, carbs and fats). I've never dieted before (never needed or wanted to) and I wanted to find something that was sustainable rather than a quick diet that would only give temporary results. Think this is it.

Ok just done the BMI calculation and I am 22 (healthy).

My metabolism is starting to slow down a little, but I've just turned 50. i certainly found it easy to keep at the size I felt happy with all through my 20's, 30's and 40's.. By today's loopy sizing I am a 6 on the bottom and 8-10 on top. I am 164cm. i have no idea how much I weigh. I don't own scales.

Oh boo. I thought this was shoe size. Size 12 feet is interesting.

Stressing about being a size 12 dress is less so.

I think a 12 is large, 8-10 is when I look my best. I’m clinically overweight if I’m fitting into a 12 x

I'm a 12 (in most shops) and pretty happy with that right now as I used to be an 18. But I am also still a bit overweight (based on BMI... and no, I don't have a super-athletic build that might confuse the BMI algorithm). I think if/when I eventually get down to the top of the "healthy BMI" range I'll be a largeish 10 (I'm 5'6").

If you are 5'8" and have a healthy BMI then a 12 may just be the right size for you now you're no longer a young slip of a thing; if you're not happy then maybe focus on toning up your size 12 body rather than getting back down to an 8-10. And I wouldn't suggest a "diet" -- they are more likely to put you into a vicious cycle of losing weight and then gaining it back, plus a bit extra. Depending on how you are eating/drinking at the moment there may be healthy eating principles or lifestyle changes you could introduce on a permanent basis, though.

I'm size 12 and I'm a bit overweight - I've been over a stone lighter before and I was still never a 10 in jeans! I've never had a flat stomach and my diet could be much better.
I'm uncomfortable at this size as well.
Even if you try to lose weight using exercise it's 20% about the exercise and 80% about diet!

@MrsBertBibby haha I know someone with size 12 feet if that helps!

You’re 5’7 and weigh, what, 10 stone? Stealth boasting, methinks.

YANBU. I'm not far off your height and was always a size 10 before DC. Then afterwards I was a 14 and couldn't shift it. I felt huge! It was horrible. Then suddenly I lost it and ended up having another DC and was a 12 for quite a while. Whilst I know I wasn't fat, I was definitely heavier than I wanted to be and I didn't like how it looked. I looked chunky. I'm back at a size 10 now, pre DC size. But funnily enough, I do not look as slim as I did pre DC, I do look bigger, certainly thighs and stomach area. I have a feeling if I had any pre DC size 10 clothes, they wouldn't fit me as a size 10 now. I do think vanity sizing is a thing and an old size 12 was fine, but these days, no it's not fat but I wouldn't say it's slim either.

@MrsGloop I'm 5'8" and definitely not stealth boasting. I don't feel great about myself at all. Wish I did!