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.

I am the same height as you and 69kg currently - and 7 months pregnant (and quite big for a pregnant lady).

Fucks sake if she loses 3 stone she'll need a bloody zimmer frame she would be like a skeleton!

Really?

I agree that so many people are so overweight these days that our perception of what a healthy weight is has been lost.
I am about 9 and a half stone and at least half a stone too heavy for my height. If ever I mention this to people I am told I am really slim and do not need to lose anything. I know people think this is because I look slim compared to any larger people around me.
I am always guided by my clothes, if my jeans start getting tight I know I am getting fatter around the middle which is a problem area for me.

@PhoneLock

This thread is making me feel a lot more sane than the one yesterday where I said if I (when not pregnant!) am over 8.5/9 stone I feel quite fat/have extra weight I really dislike, and I was piled on massively.

Healthy weight is so bloody skewed these days, because so many people are heavier.

It sounds like your bmi is 26 only just above what is considered a healthy bmi of 25 and you probably only need to lose a few kg to get back to a healthy bmi. So having realised it now you can quite easily get back to the healthy range. It's also probably not that unhealthy to be only 1 bmi point above the healthy range so no need to panic but it's better to be taking action now before you creep up any higher and the extra weight could become a problem.

Sorry OP but I agree with those saying that is quite heavy. It's really easy for it to creep up. I think society has normalised being overweight which doesn't help. I would be trying to get to between 9 and 10 stone.

At 169cms the recommended healthy weight lies between 52.84 - 71.37 kgs, there's plenty of range there for the individual to find a weight they feel suits them.

BMI isn't rubbish. It's a good tool for assessing if an average person is overweight or not and whether you are at risk if heart disease, diabetes and other associated problems of being overweight. Once you are in the obese category the risks rise exponentially.

There are some contraindications to BMI, a professional athlete being one (not many of us are one of these) and ethnicity (certain ethnicities have higher muscle mass). For most of us, BMI is a good indicator. In saying this it's important to accept your body shape and realise what you can and can't change.

50% of the country is overweight or obese so perceptions of what looks healthy have changed.

If you're really interested in getting healthy there's a lot of information on the British Nutrition Foundation website which is easy to read. Please don't be dragged in by kooky medicine.

Healthy BMI for your height covers a massive range-

My healthy BMI for my height is anywhere between
7 stone 10 and 10 stone 6

So a nearly 3 stone range which covers a wide range of builds, with willowy at the bottom end and big-boned at the upper end.

people that carry a lot of muscle are often classed as overweight on the basis of their BMI alone

I think if someine was an elite sportsperson, or had a very physical job, such as builder, armed forces etc, they might mention it. You have to be very muscular for it to skew BMI. But the idea that it's flawed (because that is true forba few outliers) is also very comforting to those who wish to remain in denial that they are overweight.

And we have lost sight of what overweight looks like.

I'm in a similar position OP, I weigh about 11 and a half stone but I'm not surprised I'm a bit overweight, I've been trying to lose weight. Where I ought to be to be a nice weight for my height (5ft 7) is 9 and a half to 10 stone. Thinner than this and I know from experience I lose my boobs completely and don't look very healthy and have to constantly diet excessively, so it's not a sustainable weight, over 10 stone and I start looking a bit heavy.

I don't think being overweight is normalised at all at least where I live. I also think we have lost sight of "normal" it's either very thin or overweight. Comparing waist measurements to 40 yrs ago isn't particularly helpful as body dimensions have changed. People often just discuss weight but height, build & proportions make a difference.

These women all weigh 11 st

According to the NHS calculator you need to lose 3.7kg to get back to a healthy weight. That's about 7lbs. If you wanted to lose more then that would be up to you but in order to be healthy you would be fine at 71kg

OP’s healthy BMI range is anywhere n
8 stone 4 to 11stone 3
her build and her own idea of how she wants to feel and look will determine her own personal range, but it’s a good idea of maximum and minimums for the vast majority of the population.

