Looking less than what you weigh?
Replies
-
bowsontoes wrote: »MyBodyGallery.com is good for this. They post pictures of women at all different heights and weights. There is also a quiz on there to show how hard it is to guess someone's weight, I highly recommend taking it because it'll change your prespective.
Oh, some of the people on that site are lying liars who lie. It's not really good.
In fact, it's a perfect illustration of people saying what they think they look like in many cases.5 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »br1tt3rb33 wrote: »Yess! This is a real problem. I am overweight for my height and my family does not agree and disrespects my food choices by always sending me home with desserts and junk food because I "don't need to lose weight". Okay. Firstly, any one who doesn't see me in my birthday suit doesn't know how disgusted I am with myself. Secondly, I know my BMI and I am overweight! I tried explaining to them I can't eat all this crap like they did and they're "fine". Well we have a more sedentary life style than you know, people over 80 years old did. And how dare they tell me they are fine and I need to eat MORE, when they have diabetes! I guess misery loves company and my own family wishes for me to suffer with them.. Because of this I have only lost 13 pounds and have 31 more pounds to go! I should already be at my goal weight but I am being held back by family and sometimes even friends. Everyone always wants you to eat, eat, and eat some more. Ugh!
You know, you can say no and don't eat it.
This. People say stuff like that all the time, to most of us. You just nod and smile and ignore it or say "no thank you" or if you get food shoved in your hand after saying no give it away or toss it (which is really okay).
No one can make you eat something.
It's not disrespecting you or trying to sabotage you, it's just thinking you don't really mean it and trying to be nice, usually, or really having perceptions that are off.
No it is not being nice it is pushing their opinions on me. Will not offer only once if I say no thanks that translates to them as not right now and they won't stop offering it or asking me to eat some until I do. It's easier said than done dealing with certain people. But as I said. This is my struggle.1 -
I am a 5'9 male. I hover around 175-185. I hit an all time high of 197 last year.
Nobody ever believed that I weighed close to 200 lbs. Most people think I weigh around 160.0 -
People are weird about food. They often think if you say no you don't really mean it or just need to be encouraged/told it's okay. It's weird, but I think it IS normally intended nicely (like you said, they understand the response as not right now). People have a hard time breaking patterns, so if they are used to something they don't expect change or believe it at first. We all deal with that.1
-
Some people are more muscular which makes them not look as big. but I think in the end if the day like a few have said often people are just being nice. Or its the effect of often you view others as looking better than you..generally it will be people that have known you a long time (they no longer see you for really you) example: I had a friend that was easily over 300lbs when I looked at her I didn't see fat I saw my friend.
And then us...no one ever really can get a accurate perception of themselves. I look in the mirror and don't see fat...but then I get a phot snapped of me and I'm rudely reminded of how much weight I need to lose lol0 -
nataliecg926 wrote: »Does anyone else feel like they look less than what they weigh? I know people say weight is just a number and doesn't have to mean "all that" but I weighed myself recently and I am 274 lbs at 5'5 and I don't feel like I weigh THAT much. I thought I was 250 lbs and someone said that I looked like I weighed less and turns out I actually weigh MORE. I tell people my goal is to lose 125 pounds and they look at me like I'm crazy..anybody else experience this?nataliecg926 wrote: »I guess I'm just daunted by how far my journey is when previously I didn't think I had this far to go, although I mostly just want to get under 200 and go from there
My body image was way off when I was much heavier. I was in denial about my weight. Keep yourself surrounded be supportive people. Don't invest your time in someone who will look at you like your crazy for having any goal in life.
My advice for whatever it's worth. (feel free to ignore this part of my post)
What helped me to be in this for the long run
(1) When you wake up, focus on what you are going to do with your 24 hours. (don't focus on how far you have to go to get to your final goal)
(2) when you reach a small goal reward yourself (non-food related)
(3) Be consistent. Log your food, be active, and hydrate
(4) It's ok to have setbacks. The important thing is to quickly forgive yourself and get back on the horse.
Wishing you the best,
Jenn2 -
rainbowbow wrote: »No, i think most people who think they look less have no idea how a normal non-overweight body looks anymore. I've never seen someone who looks more or less than they actually weigh.
Boy, I sure have. One of my current life's privileges is the opportunity to know many women rowers in a very good collegiate varsity program (NCAA Div I). Those whose weight I've known have weighed 20, 30 or more pounds more than I'd guess.
When you see them in pretty dresses (often halter or spaghetti strap styles, and short hemline, so you do see them), they look like normal, healthy, slender young women. When you see them on the dock after a race, it's obvious that they're all solid, well-developed muscle.
Almost none of us do weight training as progressively as they do, nor anything close to their volume of strength-building sport . . . so we look our weight. Some of us may have luckier distribution of it, or a bit more muscle, but that's it.
Back on topic: I actually had one of my medical team argue with me, before I lost weight, when I said I was obese. I made her do the BMI arithmetic; of course I was right.
Why the misperception? Because I was athletic even then, my face was a little thinner and my body less puffy than many of my weight, and when one has 34-35" hips under the fat, an extra 13-14" hip circumference looks different than it would on someone with a more typical female pelvis.4 -
It's really hard to say whether someone "looks their weight" because people wear their weight so differently, have different body types and all that. It can be disheartening to learn that you weigh more than you expected but don't worry, you can and will still succeed.
