I need help. I have no idea whether or not I am too fat to wear high heels. Is there a point when your weight is just too much and it shoves your toes into such a bad position in a high heel shoe that it causes a ton of pain or problems??
If you wear any kind of heels, how high are they, how long can you wear them comfortably, and how heavy were you when you started to be able to wear them?
Please forgive my cluelessness. I have worn nothing but FLATS for ten+ years. I saw a pair of dressy boots in the store the other day and I was practically drooling over them. They are to die for. I used to wear high heeled boots like that in college and they looked amazing. I tried them on in the store... they felt pretty good (toe room) but I am so not used to being up like that... I wonder if I would be dying in pain within ten minutes.
Advice?
And do you think a woman my size would look silly in high heels anyway?? Huge legs on stilts? Or would it be slimming?
BTW these heels are, uh, almost 3" high... so maybe I am just dreaming but I am dying to have those boots... I would even get them to wear later when I get thinner, but do you think I would have to weigh 120 to manage heels that high??
Go for it! I had been wearing 3 inch heels since I weighed 250. I wear 3 1/2 and 4 inch all the time. No joke. I wear them to Church and when going out. I ONLY wear flats when I work or have extended shopping. When I say heals I am talking about stilletos (sp) ~ pointy toe and skinny heel. When casual I wear the type boots you are talking about or round toe heels. With that said, it is all about balance - Can you walk in them without falling over?? - and also comfort. I don't go around with hurting feet! Girl, if you can walk in them and they are comfortable, get your stylish boots and strut your stuff. Whooo hooo baby!!
ETA: Heels are slimming...for me. I notice when I try on a certain outfit, I don't look polished until I put my heels on.
They make me appear slimmer because I have perfect posture when wearing them. PLus, I have that sexy walk going on
I really hope you get those boots, you will feel so sexy and fiesty ~ I guarantee!!
Last edited by RoyalAthena; 12-06-2008 at 02:14 AM.
Reason: spelling
High heels are bad for anyone, really, if they are extreme (by which I mean, more than 2 inches, very narrow heels). They throw everything in one's posture off, and are harder on the feet, ankles, knees, lower back...
I have seen very heavy women walking (or trying to) in little strappy open shoes with tall narrow heels, and I haven't liked the way it looked.
So, I'd think it over and look carefully before I bought them. Just my 2 cents.
I for one could not wear heels when I was overweight. They killed me. I couldn't even take more then a few steps. But you say they seemed comfy. Now of course that could be just because you hadn't worn them for long. But I found them excruciating right there in the store, so you're surely one step ahead of me. Thankfully. I didn't buy my first pair til I was in the 150 something pound range.
Lyn, I really don't know what to tell you. I've seen many heavier women wear heels. Of course I never questioned them to as whether they were comfortable or not. But chances are - they weren't. I mean heels just aren't all that comfortable no matter what your size.
I have seen heavier woman in high heels and it looked beautiful and polished...and I have seen it look uncomfortable and sloppy. I depends on the woman and the fit. If they fit well. look good and you can walk nicely in them....Go for it!
I think your biggest problem will be that you haven't worn high heels in 10 years...they take practice. I have a hard time after abput 10 mins. when I haven't worn them in a long time...but my sister...who is about the same hight and weight as me...wears heels every day and can walk all day without a problem. So You might want to work up to a night out slowly!
I love my boots with heels! I get the most compliments from guys I don't know when I wear them I couldn't really wear them until recently (I have a few pair from my skinnier days) but it's like long lost sisters reunited!!
So my advice would be to try them...since you haven't worn anything with heels in a long time they probably will hurt a bit though.
personally i dont wear heals anyway but like someone else has said, they do do damage however much you weigh. i think if they're a big heal (as in not high but wide right?) then you'll be ok. if you want to wear them, why not!?
go for it Lynn!
i wear high heels when i go out, i recently got one of these pair of boots for myself and i got many many compliments ....my husband like them the most...and i feel comfortable wearing them longer....
they will make you feel sexy...i guarantee
I am still too heavy for heels but I wore heels every day on my way up to this weight, until I reached about 215. But then, I'm really short so I'm sure that makes a difference because of how one's weight is distributed.
Anyway, I just wanted to post a small suggestion: The more stable the shoe is to stand on, the easier it is on your feet. Like, a shoe that has a high narrow heel and then just a thin sole is all "bendy" and especially if you're heavy, it's really hard on your feet.
However, a shoe with sturdy heels, a wedge, or a platform - one that doesn't bend but supports your arch - is much more comfortable for your feet. Also, if you're not used to heels, you're less likely to "teeter."
There is no reason you cannot wear moderate height heels if you are over-weight. However, if we are talking expensive boots beware, because as you lose weight you are very likely to lose half to a complete shoe size...maybe more, and it would be really sad to buy 'to die for' boots you can only wear for a few months before they are too big and not comfortable any more.
My own feet, when I dropped from 182 and 136 lbs., have gone down about 1/2 to a whole size, and there have been a few threads on this in the last few months. I used to wear a 9 and now I wear an 8 to an 8 1/2.
That's a really good point, Schumeany. When I reached my goal weight, the only things that still fit me were my socks. Even my shoes were too big and it was heartbreaking because I had some beautiful dress shoes that were hardly worn. But when I tried them on, I looked like a little kid playing dress-up as I clomped around.
I have a funny shoe story about my too-big shoes ... DD got married last year and my dress was midnight blue. I had a gorgeous pair of midnight blue satin pumps with bows from the Fat Days that I couldn't bear to part with. I thought that a pair of insoles could take up the extra space in the shoes so I could wear them to the wedding and they seemed OK at home. But when I got to New Mexico and was dressing for the wedding, I realized that I had a problem!! They were falling right off my feet. What to do? Well, I ended up walking DD down the aisle with my shoes stuffed with tissues.
I don't think anyone can tell you whether or not you can wear high heels. I know tiny women who won't wear heels because their feet hurt, and I know women as large as me who wear high, thin heels I can't believe support them (they must have very strong ankle and calf muscles).
All you can do is experiment. Go to a decent shoe store and try on a lot of different styles, eliminate any that are excrutiating immediately.
I'm 3" shorter than you and wore high heels at my heaviest weight - around 240. But ... my weight is/was fairly evenly distributed over my body. And I think I have pretty good legs - even when I was fat - so I liked the way the heels made my legs and ankles look.
But it really is personal as someone else above said. Some women know how to walk in heels and they look good and some people just don't.
I'd try them on and maybe take a friend with you who you can trust for an HONEST opinion.
High heals probably aren't the best at any weight, for anybody... But I didn't care. I am 5'8 and 307 and I wear them. Rarely though, it has to be an occasion where I wont be standing all night, or isn't longer than a few hours. Otherwise my toes, feet, legs and back hurt.
Too Fat for High Heels?
- and also comfort. I don't go around with hurting feet! Girl, if you can walk in them and they are comfortable, get your stylish boots and strut your stuff. Whooo hooo baby!!
I couldn't really wear them until recently (I have a few pair from my skinnier days) but it's like long lost sisters reunited!! 
