I'm a size 16 and I think I'm pretty hot

[MermaidApocalypse]

Just to even out the fat shaming on another thread. I'm a size 14-16. I can still fit in jeans I wore in sixth form college, I've always been this way. I have stayed a similar size through physical jobs, sedentary jobs, two pregnancies, breastfeeding, having a personal trainer, driving and sitting at a desk all day. I think that for some of us this is our healthy size.
Despite this I have to acknowledge the science, excess calories minus insufficient exercise does cause weight gain. Saying that my GP isn't worried as I've not gained weight in a short space of time, I've stayed the same for 16 years. I did once get down to a 12 but I had to try so hard, 18 hour fasts, exercise four days a week. I know women who stay at a 12 doing sweet F.A!

The things that I hate hearing are that people who are a size 14 to 18 are unhealthy. My previous job was being the manager of a health food shop. I lifted boxes of dried pulses, nuts, oats all day every day. Twice a week the delivery van used to park two streets down and we would have to carry 40+ boxes back to the shop and up the stairs to the storeroom. Do you know how many skinny people couldn't do that, even once? I can lift 25kg without much effort, if the tits didn't get in the way, I'd make a good weightlifter!

@chubbyhotchoc

Interesting point.

When I'm heavier, I also feel like a bit of a leviathan.

My height, broad hips, narrow waist and wide shoulders allow me to carry more weight healthily, but there's truth in what you say about 'cute' factor.

I've often seen women carrying a lot more fat than me who still have dainty ankles etc. Happily I'm now more like an Amazonian warrior, all muscle and boob!

It's a vague, undefined term for "I don't think I'm carrying too much weight

Yes could be that we have different definitions what slim means for us. For me, slim is lower end of normal weight, not just a 'not-overweight' category. So if someone is described as 'slim' my first instinct would nto be to look for a size 16 woman. I guess someone else could understand the term differently.

thecats - so true and also for some of us with a smaller frame. I have narrow shoulders, I'm short-waisted and have small wrists, fingers (size I ring finger when M is average) and ankles. I'm short at 5'4". I'm definitely meant to be petite and weigh less than 10 stone to be in proportion.

fruit is full of sugar

If you demonise sugar, then you have problems. Fruit is very, very healthy. It's been proven that the sugar isn't processed in the same way as other sugars.
It actually scares me that people think fruit is bad.

Compared to veg is it. The OP said that someone with limited funds might not want to spend £2.99 on grapes. That £2.99 would go a lot further spent on veg with plenty of nutritional benefits. I'm not demonising sugar, but ingested sugar which isn't burned off is stored as fat therefore limiting how much you have is not a bad idea. Very many people should probably eat more veg than they do.

"It actually scares me" - I don't believe you, you just want to score a point. I didn't say it was bad and actually said I eat fruit.

chubbyhotchoc yes Miranda is a good example, the amount of times people have said "oh but you're so tall you can get away with it" not really, it's dispersed differently on taller bodies I think, and you're right about shorter ladies looking cute at size 16 and
the taller ones just look "big" if that makes sense. The photograph someone posted earlier is a good example.

Not sure what happened to my paragraphs there!

@wowfudge

"It actually scares me" - I don't believe you, you just want to score a point. I didn't say it was bad and actually said I eat fruit.

It does. It means the person has serious food issues

I've read this thread and the other one about being concerned about large family members and their health. If everyone is happy with their size, whether that's 8 or 22, great. The time I would have been worried was in February this year when my mother - 90 in a couple of months - needed bowel surgery. I spoke to the surgeon in her pre op meeting and he said that despite her age, her chances were good because of her weight and fitness levels. No high blood pressure, 9 stone ish (5 foot 7) her entire adult life apart from four pregnancies. Has never dieted, eats chocolate daily in small amounts. I would have been worried sick if I'd thought her body couldn't cope with a general anaesthetic. As it was, she made a swift recovery. I'm 50 and more thinking about long term health than being good in bed or "fat shaming". There was a poster a few weeks ago who explained that operations, medication etc are in the main set up to deal with people within what is classified as "normal" BMI.

