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?

Well what I mean is according to her bmi she's only have to lose a stone or two to be back within a healthy range.

It's not like she's morbidly obese.

I'm in the healthy range bmi 23 I think but I know I'd like to lose another 10lbs to be in better shape.

The op isn't very overweight. She is slightly overweight based on her bmi.

Anyway, so much angst on this thread. I genuinely had no idea people spent so much time thinking about their weight, their bmi, their body fat percentage...

@Fressia123

Like everything there's exceptions, but this is a fairly good visual guide. Also muscle tone is visible on different areas at different %.s. arms/legs show first and abdomen shows last.

Those bodyfat percentage example always confuse me because my fat is distributed very differently. The best estimate from the pictures would be to say I have the abdomen from the 15% pic, the thighs from the 25% and the chest and shoulders from the 30%. I am also much more boney than any of the pictures (I have really big hip bones that stick out and very visible ribs, much more prominent collarbone etc. at any weight I am).

My BMI is around 20 and my bodyfat (measured by electrical resistance) is supposedly around 28%.

Formerbabe I do like to keep an eye on my weight and bmi because I know I could easily gain weight which in turn makes me miserable, uncomfortable and feel unhealthy. If I put on weight I can't get anything to fit me because a 12 gets too small and a 14 is too big and it's a nightmare.

But op isn't very overweight and it really doesn't matter what anyone on mumsnet thinks.

@daisypond I don't agree with calling her "very overweight", her BMI is actually about the UK average. It's still overweight, certainly, and not very healthy but on a population level she's not an outlier.

She could drop a stone and get herself into the healthy BMI range. Most people could cut out a couple of things (wine, cake, sugary lattes, whatever) and achieve that fairly easily. I wouldn't class this as "very" overweight.

I like to think of BMI as being a bit like traffic speed limits.

You don't have to drive up to the maximum! It's not a goal to reach. Sometimes 29 mph or 69 mph is too much for the conditions even if it's legally okay.

Most experts will tell you that the upper figure on a BMI scale is not one to aim for, but to try to be between the lower and middle figure.

So that's between 18.5 and around 21.

The other issue is that 40 years ago most people could tell by looking in the mirror if they were overweight. Now that 64% of people are overweight and obese, a certain size and shape has become 'the norm' and subconsciously acceptable.

When I was a child, there were hardly any fat people around and they were very noticeable. You can see this in documentaries and photos from the 1950s - 1970s.

I do like to keep an eye on my weight

Yes I think that's pretty common...just all the discussion about whether 15%bodyfat is better than 17% body fat and blah blah.

Sorry OP, cross posted but anyway, good luck with your lifestyle changes and it's really good that you're being proactive about your health.

@formerbabe I don't think people DO spend that much time thinking about it, sadly! Be better for the NHS if they did!

I have my own 'rule' which I've had all my life. I have a tolerance range of around 5lbs. As I am short like the OP, and the fat sits on my waist and tummy, nowhere else, I have to cut back and lose it before it gets harder to do it.

I’m 5”3 and 12.10 I wear a 14,12, sometimes 16, I can wear a medium, large, but the belt for my waist XS, my waist is very small, I have boobs of a DD and unfortunately 2 sections and also lost quite a lot of weight so need a tummy tuck. I run a lot, my things are quite big so can’t pull skinny jeans over sometimes. I’m still actively loosing weight to loose another 2 stone, I was 18.8 so silver linings and all that.

Body fat %
Waist measurement
Hip to waist ratio

Are all good health indicators. Everyone should have half an eye on them.
BMI is useful as a blunt tool but doesn’t necessarily indicate someone’s metabolic health, eg ‘skinnyfat’ a person can have a low/healthy BMI but a high end of or above healthy range body fat % due to their low muscle mass (ectomorphs) and a sense that they can ‘eat what they want and barely exercise’ because they stay skinny naturally

BMI is always referred to on these threads as being a "blunt tool" and all, but in reality the BMI bands are really very wide. For my height, I can be between 8st and 11st or so, and be a healthy weight.

It seems pretty sensible to me that those with a small frame could be at the lower end of that "healthy" band, and those with a larger frame or who do a huge amount of weight lifting could be towards the upper end.

But instead, the thinking on this thread (and IRL) seems to have shifted to a place where BMI just doesn't apply if you're muscular/have big bones/have big boobs, etc etc. Which is utter bollocks in most cases. The vast majority of athletes are a healthy BMI, so why would someone who lifts weights a few times a week think it doesn't apply to them?
For 99% of us, it's a decent enough guide. Weird how many people on this thread think they're in the 1%.