I was told I was obese and no way was I. I don't believe the BMI thing is right. Apparently I should be 7.5 stone to 10/11 stone .

I managed to lose 1.5 stone very quickly due to an illness and I am now trying to lose more.

@lmcneil003 Much too much!

As a PP said, BMI is quite blunt. Check your measurements and your waist to hip ratio too. Ignore all the posters suggesting you should lose 2 or 3 stone. They have no idea of your medical history, your measurements, your ratio. You need to take all of that into account when picking a target weight.

Just lose 2.5 - 3 stone and you'll look and feel better. Don't rush it. Take until the end of the year.
I don't think this is unreasonable at all depending on OP's frame. I'm the same height and I'm 9.1 stone. I've been around 8.10 and looked completely healthy but I've put a little weight on since I started going to the gym more consistently. Lots of people just have different perceptions of what they consider 'healthy' these days because lots of Brits are so much bigger.

The women in that photo all look fat to me - except the one on the far right.

So as the one on far left is likely to have lowest BMI, yes, I'd strongly agree we've lost sight of what 'normal' looks like!!

It's a very helpful photo for pointing test out.

Fucks sake if she loses 3 stone she'll need a bloody zimmer frame she would be like a skeleton!

Actually @bobstersmum, if OP lost 3 stone she would have a BMI of 19.3 which is in the normal weight category. I don't think OP needs to lose that much though - she'd be normal weight if she lost half a stone/3kg - but she could do so if she wanted to without it being unhealthy. The normal weight category is very broad.

People have massively skewed perceptions of weight these days. For me at 5'3 it's roughly 7.5-10st = healthy, 10-12st=overweight 12st+=obese. When I was last at work about a month ago I was 13st4 and was saying to a colleague that I was going to try and lose some more of the baby weight as I didn't want to be obese when I caught the coronavirus. She looked at me like I'd gone mad and said I wasn't obese. I said I bloody well am!! I'm down to 12st8 now so I'm working on it.

And BMI is a crude but useful tool for almost everyone. Yes, if you are a serious weightlifter it might not be the best, but most of us will find it useful. I roll my eyes whenever I hear anyone say they would be gaunt at a healthy weight.

@JinglingHellsBells

My post is factually correct. To be in the healthy BMI range OP doesn't need to lose much. She is worried about being in the overweight range.

Besides at a BMI of 24 the NHS says to maintain my weight. Think I'll take their advice over yours.

@mochojoes

A few of those women look fat though!

My bmi is 26.3 it says I could use losing 8lb- in my eyes I could do with losing a stone or two. I carry it round my stomach. I’m inactive due to disability so I do as much as I can but it’s not enough, but my painkillers only cover pain without exercise (and some days not even that)

I think bmi is helpful, it doesn’t say I’m obese which was my worry (I think I see myself as much bigger than I am) and the nhs site has helpful ways to lose it gradually.

Surely it’s optimal to be at the lower end of the healthy weight on BMI, rather than ONE point under fat, to just squeeze into healthy?!

When I weighted 60kg my family members would tell me to please not get any thinner as I will look ill (very blunt talking over here ). My weight creeped up a bit by 20yo to about 65-67kg but I still felt good. The biggest change came after dc1 when my whole body seemed to change, my hips look wider now (and not because of the weight) and I have stretch marks in lots of places and also some saggy stretch marked skin rather than fat in others.

I've always been a bit more of an athletic build and never had super thin thin legs, even at my lowest weight they were always toned rather than stick thin, same for my stomach rather than being completely flat I'd have a slight outline of muscle/six pack - probably to do with years of dancing.

I did know I am carrying more weight than I'd like but didn't realise it's so much I'm now in the overweight category that's all.
I've not felt it impact my health in any way yet, I've picked up jogging with DP recently and comfortably ran just over 2 miles on my second go which I thought was OK considering I haven't done any physical activity in over 3 years.

I guess I just need to watch what I eat more and move more.