I'm FAT .... are you?

[sirrahbed]

Gee Kim, I wish some of your esteem would rub off on me! Maybe you are not as overweight as I am - that and the fact that my current gain is rapid and recent? I have always been *round* and though I felt fat - I was OK with it - dressed nicely, etc. Size 10 or 12 is no big deal - it is average and acceptable to me. But X's - I hate it. I also feel like a slug. I just want to fit in regular clothes again. I really think I have done this to sabotage myself after all the stress of the past years - ugly up so I am unattractive. hmmm....I don't ever aim to be thin - it isn't in my genes But pushing 200 pounds at 5'5" is too large for me I am happiest at a plump 150-160.

[guster girl]

I've always been small. The most I've ever weighed was 125, I think. I hated it, and, have since lost most of the weight I want to lose. I just started feeling lethargic all the time, and, unable to focus. Just always felt tired, that's what really made me realize I wasn't healthy. So, I started eating better. I'm at 116 now, and, am working out again. I finally feel better. But, as far as my friends go, I don't think I've ever intimidated anyone in my life. I was voted "most compatible" my senior year in high school, and, I'm not the hottest chick around but, I get approached all the time by men (from unattractive to super hot, all ages) and, they tell me it's because I look "approachable". Not sure if that's always a good thing or not. Ha. But, whatever, I am happy with the way I feel again, and, that's all that matters. I have friends of all shapes and sizes, all races and ages. Doesn't matter, just have a good heart and an even better sense of humor. I just say take care of yourself. If you're healthy and you feel good, it doesn't matter what you weigh.

[kimlovescats]

Deb .... when I was firsted diagnosed with diabetes I was at 187lbs.... by my home scale (no telling at the Dr.'s office) Keep in mind, I am barely 5'1" if I am standing straight as an arrow!!! I was wearing 18's and even knocking on the door of 20's .... I was so uncomfortable, my arms were way too short to fit my size ... I was miserable and sad. Once I was diagnosed, I was all ready to watch my sugars and I did great the first few months .... I dropped about 18 lbs, and my diabetes counsellor called me his "poster child" ! Well, needless to say the next 3 month visit and I was back up around 170 or so and I am maintaining around 172 now. I am at least "down to" a size 16 and can even SQUEEZE into really stretchy 14's ... you know the spandex jeans with elastic waists!!! LOL!!! Of course, I have to wear long tops over them to hide the fact that I poured myself into them!!!! So I guess in all honesty and reality, I am a size 16. But I am so dog gones short and have really tiny lower legs, that large sized pants look terrible past my belly! Oh well, I wear lots of loose dresses and stretch pants.

Don't get me wrong, Debbie ... I have my moments when I am utterly disgusted with myself ... but for the most part, I have just gotten settled into my new self, and as long as I can get my diabetes under control ... I will be fine!

My main problem is my family ...... I'm so sick of the disappointment and disgust I see in theirs eyes when they remember their long lost "little Kim"!

[RobiLee]

I am fat and actually considered obese.

I wasn't going to answer this question because I honestly don't know how to answer it. I have tons of mixed emotions about all of this. I hate being fat! I feel uncomfortable, there are tons of things that are hard for me to do because of my weight, things that I would love to do. I feel like people are looking at me all the time and judging me. I have been mooed at and ridiculed. It is not fun. I even use to weigh 50+ more pounds than I do now! I hated it when people found out that I had cancer and they would look at me from head to foot and say "Well, you don't look sick." I know what they were really saying, Geesh, cancer didn't help you to lose weight. No, it didn't I guess that way I was unfortunate. I didn't get to lose a ton of weight and look like a real sicky. I had to take pills that made me blow up even more! I use to hide in the house and not go anywhere except for my son's activities. If it wasn't for having a child I probably would have never went anywhere. I can remember clear back to the age of 12 of being ridiculed by my family and not feeling accepted. I have tried very hard now to overcome these feelings and accept myself for who I am. I am a good person and I can also can be fun to hang out with....lol..I think so anyway. Yes, I would still like to lose weight but I don't know if that will ever happen. The one way it has made me a better person is that I am not judgmental about people. I am always able to find someting beautiful about someone. To me everyone has something special about their looks. One of my biggest problems is that I always seem to feel most uncomfortable around my family. I don't know why that is. my dad always has to make cracks about our weight, he is overweight also and sometimes I just get tired of hearing the same ol thing. My sister who is a size six and sometimes even smaller is constantly talking about her body and how bad she looks and how she has cellulite and blah blah blah. I'm sorry but I just can't stand to listen to it. Iknow that everyone has issues with their bodies but when you are a size six and talking to someone who wears a size 22 on good day I just don't want to hear it. Of course I was bold enough to bring that up but then I was accused of being selfish and not listening to her problems and I was just turning the whole thing into something about me. *sigh* My parents and my sister and her husband have boats and are going boating saturday afternoon and I am suppose to go. I can't stand the thought of going. I just don't understand why I fee that way. Alden and I have been lucky enough to take several beach vacations and I never felt bad about how I looked. Alden always makes me feel good and maybe it is because I don't know anyone there but I feel completely relaxed if it is just me and him hanging out. See, I should have never replied to this. I don't even know what I'm trying to say.