@orangegerbil genuine question: What were you wanting from this thread?

People won’t accept it because they think they look fine and think being told you are overweight is an offensive comment about your external appearance, rather than a medical judgement about your long term health.

@Alexkate2468 to see if it's common for people to weigh more than they look, or if people think it's possible to weigh a lot but not be overweight. And opinions on using BMI to measure this.

People have said to me I can't possibly be over 10 stone (I don't tell them my real weight). But even so, I know I need to lose a few pounds after lockdown.

That sounds like a good plan orangegerbil.

I don't think it is possible to weigh a lot, and not be overweight, as that is pretty much the definition of being overweight.

I do think it is possible to be overweight but not look, or be, 'fat', and for people to be surprised at your actual weight.

to see if it's common for people to weigh more than they look, or if people think it's possible to weigh a lot but not be overweight. And opinions on using BMI to measure this.

It absolutely is. People's perceptions of what is and isn't overweight has been completely changed in the last few decades. A few years back I thought I was probably carrying a half stone or so too much when I was borderline obese. I didn't look in the mirror and see an obese person, I knew I was overweight but I certainly would not have considered myself remotely obese. Getting myself into really good condition has been revelatory because it's opened my eyes to the fact that even when I was mid-20s and thought I was in good shape I was already much bigger than is right for me and my natural body shape.

I've also realised that many people who are normal by today's standards are a little overweight, like me in my mid-late 20s. People who we think of as a little overweight are actually near obese, as I was for a lot of my 30s. And people who we recognise as actually overweight are well in the obese, to possibly morbidly obese parameters. And I know damn well that's where I'd have ended up if I hadn't made a very conscious decision to stop letting myself be deluded by judging myself by the current average, instead of letting myself be guided by facts until my perceptions changed.

One of the things that shocked me into waking up about our perceptions was looking through some childhood photos. My best friend when I was my DS's age was overweight. As a child she was recognised as the 'fat' kid in our class. But when I looked at the photos of us together, I couldn't see her as overweight at all. She looked normal, larger than the other kids for sure, but not overweight at all by what I think of as an overweight child. It actually scares me as a parent that I might be letting my DS get overweight and not have a clue that he's heavier than he should be. And it made me consider how I really was and how I want to be a good example for him and around for him for as long as I can be.

DH and I have been rewatching men behaving badly recently and I remember I used to think of Caroline Quentin's character Dorothy was really overweight but now she just looks slightly bigger than normal, which I think shows how our perception of 'normal' has changed over time.

I do think that more inclusive representation of body types on TV and in advertising is generally a good thing, I don't think that normalising being over weight is as it leads to the misconception of common = ok when overweight = unhealthy, regardless of how normal it is.

And yes, I realise health is more than BMI BUT a healthy person who is overweight would be even healthier at a healthy weight.

IME (for my body frame) for me to be a healthy BMI (and I mean 25) I actually have to be slim. I dont know if it's the same for everyone. I had never been a healthy BMI in my life yet I never thought of myself beyond chubby.

I know that for my frame and height I can't be any bigger than a current size 8. It sucks and i have to think about what I eat all the time and workout 5 days a week for at least 1 hour. But it has become part of me and I LOVE the athletic look, much more than being "pudgy" even if I didn't look particularly overweight.

Why are we women so preoccupied with our size? And the distribution of our body fat? You don't hear men comparing themselves with each other and worrying about what size of waistband they can get into. Or what size their arses and bellies are. They're all just strutting about thinking they're a real catch!

" You don't hear men comparing themselves with each other and worrying about what size of waistband they can get into. Or what size their arses and bellies are. They're all just strutting about thinking they're a real catch!"

They can feel bad if they're short or puny. There are plenty who lie about their age and height on dating sites so it's obviously a preoccupation.

You don't hear men comparing themselves with each other and worrying about what size of waistband they can get into. Or what size their arses and bellies are. They're all just strutting about thinking they're a real catch!

Sorry but that's just BS. Plenty of men care about their weight and health. I know many, many men who exercise regularly, who care about their performance, their general health and yes, how they look. It's such complete and utter internalised misogyny to pretend only women care about their weight and that it is somehow a bad thing, that only silly women bother their poor insecure, silly little heads about.

" I never said I am a size 10 in 1980s clothes."

No, but you mentioned Next and they have massive sizes.
Also, people were making those comments before you gave your waist size. You have a very small waist for your size. Your waist might be smaller than mine and I weigh 3 stone less.

AhBallix - ah yes, these men who have an even higher rate of obesity than women and are more likely to die of covid 19; let’s be like men.