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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think someone at 5’4 and 7 stone

79 replies

User2627 · 20/11/2020 21:41

Is very underweight?

OP posts:
bathorshower · 20/11/2020 22:51

I'm a slim boned 5'4", and the lowest I've been as an adult is 7 st 7. I looked very slim then, though my periods restarted at that weight (they'd stopped for other reasons when I weighed more).

A good question is whether the woman is having periods - if not, it's a sign she isn't a healthy weight.

olderthanyouthink · 20/11/2020 22:53

That's my height and weight and I'd say I'm underweight, it feels awful (tired a lot) and I don't think I look well either.

(Blood test has been done, it's just BF that's killing me slowly)

OwlOne · 20/11/2020 22:53

Very very thin

supersplodge · 20/11/2020 22:56

@supersplodge

Totally depends on your build. As a PP said - rugby players are muscly and therefore heavy, so their BMI says they are obese.

I am 5'3 (well 5'2 last time I was measured, now I'm over 50 we start shrinking.......Sad) but have never weighed more than 8 stone. Ideally I thin 6.5 would suit me, but I am very small boned. My wrists etc are very tiny. However, I am quite podgy and even at my thinnest have never been able to see my ribs or backbone. I'm currently about 7 stone 10 but definitely could lose some flab......

Ha ha - I think 6 1/2 stone would be ideal, not I 'thin'......Grin

That said, I just breathe in if DH looks my way, and carry on eating chocolate! My ideal weight is not necessarily my aspirational weight......Smile

wonderstuff · 20/11/2020 22:56

I'm 5'4" and 7st4. I'd like to put on weight but don't seem to be able to. I was very sick in early pregnancy and on consultant care for both pregnancies but had average weight babies and was healthy. I have poor appetite and adhd which affects my diet because I struggle to decide when and what to eat.

mistermagpie · 20/11/2020 23:00

@jessstan1 that surprises me. I'm 5'8" and 9 stone. I'm not especially slim, I'm a size 10 so kind of average looking really. It must come down to build.

Anyway OP, yes, that sounds underweight even without context.

LifeIsStrangeAtm · 20/11/2020 23:02

I'm 5'2 & 7st 11lb, I dont look healthy slim. I think someone could look really unwell at 5'4 & 7st.

SionnachRua · 20/11/2020 23:03

Oh I 100% do. I'm a small boned 5ft3 woman and at that weight I was uncomfortably bony, looked bony too! I remember as a teen getting to 8 stone was a long term goal, I usually was around 7 and a half and when I went under that the change was noticeable. Of course, I had a poor appetite, was fussy and ate like a bird back then Grin I don't have that problem anymore!

TonytheDog · 20/11/2020 23:03

I'm 5'4" and 7st. I'm 52 now and have never been above 8 stone. I've had two children, who were born a healthy weight.
I've never been on a diet and struggle to put on weight.
I wouldn't have been considered underweight 20 years ago but now, apparently, I am. Why is that? Is it because the average weight has gone up?

youvegottenminuteslynn · 20/11/2020 23:07

That said, I just breathe in if DH looks my way, and carry on eating chocolate!

Goodness me @supersplodge you shouldn't need to breathe in at any size just because your partner looks at you, let alone when you're clearly very slender! Makes me sad someone (especially someone slim) would think like that about their partner looking at them,

CertieCumboyle · 20/11/2020 23:11

I'm 5 foot 2 and look slim but perfectly normal at 7 stone. I have been 6 stone, and I looked thin then. I'm about 7 stone 10 now and look a bit chubby. I think about 7 stone 4 is my optimum weight as I'm generally built to be small. But if I were a bigger-built woman of the same height, that would be horribly underweight. It is about more than the actual weight.

KormaKormaChameleon · 20/11/2020 23:20

I've spent most of my life about 7 stone and I'm 5'4", had 2 children at that weight, I don't watch what I eat at all. I don't look bony, I'm slim and 'petite', small feet, narrow wrists etc. BMI etc is a range so there will always be people near the ends of normal.
It's obviously my set weight and is healthy for me, it wouldn't be for someone else, especially if they had a restrictive diet to attain it or it messes with their menstrual cycle/mood/wellbeing etc

user1481840227 · 20/11/2020 23:27

It is technically underweight (if you're going by a BMI calculator) but I think sometimes people see being underweight as being an indicator that someones body is going to shut down and they are at immediate risk...the reality is that all it means is that the person is more likely to develop certain health issues than if they were in the normal weight category. It's certainly not guaranteed. Just like there are many people who are overweight....some will develop health problems but many won't!

PickAChew · 20/11/2020 23:31

OK in a teen who displays no concerning food behaviours. Worrying in anyone past the naturally gangly stage. (I was that 5'5, 7st2 teen - now look gaunt at and have to really restrict to stay below below 9 stone.)

CristinaYangsBrain · 20/11/2020 23:33

Eating Disorder Support

PatriciaPerch · 20/11/2020 23:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

alexdgr8 · 20/11/2020 23:37

@PatriciaPerch

my daughter is 5 1 and 7 11 and needs to lose a bit of weight imo but she hasn't been horseriding etc because of lockdown
are you serious ? please don't say this to her. what age is she.
DelphiniumBlue · 20/11/2020 23:37

For a person of small build, it might not be underweight.
In my 20's, I was 8 stone ( briefly) at 5'4. I still had a bit of a spare tyre , definitely not a flat stomach, and was never less than a size 12. A lot of my friends were lighter than me, but not skinny.
But standards were different- a 25" waist was not considered particularly small, ( Etam did a 28" waist skirt, which was for larger girls, size 16, a size not available in many shops.) Lots of shops had only 10 (22" waist) 12 (24) and 14 (26").
7 stone was a fairly unremarkable weight,certainly for a teenager.
Anyone familiar with vintage clothes will know they are very small .

Notcontent · 20/11/2020 23:42

I think that weight would be ok for a teen. My teen dd is just over 5’6” and 8 stone. She used to be slimmer but has recently put on weight.

youvegottenminuteslynn · 20/11/2020 23:43

@PatriciaPerch

my daughter is 5 1 and 7 11 and needs to lose a bit of weight imo but she hasn't been horseriding etc because of lockdown
My goodness this is sad.
Titsywoo · 20/11/2020 23:47

@PatriciaPerch

my daughter is 5 1 and 7 11 and needs to lose a bit of weight imo but she hasn't been horseriding etc because of lockdown
Wow. As i said earlier my 5ft 2 dd is 8 stone (maybe a bit over) and has a 25 inch waist. No way does your DD need to lose weight!
PatriciaPerch · 20/11/2020 23:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Boulshired · 20/11/2020 23:48

These threads are very dangerous, as a mother of a weight restored anorexic DD, there are no right answers whilst a few individuals can be healthy at a low BMI for others it is extremely dangerous. With all BMI measurements there are outliers but they are just that, exceptions.

MiniMum97 · 20/11/2020 23:52

I looked my best at 5'3" and 7 stone but think I was technically underweight. And I couldn't maintain that weight for long. I was naturally about 7.5 to 8 stone but had some podgy bits at this weight.

Taller people are often aghast when they hear this low weight but it is so height dependant. Think it's fairly normal for this sort of height. Slim but not unhealthy.

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