Your ideal body: then vs. now
 

I was wondering if any of you Feathers have changed your perception on your ideal body type since starting your weight loss journey. I know mine has...drastically.


Then: http://www.moejackson.com/archives/2...hills?page=0,1 (Sorry, I couldn't find a photo image to download so provided a link instead).

Now: Dara Torres, the Olympic Swimmer
http://also.kottke.org/misc/images/dara-torres.jpg


Don't get me wrong, I love Lauren Conrad - she's sweet and super cute but I used to think that just being really slim was the end-all, be-all of my existence, lol.

Now that I've gotten older, I've come to the realization that being fit, toned and strong like Dara Torres is what I strive for. Do I look like her? No way but she's so inspiring to me because she's four years older than me and has two kids. In my mind, she's personally debunked the myth that being in shape is something that's only attainable for younger women.

Also, truth be told, my DH would probably say that she's a little too muscular for his tastes, lol. I'd kill for her arms and legs, what definition they have. If I could halfway look like her, I'd be satisfied. :)

What about you? How has your perception evolved about all this since you starting losing weight and getting fit?

Well, when I was younger, I wanted a body like Cameron Diaz: thin. These days, my ideal is Tosca Reno. Hubby says she's way too muscular, and I always tell him he has no worries: I don't have the self-discipline to look like that. On the other hand, I dig a curvy body, too. I'll never have one, but I like the way they look... like a J Lo type thing.

LOL. You know what? Writing this out has made me realize something: The only thing I really really want is a flat stomach. Showing my ab muscles would be great, but I'd be happy as long as it's flat.

I used to want to be rail-thin, a la Mary Kate Olsen or Kate Moss. I used to look up "thinspo" and eat rice cakes sloowwwwly and average 300-500 calories a day and drop .5lbs a day eating like that.

http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/200...n8_180_240.jpg

Now I love a little softness to a female and find actresses like Kaley Cuoco and Kate Winslet to have my ideal body.

http://gossip.whyfame.com/files/2010...ley_cuoco2.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_91s-Zkod9G...aley+cuoco.jpg

Here are my links.



Now: Don't know who it is but this would be my dream, slightly more muscle tone and a defined waist.
http://www.sodahead.com/fun/do-you-t...ors-132258.jpg
^^ And please excuse the topic for discussion on my second link....I was just browsing google images.

I don't think there is a HUGE difference but noticeable. I don't want to be totally ripped but to have an athletic body would be nice.

mamamorgan: I like the 'now link' you provided. She has a much more defined waist then I could ever achieve being so boyish in shape, lol. It's interesting how a lot of us used to want thin and now we strive for more muscle tone. Athletic-looking is definitely my goal too.

Since I know I will never have an "ideal" body, I haven't given it much thought! LOL The picture of the olympic swimmer with probably 5-8% body fat, veiny arms, and completely visible pelvic bones makes me cringe though. Eeek. Though, I admit I'd take it over my road map of a stomach and flabby arms! LOL My personal ideal would be closer to your first photo. I've seen you mention age several times, and it always makes me think of my 42-year-old cousin. She has three kids, and she had gained a lot of weight over the years. Three years ago, she decided to get healthy and has since lost 80 pounds, is in the best shape of her life, and recently competed in her first body building competition, training while raising three daughters, single mom, full-time job, part-time student. I am 35, older than most of the featherweights here for sure, BUT we can't let age hold us back from what we want. Obviously, I don't want to look like a body builder, but if you do, you CAN achieve it!

Mamamorgan, there! That is what I would like to look like, fake boobies and all!

aimeebell: I admit that Dara Torres' physique for me is a pipe dream, lol. Quite frankly, I don't have the muscle mass or body type to carry that off and never will no matter how hard I try. I'm just in awe of her because we live in a society where most people think that once you reach the ripe old age of 40 (for the record, I believe I'm probably one of the oldest Feathers, lol) you are supposed to have a pooch, gray hair and a ton of wrinkles. Dara, for me, has laid that theory to rest. I'd love to train with her for an hour - although, she'd probably wipe the floor with me. :dizzy: I've seen photos of how she looks off-season and she's decidedly softer-looking. I doubt she could keep up a low body fat percentage like that year-round.

Although if had an hourglass figure, I'd probably want to look like this:

Kourtney Kardashian
http://cdn.inquisitr.com/wp-content/...kini-pics2.jpg

Most men (including my DH) I know would go absolutely gaga over a body like this. I'd never look like this in a million years. :( So...athletic-looking is a better goal with my body type, I think.

Anyway...back to my real life, lol.

^^ That is the shape that I have when I am "thin" though at the end of all this...or just at the end of the his journey and starting a new one, I would like more defined arms and stomach. If I never achieve it, I don't think I will ever lose sleep about it but it is always something to strive for after I hit my goal.

I've got you beat by ten years. I'm fifty.

I still want Linda Hamilton's arms from T2. Not maintainable for me, and not for her, either, as was obvious even at the time. But it'd be nice.

MariaMaria: Ooo, remember her in that movie? I almost forgot about that. Yeah, she had 'killer guns', as they say.

When I was approaching my low last time- around 160- my perception of the perfect body also decreased in body fat (like you, fitmom and mamamorgan). I was moving away from the perfect, curvy bodies of most celebrities and towards the super-thin or extremely fit figures. For me, this was just a symptom of hating my own body- along with quite a bit of body dismorphia- and was creating a mental situation which was close to fostering an eating disorder. Now that I've gained weight again, I find it silly that I could have snuffed at the figures of those women most universally considered beautiful by our culture- the same women I spent most of my life I spent complaining were too thin, I had been complaining that they weren't thin enough. This, of course, is just my experience and I'm not implying anything about anyone else's experience.