@Lobsterquadrille2 it is scary that while you might be ok with your size and feel sexy in it if you were to need surgery you're at significantly higher risk of complications than someone with a higher bmi. what is even more terrifying is there are a lot of women ( mostly in America) with bmi' in the 35-40 range who are having elective surgery 'mommy makeovers' in a bid to have these almost cartoonish 'skinny thick bodies'. When drs refuse them they simply find another dr willing to do it. It's terrifying. Lots of women dying especially in the Dominican Republic because their bodies can not cope with the surgery and the laws are different there.

*lower bmi I meant

Raspberry recent research has shown that increased consumption of sugar is the major factor in rising obesity levels and rising type 2 diabetes numbers. Twenty years ago we were told it was eating too much fat and now the research shows that not to be the case. Maybe sugar should be demonised?

Over consuming sugar is a serious food issue. You picked up on one bit of my post and twisted it.

A balanced diet with a wide variety of foods is recommended.

@chubbyhotchoc I wasn't even weighed before an op. I'm a size 16 and BMI maybe 32 or so?
5hr op, quick recovery, discharged home after less than 22hrs

Of course sugar should be demonised. It has no benefit whatsoever to the human body and only makes us fat and sick instead. Why wouldn’t we demonise it?

The thing is people are so selective when it comes to sugars.

Wine (and I mean excessive consumption, the "DP and I will get through a bottle each in a sitting" type) seems to be treated in here as invisible calories.

It's like no one dare mention it - but when you look at our obesity issues in the UK i'd say excessive alcohol intake, and it's inherent sugars and unhealthy properties, surely has to be a factor.

@ClientQ it's pretty standard to weigh as part of pre op procedure unless it's an emergency

@chubbyhotchoc never weighed, or had my height checked. Maybe they took it off my notes? I had spinal surgery with a very fast recovery (walking an hour after)

It's so much to do with height though. I'm 5'11 and am currently a size 14 bottom and 12 top. I feel great but want to be a comfortable size 12 all over. These sizes on a shorter woman would look a lot bigger.

I was a size 24 a few years ago and I fucking hated myself.
The funny thing is that I am now constantly told I shouldn't lose more weight, I'll be too skinny etc... no one told me to lose weight when I was morbidly obese!
I exercise every day and am currently marathon training and people tell me I am obsessed.

Having been very large, my view is that a lot of big people plaster on a smile and pretend to be happy and confident with their size (that's what I did) when in actual fact being lean and fit and in control of your food is the best feeling in the world.

@ClientQ a high BMI puts you at a higher risk of complications, certainly not that they are inevitable. I'm glad that you had a swift recovery.

I think people like to overindulge and tell themselves that they “need it”, whatever it is, sugar in this case, even though they don’t need it at all and the thing they “need” is harming them in reality.

@FuckinGoddess

I think people like to overindulge and tell themselves that they “need it”, whatever it is, sugar in this case, even though they don’t need it at all and the thing they “need” is harming them in reality.

Yes, sugar doesn't make us 'fat and sick'.

Over indulgence does that.

I agree. I'm a size 8 (sometimes 10) and have to say I'm not the healthiest. I definitely drink too much, and while I eat a good, vegetarian diet I don't exercise nearly enough.

Once you're over 40, a bit of chub is your friend.

Not for me, it ain't!

Goddess I think you are right. The other thing we do is kid ourselves we deserve crap foods and too much booze as a reward for everything under the sun.

After completing an eight week gym programme a couple of weeks ago, I 'treated' myself to some chocolates and gin and tonic. I did not enjoy the chocolates because I'd got used to eating, and enjoying, lots of other foods. I didn't need the chocolates and realised exactly that. I enjoyed buying myself some new clothes in a smaller size far more.