I used to think "I didn't look that fat", and I think partly that's because we just get used to what we look like and it becomes "just normal." I'll tell you where the illusions were stripped away, though--the fitting room at Macy's. I guess it was the lighting?? I didn't just look my weight, I looked my weight +more. It got me to get serious about losing weight, so I guess it was a good thing.3 -
rainbowbow wrote: »No, i think most people who think they look less have no idea how a normal non-overweight body looks anymore. I've never seen someone who looks more or less than they actually weigh.
Boy, I sure have. One of my current life's privileges is the opportunity to know many women rowers in a very good collegiate varsity program (NCAA Div I). Those whose weight I've known have weighed 20, 30 or more pounds more than I'd guess.
When you see them in pretty dresses (often halter or spaghetti strap styles, and short hemline, so you do see them), they look like normal, healthy, slender young women. When you see them on the dock after a race, it's obvious that they're all solid, well-developed muscle.
Almost none of us do weight training as progressively as they do, nor anything close to their volume of strength-building sport . . . so we look our weight. Some of us may have luckier distribution of it, or a bit more muscle, but that's it.
Back on topic: I actually had one of my medical team argue with me, before I lost weight, when I said I was obese. I made her do the BMI arithmetic; of course I was right.
Why the misperception? Because I was athletic even then, my face was a little thinner and my body less puffy than many of my weight, and when one has 34-35" hips under the fat, an extra 13-14" hip circumference looks different than it would on someone with a more typical female pelvis.
i don't know.. if i know someone is an athlete it's not particularly surprising that they weigh "20-30 pounds more". On the flip side, it's not shocking for me to guess someone is underweight either. Maybe i just have a good eye for this type of stuff?
It's interesting because while i can look at other's bodies objectively with no issues i have body dysmorphia with myself.1 -
The prevalence of obesity has warped many of our views on what is a healthy weight vs overweight vs obese. Most people are also terrible at judging size. We tell people to weigh their peanut butter. A person is a lot bigger than 2T of peanut butter. The variation between what we think people weigh and what they actually weigh is bound to be off by quite a lot, numbers-wise.
Co-signed.
0 -
SierraFatToSkinny wrote: »I wear my weight well.
280's vs. 260's.
How tall are you? you definitely don't look that heavy, but your weight is in the....Um... Feminine parts, so you still have a nice figure. This is from a male perspective, and I have found women don t care about male perspectives when it comes to their body shapes, so it is what it is.1 -
I don't look my weight, but it matters to me what I weigh. I don't look good naked. I didn't look 211lbs AT ALL when I started, and I look less than my current 153lbs when clothed. I just look curvy. I'd rather be... less curvy.0
-
Well I've told people what I weigh, and they are usually shocked.
For example, in my profile pic, I was 175 lbs. I got back up to 180 after falling off the wagon during the holidays, and I told a lady (who is shorter and more petite) that I weighed what I weigh and she was like -- You look about my size, OMG.
I'm 5'7" without shoes on, so that plays a small factor. I also workout a lot, so I am not "sloppy" big. I just have a lower tummy pooch and disproportionately large arms (both genetics: i.e., my grandma was the skinniest woman, but had these big flabby arms), but my legs/butt/waist are pretty tight.
I don't trust my own perception though -- I've thought I was a small little thing, only to see a picture of myself and I was HUGE. That's around the time I was 192 on the scale.
0 -
People are PC and nice now a days and it's somehow taboo to tell people the truth.7
-
I don't bother informing people as to how much I weigh. I work quietly within myself, for myself (except for forums posts, like minded persons are here). I am accountable to myself. When a drastic change such as <40# changes my image and attitude and they comment; I let them know that I am on a wellness program. A polite thank you is enough. I feel that my DH doesn't even know (or maybe he does and does not comment) how much I weigh, he will comment on how great I look, that's enough. Numbers are numbers.0
-
What always throws me off is seeing 2 people who weigh the same, roughly the same height and looking about 20 lbs different. It is one of the most important things I need to remind myself when the scale doesn't move as quickly as I want it to. Me at 150 lbs and out of shape wears at least 1, if not 2, sizes larger than when I'm at the same weight but working out.3
-
Ugh. I feel like I look thinner in clothing. Then I catch myself in the video feed of a store or something and I'm like day am she looks fat.0
-
jbirdgreen wrote: »Well I've told people what I weigh, and they are usually shocked.
For example, in my profile pic, I was 175 lbs. I got back up to 180 after falling off the wagon during the holidays, and I told a lady (who is shorter and more petite) that I weighed what I weigh and she was like -- You look about my size, OMG.
I'm 5'7" without shoes on, so that plays a small factor. I also workout a lot, so I am not "sloppy" big. I just have a lower tummy pooch and disproportionately large arms (both genetics: i.e., my grandma was the skinniest woman, but had these big flabby arms), but my legs/butt/waist are pretty tight.
I don't trust my own perception though -- I've thought I was a small little thing, only to see a picture of myself and I was HUGE. That's around the time I was 192 on the scale.
I'm the same height as you. You look amazing for your weight!
1 -
Okay, OP. This is what I think:
-Your friends/family/coworkers can't eyeball your weight because there are too many factors to analyze that just don't know. People are terrible at guessing stuff like that.
-And that speaks well of them. Who does that just casually, like as a hobby they can improve? That'd be insane and super intrusive.
-You should've full stopped after you said "weight is just a number". You nailed it then, the rest is just impotent navel-gazing and invitation for strangers to mess with you. You like how you look and feel? Cool. You don't? Well, you're working on changing that if you're here, I'll bet, so you should keep working at it and stop worrying so much. I mean that and I hope you take it to heart!0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 176K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions