Self-assessment of body size!

[soshbfly]

Hi guys,

Just a slightly off-topic discussion (I think?) I now weigh less than I have ever weighed as an adult/teenager yet I really don't "see" it so much when I look in the mirror (though in fairness - I always had an opposite warped vision of my figure in that I didn't really think it was too bad!)

Anyhoo, it got me to thinking that if I get to 170lbs I can't even FATHOM what I may look like. So, in turn, I found this site:

Welcome - My Body Gallery - What Real Women Look Like

It is soooooooooooo interesting as the camera is not on yourself. I can't say I believe all the entries - some girls look far too small for their proposed weight, but hey ho... I'll have to believe most of them.

Just curious if anyone has had simiar experiences/persceptions??

 

[Maintainer]

Oooh I think we're all guilty of seeing ourselves bigger than we are (having spent time ignoring the obvious perhaps...)

Halfway through my big weight loss, I bought a full length mirror. What a shock! "Before", so long as my hair and makeup were done, I was ready to go... Now, I look very intently always, from every angle...

Unfortunately my eyes still fixate on the bad bits...

Waffling... but I'm not sure this gets any better actually! I still focus on my flabby belly instead of my body as a whole!

 

[dukandebut]

Yes, it takes time to adjust to being slim again. Even so, as Jo says, what really stands out are the faults upon which we have fixated for so long, even if no one else can see them.

 

[jaqys]

Fabulous site thanks for sharing.
Interesting to see the sizes listed for people of my weight, I can also see why I have the trouser problem when so many have bigger bellies and tiny legs, to my small waist fat legs.

I know I look a tonne better than I did, and even though Ive a long way to go I dont cringe when I see my rear view anymore (but do when I look down at my thighs). But at the same time so many people come on here weighing 50lbs less than me and saying how disgusting it is, so I'm under no illusion I look okay.

I was in absolute denial about how big Id got and I'm not sure how happy I'll be with things when I get there - I accept I'll still have big legs and be unhappy about them but as long as I can shop in a range of normal shops I hope I'll be satisfied.

 

[craybia]

that has made me feel worse :-( I still think I am big but everyone says I am tiny (well yes I am to what I was) so I declared target hoping my head would catch up and see me as slim. looking at a lot of the ladies my weight and height they still look quite big.

 

[craybia]

ok ok take it back. just looked at my starting weight in pics instead. wow I was definitely in denial of how big I was.

 

[m-mouse]

Ooh blimey! Just makes me wonder how light I would be if I could get rid of this tummy! The thing is people tell me not to worry as we all have it - but mine is extreme!! I don't know at what point I will start to look too scrawny elsewhere if I try and carry on losing it.

 

[Maintainer]

My lunch friend today advised me to be careful as she thought I was getting too thin (on top and my face). I only see the bottom!

 

[soshbfly]

...But at the same time so many people come on here weighing 50lbs less than me and saying how disgusting it is, so I'm under no illusion I look okay...

I wouldn't take that as any reflection on YOU jaqys... that's THEIR issue for sure. Trust me, I live it everyday - all my chums are very fit concious and work out all the time and are constantly dieting. I actually feel sorry that they are so driven by something superficial that they allow themselves to feel less-worthy because what???... they have extra body weight? I have always been around 195lbs and felt VERY worthy. I made it my goal to try and impact that upon them.

That's why I was hesitant to say I'm dieting now - I've been preaching against it for 11 years and now here I am! But they all know my gym habits so they understand me wanting to FEEL more fit and not necessarily LOOK more fit.

Don't put yourself down in comparison to others... remember - no can make you feel inferior withour your permission!

 

[RunnerBean]

Maintainer, are you like me? I carry ALL of my weight in my lower body, and then when I lose weight it's my upper body that loses it first so I end up looking pretty mismatched! I wouldn't mind chunky thighs if I had boobs, and I wouldn't mind being flat as a pancake if I had a slim bottom half!

 

[Maintainer]

Ah yes, we do sound pretty similarly shaped. I've photos in my album. Worst still, because of my huge weight loss in 2002/2003, I've excess skin which hangs southward which adds to the bulk below the waist! <Doesn't that sound lovely!!>

 

[Emmma]

that's a brilliant site, thanks for sharing - you've reminded me to dig out some 'before' pics so i can post a comparison on here

 

[anjuschka]

Yes brilliant site - though I have only looked at my current height and weight so far - and I do have a bigger tummy than any of them... reflecting what RunnerBean and Jo have just discussed - lost it on top first and still kept some round the middle.

But on the other hand my trousers (as bought recently) are loose at the waist but snug on the thighs and calves - and that's not actually flab for once!

Yes I too resisted the dieting, and was happy as the bigger me without dieting for 20+ years. But somehow the 'health' aspect of being overweight and getting older finally sunk in and here I am, 2 stone lighter. So now I have to stop obsessing about my tum and weight again, as long as I can keep it steady and not return to the weight I came from...

 

[soshbfly]

I remember reading that about you Anja and thought we sounded quite a bit alike in that respect