Looking slim vs looking like someone who’s lost weight

[Pyjamatimenow]

Wondering if there’s anyone at the end of their weight loss journey who struggles with their new appearance? My BMI is 20 ish so I don’t want to lose more really. I don’t feel like I look slim so much as just someone who’s lost weight. I don’t have huge issues with loose skin or anything so I’m not sure it’s just a toning up thing. I just feel like I look deflated somehow. Anyone else?

I posted the other day on a different thread that how I look now as a size 8 is not how I thought I'd look. I thought there would be less jiggle, less cellulite and much less rolls! Especially after years of strength training!

But it's the only body I have and it's all a learning curve

Is some of it to do with aging? The last time I was this morning's weight was New Year 2019. I was late 30s and not mid-40s and I think even those few years makes a difference. But, when I picture being size 10 I'm also picturing being 36 years old and not (hopefully) 46.

Yes possibly. Ageing is an issue. Size 8 and 40 possibly doesn’t look what I might have thought.

Size 8-10 and aged 57 isn't what I looked like at that size in my 20s pre-pregnancy either (albeit I was about 8-10 lbs lighter then)!

I think it’s age. I looked effortlessly slim and toned in my 20s, but now at 40+, I’m the same weight but have lost my “figure”. I think it’s possible to get it back, but would take a lot of exercise

I think this is a good point. I’ve lost weight over the last six months, with calorie deficit rather than WLI. I’m 60 so don’t expect to look 30 again but my only reference point for my target weight is the 30yr old me.
I’ve lost 10kg since Xmas so not a dramatically fast weight loss and have been able to get used to the image in the mirror.
Following a low carb diet rather than low fat means that my skin looks so much better. Also despite my age I haven’t developed too much saggy skin.
I have friends who have lost weight quickly and it has definitely aged them. My one saving grace is that the last place I lose weight is from my face. So I’m hoping that I don’t end up looking 70.

I've lost 24 pounds via a calorie deficit and exercise (resistance plus weight training). I'm 65.

I've tried on some of my older clothes. I have a dress that almost fits me. It did fit at the same weight years ago. The problem seems to be back fat and more matronly boobs (even though I've gone down in cup size), so I reckon that age is a factor.

Yeah, I have a weight distribution and body shape that is mid-life rather than early adulthood. A matronly bosom and a droopy belly for starters(!).

I agree with PP that eating fats should help (for me that means EVOO, oily fish, nuts and seeds and the odd avocado) and weight-lifting.

I was listening to a podcast last week (Liz Earle's I think) saying that as we age, it's not just the skin on our faces that changes. It's also where fat is deposited and the bone structure underneath.

I think a lot of it is down to skin elasticity and muscle. Having more muscle means looking more toned and less jiggly. Losing weight especially a lot of it and quickly means losing muscle too and the best way to looking more toned is via exercise to build muscle.
Im 43 and i have quite high muscle mass 50% back in october and now 46% so a loss of 4% in 8.5 months. I've gone from bmi 32.4 to 25.5 with no saggy skin as i lost it slowly.

I think that without WLI you have more control over the muscle loss. Mine has been minimal despite low level of exercise. The WLI seem to affect the metabolism in a way that you need to eat more protein so maybe weight loss has more to do with muscle mass loss than fat loss.
It also has a lot to do with basic body type. I have a standard muscular body type and my muscle mass was way above average when I started weight loss. It is currently stable at 58.25%. Also my visceral fat was healthy, it’s just the subcutaneous fat which is disappearing.
When I put on weight it goes on pretty evenly all over and not in one particular area. So I’m just slowly shrinking.
At 60 it’s also a worry about bone density but that remains stable ( I have regular DEXA scans).
I am currently losing between 1-2 kg a month. It’s comfortable and with no dramatic changes the change is subtle. My DH has noticed but is not making a fuss. He prefers me a little on the curvy side so I know that if I go too far he will comment. He accepts that I needed to lose the weight for health reasons and it’s likely that I will be able to reduce the dose of my antihypertensives at some point. I’ve already been able to cut the dose of my acid reflux tablets because it no longer causes reflux at night. I’m also sleeping really well without the excess abdominal fat layer.

I had a quick google and it seems WLI lead to as much muscle loss as any other weightloss method. No more, no less.

I do wonder if bmi around 20 is just a bit low for my age. When it was about 24 and I considered stopping mounjaro I still looked fleshy. I am very tall as well