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?

OP, vanity sizing is relevant because your OP essentially said "I can't be overweight, I'm a size 10."

And people are pointing out that yes, it's perfectly possible to be overweight and still fit into some size ten clothes, because vanity sizing means that a ten in some shops is now extremely generously sized.

@Fressia123 that photo depicting fat % is great. On my scales in a morning I show as 32.5% fat and this is really accurate on the photos too (ie my body looks like midway between 30 and 35% depiction). Also helps me realise that i would like to be closer to 25%

@orangegerbil
I could do with losing a bit around my tummy, but I am a size 10 so I can't be that bad surely?*

Sorry but you seem confused.

You are saying a size 10 in 2020 is 'okay' so you can't 'be that' bad' yet you concede that in the 1970s or 1980s a size 10 was completely different to what it is now.

Why not post a photo?

Are you afraid to?

I'm 5ft 2 and currently 9st 3lbs and I'm actively dieting because I definitely feel chunky. It's hard being short because any extra pounds are noticeable so quickly! BMI is okay...but it's edging towards the overweight cateogory and all the COVID risk factors scare me so I've started doing 5:2 diet (some weeks doing 4:3 to kick start things) and it's going v well and I don't feel like I'm on a 'diet' as much as a strict week long diet.

However, I know I've also let me fitness levels slip recently. If you are active, have a good amount of lean muscle etc. then the BMI factor really doesn't calculate well. Very muscular people will often find themselves in the overwight BMI category but in actual fact are very healthy. It will all depend on fitness, muscle %, body fat % etc.

Bmi is rubbish imo. My partner is 5 foot 10, 30 inch waist are too big and in size small clothes yet his weight (between 11.5 and 12 stone) is borderline overweight! If he puts on half a stone he certainly won’t be overweight!

I am 5'2" at 7 stone 8 and wear a size 8 (tiny frame, small boobs). I am slightly more than what I'd like to be, mostly due to lockdown!
The BMI calculator says I would still be in the healthy range at my ideal normal weight, however I could go up to 9 stone 7 and still be in the ok range. I wasn't that weight even pregnant with twins.
I think it really depends on your frame, not just your weight.

OP I mean this in the kindest way (and btw I bekiy you fit in a size 10) . But what people are trying to say with vanity sizing is that it isn't such a "small" size anymore, they just make us believe it is. When a was a size 4 and a BMI of 22 so still "healthy" I couldn't find adult clothes in my size so ha dto buy children's clothes! I think that tells you how sizing is the most accurate way to measure your health. You're borderline OK but you could still lose a few pounds.

You also don't want to post a photo for some reason, which adds to the suspicion. I reiterate I DO believe you, but I can see why many posters don't.

@Fressia123 & @temproasted that body fat photo post is interesting. I measure around 24-25% body fat, depending on time of day (I use Fitbit smart scales). That 25% image is very evenly distributed. Mine isn’t, I’m very definitely carrying mine in my belly. Skinny legs, skinny arms, visible collar bone, flat arse but wobbly belly that looks more like the 35% image.

Why should the OP post a photo for you all to tell her she is fat? No way. Of course not.

OP, this thread is pretty conclusive and tbh the ‘tummy’ thing makes it clear you really do know you are fat.

What is stopping you accepting that and addressing it?

Why should the OP post a photo for you all to tell her she is fat

Because the whole point of the thread is the OP asking whether she is fat.

OP I don't think anyone disbelieves you fit into a size 10. It's just that your weight and measurements don't seem to match. According to the info you've given, I'm only 3-4lbs heavier than you and the same height yet my waist and hips measure much larger and I am definitely a 14. I think people wanting a pic want to see if you are particularly muscular/carry weight elsewhere or whether you're an average build and your scales are broken!

Does it really matter anyway?

It's quite clear from this thread that dress size varies depending on where you shop, what your body shape is, how you like your clothes to fit.

I'm 5"5 and 9 stone 10 and I'm definitely a snug size 12. But I like to have a bit of breathing room in my clothes and I've got hips and a bum. I quite often hear people who are clearly heavier than me say they're a 12.

But does it matter? So long as you're happy with what you wear and how you look who cares what the label says?

BMI is a fairly good indicator imo unless you're a body builder and has a big variation of healthy weight.