I think I will give this subject up.

Robin

[krazyaboutkatz]

I've been thin all of my life so I guess I've been very lucky. I'm also almost 5'10" so if I do gain an extra 5 lbs I can hide it well. Since I'm now in my 40's though I've gained a little extra weight. I used to exercise regularly and I haven't now for well over a year. It's so hard to get back into it once you've stopped.

I'm not one to worry about my weight too much and I rarely weigh myself. I'm small boned so too much weight doesn't look good on me. I think my heaviest has been between 145-150lbs. I feel my best at 135lbs though. Some people think I look too thin but I never starve myself and I try to eat healthy foods. My dad was quite thin until he reached his 50's because he had a high metabolism. I'm hoping that I've taken after him.

I have friends in all shapes and sizes and I've never been a threat to women. I'd like to be able to live a long healthy life so I'm going to start an exercise program some time soon. I'm doing this for me and not anyone else. Now I just need to get motivated.

[davidpizzica]

Originally posted by kimlovescats
All of my life I was teeny tiny and generally underweight. Of course I am small-framed and only 5'1". Over the past few years, I guess about 5 or so now, I have increasingly gained and gained and gained!!! I am pretty positive it started the most when I had to start on anti-depressants ... which I will most likely be on for life. Anyway .... I am now diabetic thanks to my ballooned weight and lousy eating habits.

Now ... to my purpose of this poll (do I have one...lol)



Basically I have become "comfortable" so to speak with being "fat".... not comfortable in a healthy sense, my blood sugar is very hard to control and I feel lousy most of the time. By comfortable I mean .... content, accustomed, settled, non-motivated to change. Hmmm.... could it be that I actually enjoy being fat!!!??? I don't know ... but I know that people (women in particular) tend to accept me better and treat me nicer. I was fairly attractive when I was thin, and had very few female friends ..... which I think is the case for most girls ... and it is a SAD testament to how insecure we women are!!!! Also, I have been amazingly surprised at how "accepting" my hubby is of my fuller figure! Could it also be that he feels more secure at this point in our lives with having a wife that doesn't get "the looks" anymore????

What do you all think? I am posting this poll with many choices ...

Guess what? due to MY poor eating habits,(I'm on a see food diet. I see food I eat it!) the doctor said monday that I was borderline diabetic!!

[teenster3]

