Mourning Loss of Luscious Body

[PringlesDippedInHoney]

I am 56, 5 foot 1 inch tall and weigh 14 stones. I have had a belly since having my c-section many years ago, but even that hangs in an aesthetically pleasing way. I like the way I look. My body is in proportion (hourglass) so I carry my excess weight well, but it is not about looks. I have reached an age whereby weight loss would be the best option for me in view of age related health conditions which I am more likely to develop due to my weight. I am however starting to mourn the loss of a luscious body, in advance of this happening. My excess weight has gone mostly to the "right " places and very nicely, so I know I am fortunate in this. I have always loved the way my body looks and I love seeing my body. I dress modestly, so this isn't about getting approval from other people. I won't let these feelings stop me from losing weight. I am just wondering if any other women can understand how I feel.

I think the slim one looks much better

I think not

@SunOnTheRiver

And that's fine, but what you cannot say is that AG doesn't look good. She does. Her popularity within her career tells us she looks good. Anyone with eyes will tell you she looks fabulous. She's also overweight, so for the bitchy arsehole comments on here are just that, arsehole comments.

I know which one I prefer, but it's not about that, it's about the fact that all shapes and sizes can look good. The default to look good is not skinny/slim/thin.

Obviously, it is personal preference but I don’t think she does look good.

Im jealous. I wosh O had such an appreciative and happy response to my own body.

Finally after many years of loathing I have compasson to myself but never, ever have I felt comfortable in.my own skin.

It's quite noticeable that AG is about as corseted in this photo as a person could possibly be. Keira Knightley does look very thin there, and it's not a flattering dress. But absent the Lycra, belt, etc, Ashley Graham would look very different.

Yeah, she still looks great!

Yeah still great! And luscious is the word for it.

I think she looks gorgeous. Her face is absolutely stunning .

I think the vast majority of us don't look like either Ashley Graham or Keira Knightley, at either end of the spectrum! They are styled and airbrushed
I have to see in real life, I haven't seen any emaciated lizard women.

That’s because they don’t get undressed.

Most people look better if they are reasonably fit, healthy and not obese...

This is real though. Quite a few women feel this way but it’s taboo because women are constantly berated by the idea that thin is unequivocally attractive, and it is the Most Important attractive trait.

I remember reading a magazine about a celeb who was really upset because she had lost weight and had lost lost of volume in her breasts and bum, and felt much more attractive as a size 16.

I have loads of weight to lose but also have to balance this with the fact that due my hourglass shape and having given birth 3 times, I know I also don’t want to too much as I will start to look saggy and lose the good parts of my body.

I would always say to other people that health comes first before aesthetics, but in reality lots of us do pursue weight loss and shaping up also for how our body looks. Some people genuinely look better with a bit more weight on them, especially as they get older. Don’t know why everyone is assuming it’s a joke. Because a non thin woman is confident with her body?

Im a size 12 - 14 at 14 stone. 5’6.

I am 5'7, 10.8 stone and a size 12.😯

A lot of people do miss the genuine point of why others are saying it’s not good for your health to be mainly focused on the aesthetic look of your body. Big or small. Either end of the spectrum is not optimum for the best health outcomes. If you prioritise your looks over your health then that’s your decision but there can be a balance. AG would look completely different with a different body type. Her weight distribution is pretty much the modern beauty standard nowadays. It’s also a healthier weight distribution as the majority of her adipose fat is away from her vital organs not on her midsection and mostly on her lower body. I have smaller boobs than AG but I am this shape and let me tell you, my knees and back did not thank me for having very large legs. She has a very beautiful face and she is stunning but I found this size and shape hard going on my joints as I got older.

This is exactly what I think. People think it’s fine to assume it’s a joke if a larger woman thinks she looks good. And there are larger women who can look really attractive, and I genuinely think thinness on older women very often isn’t; but it is testament to the deep-seated bigotry under cover of health advice surrounding the issue that people would feel comfortable saying that it just effectively “cannot be so” that op feels good.
I have a friend who is very heavy and I am constantly disgusted by the sorts of comments made to her. Her DH lost his ( high-paying) job and she has been carrying the financial burden ( which has contributed a lot to her gain) as he got depression as a result and can’t work ( and spends all his time at the gym!🙄); yet her MIL thought it appropriate to say perhaps she shouldn’t be buying new clothes as “anyway they are wasted” on a “ person like you.” Once at a dinner party people were discussing old age and care costs etc and one ( very body conscious) woman said to her “ well at least that’s something you won’t have to worry much about. I sometimes think about it when I’m going hard at it at the gym and say to myself all this healthy exercise is just storing up financial problems for the future! [tinkly laugh].” (Incidentally that woman now has breast cancer. ) But in a world where we rightly condemn discrimination, it seems to me the last bastion of people thinking they can level outspoken comments at “fat” people because they somehow deserve it : revolting, disgusting, repulsive, unhealthy….all sorts. People love the word “ morbid” being flung about with obesity but you can actually be morbidly thin too.
Yet if someone mentions their aunt said she looks like a dehydrated lizard undressed after weight loss in middle age, (her own description), people get all 😮😱 which only goes to show the imbalance in what is seen as acceptable to say about thin people vs fat people ( who, the reasoning goes, deserve it). I find it abhorrent. And, for the record, my friend has a beautiful face.

Everyone seems to be talking at extremes though. The OP could easily lose 2 to 3 stone, still be fairly voluptuous and take some of the visceral fat off the middle-aged 56 at 5 ft 1. She won't be skinny or lizard like for sure!

Yes this is very true and someone said something similar above: she is in control and can stop when she finds a good balance for her. It’s not commit or don’t commit.