I don't understand..

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ckite21
ckite21 Posts: 11 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I use to be 160 pounds then went down to 145 now I'm 126 and I still don't feel great. My friends are my weight and you can't see any fat on them. I have huge thighs. I'm a size eight. I have a friend that's my height three pounds lighter and in a size four! I want to get down to 110 but I don't even know if it's possible or if I still be the same size I am now. It's really discouraging. I just want to feel good and be happy with myself but I don't know if that will ever happen.

Replies

  • Doctorpurple
    Doctorpurple Posts: 507 Member
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    Do you tend to gain weight on your lower body (hips, things, butt) area? If that's the case you might be pear shaped which is why you are size 8 and your friend might have more weight on the upper body that's why she is lower size in jeans. People distribute their fat differently. What is your dress size or shirt size? Do you consider yourself muscular? Are you small frame, medium frame, or large frame? All these factors play a role on your physique
  • YouHadMyCuriosity
    YouHadMyCuriosity Posts: 218 Member
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    First off, congratulations on what you have accomplished! Everyone's body is different. Have you been doing any strength training? Losing weight simply without weight training, you end up just being a smaller version of the same body shape. At different points in my life, I have been a size 4 at 114lbs (when I overdid cardio and starved myself), and a size 4 at 135lbs when I lifted and had a lot more muscle. Looking back at pictures, I looked skinnier when I was 20lbs heavier, because I had less body fat and more tone!

    Don't get discouraged by comparing yourself to others, and maybe start a weightlifting program. If you do that, pay attention to measurements rather than the scale. Good luck!
  • j6o4
    j6o4 Posts: 871 Member
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    1lb of muscle takes up less space than 1lb of fat. Most likey your friend has a lower bodyfat percentage.
  • indigoigloo
    indigoigloo Posts: 20
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    consider weight lifting. I weighed about 125 in high school but I looked tubby. In college I weighed 135, had a smaller waist size, and had a pretty flat belly.

    Also, don't worry too much about the thigh gap. It's down to anatomical differences, sometimes. :: http://www.jensinkler.com/close-thigh-gap/
  • CamillaHerold
    CamillaHerold Posts: 60 Member
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    I think there are several unhealthy things going on here that might be contributing to your confusion. One is a fixation on numbers. There are no magic numbers, there is only health and not-health, and they can happen within a range of weights for any given height. Another is a fixation on how things look. Some people continue to see fat on their bodies long after they have lost it, a real psychological problem. Others look absolutely great, and they know it, but they are grossly unhealthy inside. I don't think you will be successful in your weight loss in the long run until you switch your focus to what matters, which is your health.

    When you realize the superficiality of numbers and appearances, you will be ready to seek true health and fitness. Then you will find the right weight for your height and fitness interests. Maybe you will decide to become a long distance runner, and you'll develop long lean muscles and lose much of your body fat. Maybe you will decide to become a power lifter and develop larger, well defined muscles and be a little bigger overall. Dare to dream your own dreams, do the work, and you will understand.

    Best wishes to you as you seek your answers!
  • Antonio201
    Antonio201 Posts: 9
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    Don't get discouraged by comparing yourself to others!!!
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
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    How tall are you? You may want to lose a few more pounds if you're shorter than 5'3" or so. And size 8 is nothing to sneeze at. Even if your friends are slimmer, you're not exactly zaftig. I think you're being too hard on yourself. It's not a race, you don't "win" anything if you reach a certain size. You've come this far, and if you want to lose a few more pounds, you certainly can, but you shouldn't have any anxiety about it. It's just math. :drinker:
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    Please listen to the wonderful advice that has come before me. It's more about your perception of yourself than anything. In your profile picture, you look perfectly healthy. A size eight at 126 pounds sounds very healthy.

    We all carry our weight very differently and it's futile to compare our body size to any one else.

    I have always wanted to be 120 pounds just to see what it feels like, but that would be detrimental to my health because my body frame is larger and my body type is an endomorph. I'm okay with that. :smile:
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
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    Please listen to the wonderful advice that has come before me. It's more about your perception of yourself than anything. In your profile picture, you look perfectly healthy. A size eight at 126 pounds sounds very healthy.

    We all carry our weight very differently and it's futile to compare our body size to any one else.

    I have always wanted to be 120 pounds just to see what it feels like, but that would be detrimental to my health because my body frame is larger and my body type is an endomorph. I'm okay with that. :smile:

    Somatotypes are a discredited hypothesis that was never really well researched or documented in the first place. You're not an endomorph, you're at a heavier-than-optimal weight. I should know, because in 1993 I was an "endomorph", in 2003 I was an "ectomorph" and earlier in 2013 I was a "mesomorph". It's just pop sci BS.
  • Starfish1125
    Starfish1125 Posts: 169 Member
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    You posted this 11 months ago, too

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/849057-why-am-i-still-fat

    Your issue is psychological and not physical......no amount of weight loss is going to "fix" you until you understand and appreciate yourself as an individual....
  • wendybird5
    wendybird5 Posts: 577 Member
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    You posted this 11 months ago, too

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/849057-why-am-i-still-fat

    Your issue is psychological and not physical......no amount of weight loss is going to "fix" you until you understand and appreciate yourself as an individual....

    Took the words right out of my mouth.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    Please listen to the wonderful advice that has come before me. It's more about your perception of yourself than anything. In your profile picture, you look perfectly healthy. A size eight at 126 pounds sounds very healthy.

