Losing weight is the ONLY way to look good :(

I think few people are in denial actually. They are making the best of their body in that moment. And although that's not the subject of this thread there's nothing wrong with that. No one is going to hate themselves in to losing weight; weight loss success is very much down to mental attitude and mindset and emotional responses, and you need to keep morale up to lose weight successfully I think, and part of that is maintaining a polished look at whatever size you find yourself.

Plus I know loads of people disagree but I think science is now returning to the conclusion that genes can play a significant part in weight patterns, as can age, some medical conditions and some medications, so some people have little choice but to stay heavy and in those circumstances, it won't get you anywhere hiding inside in ratty sweatpants and your dog's t-shirt, so why not make the best of it? And celebrate that fact?

Your dog's t-shirt? 😆😆😆

Autocorrect changed that from dp to dog - sorry! 😆

I feel the same , I hate being fat and I'm soo careful about what I eat because I prefer being a size 8 ( I'm short and it just looks better )
And it's so much easier getting dressed in the morning!

Like I said before, what we feel looks best is generally because of what we’re conditioned to thinking is best. There was the case in Fiji when TV was first catching on in the mid 90’s (before which the population was largely unaffected by eating disorders and disordered eating). Along came ‘sexy’ soap operas and the incidences of body dysmprphia, disordered eating and actual EDs took off.

news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2009/03/fijian-girls-succumb-to-western-dysmorphia/

And while we’re on, higher weight doesn’t necessarily/always mean unhealthy. Just like being slim doesn’t guarantee good health. Otherwise slim people would never get ill. There are soooo many variables in people’s lives that if anything was going to change people’s health markers, it would be behaviours, like exercise, a well balanced diet, cutting down on alcohol, reducing stress etc, ALL of which can be done regardless of weight. And even then, these things haven’t that significant an effect, when compared with genetics, socioeconomic status, education etc.
And I imagine someone will spout “but fat people are more likely to catch/die from illnesses” but can’t see that that’s not because of the fat itself but societal and medical weight stigma. For example..thin person goes to the doc for a condition and is generally treated for the condition, fat person goes to the doctor for the same condition and is told to lose weight and isn’t treated. So fat person doesn’t go back because they think there’s no point as their condition won’t be treated. Or the process is repeated so many times that diagnoses are delayed. It’s hardly surprising health outcomes are often worse for fat people in certain circumstances.


It’s so sad seeing people on here with BMIs (which is bollox by the way) of under 25 thinking there’s something wrong with them. I’ve been a size 6/8 and now up to a 22 and as I said before, I’m actually the ‘healthiest’ (aside from my chronic illnesses which aren’t weight related) I’ve been in nigh on 30 years. I used to feel ‘less than’ and ‘inferior’ for my body being this size but after reading comments on here, I actually thank my lucky stars that I’ve not got the mindset of the majority of you commenting on here.

Maybe someone should design a line for non-, skinny people. It would be nice to find clothes that look better on heavier people for once. They would make a fortune.

@BeretRaspberry being fat may not be the only cause of illness, but you can't deny there are numerous health risks associated with being overweight especially being a size 22 (aside from the ones you've cited about not getting treatment for illness). Pretending that obesity is somehow healthier for some people is simply rubbish.

The extra strain on the heart, diabetes, blood sugar issues, vascular issues, to say the least. This is true for the vast majority of overweight people.

You are also putting yourself at higher risk for all sorts of other chronic health issues by being overweight, like it or not.

We’ll have to agree to disagree. There’s plenty I could say to counteract your points, with evidence to back it up, but I’ve learned over time that it’s usually futile with people like you who believe what you believe (which, is, of course your prerogative).

From harvard website

"Excess weight, especially obesity, diminishes almost every aspect of health, from reproductive and respiratory function to memory and mood. Obesity increases the risk of several debilitating, and deadly diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. It does this through a variety of pathways, some as straightforward as the mechanical stress of carrying extra pounds and some involving complex changes in hormones and metabolism. Obesity decreases the quality and length of life, and increases individual, national, and global healthcare costs. The good news, though, is that weight loss can curtail some obesity-related risks. (1) Losing as little as 5 to 10 percent of body weight offers meaningful health benefits to people who are obese, even if they never achieve their “ideal” weight, and even if they only begin to lose weight later in life."

And this interesting article

www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317546#People-with-obesity-96-percent-more-likely-to-have-heart-failure

"Can you be healthy and have obesity? Not really, says major study"

Obesity affects approximately 1 in 3Trusted Source U.S. individuals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define obesity as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higherTrusted Source.

In 2013, the American Medical Association deemed obesity a disease. The rationale behind this was to raise awareness around the metabolic complications that often accompany obesity, as well as around the increased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

However, some studiesTrusted Source have suggested that there are people with obesity who are perfectly healthy, and who should therefore not be clinically categorized as “diseased.”

New, large-scale research, however, challenges this belief, suggesting that the “healthy obese” person is nothing but a myth.

