To think I am not overweight?

[orangegerbil]

According to BMI, I am overweight with a reading over 27. I am 5'3 and weigh almost 11 stone. I haven't weighed myself in years so I am a little shocked.

I could do with losing a bit around my tummy, but I am a size 10 so I can't be that bad surely? I do have quite a big chest but that can't be the only reason for my weight.

The NHS uses BMI calculators so I am slightly concerned about it as it must be a trusted way of measuring things. Is it possible to have a high BMI but not be overweight?

I'm 5'3", 9 stone and a size 10 in most shops including the ones you mentioned. I like my clothes to sit on me though, I never wear tight fitting trousers or jeans.

BMI is a pretty accurate measure for most women. As a woman, you'd have to be doing some serious body building to build up enough muscle mass to make your BMI show as overweight. Men build up muscle mass easier so a 27 BMI in a very muscular man may not be 'overweight.'

I'm 5 3 and l'm just over 10 stone and a 12/14. I can't understand how you're a 10?

I'm in the obese range and definitely am.
However, BMI MAY not be wholly useful for 100% of people (eg elite athletes with a lot of muscle), but for the vast majority it's a good guide.

@orangegerbil

I don't know why people keep saying they don't understand how I can be a size 10 - I wear size 10 in every shop, sometimes even a size 8. I fit in size Small in Gap. I have no reason to lie about this on an anonymous forum.

I think it's more that people can't believe you weigh 11 st if you wear size 10 and measure what you do.

Good God Almighty - hasn't Mumsnet had enough of this dull as fuck debate by now.

People carry weight differently. What else is there to say honestly?

I'm 5'3 and 47kg, so 7.4 stones. I'm a size 8, occasionally a 6. In TopShop or places like that I'm definitely a 10. HOWEVER, I was also able to fit into these sizes when I was 59kilos, I prefer clothes looser on me though. I also have zero boobs, so majority of my weight is in my hips. My friend is about 65kilos, 5ft3, and she has such a different shape to me she is a 10, but hourglass with it. But I want to just say, if you think you're overweight, maybe assess the health benefits you'd have to loose weight but please don't let people on these posts make you feel rubbish about yourself. Your body, your life and the fact you don't feel overweight speaks volumes! Keep being you. Keep being kind, and just remember, you can always lose weight, some people can't lose their attitudes.

I also run, cycle and swim for about 11 hours a week

You swim? How? I'm so jealous. Not possible to swim here.
I did ~17.5 hours of exercise last week & am not remotely muscly.
I burn about 1100 kcal/day in exercise & still have flabby thighs, pouty stomach too.

ragged it really depends on the type.of exercise you do (and genetic predisposition)

Well you are overweight the scales don't lie and as others have said a "healthy BMI" covers a huge range (mine is 49-67kg) I would look incredibly skinny at the former and really quite chunky at the latter. Having said that risks don't really increase till BMI > 30

OP are you sure your scales aren't broken? I am thw same measurements as you on the waist and hips and height and I am 8st 4lb to 8st 7lb.

Did you have rocks in your pocket when you got weighed?

You're overweight.
You might not look fat, but that's by the by.

You say you aren't muscular so either your scales are wrong or you're in denial and you're overweight. I'm 5'3, currently pregnant but pre pregnancy had 30G chest and 29 inch waist and my weight fluctuated between 9 stone - 9 stone 4. I was healthy BMI but could definitely have lost a bit of fat around my middle. Genuinely can't work out how you could have a 27 inch waist, 30GG boobs and weigh 11 stone. You must have fat somewhere else if not your waist? I also only just got into a size 10, and would sometimes need size 12 on top due to big boobs.

Hi OP. I think just forget about clothes sizes. They are not a reliable indicator of healthy weight or otherwise as they vary so widely between retailers. Unless someone is really obese I don't think you can tell if a person is a overweight from looking at a photo either. That BodyGallery website clearly shows that.

BMI is a broad brush, but it IS a fairly reliable indicator of where you're at with your weight. I'd trust it and have a look at your calorie intake if it's concerning you. Also rule out any meds you may be taking (a change in pill or anything like that) which can affect weight gain. Thyroid check is another useful thing to rule out.

There are always comments on these kinds of threads that claim to be "telling it like it is" but veer into bitchiness. The main thing I take away from these threads is that I wish many of us didn't feel we have to attach so much value to our weight. Worse the ones whose self-esteem is so low it seems to be almost entirely formed around how much thinner they are than other people.

I'm 5'6" and 11 stone 3lb. I'm a size 14, so I find it a little odd you're 3" shorter and 2 sizes smaller?

@Eatyourbanana

Well this thread has been a depressing read. Did you know that 11 stone is the average weight for women in the UK OP?

You might not believe it from this thread...

Why wouldn't you believe it from this thread?

I know quite a few people have said they weigh about the same or a lot more than the OP but surely not enough to think 11 stone isn't the average weight of UK women? Especially when you consider 64% of UK adults are overweight/obese?

@WineAndTiramisu I'm same height and weight but I'm a 10/12 (mainly 12). I say this as someone who has been a size 16 when nearly 13 stone, and a size 14 for a long time as the 12 stone mark. For me 11 stone (or thereabouts) is a great weight but I'm quite muscular frame especially my (stocky) legs

I'm surprised at people saying it's impossible to be 11 stone and not.being able.to fir into a ten.

I'm five foot 7. 11.5 stonesand can fit into size 10 clothes. I'm not squeezing them on either.

Some of my Jean's are a 12 stone are 10s and.my tops are either a 10 or a 12 depending on the cut and the brand or shop.

I meant size 12 not 12 stone. My typos are terrible

I normally would agree that BMI is not a perfect indication but 11stone at only 5 foot 3 is overweight. I’m a size 10 normally and weigh 9 and a half (I weight train). Also have big boobs! Unfortunately shop sizes are not what they used to be. I could fit in a 6 at M&S which is nonsense. They’ve amended sizes for selling purposes. I’m now 8 months pregnant and 11.5 stone.

Just because 11 stone is the average weight, doesn't mean it's not overweight. Just that the average woman IS overweight.
I'm 5'3", around 10.5 stone, size 12ish. Im overweight. I have small bust but thick thighs & a fat waist. I'm an oblong, basically.

@ghostmous3 It depends on the cut of the jeans and your waist size.
Most 10s are a 28 waist.

If someone has a waist that size or smaller, maybe they can fit into a 10 BUT they are carrying the weight somewhere- thighs, arms, bum, boobs? Big build?

Clothes size is a nonsense.

When I got married in the 1980s I wore a size 10 wedding dress - waist 24 inches. Now, a size 10 is waist 28 or even 30 inches.

"Is it possible to have a high BMI but not be overweight?"
Yes, if you have a lot of muscle. Unless you are muscular, then at 5'3" and almost 11 stones, you are definitely overweight. Clothes sizing is very subjective as so many retailers use vanity sizing. Years ago I was a size 12 and 9.5 stones at 5'4". These days at 10 stones I take a size 8 or occasionally a size 10. I'd be kidding myself to think that is my true size.

A lot of weight can be carried in the shoulders as it goes and the muscles that go along with supporting them.

Back in the day when I was young and super fit, I'd weigh at least 1.5 stones more than my friends I shared many size 10 clothes with.

Besides being oldish and vaguely fittish, or not so, I still weigh a lot more than my 'dress size' would indicate.