    We all carry our weight very differently and it's futile to compare our body size to any one else.

    I have always wanted to be 120 pounds just to see what it feels like, but that would be detrimental to my health because my body frame is larger and my body type is an endomorph. I'm okay with that. :smile:

    Somatotypes are a discredited hypothesis that was never really well researched or documented in the first place. You're not an endomorph, you're at a heavier-than-optimal weight. I should know, because in 1993 I was an "endomorph", in 2003 I was an "ectomorph" and earlier in 2013 I was a "mesomorph". It's just pop sci BS.

    Thank you, I didn't realize that body types were no longer used. All I know is that at my lowest weight people always think I weigh a whole lot less because of the small size I wear. I guess I'm just....me. :bigsmile:
  • cassandra108
    cassandra108 Posts: 8
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    Hi guys I'm 19 years old I'm 5'0 or 5'1 and i weigh 226 or 228. I need to know how many calories am I (personally) have to intake.. are we suppose to eat less or more calories. This has always been a confusing topic to me. I would like to share my meal plan for tomorrow with you guys.

    so i plan on waking u and drinking room temp water with fresh squeezed lemon juice. then 30mins or 1hour later i would eat some special K cereal that is 110 calories per serving, dietary fiber 3g, and has 2gs of protein. I'll be eating that with low fat milk. then when i get hungry again I plan on eating just an apple and orange for lunch. Or one or two bars of special K cereal bars and the calories for that is 90 calories per serving, 3gs of dietary fiber, and less than 1g of protein. And for dinner i guess ill eat raw tomatoes and cucumber slices. with 2 bolied chicken legs. i don't know the calories for that but its pretty healthy and thats all i have and can afford at the moment.

    OR i can just eat one meal a day and just drink water and green tea through out the day except for dinner does that sound better. help i need advice!.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
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    I use to be 160 pounds then went down to 145 now I'm 126 and I still don't feel great. My friends are my weight and you can't see any fat on them. I have huge thighs. I'm a size eight. I have a friend that's my height three pounds lighter and in a size four! I want to get down to 110 but I don't even know if it's possible or if I still be the same size I am now. It's really discouraging. I just want to feel good and be happy with myself but I don't know if that will ever happen.

    If it helps any, I'm practically your height and didn't wear a size 4 at 85-87 lbs. I did get diagnosed with malnutrition (it was from a disease I had that was also diagnosed when the labs came back). The doctor said my kidneys had dropped/lowered because I had lost the fat around them. But no size 4! Bone structure matters very much to the minimum size someone can wear.

    I never cared to be a size 4, but it should be a good example of why not everyone should expect to be one!

    People can have very different bone structures or proportions at the same height, so don't try to compare yourself to folks just based on how tall you both are.
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
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    As others have suggested, I would recommend beginning a strength training routine. Having a low weight but higher bodyfat percentage means that you just don't have enough lean muscle. Strength training will allow you to continue burning some fat while building a bit of muscle as well. At your current weight of 126, adding even a few pounds of muscle will be amazing for your physique.

    Here is a thread I suggest checking out to see how wonderfully strength training can recomp your body.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/977538-halp-heavy-lifting-made-me-supah-bulky
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
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    Hi guys I'm 19 years old I'm 5'0 or 5'1 and i weigh 226 or 228. I need to know how many calories am I (personally) have to intake.. are we suppose to eat less or more calories. This has always been a confusing topic to me. I would like to share my meal plan for tomorrow with you guys.

    so i plan on waking u and drinking room temp water with fresh squeezed lemon juice. then 30mins or 1hour later i would eat some special K cereal that is 110 calories per serving, dietary fiber 3g, and has 2gs of protein. I'll be eating that with low fat milk. then when i get hungry again I plan on eating just an apple and orange for lunch. Or one or two bars of special K cereal bars and the calories for that is 90 calories per serving, 3gs of dietary fiber, and less than 1g of protein. And for dinner i guess ill eat raw tomatoes and cucumber slices. with 2 bolied chicken legs. i don't know the calories for that but its pretty healthy and thats all i have and can afford at the moment.

    OR i can just eat one meal a day and just drink water and green tea through out the day except for dinner does that sound better. help i need advice!.
    it would be better if you started your own topic:flowerforyou:
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    You got a lot of good replies to the thread you started in January. Did you take any of that advice?
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
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    I use to be 160 pounds then went down to 145 now I'm 126 and I still don't feel great. My friends are my weight and you can't see any fat on them. I have huge thighs. I'm a size eight. I have a friend that's my height three pounds lighter and in a size four! I want to get down to 110 but I don't even know if it's possible or if I still be the same size I am now. It's really discouraging. I just want to feel good and be happy with myself but I don't know if that will ever happen.

    If it helps any, I'm practically your height and didn't wear a size 4 at 85-87 lbs. I did get diagnosed with malnutrition (it was from a disease I had that was also diagnosed when the labs came back). The doctor said my kidneys had dropped/lowered because I had lost the fat around them. But no size 4! Bone structure matters very much to the minimum size someone can wear.

    I never cared to be a size 4, but it should be a good example of why not everyone should expect to be one!

    People can have very different bone structures or proportions at the same height, so don't try to compare yourself to folks just based on how tall you both are.

    This is true. My hipbones would never let me be a size 4, not unless I was a scarecrow. :laugh:

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