Oh, to be a loser...

[Crankin]

Mimi, you didn't piss me off either. I don't talk about weight or exercise in front of anyone except my cycling friends or my DH, unless someone asks. I feel extraordinarily lucky that I have a flat stomach. Sure, flabby thighs and big bums run in my family, but the exercise has taken care of that. I think that's why, even when I *was* overweight in my early 20's, I didn't see myself as overweight. I didn't have a belly, so I wasn't fat. I just got wider and wider and wider, until I had to buy pants 2 sizes bigger to get past my knees.
When I weighed even less than I do now, most people assumed I was anorexic, which really angered me. Anyone who knows me, would laugh at that suggestion. I was a compulsive exerciser, but eventually, injuries took care of that!

[NJ Jess]

In college I competed in track and field,..discus and shot put. I was out bench pressing and squating the guys. I was 150 pounds at 17 % body fat actually calculated via underwater weight. I still had a stomach,...and boobs! Solid as a rock in my arms, legs, back,....but my tummy and sisters where the only places I was storing my energy.

Then came in season sprints. Lots of them,....
For the next 6 months I was the at 143 pounds and 11% body fat.

It was beautiful for the moment in life, but the work to maintain that regime for a lifetime would be impossible.

My parents and siblings all weigh over 300 pounds each. Three of them have had gastric bypasses. My twin got down to 150, but after 4 years has grazed herself up to 250. Gentics are nearly impossible to overcome. I "workout" at least 3 days a week my entire life and have a physical job to boot.

Make yourself happy, but don't kill yourself doing so.

[shootingstar]

In college I competed in track and field,..discus and shot put. I was out bench pressing and squating the guys. I was 150 pounds at 17 % body fat actually calculated via underwater weight. I still had a stomach,...and boobs! Solid as a rock in my arms, legs, back,....but my tummy and sisters where the only places I was storing my energy.

Then came in season sprints. Lots of them,....
For the next 6 months I was the at 143 pounds and 11% body fat.

It was beautiful for the moment in life, but the work to maintain that regime for a lifetime would be impossible.

Wow. Yes, it is alot of work, more like overtraining (?) to maintain that weight + low body fat.

Had my fat measured 1 and only time so far, over 4 yrs. ago. I can't even remember the %.. don't really care nor have a need to know. Too much effort to plough through my papers to get to the set of medical test results.

[GLC1968]

Mimi - I'm not PO'd. I just felt the need to express myself. And I didn't mean that rant to be directed solely at you. There are lots of people here who try and tell those of us who need to lose weight that we should embrace our curves and our muscles and I think they are missing the point.

I've been party to other forums where there are TONS of women who were going to extremes so that they could have that 'willowy' look. They complained about 'big thighs' when their thigh measurement was 17". The goal was 15". Seriously? I had NOTHING in common with those women.

I just find it so refreshing here on TE that when women talk about losing weight, they truly want to build muscle and lose the extraneous fat to improve performance. And because I'm so happy to have FINALLY found camaraderie on this subject, I'm quick to defend it.

No worries!

[shootingstar]

I've been party to other forums where there are TONS of women who were going to extremes so that they could have that 'willowy' look. They complained about 'big thighs' when their thigh measurement was 17". The goal was 15". Seriously? I had NOTHING in common with those women.

I just find it so refreshing here on TE that when women talk about losing weight, they truly want to build muscle and lose the extraneous fat to improve performance. And because I'm so happy to have FINALLY found camaraderie on this subject, I'm quick to defend it.

A 17" thigh is getting pretty thin. 15" thigh on grown women..any height is anorexic...This is purely a subjective judgement.... but already I know, since I'm pretty small myself in bone structure.

Their desires must be based on the starving, thin models stalking down the runway.

[deeaimond]

This is a really interesting thread.

I'm 150lb, and 5' 3". As things go, even though my BMI is high, I'm not FAT. I have a muffin top but i also have proportionately large boobs, butt and thighs. My waist to hip ratio was under 0.8 (until recently, now 0.82) As all things go, I know i'm pretty alright.

Thing is, I live in the land of the small. Here, females weigh an average 100lbs or less at a similar height to mine. And they are just that way. no exercise nothing. When i was in secondary school, i weighed about as much as i do now. I was 12 - 16 yrs, and for those four years i was the largest girl in my class. I got made fun of, was last to get picked for any games, called fatty etc.

I'm not saying that that was ok, but.. thing is i wasn't really fat but was made to believe i was because everyone kept telling me that. Instead of being motivated to lose weight, i avoided the issue even more, i never did any sports, hated running everything, ate in secret. It was like there was some hidden shame. It kinda messed me up. As I grew older, I started on activities that made me fitter, and for some periods helped me lose a decent amount of weight. But somehow I always had a very negative mindset towards being fat. If I were PMSing and emotional and my weight got abit high, I'd wear baggy clothes and stay away from people. There were times I'd look in the mirror and then just cry...

Since I started cycling however, I've started doing some pretty tough things, things many people won't even think of doing. Maybe also it coincides with age, I'm not surrounded by as many tiny willowy teenage girls who all have 20" waists. I've slowly begun to shed that negative self image. And now I want to lose weight because my spare tyre makes me feel uncomfortable in my very expensive cycling gear. I feel like, hey, I might be bigger than the rest, but I can do some pretty incredible things. Riding 320kms in 18 continuous hrs?

I rant about my weight to everyone (its easy here coz everyone else is tiny... hahha..) but honestly i need to keep letting myself hear it, otherwise i get caught up in work and i forget i need to work on the weight. and then another day passes without extra exercise and just one cookie/timtam. in a way its good, coz it means i'm learning to let go of my negative self image, but in a way its bad coz, the weight gain gets out of hand...

but i still need to lose weight. because next to the BF i still look like an unfit slob. he's gonna dump me and go for one of those babes eyeing him in the gym is i continue letting myself get out of shape. I just wanna keep him on the tip of his toes..

I guess, it doesn't matter what weight we are, everyone has issues with self image. and here it is good that somehow we are all very supportive of each others' efforts and resolve our differences in a very amicable manner. I do love the people on this forum

[e.e.cummings]

It takes a lot of strength and self-awareness to be as honest as you have been in your post. You are proud of your accomplishments and that is only going to build. I am sure your BF is proud of you as well - what is really attractive in a woman (or man for that matter) is believing in yourself, and it sounds like you have that - it sounds like you've come a long way - you go, girl!