To be surprised I'm overweight?

[overweightcat]

I don't know why but it's really knocked me for six.
I went on the NHS BMI calculator and found out I'm classed as overweight.

I'm 26 and weigh 74kg at 169cm height. Looking at it writing it down I realise it's quite a big number (weight) and before even going on the calculator I knew I'm carrying some extra weight and wanted to loose some to feel a bit better about myself but didn't realise I'm overweight.

I don't hate my current body, my stomach isn't flat but not huge, I've got some stretch marks and a bit of looser skin from 2 pregnancies, my thighs and arms are a bit bigger but I didn't think it was excessive, I've got a good bum and ok boobs all things considered and I'm curvy(ish).
I'm also quite strong and I know some of it will be muscle but definitely not all I'm not silly enough to think that.

AIBU to be really surprised I'm classed as overweight?

For some reason it's really shocked me and I'm feeling very self conscious since finding out.

You’re what? 11.5 stone? So you arent going to be hugely overweight at that height.
There is a space in between slim and obese.

Assuming you want o lose the weight you’ve not got loads to lose at all. Minor diet changes and trying to move a bit more should do it.

A lot of people are overweight and obese so our perception of healthy and excess weight has shifted.

You’re not much over so if you want to make changes you can. Doing from a place of feeling good about your body and making tweaks to your lifestyle to be a bit healthier is better than self loathing. If you don’t want to change that’s okay too.

I think bmi is quite harsh in what is considered overweight. I suspect most in healthy region would look too thin to me!

It sounds like you were aware you were carrying a few extra pounds. I'm not sure why you're surprised.

You can't be a huge amount over. About 4kg? Something like that?

It shouldn't be too hard to deal with. You could easily get below the line before Xmas,. And don't feel self-conscious, dressed, no-one will be able to tell because you're tall. It won't show.

Are your family over weight? I think it depends what you're used to seeing. My weight has always been between 8.3 and 9 stone unless pregnant. At 9stone end im definitely carrying too much fat.

I think you are being a little bit unreasonable. I don’t mean that in a horrible way, just answering your question as it’s posed. I’m 170cm and weigh 61 kilo, so I look fairly slim and fit but certainly not super fit if that makes sense - if I put on 13kg that would make me considerably bigger not just a bit bigger. Although I think it would still be on the lower side of overweight. After I had DC I weighed 65 for a while and went up a dress size for that - so another 9 kg and that would have been quite a few dress sizes (ones that I personally would have generally considered to be worn by someone overweight).

I mean I would think you were massively overweight but 11.5 stone at 5,6ish would be overweight yeah. I would think you’d need to lose weight at all if you’re happy - if your not maybe a stone to stone and a half.

Like a PP said, so many people are now overweight that we've lost perspective of what a normal healthy weight looks like. Many people would only think of someone as being 'overweight' if they were obese, whereas the harsh reality is that most of us are overweight or more (24% UK adults are obese and a further 34% UK females are overweight).
I'm considered average by most (size 12) but I have a BMI of 25.5 so yes, I'm overweight (and addressing it). Also, clothes sizes are way bigger than they used to be. A size 12 in the 80s would probably be a 16 now.

Sorry - wrong way round. Size 12 now would have been a 16 in the 80s

@lmcneil003 OP doesn’t need to lose anything like 2.5-3 stone.

I’ve just typed all your details into the NHS BMI calculator OP and if you lose 7lbs you’ll be back in the healthy range. If you lose a stone you’ll be feeling and looking great.

I highly recommend one of the calorie counting sites like Weight Loss Resources, they’ve got me back on the straight and narrow loads of times.

Good luck!

Remember that BMI is a blunt tool OP and people that carry a lot of muscle are often classed as overweight on the basis of their BMI alone. Many sportspeople, for instance, would be overweight or obese if you just look at their BMI in isolation. Having said that, I think we as a society (and by that I mean Western society), have forgotten what a normal weight and normal amounts of food are. We live in a time of plenty and of large portions. Many of us eat more than we need and many of us lead lives that are very sedentary. We weren't designed to sit at computers all day - we were designed for manual labour.

Obviously, this is not a time to be visiting your GP or practice nurse to discuss portion size and whether you should or could reduce the amount you eat or change the composition of your diet, but the NHS website has information you can look at. Beware its info on how many calories you should be eating though as it recommends that women should eat around 2,000 calories per day to maintain their weight and this is most definitely not the case for all women - height, build and exercise levels count for a lot.

For instance, if I eat more than 1,600 calories per day I gain weight, so the best thing to do is to write down everything you eat for a couple of weeks (and I mean everything - every square of chocolate, every apple or few crisps you snack on) and work out the calorie content of your normal diet. If you don't gain weight during that time, this is your baseline. How many calories are you eating each day? If you want to lose weight gradually and sustainably, you need to reduce that amount by maybe 200 calories per day and stick with it.

