Do you think you're fat?

[ThingsThatGoHumpInTheNight]

I do. And I'm wrong. I know rationally I am not fat. I am 5'5 weigh 9st7ish, dress size 8-10, body fat 18-22%, you can see my ribs from behind and my abs in front....so why oh why do I constantly feel crap about myself?

I do eat more crap than I probably should do (chocolate 5 times a week ) and I do carry weight up top (32FF boobs)...but I am not fat. So why do I feel like I am? Constantly worry that I am. People I don't know well (new work colleagues, random people at parties) make offhand comments 'healthy breakfast again eh?' this morning as I ate a croissant and fruit at my desk and it makes me feel awful.

Are other people like this? Why????

Sorry to anyone this offends...I feel for people with weight issues, I really do, but been thinking about this today (sparked by comment this morning) and wondering if I am the only one?

Not now as a size 6, but i did when i was a size 10.

When you look back at photos of your size 10 self, do you think you really were fat though possum?

I am really small framed so i did look chubby. I think i look best as a size 8.

I know I'm not, but sometimes I forget that and it all goes up the creek a bit, I end up having to have words with myself.

I KNOW I'm not fat.

I'm a size 10. I have the odd lumpy bit, and a little muffin top, but at the age of 46 I am sufficiently comfortable within my own skin to say hell, who cares? I'm not "perfect" but there are plenty of people out there carrying more weight than me.

But no fat no

I'm about a stone overweight which I can live with.

However, I reckon I think about my weight more than I should.

Stems from my mum (who has ishoos) telling me continuously as a child/teen that I was fat, making me shop in Evans, restricting my food to a ridiculous degree.

She was projecting. Was about a size 20 whereas I was a 12.

Caused me a lifetime of thinking I'm fat. If I'm a size 10 I feel exactly the same as when I'm a 16.

Currently a 12/14/16 with 36DD and curvy hips. Happy at this size. Know how to dress to minimise the bits I don't like and enjoy buying clothes. Trying to stay this size/shape and concentrate on being healthy, eating right and looking after myself (have a few MH problems).

Fat yes, feel crap yes, doing something about it, yes.
Still feel crap about self - yes.

Haha Ursus that's exactly what I do...my internal monologue starts 'Don't be so bloody stupid, obviously you're not fat, no one who runs 5times a week is fat....' etc etc. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't!

Yes I do - and I am overweight so it is an accurate view.

However when I was a lot younger, I had an eating disorder for many years and thought I was fat even though I weighed under six stone and was skin and bone.

My feeling about all this is that how you feel about your appearance/weight is very tied up in your general self esteem and happiness. I am happier now despite being over weight, than I was when I was terribly thin and thought I was fat.

I think worries about appearance and feeling unhappy about appearance are a wider issue than what you actually weigh or look like.

Yes I do, and I am.

But I would rather be fat than be obsessed about being fat, iyswim.

I know that I'm fat. I'm fine with that though.

I know I'm about 20 lbs overweight and am gradually losing it.
Your self esteem issues however (as you've already identified) aren't actually about your weight.
I'd imagine many people are less than happy about their appearance in one way or another, to a greater or lesser degree.
I know I'm a bit overweight, but I'm actually quite confident and content about my appearance - it's more for my health long term that I want to lose weight.

I don't think I'm fat, I know I'm fat. The scales tell me I have a bmi of 27/28. No one believes me when I say what dress size I am, and it annoys me!

Exactly kurri that's what I mean...I feel fat, but I am not...I was wondering if it is 'society' or more personal ishoos...I think on reflection my relationship with my family is maybe the root of this. 'Fat bitch' was the ultimate insult growing up and I know my sister feels the same as me...

ThingsThatGo yes, the internal monologue! It's effectiveness does vary...

X posted with Kurri who said exactly wot I thought.

Also, I find weight obsessed people incredibly dull.

So if you are worried that you are fat when you are size 10/bmi 23/8 stone blah blah, do please keep it to yourself!

Yes. Because I am. I have several stones to lose, am the heaviest I've ever been and loathe what I see in the mirror. I need my switch to click to get me losing weight again. I have done it before but the last few years I seem to be able to manage up to 10lbs off until I lose the plot again. I beat myself up about it every single day .

I'm a size 10 I know I'm not fat but I feel like I'll never be thin enough I've lost another 7lbs as when I reached my target weight it wasn't 'enough' I've set a new target and I'm really hoping that it will be it and I can finally accept the way I look as being 'right'. Happily I do have a healthy relationship with food and exercise its just a confidence issue I think.

I do, but then I am fat.
But I don't beat myself up about it, or I try not to at least, because it doesn't improve things, I just get into a cycle of crash diets then over eating.
I've tried to stop thinking about what I eat in terms of how big my body is but rather in terms of whether i'm hungry, what I like, how I cook things, what kind of balance of things is on my plate and stopping eating when I feel full rather than stuffed. I never restrict things though or cut anything out, just try to be sensible.
Since looking at things like this I've lost 3 stone, am no longer obese (but still overweight) and I feel much better about myself.
All really from just giving myself a bit of a break and stopping hating myself.

Wow minty, what a productive addition to the conversation! I don't talk about this in RL, especially not to people who clearly have weight issues because it would be fucking rude, and boring, yes. However you aren't being forced to read this, so if it's boring you, read something else.

I'm interested in having a conversation about why so many women have body image issues and how these can be addressed

And yes, as other posters have already said, I'd rather be fat than obsessed with losing weight or punishing myself for not being thin enough!

Yes I'm fat, I'm 5"4 and a size 10-12, but I had a baby 9 weeks ago so I'm trying not to be too hard on myself but I'll hopefully lose the baby weight soon enough.

If you are a size 8-10 then you are probably not a 32 back bra. I'm a size 16 and I wear a 34 back.

Ask for a bra intervention, and then reassess how you feel about your figure.

Bra intervention? Seen a lot of threads on it but not read them?