Something I've been thinking about ...

Machka9
Machka9 Posts: 25,856 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
As several of you know, I lost my weight in 2015 and have been more or less maintaining in 2016. The weight I am now is the same as I was most of my adult life until about the late 2000s when I started putting on a little bit.

So I think back to the time when I used to be this weight and I don't recall being particularly conscious about my weight or concerned about what I wore. But I am now.

In other words, now I try on this outfit and that outfit and the next outfit fussing to myself that they make my hips look wide ... or make my "poochie" more prominent ... or just generally make me look heavier. But I don't recall doing that before.

And I feel heavier/larger than I was back then, even though the scale is showing me the same weight. In fact, I'm actually slightly lighter than I was at times back then.

I don't have measurements from back then, so nothing to compare my current measurements to.

I don't know ... perhaps age has changed my shape a bit ... or maybe being overweight and then losing the weight has just made me more conscious or self-conscious.

Have any of you experienced something like this?

Replies

  • RosieRose7673
    RosieRose7673 Posts: 438 Member
    I definitely have. For a good amount of my adult life, I was roughly the same weight and didn't feel very nit picky about it.

    I gained weight pretty quick, but then lost it again.

    I'm probably in the best shape of my life now and I still get a lot more self conscious than I was back then.

    I figured it was due to my perception in my mind not being able to catch up with reality!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    I'm just older. Things aren't as naturally firm and gravity is exerting its relentless pull.

    I don't think there is any way to turn back the clock, so I'm just grateful to be thin again. Those years of being overweight were more painful than I realized.
  • emdeesea
    emdeesea Posts: 1,823 Member
    I guess I have no idea because I cannot ever remember being at my current weight. I know I must have been at some point, but I wasn't conscious of it and did not pay attention to it at the time - and I started getting heavy quite early, like around age 13.

    That said, I AM very conscious about what I wear now, and I'll go to a lot of trouble and a little expense to buy things that look GOOD on me, rather than just something that fits. But I've chalked that up to age and experience.

  • Fursian
    Fursian Posts: 575 Member
    I'm experiencing the same. Thinking it may be down to less muscle, more fat? And like cmriverside mentions above, age and gravity.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    I am lighter and more fit and healthier than I have been since my early 20s but way more self conscious about my looks, clothes, etc.
  • RainaProske
    RainaProske Posts: 636 Member
    I'll admit it: I had disappointment when my husband's church invited the married couples to get "married again." It was time for our 25th anniversary, and I thought it would be fun to show up in my wedding dress! I weighed 180 or so when we married, so it never occurred to me that I would not be able to zip my wedding dress since by that time, I weighed about 140. Sad news: I couldn't zip it. I guess it was because I was 25 years older.

    But I haven't thought about this in years. It occurs to me that I now weigh 113. Our anniversary just passed, but WHAT IF! Wonder if I could zip it now? Wonder what it would look like on me now? I really ought to try . . . .
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,856 Member
    RainaProske wrote: »
    I'll admit it: I had disappointment when my husband's church invited the married couples to get "married again." It was time for our 25th anniversary, and I thought it would be fun to show up in my wedding dress! I weighed 180 or so when we married, so it never occurred to me that I would not be able to zip my wedding dress since by that time, I weighed about 140. Sad news: I couldn't zip it. I guess it was because I was 25 years older.

    But I haven't thought about this in years. It occurs to me that I now weigh 113. Our anniversary just passed, but WHAT IF! Wonder if I could zip it now? Wonder what it would look like on me now? I really ought to try . . . .

    You should try again! :)

  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,856 Member
    Thinking more on this ...

    Maybe part of it is that I want to look trim now, but 12 years ago I didn't really care one way or the other.
  • lexylondon
    lexylondon Posts: 89 Member
    I was naturally slim as a teen. About 68-70kgs and 6ft.. I started smoking and went down to low 60s. I then had a car accident and ended up at 43kgs from not eating for 6 weeks. It took me a long time to regain and I had to eat a lot to put on weight. People called me anorexic, flat *kitten*, told me to go eat a burger...so when I actually got to normal weight and started moving past it, I actually didn't realise I was getting heavy! As I was so used to thinking I needed to be bigger, it's not til I realised I was in the overweight catagory, something I never imagined I would or could be, I was shocked into realising hey I'm not skinny anymore!! Now it's gone the other way. I'm 75kgs and feel huge... Wanting to get down to the mid 60s which I used to think was too small...erghh so yeh it's all messed up lol.
  • ponycyndi
    ponycyndi Posts: 858 Member
    I am the opposite. I used to have to try on several outfits, just to find one that fit, and then a few more to try and find something to hide the fat rolls.