@Imceneil lose 2 to 3 stone? I'm about the same is OP and if I lost 2 stone (which I did once when I was poorly) I'd look poorly (which I did in more ways than one)
Personally for me I'm happier at 10.7 stone I feel and look better. I'm now 11.7

I'm the same height as you and weight slightly less but am definitely overweight. I used to be skinny but health problems, 3 pregnancies and a love of biscuits and cakes have taken their toll.
Perception of weight has shifted as so many people are fat. This is even worse in some regions I live in an area with lots of fat people so don't feel too big but when I go to visit friends in other areas I'm conscious of how fat I am!

I am slightly (4cm) shorter than you and prefer to weigh less than 60kg. So 74 does seem overweight to me.

I'm exactly the same as those figures. I dont look overweight either. I suppose it's how you carry it. I think the healthy weight range for out height is between 9 and 11 stone. Well I used to be 9 stone and I looked ill. Right now my legs are slim I dont have much bum. My arms are slim. I have larger boobs (34g) and carry a bit of extra on my tummy. I could probably do with losing half a stone but I like the way I look and I'm happy. I'm also fit and healthy

Thanks everyone. Like I mentioned I know I'm carrying more than I'd like and was taking steps to loose weight anyway I just didn't realise I have gained so much through my pregnancies I'm now overweight.

I've been hoping to loose a stone and maybe keep it there or see if I can loose a bit more.
When I was 18 I was 60kg (used to do dance 7 hours a week and walk everywhere as well) so I know when it's written it down like that I've gained 2 stone which is a lot. The weight did creep up on me as I became pretty sedentary and even though I haven't been eating more than I used to I know my metabolism will have slowed down and the pregnancies took their toll too. I'm usually a size 12 sometimes a 14.

I guess it's just scary how it creeped up.

Well, you're maybe a little overweight but it's not drastic by any means and certainly not something to be self conscious about.

If you want to lose a few pounds (you certainly don't need to lose 2 or 3 stone) then I'd recommend starting earlier rather than later - it's much easier to lose a little weight than a lot of weight. Perhaps 10lb (or 5kg) might be a good starting target?

With the right approach, most people can lose a couple of pounds a week, so it needn't take s long time to see a difference either.

You know you're carrying extra weight but didn't think you were overweight? Those two things mean EXACTLY the same thing.

@Yester spot on! Because so many people are overweight nowadays noone thinks they are anymore. The amount of young ones I see I see in the shortest dresses, skirts and tops showing off their fat tummies because it's the norm. It's the whole 'be fat and proud' brigade. Forget about being healthy.

I don't really know that many slim young people anymore.

As PPs have said I think our visual perception of what is slim/ average/ overweight has changed massively in the last 30 years, and vanity sizing has helped hide the fact we have been getting fatter as a nation.
The mathematical definition of a healthy BMI has not changed so can come as a bit of a shock!

I think sizing used to a set national standards-when I was a teenager it was

size 12 - 24 inch waist
Size 10- 22 inch waist

I still have a few old skirts and dresses which clearly state this on the labels.

I’m about to sew a dress for the first time in years and the Vogue pattern I’ve just bought is even more extreme- my 28 inch waist puts me at a size 16/18
but I buy size 10 high street clothes.

Go off BMI OP - it’s these that are used in life insurance tables to calculate health risks and though it’s not perfect being (for the vanishingly small % who are so athletic the muscle mass makes a difference) it makes sense to stay within the healthy range.

I was 11.5 stone after having dc2 and being slightly taller than you op, I was definitely overweight.

I know body shapes are all different but I’m naturally quite broad shouldered. Lots of fitted blazer jackets are too small on my shoulders!

Don’t be harsh on yourself, it’s extremely easy for it to slowly creep up on you, given there’s a pandemic I really wouldn’t deprive myself of all treats right now. The main thing is you are aware of it.

I agree with pretty much all of what's been said- we are used to a bigger average and clothes sizes have crept up however BMI is a useful but nonspecific tool that doesn't really take into account build.

You're my height and sound like a similar build. I wouldn't have said you'd need to do anything drastic or lose a huge amount to be at your fighting weight, maybe half to a stone gradually?

'overweight' isn't nice to hear but it doesn't mean 'morbidly obese', just perhaps to make a few tweaks to be at your healthiest.

FWIW I put on a lot of weight with meds and found myself in the obese category. it felt awful so I do understand. it is coming off and I will see 11.5 st (size 12 on me) as a big milestone that things are getting back to normal!

BMI isn’t terribly helpful though. I’m very similar to you but I use the boditrax machine at the gym to track my weight etc and I come out as having low body fat and very high degree of muscle (not surprisingly, I’m very sporty and build muscle easily). I do look lean at that weight though. So BMI is an indicator but not the only one.