WOW....a thread on being over-weight, I didn't think that was allowed!
I'm not sure how to put it into words.....I was thin as a kid, active, etc. Then in my teen years, I was still ok up until I'd say about 18-19 yrs. I had a very BAD relationship with a bf & I ate for comfort literally. I have to admit at this point I wasn't as active either.
I'm now 28, 5'10 & I'd like to loose about 80 pounds.
I have 2 friends with very different outlooks on this subject:
My 1st friend (Tara) who I talk about a lot says she has the "pear" shape (the one J Lo has with the bigger bottom) & thinks that is the most difficult to loose. She has literally tried every diet, exercise equipment, videos, pills, etc., known to man / women. She's the 1 up late at night watching all of the infommercials!
In fact, there was a time last year that we signed a waiver to each other to loose the weight....still hasn't happened!
I think she wants to loose about 20 pounds or so. Of course, in her situation it doesn't help much to have a mother that tells her she has a big butt. (her mom is skinny)
We've tried exercising together, pills, videos, nothing has worked yet. I'm just NOT the exercising type. In fact, I HATE IT!!!
I've tried Hydroxycut, Dexatrim, Hot Rox. The side effects were BAD for me....heart racing, suicidal, nausea, insomnia, dry mouth.
I just figured the pills weren't going to be worth it for me.
We're still trying to loose the weight though.
My 2nd friend (Marci) she must weigh....oh, I'd say 100 pounds. She wears a size 0-4. When we went shopping the last time, she found a cute shirt in the "GIRLS section".
Her motto is: Everyone is beautiful in their own ways, NO MATTER WHAT SIZE THEY ARE!!!!
AHHH....words to live by or should I say she doesn't have to worry about size.
Oh well, no matter what size we all are I think it'd be something we didn't like: our hair, body type, eyes, whatever.
I just wish this society was a little kinder to overweight individuals. Although, doesn't it seem like people don't concentrate on the overweight men as much as the women?
What's up with that???
I see it in commercials a lot. A heavier set guy with the thin woman.
I have my own worries....I'm not going to pick on someone else for their weight that's for sure!
It's definitely the personality that counts all the way isn't it?
You know the story....good looking guy / girl with a terrible attitude, not so good looking but, great attitude.

[wolf_Q]

Yes, I am. I've never ever been what you'd call "thin." Nobody in my family is thin. I'm extremely self-conscience of it. I either feel like people are staring at me because I'm overweight or that I'm invisible because I'm overweight and average-looking. I don't think I've ever had a normal guy (when I say normal that excludes men waaay too old for me and drunk people lol) even give me a second glance. It's rather annoying that my best friend (Melissa) can eat whatever she wants and doesn't gain an ounce. We eat too much junk food, but it certainly doesn't harm her figure.

I've actually lost about 25 lbs or so since last summer, but I don't notice a difference. I'd like to lose at least another 30 lbs.

As far as social-wise like I said, I've never been thin so I really don't know how that feels. I do usually feel more comfortable around other overweight people though.

[Kfamr]

Amy, I certainly do not think you're fat.

[popcornbird]

Originally posted by wolf_Q


I've actually lost about 25 lbs or so since last summer, but I don't notice a difference. I'd like to lose at least another 30 lbs.

I *knew* you lost weight. I can totally tell from the pics you've posted of yourself a while ago, and recent ones. Big difference. You are definitely *not* fat though.......I don't even think you were before, but I can certainly tell you lost a lot of weight.

I'm overweight too. I have never been a *thin* person. Even in my toddler pics, I was chubby. I believe I've had pretty much the same figure throughout my life........never *too* fat, but definitely overweight. I lost a lot of weight suddenly during my growth spurt, when I was around 12, but that *thin phase* only lasted for about 6 months and then I gained it all back. I don't even know how I lost it.........probably hormones, because I wasn't trying to lose weight at all back then.

Anyway, last summer, I decided to commit myself to lose weight. While there were times when I felt uncomfortable for being heavier than most of my very thin friends, I really didn't want to lose weight because of looks. I wanted to lose weight because I want to lead a healthy life, and I thought it would be better to lose weight while I'm still young, before it gets too difficult. I have lost 23 pounds since last August, and I feel so much better about myself. I don't get self-conscious when anyone looks at me anymore, and I feel a lot more energetic and active. I basically cut down on my calories, carbs, and sugar intake, and started working out a lot. I've been committed this time and haven't gained a single pound I lost back. I'm still working on losing weight.........I want to lose another 15-20 pounds. If I can lose that much more, I would be at a perfect weight for the first time in my life. I'm trying, and I hope to reach my goal soon. I know that the main reason I've been overweight my whole life is because I ***love*** sweets, and cannot control myself if there are delicious pies, cakes, chocolates, ice cream, etc. in front of me. Its too yummy to pass by without eating! I have never eaten too much.........I actually eat very little compared to most of my friends, but its the sweets that I can't resist. I've been forcing myself to stay away from sugar since August, and its working. I now have such a fondness of working out, exercising, and lifting weights. If I miss a day of exercise, I don't feel right about myself.......like something's missing. I can't understand how I spent all those years without getting enough exercise. I just can't live without it now that I'm used to working out. I don't feel/look *fat* anymore. Just 15-20 pounds more to lose, and hopefully I'll finally be at a good weight.

