At what BMI / BF% were you able to wear shorts?

nelinelineli
nelinelineli Posts: 330 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hi there ladies,

I know many of us would like to be able to wear a pair of shorts confidently.
I was wondering, for those who made it (I've seen quite a few success stories "after" pics in shorts), around what BMI/BF% did that happen? When did those inner thighs say good-bye to each other and got toned enough for public display? :)

Edit based on responses:
I'm trying to get a general idea when shorts become comfortable (i.e. they don't ride up the thighs). Some people can wear shorts at any size, but some find them incredibly uncomfortable because of their body shape. I realize there's going to be a huge variability here, but usually getting enough answers will give you a rough idea:)

Replies

  • conidiring
    conidiring Posts: 230 Member
    Huh, I didn't know there was a limit of when you can wear shorts...It's hot, it's shorts time, end of story...
  • Sedna_51
    Sedna_51 Posts: 277 Member
    I've been wearing shorts forever, regardless of weight. I don't feel self-conscious about my legs, though. (The stomach? another story.) And I think I'd still wear longer shorts (no Daisy Dukes or booty shorts) no matter what I weighed. If you find a pair you like, I think you should wear them without worrying that the Fat Police are going to pull you over and demand you strip so they can measure you with calipers.

    On the other hand, I'm not sure I'd ever feel comfortable wearing an outfit that showed my stomach no matter what I weighed. I'm just super-sensitive about it. (I've also got some pretty big surgery scars there too, though.)

    ETA: This does make me think of my favorite "How to get a bikini body" instructions.

    1. Buy a bikini.
    2. Put it on your body.
    3. You now have a bikini body.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    This really depends upon your body type. I'm a pear and will always be a pear .... so the answer is I never wear shorts. I've been 106 lbs & 156 lbs.... shorts are unflattering at any weight (for me).
  • sunflowerhippi
    sunflowerhippi Posts: 1,099 Member
    It is more personal preference and how you feel about yourself for when are you feeling okay to come out of the house in shorts. I still don't like shorts and I am 2lbs above "healthy" BMI and 26% body fat but I wear them because it is 100 outside and I am not going to torture myself. Like above though I am also pear shaped and my legs look like poop in shorts. I love my skirts though.
  • nelinelineli
    nelinelineli Posts: 330 Member
    Huh, I didn't know there was a limit of when you can wear shorts...It's hot, it's shorts time, end of story...

    Oh I envy people who can say that. I'm one of those women who carry a lot of fat on their inner thighs which make any shorts ride up, create extra "thickness" that rubs against the skin and give me rashes. Wearing shorts was not only a question of esthetics but also very uncomfortable. :)
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
    Huh, I didn't know there was a limit of when you can wear shorts...It's hot, it's shorts time, end of story...

    Oh I envy people who can say that. I'm one of those women who carry a lot of fat on their inner thighs which make any shorts ride up, create extra "thickness" that rubs against the skin and give me rashes. Wearing shorts was not only a question of esthetics but also very uncomfortable. :)
    So wear longer shorts maybe? I carry tons of fat on my legs too, and I pretty much don't wear shorts either (or skirts). It's jeans or nothing. When I go to the gym, I wear yoga pants, and I also started wearing tights (like jogging tights) with those basketball shorts (the ones with the little pinholes all over) over them for modesty. I think the two layers stops the shorts from bunching up. But you're right, they make those things for a body shape that is not mine.
  • echofm1
    echofm1 Posts: 471 Member
    Huh, I didn't know there was a limit of when you can wear shorts...It's hot, it's shorts time, end of story...

    Oh I envy people who can say that. I'm one of those women who carry a lot of fat on their inner thighs which make any shorts ride up, create extra "thickness" that rubs against the skin and give me rashes. Wearing shorts was not only a question of esthetics but also very uncomfortable. :)
    So wear longer shorts maybe? I carry tons of fat on my legs too, and I pretty much don't wear shorts either (or skirts). It's jeans or nothing. When I go to the gym, I wear yoga pants, and I also started wearing tights (like jogging tights) with those basketball shorts (the ones with the little pinholes all over) over them for modesty. I think the two layers stops the shorts from bunching up. But you're right, they make those things for a body shape that is not mine.

    Yeah, I'm in the same boat. I don't avoid shorts because I think I look bad in them, but because they're going to ride up between my legs when I walk, which is both unflattering and uncomfortable. It would be nice to not have that problem anymore, but I'm not sure that'll ever be the case for me! However, I've got no problem rolling my pants up to my knees when necessary.
  • mommy3457
    mommy3457 Posts: 361 Member
    I'm at 27% if that means anything. I wore shorts all throughout my life, even when I was pregnant. The truth is only you can decide when you'd like to wear them. I have a large bone structure so I do not have thin legs whatsoever, but I still wear them.
  • jaecamp1
    jaecamp1 Posts: 120 Member
    I haven't worn shorts in public since I was about 11. Now that I'm losing I can see by the crazy amounts of extra skin on my legs that I don't think I'll ever feel comfortable wearing shorts in public. I do live in a very hot area too- in Phoenix.
  • aliceb39
    aliceb39 Posts: 84 Member
    I agree with the others above, that if it's hot and you want to wear shorts, wear them! I see that you started at 142 lbs, are now at 131, and are on your way to 121. So if you think you weigh too much to wear shorts, it's in your head and/or it's your body type. Do you want to wear daisy dukes? No one looks good in those except long-legged model-thin people. Try some different styles--bermudas, capris, mid-thigh--until you find one that is comfortable and flattering to your body type.
  • KathleenMurry
    KathleenMurry Posts: 448 Member
    I'm really pissed off when I have to wear pants.
  • jennycita
    jennycita Posts: 40 Member


    ETA: This does make me think of my favorite "How to get a bikini body" instructions.

