Like some other ladies have mentioned I was never super thin, but in high school I was what you'd call "jacked." I was a three season athlete and solid. When I gained after college, after the sports stopped, I missed feeling strong. Strong and confident made me feel sexy and I miss that, I think.

Also, other things have had me thinking recently, not so much what I missed about being thin but what I DIDN'T miss about being heavier. The other day I carried a 20lb box of cat litter up three flights of stairs and when I got to the top I realized that when I was at my highest, I had 4 of those boxes on my all the time and that sucked. I guess I miss being thin and I know what it's like to be heavier and I plain old didn't like it.

I think this is a GREAT question. When I use food to numb out on a regular basis, my whole body goes a little numb. I've gone up a down a few times, so here's what I can tell you about my body's feelings (NOT about looks/confidence, but physical sensations):

--My lower back doesn't hurt
--My stomach doesn't overbalance my lower back
--My weight feels centered over my legs and pelvis
--My breasts are smaller, and my upper back doesn't have to work as hard to be upright, sitting or standing
--My knees don't hurt
--I feel light and springy, like I'm energized by a physical challenge

From a whole person perspective, I personally feel that it is vital to separate how we look from how we feel. Looking good is great, but feeling good and being able to feel one's own bodily sensations is a bedrock of physical and emotional health. I'm on a journey toward that place!

When I walked, my thighs didn't rub together. My posture was better. And I loved wearing things that were sleeveless during the summer, I didn't have to worry about upper arm chub rub, and I sweated less!

It feels amazing. I reached "thin" for about 2+ years of my adult life (2009-2011).

For me...

It feels like all of my physical insecurities are gone.

When I was thin...

I felt like a tremendous burden had been lifted in that I NEVER worried about how I'd look in something. I felt excited to put on clothes. I felt excited to shop for clothes. I felt excited to see my reflection. I felt like I could do anything I wanted to do. I felt amazing. I wanted to be outside. I wanted to be seen. I really enjoyed doing things.

But, I mean, I had been heavy my entire life so this "being thin" thing was like being reborn for me.

I've never been "thin", but when I know that when I weigh less, I have so much more energy. I felt at my worst after Baby No. 1, when I hovered around 215 for several months. I got winded so easily, it was embarrassing. And none of my clothes fit, so I had to buy "fat clothes" even though I had lost a whole lot of weight before I got pregnant. That just caused a downward spiral and it took me months before I got mny butt in gear and did something about it.
And even now, my goal isn't thin so much as it is fit. I have a large frame and broad shoulders and I can really only get so thin without looking and feeling kind of sick. I'd like to get down to about a size 6 or 8, from the 16 that I am post-pregnancy. At least this time around I started exercising and losing weight sooner, and I can already run a couple of miles fairly easily.

I was thin my entire childhood into my early twenties. I didn't gain weight till I had my first child. Life was definitely way easier when I was skinny. I just took it all for granted. I loved shopping & I for sure bought clothes that highlighted my slim body. Now when I shop I buy shoes, handbags, jewelry, or scarves. My goal is to be able to buy a pair of tight leather skinnies by the end of this year. I think when I do get skinny again that maybe I will make more of a effort on my appearance. I want to cut my hair like Michelle Williams, something I would never do this fat. So what I am trying to say is thin feels really good. However if you were like me (skinny most of your life) you never enjoyed it, you simply took it for granted.

Light, beautiful, perfect, ... hmm ... feels like everything is right with the world.

Amazing.

I know many people who say that being thin doesn't solve problems, and that women need to feel happy no matter their size. However, that's just not true! When I was thin I was generally happy, and not so self conscious. I wasn't trying to stay out of pictures, and I wasn't afraid to be in pictures.

I'm trying hard to feel like that now that I'm a hundred pounds bigger, but it's hard :(

At my thinnest 15 years ago, I felt fantastic. I felt way more confident, dressed nicer, felt sexier....clothes shopping was fun. I couldn't have cared less about food, either. I only ate to get rid of the hunger - that was it. Then moved on to the next thing. I didn't count calories, either. Come to think about it, I didn't obsess over food at all.
Like others said, too - I felt so light, so springy - energetic, I guess. Now I feel tired and weighed down.
Must get back to that place.....it was so lovely!

I've never been thin, but I have been average at about 160lbs. At 5'8 it wasn't too bad and I could fit a lot of things at stores. Of course at 15 years old I felt humongous and all I wanted was to be super thin at 120 lbs. My goals have since changed. :P

One thing I really imagine will be nice about being at goal will be to put on a t-shirt and not worry about my rolls pushing out. Right now I usually wear t-shirts or tank tops but then I put on some sort of jacket/hoody/sweater to smooth out the belly area. Obviously I still look overweight but it makes me feel better.