The new study – which is the largest to have ever investigated this matter – was carried out by researchers from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, and the findings were presented at the European Congress on Obesity, held in Porto, Portugal.

Completely agree, unfortunately. When I was overweight I was so restricted by what worked on me.
Tucking in tops, for example - when I had a belly, it made me look like a barrel. But now I'm slim I can put on an old T shirt and "mom" jeans; tuck the T shirt in and add some earrings and lipstick, and I look half decent. Before, the exact same outfit would've made me look scruffy, just due to how the clothes hung.

Having huge boobs, as well, made so many tops and dresses look "wrong" and a bit - well - cheap. I used to be really limited as to what sort of necklines I could wear without clothes either pulling, or busting out of the top. And if you size up, it just looks like you're wearing a sack. Now I'm slim and in proportion it's so much easier. Shirts with buttons are back on the menu, and I can even wear them without a vest top underneath for "modesty."

And don't get me onto shorts and the "chub rub" issues I used to have. Being able to wear denim shorts on holiday, or breezy summer dresses, without looking and feeling like a sweaty, chafing, mess is a huge relief.

Of course there are exceptions; but on the whole being thinner is what makes a huge difference to how you look and feel - at least in my experience.

Christ this thread is depressing. Would I look better if I lost a bit of weight? Probably. Definitely- according to most of you. Would I be happier? I have no idea? My life would remain unchanged I think. I can't see myself when I am out and about, at work or enjoying myself so it would make no difference to me.

Health matters aside (which isn't what the OP was talking about) I really do think it's sad that so much of how we feel about ourselves is wrapped up in our weight.

Never been properly overweight, but even when I'm a large size 12, I look like I've been partying hard - puffy face, jowls, disappearing lawline, cheecks that almost close my eyes when I smile. I could do the best makeup in the world and be as polished and confident as nothing, but it would be like planting flowers around a nuclear power plant. And none of this is an issue when I'm a small 10.

^

Me too. I don't really care that much about a thin body, but all the weight goes on my face. I look like a different person ten pounds lighter

I have come to this realisation in the past few weeks OP, as I have had a steady wardrobe overhaul after 2DC.

Some of the outfits I’ve put together don’t work like they do in the photos, I’ve now realised it’s the extra stone and a bit I’m carrying. It really does make a huge difference to how clothes look. I have a naturally athletic build and am not overweight, but easily get chunky legs as I’m still relatively toned but covered in a layer of squidge that wasn’t there before!

I have my first beach holiday for about 5 years coming up which I’m hoping will give me the kick I need

My BMI hovers between 21.5 and 24.5. When I am at lower end, I can wear most things and look nice. When I am at the higher end, I can still look nice but it takes a lot more effort as the default position is that I tend to think I look horrible. Casual dressing in particular is more difficult. I appreciate that a lot of it may be my issue.

I agree. Since lockdown, I've gone from a size 10 to a size 12 on the bottom, and finding jeans is now impossible.

No jeans are flattering with this bit of extra weight. Especially not high waisted ones which make me look like Humpty Dumpty

When I sit down - I should add. Jeans are ok when standing, but not flattering when sitting!

@BeretRaspberry
it's not about 'stigma'

How does obesity cause cancer?
Overweight and obesity is the second biggest cause of cancer in the UK – causing more than 1 in 20 cancer cases.
The risk is higher the more overweight you are and the longer you are overweight for.
Keeping a healthy weight reduces the risk of 13 different types of cancer.
www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/bodyweight-and-cancer/how-does-obesity-cause-cancer

It most definitely is about stigma. And I wouldn’t trust any ‘research’ that CRUK does, based on the fact it’s been funded by Slimming World for a decade. See also Novo Nordisk who make the new Wegovy injection.

Like I said, I could provide plenty of evidence to counteract any that you could post but as I also said, I know it’s futile. Evidence including that which shows that having a higher body weight is actually protective in hospitalisation cases for ‘diseases’ often thought of as fat people diseases (cardiovascular, diabetes to name a couple). Most people on on this thread don’t want to hear any different though. But that’s up to you/them. No one on here will change what I believe, and I doubt I’ll change anyone’s views. What I do know though is it won’t be me who is constantly counting calories, carbs, syns, points etc for the rest of my life. Nor will I be constantly battling with the belief that my worth is linked to how I look. I know who I’d rather be.

These are the key references cited by Cancer Research UK. Are you literally claiming that you know better than these global, peer-reviewed, large-scale studies? And that you think these sources are unreliable, based on what 'you know you'd rather be'? Yes?

Brown, K. F. et al. The fraction of cancer attributable to modifiable risk factors in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the United Kingdom in 2015. Br. J. Cancer 118, 1130–1141 (2018).
Secretan, B. L. et al. Special Report Body Fatness and Cancer — Viewpoint of the IARC Working Group. (2016). www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMsr1606602?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3dwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov(link is external)
World Cancer Research Fund / American Institute for Cancer Research Diet, Diet, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Cancer: a Global Perspective. A summary of the Third Expert Report. (2018). pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31758189/

We have a friend that’s a colorectal surgeon.

