Am I fat?

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kg00105
kg00105 Posts: 32 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi guys! So, this is me...160lbs and 6 foot 2 http://s48.photobucket.com/user/kg00105/library/Mobile Uploads?sort=3&page=1

I grew up being the 'fat kid' at school and always struggled with my weight. Whilst I have lost alot and my friends call me skinny, I still see myself as fat. In particular, the 'love handles(?) I still possess. These seem enormous to me and I cannot look beyond them in the mirror. As a result, I avoid public beaches/swimming pools through embarrasment. What should I do as I am concerned an eating disorder may develop?

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Replies

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    Nope, you are not fat. My suggestion would be for you to work on building muscle. Eat more and lift heavy weights. Check out the Gaining Weight section of the forums. The people there will be able to help you work through upping your calories in order to help build muscle.
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
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    You are at the low end of normal weight for your height and maybe leaning more towards under weight. Sounds like you have body dysmorphia. Please seek help for this and not on a weight loss community page.
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    Nope, you are not fat. My suggestion would be for you to work on building muscle. Eat more and lift heavy weights. Check out the Gaining Weight section of the forums. The people there will be able to help you work through upping your calories in order to help build muscle.


    This.

    Not fat at all.
  • HollandOats
    HollandOats Posts: 202 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    Nope, you are not fat. My suggestion would be for you to work on building muscle. Eat more and lift heavy weights. Check out the Gaining Weight section of the forums. The people there will be able to help you work through upping your calories in order to help build muscle.

    Holy crap, you are one ripped doggie...
  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
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    You need to gain muscle, not lose weight.

    Eat more. And lift.
  • MikeLeTwigg
    MikeLeTwigg Posts: 162 Member
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    Hi buddy, no your definitely not fat. Please go and talk to someone, you need to make sure you have a healthy view of your body.
  • kg00105
    kg00105 Posts: 32 Member
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    Cheers guys! If I were to see a doctor, what sorts of things would they likely recommend?
  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
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    Asking a bunch of internet randos to gawk at your photos and tell you if you look fat will not end well.

    Weigh yourself and calculate your BMI (20.5, dead normal range, BTW)

    Get some calipers or tape and use those to determine your body fat percentage.

    Research body recomp.
  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
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    And my hubby gets the same so-called "love handles" when he gets soft. So I wouldn't go so far as call it dysmorphia. He called them "love handles," too. I'm like, "Dooood, that's skin. With a tiny bit of fat." But he doesn't like how it bulges in his clothes.

    Eat more. Lift. It all smooths out super quickly. You need more meat on your bones, not less, for them too look the way you want.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    HollandOats wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    Nope, you are not fat. My suggestion would be for you to work on building muscle. Eat more and lift heavy weights. Check out the Gaining Weight section of the forums. The people there will be able to help you work through upping your calories in order to help build muscle.

    Holy crap, you are one ripped doggie...

    My secret is 4 cups of kibble and 20 hours of sleep per day.
  • Docbanana2002
    Docbanana2002 Posts: 357 Member
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    You have a distorted perception of yourself. I see a tall skinny guy. Slight area of fat in the love handle area but it is nothing abnormal or unusual looking that should shame you into covering up or provoke self loathing. It is just an area where some guys carry fat that is hard to lose. No different than a thin woman with a little bit of curve on her tummy. I would hope you would think it ridiculous if she denied herself the fun at the pool because of some misguided notion that people actually noticed or cared. There are 300 pound guys at the beach and they are having fun. And no one cares. So, you might need to get some help with your self esteem and your paranoia about other people judging you for things that are actually in your own mind and not theirs. They are thinking about themselves, not you.

    If you want to improve your look, I wouldn't advise weight loss but instead building muscle. Do some weight training and you can look really buff and muscular.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    edited July 2015
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    If you are asking the question, I am sure you don't mind honesty. You are what a lot of people would call "skinny fat". Meaning you are probably at a healthy weight, but have a relatively high BF percentage for your weight. I am assuming you lost a lot of weight without any type of strength training. If that is the case, get on a structured lifting program and build some muscle.
  • DennyB1964
    DennyB1964 Posts: 31 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    My secret is 4 cups of kibble and 20 hours of sleep per day.

    I could totally jump on board with half of that.

    That much sleep does not sound like fun, though. :/


  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
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    No, you're not fat.

    The area you're concerned about is hardly noticeable, at all, one would need to be told to look there carefully to pick up on it and even then it's very far from "enormous". You have a perfectly normal looking body (although possibly yes towards the low end of normal, which may or may not be healthy for you, I don't think any of us can say).

    Only on a weight loss / fitness website that is focused on particular aesthetic standards (which are not held by the majority of people) would anyone even suggest there is room for improvement.

    If you did want to "do something" about the areas that concern you, the advice by @jemhh is helpful.

    I do think your reaction to body changes is also kind of common, in that people who've lost weight sometimes do fixate on body parts during/after weight loss. If you are distressed, and need help adjusting your body image, I think some help from a therapist could be useful. Objectively speaking, your "love handles" are really not at all noticeable.
  • HollandOats
    HollandOats Posts: 202 Member
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    Raviv64 wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    My secret is 4 cups of kibble and 20 hours of sleep per day.

    I could totally jump on board with half of that.

    That much sleep does not sound like fun, though. :/


    bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Hit the gym

    Lift heavy things and put them down again

    Eat at or above your TDEE
  • betuel75
    betuel75 Posts: 776 Member
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    Hornsby wrote: »
    If you are asking the question, I am sure you don't mind honesty. You are what a lot of people would call "skinny fat". Meaning you are probably at a healthy weight, but have a relatively high BF percentage for your weight. I am assuming you lost a lot of weight without any type of strength training. If that is the case, get on a structured lifting program and build some muscle.

    ^this right here. Workout, lift weights.
  • Gska17
    Gska17 Posts: 752 Member
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    Not fat but I understand...sometimes when I look in the mirror I "see" fat but at a BMI of 19.6 I'm pretty sure I'm not.

    I'm "skinny fat" and it looks like you may be as well.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
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    Hornsby wrote: »
    If you are asking the question, I am sure you don't mind honesty. You are what a lot of people would call "skinny fat". Meaning you are probably at a healthy weight, but have a relatively high BF percentage for your weight. I am assuming you lost a lot of weight without any type of strength training. If that is the case, get on a structured lifting program and build some muscle.

    this is an example of a standard that is not held by the majority of people (who do not frequent fitness websites).
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    tomatoey wrote: »
    Hornsby wrote: »
    If you are asking the question, I am sure you don't mind honesty. You are what a lot of people would call "skinny fat". Meaning you are probably at a healthy weight, but have a relatively high BF percentage for your weight. I am assuming you lost a lot of weight without any type of strength training. If that is the case, get on a structured lifting program and build some muscle.

    this is an example of a standard that is not held by the majority of people (who do not frequent fitness websites).

    You seem to be offended on behalf of the OP and I'm not sure why. "Skinny fat" is not a derogatory term or indicative of an unusual aesthetic standard. I don't see anything wrong with what Hornsby wrote.

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