24 y/o F Changing Body Type

[artemis153]

I'm 24 5'7" F and have always been really fit and had a slim build my entire life (around 125lbs and 13-17 bf% for years).
Until my third year of college when I stopped working out as much due to time constraints.

I now weigh 140 and even though I'm working out again I fear my body won't be what it was because I'm just getting older. Has anyone else experienced this? Is this normal? Is there hope for me to fit into my size 3 pants ever again now that I'm a 7 or sometimes 9?

I know the numbers aren't that important but it still makes me kind of sad to think I might have ruined my body because I didn't stay active during a transitionary time in my life. Advice?

 

[josh1991]

@artemis153 I was always extremely slim (5'2", 105 at my highest) until I hit 24 and then the weight just slowly started coming from somewhere, even though I hadn't really changed any of my habits. Last February before I started going to the gym, I had gotten to 115. 10+ random pounds in two years from who knows where. Since February I've dropped some weight, so I'm back down to 108-9, and I've also dropped 6+% body fat, so I look way better than you would think from just a six pound difference. There are still some pants that pull a little across my hips, because as someone else pointed out, your hips still continue to grow, but I would definitely say it's a normal thing that many of us have experienced and you're not just crazy!

You haven't ruined your body -- yet! Mid-20s still gives you plenty of time to reclaim your own body! But if you give it up as a lost cause now, it definitely will be in a couple decades.

 

[tdarcher7]

@artemis153 140 is a perfectly reasonable weight for your height. Your BMI is 21.9, so right in the middle of the healthy range.

That being said, while your body won't be quite the same as it was when you were a teenager -- your skeleton is still maturing in your early 20's -- if you feel you are skinnyfat/not muscular you certainly can change that.

The number on the scale does not always reflect body composition. And, it is never too late. For example, I just looked at some pictures from my senior prom, 30 years ago -- I actually look fatter in those pics in spite of the fact that I now weigh 13 lbs. more. I was 5'2" and 105 lbs while my scale weight was low, I was definitely skinnyfat. Now I hover around 118 and am much leaner and tighter -- and I'm turning 48 next month.

 

[krimmie]

@artemis153 Weight fluctuations are a normal part of life. Don't stress. Fuel your body, stay happy and healthy, and focus on the journey. You're 24 years old! Everything's ahead of you.

 

[bornagainbabyinchrist]

@artemis153 When I was 23/24, I went up two pants sizes within a year. Some of it was due to being sedentary, but I definitely have wider hips now and I doubt I could ever drop more than one size, tops, and that's if I near starved myself. It's very possible you have a new minimum to shoot for; it happens.

edit: plus I am way too swole now to even want to be my college size again. this butt has outgrown those size 0s.

 

[bubblegum2021]

@artemis153 Ok, I will not agree with everyone, no, you don't have to get fat as you age. I'm almost thirty, I weigh more or less the same as what I did when I was 14 (I am the same height, why would I weigh more now?!). And yes, I also gained over 20 lbs in my first year at university because I just didn't take care of me, stopped being active and ate junk. Then I went back to where I believe I should be. Yes, maybe it's not that easy at 30 as it was at 15, maybe work and social responsibilities come through, your life gets more complicated, but you can do it. You are 24, there is no way in hell you ruined your body by gaining 15 lbs. That's nothing. Drop the excuses and the victim mentality, though, if you want to get anywhere.

 

[artemis153]

@bubblegum2021 How was me saying I think I've ruined my body by not working out having a victim mentality? I'm cursing myself for having dropped the ball, not blaming other people..

 

[bornagainbabyinchrist]

@bubblegum2021 People aren't saying you get fat. They're saying your body shape may change. Those aren't the same thing. And you could easily weight more than you did at 14 simply from getting bigger boobs, which weigh a nonzero amount of pounds.

 

[bubblegum2021]

@bornagainbabyinchrist Literally the comment above mine says that it's normal to carry around more fat in your 20s. Which I disagree with. I never said boobs or hips don't exist, but they don't ruin your body and they are not an excuse to gain fat. Bone structure is one things, getting fat is another. I know how the human body works, thanks, I have been there. I find it funny though how very conveniently both you and the other reply to my post felt the need to explain how your hips might widen and boobs grow - correct, I had both - but both failed to mention how very well your waist may get significantly smaller. Also, I said more or less the same weight, accounting therefore for boobs and whatnot. Please keep in my minds boobs really do not weigh a lot, as a rule. For someone not an outliner, they will not account for 20 lbs.

 

[sabrina_]

@artemis153 There's no way to say for sure, but I wouldn't worry about it too much.

I'm much shorter than you (5 ft tall). When I was in my high school years, I could comfortably sit at about 90-95 lbs, with low body fat; provided I was active. As I got into my late teens - 21 or 22ish, that number was about 105. Between 22 and 24, I shot up to about 125 (maybe more). Mostly, this was because of poor eating, sleeping and exercise habits. A little bit of it was due to going through the final stages of puberty (late bloomer).

Now, I am the most fit I've ever been (generally speaking- not right now, because I'm struggling with an injury and a bad chest cold on top of that); and I sit at between 113 and 118 lbs, depending on where my focus is at that particular time. Getting back to 95 lbs would be severely detrimental to my health. I sunk to 107 for a couple of months, and it was not sustainable. I felt like all around shit. I also did not look my best, IMO.

