Without Photoshop, What does a healthy stomach even look like?

MaiLinna
MaiLinna Posts: 580 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have no idea what I'm trying to compare myself to or try to shape myself into because, let's face it, everyone Photoshops everything nowadays. I can't tell if I have a healthy looking stomach or if I need to work on it since it's so imbalanced compared to my tiny chest.

Have any females here already lost the weight and toned up but have flat, soft stomachs without Photoshop? I don't want muscles, I just want a nice, shapely, natural stomach. Bonus points if you're as flat chested as I am. I'm just tired of looking so awkward and I'm not sure if dipping into the "Underweight" range will be well received, despite always looking my most normal when I was 115-120 lbs.

Replies

  • MaiLinna
    MaiLinna Posts: 580 Member
    StealthHealth wrote: »
    I don't think that photoshop is the issue - it is that you are seeking to compare yourself to others in the first place.

    I know that it's difficult to do, certainly easier said than done and I find myself doing a fair amount of "comparing", but I think that it is important to recognise that it can be more a source of stress and unhappiness than motivation.

    I'd love to compare myself to my own body, see where I used to be, but because of a lot of issues I hardly have any photos at all. I'd love to be back in my old body, my old weight, but I don't know what that looks like.
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    Then the best that you can do for you is to work towards an aesthetic, or better still a performance target, which you are truly happy with - regardless of how you compare to others.

    I understand the difficulty with this, especially since, in all areas of society, there are stereotypical "ideals" that we are presented with but happiness and contentment with your body is likely to lie in self acceptance.
  • Trish1c
    Trish1c Posts: 549 Member
    edited July 2016
    I am working toward a stomach that does not stick out farther then my boobs. I will never have Jillian Michaels' stomach but if mine is smaller then most of the rest of the people on the beach I'm probably doing OK. I am still trying to make peace with the fact that as I approach 50 I will never go back to the flat belly I had at 22.

    I weigh 156 lbs now. I'm shooting for 135. I liked my body best when I was 120-125 but most people told me even then that I looked emaciated & unhealthy
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    We can be our own worst critiques so try not to compare yourself to others. Maybe shift your focus to something fitness related for awhile (hitting a new PR in the weight room or running further or running faster).

    I have issues with my own stomach, so I try not to think about it too much. Some days are better than others. Seriously sometimes I look at myself and think I look great considering the weight I had to lose; Other days if I don't distract myself I will start focusing on too much on what I consider to be flaws. I have stretch marks and loose skin. Thankfully for me the loose skin hangs low enough when I'm standing to be tucked into bikini bottoms and such so (at least I don't think) anyone else notices it. However, I also know that it could have turned out worse. I've also had 2 c-sections (one before weight loss almost 5 years ago and one 2 years ago). I will say this though, strength training (specifically lifting free weights) helped tremendously with my stomach.
  • 1skholloway
    1skholloway Posts: 341 Member
    edited July 2016
    I have wondered the same thing. The question does have to do somewhat with comparison of myself with others but more to do with I really don't know what "normal" is. I am beginning to think each person has to find her own healthy and learn to be satisfied when she reaches it. I don't think I am there yet.

    I have battled my weight all my life. During the few times I did lose down to my goal weight in the past, I don't recall what my stomach looked like. Now, I'm 47 and menopausal and seem to have belly fat that I can't lose. Blouses and dresses fit but are tight in the stomach. Also, I have a vertical lump of fat that's bowl shaped running along my stomach. Ugh!!! I don't recall ever having that before! I have body fat all over that needs to be lost/toned up but my stomach is the worst. I weigh 176 pounds, wear size 14 pants and large/extra large tops.

    I have a large frame and am getting close to my goal weight. I am struggling to know when to stop losing weight and focus on just trying to tone up. I have lost 74 pounds. Last time I lost a lot of weight, I got down to about 160 pounds and wore size 12 and a few 10s. Many people told I looked too skinny but I wasn't doing any strength training then. I am doing a little of it now. I just wish someone could give me the magic answer.
  • Idle_Moon
    Idle_Moon Posts: 151 Member
    @thiosulfate Wow, thank you for the link. It's refreshing to see other women with the same height. :smile:
  • MaiLinna
    MaiLinna Posts: 580 Member
    Trish1c wrote: »
    I am working toward a stomach that does not stick out farther then my boobs. I will never have Jillian Michaels' stomach but if mine is smaller then most of the rest of the people on the beach I'm probably doing OK. I am still trying to make peace with the fact that as I approach 50 I will never go back to the flat belly I had at 22.