It will be really cool to just wear a shirt the way it's meant to be worn. It sounds silly, but I'm personally looking forward to it. I don't really have a desire to wear shorts but I do have a desire to wear dresses more often. I'm a pear shape and a lot of my weight goes to my butt and legs so it'll be a while before I feel really comfy in a dress but it'll be really nice.

:)

Also, I imagine the other great thing about being at goal will be a higher level of fitness. Lifting things, walking, climbing stairs...these things are all difficult for me right now. I can do them, but it's not really pleasant. I think it would be great to be at a place where I can wear things I want and go out with confidence that no flight of stairs is going to ruin my day.

Yes! I know exactly what you are talking about. I have these amazing pair of jeans I want to fit in again. When I say fit in, I mean know muffin top. Just a white T-shirt & jeans.

Feeling thin is nice, but being healthy is more important to me right now.

I know I answered this already, but I'd like to chime in again.

Being thin feels "light," I feel like I can move so much better. It's not even about physical fitness because I WAS physically fit before. Just without the 80+ extra pounds I can MOVE...

And I put on a few, trying to add muscle. While I am stronger as a result, I don't feel as springy and light. Trying to get back down now.

I was skinny as a teenager and for a couple years as an adult.

I would say that there wasn't really a "feeling" there per se, so much as some of the negative feelings that come with extra weight weren't there.

Physically, I've noticed the less I weigh the better my knees feel. I haven't felt pain or fatigue walking up stairs, the less I weigh. :carrot:
I felt healthier in general.

It wasn't stressful to pick out clothes, everything fit nicely.

I do know when I lost weight a few years ago I did start to get more attention from men, which you may find enjoyable, but can be kind of creepy in some situations.

When I was really skinny I remember getting called "stringbean" and was a teenager with the usual angst, so I don't think weight loss will magically make you feel great about yourself.

Originally Posted by thewalrus0:
One thing I really imagine will be nice about being at goal will be to put on a t-shirt and not worry about my rolls pushing out. Right now I usually wear t-shirts or tank tops but then I put on some sort of jacket/hoody/sweater to smooth out the belly area. Obviously I still look overweight but it makes me feel better.

You sound like me! I would sometimes start feeling super uncomfortable in the middle of the day because I'd realize my rolls were pushing through my shirt, so I'd put on a sweatshirt.

Just in the past month or so, I've realized I can wear all my t-shirts and walk around... and I'm not sucking in. My belly is far from taut or toned, but it pretty much goes straight from my ribs to my hips with just a bit of a belly fold an inch or two to either side of my belly button. Definitely lumpy and bump, and still quite an impressive roll when I sit... but it's so amazing to look in the mirror and have a natural waist.


As for other things I've been noticing...

I can sit in a chair and then lean forward (bending at the waist) and rest my forehead on my knees. It doesn't hurt or make all my stomach rolls squash and jam together painfully, and I can still breathe. I can actually relax and feel comfortable in this position.

When squatting, my knees bend fully and easily till my heel is nearly touching my butt. I don't feel like all the flesh on my thighs and legs is squashing out to both sides trying to escape.

I can cross my legs and be comfortable, and not be constantly trying to keep them from coming uncrossed, which used to quickly exhaust my thigh muscles. My thighs also don't look huge when my legs are crossed.

I broke my collarbone when I was younger and I can, for the first time, see the slight asymmetry where the break healed.

I don't feel self-conscious or ashamed when people start talking about dieting and weight loss. Ashamed because either I'm not trying to lose weight and I'm embarrassed or because I am trying, but I still feel fat and don't want people to assume I'm not doing it right or am not serious.

The idea of going to the doctor and being asked to change into one of the gowns does not fill me with dread.

I've realized just being thin isn't going to make me attractive and I will have to learn to dress myself in flattering ways and wear at least light makeup if I want to be considered conventionally pretty. These are both relatively new to me and I'm a little torn between wanting to feel attractive and not being sure I want to give up my fairly no-nonsense, low maintenance approach to life. I'm worried I'll become vain, or feel inauthentic. However, I do feel far more attractive than I did when I was overweight.

I was thin up until about age 22 when I started to gain. I look back at pictures of myself in high school and college and I see a perfect body. Back then though I had serious confidence and self esteem issues. I always felt fat even when I was thin.
Its interesting how I actually feel more confident and love my body more now than I did before I gained the weight.