He says ‘don’t eat bacon’ and also ‘don’t get fat’.

For others' reference, here is the summary of just one of the studies that @BeretRaspberry thinks she knows better than, and can dismiss entirely:

Br J Cancer
. 2018 Apr;118(8):1130-1141. doi: 10.1038/s41416-018-0029-6. Epub 2018 Mar 23.

The fraction of cancer attributable to modifiable risk factors in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the United Kingdom in 2015

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5931106/

Katrina F Brown 1, Harriet Rumgay 2, Casey Dunlop 2, Margaret Ryan 2, Frances Quartly 2, Alison Cox 2, Andrew Deas 3, Lucy Elliss-Brookes 4, Anna Gavin 5, Luke Hounsome 4, Dyfed Huws 6, Nick Ormiston-Smith 2, Jon Shelton 2, Ceri White 6, D Max Parkin 7

Author affiliations:
Affiliations
1Policy and Information Directorate, Cancer Research UK, The Angel Building, 407 St John Street, London, EC1V 4AD, UK. [email protected]
2Policy and Information Directorate, Cancer Research UK, The Angel Building, 407 St John Street, London, EC1V 4AD, UK.
3NHS National Services Scotland, Information Services Division, Meridian Court, 5 Cadogan Street, Glasgow, G2 6QE, Scotland.
4National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service, Public Health England, 2nd Floor, Skipton House, 80 London Road, London, SE1 6LH, UK.
5Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, Centre for Public Health, Queens University Belfast, Mulhouse Building, Grosvenor Road, Belfast, BT12 6DP, Ireland.
6Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, Floor 5, Public Health Wales, Number 2 Capital Quarter, Tyndall Street, Cardiff, CF10 4BZ, Wales.
7Centre for Cancer Prevention, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK.

PMID: 29567982 PMCID: PMC5931106 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-018-0029-6
Free PMC article
Abstract
Background: Changing population-level exposure to modifiable risk factors is a key driver of changing cancer incidence. Understanding these changes is therefore vital when prioritising risk-reduction policies, in order to have the biggest impact on reducing cancer incidence. UK figures on the number of risk factor-attributable cancers are updated here to reflect changing behaviour as assessed in representative national surveys, and new epidemiological evidence. Figures are also presented by UK constituent country because prevalence of risk factor exposure varies between them.

Methods: Population attributable fractions (PAFs) were calculated for combinations of risk factor and cancer type with sufficient/convincing evidence of a causal association. Relative risks (RRs) were drawn from meta-analyses of cohort studies where possible. Prevalence of exposure to risk factors was obtained from nationally representative population surveys. Cancer incidence data for 2015 were sourced from national data releases and, where needed, personal communications. PAF calculations were stratified by age, sex and risk factor exposure level and then combined to create summary PAFs by cancer type, sex and country.

Results: Nearly four in ten (37.7%) cancer cases in 2015 in the UK were attributable to known risk factors. The proportion was around two percentage points higher in UK males (38.6%) than in UK females (36.8%). Comparing UK countries, the attributable proportion was highest in Scotland (41.5% for persons) and lowest in England (37.3% for persons). Tobacco smoking contributed by far the largest proportion of attributable cancer cases, followed by overweight/obesity, accounting for 15.1% and 6.3%, respectively, of all cases in the UK in 2015. For 10 cancer types, including two of the five most common cancer types in the UK (lung cancer and melanoma skin cancer), more than 70% of UK cancer cases were attributable to known risk factors.

Conclusion: Tobacco and overweight/obesity remain the top contributors of attributable cancer cases. Tobacco smoking has the highest PAF because it greatly increases cancer risk and has a large number of cancer types associated with it. Overweight/obesity has the second-highest PAF because it affects a high proportion of the UK population and is also linked with many cancer types.

Arguing with @BeretRaspberry is like arguing with flat earthers.

Yes, you're clearly right and I will stop now.

I disagree. You only say that because you personally feel you need to lose weight.
I've never had to lose weight, and therefore when younger I often noticed women with more curves than me, wishing I could experience them too.
I do think that modern western fashion caters for thin women, whereas if you look at national dresses/ costume around the world they often are flattering for many different shapes.

This is me.

I completely understand OP, although not ever suffered from an eating disorder, I do have a very unhealthy relationship with food. I'm constantly telling myself that size doesn't matter and to love myself no matter what size I am but the truth is, I'm never happy when I'm bigger yet I just can't seem to control my intake of food. I love healthy food and do eat plenty of healthy foods but then I'm also a binge eater and will have a few days of eating well then have a day where I totally pig out on crisps and snacks and general crap 😔

Currently wearing all the baggy clothes and trying to hide my gut but dreading summer.

I used to be a size 10/12 but now more like a 16/18 but just can't seem to stick at any attempt to lose weight