To think I shouldn't be THIS heavy??

[Lotsofsausage]

So to start, I know I am no supermodel. Fairly tall at 5'8, size 14, smaller waist, medium bust. Fairly curvy arse/ thighs but toned. I am fit and strong and exercise 4-5x per week, including strength training.

Now I know measurements and photos are a better gauge than the scales, and muscle is meant to weigh more than fat (but I thought that was bullshit).....I am 14.5 stone! I have a friend with the same body measurements as me and same height and she is TWO STONE lighter.
Can some people just be 'heavy'???

I calculate BMI everyday and in 10 years I've only had to ignore it once, it was for a competetive body builder and he was MASSIVE.

There's actually thought that BMI actually underestimates the amount of fat someone has because we in general are much more sedentary as a society and as such don't have the muscle mass the BMI expects is to have.

I find weight to height to dress size across women's bodies to vary so much that I don't think it's even worth worrying about it too much. There's a poster on this thread who is one inch shorter than me, two stone lighter, but the same dress size! OP if you're happy in your skin, happy with your measurements and happy with yourself, ignore the scales and live your best life!

I'm 5'8 and weigh 11.5 stone and I'm a size 10/12. I don't really exercise so I think it's my natural weight. I have ridiculously broad shoulders and back so I think some of my weight comes from that.

healthy weight means that you will look thin. You are supposed to be thin

Yes.

When I see people say 'she looked skin and bone!' I just shake my head at how we have managed to deceive ourselves as a society and because the average size has increased so much, we have adjusted our expectations.

You're supposed to be able to see a bit of bone. I'm not talking the horrors of concentration camp style but collar bones, hip and rib bones can be sometimes seen on someone with a normal and optimal weight. Yet we use words like 'gaunt' because it doesn't match what we have conditioned ourselves to expect

IMO, if the OP is one of those outliers whereby BMI is not a reasonable gauge of a healthy weight, then she would be an elite athlete at the top of her game and have a very good understanding of her physique, not just someone who works out a lot and is pretty strong and fast.

Having a BMI of 30 and being nearly 3 stone over the top end of the healthy BMI range is WAY off.

actually that waist hip calculator I linked to seems a bit generous - might be worth looking for another one as I am not at risk on there but moderate to high risk on another

theorig absolutely.

Height plays a big part. I'm 5ft and at 10 stone I'm a size 14. My friend is around 10 stone but is 5ft 6 and at this weight wear size 8-10 clothes. Think i just need to grow a few more inches!

I am 5ft9 size 16 and weigh 12.5 st and consider myself overweight. Unless you are one of these mega muscle people I would say you were overweight.

OPs height and weight (rounded down) in the body gallery..

www.mybodygallery.com/search.html?gender=female&height=173&weight=91&age=any&pantSize=0&shirtSize=any&bodytype=&p=1

All these women are overweight or obese.

Well I am 5'8'' and a size 14. I weigh 11.5 stone. I am generally slim but have a big stomach.

So I would say that weight must vary according to body shape, bone density, muscle etc.

I'm the same height as you and described as curvy. I am a size 14 and 11. 5 Stone.
There is no way that your are not overweight at 14 stone.

bmi is at best bullshit.mostly proven by you and your friends looks and diff bmi which would put you into fear and her not!

I'm 5ft9, weigh 10st9 and this is the heaviest I've ever been. I've always been an 8 on the top an 10-12 on the bottom, but this has crept up tp 8-10 on the top and definitely a 12 on the bottom in the past couple of years. I am apparently 2.1kg bone, 21.6% fat, 37.7% muscle, 53.6% tbw according to DH's posh set of scales which can tell these things. I seem to be 113% of myself Does that mean I need to lose 13% of my weight??

'14.5 st at 5ft8 and a size 14 sounds normal'

It is actually classed as obese going by the BMI guidelines.

It is a fact that if you are overweight it is because you eat too much

As we get older and metabolism slows it becomes increasingly harder to keep to a healthy weight but eating less, you don't have to join gym classes, will always work.

It's unlikely but not impossible that a BMI of over 30 is due to muscle. It's is possible that you are the exception as you definitely train regularly and have excellent strength. But none of us here can say for sure whether you are healthy or not. If you genuinely want to know then there are tests you can take that will test your body fat and your metabolic age and advise you on how to improve your health if necessary.

If OP can run 5k in 20 mins then I would bet she is fitter and healthier than a good 90% of the population (myself included, anything under 30 mins is lightning speed for me and I weigh a stone less than her!

OP, you’re good. Posting about weight on here is never a good idea but don’t let it get to you. Lose some weight if you feel like you want to, otherwise just forget about it!

I'm 5,8" and 16st, size 18-20. So your measurements sound about right to me

Wow, 5km sub 20mins for a woman is seriously impressive! Your weight is obvs not holding you back.

I’m 5’7 and when went up to 11stone once was easily a 14, I guess we just all carry weight in different ways.

how old are you OP?

BMI outliers, especially female ones, are extremely scarce. BMI itself offers a wide range of healthy weights for a given height to account for people being different.

There is a received wisdom around here that bodybuilders and professional rugby players who abuse steroids are the barometer by which sedentary females should be judged, but it's a massive delusion.

I don't think 5ft8 and size 14 is overweight let alone obese
It doesn't matter what you think, BMI is an objective measurement, and the OP is obese. She might look good and feel fit and healthy, but she is obese. She might be an outlier due to muscle mass, but that is very unusual for women.

I can do a 5k in 23mins.

20 mins is CRAZY fast!

That's 6.25 min per mile. You'll be in the fittest 3% of the population.

Don't worry about weight - this is why I don't weigh myself.

... if not 1% of the population

I'm pretty solid too OP. I weigh 14.5 stone but I'm only 5'3" tall. I wear an 18 and I know I'm obese, but I prefer to be bigger with boobs, than lose the weight and have the shrivelled empty boobs and saggy tummy skin that gets left behind.

I was 11.5 stone/size 14 when I met DP (he was quite a bit lighter too!!) and although I looked better in clothes, when naked I was really embarrassed about my lack of boobs. I know he prefers them now too.

If you've always been slim then I know it looks better overall, but if you've been very overweight previously, the excess skin that's left behind can be as crushing to your confidence as the fat was.