Would you rather have an amazing figure by eating a restrictive diet and exercising or be slightly larger (not obese)and not ripped by eating whatever you fancy?

[malificent7]

Like most women i love food but would also like a leaner body. Is the slog of dieting really worth it?

Not obese wouldn't be good enough for me, I'd want to be not overweight. Even just being overweight puts you at higher risk for a lot of health conditions and also I don't like how my body looks if I'm overweight. Of course it's better than being obese but it's still unhealthy. I also think it's a poor example to set for my DC. If I'm not a healthy weight then that normalises it for my DC, and I want them to grow up knowing what a healthy body looks like and aspiring to have one.

I wouldn't go crazy dieting to have the swimsuit model style body - I used to do that and whilst I did love the way I looked it was a huge source of stress for me. I became obsessive about food and exercise. I much prefer the middle ground where eating healthily and exercising a normal amount is just part of day to day life, as are some little treats here and there.

I rather option A providing I am able to do the restrictive diet and stay active.

I'm happy at a 10/12 bottom half ( pear) my natural shape is not skinny but I'm Currently strong and healthy for my 40 years.

I don't believe in diets. I don't think all that yo yo dieting is good for our bodies/metabolism. I don't weigh myself either as it can get obsessive. I can tell by clothing.

I eat a healthy diet with plenty of water and veg and also eat a little of what I fancy. I have days where I eat a little too much. I love exercise and do it four times a week at least. Smaller workouts which I feel are more effective for me. If I didn't exercise I'd probably be a 14/16 without eating loads of junk.
Everyone's different I guess.

I hate being overweight so I would choose A. I don’t find my eating that restrictive as in I don’t feel deprived. I’m used to it and altho there are things I miss it is well worth the sacrifice to be slim, for clothes to fit properly etc.

Re exercise I enjoy the sports and activities I do. I don’t do them to lose weight because that’s a depressing reason to do exercise. I set myself goals and try to improve.

I do a sport where it’s an advantage to be lighter and I’ve done it two stone heavier than I am now and my performance is miles better now.

Two years ago I chose A. Two regrets.

And although my diet is in some senses restrictive, I’m also eating better nicer food than I ever have in my life and have become a much better cook. It’s not all self denial and lentils. My mum says she can’t understand how I’m always making treats and yet have lost weight. I’m disciplined, and I calorie count, that’s all.

That was meant to say No Regrets!

I like food and I like exercise. I am very fit as I run and my last health check was excellent. I am still considered obese by my weight despite the fact that my body fat is low and cholesterol etc is normal.

I long ago realise d that diets don’t work long term hence people can do the salad and cottage cheese for only a few weeks before honking “f**k it” and diving into chocolate cake/whatever .

I’d rather eat more and move more.

I could never ‘eat what I want’. I wouldn’t be able to get out of the house! I have a personal trainer twice a week and do a class every week and still have to consider everything I eat. Not doing a great job with that as still way too heavy.

I lost a fuck load of weight by being super restrictive and exercising lots. I’m 5 foot 7 and got down to ten stone which is on the side of being ‘too skinny’ for my body type (hourglass). Lost my bum, boobs and hips. Felt pretty great mentally though but lots of comments from people about ‘being careful not to lose more’. Looking back at the photos, it was a little too slim for my frame.

I look healthier at 11 stone which I can just about maintain eating a slightly more relaxed diet, I’d rather do that.

I think there's a happy medium isn't there? Unless you have difficulty getting back on the wagon after having a 'cheat' day.

I tend to eat healthily in the week, and then on the weekend am more relaxed. I'm able to maintain my weight this way - but it can be tricky after a weekend of excess to go back to the rabbit food!

I don’t enjoy getting sweaty. I like long brisk walks and keep myself fairly fit by doing at least 40 mins of very brisk walking most days (probably 6 out of 7). I hate the whole gym/ cardio / sweaty thing. I can’t be bothered with anything that means I need a shower again when I’m finished - I like to get up, shower and get dressed for the day and not have to shower again until the next day!

I am 5ft 7 and 12 stone 6. That’s fine with me. I know my BMI is 26-27 most of the time and I should lose a bit of weight but my cholesterol etc is all very low and I have asthma and Addison’s disease that I take a steroids for so it makes losing weight even harder. I just don’t have the motivation enough to cut down the foods I enjoy etc.

I'm 5ft 9 and generally hover around the 11st area. I don't weigh myself often, though, because I tend to go a little crazy about weight if I make it a focus. I know if I dip below 11 stone I look ridiculously bony and whilst according to BMI I could go as low as below 9 stone I'd have to severely limit food intake to do that, and would look awful.