Now, for me, the ultimate ideal body (and figure which just embodies sexiness and femininity) is Shakira. What's amazing about her is not just her body, but the carefree nature of it- it seems as if she's not trying that hard, that it's a natural sexiness that arises from being a dancer.

http://www.behealths.com/wp-content/...-sexy-body.jpg http://www.starfetch.com/keywords/Shakira/Shakira_3.jpg

kelly315: Yeah, there's no doubt about it, Shakira is sexiness personified 100%. But in all fairness, she's been bellydancing for the last decade so her body has been somewhat born from that. This type of body for me, is just not attainable. I don't have hips or boobage like that. I definitely do not exude sex appeal like that b/c I have a more boyish-type of figure. I'm more subtle in my sex appeal, I guess, at least according to my DH, lol. So, I've sought out more athletic-looking women around my age to kind of strive for. I was made fun of all the time growing up for being too skinny and boy-like. I was a late bloomer and that didn't exactly help matters much. For years, I fought my natural body type and ended up being sorely disappointed when I looked in the mirror and realized I looked nothing like these women. At some point, I just threw my hands up in the air and basically said, 'God made me like this for a reason and I just want to look like me, only better'. That being said, it's really nice to see the more athletic-looking physique come into vogue (alongside the Shakira's of the world, lol) after so many years of being frowned upon except if you were a world-class athlete.

http://www.fitsugar.com/Get-Bod-Jessica-Biel-117770

I would LOVE to have Jessica Biel's figure! I do have a curvy figure and if I keep focused and working out... hope (cross my fingers) will look similarly at goal!

All of the women people have posted so far are beautiful! It's so nice that there is not one type of pretty. Curvy, boyish, apple, pear, all are lovely!

:cp: Right on.

I used to want to look like this http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...FnBbbIy1NGzHkg

Now I'd be thrilled to be fit and curvy like I used to be, so I guess my dream body is mine! :)

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attach...mentid=3208293

I changed my mind last night, I want to look like Jennifer Nicole Lee at the end of this. Maybe even participate in a bikini contest. One can dream.

OMG, that's so funny mamamorgan because I, too think JNL has a great physique. I have also toyed with the idea of entering a bikini contest but honestly my age stops me, lol. But I agree, one can dream.

Fitmom - If you want to join a bikini contest, you do it!! There are plenty of women (at least that I have been reading about) of various ages and backgrounds that have joined in on bikini/fitness contests and done really well! JNL is like 37. I know I remember you said you are in your forties, but really, if you have a killer bod like that ^^, I would totally go for it no matter my age!

I ain't in my forties yet, lol. I'm still 39...at least for another 90 days. I think JNL is 37 or 38 too, I remember hearing that. I don't have a killer bod like JNL.

I kind of look like Gwyneth Paltrow's physique like this (only about fifteen pounds heavier): http://www.self.com/healthystars/201...body-slideshow

Obviously, my body don't look exactly like hers but from what people tell me (friends and family), I think it's a somewhat accurate representation. She's a bit more sleek-looking because she's probably closer to 100 lbs. and I am not but we do have the same boyish body type. She might also be an inch taller too.

I don't think my type of body is fitness contest material, lol. Oh well.

I would kill to look like Gwyneth Paltrow! When you reach your "goal," I say you do it. And who cares what other people think? You would be doing it for yourself. There is no reason to let your age stop you from your dreams.

Are older featherweights really all that rare? I'm turning 50 in a few months ( :looks shiftily about: ).

And I think my age has affected my vision of ideal shape. Before I wanted just to be thin. But now I care more about my waist-to-hip ratio and wouldn't mind a big butt, hips, and cleavage if the waist would stay in line.

But, I was never curvy and now the curves go to the wrong places. If I gain, it goes to my pot belly instead of the nice curves. I just have to work at thin.

mamamorgan i totally agree with you on JNL. I forgot about her THAT is definitely my ideal body. And with more hard work and dedication I think itd be really attainable for me. Hers and Jessica Biels.

fitmom Im sure you could definitely rock a bikini contest. I say go for it and give 20-somethings a run for their money!

I have to admit, I don't even dare to let myself dream of what I would want to look like. Because I still can't imagine my body looking 'tight' and 'lean' without all the fat and with added muscle. I've NEVER done sports before, so I haven't ever had muscle. And my body has been flabby since I got this sudden pear-shape during puberty and I've oly been thin for a while, but never with muscles to show for it. So... really.. I can't dream :P

Love all your dreampics though! If I had to choose I'd go for a slightly muscular lean body. But I don't know if I can loose parts of the ***/hips ever. LOL.

I have Jessica Biel body envy as well.

I definetly dig the curvy hourglass body with a thin waist, but I don't have big boobies or rockin' hips. So I guess I'm gonna be tiny and lean haha. My best friend is 95 pounds naturally, her body is really feminine and cute, and I'm striving to look like her. :) We have a similar body shape.

I love the sporty muscular look, but not too much like this olympic swimmer... I don't like abs neither. I think they look manly, and they make a waist larger. I don't dig the veiny arms from too low body fat neither haha.

I found another photo of someone whose physique I admire:

http://www.celebritiesworld.tk/img/gwen-stefani-12.jpg


Gwen's amazing, isn't she? Even over forty and after two kids, for her to look this good is almost criminal. :lol: If
I ever looked like this, I would die a happy woman. Yep. I also like her badass attitude, it totally suits her.