    I weigh 156 lbs now. I'm shooting for 135. I liked my body best when I was 120-125 but most people told me even then that I looked emaciated & unhealthy

    See, this is what I want to achieve, but I can't fit into an A cup so I'm not even sure that's physically possible for my body.
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    Same for guys and girls. I work hard and think I am in good shape/health overall, but I haven't been able to trim the pudge ring around my middle section yet.
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
    edited July 2016
    MaiLinna wrote: »
    Trish1c wrote: »
    I am working toward a stomach that does not stick out farther then my boobs. I will never have Jillian Michaels' stomach but if mine is smaller then most of the rest of the people on the beach I'm probably doing OK. I am still trying to make peace with the fact that as I approach 50 I will never go back to the flat belly I had at 22.

    I weigh 156 lbs now. I'm shooting for 135. I liked my body best when I was 120-125 but most people told me even then that I looked emaciated & unhealthy

    See, this is what I want to achieve, but I can't fit into an A cup so I'm not even sure that's physically possible for my body.

    I am small of bust and you can have a great body with tiny boobs, do not worry. If you are built spare, then yes your best looking weight may be right at the border of what is considered healthy weight, you shouldn't have to be underweight to look good though.

    Exercise can help you to be able to carry more weight and still be very lean, too.

    If you've only dieted and avoided exercise for fear of being muscled, you may have a kind of high bodyfat even at a low weight - if that's true you can definitely improve this with exercise. If you aren't built hourglassy, you probably can't have good proportions with a high bodyfat %, that's another luck of the draw thing. I can't - my body only looks good lean. I don't put on fat in the places considered attractive, it goes to the middle.

    So if you can't lose more weight without getting underweight, but still are too squishy and big around the middle, the answer is to work out and build muscle - this adds weight and you can lose fat and still not be underweight.

    Editing to add a plug for the reddit thread "a bra that fits" because you don't look like a smaller-than-A in your pictures. You may be in the wrong size, and if you've been using a cup too narrow, breast tissue may have migrated out to underarm, etc.
  • MaiLinna
    MaiLinna Posts: 580 Member
    robininfl wrote: »

    Yeah, when I was 115 lbs I looked just right. Everything curved out nicely and my "lines" flowed well. It's considered underweight though. I didn't have bones sticking out or anything like that. I didn't wear a 0 or anything. But it just feels weird because it's supposed to be underweight.

    I do exercise a lot more than I used to, but what I mean is that I'm not going to do a "bulk and cut." I can't lift much yet though. I've never been good at that, haha. I do try though.

    I'm not really a bra wearer so that's definitely not the case. I got measured at Victoria's Secret, so it's a pretty well fitting bra. Before I got that bra, though, I hadn't worn a bra in 3 years. Nowadays I usually wear this bralet thing if I feel like my nipples are going to be too noticeable for an outfit. It's a small, but now I really wish I'd gotten the XS because it falls/rolls off easy.

    I only own that one bra btw. It's a 36 A with a lot of padding to make it look like I have breasts.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    MaiLinna wrote: »
    robininfl wrote: »

    Yeah, when I was 115 lbs I looked just right. Everything curved out nicely and my "lines" flowed well. It's considered underweight though. I didn't have bones sticking out or anything like that. I didn't wear a 0 or anything. But it just feels weird because it's supposed to be underweight.

    I do exercise a lot more than I used to, but what I mean is that I'm not going to do a "bulk and cut." I can't lift much yet though. I've never been good at that, haha. I do try though.

    I'm not really a bra wearer so that's definitely not the case. I got measured at Victoria's Secret, so it's a pretty well fitting bra. Before I got that bra, though, I hadn't worn a bra in 3 years. Nowadays I usually wear this bralet thing if I feel like my nipples are going to be too noticeable for an outfit. It's a small, but now I really wish I'd gotten the XS because it falls/rolls off easy.

