what do you all think? X

[smileyK]

what do you all think of a size eight???

[Mannify]

It depends on your height and build. My sister's 6ft, and has a large-ish bone structure, and she'd be ill if she were a size 8. Honestly, I think how well you look and feel is more important. If you look and, most importantly, feel well as a size 8, then great. How well you are is the important factor.

[smileyK]

im 5ft 2inch tall

[Mannify]

A size 8 sounds ok, then, proportionately. But maybe family are the best to ask, they can see whether being that slim is right for you, and how well you look on it

[LancsLad]

As you ask 'all think' I will give you my honest response SmileyK, size 8, size 10 size 18 or size 24 it is all irrellevant. Having said that I will tell you what I think is relevant in my life.

 

I had to go to the hospital about 18 months ago following a serious bike crash and the nurse took my pules and then took it again as she thought she had made a mistake, her response was "sorry but you are really fit (don't think she was talking about my good looks and fancied me by the way) we don't normally get people like you in". I am 47 years of age my resting pulse first thing in the morning varies between 42 and 44 beats per minute.

 

Earleir this year I went through an MRI machine for a body scan. The surgeon explaining the possibilities of a back operation to me said "it would be a real shame having to cut through all that muscle tissue because it is really top rate you can see you exercise really seriously".

 

Last year my GP was concerned I had prostrate cancer and sent me for blood tests and when the results came back he said "I wish they were my numbers they are spot on all except white blood cell count and that is as a result of your trainning regime and would be expecteded".

 

When it comes to things like contsipation and diarrhoea I never have any issues at all.

 

The thing is if I am interested in anything it is not my size or what I look like it is my health and fitness.

 

I could for example post a couple of pictures of my naked body on the forum and ask people what do you all think, but what would be the point. Its not what it looks like it is what can it do. I go to my local gym five times a week to swim I am currently swimming about 10,000m a week. I see loads of people in the changing rooms looking at their bodies trying to make them perfect in contrast my own body is a bit of a shambles. I have skinny arms and muscly stringy legs. There are stupid tan lines and scars all over my body. There area a fair few stretch marks and the odd love handle or two. My face looks battered by the elements and in recent years I have contracted grey hair disease and my hairline is starting to receed and a bald patch forming. In fact it is anything but perfect but I am happy with it and with good reason.

 

The reason my body looks like it does is because it is a product of my life and because I am happy with my life I am happy with how my body looks. I know it may not be up to the standards of the body beautifulls in the gym but what I also know is that when it comes to swimming, cycling and running compared to 99% of them I could completly kick their butts if I had to. But that doesn't matter to me what really matters to me is that I also suspect my resting heart rate, internal body composition, blood levels and digestive systems would kick theirs as well which means when it comes to health and fitness I am pretty much on track.

 

What we see in life all depends on where we stand to look at it. What I would say Smiley is come back and respond to what I have said. When you ask for all opinons dont just then pick and choose the responses which you like the sound of and which agree with your own opinions. If you disagree with me come back and say why because like Mannify I have taken time out of my life to answer your question please respect that.

 

Just a few thoughts.

Edited November 14, 2012 by LancsLad

[justine1]

Lancslad is completely correct. Its not about how you look its about health. If you exercise and eat right but are size 14 then its fine as you are living a healthy lifestyle. You can be size 8 and not eating properly and therefore thats unhealthy. My mum is 56 and is size 6(or zero as they say) she often buys clothes from the kids section 12-13 years. She is not starving herself she is very active loves to cook and loves to eat,however her weight does affect her health and over the past few years she has been in hospital 4 times with various health problems. Her bones are quite brittle to so she has had numerous breaks,sprains and strains over the years. I don't even like to hug her as I can feel her bones its awful!

 

I have issues at times with my weight but at size 14 I am healthy,given I have 5 children and work I am allways on the go. I also know that I do not eat rubbish,yes I do treat myself 2-3 times a month but not more than that. The average size is 10-12 and I think generally speaking this is a nice healthy size to be. Also dress size and trouser/jean size is different from each other and indeed vary from shop to shop.Also its not dependent on your weight i.e you can weigh 60kgs and be size 12 and another person can be 68kgs and have the same size 12 , it therefore cannot be a determining factor on your BMI as these differences in weight(but not size) will make a difference in BMI.

[In Exile]

Ask a simple question... sheesh!

 

Smiley, size 8 is great. Keep it right there.

[justine1]

Ask a simple question... sheesh!

 

Smiley, size 8 is great. Keep it right there.

 

Sorry...but having been on this forum since 2009 Smiley has always posted many times about weight issues and exercise etc,that may not be a problem but it is excessive and suppose it has given people(or maybe just me) the impression that when such a "simple question" is asked it may have a hidden agenda/meaning. Just my opinion though!

[LancsLad]

Thanks Justine.

 

There is absoulotly no way on earth that the shape and size of someone can possibly indicate that they are healthy. However there are sizes and shapes which would deffinately indicate someone is unhealthy.

