So this is what overweight looks like?

[OrangeLavenders]

I'm quite surprised. Checked the scales a few weeks back and I weighed 12 stone. Visited my GP for something else recently who confirmed that yes, I was quite bit over BMI of healthy range.

I've lost 7 pounds in just over 10 days. Nothing ridiculous. Just normal eating with no snacks and counting calories.

I just thought overweight looked a lot bigger than this? Scary how in 2020 we actually have a warped idea of what's a healthy weight and what isn't. I thought I looked perfectly fine but the reith is different.

Anyone else think a lot of us think what we might see as 'fine' is actually an overweight person?

I'm not a self conscious person so feel free to tell me I do in fact look clearly overweight! It doesn't bother me as I'm happily changing things. Although I'm sour about not having many luxuries anymore treat wise

[Confusedpixo]

I would say very slightly overweight, and more in need of toning than weight loss. You have an amazing figure though, so any weight loss would be for health reasons rather than aesthetic as you look hot.

[LaurieFairyCake]

I agree with you that we've lost touch with what overweight looks like

I think you have a very desirable figure - you go in and out in the right places and your limbs are long and relatively lean

I would definitely concentrate on building some muscle in legs and arms and replacing the fat with muscle

When I look at pictures from the 50's I'm struck by how little fat they're carrying

If I looked like you I'd be so happy

[OrangeLavenders]

Confuse Thank you, I think I'm very thankful that I've caught myself at an earlier stage of overweight before it got too out of hand.

It means getting back to a good weight is easier and mentally helps too. It's very hard when I have become accustomed to the delicious foods of KFC, McDonald's breakfasts and cake

[OrangeLavenders]

Laurie I'm short at 5'3 so I think thar doesn't help me out either. I also have very bolky calves from years of sport that have never gone away. It is muscle but makes me look even bigger because I'm now podgy elsewhere

[WinterAndRoughWeather]

Well you carry it well!

But yeah, as a fellow overweight person (who has nudged obese in the past too), I think we have lost perspective on it. I’m tall and carry my weight evenly so even at my heaviest I’ve been able to look vaguely alright. Not great though.

I suppose because there are so many really, really obese people around these days we think of overweight as normal. But you can be obese without being morbidly obese (which technically I think is where your weight is likely to kill you).

I think a lot of people think obesity is only when you get into struggling to walk normally territory, when actually it’s scarily easy to get to 30+ BMI.

Great that you’ve got on top of it now OP, I’ve still got some distance to go (about a stone).

[AzraiL]

I would absolutely not look at you and think you were overweight at all!!! You look great!

[SchmooobyDoo]

You look in good proportion & have a nice nipped in waist. Your figure is similar to mine.
I’m 12 stone, with a newborn. I was 11 stone when I got pregnant. 10 stone when I got married five years ago.
I was skinnier in my 20s & 30s but I guess my happy weight now (44) would be around 10 stone.

[Asuitablecat]

I'm similar to you and yes, I would class myself as overweight, although my bmi is upper end of healthy. People tell me I'm slim and tiny etc, but that's because they're bigger than me and because I'm tall, so the overall effect is slim.

[QuiteGood]

I’m 5ft 10 and at 12 stone I probably do look slimmer but not that much considering the difference in our heights. You do carry it really well. I’m not surprised you haven’t noticed. The areas that are a little plump (belly & thigh) are only slightly plump, whereas the rest of you looks as it should be. I’m not convinced the average 5ft 3 woman would look as slim as you at 12 stone.

[SRK16]

BMI is not a reliable tool for calculating someone’s ideal weight, it doesn’t account for individual differences. For example, someone who is muscular will weigh more than someone who isn’t. To me you don’t look overweight and I wouldn’t worry.

[SRK16]

Also just seen what you weigh/height. I’m 5’5 and weigh slightly more, I’m definitely overweight and look it. However, I think this is partly due to difference in our body types. I have a very flabby tummy and thighs!