    I only own that one bra btw. It's a 36 A with a lot of padding to make it look like I have breasts.

    How tall are you?
  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
    thiosulfate wrote: »
    OP, you can look here at regular human bodies: mybodygallery.com

    Everyone's bodies will be different. Person A and Person B are the same age, weight, and height, but Person A lost 200 lbs and Person B has never been overweight. Although their stats are the same, their bodies are likely to look different.

    And, just a note about this site, there is a little bit of dishonesty with weights on this site. You'll know them when you see them.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    MaiLinna wrote: »
    robininfl wrote: »

    Yeah, when I was 115 lbs I looked just right. Everything curved out nicely and my "lines" flowed well. It's considered underweight though. I didn't have bones sticking out or anything like that. I didn't wear a 0 or anything. But it just feels weird because it's supposed to be underweight.

    I do exercise a lot more than I used to, but what I mean is that I'm not going to do a "bulk and cut." I can't lift much yet though. I've never been good at that, haha. I do try though.

    I'm not really a bra wearer so that's definitely not the case. I got measured at Victoria's Secret, so it's a pretty well fitting bra. Before I got that bra, though, I hadn't worn a bra in 3 years. Nowadays I usually wear this bralet thing if I feel like my nipples are going to be too noticeable for an outfit. It's a small, but now I really wish I'd gotten the XS because it falls/rolls off easy.

    I only own that one bra btw. It's a 36 A with a lot of padding to make it look like I have breasts.

    Depending on your height and your frame size, 115 could be a good weight for you. How tall are you and what's your frame size? http://www.myfooddiary.com/Resources/frame_size_calculator.asp
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I have seen very thin women with protruding bellies from malnutrition.

    I suspect you will get a lot more satisfaction in the gym than in the kitchen. Even though you can't spot reduce, if you are at a healthy weight getting some core muscles going on can only be good.
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
    MaiLinna wrote: »
    robininfl wrote: »

    Yeah, when I was 115 lbs I looked just right. Everything curved out nicely and my "lines" flowed well. It's considered underweight though. I didn't have bones sticking out or anything like that. I didn't wear a 0 or anything. But it just feels weird because it's supposed to be underweight.

    I do exercise a lot more than I used to, but what I mean is that I'm not going to do a "bulk and cut." I can't lift much yet though. I've never been good at that, haha. I do try though.

    I'm not really a bra wearer so that's definitely not the case. I got measured at Victoria's Secret, so it's a pretty well fitting bra. Before I got that bra, though, I hadn't worn a bra in 3 years. Nowadays I usually wear this bralet thing if I feel like my nipples are going to be too noticeable for an outfit. It's a small, but now I really wish I'd gotten the XS because it falls/rolls off easy.

    I only own that one bra btw. It's a 36 A with a lot of padding to make it look like I have breasts.

    Well, unless your ribcage measurement underbust is 36", which seems really unlikely if you can fit in an XS bralette, you aren't a size 36 anything. VS is notoriously awful at sizing small (or very large) bust.

    Underweight isn't just pounds, and isn't exactly the same for every person of a given height - It's whatever weight starts making you less healthy instead of more - the point where the lines cross, risk increases. If you feel good, healthy, and active and are well satisfied with 115lb, not worried about it, find it easy to maintain, then it's probably fine. Especially if you are young. It's a problem if it's an obsession, or if you can't eat a healthy amount and maintain it. You seem pretty self aware and I don't think that's what's going on.

    But yes, in the end, it's entirely possible to be built in a way where it's either underweight or belly is bigger than your aesthetic goal, especially if you don't want to carry much muscle. I am like that. If not muscled, any extra weight looks frumpy. Lean and muscled or lean and skinny look good in different ways, there is no padded look that works on my build. And it's a Very Common Female Body Type, you aren't alone.

    Keep with the exercise, I think you are on the right track with that. Keep your bodyfat lowish and you will look good. And also, you probably look better than you think, we are our own worst critics.

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