[Ally Cat's Mommy]

I have recently been diagnosed with an underactive Thyroid. Over the past 3 years I have gone up two sizes

Despite calorie counting and daily exercise I find it impossible to keep my weight down. I am trying to accept that, with medication, it will take 6 months for my Thyroid to get sorted out, and hopefully after that I will be able to get back down to my normal weight.

Right now I hate getting dressed every morning, and hate going out anywhere as I always feel fat

[CatMama78]

Everyone's input and opinions were so interesting. It's comforting in a way to know you are not alone in how you feel, whether you are thin or heavier

As I mentioned, I'm overweight by about 50-60 pounds, last time I checked at least. And it's a real sore spot for me.

I wanted to comment on the being thin and pretty and finding it hard to have female friends. When I was thin, I never felt that way. In fact I feel I had more friends. Not to sound vain or anything, but I think I'm quite pretty 'in the face', so when I'm thin I'm what you could consider, very cute and got a lot of attention. But even so, I've always been able to get along well with females. I loved having women friends, because I think we all go through the same struggles that men cannot relate to. And Let's face it, women are a heck of a lot more interesting, 70% of the time. Not that there are not great men out there, but to me 60% of the guys out there have no depth or at least they lack the ability to show it. Not to insult the men on PT cause you guys are the greatest here Anyways, I ramble. Now that I'm not thin, I feel I've lost all my friends, mainly cause I've pushed them away. I also find it hard to make new female friends, because I hate social situations and because it's hard to be myself anymore as I feel like I'm being judged for being chunky.

[ramanth]

I actually couldn't vote. I don't think I'm fat or thin...just normal.

I was getting a bit on the heavy side for my tastes.. 150 lbs. and I was starting to not fit into any of the clothes I had just bought. It was a little depressing but I was more fed up than anything. So I started on the Slim Fast diet and have already lost over 10 lbs. in about a month.

I'm currently at 135 lbs. My goal is 130, but if I stick at 135, I'll be happy.

My jeans and work pants are no longer tight and that's what I was hoping for.

I've always ate right and exercised, my problem was that I would eat too much. Now I really watch my portions.

[K9soul]

I was a VERY thin child, teenager, and through at least the first half of my 20s. In high school and college, I suffered a couple major depressive episodes, which had the effect for me to lose interest in food and eating quite a bit. I am around 5'5 and at one point dropped to around 100 pounds my freshman year in college.

After I got through that time, I eventually got to around 115-120 and stayed that way for a few years. I am 29 now, and I suppose starting a couple years ago, I started having weight creep up gradually. I began to get alarmed when I crept through the 140s and finally hit 152 or so. At that point my husband, who was overweight as well and suffering back problems (spinal stenosis), got determined to lose weight and we talked about changing our eating habits. We ultimately began to go on a lower carbohydrate lifestyle and he has lost at least 80 pounds and looks great. I am down to 135 and am satisfied, but I still worry like I never used to before, checking the scale to make sure I'm maintaining it. It is a bit depressing when I see a dress or pants a couple years ago that I can't fit into now.

I think my feelings are aimed purely towards myself though. Weight of others has never bothered me or ever been a point of judgement, but for some reason I am still hard on myself about it. I am guessing that is the way of a lot of people, and that it is natural to want to be "what I used to be."

I am mostly very happy for my husband. He has a strong family history of diabetes and I am hoping that he can hold it off for himself by having changed his lifestyle now. Not to mention his back bothers him far less now too. I know he worried a lot about what I thought of his being "fat" though that is something that just never bothered me, and I would look at him and still see the man I married and never thought him less handsome.

[ramanth]

Just wanted to post again. I'm 5'6". Growing up I was real thin. To the point that most kids would tease me and call me anorexic or a boy. (thin = flat chested for the loooonnnggest time)

I was between 125 and 130 thru jr. high and high school. Wore a size 9 and was happy. In college I put on a little more weight and after my surgery and Endometriosis diagnosis, I became more lethargic and really packed on the pounds.

I know the meds I've been put on don't help either.

But I'm finally at a point where I'm happy with my size.