    1. Buy a bikini.
    2. Put it on your body.
    3. You now have a bikini body.

    ^^^ This is awesome!!
  • teamAmelia
    teamAmelia Posts: 1,247 Member
    Huh, I didn't know there was a limit of when you can wear shorts...It's hot, it's shorts time, end of story...

    :laugh:

    OP, I don't know if you're asking to figure out when you'll be able to wear shorts, but each person's body is different. I don't think that just bc they were at a certain weight/body fat that they decided, "Hey, I'm down to x. I can start wearing shorts." I'm sure that they decided to wear shorts when they felt comfortable doing so. Lots of overweight people wear shorts anyway. Not everyone who is overweight has unsightly legs. Sometimes, your fat can just be in your stomach. And, some overweight ppl are just confident and will wear whatever. I envy those ppl, btw.
  • Sunnystylegrl
    Sunnystylegrl Posts: 8 Member
    It's too hot to not wear shorts for me. I have thick thighs and I don't care who sees them. I don't plan on ever wearing the up to my butt shorts. The mid thigh ones have always worked for me.
  • cmb67
    cmb67 Posts: 46 Member
    Huh, I didn't know there was a limit of when you can wear shorts...It's hot, it's shorts time, end of story...

    this! I am still at the low end of overweight per the BMI on my scale, but I don't care. I wore them when I was heavier, too. Shorts cover up most of your inner thigh, unless you're wearing DD's.
  • realme56
    realme56 Posts: 1,093 Member
    I wear shorts when it is hot. If someone doesn't like what they see they don't have to look.
  • sobriquet84
    sobriquet84 Posts: 607 Member
    i haven't worn *short* shorts in 8 years. i've worn just-above-the-knee-length shorts a few times in those 8 years though. i'm simply not comfortable in shorts. i much prefer a skirt or dress. waaaaaaaaay more comfortable.

    i'm a pear, i melt from the top down, and my trouble areas have always been my thighs/legs. even when i was younger and was a competitive runner, my weight was always carried in my lower half. well, here i am, going on 30, and i haven't been able to run for years because i need double knee surgery that i've been putting off, so my legs don't exactly look like they used to. last time i wore short shorts i was 18% bf (i had had a bodpod test so i know exactly what my bf% was.)

    because i can't run or do a lot of the traditional excercises people do to get back into shape, i am always in yoga-type pants for my workouts because the workouts i do don't really demand shorts (like running does.)

    i'm not saying that you have to have a low bf% to weat shorts, i'm just saying that me, personally, don't find them comfortable, at least not anymore. i'm just not a shorts person.
  • Sparlingo
    Sparlingo Posts: 938 Member
    I kind of get what you're saying, in that I never felt I had the body to wear shorts (5'0" pear shape) and so I used to wear full-on jeans in the hottest of weather.

    Since I've started to work on my health and fitness, I've had an attitude adjustment about my body. I started to wear shorts when I found shorts that fit me (in the most literal sense), regardless of my weight. It was the most liberating feeling to wear shorts and not care about my thighs, jiggling, or cellulite (all of which were there, I assure you).

    I'm now at maintenance, and while I hope my weight lifting will tone my legs a little more (I'm a bit of a "soft" pear), I feel GREAT in my shorts! By the way, my thighs still touch and there's nothing wrong with that. Get an appropriate length inseam and a flattering rise, and wear some shorts :smile:. Life's too short to skip shorts!

    If you're wondering when I made the transition from wearing shorts to wearing shorts and feeling like I looked great in them, I was probably about 28% BF when I started to be proud of how my legs looked in shorts.
  • sobriquet84
    sobriquet84 Posts: 607 Member
    I'm really pissed off when I have to wear pants.

    hahahahahaha! me too.
  • KateK8LoseW8
    KateK8LoseW8 Posts: 824 Member
    Well, I wore shorts when I was obese and I wear shorts now. I live in Texas, if someone didn't want to look at my fat legs they didn't have to. Too hot to care.
  • nelinelineli
    nelinelineli Posts: 330 Member
    I kind of get what you're saying, in that I never felt I had the body to wear shorts (5'0" pear shape) and so I used to wear full-on jeans in the hottest of weather.

    Since I've started to work on my health and fitness, I've had an attitude adjustment about my body. I started to wear shorts when I found shorts that fit me (in the most literal sense), regardless of my weight. It was the most liberating feeling to wear shorts and not care about my thighs, jiggling, or cellulite (all of which were there, I assure you).

    I'm now at maintenance, and while I hope my weight lifting will tone my legs a little more (I'm a bit of a "soft" pear), I feel GREAT in my shorts! By the way, my thighs still touch and there's nothing wrong with that. Get an appropriate length inseam and a flattering rise, and wear some shorts :smile:. Life's too short to skip shorts!

    If you're wondering when I made the transition from wearing shorts to wearing shorts and feeling like I looked great in them, I was probably about 28% BF when I started to be proud of how my legs looked in shorts.

    Thank you for that answer. I must say I envy you as i'm below 27% BF and I still can't wear a pair of shorts without having to "adjust" them every 2 minutes. I guess I need to keep looking for a better cut.
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,446 Member
    Huh, I didn't know there was a limit of when you can wear shorts...It's hot, it's shorts time, end of story...

    We have a winner!

    If you want to wear shorts. Wear shorts.

    Personally I don't like the "booty short" trend at the moment. I don't think it is practical. But whatever floats your boat. Keep all the important stuff covered, and it is OK to wear shorts no matter what you look like (as long as the occasion is appropriate).

    This was pretty good on Jezebel:

    http://bit.ly/1dHYbQF

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