Body Image: Are we satisfied with our weight?
Time for more body image survey results. This time we talk about our best kept secret: our weight.
That’s right, best kept secret. Seriously, how many of us are willing to broadcast our weight? It’s something we guard closer than our age.
We are either uncomfortable with our own weight and don’t want anyone knowing what it is. Or, we are comfortable with our weight, but are reluctant to share in case we make someone heavier than us uncomfortable.
Ah, we are such complex creatures.
The survey question asked was in two parts.
Would you like to lose weight? If yes, how much?
How did we do?
- No, I do not want to lose weight – 13%
- Yes, 5 pounds or less – 14%
- Yes, 5 – 10 pounds – 24%
- Yes, 11 – 20 pounds – 21%
- Yes, over 20 pounds – 28%
Actually, I am pleasantly surprised that 13% of us are happy with our weight. I realize the number is low, but a huge percentage of us, according to the survey, are dissatisfied with our midriffs, presumably because of the weight that sits there.
Those last 5 pounds
Ah, the elusive last 5 pounds. Why are we fixated on losing them? I weigh 131 pounds, which is a BMI (body mass index) of 23.2 and well within the healthy range. And yet, my WiiFit keeps encouraging me to get down to a BMI of 22. I would have to lose about 5 pounds to get there.
Why?
My lower body is very muscular which accounts for some of that 5 pounds. I have a waist. Yes, I have a little bit of a belly, but is that really going away if I lose 5 pounds? Or will it come off somewhere else? Like my boobs! They seem to be the first to shrink.
So, why kill myself to lose that last 5 pounds? What does it gain me?
Healthy weight range
Speaking of BMI, I am sure most of you calculated yours at some point. If not, there are lots of online calculators, such as this one: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/ I find it very useful for realizing that there is quite of range of weight that is considered healthy for one’s height.
A healthy BMI range is 18.5 to 24.99. That means I can weigh anywhere from 105 pounds to 141 pounds. That is a range of 36 pounds!
Are we realistic?
My point being, I wonder if we are realistic about our ideal weight?
There are so many factors such as muscle density and body frame. I weighed 104 pounds when I got pregnant with my first child at age twenty. Seriously that was way too skinny for me and unhealthy. I also weighed in the 140 to 145 pounds range at age 40. This was too much weight for my frame and I felt equally as unhealthy.
In both extremes, I had very little muscle mass. My ideal weight, therefore, is around 130 pounds. I am muscular and have tons of energy. For someone else the same height as me, 130 might be too heavy or too light.
All of this rambling to say, would it not be better to focus on fitness than weight? … just saying.
Have your say:
In figuring out your ideal weight do you go by a number on the scale or your fitness level?
Upcoming body image post:
May 5 – Are we looking forward to aging?
Previous Body Image posts:
Do we love our bodies?
Are we willing to go under the knife?
How do we view our body parts?
Who do we compare ourselves to?
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My concern is not so much about losing weight but finding clothes that FIT!
I have muscular legs too and pants that fit in the waist are made for women no butts and no thighs thus extremely tight in that area. If I can find a pair that fit my butt and thighs, around the waist they look like maternity pants!
And what’s with this darned low-rise waist thing??? I’m a MOM! I don’t want my butt crack showing at the PTA meetings!
LOL on the butt crack. Just say no to crack. Seriously, I’m old enough to have worn low-rise the first time around in the early 70′s when we called them hip-huggers. If that’s the case then you’ve got no business in the look this time, I say.
Clothing that fits. Sigh. I used to make fun of the clothing that I find fits me the best now. I need stuff that’s forgiving and comfortable. Too bad so many manufacturers translate those needs into “shapeless.” I have a shape, people! It’s just been rearranged in my 50′s.
And the weight thing. It’s a number, just like age, that’s true. However, certain benchmarks are just horrifying. I was just chatting with a couple of friends about how when you exceed those benchmarks, it’s really difficult to turn off the negative self-talk. I think the self-talk is an integral component to any change you’re trying to make, and it will have a positive or negative effect. So, what I’m working on is liking myself more, even if I weigh more than I’d like. It’s hard if you’re exposed to folks who think it’s their business what you weigh, though.
I’m one of those who is happy with my weight but not so happy with my midsection. I don’t want or need to lose any weight, I just want it redistributed… replace some of the pudge in my tush with toned muscle, maybe lose some in my hips and add a little up top… just a little rearranging.
Ick, and don’t get me started on finding clothes that fit right. I’ve got weird proportions, so nothing ever fits right – it’ll fit my shoulders but be way too big in the bust, or fit my torso and be really tight in the shoulders or hips… yeah, I hate trying to shop for clothes… which is probably a small factor in why I don’t absolutely love my body (the, “these clothes look great on everyone else, so there must be something wrong with my body shape” sort of thinking).
@Canadian Army Wife – I hate clothes shopping. Especially for pants! But tops too. Seems my girls aren’t meaty enough in the right places. And don’t get me started on shopping for bras. As for the low-rise waist thing, I LOVE love rise. Not looooooowwww rise, but just under the navel rise. I find that an extremely flattering cut of pant. High enough to hide butt crack, but low enough to show off my body shape.
@Betsy – our shape does change as we age. I used to be a stick. As a matter of fact, even in my thirties, with short hair, I was mistaken for a teenage boy because I had zero curves. When I started to get curves I freaked thinking I was getting fat. I love my curves now and where clothing that shows them off. But I do agree that it is hard to find clothes for us ‘older’ ladies that doesn’t make us look all dowdy and matronly. I don’t want to dress like my daughters either. And little spaghetti strap tops that you can’t wear a bra with? Forget about it. My girls aren’t big, but they still need a good bra. Ah yes, the negative self-talk. I do this when my rosacea is really bad, which sets up a vicious cycle because one of the triggers is stress. Just the other day, I didn’t even want to go to a bbq because my face was so inflamed. I did go, but then got upset seeing pictures of myself. This week I vowed to ‘let it go’ and lo and behold my face is clearing up.
@Allison – a friend of mine was bemoaning her ‘saddlebags’ today. I think she has a sexy curvy body; she thinks the hips have to go. Maybe we should all start going by what a trusted friend thinks of our body instead of what we think
Interesting about the clothes. You are a lot younger than Betsy, Army Wife and me, and yet you too have issues with clothes that fit. Somebody needs to talk to clothes designers and get them to design stylish clothes for REAL bodies!
Eliza – I partially blame my issues with my hips on those darn super-low-rise pants… muffin-tops aren’t very attractive. :-\ Not that I want really high-wasted jeans either, but like you said, the ones that go right up underneath the belly button are far more flattering. (I think the super skinny women with absolutely no fat on them are the only ones who can truly get away with super-low-rise pants… no thank you!
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You know, I’ve been thinking about how I perceive my body more often, ever since you first contacted everyone about the Body Image Survey, and I’m finding it interesting how wildly my perception of myself/my body varies from day to day. Some days I feel great, and wouldn’t change my body for the world; other days I look in the mirror and think, “ugh, how could anyone possibly find this body/face/whatever attractive?” It’s fascinating how the tiniest things can make or break the way I feel about myself any given day.
@Allison – I used to stand in my closet and cry. “I have nothing to wear!”‘, I would wail. Of course, I had a closet full. What I really meant was “It doesn’t matter what I put on, I will still feel awful and ugly.” Fortunately those days are behind me. You just have 20 more years to go to get there, darlin’