I'm about 30% lighter. As a child, I sometimes asked my mom why can't she lose weight, and she told me: "Let me look at you after you have 2 kids". Well, I have 2 kids now. As a child, I felt guilty for her extra weight because she made it sound like she gained it only because of her pregnancy and not because she overate and had no discipline to lose it later in life.

Yes, but I'm also 6 inches taller than she is.

I haven't looked through all the responses so someone may have posted this already, but The Atlantic had a great piece on why -- even eating the same amount of food/exercising the same amount-- women were smaller 20-30 years ago: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/09/why-it-was-easier-to-be-skinny-in-the-1980s/407974/

My mother was ridiculously tall and thin until she had kids, and then her shape changed dramatically. I've always had to watch what I eat and am very active; I think that in the long run, I'll actually fare better. She was much thinner than me at 20, but I bet I will be thinner at 40 than she was.

We're probably about the same. But I'm adopted, so it's not genetics. We both just like food!

I am not heavier than my mother. I might be heavier than she was at my age, hard to know.

We're similar heights but she probably has 30lbs on me.

Nope. My mom's family jokes that you can tell that their ancestors were German peasants, because they are all big-boned, big people. I got my body type from my dad's side, who tend to be thinner.

We've always been more or less the same height and weight.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would agree that women tend to be heavier now, but it's important not to dismiss the serious food and size issues many women had in the 60s and 70s. Women frequently smoked, took meth diet pills, and abused diuretics and laxatives to stay thin. My mother, who has had an eating disorder since adolescence, says she took diuretics her whole pregnancy so her doctor wouldn't yell at her for gaining weight. She was underweight and told to gain only 15 pounds with pregnancy. We definitely all eat too much now, but don't underestimate how screwed up earlier generations were.

I actually think the smoking is key, for both men and women.

ah! which explains why the french and chinese are so skinny too!!

This is PP, haha loom at your food... I must be hungry

Nope. But I cannot recall my mother exercising regularly in my entire life, though I have. She did some things here and there, but no true exercise. And she snacks ALL.THE.TIME.

We have a similar build, but I finding it takes a lot to be as big as my mother. Bottom line is she coasted on her metabolism for years and as we all know, that ends. You have to exercise and/or loom at your food, depending on your circumstances.

What drives me nuts is her complaining about weight gain while munching on something. No, you don't need a snack to ride 15 minutes to an event.

She also went sort of gluten free, when it suits her, a couple of years ago. She doesn't have an intolerance or allergy, it's more annoying than anything.

Yes - but my mom had cancer when we were kids. So I'll take being 20lbs heavier but with a stronger, healthier body.

Face it. Americans are getting fatter, more sedentary, and are eating bigger portions and more crap. We are going to be paying the cost in increased medical expenses down the road.

I am not heavier than my mother; I am a couple of inches shorter and more petite. But my mother had more children than I did and she never exercised.

Yep, at least 30 lb. heavier than she is. She has always been thin and is probably 2" shorter than me at this point. I was thin until about ten years ago (I'm in my late 30s), but I eat too much and exercise too little to have stayed that way.

Anonymous wrote:Interesting how some posters feel the need to put down their mother's figure in order to compensate for weighing more.

'No but she has a no curves and boyish figure.' 'No, but I actually have breasts.'

Your mothers were women with different body types than you. Not male figures and yes she had breasts but likely very small ones compared to you.

I didn't read that as putting down their mothers' figures, just as a neutral description. Generally when people use the word "womanly" to describe someone's figure, they are referring to a curvy figure. Back in the sixties, 36-26-36 were considered to be the ideal measurements for an adult woman. A person with a more straight up and down figure, with less variation between measurements is described as having a more "boyish" figure.