    Now I'm thinner than I've ever been post-puberty, and it's the greatest feeling to just put on anything in my closet, and i look good, and it fits!
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    I do find that I'm more self-conscious now that I've lost weight. I don't really understand it, either.
  • Kdp2015
    Kdp2015 Posts: 519 Member
    I weigh less at 31 than I did at 18 (only just, 147 now, 150 then, have been 185 in between) I'm far more concerned about my body now but think it's mainly due to age, loose skin and stretch marks from pregnancy - it's going to take a lot to get past that. Also I think as a teen:early 20 something you have more muscle potential (no desk job!) which could be lost through diet over the years.
  • Jeyradan
    Jeyradan Posts: 164 Member
    Background: I started using MyFitnessPal because my partner wanted to lose weight. I knew I certainly had some downward wiggle room myself, but I had no idea how much. I was still in the "healthy weight range" for my height (according to BMI), but I was on the upper half, and my frame is so small I should be at the rock-bottom.

    Point: I wasn't self-conscious about my weight at the time, other than the general sort of disappointment I think everyone feels in their own appearance. Now that I'm paying attention, though, I find I'm highly critical of myself, even though I'm far lighter than I was then. I worry about trouble zones and different parts of myself and I get worried about which parts of me will change when I slip up with calories, or which parts other people will judge.

    I honestly think it's just an awareness thing. You've developed a habit of heightened awareness about appearance/fitness/general health, and you know what kind of work it takes to look and live the way you want to, so now you are sort of hyper-aware of it.

    Be proud of what you've accomplished so far and know that you're on track for more of the same. We can all get self-critical, but it helps if you remind yourself of how far you've come in aiming for health (and even if you're just starting out, or re-starting, the fact that you've developed a plan and intention of sticking to it counts as "coming far")!
  • cross2bear
    cross2bear Posts: 1,106 Member
    Perhaps it is true for more of us than we think, that being "unaware" of our bodies got us into a place or a weight where it was advisable or desirable to lose. Now we ARE aware of our bodies, and our anxiety about it serves to keep us mindful so we do not return to the heavier days. We know now how much work it takes to lose weight, and dont want to go through that again!!
  • lexylondon
    lexylondon Posts: 89 Member
    Jeyradan wrote: »
    Background: I started using MyFitnessPal because my partner wanted to lose weight. I knew I certainly had some downward wiggle room myself, but I had no idea how much. I was still in the "healthy weight range" for my height (according to BMI), but I was on the upper half, and my frame is so small I should be at the rock-bottom.

    Point: I wasn't self-conscious about my weight at the time, other than the general sort of disappointment I think everyone feels in their own appearance. Now that I'm paying attention, though, I find I'm highly critical of myself, even though I'm far lighter than I was then. I worry about trouble zones and different parts of myself and I get worried about which parts of me will change when I slip up with calories, or which parts other people will judge.

    I honestly think it's just an awareness thing. You've developed a habit of heightened awareness about appearance/fitness/general health, and you know what kind of work it takes to look and live the way you want to, so now you are sort of hyper-aware of it.

    Be proud of what you've accomplished so far and know that you're on track for more of the same. We can all get self-critical, but it helps if you remind yourself of how far you've come in aiming for health (and even if you're just starting out, or re-starting, the fact that you've developed a plan and intention of sticking to it counts as "coming far")!

    Agreed. It's from focusing on body image too much, you start to notice everything.
  • cparsons_60
    cparsons_60 Posts: 95 Member
    Kdp2015 wrote: »
    I weigh less at 31 than I did at 18 (only just, 147 now, 150 then, have been 185 in between) I'm far more concerned about my body now but think it's mainly due to age, loose skin and stretch marks from pregnancy - it's going to take a lot to get past that. Also I think as a teen:early 20 something you have more muscle potential (no desk job!) which could be lost through diet over the years.
    Jeyradan wrote: »
    I wasn't self-conscious about my weight at the time, other than the general sort of disappointment I think everyone feels in their own appearance. Now that I'm paying attention, though, I find I'm highly critical of myself, even though I'm far lighter than I was then. I worry about trouble zones and different parts of myself and I get worried about which parts of me will change when I slip up with calories, or which parts other people will judge.

    I honestly think it's just an awareness thing. You've developed a habit of heightened awareness about appearance/fitness/general health, and you know what kind of work it takes to look and live the way you want to, so now you are sort of hyper-aware of it.

    Very interesting episode of "This American Life" on National Public Radio this past week. Focused on two women, around the same starting height/weight stats, one of whom made her peace with being 100+ pounds overweight, the second who took meds (phentermine!) to drop the extra. Act Two, the woman who lost the weight, is particularly relevant to this thread. She refers to the Old and New versions of herself, and says that the Old, heavy self was a better person, more honest, less self-conscious, less inhibited by her perception of others' opinions and judgment. She's very thoughtful and doesn't spare herself. Lots of other reflections on her weight loss, too.

    http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/589/tell-me-im-fat

  • TravisJHunt
    TravisJHunt Posts: 533 Member
    Our bodies change throughout life. Composition is a big key, while weight is merely how much you eat and do to keep the scale at a certain stage, you can totally change your composition and look totally different. We lose muscle tone as we get older through the natural process of getting older and this can make it so that although we stay the same weight, we aren't quite as toned. Add some heavy lifting to the equation to help counter your bodies aging process and you should be quite pleased!
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