 

As soon as we put the size and shape as an important factor what we are doing is prioritizing an aesthetic look over a healthy body. We say form is more important that function. If that is true then go out and buy a good looking sports car knowing it has failed its MOT despite numerous inspections and the experets believe it is a death trap or at best and accident waiting to happen. I doubt many people would put form over function in that scenario just to look cool. So lets have a level of consistency please and not say peoples bodies follow different rules in life as if they have no real inherent value.

[LancsLad]

Smiley I have noticed you have looked at this post again this afternoon and not responded, yet you are keen to update the forum about swimming and kitchen and stuff like that which are obviously the important things.

 

So if you are not interested for the other people who look at this I will add in my final thoughts on where I see weight fitting in and then I will call it a day.

 

To use another example in my life I have a racing bike which is very good and I train on it quite a lot. I could put some lightweight tyres on it and it would make it easier to keep up a good speed but if I am not racing I give that advantage away for something more practical. The thing is I find punctrues to be really problematic and dont like dealing with them all the time so I train with heavy tyres which have puncture protection built in. When I put my racing tyres on the bike feels a lost faster and it is always a pleasant suprise but I am taking risks in a race because I want to win.

 

My approach to weight is the same. Because I am interested in high level sport weight is important for my key races and so I have a 'racing weight'. When I am at that weight I am faster. However that weight is not healthy at all. So for the rest of the time the most important thing for me is I am able to train and to do that I have to be fit and healthy. As such I am happy to carry extra fat because it is a good source of energy, holds important vitamins I need for recovery, provides insulation and importantly protects my joints and internal organs from damage. So I have a healthy weight and I have a racing weight and I know and understand the purpose of each.

 

Smiley and others like you I think you should ask yourself the following question. If you have an ideal weight or body shape/size in your mind as being your ideal, why is it ideal? I have two ideals in my mind and I have a very clear understanding about why I need to be fit and healthy and you don't measure healthy with weight. Likewise when I diet it is for a very specific reason and that is to aim a qualifying for world championships after which I would go back to being healthy because it is a far better option.

 

So those people who say size 8 is great, why is it great? If you are size 10 or 12 or bigger do you loose a job, a boyfriend or girfriend, become unatractive to everyone, will people laugh at you in the street. Or is it all to do with distorted thinking. If the reason is distorted then quite simply you need to challenge those beliefs and focus on a common sense approach and I believe that should be about health first and fitness second.

[A-S warrior]

what do you all think of a size eight???

 

morbidly obesse, how have you got into that state?

 

 

 

yes i am joking, and yes you are at a good size. ensure you dont go lower though.

[In Exile]

LancsLad and Justine, you are better informed than me about Smiley's weight history. Perhaps you have concerns about how she got there or where it might lead in the future. I respect that. It isn't good to lose weight too quickly.

 

But now that Smiley is a size 8, I think she should be encouraged to stay right there. It's a good, normal, perfectly healthy size. I wasn't comparing it against size 10 or 12 but I dare say Smiley is happier as a size 8. Really, there's nothing wrong with that.

[justine1]

LancsLad and Justine, you are better informed than me about Smiley's weight history. Perhaps you have concerns about how she got there or where it might lead in the future. I respect that. It isn't good to lose weight too quickly.

 

But now that Smiley is a size 8, I think she should be encouraged to stay right there. It's a good, normal, perfectly healthy size. I wasn't comparing it against size 10 or 12 but I dare say Smiley is happier as a size 8. Really, there's nothing wrong with that.

 

But is she a size 8? the question was what do you think of size 8 it mentions nowhere that it is her size,most likely the size she is aiming for. However I can remember a post where she was informed by health professional that size10 is ideal for her,whether I am incorrect or this statement was untrue then surely size 8 is not good. Smiley has said she see's someone about her weight issues and as such I do not feel she should be on here to gain motivation or approval but rather from a professional. Again thats just my opinion.

Edited November 14, 2012 by justine1

[In Exile]

Smiley, please help us here. Are you a size 8 or is that just what you want to be?

[A-S warrior]

But is she a size 8?

 

i asked myself the same thing, my quess is that she is quite alot lower. she'll never admit to it, even if i had her at gun point. you cant spend as long as she has, in a caloric defisit, with her extreme activity level and not be at a dangerously low weight.

 

also this isn't smiley's only account, rember smiley 1590? there was nearly 2000 posts with that account, on much the same subjects.

[In Exile]

Well, I don't want to be made a pariah just for saying size 8 is fine so...

 

Smiley, what anyone here thinks is irrelevant; it's what your doctor or dietician thinks that is important.

[LancsLad]

To answer your point Justine. Size 8 is well below national average sizes for white caucasian females in this country who are deemed within the healthy bracket.

