It has exercised my mind for years, why some fat women look opulent and I just look fat.

In the mall yesterday I saw a woman who was probably 4+ stone (50 lbs ish) heavier than me, just wearing old shopping clothes, nothing fancy, and she looked womanly.

It hit me then that the difference was that she had a waist. It might have been a huge waist but she had the classic 'hour-glass' shape, even if it was a very large version of it.

So I'm thinking that maybe that's the difference. Apart from fashionistas who think that skinnnnny is hot (why?) there is still a 'classic' female shape that has boobs and hips that go out and a waist that goes in. However supersized that shape might be, it still shouts 'Woman!' My shape is more the straight up and down kind, deeply hidden by at least 70lbs of fat. Hm. I suppose, once I've lost the weight, my only recourse will be corsets and a bustle!!!!!

Not necessarily. You might be surprised to see just how your shape changes as you get closer and closer to goal.

My body changed SO much. I actually used to be much curvier. I do have a slim-ish waist. But my hips which were always large (pre-obesity, but still 30 lbs overweight) completely disappeared. As did my always (30 lbs overweight) round behind. It's now flat as a pancake. My boobs took a beating too. Oh well.

My body is by no means perfect. But it's MY body. And it's fit, slim, muscular, active and healthy and I adore it. Curvy, shmurvy.

I wanted to say the same thing as Robin! You may see a totally different shape once you are closer and at goal. When I first did Weight Watchers back in 1999 I thought I had NO waist whatsoever. I lost 68lbs and went to the gym often. I had a personal trainer for a while who measured me in the beginning (I never really measured during my weight loss) and told me I had an incredibly tiny waist! ME! I had always considered myself just straight up and down with a big butt and big boobs!

Hang in there and keep your eyes open for changes!

My body changes from when I was smaller to now,wish I were commenting on the other way around! When I was smaller I was a little bigger on top, and now that I'm bigger I am definitely a pear. Talk about frustrating! I am a 16 on the bottom and a 12 on top! Grrr, darn you pants!

Your body will definitely change as you get smaller, and I agree, you might surprised with what you see! I'm sure the change will be very interesting to watch, so take lots of pictures!

-Aimee

I'll certainly take pictures and see if an outside eye can tell me of the change.

Last time I lost weight I got down to 136, 16 off goal and, I promise you, I was exactly the same shape as I am now, just thinner. I'm not complaining though, I'll sure settle for being thinner! Well, I suppose I am complaining a bit, I would so love a feminine shape but truly, I will settle for thinner!

Thinner is good. Thinner is definitely good. Nothing at all wrong with that.

But in all honesty, you were still 16 lbs from goal. And boy oh boy - I can not begin to tell you what the last 10 lbs did for me. What am I saying? The last 5 lbs made a tremendous, tremendous difference. It makes even MORE of a difference for us shorter gals.

I'll tell you what, you get down to goal, young lady - and then we'll talk. You're going to be thrilled. Just thrilled. I know it.

I would like to echo what Robin has said. And alidh, my figure was straight up and down before too. I am not saying that I have the perfect figure--not by far, far longshot--but I am not straight up and down anymore. It's amazing what toning and weightloss can accomplish.

ok thankyou, I'll take that on board. it's hard to remember once you've got to 'only 16lbs to go' from '122lbs to go' that you're not there yet!!

I will got for optimism.

You CAN change your body shape along the way (within the constraints of your heredity of course).
If you look at my pictorial journey (linked below), you will see that I went from a barrel shape to an hour-glass shape along the way.
A couple things that really helped.
I do believe that there is something to the flat-belly diet. I think WHAT you eat does affect your weiigth loss. I think incorporating healthy fats (MUFAS) really did help me re-shape my body.
AND
Exercise plays a key role as well. You can re-shape your body with exercise. So, lift those weights, get out the exercise ball and work that core!

Well, I am blessed with that "classic" body shape and you're right. Even up to about 240 pounds, I had a discernable waist, good cleavage, hips.. and men (at least SOME men) would say I looked pretty or sexy or whatever. When I hit 214 I got a lot of male attention. But I still need to lose for my health.

My fear is the opposite: what if I lose weight and LOSE my "womanly figure"?? What if I lose my curves? Being curvy is part of who I am. I guess I can always stop losing weight when I want to (ha, as if that would ever be a problem!) but still I want to hang onto some of my curviness!

I have the same worries as Lyn2007. I've always had a sort of hourglass figure (of course, I've always been fat though), with a big small waist, a big bustline and wide hips, though I've let my weight get out of hand and you could barely tell back when I was heavier. But I'm worried that once I get to my goal weight or under I'll come out with some other kind of ratio. :P I haven't been that weight since about 8th grade so I can't take that as an example.

I guess that's why I'm hesitant to set my goal weight lower, I wanna see what I look like when I'm 250 and go from there (though I don't think I'd want to be less than 230-220).

I'm the curvy type--more pear-shaped than hourglass, because my boobs aren't all that big. Up past about 230, though, I became just one big blob and lost my curves. I have my waist again now, and thus my curves, which is totally awesome. Wearing a padded bra helps me look more hourglass-y...but I do not need any help at all in the hips, heh.

Saw a TV show yesterday about how, as a species, we decide what is attractive in a mate and "curviness" is a definite big one for men eyeing women. The ratio of hip to waist is "ideal" at .7 (i.e. multiply your hip size by .7 and that would be your ideal waist size). BUT -- and this was the most interesting part -- men have a sort of shorthand way of figuring out this ratio based on how women walk. So, if you sway your hips, it appears that your hips are bigger compared to your waist and that works just as good as having the right ratio. Just thought I'd share !!

Don't worry. Don't worry. Don't worry. Like you said this is about your health. But trust me, you're going to love your new and improved SELF, no matter what curves you do or do not wind up with. Being confident and healthy and fit and trim and active is EXTREMELY sexy and oh so very womanly .

Again. Don't worry. Not a bit. This is about being the very best YOU that you were MEANT and INTENDED to be. Get to that healthy weight. Discover who you really were meant to be. I'm not a betting person, but if I were, I'd put a heckuva lot of money down that you're going to love the outcome.