I do at least 90 minutes exercise daily and do three HIIT classes a week. I bike with the DC at least twice a week, swim with them at weekends and run with them each morning. Generally we're a very fit family and I prefer to eat a pretty unrestricted diet and exercise than limit my food and do less.

I've hit that dreaded menopause where fat seems to be growing on my middle every night and that despite a decent diet and lots of exercise.

I hate it and at the moment, I am in the stage of I'll do everything to get back to the weight that makes me feel comfortable. Being unhappy a out my body is harder to accept than cutting off the food I like. I hope I won't have to accept defeat!

Is it weight or tone, though? I am 5'8" and weigh 64kg. That gives me a BMI of 21.3. I have a small frame, small boobs. I have a pot belly, though, and I lack tone. I probably don't need to lose weight (although my norm used to be 58 kg ish), but I should exercise to tone up.

I think we have to think longer term too. I think my body strength and flexibility are 10 times better than in my twenties so if I keep up the mostly good habits and keep doing an exercise I love - for me it's running which means I'm getting daylight, vitamin D, it clears my head and I notice sights and sounds of nature/indulge in admiring other people's lovely front gardens, so so many benefits- I know my chances of remaining well in terms of what I can control, into old age are much better.

Amazing figure and restrictive diet. Easy choice. I'm currently working on getting ripped to fucking shreds

There is a presumption by some that this choice makes one miserable. For me, that's not the case. What makes me miserable is eating shit food and feeling lumpy.

To each their own.

Once you're past 40, a bit of chub is your best friend (at least from a dermatological point of view)

Maybe. But the negative effect on the rest of me completely outweighs that advantage. I'll take the dodgy face and amazing body as my username suggests

When i stopped striving for 'thin' and 'toned' and started focusing on 'fit' and 'healthy' I learned to love my body.

Being able to run 10k feels much better than hitting a certain weight. I don't even own scales now. I just love how good i feel and how much energy I have. I eat what I want...mostly healthy. I exercise 4-6 times a week but never obsessively and I listen to my body.
I wasted so many years punishing my body for not looking like a fitness model...one day I woke up and wanted to treat my body the way it deserved, thank it for being healthy and for allowing me to do all the things I love doing like swimming with my daughter, climbing trees, hiking in the mountains.

Somewhere in the middle. I'm currently 9stone 3lbs, slim but have a flabby tummy.
I maintain that weight by being very disciplined Monday-Friday, and letting it slide at weekends (including Friday nights)

I'd prefer to be 9 stone, but that would mean no Friday night pizza or Saturday night takeaway, wine & chocolate, and it's just not worth giving those up

I agree whothedaddy. I hate this “oh I’ll eat a bag of crisps and run X amount to work it off” mentality. That to me is soul destroying and possibly why some people find exercise a chore.
Long term goals are better eg achieve a skill, lift heavier, do X push ups etc

I think the op is some sort of journalist looking for material I also think the op has presented us with a false dichotomy
I find it perfectly possible to be happy and have a lifestyle that keeps me in good shape

I'm happiest around BMI 22-23. Usually 23. I have no desire to go lower as that would push into a restrictive diet with no real benefit.

My digestive system would not tolerate eating whatever my brain desired.
My joints would not tolerate eating whatever my brain desired.
I'd end up looking soft and flabby and rubbish in my clothes. My bodyshape is not forgiving as a short, fairly slim-built pear shape with a squishy post-baby mum tum. Weight would pile onto my thighs, hips and tum long before it would consider filling up a bra.

So I eat much of what I want. Stop when I'm comfortable. Say no thank you if something doesn't greatly appeal. Veto certain aisles of the supermarket so there isn't too much tempation in the house.
I do 5:2 to manage myself in my happy zone. I can then please myself most days and special occasions and balance it out with intermittent days of self-restraint, and it helps me appreciate what I actually need.

Life is too short to cut out whole food groups/ treats or strictly monitor each meal though. A middle way does exist.

Why not exercise and feel invigorated? A good exercise programme will mean a less restrictive diet. It is possible to be slim and enjoy good food, the two things are not mutually exclusive. I recently lost 3 stone mainly through exercise and I can say definitely say I would not relinquish my new found energy and wellness for anything.

I’d definitely rather be larger. I’m focusing on confidence and wellbeing, along with eating what I fancy when I fancy it. I’m more confident than before.

Option A. I've really taken my foot off the gas the last couple of years and consequently am a size 12 and flabby. I feel totally shit and can't find any clothes that look good. I started back at yoga last week and have really cut down on crap.