The last time that I got down to 150lbs was eight years ago. I was on Weight Watchers and exercised a lot. I got pregnant again, and well, the rest is history.
However, I am remembering how great I thought I looked back then. Granted, I was eight years younger and I was exercising a lot harder than I am today, but still. I saw a few pictures of myself back then, and I don't think I look so hot. In fact, I still have that "mom physique." Now that I am nearing the same low weight that I was at that time, I think I still look wide, frumpy, and lumpy. There is no way that I want my current weight to be my goal weight.
So, why is my perspective so different eight years later? Why was I so proud of how I looked back then in the 150s and I am so not ready to settle for being in the 150s today?
Not sure why exactly, but I have the same feeling.
Maybe it's perspective, indeed. I had been ~160 lbs during all my teen years, so anything lower than that felt wonderful, like the first time I got to 135-138 (when I was in college). However, now that I've been at a lower weight (the one I'm at now), I know that I can maintain it with a healthier lifestyle, and so anything higher doesn't make sense? I don't know. It's hard to explain.
Hey guacamole, I'm not sure about your change in attitude about how you're looking at your low weight, but what I can offer is that if you're not pleased with how you look, it may not be just the number on the scale - question - do you exercise? I know that exercise and building muscle makes the body look really beautiful, even at a higher 'scale number'.
So, why is my perspective so different eight years later? Why was I so proud of how I looked back then in the 150s and I am so not ready to settle for being in the 150s today?
Your body distributes weight differently as you age. I weighed 152 when I was 34 years old. I am 155 at this moment and I'm almost 49. I look much better NOW than I did at 34, with only a few pounds difference. Sometimes the distribution of your weight is better when younger; sometimes better when older. Most people, I would surmise, have it better when younger. And this, of course, is mostly true for women, who have that whole hormonal thing going on - the body puts weight at certain places for child-birthing reasons, and as we age, our bodies need it less in those same areas. But when we accumulate it, the fat has to go SOMEWHERE.
When I was younger, anytime I gained weight, a little of it was in my belly, but mostly on my butt, hips, thighs. Now that I'm nearing 5 decades, it's mostly in my belly, upper arms, back (bra strap area).
*sigh* No idea. I'm 32 and I look back at pics and I think the opposite! I think man alive, WHY didn't I appreciate how I looked back then! But now I worry that I will get there and not feel as good because after years of health issues, 2 children, hormone changes, stress, etc., maybe I won't look as good? Will I need to be higher or lower? But I figure that what I have to do is just keep working at it until I FEEL good. If you look back at those photos and don't love it, maybe you need to keep going on your journey... maybe you need to change the type of exercise you do or even add in exercise...
OR, here's another thing... could it be you didn't truly love who you were back then and THAT is what is clouding your judgment? I know this sounds weird, but sometimes when I look back on a period of my life that was particularly hard, even if I probably looked ok to the world, the trauma of that time clouds how I felt about myself. It could be the same for you. If you are happier now, more stable, and just flat out ready to be the best possible you when maybe you weren't back then, it could be making you see or feel differently about who you were and how you were. Just an idea...
Either way, you're not who you were then and you're still working on things now, so just keep doing what you're doing until you get to the point where you feel content and happy. Where you get up and feel good and think, YES! I'm not sure if we ever really get there, but I am sure going to try!
I have found the same thing to be true, at least that our bodies distribute weight differently and the ratios of fat to muscle change with age. That is where I have found exercise SO important. TTap has done more for improving my shape in three pounds of lean mass GAIN than did twenty pounds of fat loss. Muscle is useful stuff, both in making our bodies tight and lean as well as giving us strength and vitality to live better and more active lives. Best decision I ever made was to give up the cardio I loved for something that might make more grunting and sweating, but have given me infinitely more payoff for the time spent.
And as a consequence, even after ten years and three kids my previous low weight in the 160's looks better on me now than it did, then.
Last edited by Arctic Mama; 05-24-2012 at 05:40 PM.
Reason: Fixed typo
Thank you all so much for your replies! I think the points about weight distributing differently is true. I do exercise, but not nearly as much as I should. I also think that JustJ280 makes an astute point about not loving who I was the last time I was in the 150s. I hated myself then and I am starting to love myself now. Now I think I can do better and be better than what I settled for at that time. The other thing is that when I was in college my low weight was about 110 lbs. When I got married and for the first few years I was around 125-130. So, looking at older pictures, seeing myself in the 150s looks pretty bad. Why didn't I think it looked bad 8 years ago when I can see I need improvement today? I wonder if I could ever get back to my college weight, or is it completely unattainable at 42 years old? Sigh....
So, why is my perspective so different eight years later? Why was I so proud of how I looked back then in the 150s and I am so not ready to settle for being in the 150s today?
Same experience here, and I don't know why. About 8 years ago, when I had my last major weight loss, I was very happy with 155. This time around I feel great at 140 and wouldn't want to settle for 155. The distribution of my fat hasn't changed at all. Who knows, maybe it's my midlife crisis kicking in.
Perhaps it is not that you didn't think you looked bad 8 years ago, but that you felt that that weight was all you could achieve because you weren't happy then. Not only that, perhaps you were busier in your life 8 years ago and weight was not on your mind as often as it is now?
You are right on the money. I settled for a lot of things in my life back then that I would not stand for now. I think I settled in my appearance as well. It is true that I was crazy busy and had little time to focus on myself or my health. I think the fact that I made any effort at all and had some success with weight loss was a major coup for me, and I ran with it.
I still have so far to go, but this thread reminds me that I can't give up and settle for where I am today. I have to keep pushing forward.
I still have so far to go, but this thread reminds me that I can't give up and settle for where I am today. I have to keep pushing forward.
Such a good point! I'm at a weight now that I was ecstatic about four years ago. I certainly don't hate myself right now since I'm down about 8kg from my high weight but I know that I can do so much better than this, and I fully intend to.
Perspective...
