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Fat Mass Detail from Repeat DXA Scan
12 Apr 2015, 15:51

Lean Body Mass Detail
06 Apr 2015, 08:26

Repeat DXA Scan
03 Apr 2015, 08:31

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Maintenance Mundanities

I'm in maintenance but still whittling down my body fat levels in order to achieve a reasonable body composition. I have very low muscle mass so, although I have a low scale weight and look slender, I have an unwelcome kinship with streaky bacon, except that the bacon has a more favourable fat:lean ratio. :oops:
5 replies Page 1 of 1

Kate Harding: The Fantasy of Being Thin

by SSure on 12 Aug 2014, 06:44

The Fantasy of Being Thinhttp://kateharding.net/2007/11/27/the-fantasy-of-being-thin/is a classic and has been much on my mind lately.
the Fantasy of Being Thin is not just about becoming small enough to be perceived as more acceptable. It is about becoming an entirely different person – one with far more courage, confidence, and luck than the fat you has. It’s not just, “When I’m thin, I’ll look good in a bathing suit”; it’s “When I’m thin, I will be the kind of person who struts down the beach in a bikini, making men weep.” See also:
When I’m thin, I’ll have no trouble finding a partner/reinvigorating my marriage.
When I’m thin, I’ll have the job I’ve always wanted.
When I’m thin, I won’t be depressed anymore.
When I’m thin, I’ll be an adventurous world traveler instead of being freaked out by any country where I don’t speak the language and/or the plumbing is questionable.
When I’m thin, I’ll become really outdoorsy.
When I’m thin, I’ll be more extroverted and charismatic, and thus have more friends than I know what to do with....
The question is, who do you really want to be, and what are you going to do about it?...The Fantasy of Being Thin is a really convenient excuse for not asking yourself those questions sincerely — and that’s exactly why it’s dangerous. It keeps you from being not only who you are, but who you actually could be, if you worked with what you’ve got. And that person trapped inside you really might be cooler than you are right now.

She’s just not thin.
A lot of discussion in various places seems to touch on similar fantasies.

Although I've been surprised that nobody has commented on my weight change (I understand colleagues might be mired in politeness but I'm a bit surprised at the silence from family & friends) I wonder if it's been inversely helpful as I haven't lost a source of approval or reinforcement that I might miss now, if I'd ever had it. :?:
Last edited by SSure on 12 Aug 2014, 06:51, edited 1 time in total.

HW: 168lbs (2011) CW: 102lbs BMI: <19
Maintenance IF 4:3

Dexa scan reports that I have low skeletal muscle mass and I'm categorised as sarcopenic, despite my age and fitness activities: body composition changed from 42% body fat at 127lbs to 20% at 103lbs.


SINS - Simple Is the New Sustainable
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Comments

very interesting quote. I too am surprised that you family and friends haven't commented on your weight loss because you have lost a HUGE amount of weight. Your BMI of 18, does that mean you are actually skinny now? I can't imagine such a BMI.
Sallyo wrote: I too am surprised that you family and friends haven't commented on your weight loss because you have lost a HUGE amount of weight. Your BMI of 18, does that mean you are actually skinny now? I can't imagine such a BMI.
Hello @Sallyo, I'd guess that I'm surrounded by the politest and most reticent people in the universe but that would imply that I'd never met them, because IRL, they're mostly completely otherwise. :grin:

I don't know if it's an artefact of having gained so much body fat.:bigfrown: Even at a BMI of <19, I still have a body fat of approx. 25% (I weigh 108lbs now, when I weighed 117lbs at my last Dexa scan, I was 30% body fat).

Longwinded way of saying, I have to think that to other people, I still look plump or skinny fat (as it's termed). This probably won't improve as I have a low level of skeletal muscle mass (it's not clear as yet as to why I lost so much) so there won't be a point at which I've whittled away enough fat for my muscle to show and give strong definition to my body as I literally don't have that muscle.
I'm shocked that people have not commented on your loss. Well, I'm going to comment CONGRATULATIONS! You must look amazing, even though you say you have a high level of B/F. Good on you!
Hello @rawkaren, I have to admit to reading your posts in the Fashionista Tent and being entranced by them.

Thing is - I don't clothes shop. Genuinely. I can't bear it. I have a negligible amount of clothes that fit me apart from formal work stuff that still doesn't fit me but is less vast on me than my other items. I have to overcome this but I never have enjoyed shopping and the hurly-burly of changing rooms etc. just fills me with dread. My DH has occasionally been reduced to guessing my nearest size in men's trousers and buying items for me to try on at home.

I likewise have an extensive collection of wet gear (I kayak regularly) and sports shoes but x3 pairs of 'other' shoes.

I have a double chin and sometimes wonder if that, coupled with the non-fitting clothes, mean that it's quite tricky for people to discern my shape?

I'm not proud of the lack of clothes shopping as I genuinely enjoy looking at well turned out people (it's uplifting) but it's just one of those things that I can't bear.
Well I buy more shoes than clothes :-), as when I catch sight of my backside with all of those fancy mirrors, it puts me off! I am an expert Spanx wearer and anything that has lycra!
5 replies Page 1 of 1

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