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?

It depends on your muscle/fat content. I’m 5ft2 and was a size 8 at just over 10 stone, but that was when I was practically living in the gym and had a physical job. I’m now 11 stone and a size 14 because I sit at a desk all day and don’t get to the gym now.

That’s almost exactly my size and yes it’s definitely overweight. I definitely have chub and that’s despite having a broad frame (shoulders and hips, size seven feet) for the fat to spread across. As others have said we would have to see a picture to comment meaningfully.

A few years ago someone posted a picture of themselves in jeans of a certain size (I think someone had said they didn’t believe she was a size whatever but you could see the jeans were extremely stretchy, digging into the waist all around and the zip was straining. The poster was adamant they fit perfectly...

I'm 5ft, 8st4lb, size 8, trying to lose weight. You can definitely be overweight as size 10, completely depends on your build. Clothes sizing has got bigger over the years too. Size 10 is probably an old 12 at least. I'm aiming for bmi of 21.5.

Fat around the tummy is the worst, annoyingly. So if you can see tummy fat then you probably are. I agree BMI isnt everything, but these days being overweight is actually normalised, so someone who is just a healthy weight is seen as really slim.

I'd focus on keeping active and eating healthily anyway, whatever you weigh.

I’m 5’5 11 stone 4 approx but my body fat % is around 27%
Body fat % is so much a better indication. My weight has hovered between 8st4 and 8st12 all my life. My body fat though has always been around 30%.

Last year, I took up weights, weight didn't go down at all but body fat went from 31% to 27%. I'd never looked so good.

Now in the menopause and keeping the body fat under 30% is a real challenge.

Have you ever tested your body fat percentage?

@AlwaysLay8 well done thats awesome! I’m 5’3 currently pregnant but a stable 8st6-8st8 For years when not. Find it pretty tricky to go down to 8st5 without going a bit too strict on food and exercise (for me, I mean, I’m petite but solid frame). Jealous haha!!

@Fressia123 You look fit but no way a size 8! Not with those boobs! I'm struggling to get into a size 8 and my bust measurement is 30D.

BMI is a simple formula that is useful flas a general guide. When I played rugby I was consistantly overweight according to the BMI calculator despite having a sub 10% body fat. Personally I only use body fat as a measurement.

I’m 5’5 11 stone 4 approx but my body fat % is around 27%

Body fat of 27% is not exactly good!

For a woman you'd be better off with it being between 20-25%.

So many bitchy comments...

Even if you are slightly overweight op...it's not against the law, the sky won't cave in

Next sizes come up really big. I fit into size 8 Next trousers now and 8/10 in most other places. I always used to be a size 12 until about 10 years ago and am bigger now than I was then.

Don't worry too much about the scales/BMI but be honest with yourself. Do you feel good in your clothes? Can you run for the bus and climb multiple flights of stairs comfortably? You've said you want to lose some so if that will make happier then do so.

It said that weight to height ratio was better:

@ILoveAllRainbowsx BMI IS weight to height ratio

A size 10 at M&S is huge. I'd say bigger than a 16 at Zara

I think your scales are wrong OP!
You are quite muscly too (with big boobs).
I think it also depends if them type of clothes you wear, stretchy ones will give more.
I’m 5’4” and 9 stone (I’m also quite muscly) and fit a 10. At my heaviest I was 10 stone and was in a 14.

I totally agree about how sizing has changed!
I've just got a dress from primark and the only size that was anywhere near right, was the x small, size 4-6!! I definitely wasn't that size a few years ago and I have been the same weight my entire adult life, so no major weight loss.

I'm your height op and weigh around 8st 10, this puts my bmi around the middle of the normal range.

I am a bit taller and weight less by half a stone but can fit comfortably into 12 and 10 in M and S. My bmi is 25.4 so need to lose about a stone. Figure shape does play a part in sizing. If you have a 27 waist then your excessive weight could be in your boobs. It would explain how you can fit into 10 jeans. I can fit into size ten when I weight 9.5 stone when others my height would be a 12, especially if they are pear shaped. You are overweight though. Check your measurements as this is sometimes a better indication of health.

I feel slim but not thin with a bmi of 23. I'm not feeling any pressure to go a lot lower because even as a 21 year old I never had that frame.

I have two friends though, I remember them calculating their BMIs when we were in our 20s and they had BMIs of 19 and 20 and I felt so fat!! But the moment they put on a pound, it still went straight to their bellies, so I do think that just like 23 is natural for me, lower is natural for them.

As one of a range of ways to see where you are, it's of some use. I think bang in the middle of 18.50 and 25 would be

Clothes sizing is just ridiculous these days. For example, I’m typically a size 12. But the last time I went to Next, even the size 10s were too big. Recently my mum measured me because she’s making a dress for me, and I measured as a size 16-18.

A lot of it will depend on your shape, where you hold your weight, and the shape of the clothes too. I’m very, very broad (have to add 2” to each shoulder when dressmaking!), but then have no arse. Most trousers have little wings on the sides for me 😅.

The other thing is, there’s a limit to how low your weight can go. As mentioned, I have a huge frame. I also lost 11 stone over the last few years, so have a LOT of loose skin. I’ve been pretty stable at a bmi of around 24 for a year now, so just scraping into healthy range, but I don’t think I realistically have anything else to lose.

I think if you get all the information about yourself that you can - BMI, waist measurement, old clothes (from years ago, that used to fit you well), pinching an inch, etc - then you’ll know in yourself whether you have any weight to lose. For a lot of people it’s just whether they want to face that or not.

I am 4'11, 8 stone and my waist is 26.5inches - my bmi is around 23-24 so the higher end of normal but I fit into sizes 4-8 in most high street shops - however: my measurements have not changed in years, but my clothes size has. I used to wear sizes 8-12. Clothes are getting larger, and I think it is important to recognize that.

@formerbabe It's not 'bitchy' to be factual.

A BMI of 27 is overweight and half way to obese (BMI 30) Given the added risks of Covid and everyone being advised to lose weight, you seem a tad out of touch and not exactly helpful.

I could in theory have a BMI of 25 and be 'healthy' (haha) but that would mean an extra 6 points on my BMI of 19 and I'd be HUGE!

Sometimes our weight can creep up without noticing. I had put on 10lbs gradually and only realised when I weighed at a theme park. I didn’t believe it as I was comfortably in the same clothes. I bought my own scales to double check and it was right!

I could do with losing a bit around my tummy, that is probably all you need to know. That is visceral adipose tissue, which is the most dangerous form of obesity.

If your waist is 27 inches, it's unlikely you're overweight in a way that puts you at risk of any health issues. The NHS advises that >31.5 inches is overweight and >35 inches is obese. For some people, this might be a better measure than BMI. Taking a rounded view is probably best

I know what you mean though. I'm 5'6 and I was extremely slender at 10 stone (size 8-10), slim at 11 and a half stone (size 10 and a 28 inch waist, though "overweight" on BMI), and now I'm a bit overweight post baby at 12 stone, but my waist is still 30 inches. shrug

People can carry weight in very different ways.

OK this is really weird...
You're 5'3", you have a 27" waist, you wear a size 10, you don't train and yet you weigh nearly 11 stone.
Something really doesn't add up!

Firstly - are you sure you're 5'3"? Genuine question - I've had friends for years claiming their height was X but when measured it was actually 2 inches off!

Secondly - I would definitely try some different scales. You said you hadn't weighed yourself in years so that suggests they might be pretty old. Make sure you do it on a hard surface.

And if that's all still correct I am mystified, do you have extremely fat feet?!? 😉