 

The easy thing for me to do is not answer posts and when I do join in with what the poster wants to hear, as such;

 

Smiley I think size 8 is fantastic so go for it or whatever other size you feel is approporiate, just don't keep comming back time and time again to the forum complaining of all sorts of medical problems and issues related to lack of energy, depression, motivation, self-esteem etc... because personally I don't care anymore I have better things to do with my time and can use my experience elsewhere. Word your posts in one way and everyone will agree and say everything is fine, when you word them another way they will ignore you.

 

Just a final thought.

[In Exile]

To answer your point Justine. Size 8 is well below national average sizes for white caucasian females in this country who are deemed within the healthy bracket.

 

The average UK dress size is 16 so I'm not surprised.

 

The easy thing for me to do is not answer posts and when I do join in with what the poster wants to hear, as such;

 

Smiley I think size 8 is fantastic so go for it or whatever other size you feel is approporiate, just don't keep comming back time and time again to the forum complaining of all sorts of medical problems and issues related to lack of energy, depression, motivation, self-esteem etc... because personally I don't care anymore I have better things to do with my time and can use my experience elsewhere. Word your posts in one way and everyone will agree and say everything is fine, when you word them another way they will ignore you.

 

Just a final thought.

 

LancsLad, I don't know the history between you and SmileyK so I'm only going on your first post in this thread, in which you tell SmileyK "what is relevant in your life." It might not have helped SmileyK to hear what has made you fit and slim. People have various motivations for wanting to lose weight. Depression and low self-esteem are motivations that are no less valid than any other. For you, it's about physical health; for many people, it's about mental health.

[matzoball]

Smiley - any good nutritionist or weight nurse or doctor will tell you at your height, a size 8 is not a good size. It's actually underweight.

 

The proportionate weight for your height is a size 10.

 

Why have you asked the question? As knowing you as I have for many years, these questions are for a reason, and usually not a very healthy one.

[A-S warrior]

Im going to pass you over to my colleague's http://community.myprotein.com/forum.php this is the forum that will awnser your questions flawlessly. whatever they don't know isn't worth knowing!

[darkshine]

Smiley and others like you I think you should ask yourself the following question. If you have an ideal weight or body shape/size in your mind as being your ideal, why is it ideal? I have two ideals in my mind and I have a very clear understanding about why I need to be fit and healthy and you don't measure healthy with weight. Likewise when I diet it is for a very specific reason and that is to aim a qualifying for world championships after which I would go back to being healthy because it is a far better option.

 

I'd just like to highlight this cuz I have and have had similar problems (like SmileyK - although some are different problems), I used to do what she does when I was younger, and even now I still have problems with eating and I want to exercise more, I want to be fit and healthy, I want to do things and I want to do them in a way that is right for me and my life and whatever I want to get out of it.

 

As such, I have a bit of a battle on my hands because my AS head says "go on" and my issues in my head related to various other things says "go screw yourself, starve yourself, it feels so good" and then the AS part comes back in rubbing its hands together and says "control control control"

 

And you know what? I aint letting it because I want to be healthy, I also want to be fit, but healthy has to come first, it has to. And I have a choice and so does everyone else.

 

I do not know what I weigh, and for now I don't need to, I know what size clothes I wear but that doesn't matter either.

 

What matters is healthy, which is not what my life is now, I do not have an ideal weight or size in my mind, I just want healthy, in my thoughts, in my eating habits, in my behaviour, and to be honest I have a long haul ahead of me and I don't care, I don't mind, yeah I might at some points along the journey, but I'm committed to learning and making changes, because there's a lot I don't know about this stuff, so I'm learning because the exercise I do now is limited by my other behaviours, not just eating either, sleeping. beliefs, thoughts, emotions, habits, some AS stuff, control and stuff, but its restricting me, there's things I want to do and I can't right now because I haven't got certain things to a level that is good enough, and my first priority is food and not exercise because I need the food to exercise, and then when I do exercise I don't need to overdo things and harm myself further, I can push myself, but by being self aware my body tells me when its had enough, my body and not just my mind.

 

I want to be healthy for a whole host of reasons and its important to me because if I don't change I am going to seriously harm my body, not necessarily where I can see the harm, but inside me, internally and in my head too cuz some of my thought processes are really skewed and distorted and I have to be aware of those too, because the self harm levels apparent in my own situation are blo0dy harmful.

 

I can't force anyone else to do anything, I just want to say that I've read the stuff LancsLad has written, not just today, but other times, and I have read what Ben (aka AS Warrior) has said at other times in other posts and I want to understand stuff better, they share information and I just want them to know that there's someone who is paying attention, I am struggling, but I am committed and I think that everyone has to make their own choice, including SmileyK.

 

That is all I have to say - other than to offer a nod of appreciation, thanks and respect to the guys I mentioned.

 

Regards

 

Darkshine

Edited November 19, 2012 by darkshine

[Sa Skimrande]

I never understood why with female clothing they use clearly defined numbers to indicate sizes where with male clothing it is not that way ? But I understand the sizes are to do with vanity and can be used that way to infer someone is too large or too small.