Why not post a photo?
*
Are you afraid to?*

To be honest, yes. People have already decided I am fat and while I know I could lose a few pounds, I don't really want to be told by dozens of people on the internet that my photo is fat and my body is unattractive IYSWIM

Don't post a photo op...some of the comments on here are really unpleasant and some people love making passive aggressive digs at anyone who weighs a gram more than them.

Whether you're overweight or not, if you're happy, just get on with you life and forget this thread.

[quote temproasted]@Fressia123 that photo depicting fat % is great. On my scales in a morning I show as 32.5% fat and this is really accurate on the photos too (ie my body looks like midway between 30 and 35% depiction). Also helps me realise that i would like to be closer to 25% [/quote]
I agree very helpful. It's made me think about changing a couple of my exercise days to free weights again. In my head I know they make a massive difference but for some reason I tend to go to the aerobic exercise stuff more.

No one is saying that OP. But you obviously know yourself that you have some weight to lose or you wouldn’t have posted. Take time to consider the situation and work out how to address it. I am not overweight but when I see I have a pound or two extra thigh I cut out most sweet stuff and move more. I recently got into exercising for MH effect rather than weight and it is addictive. Try lots and find something you like. Make a timetable and stick to it. It becomes a habit. And the old adage of sticking a photo of bumpy thighs on the fridge really does work when youre reachIng for the Maltesers.

Caveat: if you have kids, no photo on fridge, put somewhere discrete. Andremember you will pass on your weight to your kids. Fat parents tend to have fat kids, thin parents not so much. If only for your kids, address your weight now and theirs too if needs be.

As Garfield once said, I'm not overweight, I'm undertall.

OP what DO you want from this thread?
If you're happy with your shape and feel you are fit and well, why post here at all?

I agree that OP shouldn't post a photo - it won't go well.

But OP, you started this thread by saying that you can't be overweight because you're a size 10. Posters have rightly said that that's a meaningless way for a person to gauge whether they're overweight or not.

And you asked if people can have a high BMI but not be overweight, which you've received a range of responses to, with the primary message being that the weight that you give is quite heavy for your height.

You said yourself that you were shocked when you weighed yourself. What you do with that information is up to you, but trying to get people on the internet to agree with you that you're not overweight doesn't seem to be helping you in any way.

I am confused too as to what you want from this thread.

If you wanted reassurance that you were not overweight, I think that's been blown out of the water.

If you want to accept that you are, maybe you should think about what weight you were before (you've never said how old you are or your history/pattern of weigh gain/loss) and what your goal would be now.

It comes across that you are upset and constantly trying to prove to yourself and us that you are not overweight.

Surely it's better to ask for support on how to lose weight if that's what you want to do?

Why not post a photo?
*
Are you afraid to?*

To be honest, yes.

I would be too OP. Don't rise to that.

Agree op you should just forget about this thread because it isn't doing you any good.

I think op was hoping everyone would say "of course you're not fat hun" which hasn't happened.

It seriously doesn't matter though op, we are all different shapes and sizes. Even if you are overweight it's only by a bit.

If you don't want to post photos here, maybe look at yourself in photos from 10 or 20 years ago, depending on your age.

Is there a big difference?

Can you still fit into old clothes?

Do you have folds of fat round your middle when you sit down?

Do you feel comfortable with what you see if you stand naked in front of the mirror?

These are the questions I ask me in order to keep my weight under control.

. Even if you are overweight it's only by a bit.

I think this can be misleading.

Like another poster here recently, I could according to the BMI range put on 2 stones and be considered 'healthy'. That's nonsense for me because even when about to give birth I was nowhere near that size. I've a small frame with tiny hands and wrists.

There are some basic body types- ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph. That can influence weight range as well.

It seriously doesn't matter though op, we are all different shapes and sizes. Even if you are overweight it's only by a bit.

The OP is not overweight by only a bit. The OP is very overweight. Why minimise it? She can try to do something about it or not, but it doesn’t take away that fact.

To those who asked, I am in late 20s. I have always been a size 8-10 but I am bigger now than I was 10 years ago.

I have weighed myself today on a different flooring and I am 149lbs so 10 stone 9lbs. My BMI is still overweight (26.5) and I will be trying to lose weight to get it down to a normal range.