It's normal to carry a little more body fat in your 20s, than you will in your teens. Also, your hips probably did not reach their adult size until a year or two ago. Your breasts can also grow well into your 20s (your actual breast tissue, not fat accumulation, which can also cause growth). I was an A- small B cup when I turned 18. Now, even as I get to lower body fats, I do not slip below a D cup.

You did not ruin your body. Get off of that. If it was going to change, it would have done so regardless. Those changes don't equal ruin. There's no reason to be sad. There's no reason that your adult body needs to be a size 3 to be fit, attractive, or healthy. There's also no reason that a person who is 5 ft 7 should feel the need to be 125 lbs. If you are, fine. If you aren't, also fine. If you're working out to build some muscle, and keeping body fat in the higher end of the lean range - the ideal range about 18-24%, you'll likely look pretty slim; and weigh more than that. My hips are bigger than when I weighed 105 lbs, but my waist is the same size - smaller. It wasn't always. When I first gained weight (even after initially losing to 115, but not incorporating a ton of fitness), my waist was 2ish inches larger than it now is- maybe more. Being fit and carrying lower body fat, while having the hips of an adult, as opposed to those of a teen, did that.

 

[dawn16]

@artemis153 go over to /r/progresspics. look at the people who have lost 100 pounds and their bodies still look dope. that'll set ya straight.

 

[markxiii]

@artemis153 Fear is useless if you can't do anything about it. That's what I learned when at the highest of my anxiety. What's the use of worrying about something that may or may not happen? You just fall in a loop and don't accomplish anything in the meantime.

What's the worst that can happen? You won't fit in your smallest pant size because your body change? Does it mean you have to stay at your current pants size because you can't have the body you had in your teens? It's very well plausible you may never get it back, women changes because of hormones on a degree more profound that just fat tissues, but it doesn't mean you have to give up everything and stop altogether.

There's a middle ground that makes it perfectly possible for you to be smoking hot without fitting into certain sizes without giving up altogether on your fitness.

Also you did not ruin anything. Get that thing out of your mind asap. You don't weight 600+ pounds, what you gain you can lose with determination and constancy (???). Did you get any form of disease, joint, bones, tissues problems because of the added weight? Even excess of stretched skin can get removed. And even if you got some form of permanent problems (which anyway can only get better by losing weight), you did not ruin anything. you are still alive and actually able and ready to change things, that's a whole lot more and better than many people out there. Ruined people are those finding excuses to wallow in their misery without changing anything.

Are you ruined? Yes, if you give up. So don't be ruined.

 

[artemis153]

@markxiii Love this. Thanks so much. Tough love with inspiring words. I've not given up. I'm working out more again and already feel so much better about myself. Even if the scale isn't reflecting the progress I feel. Thanks!

 

[dawn16]

@artemis153 140 is perfectly healthy for mid-20s 5'7". You're an adult now and your body has caught up.

Size 3 is literally a junior's size for teenagers (and, very rarely, extremely thin adults). Women's sizes run in evens. So you're probably an 8 or 10.

 

[dawn16]

@artemis153 You absolutely have not "ruined" your body! 140 lbs at your height is fine, but if you get active again and keep your diet in check you can certainly drop the weight. See FAQ/wiki -->

 

[rocvisc17]

@artemis153 Women's hips gets wider with age. Not fat, the actual pelvis. So no, you may not fit into your size 3 jeans, but you will still look banging.

Fear is a useless, destructive emotion. Has anything positive or productive ever happened in your life becuase of fear? Let go of it. You didn't ruin your body. Your weight gain was minor. You're still in shape at least according to the numbers. And I bet your body will respond well to exercise.

 

[luke22_42]

@rocvisc17 Absolutely agree on the hips. It happened noticeably to me when I was 19, and then again around 24. I'll never squeeze into a size 5 but frankly I don't care. No amount of worrying about it will change the fact my hips got wider.

 

[not_a_unicorn]

@artemis153 Well, here's an upside for you. Both weights, 125 and 140 lbs are both perfectly healthy weights for someone of your height. They're each closer to one end of the "health meter" but you're not technically overweight. It's fine to prefer to be on the thinner side, but you're not "ruined" or "fat", you're just a bit more plump. It's VERY normal to fall off the wagon of exercise when your life gets busy. If you prefer to be on the thinner side, it's definitely possible to lose the weight again. You can lose the weight purely by cutting back on food (weight is made in the kitchen), or you can start exercising more and eating less, etc. All you need is a caloric deficit. I was always a bit on the chubby side most of my life, and only just this year (at 34) started actually losing weight, and it worked, so at 24 you can do it to, if you wish to!

 

[alice96]

@artemis153 I was a very slim teen and before i had kids i think i was a UK size 6. I 've had four kids and at 33yrs old (Uk size 8) i am 2kg heavier than what i was when i was 20yrs old. You can totally lose the weight, I'm not sure about body shape tho. I think my body doesn't look the same as when i was 20, but i don't have any pictures of back then so i can't really be sure.

 

[christopher30]

@artemis153 Yeah, it's perfectly normal to fill out as we become adults. You didn't ruin anything; you can always lose weight. That being said, it's not going to be easy and will require diligence to maintain.