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.

I think it is normal to put on weight as you get older and particularly if you settle into habits. I am tall and was always reasonably slim. Size 10/12 in my early 20s, then I moved in with my partner in my mid 20s and went up to a 12/14. Then had my first child and was a 14. After my second child I am a 14/16. I never really felt I needed to diet and now I am having to relearn how to eat healthily. I felt sure that I would never get to this size as I had reasonable diet and an active lifestyle but that definitely isn't cutting it any more.

😡😡😡

I’m afraid this is horribly familiar. I was a size 8/10 for many years until my mid -late 20s when I slowly started to creep up. Now in my mid 30s I’m several sizes bigger and having a baby was the icing on the cake 😆 I was one of those annoying people who could (and did!) eat whatever I wanted and not gain weight - in fact people sometimes asked if I had an eating disorder because I ate crap but never put on weight 🤔 my arrogant assumption i would always stay that size was sadly mistaken and then I went on medication that increased my appetite which obviously didn’t help.
I moan about my weight now but am too idle to do anything about it - I suppose it comes down to priorities.
Only advice if it bothers you would be try to keep a handle on it now - so easy to put on, not so easy to lose!

Haha! This could have been me! I was skinny as and then hit 30 And started putting on weight. I let it nudge up over a couple of years and then purge back. I don’t get back to my size 8 but I hover around 12 (50 now) do not too bad!

I'm shorter than you, but I was a size 6 at 20 (probably- they didn't make 6s back then, but an 8 was too big), definitely a large 10 by 30, and I'm pretty sure would have slid into a definite 12+ by 40 if I hadn't done anything. I've found that doing a half-arsed 5:2 diet on a permanent basis is a really easy, effective way maybe not to lose serious weight, but to prevent the gradual upwards shift over the years. By half-arsed, I mean I probably have around 800 calories on a fast day rather than the 500 you're supposed to stick to. (But they made that up, it wasn't based on anything scientific). I've been doing it for 3 or 4 years and have stayed fairly consistently at 10 on top and 10-12 on the bottom. Maybe worth a go?

Depends not only how tall you are but how muscular.
I'm 1m76. Normal weight is 72kg but I do a lot of weights so body fat is 15% which is pretty low for a woman over 40.
At this weight I would be a size 10-12 and feel anything but fat!

But you are very much entitled to feel differently and plan to alter matters

A good spin class two or three times a week. I'm no gym fan either but spin has been amazing for me.

As you age so your body is less able to take the drink/drugs/excess food/lack of exercise that you make it endure. You need to change your life.

It’s not hormones or age or being big boned or genes or kids or anything’s other than you need to eat less and exercise more.

It’s s bugger or a reality but it’s a fucking fact.

Does anyone enjoy excercise?

No.

Does anyone enjoy exercise?

Actually, yes. But only once I was already fit.

Like many things, it’s a bit shit when you’re starting out. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I LOVE exercise. If someone had told me I’d be saying that even a year ago I’d have imagined they had gone mad. I was the person everyone picked last for everything in pe and begged my mum to write me notes to get out of every sports day.

I don’t know what’s happened but the last 6-8 months or so it’s like I’ve discovered the joy of exercise. You have to find something you like - for me it’s dance fitness- and then it just becomes a hobby rather than a chore.

I love exercise too. I mates me feel amazing afterwards x

Dress size doesn't mean much. But if you don't like your shape, the best thing is resistance exercise to improve muscle tone. When I work out 3x a week (only 20 mins each day) my body changes dramatically. My waist gets smaller, bum gets firm and perky and my arms look lean and toned. Leg muscles get defined. When I get lazy for a few months (like erm since autumn) everything goes south again and my jeans don't look good. My body fat percentage hasn't changed, it's just muscle tone.

You could find local bike path to avoid cycling on roads. It's a real stress buster too. Or you could try mountain biking at a trail centre. You can hire bikes there too.

I buy my jeans in Matalan (no expense spared obviously!!). Their size 16 fit me great (slightly roomy). The same size in Top Shop won't get past my ankles.

I’m 5’7 and was ‘overweight’ at size 12 (according to bmi). After losing some weight (21lbs) I’m now about 2lbs under the top of the ‘normal’ threshold and people keep telling me I’m losing too much which is ridiculous because I’m still pretty much overweight. I could lose another stone and still be mid-range of ‘normal’.

I think people have lost track of what a normal weight/size is. If you’re unhappy as a Size 12, do something about it. I’ve been running and dieting because I want to be thinner for summer. It’s never been easy for me to do this, so I’m not being flippant about it, and I’m having to diet strictly and exercise a lot to achieve it; I just reached a point where I was unhappy as a 12 and something had to change.

And like other posters, I have found that I love exercising. I love having some headspace and feeling like I’ve challenged myself. I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on this all these years!

I was 6/8 in early 20s. 14/16 mid to late 20s due to medication. 12/14 now aiming for a small 12. 12 is my happy weight meaning i can be slimish but still have treats.

I think some small changes will make a difference , with only a small amount to lose an increase in exercise and swapping out snacks for fruit would be enough to get you back in a size 10 quite quickly , the 5 a day fruit and veg has been increased to 7 so you could also serve your meals with extra salad or veg to reduce the more calorie dense parts of the meal

I roll my eyes at sizing; I was a willowy 10 before DC, and now 15 kg heavier, I wear a 12 comfortably. Silly, as I am obviously much bigger. I put it down to vanity sizing.

A BMI of 22.5 is not at the top end of healthy, its the middle 18-25 is considered OK. If the "average" UK woman is a size 16, (55%) and you have a size 8 top,, how can you say "where" do thin people buy their clothes", in YO, a size 12 is quite big!!!! If you are doing nothing differently, and gaining weight, yes as Amazing says there could be a medical reason. I think a lot of people underestimate what they actually eat, an extra bar of chocolate at 300 extra cals a day, will put on weight each year. You should have reached the age where you are putting on weight, its not "normal" to gain weight as you get older, its just that your body required less cals than it did. Only you can deside if you either want to get back to the size you were and are prepared to work at it. Lets face it, we also know that clothes sizes are not accurate, they vary from shop to shop.

I’m 5’8” was a 10-12 and 63-68kg but from the age of about 28 weight started to creep on. I ended up at 35, 83kg and a big size 14. I have to lose/gain a lot of weight to drop a dress size. I’m 77kg now and still overwight by bmi (and still look it!) still a comfortable 14 despite losing 6kg and i’d Like to get down to 70kg but my weight has really plateaued and I can’t seem to drop lower

Exercise 4-5 Times/week gymnastics and strength, run up to half marathon distance and consistently eat 500-600 calories/day less than my calculated energy requirement but I suspect i’m Stuck here. It’s definitely easier to not let it creep on in the first place!

BaldricksTrousers I agree with you that Sainsburys are more generous (often hugely oversized) and Primark on the smaller side.