To ask why I look like a sack of spuds at my weight

[Boiledpotatowitchbitch]

Been looking at before and after pictures on social media adverts for diets etc. (I know) The before photos look like me very out of shape etc but their weights are about 6 stone more and then the after photos are either the weight I am now or slightly less. So how come I look like 20 stone when I am 11stone 8 and how come the after photos are about that and I look nothing like that? I know everyone's different body shape heights etc but I am seriously all out of proportion. I 100% look like a sack of spuds I think larger women look amazing and thinner ones too but mostly carry their weight fairly evenly I just look like a melted cake with bulges everywhere I am 5 foot 5 was slim curvy. Measurement is 34f waist 32 hips 44 size 12-14 top 14-16 bottom but really 14 jeans too small and 16 trousers too big I know this isn't huge but I am just so lumpy and bumpy nothing looks nice at all.

I'm 5ft5 and need to be under 10st to look "slim" I'm big chested which I really don't think helps. When I was over 10st6 I looked really overweight in photos because my face was very puffy. Weight on the face makes such a difference. 11st at 5ft5 is overweight but I will look it much before 11st.

Why do people focus on “spot” exercise and total wishful thinking on physical activity…

…when the answer can always, invariably be found in diet?

many people eat too much in the way of processed food. They then bemoan all manner of things, but are happy to always excuse the food intake.

Stand up straight and find some flattering clothes. 😊

@Giraffesandbottoms that's exactly the weight loss I need to achieve. Can I ask how you achieved yours as I seem to be at a standstill on 10 and a half stone.

Yes, toning up and loose skin. If you have slopping shoulders or a some body shape types need to work harder to look more toned but it's doable. Good underwear and the right clothes help immeasurably.

How is your posture? This can make a huge difference to how spud-like you look in my experience.

I am about a stone heavier than you and I also suffer with the sack-of-spuds problem. The puffiness from hypothyroidism really compounds the issue. In all honesty though, and I know this is not a popular opinion, it is very hard for ANYONE to not look like a sack of spuds once they hit a size 14 or so (it's been a long time since I was that small myself mind).

My advice: wear dresses that flair over the tummy area, stand up nice and tall (shoulders down and back, imagine there is a piece of string running upwards from the crown of your head lifting it up)

I've recently returned to running to shift the pounds; exercise plus mindful eating has helped. But the great thing for me was the improvement in my mental health - it worked wonders. Don't compare yourself to social media pics for all the obvious reasons but then have a look at your lifestyle and see what you can change. You aren't massive imo.

This picture should explain your issue. The pics you are seeing are most likely a combination of exercise and diet. Exercise tones and builds muscle. It's very

Sorry, silly phone cut me off

Scales aren't a good guide due to the difference in volume between the same weight of fat and muscle

You can't loose weight just on one area, so the exercises you mention you can't do won't matter at all, leave them out.

Maybe start with swimming for the sake of your back, the water will help and then you can build up to yoga Pilates and when you get an appetite for fitness and feel more energetic you could get a PT session or two and start lifting and training at the gym.

I'm the same btw I'm on 5"3 but I'm lumpy.. I have rolls under my boobs, pouches on my hips, tummy rolls and cellulite when I'm at my heaviest, I don't have toned curves I have lumpy areas.

I see women bigger, taller and heavier then me wand they have beautiful toned curves, and I just feel smaller but lumpy.

The above is all on my list for the next year as I'm an ex- weightlifter but I've had some downtime and injury's so I will ease back up to training again, it's the safest way.

Good luck!

I find swimming helps me tone all over, proper lane swimming, I like the self competition too, I can definitely do more than I could six months ago and faster, bingo wings near gone too!

Being more overweight can make you look firmer because the fat is filling out your skin. You will also have lost some hard fat and be left with the soft fat just below the skin that does have a tendancy to be 'floppier'. You might also have looked smoother as a solid rectangle or apple than as the more defined shape your weight loss had revealed. I agree, toning and posture should help, as would losing any further weight you may still have to lose, which is often the the hard to shift flab that hangs on around the belly.

check out pilatesbygeorgia. She is fab, and will create a plan for you if you explain your back issues as she is also a chartered physio ... you'll be amazed at the difference by just doing a 20 min class a day does

Could you post a photo it may be easier to give advice on how to improve posture or exercises etc

Yes could you post a photo with your head cut off (😂) as I bet you don't look 20 stone! I bet some good smoothing underwear would help a lot.

Agree posture and underwear can make a massive difference to the appearance to two woman with the same measurements.

shoulders back and down, head straight, tits forward. Underwear doesn’t need to be sucking you in shape wear, but simply a bra that fits well, knickers that fit properly and are big enough you don’t have them digging in and therefore bulges over the top/round the sides. A slip under a dress can give a smoother appearance with little effort (and an extra layer of warmth!

I have been doing core exercises a lot over the last year, it doesn't spot reduce, I am still fat so no muscle shows through but my posture is a lot better so I look better

You're carrying 2 to 3 stone of excess weight. That's why. Pilates and exercise are great, but you are significantly overweight and standing up straight or pulling your core in isn't going to change that.

You can be both overweight and curvy. I wasn’t saying that op wasn’t overweight/ shouldn’t lose weight for her health/ do more exercise etc, just that she probably doesn’t look like a “sack of spuds”. I think tangling aesthetics up with health is unhelpful.

@BloodAndFire 2 to 3 stone, give over, really think about what you're saying and the impact that could have to people reading that. There are real people reading that, it's not going into a void.

Muscle fills people's body shape out in a healthy way, improves posture and boosts metabolism. Even if there is more body fat in the mix. There's a lot of trickery around but people in before/ after images who lost weight have usually used exercise as part of their loss.

With a weak back, pilates/ swimming/ aquafit are great starting points and often when that base of fitness is established there can be enough strength to then increase the impact/ weight of the exercise.

We're often our worst critics but it's good to use your body, and celebrate what it does for you.

Good food choices (some foods can encourage bloating), staying well hydrated, and well-fitting clothing all help too.
When tunics were in fashion, I had to be careful about the length because if they were a little shorter and cut across the widest parts of my hips, it created a far broader line than being slightly longer where my legs taper and the line looked longer and slimmer.

And what do you imagine the 'impact' is of recommending that people aim to weigh somewhere within the healthy weight range for their height?

And what do you imagine the 'impact' is of recommending that people aim to weigh somewhere within the healthy weight range for their height?

The healthy range for 5ft5 starts just under 11stone, no where near the 2-3 stone you've quoted. Whilst BMI needs to be taken with a pinch of salt you do not know nearly enough about the OP to be throwing around figures like that.

Being overweight is normalised so much on these threads.
People can weigh what they want but if someone is overweight, which OP is , then it will take more than a few exercises to change how they look.

No it doesn’t, the healthy weight starts at 8st 14lbs for 5’5”.