[user1498572889]

I think your figure looks fab. I think we are a bit consumed with being thin. As long as you are active and don’t eat rubbish all the time I wouldn’t worry. I wish I was that overweight 😁

[wizzbangfizz]

I'd kill for your figure! But yes it is scary I suppose how warped perceptions have become.

[CarterBeatsTheDevil]

BMI is a really blunt instrument for working out health. It is appealing because it is quick and easy but it doesn't work for people with high muscle mass or big frames. I am 5'10 with a small waist, big bum and large bust and I can tell you that at 13.5 stone (a stone over the very top end of my healthy BMI) I was a 10-12. I have been told by every doctor I have seen about weight (and there have been a lot) that they thought I should aim for 14.5 stone and see how I felt at that weight.

Body fat percentage is a much better indicator of whether or not you are unhealthily overweight.

[CarterBeatsTheDevil]

I don't think anyone would ever have thought that you looked fat, OP, and I personally think it is very unlikely that you are unhealthily overweight.

[Luzina]

You don't look overweight at all. BMI is not always reliable, as previous poster said. Lose weight if you want to but eating for better health might be a better approach for you.

Weight is not always an accurate indicator of health. You could get blood tests done to check your health if you are concerned

[WinterAndRoughWeather]

@CarterBeatsTheDevil

Why would your doctor want you to gain weight if you’re not underweight?

[Chicchicchicchiclana]

As a fellow shorty - are you sure you haven't misread your scales by at least 2 stone? I am an absolute blob at your weight.

[nasiisthebest]

Yes we don't recognize overweight anymore. Just look at all the posts of people saying they are a size 14 or 16 so can't be fat.

OP, you're still beautiful, and good for you to tackle the few extra pounds. You are right to act on it now, now that it's just a few pounds over, instead of letting it go. Well done.

[theemmadilemma]

Agree, I think people hear overweight and picture obese.

BMI isn't accurate as it doesn't take into account muscle ratio. But it's a fair indicator for the average person.

You carry the weight really well, but yes, I would say in that picture you're a little overweight.

[Kaiserin]

Overweight is not a look.

People need to separate "looks" from "health". For sure, some unhealthy people also look unattractive, but attractiveness is not a badge of healthiness.

I would never have guessed your weight and height from that picture, by the way. I would have thought: "oh, roughly the same as me after eating a nice filling meal". Turns our you're shorter and heavier.
I guess this truly means our eyes aren't that great at assessing these things, and our brains probably get in the way too: e.g. thinking of ourselves as average, and thinking that everyone else is roughly similar to ourselves... (Except for people who suffer from body dus morphine, who are convinced their shape is extreme when it isn't)

[Kaiserin]

body dysmorphia (stupid autocorrect)

[LemonPeonies]

I'm a few lbs over 12 stone atm and look similar, not quite as good as you, at 8 months postpartum albeit with massive milk jugs now . 5"2 , don't look very overweight but I am according to BMI so I'm eating a bit better and trying to move more etc. You also look like a Mesomorph body type, meaning you naturally carry more muscle so would probably tone up pretty fast. I'm the same which is why we don't "look" big at heavier weights. You look great though!

[Supertree]

I’m not surprised you didn’t realise. You don’t look it to me. I am 5’7” and 10 stone 8 right now, and I look fatter than you. My weight all goes on my bum and thighs, and my legs are already quite short and chunky compared to my upper body. I would have guessed that I was heavier than you. I think a lot of women would love to have a figure like yours. I wouldn’t be too concerned about weight loss or whatever in your situation. It’s great that you’ve managed to lose weight so easily and you will presumably be a bit healthier, but I don’t think I’d be too concerned in your shoes. In my (uneducated and solely based on this one photograph) opinion, I wouldn’t think you’d suffer weight based problems looking like that.

[theconstantinoplegardener]

I honestly don't think you look overweight. You have a great figure! Maybe you have heavy bones?

There is another method of calculating whether or not you're a healthy size. You cut a piece of string so it's the same length as you are. Then you fold it in half. The halved string should go around your waist and the ends meet - if they dont meet, you may be carrying too much fat.