Are some people really heavy or am I kidding myself?

[Ellessdee]

I know I'm a bit overweight. I'm a solid size 12. I weighed myself and did my BMI out of curiosity and it's telling me I'm obese. Is BMI wildly inaccurate or am I in denial re my weight? I used to weight train and do have quite a bit of muscle but also a layer of fat on top! Anyway, trying to pose weight, just wondering if I should be worried!

*lose

BMI doesn't take into account all manner of differences, including muscle mass, bone density, age, race etc.

Your waist to height ratio is more important as a health measure. People will say BMI is useless, but it’s reasonable for the vast majority of people I’m afraid.
I think we just get used to everyone being a bit squishier and also vanity sizing.

BMI is ridiculously inaccurate. It does not take into account muscle mass, activity levels, genetics, ethnicity, age, fat distribution.

It's a very blunt tool for something that's very individual.

It's not unusual for athletes in peak condition to be told they're obese or women with small frames being told they are overweight and need to lose a few pounds which would make them skeletal.

So in short, pay no heed to it.

I guess it depends on how tall you are. If you are very short you might wear a size 12 and be obese though it wouldn't be very common. So.you wear a different size lower body clothes? For example I used to wear a size 12 for ages for tops, shirts, etc even though for dresses and trousers I needed a size 16 because of my big bottom and thighs.

I definitely am overweight. I'm trying to lose it and managed 2lbs this week. Just didn't know I was THAT overweight.

I definitely am overweight. I'm trying to lose it and managed 2lbs this week. Just didn't know I was THAT overweight.

I'm 31 and black African. Gave me a bit of a shock for sure!

Obese at a size 12 does sound surprising. Maybe work out the waist ratio instead.

I'm 5ft 9 so quite tall. I wear size 12 all over.

I've always been quite heavy, even when I had a 26 inch waist and size 8-10 which at nearly 5ft 9 I didn't feel big at all, I was top of healthy BMI almost in overweight category. I normally hover around 25/26 BMI. I think your measurements can be helpful as it shows where you store excess fat/weight/muscle

I'm in Ireland and the public health messaging switched to waist circumference and waist to hip ratio about 10 years ago.
Apparently that has more of an impact on health than BMI.
They gave away free measuring tapes for a while which are very handy for online ordering!
Maybe google that and see where you are with it?

BMI isn't perfect and doesn't account for natural differences, but generally those who say my bmi says I'm obese but I'm not overweight are in denial. Excess muscle also puts a strain on your body so the it's muscle argument misses the point a bit (albeit it's healthier than having lots of excess fat). As we become bigger on a population level and the idea of what a normal/idea weight has shifted quite considerably so its not surprising some prefer to Bury their heads in the sand

There’s this but it doesn’t take height into account, which makes no sense to me. The other way of doing it is to say it should be half height. So you’d be ok up to 34.5”.

extras.bhf.org.uk/patientinfo/waist-measurement_v1.0/app/

I'm heavy (yes I'm overweight, and I know that) but I'm broad. As in my shoulders are wide, big feet/wrists/hands

Never said I'm not overweight though. I'm not a bodybuilder or anything and wouldn't say I have enough muscle to put physical strain on my body. I just didn't know you could be obese at size 12. Wake up call maybe.

BMI is ridiculously inaccurate. It does not take into account muscle mass, activity levels, genetics, ethnicity, age, fat distribution

Yes it does, that's why it's a range that spans about 40lbs (that's nearly 3 stone)

It's not terribly good for certain categories of elite sportspeople, and those in a few particularly physical occupations (eg some military roles), but most people simply aren't in those groups.

Clothes sizing never recovered from the vanity sizing boom of the 1980s and 90s - that wasn't a revalorisation based on population evidence, it was marketing. And an 80s 12 (which we still think of as 'normal') is about an 8 today. Today's 12 is a 16 or 18 then.

So the issue is with sizing and perceptions of that sizing

I'm a size 12/14 and just tipped back over from obese to overweight.
Although bmi is flawed, I think we've all lost touch with what a healthy weight really is unfortunately

I think it’s a good guide, but also individual. I am very slim and a size 8 at the top of my BMI and no one would say I was overweight. I could not go down to let’s say a BMI of 21 or 22 unless I stopped eating and I would look extremely skinny.

Sadly, I think our perceptions of even what “obese” looks like have shifted. It’s very likely that amongst the current population you don’t see yourself as such an outlier as to earn that negative designator, but if you were to travel back in time to the 1960s or 70s, say, you’d possibly stand out as far larger a person than most people commonly encountered.

63% of UK adults are overweight or obese. It's not hard to slip into the next category.

What most people think of when they hear 'obese' is actually 'morbidly obese' which is a further category.

Also BMI isn't a great indicator. I'm a size 8-10 and at the very top end of a healhh the y weight according to BMI.

In June of this year I had a BMI of 27.3, so very firmly in the overweight range. I had the same reaction as you - I'm a size 10/12, how can I possibly be overweight? Fast forward to today, I have now lost 2 stone and feel so much better for it. I have more energy, my hair and skin have both improved and I'm performing much better in the gym. If you'd said all of this to me in June I would have told you it wasn't possible because I was perfectly healthy as I was. From my research BMI is generally a good indicator unless you are literally a professional athlete, in which case a false result is possible.

As others have said BMI is a good guide for all but a few real outliers. It always makes me roll my eyes when people go ‘oh but muscle’ etc. I’m quite tall and very broad shouldered with big hands and feet. I lift weights and am carrying a LOT of muscle and my BMI is below 20.

You're the same height and dress size as me op. I'm never in the obese category. Usually in the middle. Waist 28 inches. Lower stomach around the size of half a grapefruit.I'm generally seen as slim.

BMI is kind of outdated a bit shit as others have stated. However it can give an indication of ranges IF your body type is what we’d say is typical / average.
A typical person does not have 20lb extra lbs of lean mass nor extremely high activity levels.

If a typical person says overweight or obese on bmi then the chances are they are outside of their ideal weight.

Obese at a size 12 doesn’t sound right but it really depends - a Topshop size 12 is very different to a m&s size 12.
Size 12 tailored trousers from Zara is different to a size 12 jumper from Asda.

Waist circumference is a good one to measure. A size 12 would expect you to be 29/30 inches on the waist. Perhaps check that one - you might find it’s crept up? So you’re thinking size 12 but actually more like 34?

At the gym last week a lady told me she was weighing in that day and hoping to be at 11 stone. I (currently) weight about half a stone more than her but you definitely wouldn’t think of it to look at us. She is “bigger” than me. I was surprised tbh.

You can absolutely have too
high fat % at a size 12, definitely. Especially visceral fat.

Well done for addressing something you don’t feel happy with OP, even if you ignore the BMI, you will know in yourself whether your fat levels have got too high or not!